XXI. We marvel the less that our reading of books not canonical is so much impugned, when so little is attributed unto the reading of canonical Scripture itself, that now it hath grown to be a question, whether the word of God be any ordinary mean to save the souls of men, in that it is either privately studied or publicly read and so made known, or else only as the same is preached, that is to say, explained by lively voice, and applied to the people’s use as the speaker in his wisdom thinketh meet. For this alone is it which they use to call Preaching. The public reading of the Apocrypha they condemn altogether as a thing effectual unto evil; the bare reading in like sort of whatsoever, yea even of Scriptures themselves, they mislike, as a thing uneffectual to do that good, which we are persuaded may grow by it1.
Our desire is in this present controversy, as in the rest, not to be carried up and down with the waves of uncertain arguments, but rather positively to lead on the minds of the simpler sort by plain and easy degrees, till the very nature of the thing itself do make manifest what is truth. First therefore because whatsoever is spoken concerning the efficacy or necessity of God’s Word, the same they tie and restrain only unto Sermons, howbeit not Sermons read neither (for such they also abhor in the church2) but sermons without book, sermons which spend their life in their birth and may have public audience but once; for this cause to avoid ambiguities wherewith they often entangle themselves, not marking what doth agree to the word of God in itself, and what in regard of outward accidents which may befall it, we are to know that the word of God is his heavenly truth touching matters of eternal life revealed and uttered unto men; unto Prophets and Apostles by immediate divine inspiration, from them to us by their books and writings. We therefore have no word of God but the Scripture. Apostolic sermons were unto such as heard them his word, even as properly as to us their writings are. Howbeit not so our own sermons, the expositions which our discourse of wit doth gather and minister out of the word of God. For which cause in this present question, we are when we name the word of God always to mean the Scripture only.
The end of the word of God is to save, and therefore we term it the word of life. The way for all men to be saved is by the knowledge of that truth which the word hath taught. And sith eternal life is a thing of itself communicable unto all, it behoveth that the word of God, the necessary mean thereunto, be so likewise. Wherefore the word of life hath been always a treasure, though precious, yet easy, as well to attain, as to find; lest any man desirous of life should perish through the difficulty of the way. To this end the word of God no otherwise serveth than only in the nature of a doctrinal instrument. It saveth because it maketh “wise to salvation3.” Wherefore the ignorant it saveth not; they which live by the word must know it. And being itself the instrument which God hath purposely framed, thereby to work the knowledge of salvation in the hearts of men, what cause is there wherefore it should not of itself be acknowledged a most apt and a likely mean to leave an Apprehension of things divine in our understanding, and in the mind an Assent thereunto? For touching the one, sith God, who knoweth and discloseth best the rich treasures of his own wisdom, hath by delivering his word made choice of the Scriptures as the most effectual means whereby those treasures might be imparted unto the world, it followeth that to man’s understanding the Scripture must needs be even of itself intended as a full and perfect discovery, sufficient to imprint in us the lively character of all things necessarily required for the attainment of eternal life. And concerning our Assent to the mysteries of heavenly truth, seeing that the word of God for the Author’s sake hath credit with all that confess it (as we all do) to be his word, every proposition of holy Scripture, every sentence being to us a principle; if the principles of all kinds of knowledge else have that virtue in themselves, whereby they are able to procure our assent unto such conclusions as the industry of right discourse doth gather from them; we have no reason to think the principles of that truth which tendeth unto man’s everlasting happiness less forcible than any other, when we know that of all other they are for their certainty the most infallible.
But as every thing of price, so this doth require travail. We bring not the knowledge of God with us into the world. And the less our own opportunity or ability is that way, the more we need the help of other men’s judgments to be our direction herein. Nor doth any man ever believe, into whom the doctrine of belief is not instilled by instruction some way received at the first from others. Wherein whatsoever fit means there are to notify the mysteries of the word of God, whether publicly (which we call Preaching) or in private howsoever, the word by every such mean even “ordinarily4” doth save, and not only by being delivered unto men in Sermons.
Sermons are not the only preaching which doth save souls. For concerning the use and sense of this word Preaching, which they shut up in so close a prison, although more than enough have already been spoken to redeem the liberty thereof, yet because they insist so much and so proudly insult thereon, we must a little inure their ears with hearing how others whom they more regard are in this case accustomed to use the selfsame language with us whose manner of speech they deride. Justin Martyr doubteth not to tell the Grecians, that even in certain of their writings the very judgment to come is preached5; nor the council of Vaus to insinuate that presbyters absent through infirmity from their churches might be said to preach by those deputies who in their stead did but read Homilies6; nor the council of Toledo to call the usual public reading of the Gospels in the church Preaching7; nor others long before these our days to write, that by him who but readeth a lesson in the solemn assembly as part of divine service, the very office of Preaching is so far forth executed8. Such kind of speeches were then familiar, those phrases seemed not to them absurd, they would have marvelled to hear the outcries which we do9, because we think that the Apostles in writing, and others in reading to the church those books which the Apostles wrote, are neither untruly nor unfitly said “to preach.” For although men’s tongues and their pens differ, yet to one and the selfsame general if not particular effect, they may both serve. It is no good argument, St. Paul could not “write with his tongue,” therefore neither could he “preach with his pen.” For Preaching is a general end whereunto writing and speaking do both serve. Men speak not with the instruments of writing, neither write with the instruments of speech, and yet things recorded with the one and uttered with the other may be preached well enough with both10. By their patience therefore be it spoken, the Apostles preached as well when they wrote as when they spake the Gospel of Christ, and our usual public Reading of the word of God for the people’s instruction is Preaching11.
