John Owen, attributed to John Greenhill, c. 1668. Public domain. National Portrait Gallery, London, via Wikimedia Commons.

Exercise III: On the Perfection of Scripture

John Owen
The Works of John Owen, Volume 16

Editorial Preface

These two exercises, 2 of 4 in a pamphlet John Owen published in the 17th century to help Christians defend the faith, form a closely joined polemical and theological argument. Owen’s purpose is to defend Holy Scripture as God’s complete and sufficient rule for faith, worship, and obedience against appeals to ecclesiastical tradition, new revelation, enthusiasm, or an autonomous “inner light.” In Exercise III, he defines Scripture’s perfection in relation to its God-appointed end and argues that no additional revelation is necessary to bring sinners to the saving knowledge and worship of God. In Exercise IV (see other blog post), he distinguishes the uncreated light of God, the remaining natural light of reason and conscience, and the saving illumination bestowed by Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Editorial note: This text has been translated from Owen’s Latin. The section divisions and theological argument have been retained, while the Markdown formatting has been regularized for Ulysses. Greek terms are accompanied by transliteration. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected where the intended sense was clear.

Section 1

Taking up the defense of the perfection of the sacred Scriptures, that is, their integral perfection which regards their proper end (a defense made absolutely necessary by the intolerable wickedness of some), let us seem to do a worthwhile work if we first set forth briefly the supreme and unanimous agreement, the concordant ὁμόνοια (homonoia), that all kinds of heretics provoke in this matter, citing John 20:31; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15.

Section 2

How far apart the Jews, the Papists, and the fanatical ἐνθυσιαστικοί (enthousiastikoi) are from one another, and how they continually fight each other, is knowledge too well worn among all friends and enemies of the Christian religion. But concerning the thesis proposed here, there is almost no variety; for although, by the just judgment of God, the word is not one and the same to them—in fact, they are so confused among themselves that they scarcely understand one another’s speech—yet all together they unite with the highest consent in attacking the edifice to be built, from whose summit, with a certain giant pride, they bring signs hostile to the perfection of the Scriptures, the throne of God on earth.

Section 3

Indeed, the reason why they most closely cultivate peace among themselves in this matter, which is the highest point at issue, is that in the whole rest of the business of religion they flee to arms and mutually pursue each other with deadly hatred. For if they would willingly depart from this opinion, whose defense we undertake with all our strength concerning the fullness of the Scriptures, and if all, of whatever kind, would agree that religious controversy be settled by the word of God, those most dreadful errors, on account of which they flee the light of Scripture and fight in darkness like the wanderers of old, and like the Hammonites, Moabites, and inhabitants of Mount Seir who waged war against the people of God, mutually devoted themselves to destruction, would immediately vanish at the light of this sun.

Section 4

However, not led by the same reasons, but those for traditions, these for their enthusiasms and revelations, contending as if for altars and hearths, and thus, like Samson’s foxes bearing fiery torches tied to their tails into the fields of the church, all most amicably set out to dislodge the sacred Scripture from its place.

Section 5

The Jewish fiction διαζόητον (diazōēton) concerning the twofold word given by God to Moses—one containing the law itself, which God willed and commanded to be written; the other, the exposition and proper sense of it, delivered orally to the seventy elders by Moses himself, and preserved for use in the synagogue by continuous succession through priests and sages—was the root and foundation of their entire divine worship, and thus of the horrendous superstition and idolatry with which all their sacred things abound, for several centuries, as almost no one is ignorant. For a brief explanation, see R. M. B. M., preface to Seder-Zerajim.

Section 6

Indeed, the Pharisees, at some unknown time during the Maccabean period, when the scribes and doctors first split into various sects, and afterwards, under the pretext of more exact worship and obedience, imposed innumerable and most superstitious traditions nullifying the word of God upon the people; and when our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, we learn from His severe rebukes directed against that kind of men. But this distinction, devised for the ruin of the entire religion and worship of God, as if it were the foundation of their whole religion, was not sold to posterity until several centuries had passed, after the first fabricators had brought the immense wagon of traditions into the church.

