house cannot see the Scriptures that are divinely inspired to bee so injuriously despighted without extreme horrour and griefe and though it bee a very prodigie or wonder of men that call themselues Christians but so powre out their hearts in invectiues against the Scripture whereof neither Porphyry nor Lucian nor the most capitall enemies of the Christian name were ever advised yet to us is it a subject of joy and no little consolation in the midst of reproaches cast upon us to be imployed to speake in Gods behalfe and to defend the honour of his word against men perversly ingenious to defame it For it is better to suffer for him then to triumph without him There is not a more honourable blemish nor more honest disgrace then to bee defamed and oppressed for his name True it is that the staine and disreputation exceed our strength and it is no easie matter to speake worthily of the condigne honour belonging to holy Scripture and with imperfect mindes to defend her perfection it were in some sort to light the day with a candle and to demonstrate the Sanne with the finger as to endeavour to arriue at the bright evidence of the Scripture for at all times all that wee can performe is lesse cleare then her perfection I hold it therefore expedient to publish to the light the scandalls and accusations which our adversaries doe raise against the Scripture and to shew how God hath strucken them with the spirit of amazement as also to compare the wickednes and vanitie of the Romish Traditions with the perfection and sanctitie of the holy Scripture And wee hope that in this so holy and just quarrell God will assist vs and that he will vouchsafe vs the grace to maintaine the honour of his Word by such meanes as are most agreeable to his Word and that he who hath confounded the tongues of the builders of Babel will confound the thoughts and spirits of those that labor daily to rebuild it In my three former Treatises entituled The Iudge of Controversies I haue defended the authoritie of the Scripture and shewen that our adversaries in this cause haue not onely the Scripture contradicting them but also themselues common sense antiquitie and experience and that they are not onely at variance among themselues but every one particularly thwarteth himselfe It remaines now to speak of the perfection of the Scripture and to shew that our Adversaries wrongfully find fault therein and most injuriously accuse it of insufficiencie These two Questions the one touching the authority of the Scripture the other as concerning her perfection are linked together inseparably These two properties of Scripture reciprocally embrace one the other and afford to themselues mutuall succour For the Scripture it selfe by her authoritie maintaineth her sufficiencie and her sufficiencie giveth her authoritie And whosoeuer withstandeth the authoritie of the Scripture fighteth also against her perfection for if the Scripture be soveraigne Iudge it is deficient in nothing to judge well And it is certaine that shee cannot bee Iudge of poynts whereof shee speaketh not If shee bee wanting in any thing some superiour authoritie must supply her default And if our Adversaries haue reason to say that the Church of Rome is the rule of Scripture for a certaine it is of that Church wherein we ought to learne whether there bee any imperfection in the Scripture but the decision of the question touching the Scriptures authoritie levelleth the way for us to the question concerning her perfection which shall bee if God permit this last Treatise wherein wee defend the absolute perfection of the Scripture against the Appendixes and Additions of the Romish Church which men call Traditions yea against men that with a depraved subtiltie search and hunt after defects in Scripture like vnto Holland spectacles that discover spots and staines in the shining sunne When we compare the Romish Traditions with the doctrine of holy Scripture they will be found not onely infinitely beneath the sanctitie and excellencie of the Scriptures and as coales mingled amongst Diamonds but also contrary to them and meere insurrections against Gods commandements vnder colour of addition It will bee found that these Traditions which they deriue and make to descend from the Apostles are forged de novo and resemble the Gibeonites who being very neere spake as if they were come from farre It will appeare that these Traditions which men exalt in generall when they come to a particular scanning they are but a frivolous bundle of human Inventions contrived for gaine and of malicious deceits to subdue the people under the Ecclesiastiques and to retaine them in blind ignorance CHAP. II. Of the word Tradition IT will be necessary to expound the word before wee speake of the matter This word Tradition signifieth a doctrine giuen by succession from hand to hand From whence we conclude that the holy Scripture the Law of God and the Gospell are Traditions The Apostle St. Paul in his first chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Galat. v. 14. affirmeth himselfe to be exceedingly zealous of the Traditions of his Fathers calling so the Law of Moses whereof he had been very zealous or at least comprehending it in these Traditions The same Apostle in the second to the Thessal chap 2. v. 15. exhorteth them to preserue the Traditions which they had learned either from his mouth or by his Epistle calling the doctrine which he had written unto them a Traditon And in the 15 chap. to the Corinth the I. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Siergo aut Evangelio praecipitur aut in Apostolorum epistolis aut actibus continetur c. observetur divina haec sancta traditio I have given you by tradition for so is the Greeke word that Iesus Christ is dead for our sinnes according to the Scriptures He then calleth Tradition that which is in the Scripture Iust in the same manner speaketh hee in the same Epistle at the 23. vers of the 11. chapter Thus speake the Fathers Cyprian in his 74. Epist to Pomp. If it bee commanded in the Gospell or contayned * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. in the Epistles of the Apostles or in the Actes let this divine and holy Tradition bee obserued And Basil in the third Booke against Eunomius The Lord himselfe in the tradition of saving Baptisme gaue this order saying As you goe along baptize in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost But Custome hath prevayled that by this word Tradition some Document Rule Recitall or Ceremonie in matter of Gods Service not contained in the holy Scriptures bee observed And so shall the word bee taken in all this Treatise CHAP. III. The beleefe of our Churches The calumny of Regourd a Iesuite THe fift article of our confession expresseth that the holy Scripture is the rule of all veritie containing all that is necessary for the service of God and our owne salvation whereunto it is not lawfull to adde diminish or change Hereby we intend not absolutely to reject all Tradition for if there bee a Tradition that addeth nothing to the Scripture but serveth onely to maintaine her authoritie and perfection wee imbrace that most willingly Such a Tradition is that the Books of the old and new Testament are sacred and Canonirall This Tradition is so far from adding to the Scripture that
on the contrary it sayeth that nothing ought to be added thereunto Neither is it without the compasse of the Scripture seeing that it springeth and results from the perfection of the Scripture it selfe and the credit or testimony that a Church bee it true or false conferreth upon these Bookes is but a probable and humane testimony vntill God giving efficacie to this Scripture to touch and stirre vp devotion imprinteth in it a more effectuall perswasion For it is not the Church that giveth faith but the spirit of God that worketh in our hearts by his powerfull word As a river that passeth through a towne is sufficient to refresh and water it throughout yet notwithstanding is it behoouefull that some Pipe or channell should conduct it from the source into the place so the holy Scripture is sufficient to instruct vs to salvation neverthelesse it must come to vs as it were by the course of successiue Tradition Such a Tradition addeth no more to the Scripture then the channell addeth to the water of the River Also when wee reject unwritten Traditions we intend not to reject all the words that are not found in the Scripture in regard that wee may there finde the matter in substance and equivalent termes and that these words doe add nothing to the doctrine of salvation contained in the Scriptures Such are the termes of Gods providence and of the Immortalitie of the soule Likewise the words of Trinitie Consubstantiall and the Procession of the holy Ghost words profitably imployed by our forefathers to make that perspicuous which is contained in the Scriptures and to shut vp heretikes into a more narrow strait Also wee willingly admit of unwritten Traditions which concern not the doctrine but onely the Ecclesiasticall pollicie and outward order in regard that such Lawes and Customes are not given for absolutely necessary and equalled with the doctrine of salvation as also because they serue not the Pastors use for traffique avarice or ambition and that in this order and outward pollicie there is nothing dishonest and contrary to good morality or that may expose the Christian Religion to ridiculousnesse and lastly because that with these Ceremonies and observations the multitude is not excessiue neither doe they divert the piety by postures of the countenance or the spirituall service by corporall exercise For as the Romans having conquered a Province did amuse the people with Sports and pompous Triumphes feasting them with their spoyles whilst they were then busie in plotting and aggravating the peoples servitude so doth the enemie of our salvation amuse the people by the splendour of Ceremonies whilst hee then inthralleth consciences and tacitely insinuateth idolatry to which the very inclination of the people doth much contribute For a man naturally loveth rather to recreate his sense then to instruct his understanding to behold publike spectacles then heare wholesome doctrines to admire pictures then edifie by good precepts and findeth lesse difficultie to shape stones to the image of man then to unshape or reforme man to the image of God Our confession then rejecteth onely the Traditions that adde something to the doctrine of faith manners contained in the Scripture and which are given forth to supply that which is thought to be wanting in the doctrine of the holy Scriptures The Iesuire Regourd in his booke Pag. 786. 787. intitled Catholike Demonstrations in the sixt Demonstration proposeth salsely our Beliefe Hee alledgeth the wordes of the fift Article of our confession of the faith where hee makes vs say that the Word of God contained in the Bookes received by vs is guided with all veritie and containeth all that is necessary for the service of God and for our owne salvation and that by it all things ought to be examined and squared Antiquity Customes the Multitude humane Wisdome Iudgements Sentences Edicts Decrees Councells Visions Miracles But he changeth the words of our Confession by a most notorious falsification for we say only that these things must not bee opposed against the Scripture Marke our very words It is not lawfull for men nor Angals to adde thereunto nor diminish nor change Whence it followeth that neither Antiquitie nor Customes nor the Multitude c. ought to be opposed against the holy Scripture We condemne not Antiquitie nor Councels as Regourd imposeth upon vs but wee say that hee that would oppose these things against the Scripture ought not to bee beleeved Wee affirme this because our Adversaries say that the Romish Church may change that which God hath commanded in the Scripture dispense Gods word contrary to the Apostle and estaâ—lish new Articles of Faith wherof we haue set downe multitudes of proofes in the forepart of our first Booke and will produce more here following CHAP. IV. The opinion of the Romish Church That our Adversaries with one consent accuse the Scripture of insufficiency and of not containing all the doctrines necessary to salvation WHen our Adversaries dispute against Pagans and compare the holy Scripture with humane wisedome they exalr the sanctitie perfection authoritie perspicuity and divine efficacy of the holy Scripture yea you would imagine they accorded with vs and borrowed our termes But when the question is of comparing the Scripture with the church of Rome then alter they their language debasing the dignitie of the Scripture to the end to magnifie the authoritie of the Pope They vphold that the Scripture is not Iudge that this title appertaines unto the Pope and to the Prelates which he authoriseth then I say they make all authoritie of the Scripture to depend upon the power and testimonie of the Romish Church They accuse the Scripture of incertitude of being depraved of obscuritie of insufsiciencie and imperfection But if one represent vnto them their owne proper words wherein they commend the perfection of the Scripture and acknowledge that it containeth all that is necessary to salvation they haue an evasion ready at hand for they say that the Scripture may bee called â—erfect because she referreth to the â—hurch which supplyeth all her â—efects Wherein they apparantly â—putradict themselues For if the Scriptures send back to the church to learne of her wherein they are de fectiue by the same message and â—â—nding backe they confesle their â—wne imperfection The Merchant that sendeth away his Chapman to another shop to finde that which hee hath not in his owne by this dismission hee confesseth that his owne shop is ill furnished And if it be sufficient for the Scripture to be called perfect when as she sends is to the Church it
were not sufficient of themselves to expiate the sinnes but that they drew their vertue from the death of Iesus Christ and that those which did eate of the Paschall-lambe were to have respect to Iesus Christ and to understand the signification of this Lambe Now say these men they could not learne this from the bookes of Moses nor from the Prophets therefore they learnt it by the unwritten Tradition In speaking thus they falsific the words of the Apostle Saint Peter who at the 10. of the Acts 43. saith that To Iesus Christ all the Prophets give witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sinnes And they contradict Saint Paul who at the 26 of the Acts 22. Saith of himselfe that he speaketh no other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did foretell should come to passe They also abuse themselves to thinke that it was then necessary to every one of the faithfull to have a cleere insight and vnderstanding of the sacrifices of the Law and of the Paschall Lambe for the faithfull are not bound to beleeve of Iesus Christ more then that which God by his Word hath revealed unto them If any one about the time of Moses offering sacrifice according to the Law were not instructed in the doctrine of the death of our Redeemer but only beleeved that God through the meanes which hee knoweth to be most agreeable and convenient will forgiue vs our trespasies it were rashnesse to goe about to exclude such a man from salvation and it is certaine that then the faithfull were not without instruction as touching this point for they were prompted by the Scriptures to expect this seed of the Woman which should crush the head of the Serpent and the seed of Abraham wherein all Nations should be blessed Cardinall Perron is aduised of a third Tradition not written in the old Testament which neuerthelesse if we could beleeue it was necessary to saluation He supposeth that it was necessary for the Iewes to beleeue that the fire of their sacrifices after the captiuity was descended from Heaven and that the same continuall fire which was vpon the Altar was conserved by miracle during the tranfmigration Whereupon I say that 2. Macc. I. this miraculous conseruation of the fire being but a Iudaicall fable the Iewes were not bound Hac de revâ—de Rabbi Shelomo in ea 1 Aggai Talmud Tractatu Tukasin 1. fol. 21. Rabbi Moshe Ren Meâ—mon tractat de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beleeue it The charge of the Sacrificers was to put the fire vpon the Altar as it is sayd Leuit. 1. 7. The sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu did sinne not because they placed strange fire vpon the Altar but in putting into their Censers the fire which they tooke from else-where and not from off the Altar Leuit. 10. 1. Looke vpon the 8. of the Apoc 5. Moreouer put the case this fable were admitted for true yet is it not a rule of Religion nor a doctrine of Faith but only a meere History whereof whosoeuer had bin ignorant had not incurred eternall damnation And admit that vnder the old Testament the Church had vnwritten Traditions it should not therefore follow that it was lawfull for the Church of Rome to forge new ones and to equall them in authority to the writings of the Prophets and Apostles CHAP. XX. An answere to our Adversaries affirming that wee receive many Traditions contained in the Scripture OVr Adversaries upbraid us in that we who reject traditions are neverthelesse constrained to admit of many Ye beleeve say they that these bookes are canonicall ye allow of baptizing such as are Heretikes and the baptisme of little infants yee beleeve the procession of the holy Spirit from the Father and the Sonne and the translation of the Sabbath to the Dominicall day and the perpetuall virginity of Mary the mother of Christ yee beleeve that women ought to sing in the Church yee grant the words of Consubstantiation of Trinity of Person and of Sacrament which are not found in the holy Scripture I have already said that we reject not all unwritten Traditions but only those which adde something to the doctrine of salvation contained in holy Scriptures For answere to their objection that wee receive this unwritten Tradition to wit These bookes are canonicall to say so much of the bookes is not to adde to the canonicall bookes And speaking in that manner we are so farre from adding to Scripture that on the contrary it is a declaration that nothing is to be added thereunto and that it is the perfect rule of our faith Yet to have a complete certainety of the sacrednesse of these bookes there must be a stronger testimony then this Tradition An illiterate man not instructed in the knowledge of God receiveth the testimony of the Church of his owne countrey which telleth him that these books are canonicall as a probable testimony and which hee should not willingly contradict but then hee beginneth to have of it a divine testimony and of soveraigne efficacie when the Spirit of God by the Doctrine contained in this Scripture hath enlightened his spirit and inflamed his heart with a secret vertue whereof it is in vaine to dispute with those that feele it not the which cannot serve for a Law to another but serveth to every one of the faithfull in particular to assure his conscience It is also to bee considered that the testimony of shewing such and such bookes to bee canonicall might proceed as well from an hereticall as from an orthodox Church The Apostles received the holy Scripture from the Pharises and Sacrificers who were enemies to Iesus Christ Whence it appeareth that the testimony which the Church affordeth to the Scriptures is not of supreme authority and indubitable but invalid It is by faith that we beleeve that the contents of the Scripture are the word of God which faith is not given by the Church for it is an effect of the Spirit of God Touching the other points I speake of them in generall that if they bee Doctrines and Rules of the Christian faith not contained in the Scripture we are not bound to beleeve them But when every one of these points shall be examined asunder some will bee found contained in the Scripture others are not Doctrines nor Lawes or Rules of the Christian faith nor things requisite or necessary to salvation I am astonished to behold how our Adversaries dare to insert the Baptisme of little infants amongst the unwritten traditions seeing that their selves disputing against the Anabaptists prove it by many passages of Scripture Bellarmine in his eighth Chapter of the first Booke of Baptisme bringeth these proofes of Scripture that Baptisme succeeded Circumcision which was applied to little infants That Iesus Christ at the ninth of Saint Matthew saith Suffer the little ones tâ— come to me c. That in the sixteenth of the Acts Lydia is baptized by Saint Paul
added thereunto much more cleerenesse and light 4. Yet the same Apostle at Act. 20. 27. speaketh to the Ephesians I have not shunded to declare unto you all the counsell of God Whereupon it followeth that the essentiall things of faith which Salmeron formerly told us were added since the Apostles time and not taught of them either by mouth or by writing are not of the counsell of God Of which additions in matters of religion of the greatest importance we have already vouched many examples especially out of the confession of our Adversaries themselves It would bee impertinent to reply that by the same reason it should bee said that the Gospel of Saint Iohn and the Apocalypse are not of the counsell of God because they were noâ— then written when Saint Paul said he had declared all the counsell of God For these two bookes containe not any doctrine which is not found in the other bookes of the new Testament and which the Apostles have not taught by mouth and by writing 5. At Deut. 4. 2. and 12. 3. God speaketh thus Ye shall not adde to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Hee doth not say you shall not change or alter any part or you shall not teach any thing to the contrary but you shall adde nothing and diminish nothing As to diminish defalse something from the Law of god is not to foist in a contrary câ—mandement so also to adde doth not signifie to impugne Put the case it were not forbidden to adde and that it should bee spoken thus You shall change nothing of my word yet the Pope would still be culpable of having infringed this restraint by attributing to himselfe the power of changing the Lawes and Ordinances of God and of dispensing against the Apostle In the bookes of the hourely prayers of our Lady according to the custome of Rome the ten Commandements of God are placed in the entrance The third is couched in these termes Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath and festivall dayes Can any thing bee more plainely added to the Commandement of God Therefore if it were prohibited to adde to the Law of Moses without which was then no Doctrine of salvation there is no colour or appearance that at this time the Law of Moses the Prophets the Evangelists and Apostles are not sufficient and that it is lawfull to adde unwritten Traditions thereunto And let it not seeme strange that the bookes of Moses alone were then sufficient unto salvation for whosoever will examine the books of Ioshua of the Iudges of the Prophets who did set forth their writings afterwards shall finde that they adde nothing to the Doctrine of salvation which is contained in the bookes of Moses onely they adde some confirmatory examples of the promises and menaces of God some histories of the chastisements judgements and deliverances of the Chuâ—ch some Prophecies and future events some particular expositions of that which the law of Moses spake in generall and some commaundements made to some particular one which were not generall Lawes nor perpetuall in the Church As for the Oracles which God gave amongst the Cherubins they were not Doctrines nor Canons of Religion but answeres upon future successes or upon the estate of the present affaires of peace or warre It is true that Iesus Christ and the Apostles have since given a more ample instruction but I say that whilst the Church had no other divine bookes but those of Moses they were sufficient to salvation for the Church ought to be contented with that measure of knowledge which God hath revealed But in succeeding ages if God revealeth something more then he had done before and pâ—esenteth himselfe more obviously to humane understandings this falleth out necessary for those unto whom Gods pleasure is to have himselfe manifested That Noses hath not distributed unwritten Traditions to the people see his owne testimony at Deut. 31. 24. in these words And it came to passe when Moses had made an end of writing the words of the Law in a booke untill they were finished that he commanded the Levites which bare the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord saying Take this booke of the Law and put it in the side of the Arke c. 6. After the death of Mâ—ses God gave to Ioshua no other precept or document â—hen this very booke as hee himselfe speaketh to Ioshua in the first Chapter Be strong and courageous that thou mayest observe to doe according to all the Law which Moses my servant commanded thee turne not from it to the right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest This booke of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night Surely God in this Law of Moses commandeth to obey the Soueraigne sacrificing Priest as also the Leuites and the Iudges not when they should adde to the Law of God but when they should teach this Law as it is said at the 17. of Deut. 9. and 11. Where also the Kings are commanded to haue the booke of the Law of God alwayes before their eyes and to read therein all the dayes of their life verse the 18. and the 19. 7. None of our adversaries durst yet deny that the doctrine of the Gospell is sufficient to salvation or gaine-fay that the Gospell is found whole and entire in the new Testament Otherwise the title were false and we should be forced to change the inscription and set it downe part of the Gospel untill the Pope doth publish the second part or else bee compelled to seeke the other part of the Gospel in the unwritten word which is not to bee found For our aduersaries would never suffer it to bee compiled and reduced into one body nor doe they divulge any booke which is called the word of God except the Holy Scripture Some answere that the bookes Iehan Iaubert p. 308. of the Gospell which are in the new Testament doe containe all the Gospel but implicitely that is to say after an involued and imbroyled manner the force of conscience hath extorted those words from them for if the service of Images adoration of Reliques Pardons of one hundred thousand yeeres single life of Priests succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter restraint of reading the Scripture c. are contained in the bookes of the new Testament they must bee lurking after an inveloped and obscure manner for no man could euer descry them to bee therein Those that extract oyles and salts out of the stones would idly imploy their knowledge therein For to speake in generall without any specification that the Scripture approoueth Traditions is but a mockery under this vaile or shaddow there is neither tyranny nor idolatry nor bartering traffique but may abound and bee practised in the Church presupposing without proofe that these are the Traditions which the Scripture meaneth for the Pope so
