HItherto wee haue spoken of Interpreting the word. Wee are now come to speake of the1 right cutting or the right diuiding of it.
Right cutting of the word is that, whereby the word is made fit to edifie the people of God. 2. Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy selfe approued vnto God, a workeman that neede not to be ashamed, diuiding (or2 cutting) the word of trueth aright. It is a Metaphor taken it may bee from the Leuites, who might not cut the members of the sacrifices without due consideration. Isai. 50. 4. The Lord hath giuen me the tongue of the learned, that I might know to minister a word in due season to him that is wearie. The partes thereof are two: Resolution or partition, and Application.
3 Resolution is that, whereby the place propounded is, as a weauers web, resolued (or vntwisted and vnloosed) into sundrie doctrines. Act. 18. 28. Mightilie he confuted the Iewes, with great vehemencie publikely shewing by Scriptures that Iesus was that Christ.
Resolution is either Notation, or Collection.
Notation is, when as the doctrine is expressed in the place propounded. Rom. 3. 9. We haue alreadie proued that all both Iewes and Gentiles are vnder sinne. 10. As it is written; there is none righteous, no not one. 11. There is none that vnderstandeth, none that seeketh God. 12. All are gone out of the way: they haue been made altogether vnprofitable: there is none that doth good, no not one. Act. 2. 24. Whom God hath raised vp, and loosed the sorrowes of death, because it was impossible that he shuld be held of it. 25. For Dauid saith concerning him, I beheld the Lord alwaies before me: for he is at my right hand, that I should not bee shaken. 26. Therefore did mine heart reioyee, and my tongue was glad, and moreouer also my flesh shall rest in hope. 27. Because thou wilt not not leaue my soule with the dead, neither wilt suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
Collection is, when the doctrine not expressed is soundly gathered out of ye text. This is done by the helpe of the nine arguments, that is, of the causes, effects, subiects, adiuncts, dissentanies, names, distribution, and definition. For example.
A place. The collection. Iohn 10. 34. Iesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said yee are Gods? From the comparison of the lesser. 35. If hee called then Gods, vnto whom the word of God was giuen, and the Scripture cannot bee broken: 36. Say yee of me, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Sonne of God?
A place. The collection from the lesser. 1. Cor. 9. 9. For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe, that treadeth out the corne. What, hath God care of oxen? Vers. 4. Haue we not power to eate, and to drinke?
A place. The collection from the contrarie. Gal. 3. 10. For so many as are of the workes of the law are vnder a curse: for it is written, Cursed is euery one, that continueth not in al things which are in the book of the law to do them. Vers. 9. Therfore those which are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham. Vers. 11. For the iust shal liue by faith. Vers. 11. And that no man is iustified by the law before God, it is euident.
A place. A collection from the Adiunct. Heb. 8. For in rebuking them he saith, Behold, the daies will come, saith the Lord, when I shall make with the house of Israel & with the house of Iudah a new testament. Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new testament, hee hath disanulled the old: now that which is disanulled and waxed old is readie to vanish away.
In gathering of doctrines we must specially remember that an example in his owne kind, that is, an Ethique, Oeconomique, Politique, Ordinarie, and Extraordinarie example hath the virtue of a general rule in Ethique, Oeconomique, Politique, Ordinarie, & Extraordinarie matters. The examples of the fathers are paterns for vs. 1. Cor. 10. 11. (Rom. 15. 4) And whatsoeuer is written, is written for our learning. And it is a Principle in Logique, that the4 Genus is actually in all the5 species: and a rule in the Optiques, that the generall species of things are perceiued before the particular.
A place. The Collection from the Species. Rom. 9. 7. Neither are they all children, because they are the seede of Abraham: but in Isaac shal thy seed be called. 10. Neither he only felt this, but also Rebecca, when shee had conceiued by one, euen by our father Isaac. Vers. 8. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seede. Rom. 4. 18. Which Abraham against hope, beleeued vnder hope, &c. 21. Being fully assured that hee which had promised was also able to doe it. 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse. Rom. 4. 23. Now it is not written for him onely, that it was imputed to him for righteousnes, 24. But for vs also, to whom it shal be imputed for righteousnesse, which beleeue in him, that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead.
