will is to bee celebrated both heree in the euerlasting life Therfore it is godlinesse diligently to collect with thankful minde to coÌsider all the giftes all the riches wherewith the Church is adorned enriched Shee hath the soÌne of God for her head spouse and sauiour vnto whom she is maried in faith shee hath the ioyfull newes of the Gospel she hath the holy Ghost for her gouernour shee hath the ministerie prolonged by the Fathers the Prophetes Christ the Apostles which haue most plentifully bestowed vpon her as vpon a riche treasure house as saith Irenaeus all things apperteyning to trueth that euerie one which will may drawe forth of her the drinke of life shee hath Pastours authoritie to call Ministers for the setting forth and conseruing of the gospel of whom it is writteÌ How beautiful are the feete of theÌ which bring good tidings of peace bring good tidings of good things Shee hath excellent gifts vnderstanding the inerpretation of doctrine giuen by diuine inspiration shee hath also the administration of Sacramentes a certaine iurisdiction of her own lawes of her owne The holy Scripture adorning her with marueilous prayses calleth her thoroughly âre The paradise of the great workeân The citie of the holy king cleare as âe dawning of the daye bright as the âorning beautifull as the Moone elect the SuÌne who smelleth of ointments âtandeth at the right hande of the king âcked with imbrodered gardes of diuers ââlours who hath no obscure thing and ãâã through Christ altogither most white Therefore because the sweete name of the Church is ful of worthinesse reâerence herevpon it coÌmeth to passe that âanie eloquent learned men doe with âately plentiful gorgious speache exâll amplifie exaggerate the maiestie âreheminence authoritie dignitie therâf so that they doe affirme that she hath âorce and power aboue the written word âf God thinke that Christians ought âo giue place to her in all thinges For âherevpon the aduersaries of the trueth gather that the Church is more ancient than the Scripture that the Scripture hath her authoritie from the Church that the Church of the Fathers continued 2449. yeares before anie thing was written touching religion Also that the Church of the new Testament was gathered togither many yeres with the liuely voyce of the Gospell before any thing was written by the Apostles And because the Church receiued the Scripture allowed it by her owne iudgement that the authoritie of the Church which receiued and allowed is greater than the authoritie of the Scriptures which were receiued and allowed And therefore that the authoritie of the Church is not only not inferiour not only equall but rather superiour and better knowen than the authoritie of the scripture For the Church hath approued the chiefest scriptures to be Canonical whiche approbation they neither had of theÌselues nor of their authours Otherwise what cause is there why wee should receiue the Gospell of S. Marke whiche sawe not Christ and yet not receiue the Gospell of Nicodemus which nowe also is extant who notwithstanding both saw Christ and was his schollar Moreouer why is the Gospell of Luke the disciple admitted the gospel of Bartholomewe the Apostle reiected Truelie they haue âr authoritie not from the authours ân whome they come but from the ââurch No holy Scripture doth shewe ãâã the rest of the Scriptures which we âe are canonical and worthie credite ãâã coÌsent of the Church hath made them âbenticall So that Augustine saieth âll I would not beleeue the Gospell âre it not that the authoritie of the âtholicall Church doeth moue mee âo And especially because there were âe in times past which both reiected âo written gospels the Euangelistes âo which wrote them sticking forsooth âought false religion to Christ only who âither wrote him self neither commanââd to be written but to be preached and ââlled his doctrine not scripture that is ãâã say writing but the Gospell that is to ây ioyfull newes But if wee giue place ârein to the Church as by right wee ââght al to giue place vnto her why then âould we not also giue place vnto her in âe matter of the holy Sacramentes in ââher pointes That the Apostles did ârite certaine things not that their wriâângs shold rule our faith religion but âat their writings should rather serue our faith and religion And that it is not to be thought that the Apostles were able to comprehend in their Epistles al the preceptes and mysteries of our faith and of christian doctrine that Christ and his Apostles in so many yeres preached much more than could be coÌprehended within the narow roome of the bokes of the new testament And that therefore so short an abridgemeÌt of the gospell was put in writing that the greatest part thereof as a rich treasure might be left to the traditions fastened in the inward bowels of the church That therefore many things are to be beleeued which are not written that the constant sentence of the church ought to be accepted as the gospel that therefore in matter of doubt in anie raised coÌtrouersie the authoritie of the traditioÌ of the church is more effectuall to cause credit to be giuen to proue certainly then the scriptures because the tradition is more euident and plaine altogether vnflexible when as contrarilie the Scriptures be oftentimes very obscure and do suffer them selues to be wrested applied to a diuers meaning yea to that meaning which any shall presume with him selfe âefore hand easily to be shifted of with ãâã craftie exposition And that therefore the common sentence of the tradition of the church is the certaine and inflexible ââle of the Scriptures And to be briefe âhat the exactest squier paterne rule of ââith is not the scripture but the iudgement of the Church That the saying of Christe is If hee will not heare the church let him be to thee as an heatheÌ man a Publicane That the church is the piller ground of trueth and that âhe can not erre because Christ promised to her the holy Ghost which shoulde leade her into al truth S. Paul exhorteth vs saying Brethren stand fast holde the ordinances which yee haue bene taught c. To be brief they go about to proue by the testimonie of the Prophete Hieremie that this is the propertie of the doctrine of the newe testameÌt which first was published by Christ and afterward by the instruction of the holy ghost was preached by the Apostles spread abroad throughout the whole world wherby God would haue it to be knowen froÌ the doctrine of the olde testament that it should neither bee ingraued in tables of stone nor written with inke and paper That the Apostles were commaÌded by Christ to preach not to write Finally they dispute much of the briefnesse insufficiencie flexiblenesse ambiguitie and