prove the insufficiency of the Scripture whose actuall perfection and absolute sufficiency they exalt above all upon all occurrences and tracts concerning the doctrine of salvation Clemens Alexandrinus in the sixt booke of his Stromata Wee say nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the Scriptures Tertullian in his booke against Hermogenes wrote before hee became Scriptum esse doceat Hermogenis officina Si non est scriptum timeat vae illud adijcientibus auâ— detrahentibus destinaetum a Montanist Hereticke in his 22. chap. The shop of Hermogenes declareth to us that it is written but in case it be not written let that woe denounced against those which adde or diminish be a terrour vnto them But when hee afterwards slid away into heresie he betooke himselfe to maintaine his doctrine by vnwritten Traditions For in his booke of Monogamy which he compiled being an Hereticke at the 2. chap. hee transmitteth vs to Tradition alledging these words of our Lord I have many things to tell you but you cannot carry them away at this time which is the passage that our adversaries ordinarily produce for Hippol. tome 3. Biblioth PatruÌ„ pag. 20 21. Edit Col. Vnus Deuâ— est quem non altunde agnâ—scimus quam ex S. 〈◊〉 Qutadmodum n. si que vellet sapientiam huius saculi exercere non aliter hoc coÌ„sequt poterit nisi dogmata Philosophorura legat sie quicunque volumus pietateÌ„ in Deum exercere non aliunde discemus quam in Scripturis divinis Athan. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ambros Quae in scripturis sanctis non reperimus ca queÌ„admodum â— surpare possemus Hillar Te admiror fideÌ„ tantum secuÌ„dum ea qua scripta sunt desideranteÌ„ Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Hier. Catech. 4 c. de Spir. S. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cvrillus Alexandr Gla. Phyr Dist 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Traditions Saint Hippolytus There is but one God whom wee know not by other meanes but by the sacred Scriptures Even as he that would exercise the wisedome of this age cannot seeke and obtaine it but by reading the opinions and precepts of Philosophers so all of us that would practise true Piety towards God can learne and comprehend it no way else but by the holy Scriptures Saint Athanasius in the beginning of his oration against the Gentiles The holy and devinely inspired Scriptures are sufficient to cause the truth to bee vnderstood And in his booke of our Saviours Incarnation Are you so inordinatly desperate as to relate things that are not written and to keepe your vnderstanding at such distance from true piety Ambrose in his first booke de officijs cha 23. How can wee alledge things not found to be in holy Scriptures Saint Hilary in his second booke against Constantius I doe admire thee O Emperour Constantius shewing thy desire that men should beleeve according as it is written Basile is excellent heereupon towards the end of his Ethicks which are among his Ascheticks If saith hee all that is not of Faith be sinne as the Apostle speaketh and faith commeth by hearing and hearing from the word of God all that is without or beside the holy Scripture devinely inspired not being of faith is sinne And againe in his Treatise concerning Faith It is a manifest revolt from the faith and a capitall crime of pride and presumption to reject any thing that is written or to bring in any thing unwritten See also the same Father amongst his more compendious rules in the 95. definition Saint Cyrill of Ierusalem is no lesse expresse This good man in his fourth Catechisme instructeth people in this manner Touching the divine and sacred misteries of the faith the least matter is not to bee taught without the holy Scriptures nor suffered to be brought in after any sort whatsoever either through probability or through words fitly disposed Yea put no confidence in mee that speake unto you these things unlesse I give you proofe of that which I preach unto you out of the holy Scriptures for the integrity of our faith consisteth not in designes or conferences artificially invented but in proofe drawne from the divine Scrptures And Cyril of Alexandria in the 2. booke upon Genesis How can we admit of that which the holy Scripture hath not said or range it amongst absolute verities And in his seventh booke against Iulian The holy Scripture is sufficient to make those wise most approved and of able understanding who are therewith educated and instructed Theodoret in his first Dialogue Theod. Dialog 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et Dial. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et in Psa 95 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bellar. dâ— verbo dâ—i lib. 4. cap. 11. intituled De Immutab Bring not humane reasons to me for I beleeve not in any thing but the holy Scriptures And in his second Dialogue I am not so rash as to affirme any thing wherein the sacred Scripture is silent Chrysostome upon the second Epistle to the Thessalonians the second Chapter All things that are in the divine Scriptures are cleere and sincere every thing that is necessary is therein plaine And upon Psalm 95. When any thing is spoken without the Scripture the very cogitations of the hearers are lame The same Father in his third Homily upon the second to the Corinthians calleth the Scripture an exact ballance the rule and square of all things He saith not as Bellarmine falsifying this passage doth make him that the Scripture is the most exact rule of all but that it is the ballance square and rule of all things Saint Hierome upon the first Chapter of the Prophet Aggay Hieron Sed alia qua absque authoritate testimonie scripturarum quasi traditione Apostolica sponte reperiunt percutit gladius Det. Ecclesia Christi c. non est ogressa de finibus suts id est de Scripturis sanctis The things which they invent and forge of themselves as by an Apostolicall Tradition without the authoritie and testimony of the holy Scriptures are stroken and dashed by the very sword of God And upon the Prophet Micah l. c. 1. The Church of Christ is not strayed out of its limits that is to say from the holy Scriptures So as to bring any thing from without the Scripture in the Doctrine of salvation is to wander out of the bounds that God hath prefixed to the Church The same Father against Helvidius As wee deny not that which is Hiero in Heluid Vt hac quae scripta hunt non negaâ—us ita ea â—ua non sunt script a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deum esse de â—â—gane credimus quia legimus Maria â—â—â—â—â—sse post portum non eredimus quia non legimus August Evangalista tastatur multa Dominum ChristuÌ„ it dixisse et secisse qua non scripta sunt electa sunt autem qua scriberantur qua salutâ— cradentium
proposed to the Councell and when these were afterwards to be read in full Councell the Fathers gaue their suffrage by the word Placet without scruple or difficultie therein receiving the said Decree as a Law already ratified by the Popes Legats Before the fourth Session was held where in was established the Decree touching Traditions some selected Doctors were assembled to frame this Dectee which was for a long space debated Some interposing that it was necessary a Decree should be made wherein it should be declared that all the Catholike doctrine is founded upon Tradition in regard that the Scripture it selfe is not to bee beleeved but by the leaue and meanes of Tradition that ministreth authoritie unto it Vincent Lunel a Cordelier was of opinion to make a Decree of the authoritie of the Church before Traditions should bee mentioned because these are grounded upon the authoritie of the Church and the Church is that which afforâ—eth all authoritie to the Scriptures To which opinion the Legats would not condiscend fearing that heereby the memory of the Councels of Constance and Basill should be revived which haue adjudged and definitiuely determined that the soveraigne authoritie of the Church abideth in the Councell and not in the Pope and that the Pope is subject to the Councell and that to enter into dispute hereon were to signifie that it is not yet knowne who should be Iudge But Anthony Mariner the Carmelite a sage and learned man was of opinion that nothing at all should be spoken of Traditions alleaging that without all doubt God under the old Testament had commanded Moyses to write his Booke of the Law charging the Kings to reade it carefully and to put a copy of it into the Arke of the Covenant but saith that under the new Testament the Scripture is not necessary in respect that Iesus Christ hath written his doctrine in mens hearts without need either of Tables Arke or Booke Hee further saith that if there were no Scripture at all yet the Church should loose nothing of her perfection It is true that God hath not forbidden his Apostles to write but so also is it certaine that they haue not written by his commaundement and it is an abuse to say that God hath commaunded them to write one part of the doctrine and forbidden them to write the other Againe he presseth that if any man he of a contrary opinion he should haue too maine difficulties to vnfold the one to declare the things forbidden to be written the other to tell us who hath made those men that came after the Apostles so adventurous and bold to commit to writing that which God had forbidden his Apostles to write Lastly he sayth that if any man avowed it to bee chance and without expresse commandement from God that some things haue been written and others not hee should accuse the providence of God in taking no care of so important a matter and should call into doubt the assistance of the holy Spirit that hath instructed the Apostles to write For these reasons was he of opinion to make no comparison of Traditions with the Scripture since by this meane also they might passe over the Scripture But Cardinall Poole an English man and third Legat did utterly renounce this opinion Yet for alâ— that there was a decree framed wherein without mentioning the authoritie of the Church or that Traditions are aboue the Scripture it is averred that simply the Scripture and Traditions ought to be received with equall pietie and reverence Which is a perpetuall rule that the Councell hath observed to devise emptie Decrees not expressing the moity of the church of Romes opinion and that in ambiguous words to the end that upon all occasions they may make Interpretations fit for their owne turnes CHAP. V. That our Adversaries say there are doctrines and articles of Christian Faith yea in the very essentiall things which the Apostles haue neither taught by mouth nor writing OVr Adversaries are not contented to accuse the Scripture alone of imperfection but they finde also a deficiency in the Aposties preacaing and say that they haue not taught all by word of mouth So as by their account the holy Scripture and Apostolique Traditions coupled together make no an entire body of the Christian doctrine They also freely conâ—â—sse that the Popes haue added from age to age divers Traditions according as they haue thought them necessary and that not only â—â— things of lesse importance but also in matters essentiall to the Christian faith Bellarmine in his 4. Booke of the § Est aut eÌ„ Prior partitio Traditionum est in diviâ—as Apostoâ—â—â—as Ecclesiastiâ—as Vnwritten word of God chap. 2. calleth some Traditions Divine which Iesus Christ hath taught by mouth haue not been set downe in writing Others he calleth Apostolique which the Apostles haue taught by word of mouth and never wrote them And the last hee calleth Ecclesiasticall which hee Ecclesiastica Traditiones proprie dicuntur consuetudines quaedâ— antiqua veâ— a Praesulibus vel á 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paularim tacito consensa populorum vâ—m legis obtinuerunt Ideâ— habâ—t Saâ—meron Tom. 13. Disp 8. saith are introduced from ancient customes by the Prelates or by the people and creepingly by the silent and vnquestioning agreement of the people haue gayned as it were strength of law In which distinction hee clearely acknowledgeth that the Traditions which he stileth Apostolique are not Divine and that Ecclesiasticall are neither Divine nor Apostolicall Whence it is manifest with what subtiltie our adversaries commonly attribute the title of Apostolicall to all Traditions indifferently as if they were all derived from the Apostles and how falsely they comprehend Traditions under the title of The vnwritten word of God when as by their owne confessions a great part of these Traditions is not the Word of God For Traditions that are not divine are necessarily humane And this is evidently seene in the Prayer Bookes for certaine houres and the duties wherwith they charge the people unto whom they first commit Gods ten Commandements and then the commandements of the Church which is an argument of their confession that the commandements of the Church are not Gods commandements In this interim the Councell of Sess 4 Trent at the before recited place maketh no difference betweene Traditions avouching that theâ— are all received with like affectioâ— of pietie and reverence as the holâ— Scripture equalleth those Ecclesiasticall Traditions brought in bâ— the Popes at severall times to thâ—â— ten commandements of the divine Law and to the Doctrine of the Gospel written in the New Testament The same Cardinall disputing against Barkley touching the Popes power to depose Kings and cause them to bee killed as also concerning his authoritie over all the Temporaltie of the world not finding either in Scripture or in ancienâ— History of the Church any passage or example to countenance and underprop so abhominable a Bellarm. in Barkl cap. 3 Non
is rejected and made odious to the people as a dangerous booke I. We haue seene in the former Chapter how our adversaries affirme openly that the Pope and Church of Rome can alter the Lords Institution and nullifie his Ordinance the which being granted it necessarily followeth that the tradition of the Church which correcteth the holy Scripture and altereth what is therein ordained bee of greater authoritie then the Scripture II. When our adversaries vnanimously affirme that the Scripture is not Iudge but that the authority of judging belongeth to the Church heereby they withdraw us from the Scriptures judgement to rely vpon the Churches Tradition for by the Tradition of the Church they onely understand the Lawes of the Church of Rome by the which they would haue us judged III. When they say that the Stapleton lik 2. de authoritate Scripturae cap. 11. Dixâ— et dâ—câ— non taÌ„ ipsius fidei regulam in se esse scripturaÌ„ quam ipsam scripturaâ—uÌ„ reguâ—aÌ„ esse 〈◊〉 Ecclesiâ— Scripture is not the rule of our faith but that it is the faith of the Church that ruleth the Scripture they manifestly preferre Tradition of the church before Scripture for the faith of the Church and Tradition of the Church are all one IIII. These goodly Maximes wherewith they dull our eares Charron aâ— 2. chap de lâ— troisieme verite Nous voulous l'eglise avoir pour nostre regard plus d'authorite que l'escriture That the Church ought to haue more authoritie over vs then the Scripture That it is the Church which giveth authoritie to the Scriptures and that the authoritie of the Scripture over vs is founded vpon the authoritie of the Church what are their meaning other then that the Scripture oweth that authoritie she hath to the Tradition of the Church For the Tradition of the Church is nothing else but the voice and judgement of the Church whereby shee pronounceth as being a soveraigne and infallible Iudge that the Scripture ought to be received V. If the Scripture must bee Staplet lib. 1 de authorit Scriptura c. 9 Ipsis Prophâ—tis è medio â—ublatu â—â—ruÌ„ prophetâ—as à Deo esse credeâ—duÌ„ non est nisi id Ecclesia confiâ—met Synodus Romana sub Gregor 7. Quod nullus liber Canonicus habeatur sine authoritate Papa beleeved because the Tradition of the Church so ordained it what followeth but that Tradition of the Church of Rome is more credible then the Scripture VI. The Iesuite Coster in his Enchiridion chap. 1. calleth the doctrine imprinted in the heart of the Church an other species or kind of Scripture and compareth it also with holy Scriptures The excellence Huius Scripturae praestantia â—ulâ—is partibus suâ—erat scripturas quas nobis in membraâ—â— Apostoli reliquerunt PrimuÌ„ quod illa exarata sit digito dei hac calamis ApostoloruÌ„ saith hee of this kind of Scripture surpasseth much the holy Scripures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchment especially because this is witten with the finger of God the other was written with Apostles pens By his leaue I would willingly aske him whether the Apostles pennes were not guided by the spirit of God VII Carranza in the second Controversie The Church is a rule Nos diâ—imus quod prior regula et notior et multo latior est Ecclesia quam Scriptura canonica â—t hac ab illa debet regulari non è contra that is elder and more knowne yea much more ample then the Canonicall Scripture and this ought to be governed by that but not on the contrary â—n saying that the Church is a rule â—t is evident that by the Church â—ee understandeth the Tradition and lawes of the Church for the persons are not the rule VIII Bellarmine in his fourth QuadaÌ„ sunt Traditiones maiores quod ad obligationeÌ„ quaÌ„ quadam Scripturae booke of the Word of God chap. 6. There are Traditions that are greater then some Scriptures in poynt of obligation IX Salmeron in his first Prolegomenon § Nunc de Nam etsi Eccclesiae ac Scripturae authoritas à Deo sit illa tamen Ecclesia antiquior est atque adeo dignior siquideÌ„ Scripturâ— propter EcclesiaÌ„ contexta est Though the authoritie as well of the Church as of the Scripture bee of God yet the authoritie of the Church is more ancient yea and more worthy for the Scripture is made for the Church By the same reason one might say that subjects haue more authoritie then Lawes and Kings for the people are more ancient then Lawes and Kings and Lawes and Kings are made because of the people Now the authoritie of the Church of Rome cannot bee promoted aboue the Scripture but that by the same reason the authoritie of Tradition in the Church of Rome is to be advanced aboue the Scripture for Tradition is the law of the Church of Rome X. Cordubensis To decide contrâ—versies Câ—dub Art â— cap. 80. Catholicae Ecclesiâ— Traditiâ— est certissâ—â—a regula of the Faith Tradition of the Catholique Church is the most certaine Rule XI Wee haue formerly heard Coster and Salmeron the Iesuites speaking that God would not haue Traditions that are taught out of the Apostles mouth to bee written for feare lest holy things should be given to doggs Herein doe they not clearely signifie that the Scriptures are for the dogs but that God would not haue Traditions to bee in such danger as being more sanctified things and worthy of greater respect XII To what end doe these men say that Iesus Christ hath commaunded the Apostles to preach and not to write but that unwritten Tradition might be preferred before the Scripture and haue much more authoritie XIII Did it ever happen that any of our adversaries haue reported the same of Traditions which they haue said of Scripture Haue they ever called the Traditions a dumbe rule a part or parcell of a rule an ambidexter sword a stone of scandall a nose of wax haue they ever accused Traditions of obscurity of ambiguity or of imperfection as they haue the Scripture XIV But the Iesuite Salmeron shall suffice for all for in the third part of his 13 Tome and 8 Disputation hee treateth of this matter punctually and at large and thus compareth Scripture with Tradition Tradition saith he is aboue all § Estiginâ—◠〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 ad salute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ebidem Pâ—â—â—â— ergo Scriptura â—â—mendat traditione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scripturaÌ„ et ob id magis est necessaria quia ad 〈◊〉 come adandaÌ„ est Scriptura-Necessaria ost 〈◊〉 ad 〈◊〉 du bra qua expresse in scri 〈◊〉 â—on contiâ—ent or nec 〈◊〉 §. Postreâ—â— Ibidem â—ui noÌ„ creditura dirâ—om in ecclesia receta 〈◊〉 scriptura malo 〈◊〉 similes est â—â—lâ—â—â— aebitum reddere si non osteÌ„datur syngraâ—ha cum satu sit idoneos produceâ—â— restes §. Secunda Seâ—unda coÌ„ditio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quâ—â— sit Ser. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 〈◊〉 Trtia conditio
defaults are therein found and giueth God thankes for it to the end that men finding no stedinesse or certainty in the Scripture may subiect themselues to the tyrannie of the Church that is to say of the Pope and there to find instruction these are his words The prouidence Demonstr 2. § 5. p. 128. of God to constraine vs yet more powerfully to vndergoe the yoke of the Church with humility and simplicity permitteth that there bee not only some alteration in certaine parcels of the Scripture and in some copie but the more the bookes of the Scripture are dispersed the more they shall alter and perish by tract of time whether they be in originall tongues or translations Without doubt hee that reioyceth at the deprauations which he imagineth to bee in Scripture and at the losse of some bookes and prayseth thererein the prouidence of God would much more solace himselfe and reioyce if all the Scripture were abolished For to what purpose serveth it if Tradition of the Church of Rome bee a perfect rule more certaine and of more authority then the holy Scripture and if the Pope iudge soueraignly and infallibly of all the points of faith for hee hath forbidden the people to reade the Scripture as a booke not onely unnecessary but also dangerous and that which hath made a great breach in the Popedome The same Iesuite pleaseth himselfe with this conceit of his inculcating it with often repetition As in the third Demonstration when he hath said that a man cannot assure himselfe of the sense of the Greeke Testament because it first was written without accents and distinctions whereon depends the sense hee addeth It is a worke of the providence of God to stoope our mindes and inclinations to the soveraigntie of the Church that is to say of the Pope who by consequence hath more authoritie then the Apostle S. Paul speaking to the Corinthians not that wee have dominion over your faith 2. Cor. 1. 24. But may not wee affirme it with more probability to be a worke of Gods providence that hee hath suffered so many schismes and heresies so much simony uncleannesse of life and crueltie to haue infected the seat of Rome whereby to referre us to the Scripture to make vs forsake those wicked guides and to subject us to his holy word and that God by his providence hath permitted that the Popes themselues haue confessed their owne errours And lastly that the Popes sycophants haue recorded unto us their crimes and heresies as I haue proved in my first Booke In short to bee throughly informed with what spirit this Iesuite is lead it is but to reade the same that hee hath written in his third Demonstration pag. 190. They cause them saith he to renounce the Church pretending that it consisteth of men that are faultie and lyers vnder a faire semblance of Scripture and vnder a plausible promise to governe all by the word of God But the truth is they depute a bleare-eyed Leah vnto them in lieu of a faire Rachel and submit faith to the soveraigne command of the will of Ministers who put into their hand a Scripture that is humane erronious mutable subject to correction c. This miserable Iesuite wil one day render an account to God of so damnable a speech wherein hee compareth the holy Scripture to bleare-eyed Leah and the Church of Rome to beautifull Rachel It is very false that wee renounce the Church but yet we maintaine that it ought to be subject to the Scripture and we renounce the doctrine of those who say that the Scripture is subject to the Church of Rome for God cannot be subject to men As for the soveraigne power of the Ministers function that might well bee retorted upon us for a reproach if wee boasted amongst us that they cannot erre that they haue power to change Gods commandements conteined in the holy Scriptures to adde to the Creed and to make new articles of faith or if we should stile our selues Iudges infallible and soveraigne of the poynts of faith Wee leaue these usurpations and proud titles to the Pope by the which hee exalteth himselfe aboue God Onely wee exhort the people to beleeue the Word of God contained in holy Scriptures wherein if wee finde any obscure passages wee take not upon us to bee Iudges of the sense and to determine it with authoritie It is enough that as much as therein is perspicuous and plaine not needing the helpe of an Interpreter is sufficient for our salvation And to contest much about Translations wee busie not our selues for the Translation approved by the Church of Rome fufficeth us discovering clearely therin the very condemnation of Papistry All Translations agree in the matters necessary to salvation and the originall texts both Hebrew and Greeke are at this day familiar and agreeing to our Translation Of these things haue I treated at large in my first Booke of The Iudge of Controversies and haue discussed all the slender objections wherein our Adversaries doe side with Pagans and Infidels and endeavour to extenuate the firmnesse and authoritie of the Scripture which Saint Paul calleth The divine Oracles Rom. 3. 2. and The Scripture diuinely inspired 1. Tim. 3. 16. which I say Iesus Christ himselfe hath uttered holding vp his owne vocation by the testimony of the Prophets and by it hath repelled the temptation of the Deuill Math. 4. Yea S. Paul saith that the Scripture can make a man wise to saluation and is most proper for mans accomplishment in euery good worke without it wee haue not meanes to know that God will haue but one Church in the world And when our aduersaries haue wretchedly reuiled it yet are they afterwards constrained to returne vnto it and to beg of it though with an ill stomacke some clauses of Text to found their Church vpon the Scriptures authority without it Christianity had beene long since abolished The diuine efficacy of it is manifest in this that the Pope hath suppressed it so as the people may not see it yet when God is pleased to lay it open to the peoples view and that it be translated into vulgar tongues Papistry doth immediatly vanish in many Prouinces Yea if Emperours and Kings had not hastened to succour vsing both fire and sword and the rigour of Inquisitions without doubt Papistry had beene vtterly extinguished Wherefore it is no maruell if the Pope by his scouts labour to blemish the Scripture rendring it doubtfull and without authority which vngodly instruments at this day borrow the weapons of Pagans who to restore Paganisme and ruine Christianity haue had no surer course then to difsame the holy Scripture Loe whither Satan strives to leade vs Hee striues to shake the only foundation of Christian religion to the end that the people distasting the Scripture may for their faith and saluation relye vpon the conductors of the Romish church wherein haue liued multitudes of Popes notorious heretickes and so iudged by the
