A65285:124
A Body of Practical Divinity
A body of practical divinity consisting of above one hundred seventy six sermons on the lesser catechism composed by the reverend assembly of divines at Westminster : with a supplement of some sermons on several texts of Scripture / by Thomas Watson ...
London: printed for Thomas Parkurst, 1692
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
7. The great Miracles wherewith the Lord hath confirmed Scripture. Miracles were used by Moses, Elijah, Christ, and continued many years after by the Apostles, to confirm the verity of the Holy Scriptures. As Props are set under weak Vines, so these Miracles were set under the weak Faith of Men, that if they would not believe the Writings of the Word, yet they might believe the Miracles. We read of God's dividing the Waters, making a Causey in the Sea for his People to go over, the Iron swimming, the Oil increasing by pouring out, Christ's making Wine of Water, his curing the Blind, and raising the Dead: Thus God hath set Seal to the Truth and Divinity of Scripture by Miracles.
7. The great Miracles wherewith the Lord hath confirmed Scripture. Miracles were used by Moses, Elijah, Christ, and continued many years after by the Apostles, to confirm the verity of the Holy Scriptures. As Props are set under weak Vines, so these Miracles were set under the weak Faith of Men, that if they would not believe the Writings of the Word, yet they might believe the Miracles. We read of God's dividing the Waters, making a Cawsey in the Sea for his People to go over, the Iron swimming, the Oil increasing by pouring out, Christ's making Wine of Water, his curing the Blind, and raising the Dead: Thus God hath set Seal to the Truth and Divinity of Scripture by Miracles.
Object. The Papists indeed cannot deny but that the Scripture is Divine and Sacred, but they affirm that quoad nos, with respect to us, it receives its Divine Authority from the Church; and they bring that Scripture 1 Tim. 3.15. where the Church is said to be the Ground and Pillar of Truth.
Answ. It is true the Church is the Pillar of Truth, but it doth not therefore follow that the Scripture hath its Authority from the Church. The King's Proclamation is fixed on the Pillar, the Pillar holds it out that all may read, but the Proclamation doth not receive its Authority from the Pillar but from the King: So the Church holds forth the Scriptures, but they do not receive their Authority from the Church, but from God. If the Word of God should be Divine because the Church holds it forth, then it will follow that our Faith is to be built upon the Church, and not upon the Word; contrary to that