Hieron - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.H54 S4 1624

518 TheTreadersplea. by the skill andpainesofafufficientMilliner. Yetfurther(ifthis doenot radf. fie) you maycolider thusmuch; that albeit the Scriptures Wert th;bughout 10 plaine andeafie , that there were no need atall forany to have a Preacher to expound them, yet this isnothing againff thenecefíieyofpreaching. For the queftionis not limply, touchingwhat may bringa man to the vndcrf andirg ofthe do&rine of religion,but,touching this; what is theordinary meants os_ dainedofGod ,toconuert, and to beget faith in the heart, Ít ispe(rble for a man tovndetflandmuch, and to conceivearight the meaningofthe Scripture, andyettoremaiuea reprobateflill, and to wantthat faith , which for dütin- &ions fake we call aSaaiagFaith. Now in this lieththe =tinequcfl ion, ghat is the ordinaryoutward inftrument fanaifiedofGod tomake a man a Mee. Rom,ro.8. Her, and this Ifay flill,is, thewordwhch wepreacha, fo that if atany time any man (whichI donot fay is vnpolible) hauefaith begotten in him either by his owneprivate reading, or by hearing another readein publike , it is meerely extraordinary. Nymph. Another exccytioa viedby fume, whofeendeanourie toequal! (ifnot topre. ferre)barereadingvntoprcaching,re ,that tbere is worecadency rr, thewordread, the that whichyou preach : that whcehv. read,mets arefare is God: word, but theyhaaenat the like affataace oft hat which U.preached; iferrnons (theyfay) are but wens Inutntí- ons; Reading delrtxrrth the t%ordof Godne ( limp)&,bncerelyinitownsproporforms. Epaph, It you delire a fhortand dire anlwer to thisexception,takert thus. This allegation touching the certainty of the word read,aboue the doarine preached,is not true. There are in our congregations three lotts ofpeople efpecially: fi rfr,ignorantperfons:fecondlycanillera, and laflly, iudicialland carefull hearers. Theignoranrare asvnceetaine touching thatwhichweecall theScripture, whether it be theWordof God, as they bee touching cur peel. eking: they haue no affurance of it, but tradition andrepo: t, which is a poore certenty : and they haueas goodan opinion of the Apocriphabooker, as of theother which weecall Canonicall.Befides that,it is buzzed into many ofour common peoplescares, bywhifpering Papills, and it is therebybecome ordfe nary i r many menthes here in the c ountry, that our Bible inno true Bible,and that ourtranflationisiufilytob. e doubtedof. Secondly, tholc tharare polfef.. fedwith a humour of couching, and may aswell demand how they know the Scriptureto be Scripture , and thofe things tobetrue whichare written in it, ashow they may berefolued that our preaching isthe truth. Thirdly.your befó pLuke S. rç. hearerswhich heare as Chrifi faith, with agoodandan henef heart e, to them the certaintyofthe truthin thewritten text and in the fermon isboth alike : for, asthey haveá certaine ferret teachingby the Spirit ofGod (which S. Johncal. qt lohn sao. lethby the nameofan ayntmenrfront him that is boly4)whert by theyare perfwa rRon.;.o. dedofthetruthoft heScripture,anddoeaccountirtheoracleofGode(inrefpe6} ¡rThcf.4,9. whereoftheyare laid tobe taughtby god1 n and dojiinefaith, God fpeakethtuour LegaitmCad hearts:) foallo they are enabled by the fame fpirit to iudgeof that dofirine :or vniapaOMr cram. which theyheare, by theScripture, andequally to embrace points confirmed "Pill. 3. by it, and thofe which are exptefly, and in fo manywords revealed in it. So then there isno more certentyof theText, then of theDoGtrinepreached out of the text. Thofewhich are Ignorant , ordifpofedtocauiil , are dcubtfullof both alike, for the one are blockifh and know nothing,thc otherare humorous andwill be fatisfiedwith nothing. Againe, thofe which areGods children,are alikeaffured of both: ofthe texr,bythe ferret perfwahionof Gods Spirit: ofthe epiff.aa.ad do& trine, bytrialltakenofitbytherext .IrememberslayingofS.Hiereme; 7teopb.oa.n, knew (faithhe) that íorherwiferfleetmeofthe Apoftles,thenofother treatifet : theApo. sine . a rs arr ,files ! knew 1, akaalwaies the truth : the other as welt inmany things weredeeriued The oar rgra. fpeeeh may well beapplied to this purpofe : the bookesot holy Scripture wee eap.6. mull yeeld content vntothemwithout refufall,becaufe iriscertaine, that they are

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