had beene asked whether they would haue preferred their owne authoritie before the scriptures They would neuer haue done it Nay contrarily hauing acknowledged and receiued the said Scriptures they submitted themselues wholy vnto them and esteemed them as the most certaine rule guide and direction of their faith life Wherfore this is a weake and feble argument The Church accepted and discerned the books of holy Scripture from other Therefore the authoritie of the church is more excelleÌt For we also acknowledge one true God and allow Iesus Christ and put difference betweene him and Idols and betweene him the Diuel and yet cannot inferre herevpon that we are more excellent than Christ or god In like manner our minde alloweth and receiueth the prouocations and motions of the holy Ghost to reade to pray to liue chastly and discerneth them from the wicked entisementes of the worlde of the Diuell and of the fleshe and yet our minde may not therefore be called either better or more excellent than the holy Ghost Againe when a man endued with the perfect knowledge of Philosophie shall receiue Plato or Aristotle or Galen as noble Philosophers and shall preferre them before Epicure Aristippus and Democritus shall hee in consideration of this his iudgement presume to preferre his owne authoritie before Galene or Aristotle or Plato And there be many men of so perfecte iudgement that they can discerne the counterfeite verses of Virgil or Ouid from their true verses yet are they in knowledge farre inferiour to Virgil and Ouid Euen so the Churche ought not for this cause to preferre her credite or authoritie before the holy Scriptures This argument as we saide is weake and the Maxime with they gather hereof is false Those thinges which the Churche hath deliuered and proposed euen without any testimonie of Scripture ought to haue the same authoritie as hath the Canonicall Scripture vnto whoÌ the church haue geuen authoritie In deede the holy Scripture is allowed by the common coÌsent of the Church but this consent is not mans deuise but a necessary confession and an expressed testification proceding of the trueth of the matter And yet the Churche by meanes of this testification hath not reputed her selfe greater or more excellent then the Scripture but hath reuerently committed her selfe to the gouernement of the Scripture It is therefore plaine by the premisses howe the Church standeth towarde the worde of God written Shee is the faithfull keeper defendour of the worde she extolleth it by witnessing with it by setting it foorth by preaching it by defending it by mainteining it And yet doeth shee depend wholely of it as of the rule of her fayth shee changeth nothing shee altereth nothing shee addeth nothing shee taketh away nothing Shee is as it were a Notarie which keepeth safely testamentes when as notwithstanding hee hath no authoritie aboue the last will of the testatour for if hee shoulde chaunge or alter it hee shoulde not bee taken for a faithfull Notarie but for a falsifier and a forger of testamentes The .xvi. Chapter Of this saying of Augustine I would not beleeue the Gospel but that the authoritie of the Church mooueth mee also BEcause the Pope his side doe see that the Scripture maketh against them to diminish the authoritie thereof they contende that the authoritie of the Church the title whereof they doe pretende by their deuises and decrees is rather to be esteemed than of the Scriptures because the Scriptures cannot retaine their credit without the Church But how vaynely they dispute heereof we haue alreadie shewed by manie most strong argumentes But they obiect vnto vs the authoritie of the holy man of God Augustine which wrote thus against the Epistle of a Manichee which they call Fundamenti I woulde not beleeue the Gospel but that the authoritie of the Church mooueth me also Notwithstanding Augustine thinketh not that the authoritie of the Church is greater than the authoritie of the woorde of GOD neither doeth hee graunte vnto the Church authoritie to ordeine anie thing against the woord of God or to make newe articles of the faith or to abolish the articles deliuered in the woord of God he onely deemeth the Church to be a teacher and a witnesse We could not beleeue the Gospel were it not that the Church taught vs and witnessed that this doctrine was deliuered by the Apostles The same Augustine in the xxviii booke the second chapter against Faustus writeth that the Manichees ought so to beleeue the first Chapter of Matthewe which those heretikes receiued not to be written by Matthew as he did beleue the epistle which they called Fundamentum to be Manichees because it was so kept by their ancetours and deliuered from hand to hande Hee writeth that he was also mooued by agreeable testimonies of the first Church not to doubt that these bookes were deliuered by the Apostles and by them which are worthie credit Therfore herevpon it is that the Church mooueth vs also to beleeue the Gospel because shee keepeth the holy Scriptures faithfully preacheth them and discerneth them from others And he speaketh of the primitiue and Apostolike Churche as Gerson Chauncellour of Paris a man in his age most excellent doeth in the same place most wisely say Hee taketh the Church for the primitiue congregation of those faithfull whiche hearde Christ and sawe him and were his witnesses For whilest the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were yet liuing when as diuerse Gospels were sette foorth in the Churche they which had seene Christ and hearde his Apostles coulde witnesse what was naturall and what was Bastardlike In like manner Tertullian and Irenaeus commende vnto vs the authoritie of the first Churche receiue the writinges approoued by the Catholike consent of the first Churche and did therefore sende heretikes to the Apostolike Churches because they did not receiue the whole scriptures Wherefore they woulde that they shoulde receiue the estimation of the Scriptures from those churches wherin it was manifestly knowen that the Apostles taught For it was euident that those Churches had bene continually the witnesses and keepers of the bookes of holy Scripture and yet they did not for that cause ordeyne that the authoritie of the Churche ought to be preferred before the Scriptures But if the Apostolike Churche bee not preferred before the Scripture muche lesse ought this congregation of mitred men whiche are not so aptly termed the Churche as the corruption and eating canker of the church to bee preferred before the sayde Scriptures But they obiecte against vs this rule which is commonly spoken of by Logicians Whatsoeuer it is that is the cause that any thing else is indued with a qualitie the same thing shall rather be iudged to bee indued with the same qualitie Herevpon they reason in this maner If the scripture haue her authoritie because of the Churche then doeth it followe that the saide authoritie is rather in the Church then
and was Iesus Christ and that afterwarde he preached the newe lawe and the new promise of the kingdome of heauen wrought miracles was fastened to the crosse rose againe the thirde day that he beyng taken vp to heauen sitteth at the right hande of the Father that he hath sent the power of the holie Ghost in his steede to gouerne the beleeuers that he shall come in brightnes to take the Saintes into the fruition of euerlasting life and of the heauenly promises and to iudge the prophane with perpetuall fire the resurrection of both partes beyng wrought with the restoring of the fleshe This rule ordained by Christ as it shall be proued hath no questions among vs but what heresies bring in and which make heretikes Thus farre Tertullian who thorowly agreeth with Irenaeus in describing the tradition of the Apostles And the testimonies of these most auncient writers doe shewe from whence the briefe summe of our beleefe commeth which commonly they call the Apostles Creede whiche certainely is the most auncient tradition which being receiued from Apostolike men the Churche keepeth still And Tertullian addeth in the same booke of prescriptions The Church hath knowen one GOD the creatour of all thinges and Christ Iesus of the Virgin Marie the Sonne of God the Creatour and the resurrection of the fleshe She intermedleth the lawe and the Prophetes with the writings of the Euangelists and the Apostles froÌ thence doth shee drinke the same faith she signeth with water clotheth with the holy Ghost feedeth with the Euchariste exhorteth with martyrdome and so doeth she receiue none against this institution By the which woordes it is cleare that the primitiue Churche acknowledged no traditions