-34 Chapter 34. Of the Holy Scripture.

1-34 Chapter 34. Of the Holy Scripture.

1. Extraordinary Ministers were raised up by God to instruct the Church not only by lively voice, but also by Divine writings, so that there might be a perpetual use and fruit of this Ministry in the Church, even when such Ministers were taken away.
2. For only those could commit the rule of Faith and Practice to writing who, by reason of the immediate and infallible direction which they had from God, were free from all error in that business.
3. They received a command from God to write, partly externally — both generally, when they were commanded to teach; and sometimes specially, when they were commanded to write (Deuteronomy 31:19, 556 Write the Song; Revelation 1:19, write those things which you have seen) — and partly by the inward instinct of the Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21, For prophecy did not come in olden times by the will of man, but holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 2:16, All Scripture is inspired by God.
4. They wrote also by the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that the men themselves were instruments of the Spirit, as it were. In the passage mentioned before, Jeremiah 1:9, Behold I put my words in your mouth; Acts 28:25, The Holy Spirit spoke well indeed by Isaiah the Prophet.
5. But Divine inspiration was present with those writers with some variety; for some things to be written were altogether unknown to the writer before; this sufficiently appears in the History of Creation past, and in foretelling things to come. But some things were known to the writer before, as it appears in the History of Christ, written by the Apostles; and some of these things they knew by a natural knowledge, and some by a supernatural knowledge. In those things that were hidden and unknown, Divine inspiration performed it all by itself; in those things which were known, or the knowledge of which might be obtained by ordinary means, there was also added a religious study, God so assisting them, that they might not err in writing.
6. In all those things which were made known by supernatural inspiration (whether they were matters of right or fact), God inspired not only the things themselves, but dictated and suggested all the words in which they should be written. Notwithstanding this, it was done with such sweet tempering, that every writer might use those manners of speaking which most agreed to his person and condition.
7. Hence the Scripture is often attributed to the Holy Spirit as the author, making no mention of the Scribes. Hebrews 10:15, Of which the Holy Spirit is also a witness to us.
8. Hence also, although in the inscriptions of the holy Books, it is declared for the most part by whose labour they were written, yet there is sometimes deep silence about this matter; and that is done without any detriment to such books, or any lessening of their authority.
9. Nor does it suffice to make it a part of holy writ, if a book is written by some extraordinary servant of God, and upon certain direction of the Spirit, unless it is also publicly given to the Church by divine authority, and sanctified to be a Canon or rule of the Church.557
10. The thing itself which they committed to writing, as touching the sum and chief end of the matter, is nothing else than that revealed will of God which is the rule of Faith and Practice.
11. Hence all those things which, in the first disputation, were spoken about the doctrine of life revealed from God, properly agree to the Holy Scripture. For the Scripture is nothing else than that doctrine, with the manner of writing joined to it — and that manner was not to be handled there in the first disputation, but here in this place.
12. Hence the Scripture, in respect to the thing and subject of its meaning — that is, as it was the doctrine revealed from God — came before the Church; but in respect to the manner in which it is properly called Scripture, it came after the first Church.558
13. It is called the Holy Scripture, and κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν,559 the Scripture; and the writers themselves are called holy, partly in respect to the matter of its subject and object — which is called the true and saving will of God — and partly in respect to that direction whereby it was committed to writing, Romans 1:2; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Peter 2:21; 2 Peter 3:2; Revelation 18:20.560
14. But although various parts of the Scripture were written for some special occasion, and were directed to some certain men or assemblies, yet in God’s intention, they pertain to instructing all the faithful through all ages, as if they had been specially directed to them; Hence Hebrews 1:2.561
15. All things which are necessary to salvation are contained in the Scriptures, and also all those things which are necessarily required for the instruction and edification of the Church. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. The Holy Scriptures can make you wise unto salvation, that the man of God might be perfect, perfectly furnished for every good work.
16. Hence the Scripture is not a partial, but a perfect rule of Faith and Practice; nor is there anything that is constantly and everywhere necessary to be observed in the Church of God, which depends either on any tradition, or any authority whatsoever, that is not contained in the Scriptures.
17. Yet all things were not altogether and at once committed to writing, because the state of the Church and the wisdom of God required otherwise; but from the first writing, those things were successively committed to writing which were necessary in those ages.
18. Nor did the Articles of Faith562 therefore increase according to the succession of times in respect to their essence, but only in respect to their explication.