That also I adde, that collections ought to be right and sound, that is to say, deriued from the genuine and proper meaning of the Scripture. If otherwise, wee shall draw6 any doctrine from any place. Prou. 8. 22. the Greeke translation of the Seuentie Interpreters is ([…]) The Lord hath created me; it is the speech of Wisedome, that is, of Christ speaking of himselfe. Whence the Arrians collect very wickedly, that the Sonne was created. But in the Hebrew it is (Iehouah kanneni) The Lord hath possessed mee. Now the Father possesseth the Son, because hee begat him from eternitie, and because the Father is in the Sonne, and the Sonne in the Father. And so, Gen. 4. 1. When a Sonne was borne vnto Adam, he saith, I haue possessed a man from the Lord. The error perhaps came of this, that7 Ectise was either through ignorance or malice put for8 Ectese. Augustine also vpon the tenth verse of the 39. Psalme, readeth on this wife: I held my peace because thou hast made me, fecistime. From whence hee doth wittily gather, that it is a marueile that he should holde his tongue, that hath receiued a mouth to speake: whereas (me) is neither in the Hebrew nor in the Greeke. And vpon the 72. Psalme and 14. verse he disputeth much about vsuries, and proueth that vsuries are sinnes: whereas there is no such matter in that text. For the words are; He shall deliuer their soule from deceit and violence, so precious is their blood in his eyes.
It shall be lawfull also to gather Allegories: for they are arguments taken from things that are like, and Paul in his teaching vseth them often. 1. Cor. 9. 9. But they are to bee vsed with these cautions: 1. Let them be vsed sparingly and soberly. 2. Let them not be farre fetcht, but fitting to the matter in hand. 3. They must be quickly dispatcht. 4. They are to bee vsed for instruction of the life, and not to proue any point of faith.
Any point of doctrine collected by iust consequence is9 simply of it selfe to bee beleeued, and doth10 demonstrate. Act. 18. 24. And a certaine Iew, named Apollos, borne at Alexandria, came to Ephesus, an eloquent man and mightie ([…]) in the Scriptures. 28. For mightily he confuted the Iewes publikely with great vehemencie, demonstrating ([…]) by the Scriptures, that Iesus was the Christ. From hence it followeth:
First, that humane testimonies whether of the Philosophers or of the Fathers are not to be alleaged. Augustine vpon the 66. Psalme saith thus: If I speake, let no man heare: if Christ speake, woe bee to him that doth not heare. So againe he saith (De vnitat. Ecclesiae) Let vs not heare, These things I say, These things he saith: but let vs heare, These things the Lord saith. Yet with this exception, Vnlesse they conuince the conscience of the hearer. Thus Paul alleaged the testimonie of Aratus; Act. 17. 28. For by him wee liue, and moue, and haue our being, as one of your owne Poets hath said; For wee are all his progenie ([…]). 29. Forasmuch then, as we are the progenie of God, &c. As also a saying of Menander, 1. Cor. 15. 33. Be not deceiued, euill11 conuersations corrupt good manners. And of Epimenides, Tit. 1. 12. As one of their Prophets hath said, the Cretians are alwaies liars, euill beasts, and slow bellies. And then also it must be done sparingly, and with leauing out the name of the prophane writer.
Secondly, that a few testimonies of Scripture are to be vsed for the proofe of the doctrine: and that sometimes there is neede of none.
Lastly, hence it followes that the Prophets deliuering their doctrine thus, are not to bee reprooued of other Prophets. 1. Cor. 14. 32. And the spirits of the Prophets are subiect vnto the Prophets. Yet afterwards hee addeth, vers. 37. If any one seeme to be a Prophet or spirituall, let him acknowledge that those things, which I write vnto you, are the commandements of God.