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'The Holy Scriptures are the Great Rule of Conscience': Jeremy Taylor and the collect of the Second Sunday in Advent

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jeremy Taylor in Ductor Dubitantium, 'Rule XIV. The Christian law both of Faith and Manners is fully contained in the Holy Scriptures; and from thence onely can the Conscience have divine Warrant and Authority':

Of the perfection and fulness of the Christian law I have already given accounts; but where this law is recorded, and that the Holy Scriptures are the perfect and onely Digest of it, is the matter of the present Rule, which is of great use in the Rule of Conscience; because if we know not where our Rule is to be found, and if there can be several Tables of the law pretended, our obedience must be by chance or our own choice, that is, it cannot be obedience, which must be voluntary in the submission, and therefore cannot be chance, and it must be determin'd by the superior, and therefore cannot be our own antecedent choice, but what is chosen for us.

That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament doe contain the whole will and law of God is affirmed by the primitive Fathers, and by all the reformed Churches; that the Scriptures are not a perfect Rule of Faith and manners, but that Tradition is to be added to make it a full repository of the Divine will, is affirmed by the Church of Rome. For the establishing of the truth in this great rule and directory of Conscience, I shall first shew, as matter of fact, that the Church of God in all the first and best ages, when tradition could be more certain, and assent to it might be more reasonable, did nevertheless take the Holy Scriptures for their onely rule of faith and manners ...

Thus I have sufficiently demonstrated the Rule so far as this topick can extend; that is by matter of fact, and the doctrine of the Church. For if Tradition be regardable, then that the Scriptures are a sufficient and a perfect Rule of Faith and Manners is competently prov'd by that which our adversaries in this question pretend to regard: but if Tradition be not considerable, then the Scriptures alone are; and there is indeed no Tradition so clear, so regular, so unreprovable as those which are concerning Scripture. That these books are Scripture, that is, the written word of God, and that the written word of God is all that we have of Gods will, is universally delivered by the Christian, and of that which of late is question'd I have given a specimen: for if the concurrent testimony of so many Fathers cannot perswade this article, then the topick of Tradition will be wholly useless in all questions; but if they can, as indeed they ought in this question, then we are fix'd upon this great rule of Conscience; the Holy Scriptures are the great Rule of Conscience both in doctrines of Faith, and in doctrines of Manners.

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  1. Anonymous9 December 2024 at 01:39

    I am reminded of the conclusion to the great Homily, "A fruitful Exhortation to the Reading of Holy Scripture": "Let us thank God heartily for this his great and special gift, beneficial favour, and fatherly providence. Let us be glad to receive this precious gift of our heavenly Father. Let us hear, read, and know these holy rules, injunctions, and statutes of our Christian religion, and upon that we have made profession to our God at our baptism. Let us with fear and reverence lay up, in the chest of our hearts, these necessary and fruitful lessons; let us night and day muse, and have meditation and contemplation in them; let us ruminate, and, as it were, chew the cud, that we may have the sweet juice, spiritual effect, marrow, honey, kernel, taste, comfort, and consolation of them. Let us stay, quiet, and certify our consciences with the most infallible certainly, truth, and perpetual assurance of them. Let us pray to God, the only Author of these heavenly studies, that we may speak, think, believe, and depart hence, according to the wholesome doctrine and verities of them."

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    1. laudable Practice12 December 2024 at 11:04

      Mark, thank you for sharing this wonderful extract from the Homily. The fact that Taylor's understanding of the authority of Scripture so clearly echoes that of the Homily is another reminder of how Taylor is to be identified as a Reformed divine (using the generous, broad definition of 'Reformed' that was current in the Jacobean and Caroline Church of England). Brian.

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