S. 7 2 There is more then a moral assurance,even a Divine Faith of the verity of that Scripture which is contained in our Tranflations. For whereas amongst 0. ther arguments alledged by Chriftians, and owned by the Papifts themselves,they urge the Majefty of the Style, the fublimity of the matter, the efficacy of the Doctrine, and its influence into the hearts of men, (of which Gre gory de Valentia, faith, I know not whether it be a greater argument for the Scriptures then all the rest, yea then mira cles, confeffion of adversaries &c.) (a). Now the power of these arguments is not confined to the original langua ges, but common to true Tranflatious for it is not the Thell of the words, but the kernell of the matter which commends it felf to the confciences of men, and that is the fame in all languages. The Scripture in English, no leffe then in Hebrew or Greek, difplayes its luftre, and exerts its power, and discovers the Characters of its Di vine original. The most unlearned Chriftians do ordina rily feel fuch a fupernatural force in the Scriptures, (though conveyed to them only in a Translation, they find in themselves, and obferve in others such a sharpneffe and energy, in oft times convincing the proudest finners, converting the most profligate wretches, comforting the most diftreffed confciences, that it forceth them to fay, Non vox hominem fonat, God is in this Scripture of a truth. When a man finds the Law of God in •English, converting the foul,and enlightning the eyes,(which was David's argument for its Divinity, Pfal.19.) when men feel the Scripture in the English Translation quick and powerful, and sharper then any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of foul and Spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and ixtents of the heart:(which was St. Paul's argument Heb.12.)

(a) Anal, fidei lib, 2-6, 20.

and

and fo I might inftance in diverse other properties: what I can they infer, but that it is the voice of God, though he fpeaks by an Interpreter,that it is the water of life,though conveyed to them in the Glaffe of a Tranflation. Pat

§8. Anf. 3. At worst, this may fully ftop their mouths, that the argument doth not touch the merits of the cause, nor fhake the foundation ofour Faith, but one ly concerns fome particular perfons, viz. fuch as are ig norant of, and unlearned in the original languages. So the defect lies in the perfons, not in the caufe, nor in the ground work of our Faith, but in the neglects of fome men, to build up themselves fully upon it. If any man be unfatisfied with Tranflation, he hath under God a remedy in his own hands: if he like not the Cistern, he may go to the Fountaine if he will take the paines of fo long a journey. A little induftry, and diligent use of thofe meanes and helps which are offered even to vulgar Chriftians, will wholly remove this difficulty, and puc a period to this argument.

S9. I fhall conclude this difcourfe with the confide. ration of two particulars. The first is an objection they urge against the folidity of our Faith. The fecond, is one plea more they have for the folidity of their own. The firft is an objection, which they frequently urge in all their Treatifes: That circular way of argumentation, which we justly object against them, they boldly retort.. upon us, and tell us, that we have no way to prove the Scripture, but by the Spirits teftimony, and no way to prove the Spirits teftimony, but the Sripture. This is counted one of the hardest knots, and therefore it will be worth the while in few words to unty it, (though it may feem a little heterogeneous to my prefent defign.) § 10. They have no reafon to object this circle to us, that they cannot free themselves from. I fpeak not now of the other famous circle of the Church and Scrip

ture,

ture, (which their most learned Authors of late have in. genuously confeffed,) but here is another Circle: The Papifts have Circulum in Circulo. For they profeffe a man cannot know the Church, but by the Spirit, nor the Spirit but by the Church. That a man cannot know the Spirit, nor the mind of the Spirit, nor diftinguish it from falfe and counterfeit ones, but by the Church, is their great principle: He cannot know it (fay they) by the Scripture, unle he read it with the Churches Spectacles, Revelation they do not pretend to, therefore this is known only by the Church, (to whom the difcerning of Spirits belongs,) and by others onely from the Churches authority, and infallible teftimony. But that is a clear cafe: the only doubt lies about the other branch, viz. That a man (according to their principles) cannot know the Church but by the Spirit: and that you fhall have under the hands of their great Mafters. Stapleton's words are thefe: This fecret teftimony is altogether necessary,that a man may believe the Churches judgment and teftimony about the approbation of the Scriptures, neither will Faith follow without this inward teftimony of the Spirit of God, although the Church atteft, commend, publish, approve the Scripture a thousand times over (a)So Canus tels us, that Humane authority, and other motives, are not fufficient inducements to believe, but there is moreover a neceffity of an inward efficient cause, i.e. the Special help of God moving us to believe (b). What can be more plain? let them an

(aj Arcanum boc teflimonium neceffarium prorfus eft, ut quis Ecclefie tellimonia ac judicia circa Scripturarum approbationem credat,neq; abfque hoc interno Divini Spiritus testimonio,etiamfi millies Ecclefidatteftetur, commendet, promulget, approbet Scripturas, fides confequetur. Defenf. contra ubitak.b.1.c.1.

