---------~---==-:-----------·-"·--- i Matth.7. Sermon in the c.5Wount. I Hl ~ ------~--~.· How to know the Sc:ripturcof tbcold ·rc– !bmcnr. ,\pocryphi. bookcsnot Can!?ni~U. phcrs, becau(C thc:y were: w'rtl:ren by fomcpro- A phcr. And here this conimandement touching iU!licc is called the Law and the Prophct.r, bc– c:iufc it is the fumtnc of the taw & Prophets: yet Come m:tj' aske how this can be truc,(tcing this comm:mdcmc:nt ondy cohcernes things robe: pratl:iCcd; :md the Law and Prophets be~ fides moral! duties,comainc matters offaith to be belccucd? I anfwcr, this comrnandcmcnt mufr be vndcrllood to be the fumrnc of the Lav\' and the Prophets: not.for a1l things; bin for that whici1 they prcfcribe rouching this poim of ilrfiicc and cquirie, anA the p~aetife hereof. To doe a.s they wouldbe done to, is the fulfilling ofth{lt which is IC_t down.c.in the taw and in the Prophets,touchmg cqultle m all hu– mane aCtions. Now the meaning becing rhus B opcncd,rhe rcafon {bndcth thus, being drawn fromdiuine tdlimonie. That which t< the fumme of the Law and of the Prophets IOftching equitie 1111'./f be dcne: B:~t to doe an:,eewou!d he done to, U the fitmme ofthe Lawand·the Prophets.-ther• forewemllft foda.. From this rc:lfon, we may gather a rult– whereby to iudge concerning the olde Tclla– ment, what is Scripture, and whatis.not: all Scripcurc of the oldc Teflament, is either the La1v, or the Propheu; that is,was either penned by Moforor by fomeoftheProphetr, whc:>werc extraOrdinarily mooucd and enabled thereunto. And therefore all the bookes from Gencfis c to Malachie are Canonicall <)cripturc, bccauft they are written by fomc of the Prophets. To th~s purpofc: S. Pctrr faith, ·L Pet. I. 19. 1-Yee h~Heamoft Ji<re word of the Prophetr, &c. But for the bookcs of .Apacrypha, they arc not Ca– nonical] scripture, becaufc they were not pen– ned by M a for or any of the Prophm.- which is pb_in'c by this,that al ofthem were firll written c·ithcr in LatiOc, or in Grccke,and none in He..:. brew originally;whereas all the oldc Prophets ftnt frOGod, writ their books in the Hcbrc ....v, ·ih the Ian.'Suagc of that people to whom they were fcnt; f-:1uc onely that fofnc patt bf Daniel, Ei.r.l,and Nehcmilth::t were in Chaldic; which language the people lc:1mcd in the captiuirie; . Sccondly,thePrciphctscould not erre, either D ih iudgcnlcnt, memoric, or vnderfia11ding, by ·rcafon ofthe immediate affi{bhcc ofthe holy Gho!l: as ACl. I 5, 28. It JCcm,·thgood to the ho• lJ Ghoft,andtoVJ: and Peter cal~s their '\.\'Otd maftJim.'Butthc Authors ofthe bookcs of .A– pocryphfl erred, as may be fhcwcd in thctn all; Tobit 6. Raphae/J counccll for driuing a\o\':lY the deuill by the fmdl of the liuer ofa fifh,is a mcerc fabulm1s dcuicc; for the deuill is by nature a fpirit, and cannot be affeCted with fuch things. The f!oric of l11dith is fabulous, wnich faith, iVc6s:chadne-4,~ar was King of At'fyda V\• hen the people returned from rhc I the capt.i<.Jitic, and/oa_'<f.·mwas high PricH. Jn rh_~ addn10n to _!lc}lc_r,_ ~hop:! 6. 11. Jlttm~u, id [aide ttJbca manofM!ccd~t:ia; butth.ttrll<' ! Scripture faid1, h~~ w~"!.f .