muche that euen the verie elect if it were possible should be brought into errowre And saint Paule sayth you shal come with lieinge signes and wonders and wyth al deceyueablenesse of vnrightuousnesse And to Timoth he sayeth you shall forbyde mariage and meates So playne is it in al the scripture that thei that read it must neades vnderstand it Most euident and playne it is that ye be euen of the same sinful sinagoge For trulye the spouse of Christe is obedient to hir bridgrome The disciples of Christe herken to theyr Maister And doubtles we can not be Christes verie disciples vnlesse we continue in his doctrine He y t is of God heareth goddes worde and he that kepeeth thys worde shall neuer se deathe Moyses sayeth You shall put nothinge to the worde whiche I commaunde you neyther take ought ther from etc. Agayne You shall turne neyther to the ryght hande neither to the lefte but in the waye which your lord god cōmaundeth shal ye walke What more playne cōmaundemēt can ther before the establishment of the authoritie of y e word of god Moises had the childrē of Israel shoulde write them vpon the postes of ther dores bynde them vpon theyr hādes to teach their children He sayeth they be oure lyfe And Christe sayth his wordes be spirit and life Saint Peter saith we haue a sure word of prophecie ye do well to take hede ther vnto as vnto the light that shineth in a darcke place c If this worde were not wrytten that we myght knowe whyther to resorte for al thys what should it auaile al these wordes What were we the nere for all these testimonies if the sume of Christes doctrine were not writtē and the certaynetie vnkowē Whoe should be certayne of hys fayeth if we had not a prescripte and certayne doctryne whereunto wee moughte resorte to haue thys in fallible veritye Howe shoulde we knowe these false prophetes to come in shipes clothing outwardly inwardly be rauenynge woulfes if we had not a sure touche stone to trye theyr doctrine wyth all If anye man preache vnto you sayeth Paul other then y e which is preached alredye althoughe it were an angell frome heauen let it be accurssed What be we y e nere of these wordes if we be in doubte wher to fynde this Gospell But I testifie vnto euerie man sayth saynte Iohn that heareth the wordes of prophesie of thys boke If any man shal adde vnto these thynges God shall ad vnto hym the plages that are wrytten in thys boke And if anye man shal mynishe of y e wordes of the boke of thys prophesie God shall take a waye his parte out of the boke of lyfe etc. To conclude therfore I saye playnelye that to denye the scripture the Prophetes and Apostles whose prophesies are wrytten in the Byble to be a sufficiente doctryne and enstruction necessarye for oure saluacion or to saye that it oughte not to be the touche stonne and trial of al other doctrines aboue all other doctrines of anye other men aboue theyr lawes decres and customes or ceremonies beside thys boke whether it be of men or angelles it is not only heresie but also a diuellishe and damnable doctrine Nowe to our bulwarcke ¶ The bulwarke for defence THis is chiefly to be noted y t gods worde is neuer spred abrode wythout contencion strife and much troble as Christe himselfe affirmeth sayeynge Thinke you not that I come to sende peace but a sworde For I am come to set variance betwene the father and the sonne the mothere and the daughter etc. For what agrement can there be betwene a beleuinge sonne and vnbeleueinge father and so contrarye Nowe sayeth Christ He that loueth father and mother more then me is not mete for me etc. He y t findeth his lyfe shall lose it And he y t loseth his life for my sake shall find it Marcke thys also y t by no thyng do these false deceiuers be gilde y e simplicite of y e multitude so muche as by the name of our fathers by custome longe continuaunce of tyme by whyche thynges they confirme their church For loke what hath bene done of our elders and forfathers that is theyr gospell To breake these tradicions and customes is to breake theyr whole religion The scribes and phariseis axed Christe why walke not thy disciples after the tradicions of the elders but eate breade wyth vnwashen handes c. Lykewyse these Hypocrites when they se anye man breake an olde custom thoughe it be but eateyng of an egge