Section 7

For with the temple destroyed, and the entire republic overthrown by unheard-of calamities, the worship peculiar to the Jews, along with all ceremonies so thoroughly rejected and removed by God (since they were established only until the time of correction), the surviving people—rebellious and unbelieving, deprived of the spirit and true understanding of the word of God—were left entirely without God and without any divine worship (Hebrews 9:10; Hosea 3:4). So that, not wanting all to suffer punishment for their crimes and the dreadful sins of their ancestors, some of them, having committed a bold crime, gathered scattered traditions here and there into a single body and system, and, greatly expanded with a cloak of Ethnic paganism and even Christian elements perversely distorted, they paraded these as an oral law which, together with Scripture, they imagine God gave to Moses.

Section 8

This, indeed, was nothing other than the beginning of men hardened in unbelief and disobedience, rejected by God, by which they might have some religion under the pretext of their infidelity; since they clearly perceived that they were so utterly rejected from the observance of that former one which they had worshiped, that they themselves could not find favor in it. Concerning all these matters, with God’s help, we shall treat more extensively elsewhere, as we have already done.

Section 9

Thus, struck by this madness, they not only scorn all those who profess to adhere solely to the Scriptures from their own people, but also the Karaim, or, as the pontiffs like to speak in the same sense, the scripturists or biblical scholars, holding them in the place of the worst heretics.

Section 10

Let us turn to the pontiffs: these, indeed, for the sake of defending their traditions, who are no better than these Jews—whom they pretend to have received from the apostles—agree entirely with the Jews concerning the matter itself; and thus, not only do they secretly plot against the perfection of the Scriptures, but they also strive to displace it openly, as they say, from its place in the Church, the very “naked head” (γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ (gymnē tē kephalē)). See Cost. Enchiridion, chapter 1; Baron, Annals, vol. 1, years 53 and 811; Pighius, Hierarchy of the Church, book 1, chapter 2; Bellarmine, book 4, On the Word of God, chapter 4; Hosius, On the Sacred Scriptures, etc.

Section 11

Our own fanatics follow the same footsteps (by which those called spiritual pontiffs have opened the way to this wickedness), not for the sake of any traditions, certainly, but boasting of some unknown enthusiasms—an inner light and a certain infallibility emerging from it.

Section 12

But whatever the Jews, whatever the priests, have ever dared to say in favor of their traditions, or in reproach of the Scriptures, all of it I have struck down with a dreadful obscurity, for the sake of protecting my revelations; and they speak and assert impure little notions: I am ashamed to even mention the horrid and most absurd titles of their books.

Section 13

“Provided the foundation of apostolic tradition is preserved, no harm would be inflicted upon the Church, even if the Scriptures were to be erased,” says a not insignificant writer of that Church. “Would that they were erased,” say some of the fanatics, “so that all might pay more attention to the light that is in them.” Hence this childish nonsense—that the Church is older than the Scriptures, which Eckius calls Achilles for the Catholics, Enchiridion on the Authority of the Church, Response 3, to the Objector Heretic. Substituting revelations in place of the Church, the fanatics have made their Achilles.

Section 14

Beware, therefore, of the devil, who, fearing the fullness and perfection of the Scriptures in his kingdom, has caused those who differ most widely in all other matters to conspire together in this blasphemy.

Section 15

Learned men from all sides have long since blocked the mouths of the Jews and the pontiffs with disputations established against them concerning the perfection of the sacred Scriptures. Among the pontiffs are Raynold, Whitaker, Junius, Rivetus, Gomarus, Gerard, and many others; among the Jews, however, are Raymond Martin, Porchetus de Sylvaticis, Peter Galatinus, Joseph Scaliger, Paul Fagius, Münster, Drusius, Buxtorf, Helvicus, Genebrard, Constant l’Empereur, Muller, Hoornbeek, and a not insignificant number of others.

Section 16

We now confront our own fanatics, who, as a reward for their vigorous opposition to the perfection of the Scriptures, would accept no authority imposed upon them by any mortal. And indeed, since it has pleased God graciously to entrust us with this province—fighting against the enemies of His word, though unworthy—we must consider it an honor. Therefore, whatever we accomplish, relying on His power and assistance, while fulfilling the task entrusted to us, we ought to regard as fully accepted by divine grace.

