Volume II Part 13 (1/2)
[Sidenote: Luc. 16.]
[Sidenote: Apoc. 6.]
The Elect departed are in peace and rest from thair laubouris; not that thai sleap and come to ane certane oblivioun (as some fantastick headis[243] do affirme,) but that thai ar delivered from all fear, all torment, and all tentatioun, to whiche we and all G.o.dis elect ar subject in this lyfe; and thairfoir do bear the name of the Kirk militant. As contrariewyse, the reprobat and unfaythfull departed, have anguishe, torment, and paine, that can nott be expressed; so that neather ar the ane nor the other in sick sleap that thai feill not joy or torment, as the Parable of Christ Jesus in the saxtene of Luke, his wordis to the theaf, and these wordis of the saullis crying under the altar, ”O Lord, thou that arte rychteous and just, how longe shalt thow not revenge our blude upoun thame that dwell upoun the earth!”
doeth playnlie testifie.
[243] In the old printed copies, ”some fantastickis.”
OF THE NOTIS BY WHICHE THE TRUE KIRK IS DISCEARNED FROM THE FALS, AND WHO SHALBE JUDGE OF THE DOCTRINE.--CAP. XVIII.
[Sidenote: Gen. 4. 21. 27.]
[Sidenote: Mat. 23.]
[Sidenote: Joan. 12.]
[Sidenote: Act. 5.]
[Sidenote: Notes of the Trew Church.]
[Sidenote: Joan. 1. 10.]
[Sidenote: Rom. 4.]
[Sidenote: 1 Cor. 5.]
[Sidenote: Act. 16. 18.]
[Sidenote: 1 Cor. 1.]
[Sidenote: Act. 20.]
[Sidenote: To whom the interpretation of the Scripture appertayne.]
[Sidenote: 1 Cor. 11.]
Because that Sathan from the begyning hes lauboured to deck his pestilent Synagoge with the t.i.tle of the Kirk of G.o.d, and hes inflambed the heartis of cruell murtheraris to persecute, truble, and molest the trew Kirk and members thairof, as Cain did Abell; Ismaell, Isaac; Esau, Jacob; and the whole preasthead of the Jewis, Jesus Christ him self, and his apostles after him; it is a thing most requisite, that the trew Kirk be discernit frome the filthy synagoge, be cleare and perfite nottis, least we being deceaved, resave and embrace to our awin condemnatioun the ane for the other. The nottis, signes, and a.s.sured tokenis whairby the immaculat spouse of Christ Jesus is knawin from that horrible harlote the Kirk malignant, we affirme ar neyther antiquitie, t.i.tle usurped, lineall discente, place appointed, nor mult.i.tude of men approving ane errour; for Cain in aige and t.i.tle was preferred to Abell and Seth. Jerusalem had prerogative above all places of the earth, whair also war the preastis lineally descended from Aaron; and greattare mult.i.tude[244] followed the Scribes, Pharaseis, and Preastis, then unfeanedlie beleaved and approved Christ Jesus and his doctrin; and yit (as we suppoise) na man of sound judgment[245] will grant that any of the foirnamed war the Kirk of G.o.d. The Notis, thairfoir, of the trew Kirk of G.o.d we beleve, confesse, and avow to be, first, The trew preaching of the word of G.o.d; into the whiche G.o.d hes reveilled him self to us, as the writtingis of the Prophettis and Apostles do declair. Secoundlie, The rycht administratioun of the sacramentis of Christ Jesus, whiche mun be annexed to the worde and promisse of G.o.d, to seall and confirme the same in our hartis. Last[ly], Ecclesiasticall discipline uprychtlie ministred, as G.o.dis word prescribed, whairby vice is repressed, and vertew nurished. Whairsoever then these former nottis ar sene, and of any tyme continew (be the number never so few above twa or thre) thair, but all dowbt, is the trew Kirk of Christ, who according to his promeise is in the myddis of thame: not that universal (of whiche we have befoir spokin) but particulare; sick as was in Corinthus, Galatia, Ephesus, and utheris places in whiche the ministerie was planted by Paule, and war of him self named the Kirkis of G.o.d. And sick kirkis, we, the Inhabitants of the Realme of Scotland, professouris of Christ Jesus, confesse us to have in our cities, townis, and places reformed; for the doctrine taught in our kirkis is conteaned in the writtin word of G.o.d, to witt, in the buikis of the Auld and New Testamentis. In these buikis we meane, whiche of the ancient have bene reputed canonicall, in the whiche we affirme that all thingis necessarie to be beleaved for the salvatioun of mankynd, is sufficientlie expressed; the interpretatioun whairof, we confess, neather apperteaneth to privat nor publict persone, neather yit to any kirk for any preheminence or prerogative, personall or locall, whiche one hes above another; b.u.t.t apperteaneth to the Spreit of G.o.d, by the whiche also the Scripture was writtin. When contraversie then happinneth for the rycht understanding of any place or sentence of Scripture, or for the reformatioun of any abuse within the Kirk of G.o.d, we aucht not sa mekle to look what men befoir us have said or done, as unto that whiche the Holy Ghost uniformelie speakis within the body of the Scriptures, and unto that whiche Christ Jesus him self did, and commanded to be done. For this is a thing universallie granted, that the Spreit of G.o.d, which is the Spirit of unitie, is in nothing contrarious unto himself. Yf then the interpretatioun, determinatioun, or sentence of any doctour, kirk, or counsall, repugne to the plane word of G.o.d writtin in any other place of [the]
Scripture, it is a thing most certane, that thairis is nocht the trew understanding and meanyng of the Holy Ghost, supposing that Counsallis,[246] Realmes, and Nations have approved and receaved the same: For we dar nott receave and admitt any interpretatioun whiche directlie repugneth to any princ.i.p.all point of our fayth, [or] to any other plane text of Scripture, or yitt unto the rewll of charitie.
[244] In the old printed copies, ”greater number.”
[245] In the MSS. of Knox, ”of holle judgment.”
[246] In the old printed copies, ”although that Counsellis.”
THE AUTHORITIE OF THE SCRIPTURIS.--CAP. XIX.