And it is the great wisdom and mercy of God, which hath so ordered it, that the Scripture shall have enough to exercise the strongest, and yet that the weakest may be ignorant of the meaning of a thousand sentences, without danger of damnation, so they do but understand the marrow or essentials, and labour faithfully to increase in the knowledge of the rest.[393]
[393] 1 Cor. viii. 1-3; xiii. 1-4; Rom. viii. 28.
Quest. CXLV. _May not a man be saved that believeth all the essentials of religion, as coming to him by verbal tradition, and not as contained in the holy Scriptures, which perhaps he never knew?_
_Answ._ 1. He that believeth shall be saved, which way ever he cometh by his belief; so be it it be sound as to the object and act; that is, if it contain all the essentials, and they be predominantly believed, loved, and practised.
2. The Scriptures being the records of Christ's doctrine delivered by himself, his Spirit, and his apostles, it is the office of ministers, and the duty of all instructors, to open these Scriptures to those they teach, and to deliver particulars upon the authority of these inspired, sealed records which contain them.
3. They that thus receive particular truths, from a teacher explaining the Scripture to them, do receive them in a subordination to the Scripture, materially, and as to the teacher's part; though not formally, and as to their own part; and though the Scripture authority being not understood by them, be not the formal object of their faith, but only God's authority in general.
4. They that are ignorant of the being of the Scripture, have a great disadvantage to their faith.
5. Yet we cannot say, but it may be the case of thousands to be saved by the gospel delivered by tradition, without resolving their faith into the authority of the Scriptures. For,
1. This was the case of all the christians (as to the New Testament) who lived before it was written; and there are several articles of the creed now necessary, which the Old Testament doth not reveal.[394]
2. This may be the case of thousands in ignorant countries, where the Bible being rare, is to most unknown.[395]
3. This may be the case of thousands of children who are taught their creed and catechism, before they understand what the Bible is.
4. This may be the case of thousands among the papists, where some perverse priests do keep not only the reading, but the knowledge of the Scriptures from the people, for fear lest they should be taught to resolve their faith into it; and do teach them only the articles of faith and catechism, as known by the church's tradition alone.
[394] Matt. xvi. 16.
[395] Rom. x. 9, 10, 13-15.
Quest. CXLVI. _Is the Scripture fit for all christians to read, being so obscure?_
_Answ._ 1. The essentials and points necessary to salvation are plain.
2. We are frequently and vehemently commanded to delight in it, and meditate in it day and night; to search it; to teach it our very children, speaking of it at home and abroad, lying down and rising up, and to write it on the posts of our houses, and on our doors, &c.
3. It is suited to the necessity and understanding of the meanest, to give light to the simple, and to make the very foolish wise.[396]
4. The ancient fathers and christians were all of this mind.
5. All the christian churches of the world have been used to read it openly to all, even to the simplest; and if they may hear it, they may read the same words which they hear.
6. God blessed the ignorant Ethiopian eunuch when he found him reading the Scriptures, though he knew not the sense of what he read, and sent him Philip to instruct him and convert him.
7. Timothy was educated in the knowledge of the Scriptures in his childhood.
8. That which is written to and for all men, may be read by all that can; but the Scripture was written to and for all,[397]----&c.
_Object._ But there are many things in it hard to be understood.