-mAg.~r;;uc, i::om:-;·:.ir:g of ' Aga'(. The J\urhor EccldiJ{h cus c6nf{'f3c:th his ~ in:1biliric in writing tbcfc th:ng~; but rhc l :~ Feel 1 :~. rruc:: Pro1~hcrs \\'ere all fufficicnr to thiS\\'N~C, 1 and free from errour bv the imm'-'diatc aildl~~ol a11cc of the holy Ghotl. And Clnp.; 6. ; ; .tlm aud-1or "'''ntcth, tb<it Samuel prophcJ!cd alter his death, and Oicwcd \'ntO :S'aH/his dc:tth~hm f the true fl:orie Canonical! i':lirh, God h.ldfor-' i fol:..;n s,rui, and wlJII!d anfwcr him, Hcilhc;· b; I dreamc, nor Vrim, uor ~Y PuphNf. I. Sa:n. 2 8. i 6. The bookc ofMaccabccs commcnd-crh one 1 for killinghihl!Cifc, ,.,·hieh is the moft nuell 1 and dangerous murrhcr tlut c:111 bc;ai1d the au~ thor alf0 cxcufcth his infdl-lnc!~cic in penning of it, which bcJCcmcrh nor him that is guided by Gods fpirir. In rhc fong of the 3. children ii: is faid, thejlamta[cmded 49• cubiu ttb<JHe the fi~rnace; which fremts iNcredible, cfpccially that f!ill they fhould then ·qll in fuel!, or appro:!ch fo nerc_, as t0 put,zny man inro it.Likewife !n rhe Horie of Srl[mma, it is f:Jid,vcrt~45; that Daniel was a young chi!de when hec cx- ..uted iudgmcm vpon the t\NO falfc vVirheiT<·s; ·which was in the end of .Afliagu ra1gnc, im– mediately bcforQ ~he raigne ofCy.rru: and vcrfc 64. Danidby dus mco.nes IS faldc to growe famous: ,.,·hich cannot poflihly accord "''ith rhc true fiory ofDanicl;neithcr for his agc,nor for his fame and reputation. And the like may be fa id ofrhe rcfi;wherby it is phinc,thcfe books cannot be canonicall Scripture. And yet rhcv are not to be rcieCl:ed, but rcucrcndy dlccnlcd I of, as the books of \\'Ortby men. Here fome may fay, If MofeJ atrd the Pro– phets comprehend a:I Scripture that hath di- ~ Uinc tcHimonie, rhcri the bookes of the m:w Tcfiamcnt {hall not be Scriptwrc, bec::wfcthc)' were n.o: "rittcn by lhc Prophets? .A_nfw·T}u:y 1 ~:~~·~~~~~:· \.vcrc Clthcr penned by the ApoH-Ies, or J:¥ Oscri1m:r~:; thcr Apof1o:ikc men, ahd allo\NCd ·by the A:. polllcs: as Saint Lukp Gofpd, and thr;>d1oi'l-, were \\'rincn by Luk!a Phytition; and Sa:itu Mark£ that writ that Gofocl, was not an .Apollle, yet thofe bookes·were approourrl by Ap0fi-ohkc aiahoritic:, which is all one :lS·if they had bcenc written by the ApoHlcSJ!!:lnd the Apofilcs ln fpeakin~ at~d writing vv·crc·bf cquall authoritic with the Prophccs,bauing the inf3\liblc ofE!Iancc ohbe holy Ghofl, as well as the ProphetS: for ACl. t 5. ,g rhcy faid,lt foemeth good t !J the holy Ghoft, t?ndto·v/; :md EpbeC >. 20. the Ch11rch is faid to be 6uilt •IJ the foundation ~f :h_e Prophnf tmd .Apoftle!; "'''here the Apo!Ucs arc made equall with the Prophets. . ' · ,,~. j I I . Poi;:t. Thisrc:lfon alfO Both giucVS ro i'h(' h"oh' 1 vndcdland v.·hnt W:lS the firfl Scripture t\rat:.c:! · ·:fM, t<.-_nhc I unwas pc1;ncd; namely, the lxoo'kcs OfMcfc.r, : !~~c.swpbcforc which;thcrc was no wbrd ofGod '"'rit- 1 tm, which was for the fpacc of 2400: ye~rcs. 1tmoybcaskcd, whatw>s thctnbe bouk; of l I the w.t~Tc.r of the Lord, mCmioncd Numb.-=.:!: · 14·
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