19. As touching the manner of delivery, the Scripture does not explain the will of God by universal and scientific rules, but by narrations, examples, precepts, exhortations, admonitions, and promises. This is because that manner makes most for the common use of all kinds of men, and also most affects the will and stirs up godly motions, which is the chief scope of Divinity.
20. Also the will of God is revealed in that manner in the Scriptures that, although the things themselves are for the most part hard to be conceived, yet the manner of delivering and explaining them (especially in those things which are necessary) is clear and perspicuous.
21. Hence the Scriptures, especially in necessities, do not need any such explication whereby light may be brought to it from something else; but they give light to themselves, which is to be diligently drawn out by men, and communicated to others according to their calling.
22. Hence also, there is only one sense of one place of Scripture, because otherwise the sense of the Scripture would not only not be clear and certain, but have no sense at all; for that which does not signify one thing, signifies nothing with certainty.
23. For determining CONTROVERSIES in Divinity,563 there is no visible power appointed in the Church which is, as it were, kingly or praetorian; rather a duty is laid on men to enquire; there is bestowed a gift of discerning, both publicly and privately; and there is commanded a desire to further the knowledge and practice of the known truth according to their calling, to which is also joined a promise of direction, and of blessing from God.
24. But because the Scriptures were given for the use and edification of the Church, they were therefore written in those tongues which were most common564 in the Church at the time when they were written.
25. Hence all those books which were written before the coming of Christ, were written in Hebrew; for the Oracles of God were written to the Jews, Romans 3:2; Romans 9:4.565 And for a similar reason, those that were written afterward were delivered in the Greek tongue, because that tongue was most common in those parts where the Church first flourished.
26. Hence there is some knowledge at least of these tongues, that is necessary to the exact understanding of the Scriptures. For the Scriptures are understood by the same means that other human writings are understood: many by the skill and use of Logic, Rhetoric, Grammar, and those tongues in which they are expressed — except in this: that there is a singular light of the Spirit that is always to be sought by the godly in the Scriptures.
27. Yet the Scripture is not so tied to those first tongues, that it should not also be translated into other tongues for the common use of the Church.
28. But among translators,566 neither those seventy who turned Scripture into Greek,567 nor Jerome [who turned it into Latin], nor any like them, performed the office of a Prophet, so that he should be free from errors in translating.
29. Hence no persons are absolutely authentic, except in so far as they express the fountains by which they are also to be tried.568
30. Nor is there any authority on Earth whereby any version may be made solely authentic.
31. Hence the providence of God in preserving the Fountains has always been famous,569 and to be adored not only that they did not wholly perish, but also that they should not be maimed by the loss of any book, or deformed by any grievous fault, when meanwhile, there is not one of the ancient versions that remains whole.
32. Nevertheless, from those human versions, we may perceive all those things which are absolutely necessary so as to agree with the fountains in their essential parts, just as all those versions that are received in the Churches usually do, even though they differ and are defective in not a few smaller things.
33. Therefore, neither should we always rest in any version that is received; but we must religiously ensure that the purest and least faulty translation be provided to the Church.
34. From all those books delivered from God, and placed, as it were, in the Chest of the Church, a perfect Canon of Faith and Practice is made, from which also they have the name of Canonical Scripture.
35. The Prophets made the Canon of the Old Testament, and Christ himself approved it by his Testimony. The Canon of the New Testament together with the Old, was approved by the Apostle John and sealed up, having been furnished with Divine Authority. Revelation 22:18-19, For I witness together to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any shall add to these, God shall lay upon him the plagues written in this book; and if any shall take away anything from the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life.
36. Those books which we commonly call Apocryphal, do not pertain to the divine Canon, nor were they rightly enough joined by men of old to the canonical books as a certain secondary Canon. For First, in some of them there are manifest fables that are told and affirmed as true histories, such as Tobit, Judith, Susanna, Bel the Dragon, and similar ones. Secondly, because they often contradict both the sacred Scripture and themselves. Thirdly, they were not written in Hebrew, nor delivered to the Jewish Church, nor received by it, to which notwithstanding God committed all his Oracles before the coming of Christ, Romans 9:4. Fourthly, they were not approved by Christ, because they were not among those books which he set forth when he commanded his followers to search the Scriptures. Fifthly, they were never received either by the Apostles, or by the first Christian Church, as being part of the Divine Canon.