which were not founded in the Scripture Although I haue handled these things at large yet because the Papistes oftentimes hold foorth as Aiax his shielde the place of Paule 2. Thes 2.15 against the Scripture for their traditions whereas he sayeth Stande fast and holde the ordinaunces which ye haue bene taught whether it were by our preaching or by our Epistle can I not omitte but must euidently shewe foorth of the same Irenaeus that Paule preached to the Gentiles with liuely voyce the same and none other doctrine which hee taught them also by his Epistles For Irenaeus doeth most plainely describe Paule his tradition in two places in the fifth Chapter of the thirde booke and also in the fourtie one Chapter of the fourth booke These are the chiefe pointes of his description that the Gods of the Gentiles are not onely Gods but the Idols of Deuils And that there is one true God which is ouer all and aboue euery name that is named and that hee onely is to be woorshipped That they woulde therefore departe from the superstition of idols leaue their vaine wood and stones which they supposed to bee Gods and woulde woorshippe one true God the maker of heauen and earth and the framer of euery thing that is made Which ordayned made all mankinde and by his framing of them nourished increased them stedfastly gaue them beyng And that his word is his Sonne by whom hee made all thinges And that he in the last times although hee were naturally the inuisible worde was made visible and palpable man among men humbled him selfe to death eueÌ to the death of the crosse refourmed mankinde destroyed and ouercame man his enemie and gaue vnto man whom he made victorie against his aduersarie that they which beleeue in him shall bee incorruptible and impassible That they shoulde therefore sette before themselues this lawe as the rule of life Not to committe adulterie not to steale not to deceiue and that al thinges which are done to the hurt of our neighboures are euill and hated of god The trueth sheweth that these deedes are euill and hurtfull and vnprofitable and damnable to them that doe them That they shoulde therefore liue blamelesse and looke for the Sonne of God Iesus Christ which redeemed vs from Apostacie and going astray by his blood to this ende that we might be also a sanctified people to ascende to heauen in the vertue of the Father which shall iudge all men and shal giue vnto them which haue kept his commaundements those good thinges which are from god Beholde Paule his tradition deliuered to the posteritie by Irenaeus a most auncient writer of the Churche And doeth he not euerie where teach with al diligence the very self same things in his Epistles So that the doctrine is all one which hee taught with liuely voice which he coÌmitted to writing Yea the tradition described by Irenaeus may seeme to be the brief summe of those things which he wrote So that hee wrote most truely that those thinges which the Apostles taught were all ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã agreeable to the Scriptures Therefore all traditions which are giuen foorth as the Apostles haue beene are and ought to be such And for this cause they are alwaies to be examined whether they haue this Irenaeus his ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã agreemeÌt with the Canonicall Scriptures The .xxiii Chapter Of the subtiltie and deceitfulnesse of Sophisters which vse guilefully the woorde Tradition which is diuersly taken WE haue hitherto shewed that it is all one doctrine which the Apostles published with liuely voyce and which the Canonicall Scripture setteth foorth Wee haue also declared howe vaynely the Papistes reason that many thinges which are necessarie for the instruction of faith and ordering of manners although they can be prooued by no testimonie of Scripture are neuerthelesse to be receiued and beleeued forth of the naked tradition Wherefore this is alwaies to be holden which we cited lately foorth of Augustine That faith is learned foorth of the Scriptures There is often times mention made of traditions by the auncient Writers but not to this end that our fayth shoulde runne out of the Scriptures wherein they alwaies inclosed it And where as this woord Tradition is diuersly vsed among the olde writers and all Traditions are not of one kinde it is a detestable sophistrie by the mixture of them all to deceiue Therefore it is to be considered what testimonies of olde writers doe pertaine vnto what kinde of Traditions and what is to be thought of euerie one of them least all without difference bee applied to the defense of corruptions abuses and superstitions Let vs therefore distinguish Traditions into certaine kindes First the fathers by this word Tradition oftentimes vnderstand the Canonicall Scripture of the newe Testament as when Cyprian to Pompeius saith From whence is this Tradition Whether descending from the authoritie of the Lorde and of the Euangelistes or comming from the commaundementes and Epistles of the Apostles For that those thinges ought to be doone which are written GOD witnesseth and proposeth to Iosuah saying Let not the booke of this Lawe departe out of thy mouth that thou maiste obserue and doe according to all that is written
obscurenesse of the Scripture and rolling in all their pointes of Rethoricke do goe about to proue the necessitie authoritie perfection certaintie plainnesse of vnwritten Traditions that is to say That we should fetch the rule of faith not from the worde of God but from the Traditions of the Church and that there is so much force in the Scripture as is granted therevnto by the consentes voyces of the Church The second Chapter The deceitfulnes of them is reproued which do diminish the authoritie of the Scripture wherevpon the authoritie of the Church doth depend I Do not denie that they which make these reasons are prompt wittie ââarned and eloquent woulde to God ââey were all so vpright and gentle minââd that they would put to their furtheâânce rather to buyld vp the kingdome ãâã Christ then to defend the kingdome of ââe Pope and that they woulde rather âllowe the sincere doctrine of the Gosâell then mainteine corruptions and abâses But whilest they are willing to gratifie these antichristian rulers they âun on so farre through the heate of their contention that through their wicked cursed and prophane Rhetorike they âlaspheme and âpise the holy Ghost For wheÌ they do so beset and besiege the Scripture that they call it a Labyrinth in the which we may go out of the right way A nose of waxe which is apt to be bowed vnto either side A matter of controuersies A nourse garden of discentions obscure doubtfull intricate What is this if it be not a reproch agaynst the holy Ghost the authour thereof But the marke whereat they shoote is this that whereas they may bee perceiued oftentymes to haue decreed and ordeined farre otherwise in the Sacraments and doctrines then holy scripture can beare they are willing to mainteine that it was lawfull for them so to doe because the Church which maketh the holy scriptures to be of authoritie and credite can change therein whatsoeuer shall seeme good vnto her Therefore least the maiestie of the Scripture should let their lust they are not afrayde to diminish the authoritie thereof wherein they do seeme to imitate the craftinesse and naughtinesse of the auncient heretikes who being willing to eschew least they being pressed with the authoritie of the Scriptures shoulde bee ouercome presumed boldely to denie certaine bookes of the Bible to be canonicall reiecting them and with great disdaine disallowing them For when as they are reproued by the Scriptures sayth Irenaeus they do