commandement of God speaking Exod. 20. 9. sixe dayes shalt thou labour Or the power of the Pope to set at liberty under ground and to give Indulgences to the dead upon that which Iesus Christ sayth Math. 18. 18. Whatsoever yee shall bind and loose on earth c. Or cases reserved to the Pope upon the words of our Saviour uttered to all the Apostles Whose sinnes soever yee shall pardon they shall Iohn 20. 23 be pardoned Or images of the Almighty upon that which God discoursing to the People of Isreal giveth the reason why in speaking to them from heaven he suffered none to see any image or resemblance For Deut. 4. 23. feare sayth hee Lest yee might forget the Covenant which he made with you and make you a graven image or the likenesse of any thing male or female Or establishing of brothell-houses at Rome by the authority of his holinesse vpon the commandement Thou shalt not commit adultery Deut. 4. 13. Or the doctrine of the Councell of Trent affirming in the fift Session that covetousnesse is no sinne upon the law of God speaking Thou shalt not covet and upon the Deut. 5. 21. testimony of the Apostle saying that he hath learnt out of the law that covetousnesse is sinne Rom. 7. 7. Or forbidding the People to read the Scripture upon that which is written in the Apocal. Blessed is Apoe 1. 3. he that readeth and they that heare the words of this prophecy and upon the example of the people of Berea who Acts 17. 11. searched the Scriptures daily and upon the commandement made to Kings to reade carefully the booke of Deut. 17. 18. the law of God Or swearing by reliques upon the commandement of God Thou Deut. 10. 20. shalt feare the Eternall and sweare by his name Or Purgatory upon that which the Lord sayd unto the Thiefe upon the Crosse Thou shalt be with me Luk. 23. 43. this day in Paradise and upon the Luk. 17. 22. example of Lazarus whose soule was carried by the Angells into Abrahams bosome imediately after his death and upon the Apostle Saint Iohn speaking That the blood 1 Iohn 1. 7. of Iesus Christ purgeth us from all sin Or the sacrifice of the body of Iesus Christ in the Masse upon that which the Apostle to the Hebrews speaking of the sacrifice of the death of Iesus Christ made up on the Crosse declareth that We Hebr. 10. 10 14. are sanctified through the offering of the body of Iesus Christ once for all Hebr. 9. 25. 26. and that Iesus Christ offereth not himselfe ofien for as it is ordained for all men to dye once so Christ hath beene offered once to take away our sinnes making the sacrifice of Iesus Christ no more reiterable then the death of men Without all doubt if contrariety to the Scripture can give authority to the Romish Traditions these traditions which I have specified ought to bee of great authority Yea to summe up all our adversaries are too licencious and rash in their conjectures and I cannot conceave that they beleeve it themselves when they would have vs to beleeve that Iesus Christ speaking in private with his Disciples did conferre about the service of Images and great Pardons to bee made by the Pope of Chaplets and Blessed-beads of lessening the torment of Soules in Purgatory by Masses and Indulgences c. To what may this tend but to expose Iesus Christ to laughter or to delight themselves in faining matters without proofe and to allure those that will bee deluded to beleeve things that are incredible for such kind of presuppositions worke their effect according as he is awed that propoundeth them CHAP. XIII That our adversaries to distinguish the good Traditions from the bad doe give vs a Plea wherein they wholly convict themselves TO discerne the good Traditions from the bad our adversaries lay downe certaine Pleas which wee hold fit to have strictly examined They say that the Traditions ought to bee both receaved and beleeved to be divine which have alwaies beene approoved by the vniuersall Church as Vincentius Lyrinensis confirmeth it allowing that to bee received for truth which hath ever beene beleeved wholly and by all and Saint Augustine in his Epistle 118. If the Si quid horuÌ„ rota per orbeÌ„ frequentat Ecclesia hoc quin it a facienduÌ„ sit disputare insolentissima insaniae est Quod vâ—iversa tenet Ecclesia nec CoÌ„cilijs institutuÌ„ sed semper retentuÌ„ non nisi au horttate Apestolica tradituÌ„ certisimè creditur Church throughout the world observe any thing it is a distracted impudence to dispute whether it ought to be so or no and in his 4. Booke against the Donatists Chapter 4. That which the universall Church holdeth and hath not beene instituted by Councells but ever maintained is to bee beleeved in all just reason not to have beene ordained by other power then the Apostolique Authority Now though these passages of Saint Augustine bee unseasonably alledged because they speake of customes not necessary to salvation indifferent in their nature or of opinions without the knowledge wherof a man may be saved as we shall hereafter discover yet I say that by this Plea the Traditions of the Church of Rome doe fall to the ground and are not currant or receiueable for it is easie to prove that they have not beene received from the beginning by the Catholike Church How is it that Purgatory which 1. Purgatory is by interpretation a subterraneall fire where the soules of the faithfull are purged by orment could be beleeved in the ancient church seeing that a great part of the Fathers did beleeve that the soules could not be tormented without the bodies And that the Masse prayeth for soules that sleepe in a peaceable rest it being a cleere case that when this piece was patched to the Canon of the Masse the Church of Rome did not beleeve that the soules of the faithfull were tortured in a fire Pope Gregorie the 1. In his Dialogues sâ—ateth Purgatory in the smoake of baths and in the wind for this underground fire was not yet devised and yet this time was so far advanced as to the yeere 590. of our Lord. Invocation of Sts. was unknown 2. InvocatioÌ„ of Saints under the three first ages of the Christian Church and more then halfe of the fourth Cardinall Befla in his third booke of worshipping Saints Chap. 9. saith that When the §. Pratercacum scribetentur scriptura sancta 〈◊〉 coeperat usus vovends sanctia holy Scriptures were written the custome was not yet to make vowes to Saints Which is as much to say in plaine termes that about the Apostle time Saints were not called on nor did the Apostles who survived the Virgin Mary addresse their vowes unto her And Cardinall Perron to whom this commendation Du Perron coÌ„rre le Roy de la Grand Bretagne
the great Whore the signification of the seuen stars and the Sense or exposition of the dreames are called Sacraments Apoc. 3. 1. and 17. 7. Dan. 2. 18. Touching the Holy Supper which wee call Sacrament herein wee follow the custome and by the word we vnderstand no other thing but that which Iesus Christ calleth a memoriall or commemoration saying Doe this in remembrance of me CHAP. XXI A proofe of the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures by the Testimony of God himselfe speaking in the Scriptures WEe haue offered to your vnderstandings both the novelty and falshood of Romish Traditions and have proued that they are neither Diuine nor Apostolicall It is therefore to be concluded that we ought entirely to adhere to the word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures for in two wayes when the one is blocked vp there remaineth but the other that is passable Our aduersaries themselues aide vs in this point The Popes hauing made so many decrees and decretals and extravagants yet they dare not call these decrees the word of God Yea they produce no other booke then the Scripture that beareth this title of the word of God or of the Testament or Couenant of God This single proose may suffice vnlesse we would embrace the word of men for a rule of faith Our aduersaries againe tell vs that the Holy Scripture cannot testifie of it selfe and when it is â—aile ' Iesuite 〈◊〉 1. traittâ— de son Catechisme Bellarm. lib. 4 de Verbo Dei cap. 4. § Quartâ— called Holy and Divine It is â— more to be credited then Titus Livius or Mahumets Alcoran But let them know that this is Gods true Prerogative to be Iudge and witnesse in her cause who being the party offended will not forget at the last day to be Iudge of those that have offended him Hearken to that of Iesus Christ speaking at the 8. of S. Iohn 14. Though I beare record of my selfe yet my record is true and worthy to be beleeued For God is not therefore to bee the lesse beleued because there are so many incredulous and vnbeleeuing and the perversity of man shall neuer despoile God of his right It is a non sequitur and an vnjust inference that because of the malice and depravednes of man the dominion of God should suffer dimunition Therefore wee will not feare to alledge the Scripture for proofe of the perfection of the Scripture Wee know that the authenticke Testimony which God giueth to his word can be no way taxed or iustly suspected The Apostle Saint Paul in the 2. to Tim 3. 15. speaketh thus to his disciple Timothy From thine in fancie thou hast knowne the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise vnto saluation through faith which is in Christ Iesus Now what need we seeke any further then to bee so instructed as that wee may be able to attaine vnto saluation by our beleefe in Iesus Christ To shifâ— off this passage of Saint Paul to Timothy our aduersaries tell vs that Saint Paul speaketh not in that place but onely of the bookes of the old Testament and yet at that time the greatest part of the new was written But I am contented to grâ—â—t what they say for it maketh against them being assured that if the sole bookes of the old Testament can make a man wise to saluation much more and with stronger râ—ason shall the old and the new coupled together make vs wise to saluation The Holy Scripture neuer saith that vnwritten Traditions can make vs wise to saluation The Apostle had neuer sayd that the Scripture can make vs wise to salvation if it instructed vs but by halfes and if it were needfull for vs to seeke the other part of our instruction in another word that is vnwritten Where they say that Timothy could not learne out of the olde Testament the immortality of the soule nor Paradise nor the resurrection c. It hath bin formerly confuted Of the resurrection of Iesus Christ and of his death the Prophets speakâ— most clearely and all the sacrifices lead thereunto And when these things were lesse plainely and expressely set downe yet God required not of our forefathers before the comming of Christ a greater knowledge then that which was reuealed vnto them There are those who play the Sophisters vpon this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed by the Apostle and doe render it to instruct and not to make wise Wherein their owne Bible â—â—sâ— lâ— 18. an Grâ—c Phanâ—â—â—ni lâ—xâ—con 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teacheth the contrary for at the 19. Psal 7. There is in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the vulgar translation Sapientiam praestans parvâ—lis that is to say giuing wisedome to the simple And at the 119. Psal 98. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where Pagnin rendreth it tu me sâ—pientiâ—rem reddidisti inimicis meis Thou hast made mee wiser then minâ— enemies But vpon the point it commeth all to one for it sufficeth vs to bee instructed to saluation Saint Paul speaketh not of any curtal'd or halfe instrâ—ction Hee is instructed to salvation who hath sufficient instruction to bee saved and whosoever is not wise to salvation is not instructed to salvation so are they one and the same thing But if the Scripture could make Timothy wise to salvation why should it not be as well sufficient to make others wise to salvation For if any man profit therein lessen then Timothy the reason is not because it is more perfect for one then for another but because one bringeth to it more light of spirit more affection and more attention then another and because God conferreth his knowledge more abundantly upon those that feare him and humbly crave the gist of understanding 2. The Apostle Saint Paul at 1 Cor. 4. 6. limiting the power of the Pastors of the Church saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no man thinke above that which is written there it is above that which is written and not above that which I have written And whosoever imputeth to Beza that he translated it above that which I Iehan Iaubert pa. 306. have written is a detracting Calumniator 3. The same Apostle at Act. 26. 22. protesteth Hee never taught any thing save onely such things as the Prophets and Moses had foretold should come to passe He then confined his preaching to the Scriptures And he shall be a good Minister of Christ who after the example of Saint Paul shall bee able to say that hee never taught any thing except those things which Moses and the Prophets and Apostles disciples of the Prophets have taught If it be moreover objected that Saint Paul being restrained to the writings of the Prophets it shall follow that the writings of the Apostles who have written since the Prophets are unprofitable I will answere that the Apostles have written the same things that the Prophets have written for as much as concerneth the substance of salvation but they have
Adversaries translation admitteth not this exposition Chrysostome in his Commentary upon Gal. 1. understandeth it the same way saying The Apostle saith not if they declare things contrary or if they pervert all but if they preach never so little other then we have preached or if they have altered any thing be it never so little And Theophilact after him The Apostle hath not said if they preach onely things contrary but if they preach other then that which wee have preached that is to say if they adde never so little more thereunto Tertullian in his booke of Prescriptions at the eight Chapter speaking of the Scripture In the first place wee beleeve that wee ought not to beleeve other then this And at Chap. 14. To know no other then this is to know all And at Chap. 29. If an Angel from heaven preach other then c. And truly the reason is plaine for if our Adversaries confesse that Saint Paul hath preached all that is necessary to salvation as well by mouth as by writing it followeth that hee not onely forbiddeth here to teach contrary to that which he hath taught but also that he forbiddeth to adde thereunto It is objected that Paul himselfe hath added to that which hee did preach when he wrote more Epistles after that to the Galathians and that Saint Iohn after him wrote the Apocalypse and are not therefore accused The vanity of this objection answereth it selfe for nothing can appeare wherein Saint Paul in his last Epistles or Saint Iohn in the Apocalypse have added to the Doctrine of salvation which Saint Paul had preached by mouth and digested into writing and which was already contained in the bookes of the Apostles and Evangelists written before this Epistle In summe what availeth it to dispute whether the Apostle condemneth those that preach other then or contrary to that which St. Paul had preached seeing that whatsoever is other then the Doctrine of the Gospel concerning our salvation is also contrary in as much as God forbiddeth to adde thereunto It is an unnâ—cessary worke to rehearse the passages of the Fathers who affirme that the Apostle condemneth those who taught contrary to that which he himselfe hath taught no man denieth it for whosoever preacheth contrary to that which Saint Paul taught preacheth also other then the Doctrine of the Apostle and addeth contrary things thereunto contractions being also additions to the Scripture Our Adversaries being repulsed from this refuge or starting hole finde out another and say that Saint Paul condemneth those who taught other then or contrary to that which hee had taught concerning the Doctrine of the Gospel but Saint Paul himselfe hath not set downe all in writing which hee hath taught this is that which they say without proofe or reason For who told them that Saint Paul was tender and forbare to booke downe all the Doctrine of the Gospell in writing Did hee it in spleene or was it of forgetfulnesse or fearing lest the people might become too expert in the Doctrine of the Gospel Surely they that speake thus are bound to open unto us some particular points that make a part of the doctrine of the Gospell which Saint Paul would not set downe in writing Is it invocation of Saints or papall Indulgences adoration of reliques succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter religious sâ—rvice of Images single life of Priests prayer in a tongue which the supplicant understaÌ„deth not or Masses to free soules out of Purgatory no Christian will beleeve it of these unlesse it bee such a one as hath a mind to bee deceived And this inconsiderate presupposition must be countenanced by some other proofe besides the testimony of our adversaries Saint Augustine gave no credit to August lib. 3 contralueâ—as Petiliani cap. 6. Si quis siue do Christo sive de eius Ecclesia sivâ— de quacunque alia re qua pertinet ad fideÌ„ vitamque nostrâ—m non dâ—â—am si nos sed quod Paulus adiecit si Ange us â—e coelo vobis annuntiaverit praâ—erguam quod in scripturu legalibus et Evangelicis accepistu anathema sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it for he expoundeth this passage unto us by way of paraphrase If any man whether it concerneth Christ or his Church or any other thing appertaining to faith or government of life I speake not if any of us but that which Paul hath suggested if an Angell from heaven declare unto you other then you have received in the Scriptures concerning the Law and the Gospell let him be an Anathema And Chrysostome in his exposition upon the 1. chap. to the Galathians Saint Paul prefeâ—reth the Scriptures before Angels descending from heaven and that most justly And a little after Wherefore he denounceth that if any man preach unto you other then I have preached unto you c. To conclude how should those poynts before recited have beene preached by Saint Paul considering that in his Epistles there is found a flat condemnation of their doctrines If beside the holy Scripture there be some other word of God it were fit our adversaries should lay them in view fairely above board for the better avoidance of ail strife and controversie arising from them But they cannot Only they would have the Church of Rome to be beleeved and especially the Pope who is circumspect enough not to pronounce his owne condemnation nor to abolish the Traditions that are so beneficiall unto him Yea our adversaries themselves refute this when they say that the Apostles have not taught by mouth nor composed in writing all that is essentiall to Christian Religion CHAP. XXII Whether to ground a Doctrine it be lawfull to use words equivalent to those that are found in the Scripture or to vse consequences and Anguments SOme smattering and unquieâ— Iesuites perceiving themselves weake in the combate by the pressure of the evidence of truth have thought vpon a cavilling and impertinent course whereby to entangle the disputation at the very entrance and to prevent ever comming to the true scanning or examination of the doctrine Their cunning sleight is alwayes to question and interrogate insteed of keeping themselves to a regular and methodicall argumentation and as soone as wee open our mouthes they call to us Shew me that which you say word by word in the Scripture Now if there want but a syllable or if it happen that we use these words that is say or by consequent they fall into laughter and say that a Coach drawne by Horses is a consequent and so breake off alledging they have reduced us to consequences If we quote some passage of Saint Matthew or of Esay they aske whether the booke bee Canonicall if wee answer yea they require a passage of the Scripture that saith Saint Matthew is Canonicall If wee expound one passage by another they say shew mee a passage that alloweth this passage to bee expounded by that If we make an argument though it be
