and by is contrarie vnto trueth and often times vnto it selfe The worde of God written saieth expresly Thou shalte not make to thy selfe in the vse of religiō because it is a commandement of the first Table Any grauen image or likenesse of any thing thou shalt not fall downe to them and worship them This notwithstanding the Papistes will beare vs in hand the worde of God vnwritten saieth the contrary thou shalt make to thy selfe grauen images for religion thou shalt fal downe to them and worship them The Scripture telleth vs by a cléere renelation of the spirit that it was the doctrine of Diuels to forbidde meate and marriage for holinesse and religion The Papistes tell vs that it is the Churches authoritie which is equal with the scriptures which forbiddeth meats marriage The trueth written saith Drinke yée all of this they dranke all of it Let a man examin himself and let him eate of this bread drinke of this cup But the vnwritten veritie of the Papists saith in the Constantian councell The laye people shall not drinke of that cuppe at all but the Priestes only These contradictions cannot possibly bée both true wherfore wée must néedes hold it for an vndoubted principle y t whatsoeuer is contrary to the word of god writtē is not the worde of God because it is not true For although Papists are not so courteous to the holy scriptures to acknowlege that they are perfect and doe containe at the full all truth neccssary for vs to bée knwne for our saluation yet nature her selfe denieth vnto them this horrible absurditie that any thing contrary to truth shoulde bée true Seeing therefore they dare not for shame say the scripture is vntrue let them bée ashamed to auouch any thing for truth which is contrary to the Scripture And albeit it were as they say that they had another worde of God beside that which is written in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture yet were it madnes to make it contrary to the Scripture and blaspemie to make it of greater authorie then then the Scripture For the worde of God howe euer it bée expressed is alwayes of equall authoritie Therfore to boast of suche a worde of God vnwritten as shoulde bée of authoritie to abrogate the worde of GOD written or to controul the same or to dispēse with any commaundement of the same otherwise then the same written word alloweth is a blasphemous bragge of satanicall pride and can bée no suer testimonie of y e truth of Gods worde Such is the presumptuous boasting of the Papistes concerning the authorie of their tradition of their church of their Pope which they aduance so highly as y t they bée of power to change what pleaseth them in the worde of God written to dispose with what preceptes they list yea euen those that nature her self will not dispense withall which brag what other thing doth it import but that they haue a worde of God in their tradition Church or Pope which is of greater authoritie then the word of God writtē in the holy scriptures which is plain in that they challenge authoritie not only of interpreting of Scriptures as they liste against grāmer against the propertie of the tongue against reason against y e scripture it selfe in other places against the plaine circūstāces of the same places but also to giue credit alowāce euer to y e holy scriptures thēselues w t should haue no credite of thēselues but by meanes of their approbation and authoritie which is so great that it is of power to giue equall credite vnto y e Apocrifall writings of men which the holy Scriptures inspired of God vpon which ground they haue receiued into the Cannon of the holy Scriptures the Apocrifall bookes of Ecclesiasticus Tobye Iudith Machabees and such like to bée of equall authorie and credite with the bookes of the Lawe the Prophetes and the Psalmmes and with the Gospels and Epistles of the new Testament although they confesse that the Church of God before the incarnation of Christ did alwaies take them for the Apocrifall and none otherwise were they taken of the Churche of Christe for many hundred yeeres after his passion But this is to farre out of square that they are not content most iniuriously to accuse the holy Scriptures of imperfection and vnsufficiencie but they will glory of Gods worde to be in their possession of greater authoritie then that which is contained in the holy scriptures Well let that passe and let vs sée whether wee haue not sufficient testimonie in the holy Scriptures to prooue that they are perfect and sufficient and that the word of trueth contained in them is a full and absolute rule of all doctrine necessarie to eternall saluation The Lorde by Moses chargeth that only which hée commaunded Moses did write to bée practised Therefore the worde written was a sufficient instruction for any thing that shoulde bée doone to the pleasure of GOD and peoples saluation Also hée forbiddeth them to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it which hée had deliuered in writing wherefore there was no want there was no superfluitie