accuse the Scriptures as though they were not well handled neither be of authoritie and because they be diuersly spoken because the truth can not be found forth in them by those which know not the tradition Carpocrates Seuerus Cerdo Manes reiected as August witnesseth the bookes of the law although Tertullian report of Cerdo as also doth Irenaeus of Marcio that they reiected al the Euangelists but Luke Philaster reporteth that Cerinthus allowed Mathew onely We reade in Eusebius that the Seuerians disalowed Paul his Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles For they did suppose it to be an aduantage for the obteyning of victorie if they did condition that they whose dartes they saw were to be feared might bee throwne foorth of the campe of the Church before they should come to the battell Euen so also do these thinke that they shall triumph if they may most vnworthely slander the Scripture of vncerteintie imperfectioÌ ambiguitie obscuritie And euen as those old heretikes did coÌtentiously affirme that the truth could not be founde by them which knewe not the tradition deliuered not by writing but by liuely voice in like maner do these also mainteine that the Apostles haue not comprehended in their writings all things which wee ought to beleeue and most obstinately contend that all things apperteyning to godlinesse are not conteyned in the Scripture that thou maist vnderstand that both the one and the other are inforced with the selfe same spirite of errour Wherefore we must withstand them by all meanes possible For it is a most hurtfull and perillous errour to holde that the credite of Scripture shoulde hang on the determinatioÌ of the Church which being granted Christ shall not be Christ nor the Gospel the Gospel neither shal we take the Apostles for the Apostles nor the writings of the Apostles for the Apostles writings but so farre forth as they be allowed in their Councels by their owne consents and iudgements Here truly must the seruaÌts needs be greater then the Lorde that the Lord may not be beleeued but onely so farre forth as his seruants will that he shall be belieued as though forsooth God his eternall and inuiolable truth shoulde be grounded and staied vpon the iudgement of men Neither is it lawfull nor sure to dallie in diuinitie as shall please mens deuises For the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirite of God and all the thoughts sayings deedes of men doe more resemble lying then truth for God onely is true Neither ââe the argumentes strong and sounde âhich these patrones of superstitions take for the defence of their opinion âut rather feeble and weake as in discussing and examining them shall appeare although the simple being deluâed with the onely shew of truth be holâen still in errours and superstitions and âlienated from the truth But let not vs âuffer our selues to bee brought to this passe that we graunt that the holy scripture hath receiued credite and authoritie from the Church seeing that the matter âs farre otherwise For what authoritie or estimation soeuer the Church hath it âommeth wholy from the worde of God whereof also the Church hath the beginning Euen as Peter saith Ye are borne ânew not of corruptible seede but of âncorruptible by the worde of God which liueth and lasteth for euer And âaul saith In Christ Iesus I haue begotâen you through the Gospel Therfore as is the daughter to the mother so is the Church to the Scripture And since we do all confesse that the Church is susteined by the foundation of the Prophets Apostles truly if the doctrine of the Prophets and the Apostles be the stay of the Church it must necessarily follow that the authoritie of the doctrine doeth excell the authoritie of the Church Neither is there anie cause that they shoulde cauill that the Church was 2449. yeres before Moses before the Scripture because they make Moses his bookes most ancient which in deede I do confesse in respect of those bookes which now are extant But how know they whether that ancient Church which was before Moses had written his Pentatenche had anie bookes of holy Scripture or none Moses doth cite the booke of the warres of the lord And in Iosua is the booke of the Iust cited And it may be that Noah Abraham Isaac Iacob wrote those things which did pertein to their times as Moses did afterward gather them togither and by
the inspiration of the holie ghost set them in order What say you to ãâã moreouer that Iudas in his Epiâ⦠alledgeth certaine things forth of the ââ¦ke of Enoch Neither is there anie ââ¦e why ye should say vnto me that that ââ¦e is apochyphal PeradueÌture that ãâã was apochyphal which was caried ââ¦ut after that age wherein the Apoââ¦s liued but those things which Iudas alledged were firme certaine But be ââ¦or I wil not contend that the word of ãâã was not written before Moses but ãâã only vttered by the mouth and as it ââ¦re deliuered froÌ hand to hand What ââ¦keth this to the matter w we haue in ââ¦d For the same word wheÌ afterward ãâã was put in writing must needes be so ââ¦erued and restrained that nothing ââ¦ght be altered therin by meÌ The word ãâã God is inuiolable cleane without corââ¦tion whether it be deliuered by voice ââ¦y writing neither can it sound coÌtraâ⦠things I confesse that the vnwritten ââ¦de was more ancient theÌ that which ââ¦r was put in writing But I acknowââ¦ge onely betweene these two the diffeââ¦ce of time not of efficacy or authoriâ⦠But in that the church is gathered by the worde of God it must needes folow that the Church is later then the woorde of God and inferiour to it Wherefore it is most euident that the Church taketh her excellencie and dignitie from the worde of God. The third Chapter That the authoritie of Scripture is greatest because it containeth the worde of God which in the beginning was deliuered to the Church by liuely voyce THe authoritie of holie Scripture is farre greatest because it containeth the worde of God him self and tooke her beginning of the holy Ghost For the doctrine conteined in holie Scripture was not vttered enlarged and plainelie set foorth by Philosophers which liued in Grece or Italie but published by God him selfe and reuealed from heauen to certaine chosen men The heauenly Father did declare it with his owne voyce ãâã the Patriarchs and Prophets The ââerlasting in heauen and in the verie âome of his father I meane the onely ââgotten sonne of God our Lord and saââur Iesus Christ comming downe to ãâã shewed it The holie Ghost in al ages ââspired certaine excellent men who deâered the worde vncorruptly Knowe âs sayth Peter that no prophesie in tâe Scripture is of anie priuate interââetation For the prophecie came not âolde time by the will of man but ââly men of God spake as they were âoued by the holy Ghost Wherefore âul defineth this doctrine The wiseââme not of this world neither of the âânces of this worlde which come to âught but the wisedome of God in a âysterie euen the hid wisedome which âod had ordeined before the worlde ââich God hath reuealed by his spiâe Therefore all most excellent points âe to be attributed to the Scripture the âcles and diuine sayings whereof are âh in diuinitie as are in euerie science ãâã principles of the same which must âedes be supposed and graunted Moreouer vntill Christ came into the worlde the Scripture was conteined in the lawe and prophesies So do wee see that Moses and the Prophets are cited by Christ and the Apostles as approued witnesses whose writings were receiued amongst the people of God without controuersie none otherwise then publike registers The Apostles did first witnesse with liuely voice that which was giuen them in commaundemeÌt But after that the