sufficere videbantur written so wee reject that which is not written Wee beleeve that God is borne of a Virgine because we reade it but we beleeve not that shee was joyned in marriage after her childe-birth because we reade it not We have the life of Saint Anthony which some attribute to Athanasius speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Scriptures are sufficient for our instruction Saint Augustine in his 49. Treatise upon Saint Iohn The Evangelist testifieth that Iesus Christ both did and said many things that are not written but we have chosen the things esteemed necessary to salvation which have been written Iâ— his second booke De merito Vbi de re obscurissima disputatur non adiuuantibus diuinarum scripturarum certis clarisque do 〈…〉 cohibere se deber humana prasumptiâ— peccatorum remiss Chap. 36. When a matter of greatest obscurity and darknesse is disputed without the assistance of the divine Scriptures evident and most certaine direction humane presumption ought to suppresse it selfe The knowledge that some impute to Saints concerning our cogitations the Limbus for the Fathers and that for little infants are matters very obscure yet concerning these points have we no passage in the word of God In the 142. Epist chap 9. By the Per sol as scripturas potes plenam Dei intelligere 〈◊〉 tem single Scripture alone you may fully know the will of God And if it bee supposed that this Epistle was not written by Saint Augustine but by Pelagius yet it is manifest that Augustine never reprehended him for speaking in this manner Also in his booke of nature and Solu 〈◊〉 eis debeo sâ—â—â— vlla recusatione consensu grace Chap. 61. A Pelagian reciting to him some allegations of the Fathers he answereth I owe my approbation and consent onely to the Canonicall Scriptures without refusall or excuse The same Doctor in his booke of the Vnity of the Church disputeth against the Donatists who affirmed that the true Church was on their side Augustine to know which is the true Church will have the question determined by the Scriptures alone not by the Histories and humane Testimonies whereof the Donatists make their use best advantage These Quid ergo faciuri sumus in verbis nostru eaÌ„ qua situri an in verbis capitis sui Domini nostra Iesu Christi Puto quod in illius potius verbis eaÌ„ quarerâ— debemus qui veritas est are his words in the 2 chap. What shall we doe then shall wee seeke the Church in our wordes or in the words of her head our Lord Iesus Christ I conceiue that we ought rather to seeke it in the words of him who is the truth it selfe Diametrally opposing our adversaries who will have the Scripture notified and receiued by the Testimony of the Church He on the other side will have us take notice and embrace the true Church by the Testimony of the Scripture And in the 3. chapter Sed vt dicere coeperam non andâ—amus hac dico hac dicis sed audiamus Hac dicit Dominui Sunc certi libri dominici quoruÌ„ authoritati vrtique consentimus vtrique credimus vtrique seruimus Ibi quaramus EcclesiaÌ„ ibi discutiamus causà nostrà persuing this discourse But as I began to say let us not heare it spoken I say this thou sayest that but bet vs heare this saith the Lord. There are assuredly bookes of the Lord to whose authority we both subscribe therein we both beleeue to them are we both subject that is the place where wee are to seeke the Church there we debate our cause This pious Doctor spake not as too many doe in these daies that the Scripture is not judge that it is a dumbe Rule that it is ambiguous that it containeth not all things necessary to salvation that the faith of the Church regulates the Scripture and not on the contrary he would have the question of the Church decided by the Scripture alone Wherevpon he 〈◊〉 ergo illa de medio qua aduersus not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex diuiâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed alionde recitaâ—â—â—s addeth Let us despise and cast from â—â— those allegations which we make one against another and are not taken from the divine Canonicall bookes but from else-where For urging further I desire that the Church bee prooved not by humane documents or instructions but by divine Oracles He calleth humane instructions all that is alledged without the Scripture Can our adversaries by this course euer proove that the Church of Rome is onely the true Church rather then the Graecian or the Syrian and that the Pope is Saint Peters successour in the charge of head of the vniversall Church At the last after many passages of Scripture called to mind and uttered in defence of it turning his designe towards the Donatists hee summoneth them to proove their Cap. 6. Legete nobis hoc de Lege de Trophetis de Psalmis de ipso EnaÌ„gelis de Apostolicis literis 〈◊〉 credumus positions by Scripture Read us that in the Law the Prophets the Psalmes the Gospel it selfe or writings of the Apostles and wee shall beleeue Obserue directly how we proceed with our adversaries for we call upon them Reade us invocation of Saints Images of the Trinity adoration of Reliques or succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter in the writings of the Prophets Apostles Evangelists and we will beleeue them But they are so netled at this that following the example of the Donatists they censure this demand to be vnjust remanding us to Tradition which they call the unwritten word taught by the mouth of the Church that is to say the Pope and a few Prelates who dominere by means of these Traditions which are all accommodated to their profit and subdued to their power This holy personage cannot be satisfied with long enough insisting upon this subjâ—ct and if this booke were not to bee found in all Saint Augustines workes or thaâ— it were without a title our adversaries would say that Calvin or Beza had contrived it to their humour Cap. 12. Legat mihi hoc in scripturis sanctis non sit anathema Cap. 15. Legant hoc nobis de scripturis sanctis nos eredenous For he addeth Let Donat read mee that in the holy Scriptures and he shall be no Anathemae Likewise let them read us that in the holy Scriptures and we will beleeue it And a little after rejecting the proofes of the Dotanists who alledged miracles for themselues and the Councells of Cap. 16. Remotis igitur talibus Ecclesiam suam demonstrent si possunt non in sermonibus ruâ—oribus Afrorum noÌ„ in concilijs EpiscoporuÌ„ suorum non literis quoruÌ„ libet disputatorum non in signis prodigijs fallacibus quia etiaÌ„ contra ista verbo Domint praeparati cauti redditi sumus sed in prascripto Legis in Prophetâ— rum praedict it in PsalmoruÌ„ Cantibus
Communion under one kind or the Romish Indulgences no such matter it is the doctrine touching the Creation and touching the nature and office of Iesus Christ contained most cleerely in the Scripture which appeareth not only for that heerein hee skirmisheth and contendeth against the Hereticks erring in these poynts but also in that he sayth that wee ought to seeke these things by Tradition if wee have not the Scriptures acknowledging that these things are taught by the Scriptures Assuredly Irenaeus by Tradition intendeth not to speake of any addition to the Scripture but hee speaketh of the succession from hand to hand whereby the doctrine of the Gospell was trayned on to his time and in this very place speaking of certaine barbarous people that had received the Gospell by Tradition without Scripture he interpreteth the articles of this Tradition which are the articles of the Apostles Creed Also it is not amisse to have the Reader advertised that Irenaeus in these same bookes which hee hath written against the Hereticks treateth concerning Traditions not contained in the holy Scriptures which the Church of Rome approoveth not Hee teacheth that Soules separated from the bodies have Iren. lib. 2. cap. 62. Plonipimi Dominus 〈◊〉 animas charactereÌ„ corporis in que etiam adaptentur custodire cundem Et cap. 63. Per hac manifestissime declaratuÌ„ est et perseverare animas et noÌ„ de corpore in corpus transire et habere hominis figuram Iren. lib. 5. cap. 5. lib. 5. cap. 31. Iren. lib. 4. cap. 30. Iren. lib. 5. cap. 33. 34 35. feet and hands and a corporall figure He holdeth that the Soules issuing out of the bodies mâ—uut not vp to Câ—lestiall glory but into a terrestriall Paradise And that Before the publication of the Law no Law was given to the Fathers because they were just and the Law was not ordained for the just who had no need to be admonished by written letters But when justice was lost in Aegypt then God gave his Law unto the people The same Father teacheth that the kingdome of Iesus Christ ought to endure no longer then one thousand yeeres which is an errour of the Chiliasts and that they shall then feast themselves with delicate Wines and exqusite Viands So litle certainety there is in men as soone as they start aside from the sacred Scripture With what conscience can our adversaries Iren. lib. 2. cap. 57. Ecclesia non invocationibus Angelicts faciens aliquid sed â—â—uÌ„dè purè manifestè â—rationes dirigens ad Deminum c. alledge Irenaeus in the behalfe of Traditions seeing his are so distastfull to them Hee also condemneth Invocation of Angels and the hautinesse of Victor Bishop of Rome as Eusebius recordeth it in the 5. booke of his history chap. 25. They serve also their turnes upon the testimony of Clemens Alex to backe their Traditions Euseb in the 6. book of his Ecclesiastical history chap. 11. remembreth onâ— passage of him where he reportet◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that his brothers importuned him to teach them the Traditions which he had heard by the ancien Priests But he maketh no mention whether these Traditions werâ— matters not contained in the Scriptures Now the Reader may herâ— note upon what groundworke Papisme is buâ—lt our adversaries to shoulder it up doe scrape together the most excrementall scumme of the Fathers like to the carraine-Crowes that forsake trees beautified with delicious fruit to cast themselves downe upon noy some carcasses Observe this Clement full fraught with his idle and extravagant Traditions fitting to his purpose this passage of the 1. to the Strem. lib. 5. Corinthians Wee declare Wisedome among the perfect as our adversaries Clem. Alex. Serom. lib. 1. pag. 137. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 PLurima eiusimodi habeÌ„t lib. 1. Strom. pag. 121. seq eait Comeli mana et li. 6 Idem lib. 2. StroÌ„ pa. 173. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strom. lib. 3. pag. 193. Strom. lib. 4. pag. 217. Strom. lib. 5. pag. 252. Strom. lib. 6. pag. 270. doe in like manner Listen then to his Traditions Hee holdeth that the Greeks that is to say the Pagans were justified and saved by Phylosophy That there are foure persons in God That the Angels are fallen from their purity by their cohaâ—itation with Women That the death of Iesus Christ did not come to passe by the will of God That afflictions doe not seize upon us through Gods will and command but that he no way hindereth it and by his simple permission That God is a body That the Apostle Saint Paul exhorted the Christians to read the bookes of the Grecians of the Sybills and of Hystaspes That Christ had foretold to the Iewes which should be converted that their sinnes should bee pardoned them within two yeeres That Christ hath preached to the Iewes which were in hell and that the Apostles also descended into hell to preach to the Gentiles to worke their conversion And in the same sixt booke of his Stromata speaking of a sage or wise man in this present life saith he is not subject to any passion or alteration and that hee is without Strom. lib 6. pag. 276. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joy or feare or confidence to be short hee maketh him a God in the shape of man and calleth such a man a Gnosticke and will have him to bee skilled in Musicke and in the Mathematicks in Logicke and Astronomy Hee affirmeth that God Strem. lib. 6. pag. 284 hath given the Sunne and Moone to the Pagans to worship them to the end they might not bee without a Religion And speaketh of gods in the plurall as if there were many of them Are these the Traditions which our adversaries obtrude upon us to proove the insufficiency of the Scripture or if these displease them why doe they relye vpon the authority of one that relye coyneth Traditions whereof the memory should be buried for everlasting At the same time Tertullian wrote his booke de Militis Corona In the 2. chap. of the same booke hee fileth up a long list of unwritten Traditions which are that in Baptisme the Christians of his time renounced the Divell and his pompe and his Angels that they were plunged three times into the water that they tasted the miscelane or hotchpot of milke and hony that they made conscience of washing themselves seven dayes after that they participated of the Sacrament of the Eucharist in the assemblies made before day and would not receive it from any hand but of those that did preside that they made offerings so they called the gifts which the people did present for the defunct upon the day of the Nativity one day every yeere By the day of Nativity hee understandeth that day whereon the memory of Martyrs was yeerely celebrated as also whereon Offâ—ings were made and Almes given in memory of them Further more hee addeth the Tradiâ—ion wherein they accompt it a foule
A LEARNED TREATISE OF TRADITIONS LATELY SET FORTH in French by PETER DU MOULIN And faithfully done into English by G. C. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 5. 34. Si aut Evangelio praecipitur aut in Apostolorum Epistolis aut Actibus continetur c. Observetur divina haec sancta Traditio Cypr. Epist 74. ad Pomp. LONDON Printed by Aug. Mathewes for Humphrey Robinson at the signe of the three Pigeons in Pauls Church-yard 1631. TO THE RIGHT Honorable my singular good Lord ROBERT Earle of Lindsey Baron of Willough by Bâ—akâ— Ershy Lord great Chamberlaine of England and Lord high Constable for this time being Lord Lieutenant of Lincolne-Shire and Vice-Admiâ—aâ—â— for the Coasts of that County Lord Worden of the Forest of Waltham Knight of the most noble Order of the 〈◊〉 and of his Majesties most Honorable privie Counsell My most honoured LORD IT is well knowne that your Lord ship can as readily interpret my Author in his owne language iaiome as being thus changed into our native and most familiar tongue Neverthelesse I have adventured asking pardon if my boldnesse give distaste to style your Lordship the Maecenas of this my handiworke My weakenesse and want of skill in every respect together with my forwardnesse and presumption to intermeddle out of my element have prompted me to flye to the sanctuary of your Lordships protection Such as expect that I should rather dedicate some Tacticks or booke of Chevalry to your Lordship may take this for satisfaction that I have well observed your true devotion to Religion which is the best ornament and addition to your Honour and great is the happinesse when Religion and Military profession are met in so Heroique a Center The variety arising from this copious subject of Traditions will invite your Lordship to read DU MOULIN with delight but their modern incrochment I meane the Romish upon the Church their presumptuous comparison with the sacred Scripture will force your Lordship to reject them with scorne and greatest loathing Cast your eye upon this little volume and vouchla e it your favourable opinion such countenance will giv it life receive it into your Lordships pat oâ—age for to that end I have presented it and in that security I humbly leave it recommending your Lordship to Gods holy safeguard Your Lordships most humble and faithfull Servant G. C. To the Reader COurteous Reader When you set apart some houres for serious studies imploy a few to the reading of this short Enchiridium a most exact survey of Romish Traditions You will finde them here arraigned by divine testimonies of Scripture by solid interpretations of the Fathers by effectuall perswasions of reason by the ridiculous impossibilities of their owne sufficiency and by the selfe-contradictions and confessions of all Projectors and Founders of them The Frontispice doth shew my Authour to bee French and I have copied out his sense into our mother Tongue as neere to life as my running pen would give mee leave If any man objâ—ct Whaâ— need of 〈◊〉 amidit so many unparallei'd Original composed by the 〈◊〉 of our Church at home I answer wiâ—h a quâ—st Is it not pity â—o learned a booke amoâ—st us refoâ—mâ—d Christian should be guilty of that Anâ—â—christian Traditiâ—n cast upon the Scripture Not to be published in a knowne tâ—ngue 〈◊〉 let me not wade over deepe into the commendation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 left a consure of Tractet fabrilia or some 〈◊〉 c. recoile upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man ought to guide himselfe by the measure of â—is owne ability It is true that I was never worâ—hy to make this holy Knowledge my Profession vet my zâ—ale to it is such hat if I may nor act he part of an Encomiasles in the merit of DU MOULIN and hi Work I must take leave to gaze on him with silent admirat on and passing over particularities with this briefe Character onely to point at him For generall and profound schese ship hee is Extra invidtae aleam doctus What can bee said more Let it suffice that I have named him Qui cognoist son nom assez entend son renom His meere name is the individuall cognizance of his same Pardon me if I yet stretch a nore higher in praise of him it is his due it cannot bee omitted without a nationall ingratitude And what should it be but his ingenuous perseverance to this very day in vindicating the sacred honour of his late Majestie the learned King IAMES of most happy and immortall memory from the unjust redargution of Cardinall Perron in a booke which hee hath written against the said late King as by those often quotations in this Treatise expresly made may plainely appeare In the last place my friendly Reader if you afford mee a favourable construction of this my undertaking and connive at such errours as you meet with you have done to my wishes and in requitall I passe my word that whatsoever is lame and defective or verbally mistaken at the Presse in this translated forme you shall finde supplied in the reall goodnesse of the Authors matter Reade and profit G. C. Errata Page 136. line 14. themselves never appeare reade themselves appeare not p. 183. l. 1. as r us p. 194. l. 11. word r. world p. 195. l. 13. containe r. continne p. 196. l. 3. in eist r. insist p. 221. l. 13. stromatae r. stromata l. 20. book of history r. of his history p. 239. l. 3. asleepe r a sleepe p. 245. l. â—â— as for that r. for example that p. 294. l 2. contractions â— contradictions p. 298. l. 4. aâ—guments r. arguments p. 312 l. 19 hath determed r. hath beene determined l. 22. ceterminations r. determinations p. 314 l. 4. passe r. passage p. 319. l. 11. non plus to r. non plus is to l. 22 touch r couch p. 320. l. 12. for used r. for be used p. 336. l. 9. Dotanists r. Donatists p. 348. l. 4. barge r. barre A Table of the Chapters in this Treatise of TRADITION Chap. 1. COncerning the nature of this Controversie p. 1. Chap. 2. Of the word Tradition p. 22. Chap. 3. The beliefe of our Churches The Calumny of Regourd p. 24. Chap. 4 The opinion of the Romish Church That our Adversaries with one consent accuse the Scripture of insufficiency c. pag. 31. Chap. 5. That our adversaries say there are Doctrines and Articles of Christian Faith yea in the very essentiall things which the Apostles have neither taught by mouth nor writing pag. 45. Chap. 6. A proofe of the same because our Adversaries doe affirme that the Pope and the Church of Rome may change that which God commandeth in the Scriptures and infringe the Apostles Commandements p. 60. Chap. 7. Passages extracted one of the writings of our Adversaries which prove that in the Church of Rome Traditions are without comparison more esteemed then the holy Scripture and the Scripture charged with Injuries Regourds boldnesse to defame the same
hindred from choosing the best Church amongst many contrary How shall they choose Church from the false shall they know it in examining her doctrine by the Scripture that may not be for the Scripture is a Booke that the people are not permitted to reade and our adversaries affirme that the Church is not subject or bound to the Scripture and that the Church may change the same which God commaunded in the Scripture Shall they discerne the true Church by antiquity and succession nor that for the Syrian and Greeke Churches contrary to the Romish are more ancient then that of Rome deriving their succession from the Apostles and punctually to judge in this succession and antiquitie infinite Histories both Greeke and Latine ought to be read wherein the people vnderstand little or nothing And amongst the Clergie it selfe scarce one of an hundred is found that hath but ordinary or competent knowledge therein Hee that but entreth into the view thereof shall discouer the seat of the Romane Pontifies defiled with heresies and enormous crimes yea mangled and rent with Schismes that are decided by stroke of sword and according to the power of Emperours and Kings doeth the scale weigh downe Shall they haue respect to the generalitie and multitude no Iesus Christ calleth his Church a little flocke Luke 12. 32. and signifieth vnto vs that the multitude and broad way leade to perdition Math 7. 13 14. Shal they giue heed to miracles no the Apostle hath foretold us that the sonne of perdition who is Antichrist shall come with signes and miracles 2. Thess 2. 9. And Iesus Christ admonisheth vs that false prophets shall arise and shall make signes wonders to seduce Math. 24. 24. Now seeing that so many false miracles are wrought and the most predominant Courts of Iustice haue made many Decrees against the workers of them how and by what markes shall the poore people distinguish the true miracles from the false seeing there is no knowledge of the true doctrien declaring Gods will that we should discerne the miracles Deut. 13. v. 1 2 3. Briefly it is certaine that the Scriptures authoritie being no more the foundation and direction of the beleeuers faith all Religion vanisheth and turneth into smoke and there remaines nothing but to beleeue at adventure to follow the generalitie and like blind men to lay hands on him that marcheth next before vs. It is answered that in this perplexitie the people are to follow their Doctors and Pastors for they are the men that vndertake with God for the people What must euery man beleeue the Pastors of his owne countrey must they follow the Church wherein they are borne shall man owe his Religion to his birth or the custome of his countrey or the successe of affaires If it bee answered that by the Pastors and Doctors those of the Church of Rome are to be vnderstood therein lies the poynt of difficultie For the question is if those Doctors bee sound and good teachign the true way of health conformably to the Word of God which they conceale from the people in denying them to reade the holy Scriptures then are the people bound to beleeue that these are good Doctors before they know the good doctrine and that this church is the true church before they know or apprehend the truth They are also bound to beleeue what the church of Rome beleeveth not knowing what that Church ought to beleeue But if it be their tenent that every particular person bee assisted with the Spirit of God to bee able to discerne the true Church why hold they not that hee bee assisted with the same spirit to discerne the true doctrine and to examine it by the holy scriptures seeing that the true Church cannot bee distinguished but by the true doctrine for the true faith is first to be knowne before the true faithfull can be distinguished and the true rule is to be well vnderstood before those that follow it can be knowne Christ must first be knowne before there is possibility of knowing undoubtedly what Church is truely his flocke Adde likewise heereunto that the faith of the Romish Doctors dependeth entirely upon the Popes faith neverthelesse they for the greatest part doe beleeue that the Pope may erre and the Popes themselues doe confesse the same as wee haue elsewhere prooved Yea their errors are condemned by those Councels which the Church of Rome did allow And it is hard to beleeue that he cannot erre who boasteth of his authority and power to change that which God hath ordained to dispense with his commandements Add moreover that the greatest â—â—atterers of the Popes that haue written their histories and liues doe lament the corruption of that seat and complaine of the traffique it exerciseth and of the infamous â—â—ving of many Popes and their intolerable pride for what doth the Pope hee is advanced so far as to call himselfe God and the divine Maiestie to cause himselfe to bee adored to reach forth to Emperours a pantable to be kissed to dispose the crownes and liues of Kings and to release soules out of Purgatory insomuch as from a poore Biship of a citie who in the Primitiue time appeared not but in the martyrdomes is by degrees become a great Monarch of the earth that surpasseth in riches and treasure the greatest Kings of the world These things considered may we fix in our minds a just cause to suppose that the Pope is the same man that the Scripture hath foretold to come into the world to * 2 Thess 2. 7 8. Apoes 13. 11 2. Thess 2. â— 4. 9. Apocal. 17. 3. 4. 9. 18. Apocal. 17. 2. Apocal. 13. 15. lift himselfe up into the shrone of Roman Emperours stile himselfe God vaunt of signes and miracles he that should beâ— cloathed in scarlet should possesse his seat in a towne of seven mountaines which is Romes description should seduce Kings wage war against the Church and vanquish it and all this vnder the name of Christian assuming to himselfe the title and authoritie of Iesus Christ For so saith the Spirit of God in the 13 of the Apocalipse Hee shall haue the hornes of a Lambe but shall speake like a dragon These things having beene foretold aboue fifteene hundred yeares past no man since that time hath so swelled himselfe to so high a pitch as to haue these recived things appropriated vnto him but the Pope of Rome Is it by chance or adventure that such preâ—ogatiues haue met in one man Surely these considerations are sufficient to cause a suspition in â—s that this is the man who should haue more authoritie then the Scripture that would haue himselfe beleeved when hee saith that the Scripture is subject vnto him and that he hath power to change it that is to say to contradict it For no man can extoll himselfe aboue the Scripture vnlesse it bee meerely to impugne it Now though man fearing God and touched with the zeale of his