Section 17

However, what the opinion of these men is regarding the use and perfection of the Scriptures is not easily declared: for besides the fact that they do not agree among themselves, they babble so foolishly and odiously in explaining the thoughts of their own minds, they play with words of doubtful and uncertain meaning, they constantly use certain foreign phrases which either terrify or allure unlearned men, containing nothing of sound sense or anything that can be understood by any sane mind, so that it is much easier to refute their arguments than to grasp their meaning. Indeed, since their opinion is base and dishonorable, which, if clearly exposed and with the tricks and artifices removed, would be sufficient in itself for ruin among all honest men, even those not openly wicked, they either express the imposture covertly or with words so worn and patched together that they almost signify nothing at all; they peddle it, and thus foolishly, by darkening their counsel with words, they seem to take greatest care that they not be understood. Therefore, leaving aside all those things which the chief errants and leaders of this flock have here and there impiously and blasphemously said against the sacred Scriptures, which have been provoked, I have thought it best to set forth briefly and, if possible, clearly, what their common opinion is, drawn and collected from books published by themselves and from conversations held with them, in which many are inept in speaking.

Section 18

First, insofar as they acknowledge that the sacred Scriptures contain the manifestation of the divine will and mind, we have demonstrated this in the preceding discussions. Moreover, they concede that the Scriptures stand in this way with respect to those who wrote them, and also to those to whom they were handed down from the beginning. Furthermore, they profess that this declaration of the divine will proceeded from the Spirit of Christ, who was present with its writers, enabling them to declare the truth infallibly. And thus, whatever is written in those books is recognized as the true and undoubted declaration of the divine mind. So far, rightly indeed; for no one who has advanced thus far can utterly reject Scripture unless he also declares himself plainly to be self-condemned; nor will they easily endure to renounce this confession, even though their speech is so clouded with darkness, and they cast such a smokescreen of incoherent words and phrases before their eyes, that it is exceedingly difficult to discern what they mean, even by conjecture.

Section 19

Nor can it be denied that these locusts, as soon as they emerged from the smoke of the pit, held the Scriptures in greater contempt for themselves and generally spoke of them with more disdain than they now dare to speak publicly in these days; so that there can be no doubt that if their affairs had succeeded according to their wishes, they would have long since utterly rejected them. Therefore, setting aside that confession, which was extorted from them not by the power of truth but by a certain frenzy of the common people everywhere, led by reverence for the word of God, and falling upon their heads, let us now see what they think further about this declaration of the divine mind.

Section 20

First, therefore, they deny that the Scriptures are the ordinary, unshaken, perfect, and stable rule of divine worship and of our obedience, such that there is no need for other new, daily revelations by which we might be further instructed in the knowledge of God and our duty. Then, they affirm that they themselves are inspired by the same Spirit by which the holy men of God once acted when they brought forth prophecy and wrote the word of God: therefore, all that they speak concerning sacred matters is no less immediately from God and the Spirit, no less infallible, nor of less use in the church, than the Scriptures themselves. Concerning the Spirit, indeed, of whom they boast to have obtained, it remains to be dealt with later, when we come to their light.

Section 21

They further add that when a person has received within himself the inner light, and thereby possesses the Spirit of Christ, the entire purpose of the Scriptures is fulfilled in relation to him, and they are no longer of use to him; moreover, those led by that Spirit, which is common to all but truly known only to the faithful—that is, to these fanatics—have no further need of either the teaching or the authority of the Scriptures, since they are self-taught (αὐτοδίδακτοι (autodidaktoi)), if it is proper to place faith in them.

Section 22

Now, since this is the sum of the opinion of these men, which, by a multitude of words, shaking the minds of the unlearned, they pour out everywhere, it is clear that they rob the sacred Scriptures of all use, authority, and perfection. For what authority can that word have which is gathered into order by the noise of any insane fanatic’s babble? What use, when it is so fulfilled that no mortal needs to pay any further attention to it? What perfection, when, notwithstanding this, it is necessary for anyone wishing to attain eternal life to be enlightened by other revelations; and to follow some unknown light, which has nothing in common with the Scriptures, as an infallible teacher, and to obey it in all things.

Section 23

Therefore, taking up the defense of that addition to the Scriptures, which is called its perfection, I will first state our opinion about it, then the arguments by which we establish it, and finally refute the error of the fanatics as false, pursuing only the main points of the matter briefly.

