I. Scripture-light the most sure light ... delivered in three sermons on 2 Pet.…

Answ. 4 When a man, a good man doth lay his comfort, rather upon the impression, or comings in of the Word, than upon the Word it self. For example, Suppose a man take the Bible, and upon the opening thereof doth pitch on some Promise; for the present he is much refreshed and comforted; or suppose that he doth not open the Bible, nor read the Scripture, but sitting down in a dark condition, some Promise doth come to him which before he thought not of; now at the coming of this Promise, his heart is much raised, warmed, and comforted, insomuch that he concludeth, ⟨p. 28⟩saying, Now I am a child of God, now I know that God loves me, that I have a share in Christ: either this man raiseth his comfort from the Word it self, or from the comings in of the Word; if from the Word it self, how can his comfort die? if upon the bare coming in of the Word, how can his Comfort live? For when a Word comes not, then his Comforts fail. We read in Psal. 16. That he shall multiply sorrows that hasteneth after another: your Translation reads it thus, Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God;¹ but the word God is not in the Hebrew. The whole Verse are the words of Christ, what saith he, at verse 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord, my Goodness, Holiness, or Righteousness, is not for thee, but for the Saints that are in the Earth, and for the excellent in whom is all my delight: But O Lord our Saviour, what if we do not go to thy Goodness, Holiness, and Righteousness, resting upon that alone? He answereth, Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another: And is not this to hasten after another, when men rest upon the bare coming in of the Word, or the impressions on the heart that are made thereby? Where do we read in all the Scripture (turn from one end of the Bible to the other) and where do we read that Christ hath appointed any such way of Comfort as this, that a man should raise his Comforts from pitching, or by an opening of the Book? If I pitch upon a Promise to day, and so have comfort, may I not pitch upon a threatening to morrow, and so have no comfort again? Where hath Christ appointed any such way as this, that I should measure Gods Love, or cast my everlasting condition by the coming in of a particular word?