This falls heavily upon them that charge the Holy Scriptures with insufficiency, as not containing all things necessaiy to salvation. What a horrid blasphemy is this, and reproach to the great God, that he should send his people into the field, and put such a wooden sword into their hand as is not sufficient to de- fend them, and cut their way through their enemies' powers to heaven, whither he orders them to march ! Would any gracious prince, that loves the lives of his subjects, give them arms that are not fit to oppose such an enemy as comes out against them, if he knows how to furnish them with better? Nay, would he give them such weak and insufficient weapons for their defence, tind then charge them to use no other? This were unworthily to send them as sheep to the shambles, and could signify nothing, but that he had a mind their throats should be cut by their enemies. And doth not God himself highly conmiend this sword of the Scripture to his people, when he tells Timothy, ' It is able to make him' (as a Christian) ' wise unto salvation,' 1 Tim. iii. 15 ; and as a ' man of God' (or minister of the gospel) ' perfect, and thoroughly furnished unto all good works,' ver. 17. Yea, doth he not also forbid us the use of any other weapon, than what the Scriptures furnish us withal ? ' To the law and to the testimony,' he sends us, Isa. viii. 21, and makes it a re- nouncing of our allegiance to him, to go any where else for counsel or pro- tection than to his written word : — ' Should not a people seek unto their God ? for the living to the dead ?' Then follows, — ■' To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,' ver. 19, 20. It seems, then, God doth not count we seek him, except we inquii-e for him at the law and the testimony, and bring all we hear to their test. Surely, that which is intended by God to be to his people (what the standard and town-bushel are to the market) a rule to measure all doctrines by. is itself exact and sufficient. But the world, by this time, knows where the insufficiency of the Scriptui'e lies. Sufficient they are for God's ends, but not for the pope's. They are able to furnish every true Christian with wisdom enough how he should save his soul; but the pope finds himself grieved, that they are not so useful to help him to keep a triple crown on his head, and do not furnish him with grounds from which he may defend the lordly power and godlike infalli- bility which he claims, with other doctrines held forth by him ; and this is the only defect he can charge the Scriptures with, to supply which the rabble rout of traditions is brought into the church ; all taught to speak the pope's sense before they see the light : and that reputation may be gained to these unknown witnesses, this way their fine wits, with the devil's help, (who owes the Scripture an old spite, ever since the first promise rescued Adam out of his hand,) have taken, — that the Scriptures be declared insufficient and uncertain. Just as Andronicus served the emperor Alexius, who gave out that he was weak and insufficient to govern alone, and so first got a joint power with him, and at last an absolute power over him to dethrone him ; and whether their traditions have dealt better by the Scriptures, the Avorld may judge. When traditions go up, the written word is sure to go down : ' Ye have made,' saith Christ, to the Pharisees, 'the commandment of none effect by your traditions,' Matt. xv. 6; you have unlorded it, and supplanted its authority in the minds of men, who leave the word to hearken to your traditions.
CHAPTER XIX.
SHEWETH THE GREAT WICKEDNESS OF THOSE WHO LIFT UP THIS SWORD IN DEFENCE OF ANY SIN.
This condemns those as prodigiously wicked, who, instead of using this sword to defend themselves against sin and Satan, lift it up audaciously for their de- fence in their wicked and abominable practices. Thus the heretic takes up the word to justify his corrupt tenets, forcing it, in favour of his way, to bear witness against itself: and many pi-ofane wretches we meet with, who, to ward of!" a reproof, will dare to seek protection for their ungodly courses from the word.
AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. 587