vpon a frydaye howe greouslye take they the mattier But euen as Christe answered the phariseis and scribes so may I ryghte well answere these fathers sayinge Full wel hath Esai prophecied of you Hypocrites as it is written marke here that Christe goeth to the scripture Thys people drawe nere me with theyr lippes but theyr herte is fare frome me But in vayne do they serue me whylse they teache suche doctrines as are nothynge but the commaundementes of men Ye leaue the commaundement of god kepe the tradiciōs of men In the stead of washing of cuppes cruses what a sort of ceremonies haue we what is holye breade what is holye water What be holye candeles What are holye bowes Touche not the water in the fonte handle not the chalise nor the corporace Good lorde what a sorte of suche commaundementes haue we of oure fore fatheres Oh howe goodlye haue you caste asyde the commaundementes of God to maynetayne your owne tradicions I besech the good christiā reader marke how vehemente the Lorde Iesus is hym selfe agaynste the beggarly tradicions of men to bringe vs to the wyll and commaundemente of God What can the grateste doctour of thē all say vnto this Is it not open and manifeste to all the worlde that for breakeing of these triflinge and foleishe tradicions thei haue punished men greuouselye euen wyth death And haue we not sene the breakars of goodes commaundementes vnpunished at all As swerars drunckardes whoredome and auoutrie with all the reste Beholde all christendome knoweth that thys is no lye My truste is therfore that the magistrates wyll nowe loke vpon this gear For these felowes neuer go about any suche thynge But because they blinde the ignoraunt soules wyth holye doctours holy fathers and holye churche from Christes tyme hytherto you shal se what the holye doctours say euē such as be most auncient and best learned as they them selues will graunte Augustine in an epistle to Fortunatus hath these wordes We ought not to regarde and esteme the disputacions of any thoughe they be neuer so catholyke and well praysed as cannonicall scripture but that we may saueing the reuerēce that ought to be geuen vnto suche men reproue and spue out agayne any thynge in theyr wryttynges if perchaunce we fynde that they vnderstande ought in theyr writinges otherwyse then the truth hath whiche is
doctrine of the apostles which is written we cal it the Gospel we call it the scriptures we cal it y e newe testament and the olde these wordes written in a boke beinge reade vnto the people to enstruction edifying of y e cōgregatiō is the word of god yea Christ y e breade of life which came frō heauē so y e whoso eateth therof shal liue euer The words that Moyses dyd testifie vnto the children of Israell and sayed vnto them it is no vayne word but your life be they not writtē And be they not our life as wel as theyrs But what life cā thei be vnto vs if thei be kept frō vs so that we know thē not Dyd Moyses hyde them away and say they would make mē heretykes But all suche as do euil hate the lyght and come not to it that theyr dedes should not be reproued but he that doeth the trueth cometh to the lyght that his workes maye be knowen for they be done in God Agayne I am the lyghte of the world sayeth Christe Whye shoulde these men refuse goddes word to be their light if they wer of god whie should they feare to saye y e Christes worde is Christe the worde of the father the light that lyghneth al men that come vnto hym Esaye sayth If anye man want light let him loke vpon the lawe and testimonies What meaneth he by the lawe and testimonies meaneth he not the scripture or written word of God shall we not ther fynde the lighte I woulde aske these disputers of the worlde Whether the Gospell be written or no I thyncke they wyll graunte that it is written Well Saynct Paulle sayth he is not a shamed of y e Gospell of Christe for it is the powre of God whiche saueth all that beleue Nowe is this gospel written for our learneing saueth as many as beleue Marke wel the beleuers are not saued because it is writtē but they be saued because they beleue y e which is writē I aske these philosophers whether y e wordes that Christe speake be written or no I trowe the Euangelistes haue written the moste necessarye thynges yea the verie secretes hyd