Section 24

Since God, the author of Holy Scripture, is the most noble agent, it is necessary that He acts for an end. Therefore, it is certain that in that declaration of His will contained in Holy Scripture, He had some determined end; and since the end is twofold, first the ultimate and remote, then the immediate or proximate, each must be considered separately. We have established that the ultimate, supreme, and general end of this revelation of God’s will is the glory of God Himself; for since the Lord has worked all things for Himself and His glory, certainly this excellent work, proceeding from His free will, produced no other end nor could it produce any other. The proximate and immediate end shows from where and how, from this work or from this declaration of His will, this divine glory arises, and also what this glory is when considered in a special manner. Therefore, our direction in the knowledge of God and in rendering obedience to Him, so that finally, by doing His will, we may attain eternal salvation and the enjoyment of Him, we contend that this immediate end of the giving of the Scriptures, and thus of the Scriptures themselves, is this. For here the end of the agent and the work is the same: what God intends through the Scriptures, those very Scriptures effect, namely morally, according to their own mode of operation. It is therefore evident that the supreme glory which God intends consists in the bringing of sinful men to the knowledge, worship, and eternal life with Him; and since the perfection of any discipline consists in relation to its end, and that perfection must be such as is sufficient with respect to its proximate end, but imperfect if it is not able to attain the proposed end, the perfection of the Scriptures cannot consist in anything else than in their sufficiency with respect to their proper end, which is the instruction of men in the knowledge and worship of God, so that they may attain eternal salvation. For this reason, in this sense, we assert that Scripture is the most perfect rule of all divine worship and of our obedience.

Section 25

Therefore, our opinion concerning the perfection of the Holy Scriptures, in relation to their purpose, which we carefully defend against the Papists, fanatics, and others, is contained in these conclusions.

1. God has declared in the Holy Scriptures all and singular things, of whatever kind they may be, that are necessary for our salvation, or that are pleasing and acceptable to Him in His worship.
   
2. All things that God has thus revealed are contained in the books of Scripture, either αὐτολεξεί (autolexei) (literally and explicitly), or κατὰ συνακαλούθησιν (kata synakalouthēsin) (by implication), and from these by the nearest, immediate, and plain consequence are drawn out.
   
3. Therefore, there is no need for either ancient traditions, or new revelations, or the authority of any church, to reveal or establish those things which are necessary for us in matters of religion or accepted by God.
   
4. Since God is Zealous and does not wish to give His glory to another, it is only to be endured that pride, under whatever pretext it may occur, proposes to men something to be believed by divine faith or observed by divine worship that has not been revealed by Him in the Scriptures.
   
5. Therefore, since the revelations that fanatics boast of are either foreign—that is, containing a doctrine different from what is revealed in the Scriptures—or merely different from these divine revelations; we have determined that those are blasphemous, horrendous, diabolical, and accursed, and these are vain, useless, and both false.
   
6. That internal light, by whose guidance men are led away from the perfection and fullness of the Scriptures by fanatics, is entirely fictitious and a grossly fabricated invention.
   
7. Therefore, we believe and profess that the Holy Scripture is the most perfect rule, delivered to us by God for this very purpose: that we may attain His glory and eternal salvation; and that after the completion of what is called its canon, no new revelations concerning the common faith of the saints, or the worship of God, are to be expected or admitted.
   

Section 26

We consider this opinion, thus explained, to be proven—first authoritatively, then by reasoning; indeed, the testimonies by which our theologians commonly prove it against any μισογράφους (misographous) (haters of the Scriptures) can be referred to the following classes.

The first group contains those passages which explicitly and literally, or by immediate consequence, ascribe this perfection to the Scriptures: examples of this kind are John 20 (last verses); 2 Timothy 3:13–16; Psalm 19:7; Luke 1:3, 4, 16:29; Acts 1:1; Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:19, 20; 2 Peter 1:19; 2 Corinthians 3:14; Galatians 6:16.

The second class of testimonies explicitly rejects all additions whatsoever to the written Word of God. Deuteronomy 4:2, 12 (last part); Revelation 22:18; Galatians 1:8; Matthew 15:6; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Isaiah 8:20 belong to this class.

The third category consists of those who present examples of the holy apostles and Christ himself, all of which command those who examine and are to be examined by the sacred Scriptures, as seen in Luke 16:27–31; Acts 17:2, 3; 18:24, 28; 26:22. And many others are commonly cited for this purpose.