is most cerâ—aine that instead of all the Scripâ—ure one sole line might suffice spcaking thus Goe but to the Church of Rome and shee will teach you all things infallibly Now to vnderstand what is the imperfection where of our adversaries accuse the Scripture let vâ—â— obserue what they discourse vpon the same The Councell of Trent in the fourth Session pronounceth that the Church shall receâ—ue and honour the vnwritten Traditions with equall affection of piety and reverence as the holy Scripture The hallowed Synod say these Fathers Omnes libros tam veterus quam novi Testamenta nec non Traditiones ipsas tum ad fiaem tum ad mores pertinentes tanguam vel ore tenus à Christo vel à Christo vel à spiritu sancto dictatas pari pietatis affectu ac reve reÌ„tia suscipit ac veneratur receaues and honoureth with like affection of godlinesse and reverence all Bookes as well of the Old as the New Testament and the Traditions appertaining to faith and manners as dictated onely by the mouth of Christ or by his holy spirit Yea by this decree the commandements of the Church of Rome are equall to the Law of God and the doctrine of the Gospell contained in the New Testament By this rule the Invocation of Saints commanded by Tradition ought to bee done with like pietie and reverence as the Invocation of God commaunded in the holy Scripture By the authoritie of this Councell Catechismus ad pa ochos ex Decrete Conâ—tly arid Py 4. Pont. Max. iussis editus Omnis aoctrinae ratio quae fidelibus trâ—aeda sit quod in Scripturam traditionésque distributum est a Catechisme was framed which in the very entry and be ginning placeth this Maxime that all doctrine which ought to be given to the faithfull is contained in the Word of God which is divided into Scripture and Traditions whence grew vp the distinction of the word written and unwritten Gregory de Valentia the Iesuite in the fift Booke of his Analysis and Scripturans non esse sufficientem fides regulaÌ„ quta non continet omnia Title of the third Chap. The Scripture is not a sufficient rule of faith for it containeth not all things Cardinall Bellarmine a Iesuite in his Booke of the Vnwritten word Scripturas sine Traditioniâ—us nec fuisse fimpliciter necessarias nec sâ—fficientes Chap. 4. The Scriptures without Traditions are not simply necessary nor sufficient And there againe he calleth the Scripture regulam non totalem sed partialem a rule not entire but a piece or parcell of a rule The Iesuite Baile in the 9 question of his Catechisme I will make you poynt it with your finger that the Scripture is not sufficient Peter Charren in the fourth Chap. of his third Verity saith that to require all to bee proued by Scripture is an vniust demand And not much after The Scripture is nothing but a little par cell of truth revealed Part. 3. disp 8 § 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stultum est omnia ab Apostolus scripta putare vol omnia abâ—â—is tradita 〈◊〉 Etin iniurtam vergerat agentis râ—velantis Spiritus Et insuave esset natura nostre quae omnia simul non capit Salm ron the Iesuite in his 13. Tome of the first Booke of his Commentaries vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul It is a sottishnesse to thinke that the Apostle haue written all things or haue given all by Tradition that would turne to an injury against the holy Ghost operating and revealing and it would bee a thing repugnant to our nature that comprehenaeth not all things at a clap Of which vn written Traditions that haue been started since the Apostles time he fercheth some examples to wit the Ecclesiasticall § Quint. opus Hierarchy that is to ay the Papall Monarchy with the subordinate degrees the service of Images and §. Postremo the suffrages of the dead the Masse and manner of sacrificing and the §. Porro Tradition that Iesus Christ hath made a sacrifice in bread and wine that he then made the Chrisme c. Hee rendreth the reason why these things should not be written to the end that the Commandement §. Quint. opus Haec literis coÌ„signari minimè debuerisnt â—â— soruaretu praecepiuÌ„ Christi Nolite dare sanctum canibus of Iesus Christ bee kept who chargeth in this manner Giue not to dogs that which is holy Vpon this Iesuites reckoning the doctrine of the birth and death of our Saviour was given to dogs when it was digested in writing And God gaue his Law to dogs when he wrote it in two Tables But as for the Papall Hierarchy Image-service Romish Indulgences Invocation of Saints c. God would not haue such holy things to be cast to dogs nor hath he permitted them to be written And there againe Waxing insolent § Tertio Protervire voientes scriptuâ—â— refelli non possunt idea una tradiâ—â—one lugulandi sunt and froward they cannot bee vanquished by the Scriptures therfore must their throats be cut with one Tradition alone Coster a Iesuite in the Preface of Pâ—aefat Enchiâ—â—d Nostri toporis haretici ad solas Sâ—ipturas tanquam ad laxum adharescunt Idem cap de sacra script In membranis tam nâ—vi guae veteris Test aÌ„ multa desiderantur In ea tamen oâ— nta non contineri valde impudeÌ„ter affirmare non verentur A Christe videtur cautum ne omniâ— fider dogmata scriptu coÌ„mendarmtur dum ait Nolite dare sanctum canibus his Manuell The Heretiques of our time doe sticke to the Scriptures as to a rock That displeaseth the Doctor for saith hee In the Parchments as well of the Old as New testament many things are wanting And further they feare not to affirme with great impudence that all things are contained in the Scripture And a little after It seemes that Iesus Christ forbad all the doctrines of Faith to be couched in writing when hee sayd Giue not to â—ggs that which is holy As if the Scripture were made for the dogs And who may these dogs bee but the Christian people Now seeing that Iesus Christ hath given the Scripture to these dogs that is to say to the people wherefore doth the Pope take from them that which Iesus Christ hath given unto them in debarring them of the reading Reason would require that our Adversaries specifie vnto vs what are the Doctrines that are wanting in the Scripture and that they make us a catalogue of their Traditions But they haue not dared to doe it hitherto fearing to affright the people with the multitude of doctrines which they haue patched to the word of God We learne by the History of the Hist del Concilio Trident. lib. 2. Ann. 1546. Councell of Trent that besides the publike Sessions of the Councell they caused Congregations to be made of Prelates and Doctors to make draughts of the Decree which should bee
body or of making any â—lation to God The Pope then 〈◊〉 the Sacraments changeth essenâ—all things as well as accidentall â—nd by the way obserue but the â—ride of this Councell and detestable impietie to bee of opinioâ— that the Church of Rome knoweth better then Iesus Christ whâ— is expedient for the peoples saâ— vation Doeth not the Councell Constance in the thirteenth Session Lieut in Primitiva Ecclesia hususmodi SacramentuÌ„ reciperetus a fidelibus sub voâ—aque specis c. confesse that in the primitivâ— Church and consequently in thâ—â— of the Apostles this Sacrameâ— is to bee received by the faith full under both kinds yet after wards forbad the Cup to bee â—â—ven to the people This Tradiâ— tion which a little while sinoâ— hath changed the Apostles observation cannot bee an Apostolical Tradition The Glosse vpon the Canorâ— Lector in the foure and thirtieth Distinction of the Romish Decree saith that Papa dispensat contra Apostolum the Pope dispenseth againâ— the Apostle Pope Innocent the third saith in Innocent 3. Decret Deconcess prabend tit 8. cap. Proposuit SecunduÌ„ planitudinem potestat is de iure supra ius possumus dispensate manner Wee may according to fulnesse of our power dispose of the 〈◊〉 and dispense aboue the Law And â—reover the Glosse of the Docâ—rs addeth For the Pope dispenâ— against the Apostle and against the Testament as also in the vowes and â—hs And the Glosse of the Caâ—â— Sunt quidam in the 1. question the 25. cause Papa dispensat in angelio interpretando ipsum the â—pe dispenseth in the Gospell in â—ving it interpretation Cap. Quantà personam Non enim homo sed Deus separat ques Romanus Pontifox qui noÌ„ purs hominis sed veri Dei viceÌ„ gerit in terris EcclesiaruÌ„ necessitate pensata dissolvit In quae verba Glossa sic habet Etiam aliquid est secunduÌ„ quod homo tit de haret cum Christus Et est verus Deus verus homo gerens veri Dei vicem Vnde dicitur habere coeleste arbitriuÌ„ Etiam naturaÌ„ rerum immutat substantialia vnius reâ— applicando aly Et de nullo potest aliquid faecere Et sententiaÌ„ qua nulla est potest facere aliquam Quia in his qua vult ei est pro rations volunâ—as Nee est qui ei dicat cur ita facu ipse enim potest supra ius dispensare IdeÌ„ de iniustitta potest facere iustitiam In the first booke of Gregory the â—nth decretall at the 7. title Chap. â—e 3. wee haue an Epistle of Innoâ—nt the 3. where hee speaketh â—us Those which the Bishop of Rome â—th separate it is not a man that sepaâ—teth them but God For the Pope holeth place on earth not simply of a man â—ut of true God Which the Glosse â—xplaineth by the example of Iesus Christ who is very God at very man informing vs likewiâ— that the Pope though hee bee verâ— God yet leaueth not to bee somâ— thing the same that man is In proâ—secution where of the same Glossâ— declareth how far forth the Pope power doth exâ—end which is Thâ— he hath celestiall goverment and therâ— fore may change the nature of thingâ— applying the substance of the oâ—e to thâ— other of nothing can create something and a Decree that is void hee caâ— make it in force for in matters the hee will haue come to passe his will iâ— his reason and no mâ—n questioneâ— him wherefore doe you that for he caâ— dispense aboue the Law and of in iustice can make iustice and proueth all this by multitudes of Canons and Decrees Cardinall Bellarmine speakes as much in the 31. Chap. against In bono sensu dedit Christus Petro potestatem faciendi de peccato non peccatum de non peccato peccatum Barkley In good sense and judgement â—rist hath given to Peter and conseâ—ently to the Pope the power of maâ—g that to bee sinne which is no sinne It â—d that which is no sinne to be sinne It no wonder then if by the same â—wer he can make iustice to be inâ—tice and sinne to be no sinne that â— can nullifie the Apostles ordiâ—nces and make them vâ—iust as so cancell the old Traditions and Bell. lib. 4. de Pontet cap. 5 Si Papa erraret in pracipiendo vttia vel prohibenao virtutes teneretur Ecclesia credere vitia esse bona virtutes malas nisi vellet contra conscientiaÌ„ peccaro â—stablish new The same Cardinal â—roceedeth so farre as to say if â—he Pope erred in commanding vices â—nd forbidding vertues yet the Church â—hould bee obliged to beleeue that the â—ices are good and the vertues evill â—nlesse it would sinne against the â—onscience Andradius in his second booke of the defence of the Tridentiue Minime vero maiores nostri religione pietate excellentes ApostoloruÌ„ haec quamplurima alta decreta refigere in aniâ—mum induxissent nisi intelleâ—cissent c. Liquet eos minima errasse qui dicunt Rom. Pontif posse nonnunquam in legibus dispensare à Paulo primis 4. Concilijs Cum certuÌ„ sit noÌ„ omnia quae Apostols institueruÌ„t iure divino esse instituta faith acknowledgeth that His ancestors men excelling in piety haue broken and annulled many Decrees of the Apostles And moreover pronounceth this sentence It is evident that those haue not erred who say that the Romish Pontifies can sometimes dispense with obeying the Law of the Apostle S. Paul and the fower first Councells Whereupon Cardinall Tolet in his first booke of Sacerdotall institution Chap. 68. giveth this reason For all that the Apostles haue instituted is not ordained jure diuino that is to say it ought not to bee held for the word of God Now amongst the Apostles ordinances to discerne such as are jure diuino from those as are not the Church of Rome hath no other rule but the Popes will and pleasure who can make a commandement of the Apostle to bee or not to bee held for the word of God This venerable Cardinall giveth vs the Apostles commandement for an example 1. Timot. 3. Let the Bishop bee husband of one wife For the Pope can admit and allow of bigamies to the Priesthood Cardinall Perron in his booke against the King of great Bretaine Lib. 2. Observat 3. cap. 3. pag 674. makes a Chapter expresly to that purpose entitled Of the authority of the Church to alter matters contained in the Scripture And in the same booke in the Chapter that handleth the Communion vnder both kinds hee saith that when in Pag. 1109. 1115. the forme of the Sacraments some great inconveniencies are mett withall the Church may therein dispense and alter And speaking of the Lords commandement Drinke yee all of it hee maintaineth that this precept was not immutable nor indispensable alleadging that the Church hath judged that there may bee dispensation for it Charles Bovius in his obseruations vpon the 24. Chap.
Scriptures in paper nor was he pleased to committ his mysteries to parchment Salmeron in his second Prolegomenon In the Church of God understanding §. Septimo Scriptura Addimus in Ecclesia Dei esse Spiritum sanctuÌ„ Scriptura authoreÌ„ Non mirum ergo si Ecclesia Dei quae SpirituÌ„ habet subijciatur alwayes the Romish is the holy spirit which is Authour of the Scripture it is no marvell then if the Scripture bee subiect to the Church that hath the spirit What is not the Pope subject to the Scripture is hee not subiect to the Law of God which God hath given us written in two tables Is hee not obliged to obey the Doctrine of the Gospell written in the New Testament Now if the head of the Church of Rome be subiect to the Scripture how much more the Church of Rome that is subject to the Pope But is it not a transcendent blasphemy to defend that the Scripture is subject to the Church of Rome For is not the holy Scripture the Word of God It must otherwise follow that the word of God is subject to men and that Gods commaundements are subordinate to the Pope to whom the Church of Rome is subject Now tell mee after such abhomination whether these men doe beleeue that there is one God and one Religion Thomas Stapleton an English Doctour in his second Booke of the Authority of the Scripture chap. Dâ— non tâ—â—sius siâ—eâ— reguâ—am in se esse scripturam quaÌ„ ipsaruÌ„ scripturaruÌ„ regulam esse fideÌ„ Ecclesiae 11. I haue said and doe say that the Scripture in it selfe is not the rule of faith but the faith of the Church is the rule of Scripture Now the faith of the Church is nothing but Tradition of the Church His scope then is that the Scripture shall bee regulated and examined by the Tradition of the Romish Church and that it shall bee subiect to that rule whence is to bee concluded that God speaking to us in the holy Scriptures is directed by men and subject to their judgment The Prophets whose writings are extant with vs were extraordinarily stirred up to reprehend the church of that time and to chastise the Priestes the Sacrificers and the Scribes that erred in manners and doctrine Now in reason tell me were the prophesies of these Prophets subject to the authoritie of that Church Was the faith of these Sacrificers a rule by which those divine Prophesies were to be examined and which wee haue kept to this present time Goe to then if the prophecies were not subiect to Priests and Sacrificers that lived about the Prophets time how are they now subiect to the Pope by what occasion are they become subiect to the superintendency of the Church of Romes Tradition Briefly wee are now arriued at an age wherein blasphemy is come to the highest degree men openly professing to pull God with violence from his Throne and most insolently to climbe aboue him Surely the Mahometans do speake of the Scripture with more respect and reuerence What is the scope or purpose of Iesuite Regourds late booke intitled Catholicke demonstrations but to proue that to rest vpon the Scripture is the way to all impiety and atheisme If herein he meant only our French Bibles or the diuersity of latine translations or the sundry interpretations which hee discouereth in some of our Doctours though all this which hee saith are but calumnies and a Fardell of vnprofitable trifles which wee haue refuted in a former treatise yet this were to forge vntruths with Method and scarce to touch vpon the question but he meaneth the originals Hebrew and Greeke wherein hee findeth no certainty Hee discouereth in them manifest contradictions Pag. 440. and errour in the calculation of times Hee sayes that S. Paul Pag. 562. vsed fraud but an honest fraud towards the Corinthians He telleth vs Pag. 128. 131. that many bookes of the Scripture are lost that the Scriptures were burnt in time of persecution and the Copies perished that many deuout Doctours Pag. 131. doe affirme that vnder the captiuity of Babylon all the old Testament was depraued rent in pieces and burnt vntill Esdras did newly re-compose the same Scriptures that the Iewes our Sauiours enemies haue made vowells Pap. 183. in the old Testament and so changed the sense of the scripture and made it doubtfull The same saith he is true of the new Testament the which hauing beene written without accents and without markes and distinctions of words no man can assure himselfe of the true sense seeing that the sense dependeth upon the accents c. And a litle further We haue not therfore any true knowledge of the sense of the Scripture and consequently wee are pointed and referred over to the mercy of the contestations of Grammarians to the litigious craft of criticall spirits to the capritious fancies of Dictionary-makers to the Gallimafries and Chimeraes of scholiasts Now for all these difficulties there is but one single remedy to weet we must repaire to the Church that is to say the Pope and whom it shall bee his pleasure to authorise Whereupon it were good to know when there iâ— a question concerning the exposition of an Hebrew or Greeke passage whether a Pope who vnderstands neither Hebrew nor Greeke shall therein be a good Interpreter whether sitting in the Apostoliâ—ke chaire hee shall giue infallible interpretations of a Text whereof he knoweth not a letter whether hauing called the Doctours to instruct him thereupon hee instantly reinuesteth them with an infallible spirit and enableth them with power not to erre in matters wherein hee himselfe vnderstandeth nothing Whence then proceedeth so great a diuersity and contrariety amongst these Doctouâ—s in the Scriptures interpretation why amongst their writings doe they refute the interpretations of one the other Is it not the Pope and the Church of Rome that by the Councell of Trent hath authorised the vulgar â—atine translation and ordained â—hat it should onely be receiued for â—uthenticall although it bee the worst interpretation of all and stuffed with a thousand errours and absurdities haue not the Popes themselues since the Councell of Trent caused multitudes of faults to bee amended therein doe not the most learned of the Romish Church Pagnin Arias Montanus Isidorus Clarius Andradius Sixtus Senensis complaine of the corruption of this translation wherein the Iesuites themselues are not silent especially Salmeron in his Salm. Proâ— 9. Quinqua l. Can. 5. In nouo Testamento sequenda est editio vulgata ac teâ—enda corrigenda tamen emaculanda prius in his in quibus aut temporum iniuria aut labrariorum incurâ—a vel imperiâ—â—a depraâ—â—ta est ninth Prolegomenon of these things wee haue written at large in our first Treatise of the Iudge of controversies The peruersnes of this Iesuiticall sparke is most of all discouered herein that hauing once displayed as hee supposeth the defaults of the Scripture hee reioyceth that such
Councels which the Church of Rome hath approued and by the Popes favorites themselues Wherein also you may perceiue to the number of three and twentie Schismes and many contrary Popes at the same time mutualy entitling themselues Antichrists Yea wherein haue liued many infamous Popes Necromancers Adulterers Murtherers aduanced to the Popedome by whores by Simony and by violence Such as take vpon them the title of God causing themselues to bee adored and Kings to kisse their feete and the Scripture to bee prostrate before them when they enter into the Councels such as vante they cannot erre that they can make another Creed can change Gods ordinances can transport soules out of Purgatory into Paradise and ranke whom they please in the Catalogue of Saints by canonizing them vnder colour whereof they exercise an abhominable commerce and trafficke by Dispensations Absolutions Indulgences Annates Licences and Benefices So as from a poore Bishop of a Citie who was no way eminent but in martyrdomes the Pope is become a puissant temporall Monarch surpassing in riches the greatest Monarchs of the earth To effect so great an alteration it was needfull that Religion should bee changed for the purity and plainnesse of christianity regulated by the Scriptures could not serue to build vp so great an Empire These things haue I amply handled in my first Booke wherein I maintaine the Authoritie of the Scripture Which work went then forth almost the very day that lesuite Regourds Booke against the Authoritie and Perfection of the Scripture was published These two Bookes if any man will compare together shall finde that I answere all that hee pleadeth against the authoritie of the Scripture and that Regourds Booke satisfieth nothing of all that I propose in mine Before that he published his book a Challenge was brought to the Pastors of this Church of Sedan to enter into conference dispute with some Doctors amongst whoÌ„ was Iesuite Regourd wherein they threatned us Wee accepted the Conference the place and day were assigned with all accommodations that after so many Defiances every mans honour should oblige him not to recant Neverthelesse hee durst not appeare and for two severall times failed at the day appoynted But his humour serving him at last to dispute and being thirstie of reputation hee went some where else to discharge his choler and in Conference seiseth upon Monsieur Mestrezat where he received all sort of disgrace so farre forth as his friends were faine to make use of superiour power to draw him from the combate and to hinder the Conference from Printing for it could not be seene but to his dishonour and that in a place where all things were favourable unto him and where the language of Truth is very new and strange And so retired this wittie Doctor as well contented as satisfied being not so wisely advised but to make trophies and signes of victory considering there were so many witnesses CHAP. VIII A Proofe of the same by the practise of the Primitiue Church WEe haue proved by many passages of our Adversaries that in the Church of Rome Traditions are much more esteemed and of greater authority then the Scripture which they so much under-value and charge with a thousand reproaches and that by injustice and most fraudulently the Councell of Trent seemes to make them equall Now are we to proue the same by the practise and maximes of the Church of Rome I. In the first place when our adversaries ground the authority of the Scripture upon tradition of the Church and would haue the Scripture received and beleeved because the Church doth so ordaine it It is evident that they preferre Tradition before Scripture for they make Scripture to depend upon Tradition esteeme Tradition of the Church more worthy of belife then Scripture and beleeue not the Scripture but because the Church of Rome hath so commanded it II. Let vs looke vpon experience and wee shall informe our selues that in the Church of Rome the people is a thousand fold more carefully instructed in Tradition then in the doctrine of salvation contained in holy Scriptures The most ignorant know the meaning of Lent and the foure Seasons they are instructed in the difference of meats they are skilled in Festivall dayes and Eues they goe in Pilgrimage visite the Reliques gaine Pardons purchase Masses Obits and Suffrages for the dead speake of Purgatory mumble over their Chaplet or Beads and their Rosary or our Ladies Psalter and discourse of the Popes succession in Saint Peters Chaire but they are ignorant in the holy Scripture accounting it modestie and humility not to enquire much after it Aske them upon the doctrine of our Redemption in Iesus Christ upon Iustification by faith vpon our free Adoption upon the correspondencie betweene the Law and the Gospell upon the difference between the old and new Testament upon the causes wherefore it was necessary that our Redeemer should bee God and man in the vnitie of person vpon the ends of their Resurrection and Ascension upon the Doctrine of faith and good works which are the poynts wherein consisteth the essence of Christian Religion and you shall finde them as mute as fishes and altogether uninstructed III. Baptisme is a divine Institution but Confirmation such as is practised in the Church of Rome and confection of the Crisome are humane Inventions Yet are they much more honoured then Baptisme for in the Church of Rome a woman yea a Pagan and Iew may baptize and giue that which they haue not and Confirmation is not administred nor Crisome consecrated but by the Bishop with great solemnitie IV. God hath commanded St. Peter and the other Apoâ—â—les to preach the Gospell but gaue them no command to giue Indulgences nor to canonize Saints nor to release soules out of Purgatory nor to consecrate their Agnus Dei and their blessed Beads The first poynt is a commandement of God the other things are humane Traditions which the Pope doth performe with preparation and solemnitie but hee preacheth not the Gospell esteeming the labour of preaching as a thing vnworthy of his greatnesse Insomuch as the Popes are industrious observers of their owne Traditions and adore their owne proper Inventions but dispense with the Lords commandements V. Hence commeth it to passe that the sinnes committed against Gods Law are held to be light in comparison of those committed against the Traditions Decrees and Canons of the Pontifies The inferiour Priests giue absolution of thest of lying and of whoredome which are sinnes against the Law of God but there are cases reserved wherein no man in France can giue absolution but at the poynt of death and they are specified in the Bull De Coena Domini which the Pope thundereth euery yeere on Maunday Thursday before the Paschall The sinnes that are most enormous and whereof no man but the Pope maketh absolution are not murther parricide incest sodomy and perjury but to appeale from the Pope to a future Councell to withdraw Tythes from