thynges If Christes wordes which he spake be writtē then the word y t is written shal iudge these vnbeleauers in the laste daye For thus sayth Christe He y t refuseth me and receyueth not my wordes hath one alredye y t iudgeth hym The word sayth he that I haue spoken shal iudge him in the last day Vnderstād nowe gentle reader y t these fathers would vnder colours plucke a waye the great authoritie of the scriptures and diminishe thorowe subtyle disputinge y e efficatie and strength of the gospell Whether they do of hatred to gods word or blindnes and ignoraunce in the same or else for lucers sake I can not tell But to far wander they out of the waye But I exhorte the though they be to far on the left hand rune not y u to far on y e rigt hande Enter in at the strayte gate for wyde is the gate and brode is the way that leadeth to destructiō many ther be y e go in ther at But strayte is y e gate and narrowe is the waye that leadeth vnto lyfe and fewe therbe y e fynd it Thys is therfore the sume of thys disputaciō y t Christ is the word and wisedome of the father in whom who so beleueth hath euerlasteinge lyfe Thys same word did he him self preach and sayeth If you abyde in me any my wordes abyde in you ye shall axe what you wyll and it shal be done vnto you Beholde wheras he sayde before If you continue in my wordes nowe he sayeth If you byd in me and my wordes abid in you By this it is euident that Christe is the worde euen that worde whiche was preached frō the beginning is preached nowe and shal be to the ende And although Christe be not as is sayde incke and paper or a worde closed in a boke as thought we mought saye looe here in thys boke is Christe or in that boke is Christe yet was it the wyll of God that thys heauenly doctrine shoulde be written and that it shoulde remaine wyth vs and also that these wordes written beinge reade vnto vs shoulde be vnto vs euē that same worde that Christe spake when he sayed He that is of god heareth gods worde And euen the verie same to them that beleue that he speaketh of sayeing If anye man kepe my worde he shal neuer se death And to them that beleue not the same that he sayeth shall iudge the vnbeleuers in the last daye Now marke well I besech the and consider wyth thy selfe the mischiefe of these subtyle sophisters They make it wounderfull dayngerouse to call the scriptur Christe They be verye carefull to haue the true worship of god preserued and kepte And they feeare leaste we wyll fall to worshipynge of the verie boke wherin the testimonies of Christe be wrytten And therfore do they withdrawe all men from readeinge and heareing it as much as they can But alas why be they not so ware and dayngerous in theyr laye mens bokes as they cal them whiche al the scripturs crie out vpon euen from the begininge of the olde testament to the later ende of the new By the which bokes or rather abominable Idoles it is open and manifest that muche Idolatrie hath ben cōmitted yea wil be stil so longe as ther is one left standing in the temples The word of god the doctrine of Christe whiche he and his Aposteles so ernestlye taught exhorted cōmaunded to harken vnto to beleaue and folowe almost al the bible is nothing else this I say they cānot suffer any man to haue to do with al. Thei haue burned it frō tyme to tyme they burned the readars of it as al the worlde can testifie It is manifeste that they beare little good wyll to it vnto thys daye But these mahomets puppetes veri Idolles which haue not one word in al scriptur for them but contrarie to the vtter abolishinge of them these they can suffer to be called Christe saynte sauioure saynte Sundaye the holye trinitie oure ladye of Pitye our ladye of grace oure ladye I can not tell wherof Alhallowes wyth a thousād like names Yea they can abyde that the people should worship those stil for they neuer preach agaynste them but rather defende them to kepe the vnlerned in their blindnesse styl Alas to open is your doynge nowe O you catholyke fathers euerye chylde maye perceyue your blinde doctrine Yet wyl not you cease to exalt this false church cōgregaciō of deceyceyuers euē aboue god him selfe For God was the worde and aboue the rule of thys worde sete ye your owne tradicions in the name of Christes church Thus dyd Christe prophecie that you shoulde come that you shoulde dooe miracles and wonders In so