Fourthly, those things which the sacred Scriptures commend for all religious practice constitute the fourth class of testimonies, such as Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 28:58; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Romans 15:4; Philippians 3:1; 1 John 1:4, and others of this kind; indeed, all these testimonies have long since been defended by our theologians against the irrefragable objections of the pontiffs and others, so that it is no longer necessary to devote further effort to this work.

Section 27

Leaving aside also those arguments commonly debated against the pontiffs regarding the perfection of the Scriptures, which clearly refute the fanatics’ claims of inner light or spirit, new revelations, enthusiasms, conversations with angels, and the like, we shall focus briefly on a few points.

Section 28

Our first argument is as follows: If the revelation of the divine will made in the Scriptures is so perfect, complete, and finished in all respects that there is no need for any other revelation—whether through the Spirit, or internal light, enthusiasm, heavenly inspiration, angelic conversations, whether feigned or real—to aid us in the knowledge of God and our duty, in order to attain eternal life to the glory of God, then all those uncertain, dangerous, useless, and by no means necessary means to know God and His will, which fanatics simulate, must be rejected and detested. Now, we prove the said perfection of the Scriptures:—

1. From their author, namely God, from whom nothing imperfect can proceed in any way, much less with respect to the end for which any work is destined. From a perfect voluntary cause, only the perfect is to be expected. For God, willing to reveal His will, could have no impediment preventing Him from revealing it perfectly, neither because He could not, which is impossible given His infinite wisdom and omnipotence, nor because He would not, which is contrary to His goodness and grace. Therefore, He gave a perfect revelation of His will.
   
2. From the nature of the books of the Holy Scripture; these are the books of the Old and New Testaments. The apostle explicitly speaks of the books of the Old Testament, 2 Corinthians 3:14, “Upon the reading of the old covenant.” The same applies to the New Testament, verse 6. Now, every Testament, although human, is perfect. “A human covenant no one annuls or adds to,” [Galatians 3:15.]
   
3. From explicit testimony: Psalm 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect.”
   
4. From the matter, which is all of God’s counsel: “Saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses foretold,” Acts 26:22.
   
5. From the end, which is faith: “These are written that you may believe,” John 20:31; “Faith comes from hearing,” Romans 10:17; “The certainty of faith,” Luke 1:4; “Wisdom unto salvation,” 2 Timothy 3:15, 2 Peter 1:19; perfect instruction for good works, 2 Timothy 3:17; acquisition of eternal life, John 5:39, 20:31. Therefore, in every respect, this revelation is perfect.
   

Section 29

According to our argument from the perfect operation or effect of the Scriptures, it is taken that the matter stands thus: If the Holy Scripture accomplishes all things, in its own kind of operation and efficacy, namely moral, which can be effected by any revelation of the divine will, so that we may worship God with due and sincere devotion, and finally attain eternal salvation, then all those other principles of the knowledge of God, about which fanatics boast falsely, are vain.

But first the truth: for “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul,” Psalm 19:7; “A lamp to our feet and a light to our path,” Psalm 119:105; “The power of God unto salvation,” Romans 1:16; “The wise man is made wise unto salvation,” 2 Timothy 3:15; “And thoroughly equipped for every good work,” verse 17; “Able to save our souls,” James 1:21, 1 Timothy 4:16. And it accomplishes all other things necessary for the glory of God and our salvation; as can be seen in Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 23:29; John 8:31, 51; 17:20; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12. Therefore, those other principles are vain, false, etc.

Section 30

The third argument arises from those passages where the Holy Spirit most severely condemns and rejects all additions to the word of Scripture, whatever their kind may be, and especially all those ways and methods of knowing God, and with Him communion, which fanatics boast of. That all additions to the written word of God are rejected and condemned by the Holy Spirit is evident from the second class of testimonies which we have cited above; especially the angelic sayings: Colossians 2:18, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind”; Hebrews 1:2, 4; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Luke 16:29—revelations that are foreign to the written word, or containing a doctrine strange and alien to it: Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed”; 2 Peter 1:19;—then others as well; Revelation 22:18, “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book”; Hebrews 1:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 2:18;—then the internal spirit of fanatics, or the internal light, common to all, 1 John 4:1; Isaiah 8:19; 2 Peter 2:18. Concerning this, a following discussion must be undertaken.

