20. It seems to be of more importance that, if the objectors may be believed, the writer of this Epistle czteth testumonies out of the Old Testament that are no ways to his purpose, nor at all prove the matter that he produceth them for, discovering at least that he wrote with a fallible spirit, if not also that he dealt scarcely bond fide in handling the cause which he undertook. Cajetan insists on that of the first chapter, verse 5, “I will be unto him a Father, and he shall be unto me a Son,” taken from 2 Sam. vii. 14, or 1 Chron. xvii. 13; which words, as he supposeth, no way belong unto that in whose confirmation they are produced by the author of this Epistle. Erasmus insists upon his testimony in chap. i. 6, produced out of Ps. viii. 4, 5; which, as he saith, is urged to the direct contrary of the intention of the psalmist and scope of the words. Enjedinus insists on the same places and others.
Now, two things must be supposed, to give countenance unto this objection:—First, That those who make it do better understand the meaning and importance of the testumonies so produced out of the Old Testament than he did by whom they are here alleged. This is the foundation of this exception; which if once admitted, it may be easily imagined how able some men will quickly think them- selves to question other allegations in the New Testament, and thereby render the authority of the whole dubious. They must, I
40 CANONICAL AUTHORITY OF THE [ EXERC. I.
say, take upon themselves to know the true meaning of them, and that in the uttermost extent of signification and intention, as given out by the Holy Ghost, before they can charge their misapplication on this author. How vain, unjust, arrogant, and presumptuous, this supposition is, needs little labour to demonstrate. The understand- ings of men are a very sorry measure of the truth, with the whole sense and intendment of the Holy Ghost in every place of Scripture. Nay, it may much more rationally be supposed, that though we all know enough of the mind and will of God in the whole Seripture to guide and regulate our faith and obedience, yet that we are rather ignorant of his utmost intention in any place than that we know it in all. There is a depth and breadth in every word of God, be- cause his, which we are not able to fathom and compass to the ut- most; it being enough for us that we may infallibly apprehend so much of his mind and will as is indespensably necessary for us to the obedience that he requires at our hands. An humble, reverential consideration of all, indeed almost any, of the testimonies alleged in the New Testament out of the Old, is sufficient to evince the truth of this consideration. ‘ We know but in part, and we prophesy in put,” 1 Cor. xii. 9. “ Quantum est quod nescimus!”—“ How much is it that we know not!” Or, as Job speaks, 727 /OU72,—«“ How small isthe word that we understand of God!” chap. xxvi. 14. One says well, “ Est sacra Scriptura veluti fons quidam, in bono terree loco scaturiens, quem quo altius foderis, eo magis exuberantem invenies; ita quo diligentius sacram Scripturam interpretaris, eo abundan- tiores aquee vivee venas reperies,” Brent. Hom. xxxvi. in 1 Sam. xi. That objection, then, must needs be very weak whose fundamental strength consists in so vain a presumption. Again, They must take it for granted that they are aforehand fully acquainted with the par- ticular intention of the author in the assertions which he produceth these testimonies in the confirmation of; and with all the ways of arguing and pressing principles of faith, used by men writing by divine inspiration.
Neither is this supposition less rash or presumptuous than the for- mer. Men who bring their own hypotheses and preconceived senses unto the Scripture, with a desire to have them confirmed, are apt to make such conclusions. Those that come with humility and reve- rence of His majesty with whom they have to do, to learn from him his mind and will therein, whatever he shall thereby reveal so to be, will have other thoughts and apprehensions. Let men but suffer the testimonies and assertions, whose unsuitableness is pretended, to explain one another, and the agreement will quickly appear; and the worst that will ensue will be only the emergence of a sense from them which perhaps they understood not in either of them singly or separately considered. Thus infirm on all accounts is this objection.
SECT. 21, 22.] ‘EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 41
For the instances themselves, some light will be given unto them from what we shall afterwards discourse of the author’s ways and principles, that he proceeds upon in his citations of testimonies out of the Old Testament; and, in particular, in our exposition of the places themselves, we shall manifest that his application of them is every way suitable to the very letter of the text and the manifest intention of the Holy Ghost. So false and unjust, as well as rash and presumptuous, is this objection.
21. Neither is there any more real weight in that which Erasmus in the next place objects,—namely, that some things in it seem to give countenance unto some exploded opinions of ancient heretics; whereof he gives us a double instance. First, “ Quod velum sepa- rans sanctum sanctorum interpretatur ccelum ;’—“ That he interprets the veil separating the most holy place to be heaven:” which indeed he neither doth (but only affirms that the most holy place in the tabernacle was a type or figure of heaven itself), nor, if he should have so done, had he given the least countenance unto the fondness of the Manichees, whom I suppose he intendeth; his whole discourse perfectly exploding their abominations. His other instance is in that vexed place, chap. vi. 4-8, favouring, as he pretends, the Nova- tians, denying recovery by repentance unto them who had fallen into sin after baptism. But the incompetency of this objection, arising merely from their ignorance of the true meaning of the Holy Ghost that made it, as to the end for which it was used, hath been demon- strated by many of oldand late. And, the Lord assisting, in our exposition of that place we shall show that it is so far from giving countenance unto any error or mistake which any man may fall into contrary to the gospel, that a more plain, familiar, and wholesome commination is hardly to be found in the whole book of God.