able to defend it that he hadde preached whye shoulde he feare to wryte to the defence of the same Wherfore seinge he hath receyued my letter kepeth it and wyl not write agayne and yet blameth and fyndeth diuers fautes in it why shoulde he be greued wyth me for spreadeynge a broode myne owne doynges to vtter myne owne secretes And where as he was offēded wyth me although I haue not nor wyll laye anye such priuate communicacion to anye mans charge specially of myne owne seekynge yet I saye I muste declare my meaneinge more playnely in those thynges whyche he is so muche offended wythall to thentente that no stublynge stocke be purposely layed in my brothers waye that he shoulde not vnderstande the trueth and prayse God For although I found mayster Chrispyne verye gentle and charitable to talke wythal for y t which thynge I haue and wyll gyue him prayse yet disputeth he subtlelye and especially when he thynketh to haue yonge scholars in handelynge as he dyd wyth me For in thys he put me to my trumpe because I asked him in my letter what difference was betwene scripture wrytten and scripture spoken Nowe truth it is that accordyng to the Etimologie of the word which cometh of Scribo and so to Scriptura it can not be called Scripture vnlesse it be written And so euerye thynge written maye be called scripture And in that sentence we shall fynde no difference betwene the bible and Robyn hod by this name scripture for both maye be called scripture I saye after the verie nature of y e word Lo heare haue you an exāple of sophistri Let yong scholars take hede by me howe they meddell wyth thē For whereas I mente symply after the commone vsage and phrase of ourespeache meaneinge by Scripture written and spokē the prophecie of y e olde and newe testament the doctrine of Christe euen the verie worde of God as well beynge opened by the mouth of the Apostles vnto the heares in those dayes as written wyth theyr owne handes and reade vnto vs nowe in our time he nowe takeinge hys aduauntage at y e nature of y e latine word Scriptura out of whiche this englishe worde scripture is diriued denieth that it maye be called scripture vnlesse it be written What other thynge is thys then a mere sophisticall cauillacion The scribes and pharises in Christes tyme by lyke had not learned their sophistrie or els thei wer not so curiouse as our mē be For if thei had thei mought haue asked Christ whē he bad thē serch the scriptures what scripture he mēt But Paule therfore preuēting such subtile disputīg calleth it holy scriptur geuen by inspiracion Thus you se a mā had nede as the prouerbe goeth to haue a long spone y t shal eate w t y e deuill It is no maruaile though master Chrispin in his lessō not long sēce dyd so much cōmēd distinctions proued thē so necessarie y t we could not be wtout thē For he that shal haue to do w t such sophisters had nede to make diffiniciōs premeditat his words before pretacion For the prophecie was neuer brought in by the wyll of man but y e holy mē of god spake as they were moued of the holye gost Nowe if I shoulde aske S. Peter what he meaneth by scripture here I thynke he woulde say the word of god But it is the word of god writtine would you say yet doth s Peter say it of the same written worde y e the holye men of God spake as they were moued by y e holy goste But trulye I thinke it but a vaine thing and euen a losse of tyme to trifle in suche questians which can no waye edifye especially seynge S. Paule doth so often diswade Timoth frome such foleishe questians exhorteth him to cleaue faste to the word of God If anye man sayth he teache other wyse and agreeth not to the holesome wordes of our lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine of godlinesse he is puffed vp and knoweth no-nothing but wasteth his braines about questians and striueing of words wherof sprīgeth enuie c. After a like maner also he toke me vp how be it more ernestlye for that I sayde the worde was in the beginning and for alledging Christes wordes I am that I say vnto you Or euen y e same thinge that I speake vnto you As thoughe I wente aboute to proue y t Christe was but a voice only or a writtē letter in paper Thus he dalyed w t me was in w t his