Section 31

Our fourth argument is as follows: If it is very often commanded and enjoined upon us by God that we should diligently attend to the Scriptures or His word, lest we be carried away and turned aside from the truth and the correct knowledge of Him by deceiving spirits, revelations, vain imaginations, false teachers, dreams, visions, boasting of angelic communications, then in regard to all these things, that most perfect rule of which we speak is established.

But first, indeed, the testimonies that bear witness to this assertion are so clear and illustrious that it is necessary to be blind as the sun to refuse assent to them. Among these are Isaiah 8:19–20: “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Also 2 Timothy 3:13–17; 2 Peter 1:19. And also those passages where the certainty of the sacred word, as regards the use of the church, is preferred to the certainty of true revelations and miracles: Luke 16:29; John 5:47; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 John 5, 6, 10. But the true matter will follow later.

Section 32

Fifth Argument: That to which we are never, nowhere sent by God, so that from it or through it we might learn knowledge of Him and of His will, or so that from it we might take direction in our duty, cannot be the rule, canon, principle, or, if it may be so called, the directory of our faith, knowledge, doctrine, or obedience; but indeed, to the inner light or the private inner Spirit, to new revelations, to enthusiasms, dreams, visions, we are never, nowhere sent by God: therefore, etc. Let the fanatics produce either one passage of Holy Scripture or any testimony sent from heaven by which we or anyone else who would approach God are sent to their rules or directions of faith and obedience, and we do not say that they would not seriously triumph. But if they speak only of themselves, they are liars; they bear witness against themselves, and their testimony is not true.

Section 33

Sixthly, all those things which must be examined and tested, indeed which we are commanded to examine and test by sacred Scripture as by the touchstone of Lydia, whether they are true and consistent with divine truth, with the utmost freedom, indeed with the necessity of rejecting them if they do not agree with the sacred Scriptures, neither separately nor considered together can they be rules or directions for the worship of God, or for our faith and obedience, nor are they credible in themselves; but indeed, as appears from the testimonies cited above, all revelations, visions, spirits, dreams, enthusiasms, we are commanded to explore, examine, and test in this way: therefore, they are neither rules nor do they deserve faith in themselves. See 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1.

Section 34

Seventh. Every kind of enthusiasm is uncertainty; the seventh argument we supply is this: That in every way and respect it is uncertain, indeed most uncertain and deceptive, whether we consider the principle of revelation or the revealed things themselves; we ought not to attend to it as to a rule and guide in the way of life and the worship of God: yet this is the condition of all enthusiasms. Concerning the doctrine itself, or the revealed matters, the previous argument has dealt with it: but we ascribe all manner of uncertainty in these enthusiasms with respect to their principle or origin, relying on this conviction,—

1. Because of the wickedness of men, who often knowingly and willingly, like Simon Magus, Muhammad, and other deceivers, display themselves as certain great ones, or for other shameful and nefarious reasons, offering deceptions to others—visions, dreams, spiritual inspirations, revelations—by which they ensnare the unwary with deceit, they claim to be nothing less than divinely inspired (θεόπνευστοι (theopneustoi)) or carried by the Holy Spirit (ὑπὸ πνέυματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι (hypo pneumatos hagiou pheromenoi)). Thus they acted in former times, as recorded in Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Jeremiah 14:14, 23:21, 22, 29:31, 32. And so our Savior foretold they would act, Matthew 24:24. And so they still act even now. Therefore, having been taught by experience itself, that this or that person was an impostor and seducer among those who boasted of inner light and revelations, who will make us believe that the rest, all of them without exception, are better or more truthful than these of the same sort?
   
2. On the Deceptions of Satan. There is a deceiver in every religion who does not understand that this father of lies, from the very foundations of the world, has so cunningly arranged his arguments under the guise of revelations and internal inspirations that he leads people into deception and drags them along with him to ruin. Indeed, for this very reason, it seems that God wished to entrust His word, first delivered by mouth, to writings and to commit it under His protection to the faithful records of books, so that the human race, which was His concern, would not continually fall into ruin through the snares of Satan by false visions, foul incantations (ἐγγαστριμυθίας (engastrimythias)), oracles, revelations, and enthusiasms. See 2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Kings 22:22; Zechariah 13:2; Revelation 16:13, 16:14; 2 Corinthians 2:11.
   