(b) Statuendum eft authoritatem humanam & incitamenta omnia illa pradicta, five alia quacunque adhibita ab eo qui proponit fidem, non effe fufficientes caufas ad credendum, ut credere tenemur; fed præterea opus eft interiori caufa efficiente, i.c. Dei fpeciali auxilio moventis ad eredendum. Loc. Theol.lib.2.cap.8.

fwer,

fwer themselves, and that will ferve our turn. Either they must leave themselves in the Circle, or help us out! Zam fumus ergo pares. And it is unreasonable, that they Thould urge that as a peculiar inconvenience of our Refolution of Faith, to which their own is no leffe obnoxious.

S. 11. 2. It is falfe, that we have no other way to prove the Scripture to be the word of God, but the Spi rits internal Testimony. They cannot be ignorant, that we have diverfe arguments of another nature, and independent upon that Teftimony of the Spirit, by which the authority of Scripture is folidly proved. And Papifts as well as Proteftants have fubftantially defended the cause of the Scriptures against Pagans and Atheifts. Either those arguments are folid, rational, and convincing, or they are not if they say, they are not; then be it known to all men by thele prefents, that the Affertors of Popery are te Betrayers of Chriftianity: If they be, then is the Scripture proved other wayes, then by the Spirits tefti. mony. How can our Adverfaries vindicate themselves, either from fhameful Ignorance, if they do not know, or abominable malice, if they wittingly bely us, that we have no argument to prove the Scripture, but the Teftimony of the Spirit. What, are thofe glorious miracles, by which the Scripture was fealed and propagated now become no argument? Is the Tranfcendency of the Matter,and Majelty of the Style, and admirable Power of the Word of none effect, to prove the Scriptures Divinity?, Are not the patience of Martyrs, the concur: ing teftimony of Jewes and Heathens to the truth of Scripture-relatons, the verity of predictions, and the like, as folid arguments now, as they were in the Primitive times, when the Fathers confounded the learnedeft Pagans by these and fuch like arguments? If they be, (as they must affirm, unleffe they will turn perfect Pagans, as they are in the half way to it already,) then their Affertion is falfe, That

ие

we cannot prove the Divinity of the Scripture, but by the Spirits Teftimony, and the Circle, which they impute to us, is indeed in their own Brain, and their Argument is the fruit of their Vertigo.

§ 12. 3. Here is no Circle, because, although the Spirit and Scripture do mutually prove one another, yet they do it in diverfo genere, in diverse waies, and several capacities: but a Circle is,when a man proceeds ab e dem ad idem eodem modo cognitum,when a mans knowledg proceeds from the fame thing to the fame thing in the fame way, But in this cafe, though the thing be the fame, yet the way of knowledg varies, and that breaks the Circle. The Scripture proves the Spirit, per modum objecti & argumenti, objectively, and by way of argument, by fuggefting fuch truths to me, from which I may collect the The of the Spirit, and prove its Divinity. But the Spirit proves, or rather approves the Scripture, per modum caufa effective & inftrumenti', as a Divine inftrument infused into the foul, whereby I am enabled to apprehend fuch verities as are contained in the Scripture. The Papifts indeed cannot get out of their Circle of Church and Scripture, because each of them is the argument by which they prove the other: the argument,nay the only argument (fay they) for which I believe the Scripture, is the authority of the Church teftifying it and the argument for which they believe the Church, is the authori ty of the Scripture. And here the Circle is so groffe and evident, that it is acknowledged by diverfe of their own late learned Authors. Holden confeffeth in expresse terms, that they who refolve their Faith in this manner, (and fo do almoft all the learned Papifts in the world) de unavoidably fall into a Circle (a). So the late Answe

(a) In Circulum hunc inevitabiliter illabuntur, & in orbem tarpiffimè faltantes & Holden de refolut.fidei lib.c.9.

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