doctrine of Christ was spread wide and broade and confirmed with innumerable miracles and wonders and after that the Church was established which tooke her beginning of the preaching of the worde by fayth but yet so that the worde went before when as many false Apostles rose vp who vnder the pretence of reuelations and traditions of the Apostles brought monstrous toyes into the Churche and corrupted the purenesse of God his worde it seemed good to the holy ghost that the summe of the Apostles preaching shoulde bee sette foorth in writing that it might bee left perfect for ââem which should come after Whereâââe by the instinct of the holie Ghost âwo of the Apostles wrote as witnesses of thinges which they had seene and two of the Disciples and Apostoââe men wrote also as witnesses of ââose thinges which they had hearde ãâã the Apostles whome other doe affirme to haue seene also the thinges that they wrote Those writings make the foure Gospels touching the which ârenaeus debateth manie thinges in the âleuenth Chapter of his thirde Booke agaynst Heresies where hee shewâth that there must bee foure Gospels ânely not because the Church hath receiâed foure onely but because God hath so appointed Touching the Gospel of Matâhewe Saint Hierome writeth this Historie Pantaenus when hee was sent by Demetrius Bishop of Alexandria into India founde that Barâholomew did preach there the comming of Christ according to the Gosâel of Matthew the which being also written in Hebrue he brought from thence with him to Alexandria Herevnto agree those things which Nicephorus sheweth in the 32. chapter of his 4. booke The same Nicephorus reporteth in the 36. Chapter of his 7. booke that the Gospel of Matthew was founde in Barnabas his tombe written with Barnabas his owne handes Whereby may be gathered how greatly Apostolik men did esteeme this Gospel Eusebius forth of Clement doth report that Peter the Apostle did approue and confirme by his own iudgement the Gospel of Mark and did ordeine that it should be reade in the Churches Nicephorus sayth that Peter indited the Gospel of Marke and decreed that it shoulde from thenceforth be read in the Congregations Irenaeus sayeth Marke the Disciple and interpreter of Peter hath deliuered vnto vs those precepts which were preached by Peter The same Irenaeus writeth of Luke thus The Apostles deliuered to al men simplie and enuying no man those thinges which they themselues had learned of the Lorde And therefore ââke also enuying no man deliuered to vs in like maner those thinges which he had learned of theÌ Furthermore Iohn perused ouer the writings oââhe three Euangelists and witnessed tâât they were true Finally he finished ãâã writing of the Gospel Therefore he âcludeth the Historie written by him ââis And manie other things truely did Iesus before the eyes of his disciâlâs which are not written in this ââke These are written that ye might âââeeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne ãâã God and that in beleuing ye might âe life thorowe his name Vnder ââth wordes he comprehendeth not onââis owne Gospel but also the Gospels ãâã âhe rest of the Euangelistes as also ãâã olde writers haue vnderstoode this âce And then trulie was the truth of ãâã Gospel acknowledged and receiued ââen as yet there remained aliue which ãâã both heard and seene the Lorde ãâã selfe in his mortall fleshe or had ârde the chosen Apostles and Disciâââs which were familiar and conâsant with him And because also
which thrust vpon vs a doctrine defiled and corrupted with the deuises of men in steade of the true doctrine of Christ and his Church endeuouring to bring to passe with fires with flames with water with swoorde and with halter more cruelly than euer did Nero or Dioclesian that we shoulde receiue the sayde doctrine as God his woorde because it is approued and confirmed by the Decrees and Councels of men So that wee being become the Disciples and scholers not of Christ the chiefe and heauenly maister but of men shoulde hang not of the authoritie of GOD but of men and worshippe him not after that Religion which was appointed by his owne lawes but after that Religion which mans rashnesse and boldenesse hath deuised and counterfeited With so great Religion forsooth is the fiercenesse of crueltie clothed The Samaritanes being moued by a woman of their owne nation after that they had ãâã Christ themselues answered that did no longer beleue Christ because âe womans wordes but because they heard Christ themselues But howe âh more rightly shal we answere these âcers of mindes which goe about by âeanes possible not to leade vs to âist as did that woman of Samaria to turne vs from him that wee doe beleeue them but Christ and that âe doe not for their sake imbrace the ââspel but because wee haue hearde âist himselfe teache and that wee doe ãâã therefore approoue and receiue their ââcked deuises because they set them âale vnder the pretence of the Churche ãâã Councels but that wee doe conântly refuse and detest them because ây are manifestly agaynst GOD ãâã trueth and because they doe their âst endeuour to make the authoritie ãâã GOD subiect to the authoritie of ân And what madnesse is this in that ââey saye that it was done without the âill of GOD that the Apostles and Euangelists write the Gospel when as in the first writing of the newe TestameÌt that is to say in the Epistle of the Synod of the Apostles this gorgious flower is expressely read It seemed good to the holy Ghost Paule also witnesseth that all Scripture is geuen by inspiration of god To be briefe Iohn in the Reuelation is coÌmaunded often to write for the instruction of the Church Yea the Lorde himselfe witnesseth It is not yee that speake but the spirite of your Father he it is which speaketh in you And we place speaking writing both in one degree so that he which said God into all the worlde and preach vnderstoode that the Gospel was also spread abroade by writing forsomuche as writing is plainely contained vnder doctrine To conclude the Catholike Church with one consent doeth witnesse that the bookes of the niewe Testament were written by the instinct of the holie Ghoste Doe these men with whom ⪠so ofte as they liste it is a greate offence to departe euen a little from the consente of the Churche not onelie âââârt from it but are directly contrarie ãâã it I meane in this place to repeate discusse the most beautifull sentence ââenaeus lately cited And this is it ât is the onely true and liuely fayth âââch the Church hath learned of the ââostles and distributed to her chilââân For the Lord of all gaue to his ââostles the power of the Gospel ârow whom we haue also knowne truth that is to say the doctrine of ãâã sonne of God to whom the Lord ãâã also he that heareth you heareth ãâã and he that despiseth you despiâ me and him that sent me For we âe not knowne the disposing of our âation thorow anie other but thoââw them by whom the Gospel came âo vs which then they preached âd afterward thorow the will of God âiuered vnto vs in the Scriptures to the foundation and piller of our âth This sentence of Irenaeus speaâh generally of the Scripture of the ãâã Testament the authoritie perfectiââ and sufficiencie whereof he sheweth ãâã most strong demonstration That is without controuersie the onely true and liuely faith which the primitiue Church receiued from the Apostles and distributed to her children This faith was in the beginning conceiued of that doctrine which the Apostles receiued from the sonne of god And this doctrine whereof the faith of the primitiue Church sprang did the Apostles deliuer first without writing by liuely voice Afterwarde they put the same doctrine in writing By what