3. On the contradictions with which the enthusiastic spirit abounds. For not only does each one have a vision, revelation, or inspiration, but they are so faithfully and openly committed to each other by an unclean Spirit that scarcely two of them agree in the same revelation and doctrine; rather, they engage in strange disputes, daily exchanging opposing and contradictory opinions. They even, at times, curse and execrate one another in the name of God; therefore, nothing certain can be expected from them.
   

Section 35

Eighthly. False doctrines, contrary to the word of God, heretical, pernicious, blasphemous, praising the inner light and revelations, very often, indeed almost always, are brought forth from darkness into the light by fanatics. What, I ask, shall be done with these doctrines of demons? Are they to be received? Therefore, so that the custom of Satan may be observed, the gospel must necessarily be rejected and cast away; if these themselves are to be rejected, and without any doubt are to be consigned to the utmost detestation as dreadful, then what will become of the faith of the fanatics?

Section 36

Finally, it is not of little importance that, relying on these principles and following these leaders, rejecting the rule of the written word, fanatics are daily driven, everywhere among the nations, into most pernicious behaviors, nefarious idolatries, murders, fornications, blasphemies, and unhappy ends; enough examples of this are evident throughout the trustworthy writings of many.

Section 37

It remains to refute those who, acting with a truly evil intent, dispute the matter and object against our opinion. This will be done in as few words as possible.

Thus they proceed as follows:

Objection 1. Those who share the same Spirit as those who once spoke the word of God and wrote it down do not need the written word or Scripture, since the same Spirit produces the same effects in all in whom it is present; so that all of them are able to declare the will of God no less infallibly than the θεόπνευστοι (theopneustoi) (God-breathed) writers. But it is evident that all the faithful have this Spirit, since it was promised to them, John 16:7; and all are baptized into the same Spirit. Therefore, with respect to all of them, Scripture is useless, and they ought no longer to adhere to it.

Response 1. It is false that those holy men of God, who wrote some part of His word, did not need to consult other parts of the same previously written word and learn the mind of God from them. Daniel, a God-breathed writer, “considered from the books,” Dan. 9:2. “The prophets inquired and searched the Scriptures concerning the salvation which these preached,” 1 Pet. 1:10–12.

2. It is false that the God-breathed writers always habitually and infallibly understood the whole will of God by the power of the prophetic Spirit or revelation they received; since often they were given regard only to a particular doctrine or prophecy.
   
3. It is utterly false to take all those who partake of the same Spirit to the same end and with the same respect to them. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit,” 1 Cor 12:4; “Are all prophets?” ver. 29.
   
4. All the faithful have received the regenerating, sanctifying, and comforting Spirit; but not with respect to extraordinary gifts, namely prophecy, infallibility, or a special inspiration to declare the will of God immediately and infallibly from God Himself.
   

Section 38

Objection 2. They insist: This promised Spirit is given to lead us into all truth.

Response. Correct. But through means established by God for that purpose; therefore, the word is promised together with the Spirit: “This shall be my covenant with them,” says the Lord; “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring,” Isaiah 59:21.

Section 39

Objection 3. After Scripture has been fulfilled and has reached its end, it ceases to be of use; but Scripture has been fulfilled and has reached its end in all those who are inwardly hidden in Christ, and thus are led to the inner light: therefore, it is no longer of use to them.

Response 1. We concede the major premise: indeed, “prophecies will cease, tongues will be stilled,” 1 Corinthians 13:8. 2. We deny the minor premise. For it is utterly false that Holy Scripture, while we remain in this world, attains or can attain its entire purpose with respect to us; therefore, until heaven and earth pass away, “not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the law,” Matthew 5:18. For not only the inception of faith, but also its edification, while we are led by this Spirit, is the end of Scripture. 3. Hence, there are twofold means of being brought to Christ: one through grace, the other through glory. When indeed we are brought to Christ in glory, the use of Scripture, adapted to our present state, will cease; for we shall see Him as He is, face to face, and we shall be like Him. Moreover, even faith, insofar as it relied on the written word of God, will be abolished: yet notwithstanding this prior bringing to Christ through faith and grace, we no more need food and clothing to pass through this animal life than we need Scripture to be daily instructed in its knowledge and faith. The fanatics, however, are not perfect nor brought to Christ in glory, as their lies, frauds, crimes, and hypocrisy testify to us; and those who shamelessly boast that they are free from all these and other sins, even the slightest, deserve the punishments and imprisonments which they themselves bring upon themselves by their own disorder, about which they complain effeminately. Indeed, it is clearly established that some fanatics have attempted, with less danger and harm, to pass through this animal life for forty days without food, although for some this was done not only with danger but with actual loss of life, than to preserve a spiritual life, without the use of the word of God, free from deadly offenses.

