Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

(4.) That which we deliver in preaching, must be received ⟨p. 306⟩with faith, and that not humane, whereby I believe there was a City of Rome, and such a man as Pompey, though I saw him not; but divine, and that is true, that omnis fitles fundatur in Verbo Dei, that all our faith is grounded on the Word of God; and unless that all that we deliver be Gods Word, this faith will not be grounded on it; so that this is true, that all exhortations must by the Word be interpreted or applied, not the sayings of men, or quotations of Authors, because the Minister is Gods Ambassador, and the Word must be delivered as Gods Word by faith, otherwise we shall never speak to the conscience.

(4.) That which we deliver in preaching, must be received ⟨p. 306⟩with faith, and that not humane, whereby I believe there was a City of Rome, and such a man as Pompey, though I saw him not; but divine, and that is true, that omnis fitles fundatur in Verbo Dei, that all our faith is grounded on the Word of God; and unless that all that we deliver be Gods Word, this faith will not be grounded on it; so that this is true, that all exhortations must by the Word be interpreted or applyed, not the sayings of men, or quotations of Authors, because the Mininister is Gods Embassador, and the Word must be delivered as Gods Word by faith, otherwise we shall never speak to the conscience.

To this ground are four liberties.

First, we may use them in case of application, though the rule it self is to be proved, and confirmed by Scripture, yet when we come to apply it to the manners of men, if for proof, that they are guilty of such a fault, we produce an Author, we shall rightly do it. So Paul,