aduise Was it by the aduise of man No but by the will of god But did they put the same doctrine in writing Euen the verie same which being receiued from the sonne of God they preached with liuely voyce out of the which onely the Primitiue Church receiued the true and liuely fayth from the Apostles and distributed it to her children Wherevnto tendeth this That these particular Churches onely vnto whom the Epistles of the Apostles were writteÌ should vse those writings for theiâ present necessitie onely Not so Vnto vs say I haue the Apostles deliuered in the Scriptures the selfe same which they âââached Remember that the Epiâs of the Apostles sayth Augustine ãâã not written for them onely which âard them in the same time when ââey were written but for vs also neiââer are they recited in the Churche ãâã anie other purpose And what ãâã of the sayde Scripture woulde the Aââstles shoulde bee in the Church Ireâus answereth that that which they âiuered to vs in the Scriptures might âe in time to come the foundation and âer of our faith euen of that true and âely fayth which the Church receiued the Apostles distributed to her chilââen Therefore we haue the foundation âd piller of fayth in the Scriptures âiche the Apostles by the will of God ââue deliuered to vs Therfore that faith ââich is conceiued proued confirmed ââth of any other then of the Scriptures âiuered by the Apostles is not the true âely faith the Apostolike faith the faith the Primitiue Church These things most manifestly firmly agre togither ãâã Irenaeus his demoÌstration Therefore âe ⪠sheweth for what purpose the Apostles deliuered their doctrine to vs in the scriptures and what they would the end of the sayde scripture should bee in the Church euen that it might be the foundation and piller of our faith which hauâ not heard the liuely voice of the Apostles For wee will hereafter consider those thinges whiche Irenaeus in the same place reporteth of the accusers of thâ Scriptures And that yet there wicked vanitiâ may more plainly appeare which darâ affirme that it was not done by the commandement of Christ that the Euangelists and Apostles committed certainâ things to writing I will bring concerning this matter the most cleare witneâ of Saint Augustine Hee in the firsâ booke of the consent of the Euangelist the last chapter sayeth thus Through the manhoode which he tooke vpon him hee is the heade of all his Disciples as of the members of his own bodie Therefore when they wrote these
thinges which hee shewed and spake it may not be said that he himselfe did not write because his meÌberâ ââ¦ote that which they knew the head ââ¦structing them For whatsoeuer hee ââ¦ould that we shoulde read touching ââ¦s deedes and wordes that did hee ââmmauÌd them to write as his owne ââ¦ndes Whosoeuer shall vnderstande ââ¦is fellowship of vnitie and ministerie âf members agreeing in diuerse offiââ¦s vnder one head he wil none otherwise take that which he shall reade in âhe Gospel by the report of the disciâles of Christ then if he had beholden âhe verie hand of the Lorde which he âare in his own bodie writing it Loe what can be more euident then this witâesse of this most holie man Christ wrote in his Disciples inasmuch as âhey wrote that which hee shewed and âpake yea and whatsoeuer he would that we should reade of his deedes wordes âhat did he commaund them to write as âhough they had beene his owne hands âo that we ought none otherwise to take âhe report of the Euangelists then if we had beholden the verie hand of the Lord writing it Are not these most vaine men ashamed to scatter cloudes in so cleare weather Marcus Scaurus when he was accused of treason openly before the people of Rome by one Varius sayde thus Varius Sucronensis sayeth that Marcus Aemelius Scaurus hath committed treason agaynst the common wealth Marcus Aemilius Scaurus denieth it whether will you beleeue At this worde the people forthwith stopped the accion Howe much more iustly may I in this controuersie appeale to indifferent iudges and say Irenaeus and Augustine being most ancient and holy fathers yea and the consent of all the Catholike Church d ee affirme that the Apostles and Euangelists haue comprehended in writing the doctrine of Christ by the commaundement and will of the lord The Herinates the Pighicâ the Peresies the Lindanes the Andradies denie it I pray you whether will you beleeue Let them therefore leaââ ãâã to barke against so cleare truth let them reasse to diminish the holy authoritie of Scripture yea rather let them repeât them of their errour and madnesse The fifth Chapter âhat all things which concerne faith godlinesse and saluation are fully and sufficiently conteined in Scripture NOw our aduersaries are cast forth of their fortresse by the force of Truth we shal haue more liberty to cope with them in the open field It remaineth âherefore that wee handle now more at âarge that which lately we touched in âewe woordes that is to say that wee proue that all thinges which concerne âayth and godlinesse are fully and absolutely conteyned in the Scripture And God hath giuen so perfect a law that he hath straghtly forbid anie thing to be added therevnto And howe seuerely the Lord hath reuenged this presumption if any thing haue beene added in the rites much more in the doctrine so many most graue sermons of the Prophetes which are the interpreters of the lawe made touching these matters all the holie Histories yea and Christ himselfe doe most euidently witnesse There must be the same iudgement touching the Gospel forsomuch as it is much more excellent then the Lawe Except we should peraduenture thinke that God after hee had sent his Sonne into the worlde had lesse care for his Church or shoulde suppose that the Apostles vsed lesse diligence in that poynt then did the Prophetes Tertullian exclaimeth saying Happie is the Church for whome the Apostles haue powred foorth all the doctrine of GOD euen with their bloud Paule witnesseth that he hath expounded to the Ephesians all the counsell of God touching euerlasting saluation without anie shifting dissimulation Can it bee proued that Paul taught anie thing which he did not write Can it bee denied that the full doctrine of the Gospell is plainely comprehended in his Epistles But least I shoulde bee long I will content my selfe to alledge one but yet a verie plaine sentence of Paule For that being thorowly handled will plainely shewe the perfection and sufficiencie of the Scripture Hee âârefore aboute the ende of his life ââen as the bookes of the newe Testaâânt were written and set foorth speaââth thus to Timothie the Bishoppe ât continue thou in the thinges âhich thou hast learned which also âere committed vnto thee knowing âf whome thou hast learned them and that from an infante thou hast ânowne the Scriptures which are aâle to make thee wise vnto saluation âhrough fayth which is in Christ Ieââs All Scripture is giuen by inâpiration of GOD and is profitaâle to doctrine to reproue to correcâion to instruction which is in righâeousnesse that the man of God may âe perfect throughly instructed vnto âll good woorkes Herevnto agreeth âhe place Rom. 15. Whatsoeuer things haue beene written afore time were written for our learning that we thoâough pacience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope Which two places being weyed it will plainây appeare that the Scripture is in âll poyntes most perfect For in them doeth the Apostle comprehende all the vse of holye Scriptures and deuideth it into fiue pointes 1. Doctrine ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifieth the documentes of our Religion as when we intreate of God of Gods prouidence of Predestination of