the Clergy to take up Armes with heretikes to impeach those that goe to Rome to obtaine the great Pardons to play the Pyrate upon the coasts of the Papall territory from the hill Argentara to Terracina of these hainous sinnes none but the Pope can giue absolution for these are transgressions against the Lawes and Traditions broached by the Popes for their profit and to infringe them is rated a matter more grievous and capitall then sinnes against the Law of God contained in holy Scriptures VI. The Canon Violatores in the 25. Cause and 1. Question pronounceth In Spiritum sanctum blasphemant qui sacros Canones violant that those blaspheme against the holy Ghost who violate the sacred Canons Whence it followeth that this sin is unpardonable The sinns then against the Law of God are remiâ—table and the Priests forgiue them but to violate the Canons of the Church of Rome is a sinne unabsolvable This is that which is spoken by Pope Nicholas Can. Si RomanoruÌ„ Diss 19. Vt si quis in illa coÌ„miserit noverit sibi veniam denegari the first If any one sinne against the Decretalls of the Apostolique Seat let him know that it shall not bee forgiven him at the Canon Si Romanorum in the 19. Distinction And there againe he declareth that the Old and Capitulum S InnoccÌ„ty Papae cuius authoritate deecatur à nobis vtrumque testamentum esse recipienduÌ„ quaÌ„vis in ipsis paternis Canonibus nulluÌ„ eorum ex toto contineatur insertum c. New Testament ought to bee receiued although they bee not inserted in the Canons for the holy Pope Innocent hath expressed his opinion touching the same If the Old and New Testament must be receiued because Pope Innocent hath so appointed it we must conclude that the Decree of Pope Innocent is of more authority then the Old and New Testament For that which giueth authority is greater then that which receiueth it Yet the Old and New Testament had their plenary authority before Pope Innocent was in the world VII Pope Gregory the first before Nicholas had beate the path to this pride in his Epistle to Antonine Subdeacon complaineth of one Honorat who saith hee hath not onely Lib. 2. Epist 16. Non solum mandata Dei neglsgens â—ed scripta nostra contemnens neglected the commandements of God but also misprised our writings as if his writings were of more authority then the commandements of God VIII The single life of Priests is a Them 2. seeundae quast 88. art 11. meere humane institution as Thomas acknowledgeth as also Bellarmine in his booke concerning the Clergie Chap. 18. And in very deed the Scripture speaketh nothing thereupon But whoredome is forbidden by the Law of God neverthelesse if a Priest doth play the Fornicatour or Adulterer it is but a laughing matter But if a Priest doe marry to obey the Apostle speaking If they cannot containe let them marry 1. Cor. 7. 9. And let a Bishop bee a husband but of one wife 1. Tim. 2. 2. this mariage is called a sacriledge pointed at as a prodigious thing In lust and whoring hee transgresseth the Law of God and the vow that hee hath made to obey his word In marrying hee transgresseth the Tradition of the Church of Rome and the vow invented by humane Tradition which is accounted the gâ—eater offence For it hath pleased the Pope to allow of obscene whoredome and to forbid mariage which are two Traditions that haue caried him away against the rules of holy Scripture IX Marke yet something worse Innoc. 3. Extra de Bigâ—nou cap Q carea Post lasts per se Apostolica edoceri si presbyteri plures Conâ— binas habâ— bigame ceâ—antur Aâ— qd duicin râ—spondenduÌ„ quod cum irregularitateÌ„ non incurrerint cum eu tanquaÌ„ simplici fornicatione notatu poleru dispensure Navar. Tom. 2 cap. Ad inferendam 23. quast 3. De defeÌ„sione proâ—â—mi cap. 37. sect 15. RespondenduÌ„ est crimon Sodomiae non comprehendi in criminibus quae irregularitatem inducunt c. Quia parum rejert illud crimen esse gravissimuÌ„ et spurcissimuÌ„ cuÌ„ matus sit crimeÌ„ haeresis mentalis edium Dei quoruÌ„ tamen nulluÌ„ irregularitatem inâ—ucit Pope Innocent the third declare h that a Priest hauing many Concubines is not therefore lapsed into irregularity that is to say doth not for this become incapable to exercise the Priesthood Yea for Sodomy a Priest is not degraded as is taught by Nauarras the Popes Penancer But a Priest that marieth is foorthwith degraded is made a publicke execration and chased with more maledictions then the Azazel or Scape-goat although hee haue the Apostle on his side to protect him against the Tradition It is certaine that in the Church of Rome to eat flesh on Goodfriday is accounted an hundred degrees more horrible then to haunt brothell houses and to breake the arme of an Image is more then to breake the heads of ten liuing men For Tradition is more religiously obserued then the Law of God CAP. IX Three reasons wherefore Tradition is preferred before the Scripture in the Church of Rome THe reasons that haue moued the Pope to exalt Tradition aboue the Scripture are three The one is because the succession of the Pope in the primacie of Saint Peter is a Tradition which is the only prop of his dominion And therefore it neerely concernes him to exalt Tradition vpon which his Empire is founded The second is because Traditions depend vpon the Pope and as hee contriued them so can he alter them But hee hath not the Scripture in his power he cannot make another holy Scripture nor change the Hebrew originall which the Iewes who are not obedient to him doe carefully preserue nor the Greeke Testament which the Greeke Churches haue saued for vs. It concernes him therefore that the Traditions whereof hee is both Maker and Master be had in great estimation The third is because all Traditions are gainefull to the Pope and Clergy and serue to extoll the Papall Empire and dignity of the Ecclesiasticks hee and his Clergy rake vp infinite profit by Indulgences priuate Masses Suffrages and Masses for the deceased Dispensations Annates c. By confessions the Priests know the secrets of families make themselues formidable in reseruing the participation of the chalice to themselues and Kings they make themselues companions of Kings and worshipfull to the people by Transubstantiation they attribute to themselue the Gabriel Biel in Can. Miss Lect 15 NeÌ„ volut Dominus aliquâ—m habere potestateÌ„ ligandi vel solvenis super corpus Christi mysticuÌ„ nisi haberet potestateÌ„ super corpus Christi verâ—â— power of making God with words to create their Creatour and to haue Iesus Christ within their jurisdiction locked up in a Pix By the sacrifice of Masse they make themselues sacrificing Priests sacrificing Iesus Christ to his Father By the institution of festiuall dayes the
universall Councels most ancient of greatest authority and which Pope Gregory the first equalleth to the foure Evangelists Pope Gelasius speakes the same for in his Tome of the Bond of an Anathema disputing against one of the foure first Councells to wit against that of Chalcedon where there were sixe hundred and thirty Bishops he urgeth thus The Apostolicall Seat alone dissanulleth that which a Synodall Assembly Quod refutauit sedes Apostolica habere non potuit firmitatem sola rescindâ— qd prater ordineÌ„ congregatio Synodica pisâ— taverit vsurpandum though to haue vsurped against order The subject of his choler against this so famous and honourable assembly was for that in this Councell is framed a Canon ordaining that the Bishop of Constantinople should be equall to the Bishop of Rome in all things and that hee should haue the same preheminences CHAP. XI Of what sort how weake and how vncertaine the foundations are wheron Traditions of the Romish Church are built and of the three maximes that serue for their defence and prop. THe Traditions of the Church of Rome are of so great a number that a meere Catalogue of them would furnish out a large volume The whole rabble of them hath these three maximes for their foundation 1. That the Pope is Successor to St. Peter in the charge of Head of the universall Church 2. Secondly that the Pope cannot erre in the faith 3. That the Apostles haue not set downe in writing all that they did teach by word of mouth Hee that will comprehend the nature of these maximes shall know that they evert the Christian faith and consume all Religion into smoke for if the Maximes wheron all Papistry is founded and all the body of Romish Traditions bee imaginary maximes and purely humane not to giue a worse phrase it is impossible that the Religion which is built thereupon can haue the least tittle of assurance 1. The first maxime that layeth downe the Pope to bee Saint Peters Successor in the charge of Head of the vniversall Church is destitute of all testimony of Gods Word and our Adversaries to vphold it produce nothing but humane testimonies Whence it followeth that it is not an Article of the Christian Faith and that it cannot be beleeved for a certaintie of faith for the Christian faith is grounded upon the Word of God Faith commeth by â—earing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. But the Church of Rome giveth his maxime not onely for an Arâ—cle of Faith but also for a founâ—ation of all the other Articles of â—aith and of the whole Religion For in the Church of Rome the Popes authoritie is planted to be a Foundation of the Church and of all the doctrine of salvation to the very subjecting of the Scripture that is to say the word of God to his authoritie and to cause that the authoritie of the Scripture depend vpon the opinion of the Church of Rome and all this by vertue of that pretended Succession to St. Peter Briefly our Adversaries make all Christian Religion to hang vpon this poynt as Bellarmine acknowledgeth at the entrance of the Preface in his Books of the Pope speaking thus To say in a word when mention is made of the Etenim de qua re agitur cum de primatu Pontificis agitur breutssime dicam de summa rei christianae â—â— entâ— quaeritur aebeatne Ecelesia diutius consistere an vero dissolui concidere Observ andic est tertia licet force no sit de â—ure diuno RomanisÌ„ PontificeÌ„ ut Romanum Pentificem Petro succecere tamen â—â— ad fidem Catholicam pertinere NoÌ„ enim est idem alsquid esse de fide et esse de ture divine Nec enim de oure divine fuit â—â— Paulus hâ—beret penulaÌ„ est tamen â—â—â— ipsum de fide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 penulam Etsi autem Romanum Pontificem sucâ—edere Petro noÌ„ habeatur expresse in scripturis c. Popes supremacy the summe of all Christianitie is at stake for the question is whether the Church ought to subsist any longer or whether it must bee dissolved and fall Thereunto doe all the Controversies referre and all the Traditions ayme at the profit and greatnesse of the Pope yet the same Cardinall at the 12. chap. of the second Booke of the Pope acknowledgeth that the Scripture maketh no mention of the Popes succession in the place of Saint Peter and that this poyut is not jure divino Neverthelesse hee affiemeth that this succession though it bee not jure divino leaueth not to appertaine to the Catholick faith In the same manner as the Catholicke faith beleeueth that Saint Paul had a Friers weed though that were not jure divine and that God had not commanded any thing to that purpose Hence it is manifest that all the diuine doctrine is founded vpon a plaine humane Tradition to weet a Tradition vnwritten That God hath ordained the Pope of Rome for Successour in the Primacy of Saint Peter Thus you see Tradition grounded vpon tradition that is vpon it selfe and this infinite Masse of traditions is founded vpon a Traditions that is no more jure diuino then Saint Pauls weed whereof never was any diuine Testimony extant I will not at this time enter into proofes of the falsity of this matter which wee haue handled in diuers places especially in my booke that went before and shewed the vntruths by aboundance of reason and authority drawne from antiquity I say but this that the ancient Bishops of Rome were called Successours of Saint Peter in the Bishopricke only of the Citie of Rome but not in the Apostleship nor in the goverment of the vniuersall Church Iust as the Bishops of Ierusalem were called Successors of Saint Iames and those of Antioch of Saint Peter and those of Ephesus of Saint Paul and of Saint Iohn not in the Apostl ship but in the Bishopricke of thâ— townes wherein these Apostles had planted the Church Our adversaries produce not any example or passage of the ancient Church whereby it may appeare that ever the Bishops of Rome attributed any authority to themselues over the Churches that are out of the Romane Empire I say also that when the Bishop of Rome was heretofoâ—e Successor to Saint Peter in place of head of the Church so it was that the heresies which infected this seat as our adversaries themselues doe confesse and the Popes complaine of it and the Schismes which haue rent it there hauing beene two Popes at once sometimes three at the same instant prosecuting one the other to extremity and calling one the other Antichrist did long since breake the chaine of this succession In which Schismes ordinarily the most vicious and most cunning caried it and hee excluded his adversary who had the favour of those Emperours and Kings on whom the fortune of warre did smile This continued straine of succession not being possibly knowen but by the multitude of Histories and Authors both
Greeke and Latine who very often jarre among themselues so far as not to agree vpon the next Successours to Saint Peter it is impossible that the people should know any thing in this succession oâ— should haue any assurance hereof but by the Testimony of those who brag of it and liue by it Moreover our adversaries doe confesse that the Pope and church of Rome may erre in the question de facto Now these questions to weet whetheâ— Saint Peter hath left the Bishop of Rome Successour of his Apostleship or of his Supremacy and whether this succession hath not beene interrupted by Schismes and heresies are questions de facto and consequently of the nature of those wherein our adversaries hold that the Church of Rome may erre And the proofes which our adversaries bring forth are drawne from books which theirselues conuince of falsity and from such fragments as for the most part are supposititious I forbeare to censure any further the certainty of Romish traditions seeing they are all founded vpon one Maxime which is a Tradition humane not vpheld by any Ordinance of God a Tradition which is not an Article of the Christian faith yet at this time is put downe for the ground of Faith a Tradition which is of the nature of those wherein our adversaries confesse that the Church may erre a Tradition whereof the people can haue no certainty nor knowledge but by bookes both Greeke and Latine of infinite length wherein they vnderstand nothing and by the Testimony of those especially who propose it that is to say the Popes who receiuing not the Scripture for Iudge cal themselues supreme Iudges and infallible in all controuersies more especially in that wherein is pleaded their succession and their owne proper authority and infallibility Now it is an easie matter to guesse at what the proceedings of the Enemy of our saluation doe levell Their butt scope is to distill as it were all Religion into a vapour and to make it depend vpon presuppositions not only vaine and vncertaine but also false and imaginary as he that should beare vp an obeliske vpon a smal feskue When some demand Wherefore is it behouefull to receive Traditions the answere is because the Pope hath ordained it Againe if it be demanded whence commeth this authority of the Pope it is answered Because Saint Peter dying hath left the Bishop of Rome Successour of his Supremacy over the Church of the whole world Moreouer when it is asked Can you produce any Ordinance of God for this succession for this point being estated by you for the foundation of the Church and of all the Christian faith it is not credible that God hath ordained nothing of it there they stand caught by the nose not vttering one syllable of the word of God and doe confesse that this succession is not lure diuino nor by the Ordinance of God Only the Popes will bee therein beleeued and call themselues supreme and absolute in a case wherein they are so much interessed and wherein it is disputed of their succession and authority Thus you may see all the Ius diuinum founded vpon a point which is not Iure diuino and all the divine doctrine founded vpon humane Tradition yea vpon humane Testimony the most vncertaine of all for the certainty of the Popes succession is founded vpon the Testimony and authority of the Pope himselfe who is party in this cause and who by this Tradition ruleth and vpholdeth his Empire Nay they doe worse they make not onely these Traditions but the very authority of the holy Scripture to depend vpon this Tradition Let it bee demanded wherefore ought we to beleeue that God hath created man after his owne Image that he hath giuen his Law to Moses in two Tables and that the Sonne of God hath taken flesh in the wombe of the blessed Virgine and is dead for vs It is answered that this is to be beleeued because it is written in the holy Scripture that God hath inspired his Prophets and Apostles Againe let it bee asked wherefore ought the holy Scriptures to bee beleeued and why are wee obliged to put our faith therein The answere Basiliensis ConcilyÌ„ appeÌ„dice Ecclesia Romana sic lequitur Qued autem verum feret Christi EvaÌ„ge leum quâ—mâ—de scire possetu nisi illud vobis patefeeissem Audistu noÌ„nullos ex Apostolu scripsisse Evangelia Sed quoâ—iam quatuer duntaxat approbavi â— Ra vt Evangelia venerantur alia respuuntur is Because the Church of Rome hath so ordained it which hath this authority by vertue of her succession in Supremacy of Saint Peter But vpon this question haue you any commandement from God they answere the holy Scripture indeed speaks nothing of it but the church of Rome is supreme Iudge and hath more authority over vs then the Scripture Neverthelesse in this point it is disputed of the authority of the Church of Rome wherein it is no reasonable thing that shee should bee Iudge much lesse to assigne her selfe Iudge aboue the Scripture Doe but obserue what becommeth of all Christian Religion in the account of these Merchants Their will is that God should bee beleeued because men ordained it and that the diuine truth should haue no other foundation then the evidence and authority of lying men yea such as will bee Iudges in their owne cause and who hauing invented a thousand Traditions all tendiâ—g to their profit hold them all vp by one Tradition alone which hath no other foundation then their owne authority There is no such pernicious stratageme to pervert the Christian Religion as to confound the things that are certaine by vncertaine proofes to plead humane Tradition for their highest and concluding principle and to order that the Christian faith should haue a Maxime that is no Articie of faith and is vpheld by no other authority then of those that publish it and such as by this Maxime enrich themselues and build them vp an Empire on the earth yea all the Churches in the world except the Romish doe reject this Maxime and laugh at this succession as a story contradicted by all antiquity and especially by al the Bishops of Rome who whilst the Romane Empire was in florishing estate never intermedled in any affaire beyond the limits of that Empire as I haue proued at large in my first Treatise The second Maxime is of the same nature and dependeth vpon the first Our adversaries to maintaine all their Traditions say that the Pope cannot erre in the Faith and that likewise by vertue of the same succession For they will haue the Pope Successour not only of the power of Saint Peter but also of his infallibility Now if the Pope should be Successour of the Supremacy of Saint Peter it followeth not thereupon that the Pope cannot erre for hee that is Successour of the charge of another is not therefore Successor of his vertue The Doctors that haue succeeded in the chaire of Moses haue
Heretickes had recourse to Tradition and the unwritten word and that Clemens Alexandrinus suffered himselfe to bee too much carried away in the same THe custome of Heretickes both ancient and moderne is when they are at default in Scripture to have recourse to Traditions Iosephus in his 3. booke of Antiquities ch the 18. affirmeth that The Pharisees had very many observations by the successive Tradition of their Fathers which are not written in the law of Moses Whereupon Iesus Christ at the 15. of Saint Matt. the 3. 9. accuseth them to have transgressed the Law of God by their Tradition which Pharisaical Traditions were doctrines that for the most part commanded things not expresly forbidden in the Law of God as to clense their Pots and Vessell to wash their bodies at returne from Market to lengthen out their Phylacteries to fast twice in a weeke to poure forth longer prayers then ordinary to make conscience of healing the sicke or journeying more then two miles upon the Sabath This I observe to the end it may not be sayd that Iesus Christ condemneth them only for teaching things expresly forbidden in the law of God Tertullian in his booke of prescriptions chap. the 25. telleth us that the Heretikes of his time affirmed Non omnia volunt illv amnibus revelasle quaedaÌ„ enim palam universis quadaÌ„ seeretò at paucio demandasse That the Apostles had not revealed all things to all but that they had commanded some things openly and some in secret and to few But the same Tertullian after hee had written this booke applieth himselfe to defend the heresies of Montanus by the unwritten word speaking in the second Chapter of his booke of Monogamy that Christ De vtroque aute Daminus promus is avit Adouo habeo multa qua loquar ad ves c. pronounced his opinion thereupon when he sayd I have many things to tell you but you cannot at this time beare them away Irenaeus lived at the same time who in his first Booke and fourth Chap. saith that The Carpocratian Iesum in mysterio discipulu suis seersim lequmtum illes expostulasse vt dignis assentsentibus searsum hac tradereÌ„t Heretikes affirmed that Iesus had spoken in private to his Disciples and had required of them that they should teach these things a part to the worthy and to such as give their approbation thereof and in his 2. ch of the 3. booke Cum ex scriptur is arguuntur in accusationem convartuntur scripturarum quasi noÌ„ rectè habeant neq sint ex authoritate et quia varia sunt dicta quia non possit ex hu inventri veritas ab his qui nesetant traditionem Non enim per literat traditaÌ„ illaÌ„ sed per vivam vocem When they are confuted by the Scriptures they revile and turne againe to accuse the Scriptures themselues as if they were not as they should be and had not sufficient authority and because matters therein are diversly spoken and that in them the truth cannot be found by those who are ignorant of Tradition which they say was not giveÌ„ by writing but viva voce by word of mouth Some twenty yeeres after the death of Saint Iohn one of his disciples named Papias Bishop of Hierapolis addicted himselfe to the unwritten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Traditions the which were Parables and strange doctrines and other fabulous devices as Eusebius witnesseth at the last Chapter of the 3. Booke of his Ecclesiasticall History Clemens Alexandrinus a most worthy Author to be read but one who hath his infirmities venteth many vaine things and false doctrines drawne from Tradition as for example that the Greekes were justified by Phylosophy that Iesus Christ descended into hell to Preach to the Iewes that the Apostles also descended thither to Preach to the Gentiles and many other the like fancies all his bookes of his Stromatae are full of them especially the sixth The followers of Artemon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onones insipientisiumi haretici audacias sigm â—toruÌ„ suorum juas maxime exhorret sensus humanus has occasione EvaÌ„gelica colorare nituntur vbi Dominus ait adhuc multa habeo vobis dicere sed non potestis portare mado quasi hae ip a sint qua tune discipuli portare non poterant heretick teaching matters not contained in the Scripture professed that They did exercise them from their predecessors yea from the Apostles as Eusehius hath it in the 5. booke of history chap. the 25. Saint Augustine writing vpon Saint Iohn at his 97. Treatise hath these words The most senselesse Hereticks who would be called Christians strive to colour their bold inventions which are abhorred by humane sense with the pretext of this evangelicall sentence where our Lord speaketh I have yet many things to tell you but you cannot beare them at this time as if these were the same things which the Apostles could not then carry we shall not therefore affront or wrong Cardinall Bellarmine if we ranke him amongst those which Augustine calleth most senslesse Hereticks seeing that hee speaketh as these hereticks imploying the same quotation to proove Romish Traditions speaking thus in the 5. Chapter of his Esse aliquas veras traditiores probatur testimonys ScripturaruÌ„ Primum est Iohan. 16. Multa habeo veâ—is iâ—erâ— sed non potestâ—â— portare moda booke of the unwritten word It is prooved by testimony of Scripture that there are some true Traditions the first testimony is at the 16. of Saint Iohn I have many things to tell you c. Thus have the ancient Heretickes no want at all of Disciples CHAP. XVII An examination of the passages of Scripture whereon they found Traeditions OVr adversaries ground the authority of the Scripture upon unwritten Tradition whence it followeth if they had but reason for it that unwritten Tradition is not grounded upon the Scripture they contest therfore against themselves when they endeavour to ground Tradition upon the Scripture but let us heare their proofes In imitation of the ancient Heretickes they alledge these words of our Lord Iesus to his Apostles at the 16. of Saint Iohn verse 12. I have yet more things to tell you c. This is the passage that served the ancient Heâ—erikes turne to proove their Traditions as Tertul. witneâ— fâ—th in his booke of Prescriptions Chap. 22. such imaginations if men would beleeve them are The succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter invocation of Saints service to images the power of the Pope to draw soules out of Purgatory c. And they pronounce this without any proofe save only because theirselves doe say it and the Pope will have it fo to be unto whom these Traditions are very gainefull But wee had rather beleeve in Iesus Christ who expoundeth himselfe in the same place for at the verse following he declareth to his Disciples that the spirit of truth