Nor about words would we ever contend, were not their purpose in so restraining the same injurious to God’s most sacred Word and Spirit. It is on both sides confessed that the word of God outwardly administered (his12 Spirit inwardly concurring therewith) converteth, edifieth, and saveth souls. Now whereas the external administration of his word is as well by reading barely the Scripture, as by explaining the same when sermons thereon be made; in the one they deny that the finger of God hath ordinarily certain principal operations, which we most steadfastly hold and believe that it hath in both.
← Of Preaching by the public · Contents · What they attribute to sermons only, and wha →
Footnotes
-
[Eccl. Disc. fol. 76. “Ne putemus eos de ecclesiis non esse sollicitos, mirifica quædam ratio inventa est, qua quum lectores tantum habeant, qui Scripturæ partem aliquam et preces reliquamque liturgiam recitent, idoneos tamen pastores et verbi divini prædicatores se habere existimant.” Adm. ap. Whitg. Def. 579. “Reading is not feeding, but it is as evil as playing upon a stage, and worse too; for players yet learn their parts without book, and these, a many of them, can scarcely read within book.”] ↩
-
[Adm. “By the word of God it is an office of preaching, they make it an office of reading.” Ans. 159. “What contrariety is there betwixt reading and preaching? If a man should write his sermon, and read it in the book to his flock, doth he not preach?” T. C. i. 127. (al. 160.) “What if I granted that it is preaching, yet I deny that he that readeth another man’s sermon preacheth: and further I say that if there be any such as being able to preach for his knowledge yet for fault either of utterance or memory cannot do it but by reading that which he hath written, it is not convenient that he should be a minister in the church.”] ↩
-
[2 Tim. iii. 15.] ↩
-
[“The ordinary and especial means to work faith by is preaching and not reading.” … “It is the excellentest and most ordinary means to work faith by in the hearts of the hearers.” … “The ordinary ways whereby God regenerateth his children is by the word of God which is preached.” T. C. i. 159. ↩
-
Parænet. ad Gent. [p. i. C. τὴν μέλλουσαν μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν του̑δε του̑ βίου ἔσεσθαι κρίσιν· ἣν οὐ μόνον οἱ ἡμέτεροι κατὰ θεὸν ΚΗΡΥΤΤΟΥΣΙ πρόγονοι, προϕη̑ταί τε καὶ νομοθέται, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ παρ’ ὑμω̑ν νομισθέντες εἰ̑ναι σοϕοί, οὐ ποιηταὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ϕιλόσοϕοι οἱ τὴν ἀληθη̑ καὶ θείαν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι παρ’ ὑμι̑ν εἰδέναι γνω̑σιν.] ↩
-
Concil. Vasen. ii. (Vaison,) [vel iii.] ca. ii. [vid.supr. p. 78, note 1.] ↩
-
Concil. Tol. iv. c. 12. [“In quibusdam Hispaniarum Ecclesiis Laudes post Apostolum decantantur, priusquam Evangelium prædicetur.” t. v. 1709.] ↩
-
Rupert. de Divin. Offic. lib. i. c. 12, 13. [“Lecturus, benedictionem petens, hoc significat: quod nemo nisi missus aut permissus officium prædicandi usurpare debeat.” “Quodque in fine dicit, Tu autem Domine miserere nostri, ne ipsum quidem bonum officium prædicandi sine alicujus vel levis culpæ pulvere posse peragi.”]Isid. (of Seville, † 636) de Eccles. Offic. lib. i. c. 10. [“Ideo Diaconus clara voce silentium admonet, ut sive dum psallitur, sive dum Lectio pronunciatur, … quod omnibus prædicatur, æqualiter ab omnibus audiatur.”] ↩
-
The Libel of Schoolp. art. 11. T. C. lib. ii. p. 388. “St. Paul’s writing is no more Preaching than his pen or his hand is his tongue: seeing they cannot be the same which cannot be made by the same instruments.” [i. 127.] ↩
-
“Evangelizo manu et scriptione.” Rainol. de Rom. Eccles. Idolol. Præf. ad Co. Essex. [John Rainolds, Oxon. 1596. In answer to his Roman opponents who sneered at his gout, which prevented his public work. He had been Hooker’s tutor, v. i. p. iii and 11. The book must have been just published.] 1886. ↩
-
T. C. i. 133. “The ministering of the holy Sacraments … is a declaration and seal of God’s favour, and a plain preaching, … that they be washed from their sins, &c.”] ↩
-
John vi. 46. [45?] Matt. xvi. 17; 2 Cor. iv. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 3; Acts xvi. 14. ↩