the Iustification and glorification of men of the Lawe of sinne of the Gospel of Fayth of charitie of hope of Christes incarnation of his death and resurrection of the resurrection of all the dead and of such like matters 2. Reprofe ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is whereby we reproue and conuince them which do not reason rightly and which commit faultes in gathering their arguments Wherevpon Aristotle instituteth that part of Logike wherein he sheweth the way to discouer the guiles and deceytes of Sophistes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of Elenghkes that is to say of Reprofes It is therefore Reproofe whereby the errours of Heretikes of Philosophers or of anie other whiche iudge euill of Religion are vanquished and confuted 3. Instruction ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã conteineth the teaching of godly life ãâã the informing of manners as when ân of all degrees are put in minde of âir duetie that euerie man maye haue â care for that whiche belongeth vnto âm as when wee teache what is seemeâ for the ministers of the Church what âr husbandes what for wiues what âr children what for maisters what for ââruantes what for riche men what for âoore men It is also instruction when âxhortations are made to moue men to âraye to doe almes deedes to fast to oâey the Magistrate to repent and to âmbrace all kinde of vertues For those âhinges which perteine to this place are âerie large For vnder instructions is âomprehended all doctrine of vertues ând vices is comprehended whatsoâuer concerneth the gouernement of a man him selfe of his house of a state âis comprehended whatsoeuer maye bee referred to the Churche to the common wealth to all kindes of life Admonition ãâã ãâã ãâã
greatly in doctrine some in wickednes of manners that admonition also which is in writing was needefull And he adâââh Consider how great madnesse it ân vs which haue lost that firste digââtie not to bee willing to vse the seâând remedie to saluation but to deâise the heauenly writinges as geuen to no purpose and in vayne This âace of Chrysostom doth not only shewe ãâã what cause and to what ende GOD ââue vnto vs the Scripture not onely in âe olde Testament but also in the newe ât also sheweth the vanitie of the mainâyners of the Pope which reasoÌ foorth ãâã Hieremie and Paule that it is proper ãâã the doctrine of the newe Testament âeuen of God to bee possible to be writâân neither in tables nor in paper neiââer with pen nor with ynke nor by any oâher meanes but that it must be kept with âut writing and deliuered from hande to âand These bee toyes Because by the âestimonie of Chrysostome we haue lost âhat first dignitie when as the doctrine âf the Apostles was deliuered by liuely voyce onelie so that now we haue need of admonitioÌ put in writing But because â haue reasoned of this matter before I will nowe spare to speake anie more hereof And that which Chrysostome spake at large Theophilactus hath comprehended as he is woont in fewe wordes Because saith he There were heresies sprong vp which might haue corrupted our manners it seemed verie expedient that the Gospels shoulde be written that we learning the trueth foorth of them shoulde not bee deceiued by the lies of heresies Hieronymus also agreeth herevnto For as it was necessary saith he that the Gospel should be preached for the confirmation of faith so was it also necessarie that it shoulde be written against Heretikes Herevnto also doeth Augustine geue his consent who vppon the seconde Epistle of Iohn Tractatu 2. hath these wordes You ought chiefly to coÌsider and to commit to your remembraunce that God his will was to put a chiefe stay in the Scriptures against deceiptful erroures against the which no man dare speake who in anie sorte is desirous to seeme to be a Christian âor when he had offered himself to be âândled it suffised him not but that ãâã did confirme the hearts of the faith âll out of the Scriptures For he did ârouide for vs which were to come âhat which we may handle wee haue âot but that which wee may reade âee haue Loe God his wil was to put ârong defence against the deceiptes of ârroures in the Scriptures Therefore âorâth of the Scriptures are all hereâes to be confuted and doctrines to be ââdged with this shield with this sworde âith these weapons must heresies be put âacke For the Scripture is as it were a âpeciall singular and sure preseruatiue âefending vs against the paysons of all kinde of errours Herevpon is it that the auncient faâhers so often as controuersies rose in reâigion fled rather to the Scripture then âo councels or to anie authoritie of men because the Scripture onelie can iudge firmely soundely and holily Beholde Paule being furnished with the weapons of Scripture onelie disputed against the Iewes although they were roughe and ouerthwarte if Luke reporte the trueth And the holie Ghost commendeth the Iewes of Berrea who when they had receiued the woorde with all readinesse of minde searched the Scriptures whether those thinges were so Worthily sayeth Augustine vnto Maximinus Neither ought I to alledge the Councell of Nice nor thou of Ariminum as by preiudice to hurte one another his cause Neither am I bounden to the authoritie of the one nor thou of the other Let matter contende with matter cause with cause reason with reason by the authorities of Scriptures witnesses not proper to anie but common to either Cresconius the Grammarian disputing with Augustine obiected vnto him the authoritie of Cyprian Augustine answereth I am not bounden to the authoritie of this Epistle for I esteeme not the writinges of Cyprian as Canonicall but I consider of them foorth of the writinges which are Canonicall and that which in them agreeth with the authoritie of holie âcriptures I receiue with his praise âut that which doeth not agree I âefuse by his leaue Against Faustus âib 23. he sayeth That which Faustus âath sette downe touching the geneâation of Marie which is not Canonicall bindeth mee not Also vpon âhe 57. Psalme he hath these woordes Let our owne wrytinges bee taken away let GOD his booke be brought foorth emongest vs Heare Christ speaking heare the trueth talking And woorthely doeth Augustine the man of GOD write these thinges forsomuche as it is meete to yeelde this honour to the Scripture that all things be tried by the examination thereof Whatsoeuer is proued by the authoritie therof may not anie more bee called in doubt Againe nothing but that which agreeth therewith may be receiued and whatsoeuer is contrary therevnto must bee accompted damnable that all the definitions of faith may depende therevppon and consiste therein So that they are found more vayne then vanitie it selfe whiche dare write that the Apostles wrote certaine thinges not that those their writinges shoulde rule our Faith and Religion but that they shoulde be in subiection therevnto Sozomenus reporteth that the sentences of them which assembled at the Councell of Nice were diuerse Some giuing counsell to alter nothing from the fayth deliuered ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from the beginning some other affirming that they ought not to sticke to olde opinions ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã rashely with out search and examination wherevppon the matter was protracted through diuerse questions therefore Constantine the Emperour sitting amongest the Bishoppes exhorted them to conferre quietly and to searche foorth the trueth setting Sophistrie aparte and bannishing the grudging of their mindes There are saith he the bookes of the Apostles and the decrees of the Prophets which doe instruct vs what we ought to thinke of holy matters Therfore setting enuious contention aside let vs search the solution of questions foorth of the Scriptures giuen by inspiratioÌ from god Enagrius writing of the Councel of Ephesus Chalcedon doth in like manner rehearse the sentence of Iohn Bishoppe of Antioche approoued by Cyrill Wee doe knowe that holy men haue set downe their determinations touching the Lorde foorth of the woordes of the Euangelistes and of the Apostles And Cusanus writeth that the forme of the olde generall Councelles was to place the holie Gospels in the middest And that the same was also obserued in priuate disputations touching religion Augustine is a witnesse Wheresoeuer saith he the place shall be appointed let vs cause the bookes of Canonicall Scripture to bee readie And if they can bring foorth anie proofes of eyther side all the rest sette aparte let vs make a full ende of so weightie a matter Therefore the examination of Scripture is lawfull for the triall of doctrines Let vs
