A. The scripture is a full and perfect canon containing in it all things necessary to salvation: 2 Tim. iii. 15., " From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto sal- vation." It shows the credenda^ — what we are to believe ; and agenda^ — what we are to practise. It gives us an exact model of religion, and perfectly instructs us in the deep things of God. The papists therefore make themselves guilty, who go to eke out scripture with their traditions, to which they equalize it. The council of Trent saith, that the traditions of the church of Rome are to be received pari pietatis affec- tum— with the same devotion that scripture is to be received with ; so bringing them- selves under the curse, Rev. xxii. 18., " If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are wi'itten in this book."
Q. What is the main scope and end of scripture ?
A. To chalk out a way to salvation. It makes a clear discovery of Christ : John XX. 31., " These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing ye might have life througii his name." The design of the word is to be an examen whereby our grace is to be tried ; a sea-mark to show us what rocks we are to avoid. The word is to sublimate and quicken our affections ; it is to be our directory and consolatory ,•« it is to waft us over to the land of promise.
Q. Who shall have tJie power of interpret- ing scriptures ?
The Papists do assert that it is in the power of the church. If you ask who they mean by the church, they say, the Pope who is head of it, and he is infallible ;
so Bellarmine. But that assertion is false, because many of the Popes have been ig- norant and vicious, as Platina aflirms, who writes of the lives of Popes. Pope Libe- rius was an Arian ; and Pope John XII. denied the immortality of the soul ; there- fore Popes are not fit interpreters of scrip- ture. Who then?
A. The scripture is to be its own inter- preter, or rather the Spirit speaking in it ; nothing can cut the diamond but the dia- mond ; nothing can interpret ocripture but scripture ; the sun best discovers itself by its own beams ; the scripture interprets it- self in easy places to the understanding. But the question is concerning hard places of scripture where the weak Christian is ready to wade beyond his depth. Who shall interpret here ?
A. In the church, God hath appointed some to expound and interpret scripture ; therefore he hath given gifts to men ; the several pastors of churches, like bright con- stellations, give light to dark scriptures : Mai. ii. 7., " The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth."
Q. Ihit this is to pin our faith upon men ?
A. We are to receive nothing for cur- rant but what is agreeable to the word. As God hath given to his ministers gifts for the interpreting obscure places, so he hath given to his people so much of the spirit of discerning, that they can tell (at least in things necessary to salvation) what is consonant to scripture, and what is not : 1 Cor. xii. 10., " To one is given a spij*it of prophecy, to another discerning of spi- rits." God hath endued his people with such a measure of wisdom and discretion, that thev can discern between truth and error, and judge what is sound, and wliat is spurious: Acts xvii. 11., " The Bereans searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." They weighed the doc- trine they heard, whether it was agreeable to scripture, though Paul and Silas were their teachers, 2 Tim. iii. 16.
Use \st. See the wonderful goodness ot God, who, besides the light of nature, hath committed to us the sacred scriptures. The heathens are enveloped with ignorance, Ps. cxlvii. 20., *' As for his judgments they
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have not known tliem." They have the oracles of the sybils, but not the writings of Moses and the apostles. How many live in the region of death where this bright star of scripture never appeared ? We have this blessed book of God to resolve all our cases, to chalk out a way of life to us. John xiv. 22., " Lord, how is it thou wilt mani- fest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" Seeing God hath given us his written word to be our directory, this takes away all ex- cuses from men. No man can say, " I went wrong for want of light." No, God hath given thee his word, as a lamp to thy feet; therefore now, if thou goest wrong, thou dost it wilfully. No man can say, " If I had known the will of God, I would have obeyed." No, thou art inexcusable, O man ! God hath given thee a rule to go by, he hath written his law with his own finger, therefore now, if thou obeyest not, thou hast no apology left. If a master leaves his mind in writing with his ser- vant, and tells him what work he will have done, yet the servant neglects the work, that servant is left without excuse, John XV. 22., " Now you have no cloak for your sins."