nor that hath the Spirit of God in equall measure nothing remaineth more for us but to be instructed by their writings wherein the Apostles speake unto us and their word is yet alive and full of efficacie since their death and departure It is a profane presumption or affected negligence to speake of these writings divinely inspired as of unnecessary scripts and scroles for they which talke that language doe it for this end to withdraw the people from the holy reading thereof as from a frivolous businesse and for the end to distribute the rules therein contained unattentively and in hugger-mugger Shall we call them unnecessary meanes which God hath chosen to informe us concerning his will The which if they were not absolutely necessary of their owne nature yet they are made altogether necessary by the will of God and by the counsell of his providence for hee hath left but this infallible meanes to instruct us And men that speake in the Chaires may erre they are likewise subject to avarice and ambition the two ports thorow which errours doe enter by troops and throngs the Pastours ever accommodating religion to their profit And truly whosoever shall know what was the estate of the Romish church some six score yeres passed and how it consisted only in fabulous Legends in adoration of Reliques in miracles made by images in vertues and perfections of the Frocke or Cowle of S. Francis and Saint Dominick and that Iesus Christ scarce appeared amongst the S t s and that the holy Scripture was utterly estranged unknown will easily acknowledge that the maine barre which hath hindred Papistrie that it should not passe into Paganisme whereinto it was running post hath beene that these holy Bookes were drawne forth of darke ignorance and translated into the vulgar Tongues He will I say acknowledge that the people of the Romish Church owe unto us that little knowledge which remaineth with them and that we have diminished their servitude CHAP. XIX That the Church of the old Testament after the Law given by Moses untill Iesus Christ hath had no unwritten Traditions To the maintenance and increase of their Traditions our Adversaries doe joyne some examples of them which they say have been received in the Church of the old Testament without forme of Scripture since the Law written by Moses Cardinall Perron putteth forward Du Perron coÌ„tre le Roy de la Grand ' Bretagne Pag. 776. some histories and certaine commandements made to particularmen as the commandement to carry the Arke of the Covenant in procession the transferring of the Arke of God from Shilo to another place the charge made to Salomon to build a Temple and yet neuerthelesse the first of them is found in the 3. chap. of Ioshuae verse the 3. and 6. the second at the 78. Psalme verse the 60. the thrid in the 2. of Sam. chap. the 7. verse the 13. and 1. of Kings 5. 5. So little was this Cardinall versed in Gods booke A and though these passages were not found in the Scripture yet could it not bee preiudiciall to vs for they are Histories and commaundements made to particular men not rules and doctrines of Religion Also he octiecteth vnto vs and others after him the immortality of the soule which they say appeareth not in the fiue bookes of Moses these men without doubt scaree turne ouer the Sacred Pages of the Scripture At the 23. chap. of Numbers Balaam speaketh Let mee die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like vnto theirs He that calleth death a dissolution acknowledgeth that the soule suruiueth the body he that accompteth the death of the Righteous to bee blisse-full doeth not beleeue that their soules perish as they do of Beasts At the 59. chapter of Gen. verse the 18. Iacob dying speaketh O eternall I haue vnderstood thy salnation And at the 35. of Gen. 18. it is sayd of Rachel dying and as her soule was in departing Which perpetuity cannot be sayd of soules in Beastes for they perish with the body At the 31. of Deut. 16. God speaking to Moses Behold thou shall keepe with thy Fathers Which doth fully make good that the soules haue their repose after death Neuer did man in his right wits call the estate of some horse after death a sleepe At the 47 of Genef Iacob calleth his life in this world and that of his fathers a pilgrimage and acknowledgeth himselfe a stranger in the world The Apostle to the Hebrews chap. 11 14. declareth that they which say such things declare plainly that they seeke a countrey that is to say a cel estiall one as it appeareth by the 16 verse Icsus Christ at the 22 of S. Matthew to the same purpose and to prooue the Resurrection alleageth the words of God himselfe at the 30 of Exodus I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of lacob for saith hee God is not the God of the dead but of the living But what moveth these men to perswade that the immortalitie of the soule is not fovnd at all in the bookes of of the Law of God except it bee because they themselues doubt of it or because they endeavour to make the Sacred bookes contemptible as failing in a point without the which the same that is called Religion is a meere fallacy and imposture and all the seruice of God is a supersluous toyle and care To the same purpose they adde Iohn Iâ—â—bert chap. 26. p. 324. that the resurrection of bodies the finall Iudgement Paradice and Hell are not contained evidently in all the old Testament whereby it appeareth that the whole study of these men is to reade onely the writings of their doctors in coppying forth their reasons without the paines of comming to the fource which is to finger ouer the leaues of the Scriptures for when should wee have done collecting together the passages of the old Testament which speakes of these things the very Psalmes alone might suffice and consider with me some passages among the rest Psal 16. 12. Thou shalt shew me the path of life in thy presence is the futnesse of toy and at thy right hand there is pleasure for euermore And at the 17. Psal 16. I will behold thy presence in righteousnesse and when I awake vp after thy likenesse I shall bee satisfied with it Gods face is not to bee seene with satiety but after the last alarme of the resurrection And in the 49. Psal 16. God shall redeeme my soule from the Tyranny of Hell meaning of death When hee shall take me vnto him And at the 73. Psal 23. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsell and after that receiue me with glory At the 31. Psal 6. Into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth At the 50 Psal 3. 4. 5. Our God shall â—â—me having a consuming fire before him and a mighty tempest shall bee stirred vp round about him
iudgeth of them who cannot erre in the Faith though all these Traditions tend onely to his profit 8. I affirme the same of the title of the whole Bible being called the Testament or Covenant of God which Title must bee changed if the Scripture be but a part of Gods Testament It were deluding of the World to call contract of marriage a parchment that containeth but the moyetie of the clavses of the contract or to call Testament that which is but a part of the disposall of the last will 9. Towards the conclusion of the Apocalips the Lord Iesus speaks as followeth I testifie vnto euery man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this booke If any man shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke Vpon which passage the Councell of Friuly speaketh thus Concilium Porojuliense Nam in Apocalypsi Iohannes Apostolus sub vnius libri appellatione de tota vtriusque Testamenti se is contestatus est dicens Si quis apposuerit ad hac apponet Deus omnes plagas scriptas in libro hoc In the Apocalips Iohn the Apostle vnder the name of one booke hath protested concerning the whole series or prosecvâ—ion of both Testaments saying If any man adde to these things God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this booke 10. The Apostle Saint Iohn at the 20. Chapter of his Gospell 31. saith These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ and that beleuing yee might haue life through his Name Vpon which passage Cyrill of Alexandria Cyrill lib. 12. in IohaÌ„ cap. ultimo Non igitur omnia qua fecit Dominus coÌ„scripta sunt sed qua scribentes taÌ„ ad mores quaÌ„ ad dogmata putaverunt sufficere vt recta fide operibus as virtute rutil aÌ„tes ad regnum coelorum pervâ—niamus speaketh in this maner All things which our Lord hath done are not written but those things onely which they that did write them haâ—e beleeued to be suffâ—cient to the end that shining in true faith workes and vertue wee may attaine to the Kingdome of heauen 11. Our Lord Iesus at the 15. of Mat. 3. spake to the Pharisees Why doe ye transgresse the commandement of God by your Tradition Observe here that hee saith not yee contradict but ye transgresse the commandement of God by your Tradition Foâ— indeed the Pharisaicall Traditionâ— were for the most part simple aditions to the Law of God having appearance of devotion thingâ— no otherwise forbidden but aâ— God forbiddeth to adde to hiâ— word as to fast twise in a weeke to lengthen out their fringes anâ— Phylacteries of their garments tâ— wash themselues at returne froâ— market scrupulously to cleane thâ— pots and to accompt their pacâ— vpon the Sabbath 12. The Apostle to the Coloâ— chap. 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoâ— you through Philosophy and vaine â—â—ceit after the Tradition of men Aâ— that our aduersaries may not comâ— here to distinguish humane Trâ—ditions from those which â—â— Church of Rome will have to â—â— imbraced for divine and Apostolicall the Apostle specifieth and chiefely condemneth certaine traditions found to be amongst those that are taught by the Church of Rome to wit service of Angels observation of Feasts and the ordinance of those who vsing a distinction of meats did say eate not touch not tast not And this not because they thought the meates to be hurtfull or polluted in their nature but as the Apostle saith teaching these doctrines through voluntary deuotion and humblenesse of spirit in that they no way spare the body nor haue they respect to the fulnesse of the flesh 13. The same Apostle to the Ephesians 2. chap. 20. groundeth our faith upon the Prophets and the Apostles Being built saith he vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles If our faith be grounded upon the unwritten word it is behouefull there be another foundation then the Prophets Apostes For if our adversaries say that S. Paul understandeth the Church to be grounded upon the word of the Apostles aswell written as unwriten they oblige themselues to say the same of the doctrine of the Prophets and also to forge unto us Prophetical Traditions unwritten which were never mentioned or spoken of about Saint Pauls time morâ—ouer we have formerly heard our adversaries maintaining that there are more things essentiall in Religion then the Apostles have taught by mouth or writing 14. At the 16. chapter of Saint Luke 26. the wicked rich man being in hell requesteth Abraham that one amongst the dead should be sent to his brethren to give them advertisement and warne them of their duties least that they should tumble into the like torment to whom Abraham maketh answere They haue Moses and the Prophets let them hearken to them Which is cleerely to say that they ought to content themselves with the Doctrine of Moses and the Prophets which was read in the Synagogues every Sabbath without expecting other revelation For Iesus Christ speaketh of â—he unhappie rich man as of a man that had lived under the old Testament during the time that the Church had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other Doctrine but that of the bookes of Moses and the Prophets Chrysostome doth so understand it in his Commentary upon Galat. 1. Abraham being required to send Lazarus answereth they have Moses and the Prophets if they hearken not to them nâ—ither will they beleeve the dead raised up to life Now Iesus Christ bringeth in Abraham speaking thus to declare that hee would have more faith ascribed to the Scriptures then if the dead were called backe to life 15. At Gal. 1. 8. Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which wee have preached unto you let him be accursed The vulgar translation of our Adversaries interpreteth this passage as we doe Licet nos aut Angelus de coelo evangelizet vobis praeterquam quod evangelizavimus vobis anathema sit Consider now that this translation which the Councell of Trent declareth to be onely authenticall rendereth it praeterquam not contra that is to say other then but not contrary For though this word praeter sometime signifieth contra yet praeterquam cannot be so taken and praeterquam quod can import nothing else but other then that So though the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in Ep. ad Gal. Nâ—que enim si contraria soluÌ„ praedicaverint intulit sed si Evangelisaverint praeter id quod ipsi evaengeli savimus hoe est fi plusculum quippiam ipsi adiecerint Tertull. de praescr ca. 8 Hoc â—rius credimus non esse quod vltra credere debeamus Et cap. 14. Nihil vltra scire omma scire est Et cap. 29. Etsi Angelus de coelo aliter evangelisaverit vltra quaÌ„ nos anathema sit signifieth sometimes contra yet our
upon Ne putemus in verbis scripturarum esse Evangelium led in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum folijs sed in radice rationis the 1. chap. to the Galat. Let us not thinke that the Gospel consisteth in the bare words of the Scripture but in the true meaning and signification not in the superficies but in the very marrow not in the leaues decked with words but in the roote of solid reason The Fathers and ancient Councells were ignorant in such kind of importunate and unmannely divinity when they defined by the Scripture in the first Nicene councell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Sonne is consubstantiall with the Father And when the first Councel of Ephesus decreed against Nestorius that the Virgin Mary might and ought to bee called the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deipara Mother of God The Arians pressed Athanasius to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quomodo â—â—cu in Scripturis 〈…〉 Ego de 〈◊〉 Pater vnum sumus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non potest aliquid certü esse certitudine fidei nisi aut immediate contineatur in verbe dei aut ex verbo dei per avidentem coÌ„sequentiam deducatur c. Neque de hoe principio vel Catholici vel haretici dubitant Salmer proleg 9. prima quinquagena Can. 7. Non tantuns diuinam authoritatem habent siâ—â— ea tenenda Sunt qua in Scripturis expresse conâ—â—entur sed etlam ea omnia qua exilla necessaria euidenti consequentia deducuntus qua doctrina a magno ille Theologo Gregorie ad nos deriuat a est Et Paulo post Dupliciter aliquid esse in Scriptura dicitur aut quia est expresse in ea contentum et in sensu literals deinde omne quod virtute in ea coÌ„tentum est necessaria consequentia extractum Atque his duobus modis agere licet in haeretieos Vazq in 1. Partem Thomae Tomo 2. Disp 110. cap. 1. §. Quarto Nihil refere haue vacam non esse in Scriptura fi vox â—â— signifieat quod Scriptura decet shew them this word consubstantiall in the Scripture to whom Athanasius answereth in his booke of the decrees of the Nicene councell Though the very words be not so couched in the Scripture yet they haue the sence and vnderstanding of the Scripture Gregory of Nazianzen at the end of his Sermon touching Cyprian calls the verbalists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hunters after syllables and words And in his 37. Oration which is the fifth concerning Theology he faith that the loue of the letter is to them a shadow or cloake for impiety Ambrose in his booke concerning the Faith written against the Arians chap. 5. How doe you say that consubstantiall is not in the divine Scriptures as if consubstantiall were any thing else but I am issue of the Father and the Father and I are one We learn out of Photius his Bibliotheca that Theodoret composed an expres treaty vpon this subject the inscription whereof is Against these who affirme that wee ought to relye on the words without having regard to the matter signified Touching this point we have the most learned of our adversaries on our side Bellarmine in his 3. booke of justification chap. 8 Nothing can bee sure in certainty of Faith unlesse it bee contained immediatly in the word of God or drawne from the word of God by some evident consequence Salmeron in his 9. Prolegomenon Not onely the matter which is immediatly conteined in the Scriptures hath divine authority and ought to be allowed with faith but also all things that are drawn from thence by necessary euident consequence which doctrine hath bin derived vnto us from Greg. that great Divine And a little after a thing is sayd to be in the Scripture two manner of wayes partly because it is therein contained expressely and in the litter all sence partly because it is contained vertually therein and is drawne from thence by necessary consequence now it i Ì„s lawfull to dispute with Heretickes both these wayes Hee bringeth Purgatory merrits and satiffactions for examples wordes that himselfe confesseth not to be in the Scripture but may be drawn from thence by consequence Iesuite Vasquez It importeth not whether the word be in Scripture or no so as that which it signifieth be in the Scripture Iansenius Bishop of Gant affirmeth the same at the 107. Chapter of his Harmony Our confession is frivolously obiected unto us which saith in the 5. Article that the Scripture is the Rule of all verity containing all that is necessary for the service of God and our salvation to the which it is not lawfull to adde diminish or alter For if these Novice Doctors affoorded themselues the leasure to read the following lines they should there find that wee avow the three Creeds to wit the Apostles the Nicene and the Athanasian Which notwithstanding are not found in the Scripture in such and so many words And in the Article following wee approve of that which hath bin determined by the ancient councels touching three persons in one individuall essence yet the determinations of Councels are not found to bee in the Scripture in the same termes Our confession confineth uâ—â—â— more to the Scripture then the Councell of Trent bindeth our adversaries to the word written and unwritten Yet they would not be interrupted thereupon nor that we should enjoyne them to shew euery word spoken by them to be in so many syllables in the written word or in that which is not written Whereas they suffer us not to bring one passage of Scripture for exposition of another unlesse wee suddenly bring a third that saith this passage expoundeth that By such proceeding they take away and extingnish all meanes of expounding Scripture by Scripture wherein also they contradict the Elders and Doctors of the Church of Rome who grant that Scripture shall bee interpreted by Scripture as we have mentioned in my former booke of the Iudge of Controversies Chap. 4. For the exposition of these words This is my body we allege the passage of the Apost saying This Bread which we breake Is it not the Communion in the body of Christ Likewise When youshall eat of this Bread or drinke of this Cup you shall declare the death of the Lord. Hereupon these youngsters require a passage which saith that these two last passages are the exposition of the first Wee answere that it is not needfull for it is sufficient that these three passages speake of the same thing For to understand the Doctrine of the Euchariâ—â— it is behoovefull to collect together all that the Scripture maketh thereof mention seeing that passages so comparatively united doe manifest and interpret one the other These new Disputants in rejecting all syllogismes and all arguments are obstinate and unexcusable For by what reason can they banish the use of reason from Divinity It were fitter for them to addresse themselves to the Thomists and Scotists
in ipsius pastoris vocibus in Euangelistarum praedictionibus loboribus hoc est in 〈◊〉 Caenoniâ— is sanctorum librerum authoritatibus their Bishops and the beleefe of the people saith Such like matters being layd aside let them demonstrate and proue their Church if they be able not in discourses and rumors of Africans not by the Councells of their Bishops nor by the writings of such and such disputants nor by cheating signes and miracles for against those devices we are armed and prepared with the word of God but by the ordinances of the Law by the predictions of the Prophets by the Canticles of the Psalmes by the words of the Sheepheard himselfe by the preachings and paines taking of the Evangelists that is to say by all the Canonicall authorities of the holy Bookes But as concerning another difficulty proposed to wit that there was obscurity in the Scripture and that there was difference and disagreement touching the sense of the passages which were alledged hee doth not in manner of our adversaries who striue to make the Church infallible interpreter for in so doing one of the parties should be judge and the Church should not bee subject to any judgment but he averreth that leaving the obscure passages every one may make use of those that are plaine presupposing that what is said obscurely in one passage is cleerly manifested in others Assuring withall that there is no other way to avoyd doubtfulnesse and Cap. 4. Hoc etiam praedico atque propono vt quaeque aperta manifesta deliga mus quae si in S. Scripturis non inuentreÌ„tur nullo modo essent vnde aperireÌ„tur clauso illustraereÌ„tur obscura Lib. 2. de doct Chri. cap. 9. In his quae aperté posita sunt in Scriptura inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fideÌ„ moresque vivendi difficulty I propose this saith he to the end we may chuse the passages that are most cleere and manifest the which being not found in the holy Scriptures there should be no further meanes to open things that are shut up and explaine the obscure For as he speaketh in another place In matters that are plainely set downe in the holy Scriptures are found all things that concerne the faith and good manners As Basil hath it in his Breviores Regulae at the 267. Answere The matter that seemeth to bee obscurely mentioned in some passages of the Scripture divinely inspired are interpreted by that which is more cleerly set downe in other places Hee in his third booke against Maximine Chap. 14. disputeth thus Sed nunc â—nec ego Nicanum nec tu debes Ariminensa tanquaÌ„ pâ—aiudicaturus proferre Concilium Nec ego huius authoritatate nec tu illius detineris ScripturaruÌ„ authoritatibus non quoruÌ„cimquo propijs sed vtrique communibus testibus res cuÌ„ re causa cum causa ratio cuÌ„ ratione concertet against an Hereticke Now I ought not alledge the Nicene Councell nor thou the Ariminensian by way of prejudging I am not bound to the authority of that nor thou to the authority of this Let one thing be opposed to another one cause to another and one reason to another reason and this by authorities of the Scriptures which are not particular to such and such but are common witnesses to one and the other party Origen in his Homily upon Ieremie It is necessary that we bring the Necesse nobis est sanctas Scripturas in testimonium vocare SeÌ„sus quippe nostri enarrationes sine his testibus non habent fideÌ„ Bell. lib. de verbo Dei noÌ„ scripto cap. 11. sect 2. holy Scriptures to witnesse for without them our opinions and reports are not worthy to be beleeved Bellarmine answereth that Origen speaketh only of obscure questions concerning which he thinketh it behoovefull that they be taught by the Scripture But besides that the whole proceeding of Origen in this passage maketh the contrary to appeare the Cardinall deceiveth himselfe if hee thinke that the things easie to bee understood as that God hath created the world and that Iesus Christ is dead for us have not as much need of the authority of the Scripture as those that are obscure but on the contrary it is not necessary to penetrate into the knowledge of many obscure things and God hath not deemed it requisite to satisfie curiosity therein Moreover Bellarmine speaking in that manner condemneth a great number of Traditions in the Romish Church which are most obscure as the Tradition of Limbus for the Fathers and that for little infants The Tradition that the Saints know our thoughts and behold all things in Gods face The Tradition of accidents without subject in the Eucharist The Tradition that the Virgine Mary is crowned Queene of heaven which are things wherein mans understanding is benummed all being full of uncertaine presumptions And it were most needfull to have the Scripture testifying for them if it bee so that in obscure things wee ought to bee taught by the holy Scripture Theod. lib. 1. Histor ca. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will adde the opinion of the Emperour Constantine the great for a close who was the man in this world after the Apostles that did most good to the Christian Church Of him Theodoret reporteth that at the overture of the great Nicene Councell exhorting the 318. Bishops assembled to determine controversies hee speaketh in this manner The Evangelicall and Apostolicke bookes and the Oracles of the ancient Prophets instruct us plainely in our Beleefe concerning divine matters Wherefore all unfriendly contention being throwne to the ground let us draw the solving of doubts from the words divinely inspired This holy discourse displeaseth Bell lib. de verb. Dei nâ— scripto cap. 11. §. tertio Eâ—at ConstaÌ„tinus magnus Imperator sed non magnus Ecclesiâ— Doctor And rad lib. 2. Defens Fidei Trid. initio Non advertuÌ„t imprudentes hoâ—ines tantuÌ„ Arianis qui Sâ—leuciâ— convenerunt ist aÌ„ Constanâ—ini â—rationâ—â— arrisâ—ssâ— Bellarmine for he saith That Constantine was a great Emperour but no great Doctor of the Church and that he understood not the secrets of religion And Andradius affirmeth that these words of Constantine pleased none but the hereticall Arians But who was he among the Ancients that ever blamed this Emperour for speaking so Yea doe not all the Historians magnifie his prudence and sage management of affaires in this Councell And verily this Councell hath followed his counsell and refuted not the Arians by other strength of Argument then by the holy Scripture It is evident by this passage that Constantine untill then had allowed no other instruction but by the holy Scriptures and that no man taught after the fashion of the Romish Church at this time wherein men begin with Tradition in saying that the authority of the Scripture is founded vpon the Tardition of the Church If then in matters necessary to salvation these Doctors for three or foure ages
