I

THE

WAY of TRUTH;

OR,

Body of Divinity,

Confonant to the DOCTRINE of the Church of England.

BOOK I I.

CHAP. I.

Of the Rule of RELIGION, and Canon of SCRIPTURE.

HE Chriftian Religion is a Practical Science, directing us to know and worship the true GoD in CHRIST, according to his Will revealed in the holy Scripture..

RELIGION is derived a religando, from binding, because it is the Bond wherewith we are

VOL. I.

B

bound

bound to worship God. And the right Way of Worshiping God confifts in rendring our Devotion and Service to him in and by Chrift. For other Foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jefus Chrift, 1 Cor. iii. 8. Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men, whereby we must be faved, Acts iv. 12. But the whole Difpenfation of Salvation fince the Fall of Man, is made in Chrift the Mediator. And the Saints under the Jewish OEconomy were justified and faved by the Merits of Chrift, as we are: But fince the Coming of Chrift in our Flefh, and his Suffering for our Redemption, the Jewish Ceremonies are all abolished, and the Chriftian Religion only is the true Religion, which shall continue unto the End of the World.

AND the Chriftian Religion is rather Practical than Speculative: For the prime End of it is to make us holy and virtuous, that we may be happy. Though there be fome Things in it, which are meerly Speculative; yet they are propounded to us, not only as Objects of Belief, but as Grounds and Motives of Piety and Holinefs. For our Knowledge of Things in Religion must be reduced to Practice. But fuch as difobey the Precepts of the Gospel, know nothing as they ought to know: For in the Scripture Sense we know no more than what we practise.

THERE are two Things in the Christian Religion chiefly to be confider'd.

I. The Rule of it.

II. The Parts of it.

I. THE Rule of the

Chriftian Religion is the Will of God revealed: And the Will of God in

all Things concerning Salvation, is fully revealed in the Holy Scripture. For it pleafed God after he had declared his Will in divers manners, for the better preferving and conveying of all faving Truths, to commit the fame wholly to Writing; which Writing being given by Infpiration of God, is called the holy Scripture, or written Word of God.

THE Holy Scripture is contained in those Books of the Old and New Teftament, which the Church of God always held to be Canonical. The Books of the Old Teftament, which the Jewish Church reputed Canonical, are divided into three feveral Claffes; the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa; and they are in Number, according to their way of reckoning, Twenty two; whereof there are

FIVE Books of the Law of Mofes, Genefis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deutronomy.

Four Books of the former Prophets, viz. Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, Samuel I. and II. Kings I. and II.

Four Books of the latter Prophets, viz. Ifaiah, Jeremiah, with his Lamentations, Ezekiel, and the twelve leffer Prophets; Hofea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, all which were reckoned but one Book, and called the Book of the Prophets.

NINE Books of the Hagiographa, viz. Pfalms, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, Song of Songs, Job, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, Efther, and Chron. I. and II.

AND these and no other Books of the Old Teftament were approved by Christ and his Apoftles, and acknowledged by the ancient Chriftians to be Canonical. For the Chriftian Church

in all Ages, until of late, followed the Hebrew Canon of the Old Bible, and held no other Books thereof to be properly Canonical than those which the Jewish Church had before received.

Bur as for the Apocryphal Books, Efdras, Tobit, Judith, Wifdom, Ecclefiafticus, and the reft, which are added to the Oid Teftament, they were not written by Divine Inspiration, nor admitted by the Jewish Church into the Canon of Holy Scripture. And though they are now as well as formerly, allowed to be read in Churches for Edification and Inftruction of Manners; yet they are not to be apply'd for Confirmation of Doctrines; nor were they ever accounted by any Chriftian Church, in a ftri& Sense, to be Divine and Canonical, until the late Popish Council held at Trent rafhly made them fo.

THE Books of the New Teftament, which we acknowledge to be of Divine Authority, were received from the Apostles by the Primitive Chriftians, and are now held by the Univerfal Church of Chrift to be Canonical. And thefe Books are the four Gofpels according to St. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, Fourteen Epiftles of St. Paul, to Romans one, to Corinthians two, to Galatians, Ephefians, Philippians, and Coloffians one a piece, to Theffalonians two, to Timothy two, to Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews one a piece, one Epiftle of St. James, two of St. Peter, three of St. John, one of St. Jude, and the Revelation of St. John. And all these Books of the New Teftament, with those of the Old, which were always reputed to be Canonical, are of Divine Authority, and make up the true and perfect Rule of the Christian Religion.

THERE

THERE are three Things neceffary to conftitute the Rule of Religion, Authority, Sufficiency, and Perfpicuity. For it must be of Divine Authority, and fufficient to direct us in all Things neceffary to Salvation, otherwise it could not be a compleat and infallible Rule. And if it be not fo plain and perfpicuous in all neceffary Matters of Faith and Practice, that it may be understood by all who are diligent to learn the Truth, it could be no Rule to them. But the Holy Scripture hath Divine Authority; and it is fufficient to direct us in all Things neceffary to Salvation; and it is plain and eafie to be understood in those Things: And confequently it is a perfect Rule of Faith and Life, able to make us wife unto Salvation.

Of the Authority of SCRIPTURE.

HE firft Property of holy Scripture, as it is the Rule of Religion, is Authority. The Authority of any Writing depends upon its Author: And if the holy Scripture be of God, then it must needs have Divine Authority: But the holy Scripture was given by Inspiration of God, 2 Tim. iii. 16.