distīctiōs whether I mēt bi y e word y e voice y e breath or the writtē word with manie double doubtes For mi words he saied as they stode in my letter were heresie But I told him y t I mēt it by y e same word y t the lord Iesus christ taught as Christ hym selfe wittnesseth I am euen the very same thinge y t I speake vnto you He saied that the words were not as I alledged them them For the latyne hath saied he Ego sum qui loquor vobis Now as for the alledgeinge of those wordes I folow the English translatours whose lerneynge I can not correcte If he can amende theyr doinges he shal haue good leaue for me Notwythstanding seinge that he maketh my wordes to dayngerouse I cānot but say more in it although they can not be spokē in my cōceyt more playne to be vnderstād thē they be alredi writtē For. s ▪ Iohn sayeth The worde was in y e beginning the word was w t god and God was the worde Nowe to denye that Christe is the worde of God by whiche all thinges were made I say is anheresie in dead Therfore it must nedes be graūted that Christe was and is the worde of God Thy worde Lorde sayeth the prophete is a lanterne to my fet and a light to my pathes Again he sayeth When thy worde goeth forth it geueth lyght and vnderstandeynge euen to babes Nowe what meaneth he by this worde that geueth thys lyghte Christe sayth I am come a light into y e world that who so euer be leueth in me should not abyd in darknes By these many other it wyll appeare Christe to be the true worde of God But nowe wyll they graunte that Christe is the worde that came from the father the lyghte of the worlde the life of the worlde as Moyses saith set your hertes on y e words that I testifie sayeth he for it is no vayne worde but your lyfe I am sure I say they wyl graūt Christe to be the worde but not the worde wryttyn whyche we reade in the boke In dede to say that Christe maye be written in paper or that the letters whiche be made of incke paper should be Christe were a fonde opinion and suche as I neuer harde of But the wordes written in the boke which we cal the scripture As the prophetes from Moyses to Christ and the
etc. Therefore sayeth he neither of our forefathers nor of our elders is the erroure to be folowed but the authoritie of the scripture and the cōmaundemente of God which teacheth vs. The same Ierome vpon Ezechiel sayth also y t we maye sinne as muche whē we think in our owne opinion y t we do wel as whē we willinglye do naught He writeth vpon y e prophet Nahum sayth y t against the cōing of Christ y e people shall fle to the scripture their studie shal be allowed because they shal not find anye to teach them and the slouthfulnesse of their teachchars shal be rebuked Marcke wel thys propheci for suerelye it byteth He writeth vpon Math. and sayth Anye thing that hath not authoritie of y e scriptur may as sone be reiected despiced as approued and alowed Againe to Ctesiphō he sayth What soeuer we affirme we must do it by the testimonies of holie scripture What soeuer is done without these bokes is in nowyse to be receyued Do these doctours set so little by the authoritie of goddes worde as oure men woulde perswade vs Do they not rather attribute al together to the scripture Ambrose also in the boke of paradise vpon this that Eue added to the wordes of the Lorde Neythere shall ye touche the trye We do learne by this present lessone sayeth he that wee ought to ad nothynge to the worde of God no thoughe wee do of it good intent or warines For if thou either ad any thing or take ought frome it thou semeste to be a trangressour of the commaundemente Heare haue you Ambrose also which can not in any wyse suffer the wysdome of man to be equale with y e scripture but that in all thynges we should leane to that For though our meaneing be neuer so good yet muste we not truste oure owne wyttes Thus he writeth vpon these wordes of the Epistle to the Romaynes be ye all of one mynde thys may be by God sayeth he but by mans wysdome can it neuer be And vpon the beginnynge of the fyrste Epistle to the Corhinthyans he sayth that the philosophers whē they first began to preach Christ they preached hym by the wysdome of the worlde and reiected the lawe and prophetes And agayne writing to Gratianus Augustus he sayeth that y e Arrians gate all the colour