in that written worde The Prophet Dauid in an hundred places of his Psalmes extolleth the vtilitie sufficiencie and perfection of the same lawe of God written Euery verse almost of the 119. Psalme doth set out the excellencie of that doctrine The prophet Esay sheweth y t the people of god for al questiōs must resort to the law and to the testimonie The Prophet Malachy which was the last of the Prophets that god sent to teach by reuelation extraordinary referreth the people vnto y e law of Moses as sufficient to direct them vntill the comming of Christe Abraham in the parable of Luke 16. sendeth the rich mans fiue brethren vnto the Lawe and Prophets as sufficient to teach them that they come not into the place of torments Our Sauiour Christ himself willeth the Iewes and all them that will know him to search the Scriptures Search the scriptures saith he for in them looke to haue eternall life the same are they that beare witnesse of me But perhaps you wil say they were deceiued in that they thought to attaine eternall life by the doctrine of the scriptures as alone being sufficient Thē heare what our sauiour Christ affirmeth in this samepraier This is eternall life y t they may know thee the only true God Iesus Christe whom thou hast sent But the knowledge of God Christ are sufficiently to bée learned out of the holy scriptures therfore y e doctrine of the holy scriptures is sufficiēt to the attaining of euerlasting life S. Paul saith y t what thinges soeuer are written before they are writtē for our learning y t through patience and comfort of the scriptures wée might haue hope This is little to the purpose will some Papist say that all the scripture is for our learning séeing it
holy scripture therfore the booke of the lawe of Moses was perfect and sufficient for the instruction of that people And what sayeth our Sauiour Christ vnto the Saduces which receiued no parte of the olde Testament but only the fiue bookes of Moses Doeth hée not say they erred because they knowe not the Scriptures and power of God And what Scripture but the scripture of those fiue bookes out of which hée doeth so pithily and effectually prooue the article of the resurrection of the dead that hée stopped the mouthes of those obstinate and arrogant heretikes And who doubteth but euen as that one article of the resurrection was by our Sauiour Christ so substantially prooued so all other articles of Christian beliefe by that diuine wisedome of his might as necessarily bée concluded out of those fiue bookes of Moses This alwayes is to bée remembred that it was neither necessarie nor conuenient for the Church of those times vnto which these bookes alone were committed to vnderstand or know these articles of our beléefe so plainly so distinctly so largely as they were after reuealed by the Prophets especially by the scriptures of the new Testament But that al necessary points of saluatioÌ„ euery thing there to belonging was sufficiently perfectly set foorth in those scriptures which the wisdom of God thought to be conuenient for their instruction So y e they shoulde not depend vpoÌ„ the vncertain credit of meÌ„ but alwaies haue the touchstone of Gods word contained in his holy writing inspired by his spirit to trye examine all doctrines teachers thereby But now y e wée haue shewed that the holie scripture is a sufficient most pleÌ„tifull testimony of the word of God let vs sée what other witnes of Gods word the Papists woulde thrust vpon vs. The word of God say they beside y â— which is contained in the scriptures is continued also partly by tradition partly is reuealed by the sentence and oracle of the church of the chiefe shepheard therof which is the Pope all which is of equall authoritie and certaintie with that which is contained in the holie scriptures And first concerning tradition the scripture it selfe doth testifie that it is to be receiued whether it be by writing or vnwritten For so the Apostle coÌ„maundeth the Thessalonians saying Hold fast the traditioÌ„s which you haue learned whether it be by word of mouth or by our Epistle So say they the scripture it self commandeth vnwritten verities traditions beside the scripture to be holden fast and not to bée despised therefore the scripture alone is not sufficient to teache vs the worde of truth but we must also leane vnto vnwritten traditions There is no Papist almost that openeth his mouth or setteth his pen to paper to defend tradition but this is the principall bulwarke to maintain vnwritten verities receiued by tradition A sore place I promise you Out of which if you will gather rightly you must thus coÌ„clude Saint Paul had taught the Thessalonians partly by preaching and partly by writing and taught the truth in both necessary to be reteined therfore the holy scripture doth not contain al doctine néedful vnto saluation Or thus S. Paule in one or two Epistles had not comprehended all necessarie truth therefore all necessary truth is not comprehended in all the bookes of the scripture For hée