Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 10. Why are there some things in Scripture hard ••o be understood and whe∣ther the Scripture can dwell richly in those that cannot read?

That there are in Scripture some things hard to be understood, is both arrested by S. Peter, 2 Pet. 2.3.16 and known by the expe∣rience of the Saints, who dayly pray that their eyes may be opened, to behold the wonderous things therein written, Psal. 119.18. which yet sufficeth not to maintain as the Church of Rome, the imperfe∣ction of the Scriptur••s. For

• 1. It is but some things; it is not all hard to be understood: we easily understand the whole meaning of the Law and Prophets. In loving the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and our neighbour as our selves, Matth. 22.37.
• 2. Every thing that is necessary for salv••tion, is most easie, it is plain before us. This commandement which I command thee this day, it is not to hide from thee, says God, Deut. 30.11. And who dare say it is otherwise? but observe, when any thing is said to be hard in Scripture, or obscure, as the doctrine of the Trinity, of the incarnation, or the resurrection, it is to be understood either in the m••st••ry it self, or in the manner of its delivery; now the my∣stery is in it self inscrutable, cannot be understood nor fathomed by the wit of man; we are not able throughly to apprehend the gr••at mystery of the three persons, the glory of heaven, the proceeding of the Holy Ghost, the nature of Angel, the eternal decrees; but the manner of their handling, that is, that these things are so, is clear and manifest, and held out to us for to believe; which last is necessary to salvation not, the other; we may be happy though we cannot comprehend the nature of the Trinity, yet we must beli••ve it. The resurrection is an Article of our Creed, that is, we believe

• it, and the ground of our belief is clear in Scripture, though the thing it self be above our ••••prehension.
• 3. We ought to expect some hard things in Scripture; it is no wonder to hear God speaking like himself, he is delivering his own mind; and sometimes he will speak according to his own con∣ception; yet that makes the Scripture no more imperfect then a man who knows not how the souls acts, his bones grow, nor how the watery humour of his eyes keeps a fixed place, moves, and how his soul by that humour discerns colours, how the soul by the self same ea•• j••dges of diversity of sounds, is to be judged not a perfect man. There are in nature many hidden mysteries: and shall men won∣der to find some in the book of God? to come to the Question, he purposely in his Scriptures conceals something from us, and speaks so••e thing therein which is hard to be understood,
  • 1. To keep us humble; knowledge is often times a cause of puffing up. God foresees that men would be apt to be conceited and raised up, should they comprehend his meaning: therefore in divine things he wisely orders, that all shall not be understood, to keep down pride, and bridle arrogance.
  • 2. To stir us up to diligence: by this doing God intends to set us a working, that by searching and praying for the spirit, we might the better be brought to know what God would have us to do.
  • 3. To hold up the dignity of his word: were it plain, men would quickly contemn it: Ministers would be slighted whose office is to open it: to save his word therfore from being vilified, he is pleased to wrap, up some of it in the clouds of prophesies, dark sentences, visions, that we may set the greater value upon it, and men in their reading may have the more reverend thoughts of it, which brings us to the second part of the Question, whether it may dwell richly, &c. Which we shall answer briefly.

There are four wayes by which Christians may come to the knowledge of Scripture: that is, by reading, by hearing, by remem∣bring, by discourseing; he that cannot read, may have the Scri∣ptures dwelling richly in him to salvation, by the o••her three means. Yet

• 1 Whose fault is it thou canst not read? thy unwillingness, or crosseness, or thy parents neglect or carelesseness? if thy self be in the

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• fault, the greater is thy sin; be the more earnest unto God in acts of contrition and repentance.
• 2. Hast thou not spent as much time in toys, and in sin, as thou mightest have learned to read in, supposing thou wert brought up in ignorance? if so, redeem the time by a double diligence.
• 3. Be more humble before God: the less help thou hast of thy self, call to God for more; those that read, must have Gods bles∣sing before they profit, and grace before they be righteous. Thou shalt have grace if thou beest humble, Iames 4.6.
• 4 Be more diligent in other Ordinances; if thou hast not skill to read, yet hast thou ears to hear? Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10, 17. and by hearing of the word, it may dwell richly in the salva∣tion; 1 Cor. 15.2. But this brings us to the second direction above proposed for the Words in dwelling, viz.

Of hearing the Scriptures, that is, to suffer our selves to receive the knowledge of the Scripture, by its being opened, taught or expounded; this is done two wayes. 1. Authoritatively and p••b∣lickly, proper to the Gospel Ministry, which is commonly called preaching. 2. Charitably and privately, common to all belie∣vers, called in the Text teaching; we shall first speak of the pub∣lick, proper to the ordained Ministers of the Gospel, and in Or∣der to it, handle three Ordinances contemned in this age, which are as adjuncts or circumstances to this Authoritative way of teach∣ing: these are

• 1. The time of preaching.
• 2. The place of preaching.
• 3. The party that preacheth.

The party that doth or should teach, is the Minister of the Go∣spel, appointed and separated thereunto, by Apostolical Ordi∣nation: the place of teaching is that which commonly and autho∣ritatively is called the Church; we shall speak of these in Order, be∣ginning with the time of teaching, which is either Ordinary, as the sabbath, or extraordinary as the times of fasting and feasting ap∣pointed by the Church, of all which we shall discourse somewhat,

and something briefly, beginning with the ordinary time of teach∣ing, (viz.) the sabbath.