of theyr wyckednesse out of philosopheie Yet woulde oure diuines perswade vs that they gote it by readyng of scripture and expoundeinge it after theyr owne sence And therefore ther was no remedy to ouer come them but wyth some other learneinge for they were perfecte in the scriptures Notwithstandinge Gregorie wryttynge vpon Iob sayeth This canonicall scripture passeth all science all doctrine wythout comparisone Thys onely preacheth the trueth calleth to the heauen lye contrey it entiseth the herte of y e reader frō earthly desires to heauenly thinges Beholde gentle reader they boast them selues of the old holy doctours frō Christes tyme hythereto and yet the doctoures thē selues make cleane agaynste them Originne wryttinge vpon the prophet Ieremy sayeth It is nedfull necessary for vs to cal y e holy scriptures to witnes For our sēses our expositions sayth he wtout these witnesses are not to beleued After this sorte also he expoūdeth this saying vnder .ii. or iii. witnesses vnder .ii y t is the newe old testamēt vnder thre y t is y e gospel the prophetes apostles Againe vpon y e Ro. he sayth Paul gaue the doctours an ensāple to speake no thyng but they could proue it by the scripture For if he beinge so great such an apostle did not beleue his sayinges sufficiently except he taught it to be writtē in the law prophetes y t he speake how much more ought we which be far inferiours to him to obseue these thinges y t we do not bringe forth our owne doctrine whē we preache sayth he but y e sētence of y e holy gost Here haue you also the mind of Origen agreat clark whō they alledge verie oftē Cypriā writeth to one Cecilius noting vpon these wordes of Christ If ye do y t I cōmaūd you thē are ye my frēdes And y e Christ onely ought to be harde y e father witnesseth frō heauē saying This is my welbeloued son in whō I am wel pleased heare him Wherfor if onely Christ must be heard we ought not take hed what ani mā hath thought good to be done before vs but what christ hath first done which was before al mē Neither ought we to folow y e custom of mā but y e truth of god Seing god spaketh bi his prophet Esa sayth Thei worship me in vaine teaching y e cōmaūdemētes preceptes of mē And againe in the gospel Ye cast away y e cōmaūdementes of god y t ye mought establishe your owne tradiciōs And therfore deare brother If any of our fathers other by ignoraūce or simplicitie haue not obserued this kept y t y e lord hath taught vs to do by his example and gouernaunce pardone and forgeuenesse thorowe the goodnesse of the Lorde maye be graunted to theyr simplisitie But vnto vs it can not be so graunted which be admonished and enstructed of the Lorde c. He that lusteth to se more of thys let hym loke the place and reade farther and he shall fynde lyke wordes in hys thyrde treatise of the simplicitie of prelates And whereas men be so muche addycte to theyr customes y e same Ciprian sayth Nether y e custome whiche hath crept in among some ought to be a let whereby the trueth shoulde not preuayle and ouercome For the custome wythout the truth is an old errour Therfore let vs leaue the erroure and folow the truth All the doctours agree wholelye in thys that the scripture is the touchstone a recoursse for al christen men to seke vnto to be sure of theyr fayeth and to haue quietnes of cōscience And what exhortacions Chrisostom geueth to all men for the studye of holye scriptures appeareth in hys thred sermon De Lazaro And vpon Iohn the .xvi. Homelye in the end Also vpon Iohn the .iii. Homelie and .iiii. Chapi and in diuers other places Nothinge doeth he so ernestlye beate into oure heades as the study of scripture And I thynke there is no doctoure that writeth vpon the scripture that doeth not lykewise and geueth it euen suche a rowme and preheminence that all other doctrines muste geue place Ireneus sayeth To go about wyth y e diuine scriptures whiche is the vndoubted trueth is to build an house vpon a strōg rocke but all other doctryne what so euer it be is to builde a weake house vpon an vncertaine place of quicke sand which wil be lightli ouer throwē Now if these authorities be not sufficient to stope theyr mouthes I thynke they wyll neuer be answered For where as the scripture is so hard to be vnderstand and therefore loke vpon the