Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

If Believers believe ⟨p. 329⟩the Scriptures upon the Authority of Pastors, Pastors believe them upon their own; Or if they say, that they have the Testimony of the Spirit, all Believers may say the same, and thereby believe as well as themselves, and without their Authority. The Thessalonians Received the Word as the Word of God without asking the Judgment of the Church, 1 Thess. 2.13. The Bercans Received it with all readiness, and instead of consulting the Church, Searched the Scriptures, Acts 17.11. The true Church cannot be known but by the Scriptures. ¹Thus Saint Austin writing against the Donatists saith, Sunt certe libri Dominici, quorum Autoritati utrique consentimus, utrique credimus, ibi queramus Eccl siam, ibi discutiamus cansam: And again, Ecclesiam suam demonstrent si possunt non in sermonibus & rumoribus Afrorum, non in Conciliis Episcoporum, non in literis disputatorum, non in signis & prodigiis fallacibus, sed in preseript• legis, in Prophetarum praedactis, in Psalmorum cantibus, in ipsius Pastoris vocibus, in Evangelistarum praedicationibus & laboribus, hoc est, in omnibus Canonicis Sanctorum Librorum Autoritatibus. And if I must know the Church by the Scripture, I must in all reason own the Scripture before I own the Church or its Decisions. The Church may bear witness to the Scripture, but in a subordinate Ministerial way: The supreme adequate witness thereof is only that Spirit, which outwardly indited it in the letter, and inwardly imprints it on the ⟨p. 330⟩Heart. The Church may bear witness to the Scripture, but it can add no Authority to it. If the Church hath Authority to define the Canon, it must have it from Scripture, and then the Scripture must have Authority even quoad nos before that Definition; unless they will absurdly distinguish and say, That the Scripture-Authority before the Definition, is only as to Pastors, and not as to Believers till after it. All the Churches Authority is from Scripture, and How can the derivative Authority add to the Primitive? The Scripture is Principium scientificum, and therefore to be received by its light without a quare, or reason why it is so; the Scripture is a Foundation to the Church,