Section 40

Objection 4. “Scripture is dead letter; the Spirit gives life:” who would wish to adhere to dead letter unless he himself is dead?

Answer 1. This assertion is utterly false: Scripture is the word of God, which is living and active, Hebrews 4:12, and it is nowhere said to be dead letter; indeed, it kills, but for that very reason it is alive.

2. The letter kills, insofar as it is the letter of the law, separated from the gospel, and insofar as it is deprived of the Spirit and the true meaning of the will of God, which adhere to the letter, as was the condition of the Jews, against whom the apostle argues in that passage.
   

Section 41

Objection 5. “All your children shall be taught by God,” Isaiah 54:13; therefore, there is no need for any other instruction or teaching.

Response 1. Sacred Scripture itself is the teaching by which we are taught by God, Psalm 119:2. The promise was made not to all, but to the children of the Church. The principal cause of instruction, which will bring about the thing itself, does not exclude other means by which it may be effected; God teaches us, but through the Spirit and the word, Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.

Section 42

Objection 6. The prophets object with this passage, “No longer shall each one teach his neighbor, and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” spoken by the Lord, Jeremiah 31:33-34.

Response 1. If these words are to be understood absolutely, then that horrid shouting, by which fanatics resound through the streets of the city, fields, and so-called temples, “Know the Lord,” is plainly condemned. 2. Only that mode or degree of teaching is rejected which is necessary with respect to those whose hearts do not have the law inscribed: for this denial of teaching is the effect of the inscription of the law in the hearts of friends and brothers. Therefore, that external mode of teaching is rejected, and only with respect to those in whose hearts the law was to be inscribed by grace, insofar as it was useful to convince them of the absence of that efficacious grace itself. 3. More abundant grace, clearer knowledge, and more ready observance are promised; the institutions of God are not condemned.

Section 43

Objection 7, from Luke 17:21, “The kingdom of God,” says the Savior, “is within you:” that is, within the wicked Pharisees; therefore, within all people whatsoever. What then is the need for the external word of the kingdom when the kingdom itself is in all?

Response 1. That word ἐντός (entos) is read only once elsewhere in the New Testament, and there it is used substantively with the article, meaning the inner part of a vessel, Matthew 23:26. In this passage, it seems to be used in the same sense as by the same evangelist in chapter 11, verse 20, Ἔφθασεν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ (Ephthasen eph’ hymas hē basileia tou Theou): that is, “The kingdom of God has come upon you;” namely, in preaching, miracles, and the presence of Christ himself. In this sense, the kingdom of God was not among the Pharisees, but among those others; because Christ himself, the King, founder, and herald of that kingdom, was already then preaching it and laying its foundations in their midst. To embrace this interpretation of the words, one must consider the purpose of the Savior and the coherence of the entire discourse. Verse 20 teaches that our Savior instructs the unbelieving Jews that the kingdom of the Messiah (which they called the kingdom of God) would not come in the way they dreamed, namely with great display; He says, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation:” certainly not with the kind of observation they, preoccupied with the idea of an earthly kingdom, used. “But it is among you already,” He says; “which you would easily perceive from the miracles I perform and the doctrine I teach, if you were not blind and foolish.” 2. It can be conceded in a sound sense that the kingdom of God is in the faithful, since it is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17. But then (1) it is not in all; for it is confessed that not all have righteousness, peace, and joy.

(2) These are the effects of the preaching of the word, and through it they increase daily in the hearts of the saints.

(3) This kingdom was already then in some Jews, namely those believing in Christ.

(4) It must be in all who are partakers and heirs of this kingdom.

(5) Therefore, Christ by His words condemns the expectation of an earthly kingdom coming with worldly pomp; He confirms the presence of the kingdom in His person and preaching; He places the fruit of the kingdom in the inner man; He by no means renders His word void.