t" sYeada,6 t.: Thelaónd SeYootto H E next quafliohtpb't handled inthis place, touching that which God hath heatfaide, that he had written the great yH things ofhislaw,is,wbyfowls meet :barthewordafGod/hauld Thedo&in: be committed to writing. MThane proouedVntoyou thatit oftimr', S y was not writtcnat aduentures outof the humoursof force touching the ' private men,butby täefpeciall appointment and direction necefsaie:A ofGod;foitflull appeare that thehriting ofis was notvn- wridngthe dertaken, but upon very great reafon and for very exceedinggood purpofe; Saiptnre. The means and principali end, was the fpirituall good and edificationof Gods Church; that is not tobedoubted, inafmuchasinall things the Lord batha. chicle refpe& varo thegloryofhit owne name in the good ofhis chorea: but how,and inwhat manner ,andfor what refpedts,the writing of theWord was ne- celfary for the Churches good, it (hall beeworth out labourto enquire. Vnderá hand therfore that the writingof thewotd, was,&is,for,the good ofthe Church in this refile& , euen that itmay haue one cercen and infallible rule,by whichall do&rinecnay be tryed, all controuerfiesinreligiondecided , all doubts refolued, and every confcience firnielygroundedand fetled in Gods truth. For thiscaufe we reads; that when there a as no wordwritten, but Mafia Law, thedo&rinegof the Prophetswas tried by it '. After, when tothe LawofMofes were added the Tfe: Sermons of the Pròpliets, then euery thing wasreferred unto thorn :foChrif} a.,: 'cleated his do&rine., and made ie good by 'idol?: and all the Prophetsb : and b LA.aq.27' Pans defence was this, that he had faidnoother things,ihentheft :shish Mofes and the Prophets did fayfhonidcache'. Andall the learned in theheft times which e A. 26. :a, followed, took the fame courfe,leauing themfeluesan example vntovs, tomake the written word, as itwere the Itandardor the kingsbeame,bywhichtotryall do&ride that is rendred to vs, accepting none for found and good,but only that which is agreeing thereunto. So that, löoke what necefsity there was, that the Church fhould haueaÌudge todecide doubts,anda true ruleto finde out,and to difcerne the truth; the fame is t here , that theword(Gould be put inwriting for the common and perpetual! good of all pofterity. Ifanyman thinke thatthe wordofGod might as wells&profitably haue proceededfrouttheChurchesgood, from hand tohand, by lively voyce,as bywrieilig,the father commending ir to hisfonne, and focontinuing iton after another to the end;heeis muchdecei- ued. For fidt the minds ofmanis very flippery and weake, and Toone readie CO forget the heft things ;fecondly mans nature is veryprone toerror, and ape eyrher to entertaìne, or to broachnew religionseandtherefore;topreuentfor- getfulneffe, toauoyde errour,andtopreferue the truthofGodfromcorruption; it was meet the fcripture lhould be written, It is worthy tobe marked; the fpeech ofLake in the prefaceof hisCòfpelho that nobleTbeopbibua theeconfeffeth dLuk., : that he had beeae inftru&ed in the do&rineofreligion;yethe thought towrite untohimfrompoitie tó point, that bemighthaw theCertainty tifthofthings. Sothat though he had indifferent good knowledgebefore,yet writingthe fioty was the meanstobegeteertainety.ThisÌhallbe wríttenfo'r thegenerationtocome, faithDa. tsid° writingis the beltmeanes eon(aswac feeby common courfe)topreferne egfwj ®sá>!. a thingvatopofterìty. Betides,.
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