SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE, 247
gation from its perfection and plenitude, so reverenced by them of old, which is objected unto you for your so doing. Protestants sup- pose the Scripture to be given forth by God, to be unto the chiu'ch a 'perfect rule of that faith and obedience which he requires at the hands of the sons of men. They suppose that it is such a revelation of his mind or will as is intelligible unto all them that are concerned to know it, if they use the means by him appointed to come imto a right understanding of it. They suppose that what is not taught therein, or not taught so clearly as that men who humbly and heartily seek unto him may know his mind therein as to what he requireth of them, cannot possibly be the necessary and indispensable duty of any one to perform. They suppose that it is the duty of every man to search the Scriptures with all diligence, by the help and assistance of the means that God hath appointed in his church, to come to the knowledge of his mind and will in all things concerning their faith and obedience; and firmly to believe and adhere unto what they find revealed by him. And they, moreover, suppose that those who deny any of these suppositions are therein, and so far as they do so, in- jurious to the grace, wisdom, love, and care of God towards his church, to the honour and perfection of the Scripture, the comfort and esta- blishment of the souls of men, leaving them no assured principles to build their faith and salvation upon. Now, from these suppositions, I hope you see that it will unavoidably follow that the Scripture is able every way to effect that which you deny unto it a sufficiency for ; for where, I pray you, lies its defect ? I am afraid, from the next part of your question, " Has it ever done it?" that you run upon a ffreat mistake. The defect that follows the failings and miscarriages of men, you would have imputed unto the want of sufficiency in the Scripture. But we cannot allow you herein. The Scripture in its place, and in that kind of cause which it is, is as sufficient to settle men, all men, in the truth, as the sun is to give light to all men to see by; but the sun that giveth light doth not give eyes also. The Scripture doth its work as a moral rule; which men are not necessi- tated or compelled to attend unto or follow. And if, through their neglect of it, or not attendance unto it, or disability to discern the mind and will of God in it, — whether proceeding from their natural impotency and blindness in their lapsed condition, or some evil habit of mind contracted by their giving admission unto corrupt prejudices and traditional jDriuciples, — the work be not effected, this is no im- peachment of the Scripture's sufficiency, but a manifestation of their weakness and folly. Besides, all that unity in faith that hath been at any time, or is in the world, according to the mind of God; every decision that hath been made at any time of any difference in or about religion, in a right way and order, — hath been by the Scripture,
248 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.
whicli God hath sanctified unto these ends and purposes. And it is impossible that the miscarriages or defects of men can reflect the least blame upon it, or make it esteemed insufficient for the end now in- quired after. The pursuit, then, of your inquiry which now you insist upon, is in part vain, in part already answered. In vain it is that you inquire " whether the written word can settle any man in a way that neither himself, nor present adherents, nor future generations shall question?" for our inquiry is not after what may be, or what shall be, but what ought to be. It is able to settle a man in a way that none ought to question unto the world's end : so it settled the first Christians. But to secure us that none shall ever question the way whereinto it leads us, that it is not designed for, nor is it either needful or possible that it should be so. The oral preaching of the Son of God and of his apostles did not so secure them whom they taught. The way that they professed was everywhere questioned, contradicted, spoken against; and many, after the profession of it, again renounced it. And I wonder what feat you have to settle any one in a way that shall never be questioned. The authority of yoihr pope and church will not do it : themselves are things as highly questioned and dis- puted about as any thing that was ever named with reference unto religion. If you shall say, " But yet they ought not to be so ques- tioned, and it is the fault of men that they are so," you may well spare me the labour of answering your question, seeing you have done it yourself And whereas you add, " Or with as much proba- bility dissent from it, either totally or in part, as himself first set it," — when the very preceding words do not speak of a man's own setting, but of the Scripture's settling, the man only embracing what that settleth and determineth, — it is answered already, that what is so settled by the Scripture, and received as settled, cannot justly be questioned by any. And you insinuate a most irrational supposition, on which your assertion is built, — namely, that error may have as much probability as truth. For I suppose you will grant that what is settled by the Scripture is true, and therefore that which dissents from it must needs be an error; which, that it may be as probable indeed as truth (for we speak not of appearances, which have all their strength from our weaknesses), is a new notion, which may well be added to yoiu' many other of the like rarity and evidence. But why is not the Scripture able to settle men in unquestionable truth? When the people of old doubted about the ways of God wherein they ought to walk, himself sends them to "the law and to the testimony" for their instruction and settlement, Isa. viii. 20; and we think the counsel of him who cannot deceive nor be deceived is to be heark- ened unto, as well as his command to be obeyed. Our Saviour assures vis that if men will not hear Moses and the prophets, and