I have (saith he) indented with the Lord my God, that he would never send me Dreams, Visions, Angels, for I am well contented with this gift, that I have the holy Scripture, which doth abundantly teach and supply all necessaries for this life, and that also which is to come. Certainly, Austin hit the mark, when he prayed, Lord, let thy holy Scriptures be my pure delights, in which I can neither deceive, or ever be deceived. Certainly the balance of the sanctuary should weigh all the Oracles of God, decide all, and the Rule of Gods Word be the square and judge of all. O Sirs, dare you venture your souls upon it, that the blessed Scriptures are false, that they are but a Fable? dare you stand forth, and say, if the Scriptures be not a lye, let us be damned for ever and ever? dare you stand up and say, we are freely contented that the everlasting worm shall gnaw on our hearts for ever, and that our bodies and souls shall for ever and ever lye burning in infernal flames, if the Scriptures prove not at last a cheat, a deceit, a mere forgery and imposture? Now, if you dare not thus to say, and thus to venture, then peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture, in the great concernments of your precious souls. They that would take their parts in promised comforts, they must follow the voice of the Word, and subscribe to the sentence of conscience, following that Word. If the Word approve of thee, as sound and sincere with God, assuredly thou art so, for that rule cannot err: If the Word saith, that thy heart is right with God, thou must maintain that Testimony against all disputes whatever. Never enter into dispute with Satan, or thine own self, about thy estate, but by taking and making the Scripture the judge of the controversy; ⟨p. 23⟩when fears rise high, you say you shall never have mercy; b•t dot• the Word say so? The Lord never gave himself to me; but doth the Word say so? Never was any as I am; but doth the Word say so? I cannot see, nor conceive, nor think, that the Lord hath any love for me; but doth the Word say so? yea, doth not the Word say, That his thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor his ways as your ways? 1But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than your ways; and his thoughts than your thoughts. I have not that peace and joy that others have, therefore the Lord intends no good towards me;
I have (saith he) indented with the Lord my God, that he would never send me Dreams, Visions, Angels, for I am well contented with this gift, that I have the holy Scripture, which doth abundantly teach and supply all necessaries for this life, and that also which is to come. Certainly, Austin hit the mark, when he prayed, Lord, let thy holy Scriptures be my pure delights, in which I can neither deceive, or ever be deceived. Certainly the ballance of the sanctuary should weigh all the Oracles of God, decide all, and the Rule of Gods Word be the square and judge of all. O Sirs, dare you venture your souls upon it, that the blessed Scriptures are false, that they are but a Fable? dare you stand forth, and say, if the Scriptures be not a lye, let us be damned for ever and ever? dare you stand up and say, we are freely contented that the everlasting worm shall gnaw on our hearts for ever, and that our bodies and souls shall for ever and ever lye burning in infernal flames, if the Scriptures prove not at last a cheat, a deceit, a meer forgery and imposture? Now, if you dare not thus to say, and thus to venture, then peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture, in the great concernments of your precious souls. They that would take their parts in promised comforts, they must follow the voice of the Word, and subscribe to the sentence of conscience, following that Word. If the Word approve of thee, as sound and sincere with God, assuredly thou art so, for that rule cannot err: If the Word saith, that thy heart is right with God, thou must maintain that Testimony against all disputes whatever. Never enter into dispute with Satan, or thine own self, about thy estate, but by taking and making the Scripture the judge of the controversie; ⟨p. 23⟩when fears rise high, you say you shall never have mercy; b•t dot• the Word say so? The Lord never gave himself to me; but doth the Word say so? Never was any as I am; but doth the Word say so? I cannot see, nor conceive, nor think, that the Lord hath any love for me; but doth the Word say so? yea, doth not the Word say, That his thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor his wayes as your wayes? 1But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his wayes higher than your wayes; and his thoughts than your thoughts. I have not that peace and joy that others have, therefore the Lord intends no good towards me;
- 1Isa. 55.8, 9.