after the Apostles did reject all Traditions not contained in the holy Scriptures much more and with stronger reason it standeth that after so many ages transacted there should be lesse probability of cause to make new additions For when shall there be any cessation of adding Bellarmine in his 3. chapter against Barkley perceiuing that the Popes power to depose Kings is destitute of all Testimony of antiquity Non rectâ— dâ— Ecclesia sentit qui nihil admittit nisi quod exprâ—ssâ— in vetâ—râ— Ecclesia scriptuÌ„ aut factum â—sse legit Quâ—sâ— Ecclesia posterâ—â—ris temporis auâ— desiâ—rit essâ— Eclesia aut facultatâ— non habuerit explicandi declarandi constituendi â—tiam et iubâ—ndâ— quâ— ad fideÌ„ et mores Christianos pertinent saith that hee judgeth not soundly of the Church of Christ who admitteth nothing but what he readeth expressely to haue beene done or sayd in the ancient Church As if the Church of the latter time had either discontinued and left off to be a Church or had not the faculty of explicating or declaring constituting and ordaining matters which concerne the faith and manners of Christians Whence it followeth that the Church of Rome is not yet compleate and finished in her perfection seeing that precepts touching the faith and rule of moralitie may be added thereunto as indeed there are yet many that are hot in the forge and freshly hammered upon the anvile of avarice and ambition But this Cardinall ought to consider that seeing this Tradition touching the Popes power to depose Kings maketh the Pope King of Kings It is not just or reasonable that the Pope should be judge thereof nor that he should bee permitted without rendering accompt to any other person to introduce such Traditions without the word of God whereby to enveagle the temporall wealâ—h and to make himselfe the moâ—arch on earth By this very doctrine the Iesuite equalleth in authority the Romish Church of this time to the Church of the Apostles time Yet it is the Church of the Apostles time which regulateth the succeeding ages And those first Heraulds of grace in Iesus Christ are yet seated vpon the twelue thrones ludging the twelue Tribes of Israel From this source proceeded the Bull Exurge which is at the end of the last Lateran Councell placing this amongst the heresies of Luther when he sayd that It is not in the power of the Pope and Church of Rome to establish Articles of faith Hence also proceeded the remonstrance Syn Flor. Sess vlt. Romana Ecclâ—siâ— nâ—cessitatâ— vrgente iurâ— suo partâ—culâ— illam ex filioque Symbâ—lâ— appâ—nere liâ—u â—ssâ— which the councel of Florence published that the Church of Rome had just power to adde to the Creed CHAP. XXIIII How the Texts and Passages of the Fathers which our adversaries alledge for the unwritten Traditions ought to be understood SEeing that in matter of Christian faith and the points necessary to salvation the Fathers doe unanimiously cleaue to the sole word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures it were a strange thing if after this they should seeke to ground themselues upon Traditions and to surmise in matter of salvation another word unwritten Certainely the Doctors who should destroy that which they have built vp ought not to be beleeved by no meanes should they bee credited who credit not themselues Now for the better purging of Three sorts of good Traditions them from this blame it would be necessary to remember that which wee have formerly spoken to wit that we reiect not all sorts of Traditions for the Scripture it selfe is a Tradition which is one reason A second is because there are Traditions which are not matters of Faith nor necessary to salvation but customes and reglements touching Ecclesiasticall policy which wee willingly approove when wee see that they have beene receiued in the auncient Church by a generall consent And Satan having alienated any one of these customes and turned it to Idolatry or converted it to any other end unpractised before wee doe not beleeue that in deserting such a custome Christian Religion is a whit impaired but it were wisely done to barge up that gate against the devill A third is because there are also Doctrines taught in the Scripture which are there not found in the same termes as the Ancients propose them but are therein found in equivalent words or are deduced from thence by necessary consequence If any man will call these doctrines Traditions wee will not quarrell him thereupon provided that he allow such Traditions to be bottomed with the Scripture and there to be found in substance I say then as often as the Fathers mention and give way to Traditions their meaning is of those three sorts afore recited that is to say either of the Scripture it selfe or of customes and reglements of Ecclesiasticall policy and of matters not necessary to salvation or of occurrences contained in the Scripture yet not there found in the same words as the auncients propose them but in substance and â—y consequence to proove the which wee have employed the Chapter following CHAP. XXV A proofe of that which went before SOme doe object Irenaeus unto us who wrote abou the end of the second age that in his 3. book 4. chap. disputing against Hereticks that gave no admission to the Scriptures laboureth to convince them by Traditions that is to say as he expoundeth himselfe by the succession of the doctrine left from hand to hand in the Churches erected by the Apostles What Quid auseÌ„ si neque Apostoli Scripturas quidem reliquissent nobis nonne oporteret ordinem sequi traditionis quam tradiderant â—â—s quibus coÌ„mittehant Ecclesias saith he If the Apostles had not left us the Scriptures would it not have beene needfull to follow the order of Tradition which they delivered to those unto whose trust they committed the Churches And to good purpose he sayd it for if wee had not the holy Scriptures wee should have been constrayned to have recourse vnto weaker meanes and of lesse certainty And it behooveth that when he speaketh in that manner it bee to such as are refractary and averse from the Scriptures but not to vs who cordially embrace them and set up our last rest upon them Moreover from the time of Irenaeas the succession was but short and the memory of things taught by the mouth of the Apostles fresh of the which the remembrance would bee razed and put out if we had not the writings of the Apostles For the continuation of time and the subversion corruption and schisme of so many Churches which then unamimously concurred and are now at variance boasting of their succession maketh this search and examination impossible to the Christian people and full of uncertainty But at length what are these doctrines which Irenâ—us would have to bee taught and learned by Tradition if we had not the Scripture Is it invocation of Saints service of Images adoration of Relickes the
adversaries therefore exclude Saint Cyprian and his companions from salvation Or doe they beleeve that hee failed in something necessary to salvation Indeed Saint Augustine in the same chapter of his second booke against the Donatists affirmeth NonduÌ„ nat diligenter illa ptismi astio peractata that This question of Baptisme was not yet well dicussed and explained in Saint Cyprians time But it is not credible that the Christian Church at that time should be unresolved upon any point necessary to salvation This is above all to be confidered ug lib. 1. â— Baptismo â—ntra Doatistas I am â— videar huâ—anis arguâ—entis id aâ—re c. ex â—vangelio â—rofero certa â—ocumenta â—ide et lib. 2 a. 14. Et li. â—ca 7. Et li. â— ca. 4. et 23. â—cripturaris â—anctis testimonijs no soâ—â—â— collâ—giâ—â— sed planè 〈◊〉 that Saint Augustine himselfe who telleth us that the Apostles wrote nothing as touching this matter and that this Custome commeth by Tradition doth not sticke to handle this question by the Scriptures and bringeth many passages from thence which he affirmeth to be certaine and the proofes to be cleere Whence it appeareth that by the things unwritten hee understandeth matters which are not in expresse termes in the Scripture but are deduced from thence by good consequence These things serve for the cleering of a passage in the same Father at chap. 33. of his first booke against Cresconius where speaking of the reâ—baptization of Hereticks hee hath it thus Although there bee no certaine example vouched for this out of the Scriptures yet herein we preserve the authority of the sacred word when wee doe that which pleaseth the Church universal For he speaketh of a point not necessary to salvation and of a Custome but not of a Doctrine of faith The which Custome neverthelesse he groundeth upon the Scripture The same answeres may serve to resolve all other passages produced out of the ancients For by these Traditions whether they understand the holy Scriptures themselves and the Doctrine of the Gospel or whether they understand Doctrines not contained in the Scriptures in expresse terms but drawne from thence by consequence or that they understand Customes Ceremonies and Laws of Ecclesiasticall policie allowed by the universall Church wee willingly embrace all these Traditions For though we place this last sort of Traditions farre below the two first yet no Ceremonie can be brought unto us nor Law of Ecclesiasticall policie which hath beene generally received by the universall Church of the first ages but we also doe approve of them CHAP. XXVI Three ancient Customes which wee are blamed to have forsaken THere are three Customes and ancient observations which are cast upon us for a reproach that we have left them that is to say the signe of the Crosse in the forehead prayer for the dead and Lent Our answere is that these are Customes which have not alwaies been and which the Apostles have not observed and lastly which were diversly practised in divers Churches and in divers ages so as if wee were to chuse what age and what Church we ought to adhere unto we should find our selves much puzled The best is the Church of Rome hath changed these Customes and under a shadow of keeping the words hath wholly perverted the thing it selfe having turned the signe of the Crosse August de verb. Domini Serm. 8. Ne de cruce Christi erubescat in froÌ„te illam figat vbi sedes puderis which was but a marke of the Christian profession into superstition and idolatry into conjuration preservatives and spels to repulse the Devils temptations not onely of men Efficit super ea crucis signaculum vt per crucis virtuteÌ„ omnes comitatus diabolieae malignitatis effugiâ—â—ne contra â—â—â—cerdotem vel sacrificiuÌ„ aliquo modo prevaleat N adiouste que l'encens sert aussi à chasser les diables but of Iesus Christ For In the Masse they make signes of the Crosse by a prescribed number not onely upon the Bread not confecrated but also upon the consecrated Hoste for feare lest the assaults of the Devill should prevaile against it as Pope Innocent the third doth teach in his 2. booke of the mysteries of the Masse chap. 58. It is the same concerning prayer for the dead whereof the first mention is found to be some two hundred yeeres after the birth of our Saviour which was made for the Saints Apostles Prophets Martyrs and for the faithfull to the and they might bee raised at a better houre then the rest or bee the more lightly scalded with the fire â—â— the last judgement and after â—ome refreshment in the sleepe of â—eace they might rise joyfully to â—verlasting Salvation But the Pope â—ath changed these into prayers for â—ormented soules in Purgatory â—king this occasion to eclipse the â—erfection of the benefit of Iesus Christ Whose blood purgeth us â—rom all sinne 1. Iohn 7. and so to â—ake a trade and trafficke whereby â—o heape up riches innumerable The same abuse is crept into â—ent which the Pope maketh use â—f to advance his Empire usuring thereby the power to modeâ—ate the Bellies Kitchens Markets â—nd Tables to give dispensations â—nd to change fasting into a diffeâ—ence of meats and an exercise of â—umility in matter of Merite and of satisfaction as well for him that fasteth as for another And wheras heeretofore this abstinence was free and every man did fast before the Paschal as many dayes as hee thought good and that these reglements were made by ordinances of the Bishops in every Church the Pope hath thereto imposed a precise necessity unlesse a dispensation bee obtained from him or his Ministers And lastly he hath drawne to himselfe a power that hee had not formerly but only in the Bishopricke of Rome which was a particular Church This is our beliefe that the things necessary to salvation ought not to bee abolished by reason of the abuses which are and may bee thrust into them but we must take away the abuse and returne to the fountaine which is the word of God But as for things not necessary nor perpetuall nor observed from the beginning and without which the Christian faith may â—ubsist in its integrity when corruption is infused amongst them and the use is transformed into abuse and idolatry or tyranny or superstition it is prudently done to shave off the occasions of abuse and firmely to shut this gate against the Devill CHAP. XXVII That the Traditions of the Romisâ— Church of this time have nothing in common with the unwritten Traditions mentioned by the Fathers IT appeareth how weake and how little to the purpose all is which our adversaries doe produce in the behalfe of the antiquity of their Traditions For the unwritten Traditions which they have recited are not Doctrines oâ— the Christian faith that adde anything to the Doctrine of salvation contained in the Scriptures as â— have prooved but customes and ceremonies and observations
oâ— Ecclesiasticall policy Now thâ— Traditions of our adversaries arâ— of another nature They put fore most the Popes succession in thâ— Apostleship and supremacy of Sâ— Peter over the universall Church vpon which Tradition they make all religion to depend Yea they maintaine that the Church is founded not only vpon Saint Peter but also vpon the Popes that are his pretended successors They stuffe our eares with Invocation of Saints with religious service to Images and with adoration of Reliques which are Traditions that shake and totter the service and religious adoration due to God alone and doe establish articles of the Christian faith to weet that the Saints doe know our hearts and that wee must imploy them for mediators and that they can heare our prayers effectually So likewise doth the Church of Rome tell us of superaboundant satisfactions of the Saints which the Pope gathereth into the Treasure of the Church and distributeth them amongst others by his Indulgences This Tradition ushereth in three new articles of faith The first is that man by his punishments and afflictions can satisfie God more then his sinnes doe merite The second is that God receiveth the satisfactions of another for payment of our sinnes The third is that God hath established the Pope to bee distributor of the satisfactions of another and commandeth him to gather them together into the treasure of the Church What is all this but a new Gospell Certainely if these Traditions be true the holy Scripture is a booke very imperfect in the principall materialls of Christian faith For what is there more important then the remission of sinnes Also the Tradition of Monasticke vowes layeth downe this Doctrine which is a new article of faith to weet that man can performe workes of supererrogation that is to say more good workes and more perfect then those which God hath commanded in his Word I say as much of the Communion under one kind wherein is impleaded the abridgment of the moity of the Sacrament instituted by the Sonne of God Not to speake of so many other Traditions which are not only additions to the Scripture but meerely diametrall contradictions to it This also is worthy of consideration that when the Fathers doe rehearse some examples of unwritten Traditions they doe not mention those of the Romish Church at this time but others that the Church of Rome hath disestemed and observeth not as prayer towards the East The prohibition of fasting on the Lords day The custome to pray standing on the same day and from the Paschall to Pentecost The custome of tasting the milke and hony after Baptisme and not to bee washed seven dayes after The prayer for the deceased Saints to the end they may be raysed at a happyer houre and in their sleep of rest they may find refreshment with such like matters which the Church of Rome hath pretermitted because they served not the Popes turne but hath invented others that are more gainefull and better accommodated to the profit and exaltation of the Pope and all the Roman Clergy CHAP. XXVIII of the multitude of Traditions in the Church of Rome THe saying of Cornelius Tacitus Ann lib. 3. In corruptissima republtca plurima leges is very true that the worst and most corrupted Republiques are those which have most lawes For in the same proportion that vices waxe strong the lawes also are multiplyed especially when the Lawes themselves become vices and mischieses are applyed for remedies If this bee true in humane affaires much more in Divine and in the Doctrine of salvation It is certaine that in civill affaires posterity instructed by experience hath often redressed the occurrences changing them into better and hath cured old evills with new lawes But as for the Doctrine of salvation delivered by God himselfe this will admit of no alteration without infinite impiety It is not for Subjects to adde to the lawes of their Soveraigne nor for Men to presume to bee wiser then God It will be found that all the Traditions which men have added to the Scripture are so many infringements of the Law of God which under the colour of adding thereunto doe overturne that which God hath established and are so many artificiall meanes through a glorious pompe to dazell the eyes of the People and to amuse them whilst they are seduced and lastly to enrich and exalt the Clergie For the Prelates of the Church of Rome carnestly bent to their profit have taken sufficient notice that the Gospell in its simplicity could not serve to build up their Empire And although this numberlesse rhapsody of Traditions should not bee woven by a fraudeulent workemanship yet the confounding multitude of new ordinances smothereth the old and causeth that things necessary cannot bee discerned from superfluous and that Iesus Christ is scarce knowne among the Saints and the absurdity of many new inventions by their addition doe call the ancient Doctrines into suspicion and weaken their certainety Especially when they make the true knowledge of Divine doctrine to depend upon the authority of humane Tradition and God to bee beleeved because men have so ordained it as it is now practised in the Church of Rome Adde to this the inclination of man to worship his owne proper inventions and to till and improve that most industriously which hee himselfe hath planted For as the earth nourisheth nettles which her selfe hath produced much better then good plants that are strange and brought from farre so the spirit of man is restlesse in taking care that the lawes be observed which he of himselfe hath invented much more then those which Iesus Christ hath brought from heaven especially when these new Doctrines are gainefull to the projectors and a prop to their dominion Hence it commeth to passe that in the Church of Rome the doctrine of the Gospel which consisteth of rules few easie is a clasped book to the people and the commandements of God are of little moment but the Traditions though toilesome and almost innumerable are most religiously observed and with marvellous obedience Amongst all the Religions that ever were in the world the Romish in multitude of Lawes and Traditions beareth the Bell away the number of them being so great as scarce an age will suffice to learne them And it had beene very requisite that when the Councell of Trent did establish Commissaries to attend the censure of prohibited bookes it should have established other Officers immediatly to collect together the unwritten Traditions and to put them in order for seeing that by the authority of this Councell the Romish Traditions were declared to be of equall authority with the Scripture it was convenient that these Traditions being digested into a body should have beene annexed to the Scripture to the end to have the body of Christian Religion entirely together But they gave their minds to be neglectfull in this point for feare of affrighting the people with many myriads of Traditions of prodigious
length as also lest the people should compare the vanity of these Traditions with the sanctity and excellence of the holy Scriptures which our Adversaries hinder to bee read with all their might and diligence Moreover our Adversaries doe say that the Pope and the Church of Rome can adde to the Creed and establish new Articles of faith Wherupon it followeth that if Christian Religion may suffer yet more additions to bee matters essentiall the Fathers did vainly labour to make a perfect body of the Christian Religion seeing that it is as yet imperfect I being moved with these considerations which doe altogether hinder them did designe with my selfe to make a collection of all the Traditions of the Church of Rome and to lend helpe to their negligence But being entred therinto I perceived the labour to bee endlesse and was overwhelmed with the multitude It hath happened to mee as to those that settle themselves in an evening to count the first starres that appeare and whilst they are counting the first others appeare then more so as all their reckoning is interrupted This labour increasing underhand dulleth the edge of a mans desire and so much the rather seeing there is no man but is soone weary of gathering uselesse drosse together If I were disposed to make a perfect Catalogue of the Romish Traditions it would bee necessary for me to decipher and paint forth the infinite diversity of Masses the Services and Suffrages of the dead the Rubriques and Proviso's to supply the defects of the Masse arising either from some defect in the person of him that celebrateth or from the place or from the time or from something in the matter or in the intention It would be needfull for me to insert all the lawes touching the administration of the Seven Sacraments and the disciplines of the Romish Pontificallity that direct the collation of the seven Orders The Consecration of the Bishops the Archiepiscopall garment the benediction of Abbots Abbesses and Nuns the Dedication of the Churches the Consecration of the Altars whether fixed or portative together with the vessell and moveables of the Church and Churchyards the reconciliation of the Churches and Church-yards in case of pollution by effusion of blood or by other dishonest act or by the interrement of an Hereticke the benediction of the Images Crosses Corporalls Reliques Bels and Standards the Consecration of the Chrysme and the Fonts the Admonitions Excommunications and Reconcilements of Penitents on Maundy Thursday the forme of Degradings and Exorcismes the single and double shaving the infinite variety of Monkes and their Orders of the divers priviledges and spirituall graces which the Pope hath granted unto them It would like wise bee needfull for mee to represent the lawes of the booke of holy Ceremonies wherein the forme of the Popes Obsequies and Funerals and of the Election and Coronation of a new one is prescribed The submissions which the Kings owe in the Procession that is made at his Coronation and at the Feast The Coronation of the Emperor by the hand of the Pope with his shamefull homages and submissions to his Holinesse The benediction of the Knight of the Church The benediction of the Rose on our Lords day Laetare and of the sword on Christmas night The Consecration of the Agnus Dei The Creation of Cardinals The power of Apostolike Legats The Order of the Consistory and of the Conclave and of the Councel when the Pope is resident there in person or by his Nuntio's The Papall Masse and how the Pope receiveth the Communion The Popes Habits his Episcopall Miter his Royall Crowne and a thousand the like things whereof the very names doe terrisie us and the Lawes and Disciplines for quantity doe surpasse the Bible in thicknesse It would have beene needfull to adde a thousand villanous and ignominious precepts touching busie and unchaste interrogations which the Confessors make the determinations touching the cases of conscience But modesty hath hath not permitted it and I was loath to staine my booke with such infamous rules which teach vices under the shadow of examining and reprehending them Therefore to put some bounds to this trouble I have contented my selfe to bring traditions which concerne the Doctrine that is to say which in some sort thrust at the Law of God and the Doctrine of the Gospel that concerne the Sacraments and the Orders and the Ecclesiasticall charges with some superstitions where the abuse is most grosse and apparant I have drawne all these Traditions from the publike practice from the Councels approved by the Popes from the text of the Masse it selfe and from the Decrees Decretals and Extravagants of the Popes And from some of the more famous Authors as Lombard and Thomas two Princes of the Schoole Bellarmine Vasquez Gregory of Valence Tolet Emanuel Sa that are Iesuites Navarre the Popes Penitentiary the three later I quote most often because they maintaine their sayings by a multigude of other Doctors so as under the name of one Authour I alledge many All such as have hearts disposed to learne shall here see with admiration mixed with griefe as in a small contracted table the whole massie body of Papisme varied with a hundred thousand colours and shall be able thereby to profit For the simple recitall is enough for refutation and to leade foorth into view the mystery of iniquitie FINIS