speaketh not of traditions that were no where written but not written in his Epistle Signifying whatsoeuer hée did deliuer vnto them either by worde of mouth or by his Epistle was the truth of GOD whiche they were bounde to beléeue and yet hée deliuered nothing for any doctrine of saluation vnto them but that whiche hée confirmed by the scriptures of the olde Testament as it is manifest by y e which S. Luke reporteth of their neighbours the Berthaeans which dayly searched the scriptures if those thinges which Saint Paul taught were eueÌ„ so Wherfore this place doth nothing fauour vnwritten traditions y t are altogether beside the holie scripture but only such as are not contained in the first second Epistle to y e Thessalonians but were preached by S. Paul and tried by the scriptures The strongest bulwarke being thus rased made euen with the ground what force can there bée in their other féeble fortresses why do you so exclaime against tradition vnwritten veritie striue so much for your Castle of only scripture say they know you not that the Churche of God continued more then two thousand yeares without any worde of the Bible written how was the word of God then continued but by vnwritten traditioÌ„ There is not therfore such necessitie of the scriptures seeing y e church could so long continue the pillar stay of truth without theÌ„ but y e nowe hauing the scriptures for witnesse of some parte of Gods word shée may coÌ„tinue the rest y â— is necessary for the instruction of Gods people by tradition only w t out the scriptures Heere is a godly shew for traditioÌ„ but indéed nothing els but a vain shew w tout any pithe of matter yea containing manifest vntruth false matter For the word of God was not so long coÌ„tinued only by traditioÌ„ of men but by a much more certain testimony of truth namely by diuine reuelatioÌ„ from god which was renued in euery age y t the word of God might not stand vpon the bare credite of men or be left to the vnsure deceiueable deliuery of men from hand to hand but be euermore confirmed by heauenly oracle that y e Church might be certaine not to be carried away by vntrue reports of deceueable men but to depend alwaies vpon the mouth of god For in al that time the lord had a regard that his people should not be like children wauering carried about with the wind of euery doctrine by the deceit of men and by their craftinesse which haue a methode of errour as the Apostle saith of the church of Christ since his ascention therfore hée did in all generations beside the tradition and deliuerie of the doctrine of truth from the parentes to their children posteritie sâ—â—rre vp Prophets Preachers coÌ„firmed by extraordinary wonderful reuelatioÌ„s and gifts of his holy spirite which testified of that truth word of God that was continued by tradition y t it should neither bée doubted of among so many errors as Satan raysed vp nor be corrupted either by the subtletie of the deuil or by the infirmitie forgetfulnes of men Wherefore the tradition being thus coÌ„tinued coÌ„firmed was not a bare traditioÌ„ deliuery of meÌ„ such as the Papists would draw vs vnto from the holie scriptures but a most certaine and vndoubted testimony of Gods word his truth such as he in wisdome did sée to be most coÌ„uenient for his church in that season Beside this heauenly diuine reuelation which alwaies waighted vpon Gods word in those times continued by tradition
is not thereby prooued that it is sufficient for our learning No sir but mark the end of this learning that wée may heare by the scripture this that we may haue hope And know you not that hope maketh not ashamed That by hope we are saued Séeing then wee may haue sufficient learning by the scripture to haue hope by hope wée may haue saluatiō is it not manifest y t by holy scriptures we may be abundantly instructed vnto saluatiō And what neede we any far fetched arguments when the Apostle saith in expresse words the scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto saluatiō They are the very wordes of the holy Ghost vttered by S. Paul vnto Timothie when he cōmendeth y t from his infancie he had learned y e holy scriptures which are able saith he to make thée wise vnto saluatiō through the faith of Iesus Christ◠Would any mā think after so manifest a testimonie of y e holy scriptures brought foorth for the sufficiēcie of y e holy scriptures that the papists durst for worldly shame although they be void of the feare of god to cōtinue in their impudēt paradoxe y t all truth is not taught in the holy scriptures That the holy Scriptures doe not containe the whole truth of gods word in such perfectiō but that wée must receiue some parte of the worde of God out of some other testimonie which cannot bée proued out of the holy scriptures There is none so blind as the obstinate that will not sée But who so hath a care of eternall saluation will séeke it in none other word then that which is comprehended in the holy Scriptures séeing by witnesse of Gods spirite they are able to make vs wise vnto saluation which coulde not bée truely saide if there were any trueth necessarie to saluation which were not to bée found and sufficiently proued by the onely authoritie of the holy Scriptures Finally the same Apostle saith in the same place All the scripture is inspired of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may bée absolute being made perfect vnto euery good work Coulde any thing be said more fully to expresse the perfection of the holy scriptures or to proue that all true doctrine is contained in them Tush say the Papistes this is nothing to prooue that the word of God or all true doctrine is perfectly contained in the Scriptures Hée saith the Scripture is profitable to teach hée saith not it is sufficient to teach Many thinges are profitable and good helpes which yet bée neither necessary nor sufficient and suche a thing is the scripture without the which the Church hath cōtinued néere two thousande yéeres and so might haue continued still but that God hath added the aide of the Scriptures as profitable to teache to improoue to correct and instruct and yet it followeth not that the Scriptures alone are sufficient and able to instructe a Christian man in all thinges that it is néedefull for him to knowe But there bée other testimonies of Gods worde whereby many thinges are taught which are taught in the scriptures and yet bée as necessary to bée knowne practised of Christians as any taught in the Scriptures What things are these I pray you They will answere the misterie of the blessed Trinitie the sacraments of the Church the baptisme of infants the perpetual virginitie of Mary and such like Concerning the inysterie of the blessed euerlasting Trinitie if it were not plainely taught inuincibly prooued by the holy scriptures the Church in old time labored in vaine to prooue it and defend it out of the Scriptures against so many heresies as Satan raised vp against it But they wil vrge vs to shew where we finde the Trinitie once named in the scriptures A perillous question wee finde thrée persons of the Godhead plainly and perfectly distinguished by the holy Scriptures then what vnreasonable beast is hee that will contend of the name whē the thing is certain Likewise I say of the name of sacramēts although it be not applied in the Scripture vnto baptisme the Lords Supper yet that which is the definition of a sacrament is cléerely in the scripture aduouched of these misticall actions The name of Sacrament is borrowed of the Latine spéech in which no part of y e scripture was first writtē As for y e baptism of infāts I shal haue occasiō to speak of it héereafter In y e meane time I say the papists are very fauourable vnto y e Anabaptists which affirme y e baptisme of infants cannot be prooued out of the holy scriptures so strengthen them in their heresie Touching the perpetuall virginitie of Mary if it be néedful to saluatiō that it should be knowne of euery Christian it is vndoubtedly taught in the scriptures if it bee not taught in the scriptures it is nothing necessary to euerlasting saluation For to stop the mouth of this impudent and arrogant cauiller against the sufficiencie of the holy scriptures the holy Ghoste had immediatly before prouided where the Apostle shewing what vtilitie he spake of namely that which is both necessarie and sufficient said that the scripture was able to make a man wise vnto saluation Therefore the Scripture is so profitable that it is also necessary to giue knowledge of saluation And it is so profitable y t it is also sufficient able to minister abundance of heauenly wisedome to the attainment of eternall saluation O blinde shamelesse cauillers y t cannot or will not sée y t is written in the verse immediatly going before able to put y e whole matter out of cōtrouersie But let vs yet cōsider more of their shameles shifts Admit the papists see not these wordes going before shoulde not bee vrged with them Doth not this very text in w t the apostle cōmendeth y e vtilitie of y e holy scriptures set foorth also the sufficiencie of the same Doth not the Apostle say the Scripture is so profitable that the man of God therby may bée perfect and throughly instructed vnto euery good worke Who woulde require greater perspicuitie or plainnes if hee meane to set his beleefe and not to maintaine his error Yet see what Cobwebs the spider weaueth to couer y e light of this text from the eyes of the ignorant and such as wilfully bée obstinate The man of God saith hée in this place is not taken generally for euery godly man but specially for the Minister of the Churche the Minister of God Therefore although the Minister of God may bée made perfect by the doctrine of the Scriptures it followeth not that euery man may bée so likewise Albeit the Minister hath his whole duetie taught by the holy Scriptures yet hath not euery one of the people his dutie throughly taught in the Scriptures that hée may bée made perfect and prepared to euery good worke For euery good worke in that place