law written is the canon and rule of politike iudgements euen so is the scripture called Canonicall That is to say rule-like because it is the certaine and infallible canon and rule of fayth And the naming of it so is taken forth of the Scripture it selfe In the 19. Psal. Their sound is gone out into all landes Here the Septuaginte interpreted it by the Greeke worde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã but the Hebrue worde Kau signifieth a corde a rule a line To the Galathians the 6. And as manie as walke according to this rule in Greeke ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Peace be on theÌ and mercie To the Philippians the 3. Let vs proceede by one rule in Greeke ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ⪠And wisely doeth Paule warne vs to walke according to this rule for such is the lightnesse and inconstancie of men on the one side and their boldnes and desire of innouation change on the other side that they would oftentimes desire a new forme of religion were it not that they are inclosed within certaine boundes of doctrine as it were within certaine hedges And therefore is the Scripture called Canonicall because the Church maye vse it as a Canon that is to saye as a squire and rule and as a perfecte touchestone whereby euerie kinde of doctrine which is proposed to the Church may bee exactly tried From the which meaning Cyprian doth not dissent whose wordes are these Christian religion hath found that the âules of all doctrines flowe out of this âcripture and that hence springeth âither returneth whatsoeuer Ecclesiâstical discipline conteineth The same Cyprian in the exposition of the Creede âfter that he had rehearsed the canonicall âookes added These are they which the âathers placed within the canon forth of the whiche they woulde that the âroofes of our fayth shoulde be made ânowen Also forth of these fountains of God his word must the cuppes be filled And Irenaeus sayeth that the verie selfe âame Gospel which the Apostles deliueâed vnto vs by the will of God in the Scriptures is the foundation and piller âf our fayth And Augustine teacheth âhat the canonicall Scripture is the âoundation of our fayth when as hee âayeth The Citie of GOD hath beâeeued the holie Scriptures the olde ând the newe which we cal canonical ârom the which faith is receiued by the which the iust liueth throgh the which we walke without doubting so long âs we are pilgrimes from God. Also He euen the sonne of God hauing spoken first by the Prophets then by himselfe afterwarde by the Apostles so much as he iudged sufficient ordeined also the scripture which is called Canonical being of most excellent authoritie which we credite in things wherin we may not be ignorant and yet of our selues are not able to attain the knowledge thereof Again in an other place The Canonicall authoritie of the olde and newe Testament confirmed in the Apostles time by the successions of Bishops and increasing of Churches is placed as it were aloft in a certain seat wherevnto euerie faythfull and godly vnderstanding should submit it selfe Therefore forsomuch as God hath established the Scripture to bee the foundation piller and rule of fayth and hath therefore placed it in a seate of most excellent authoritie and hath aduaunced it as the iudgement of the holie Ghost except we will bee dispitefull against God himselfe we must needes confesse that it is so perfect in euery point that there mâây neither be added to it nor taken from it without doing of iniury to the holy ghost The rule and the squire saith Basil forsomuch as in them is no want to retaine their name admit no addition For addition agreeth therevnto wherin there is a defect and these thinges which bee vnperfect shall neuer bee rightly called by the name of a squire or rule And Theophilacte also sayeth A rule and a squire can neither abide to haue any thing put vnto them nor taken from them Therefore in the iudgement of Basil and Theophilacte either the Scripture shal be perfect and full or else not to be iudged worthie the name of Canonicall Yea and the scripture is the canon the rule and the squire wherby the holy fathers woulde haue all doctrines proued all questions of faith defined Neither haue they iudged any decrees or writings either of couÌcels or of men although learned holy to be receiued by their owne authoritie This honour haue they yeelded to the canonicall scripture only that they iudged al things with the scripture hath set forth vnto vs to be receiued simply without reasoning eueÌ because they are so written haue appointed the decrees and ordinances of all other men to be referred to the Scripture of God forth of it to be discerned as by their owne testimonies wee will forthwith more at large declare Therefore doe wee worthily reuerence the fulnesse and the authoritie of the Scripture whiche is as it were the highest lawe and as the Lawyers in their pleadings tearme it the definitiue sentence wherewith all men must content them selues The .viij. Chapter That the authoritie of the Canonicall Scripture is more excellent than the Councels the Fathers yea then the decrees and ordinances of all men AVgustine against the epistle which they call Fundament sayth Those thinges which are defined in holye scripture are preferred before al other things And that of right because the catholike Church of Christ that is to say the vniuersall Churche doeth acknowledge no booke as her owne wherein âhee doeth certainely propose vnto the âonnes of GOD the traditions of Christ ând of the Apostles but onely the Caâonicall Scripture All other writings âre none otherwise receiued by the Churche of GOD then so farre foorth âo be of authoritie in the Churches ând among all Christians as the auâhours of them shall bee able to perâwade foorth of holie Scripture and ây probable reasons And those things âre probable whiche like excellente men and the brightnesse of woorthie âames pearseth the vnderstanding that âhey seeme good but those thinges ânelie are esteemed certayne and approâed in the Churche of Christe which âre plainely and vndoubtedly concluâed foorth of the Scripture The Scripâure is as it were the Queene of all CouÌâels of all Churches of all writers Neiâher haue the holie Fathers iudged anie âhing more woorthie credite in the Churche than the Scriptures yea and whomsoeuer they tooke in hande to instructe in religion them did they alwayes sende after the example of Christ himselfe and of the Apostles to the lawe and to the writinges of the Prophetes and of the Apostles And to this meaning serue manie godlie sayinges of the Fathers whereof wee will noate some Augustine in his seconde booke and third Chapter touching Baptisme agaynst the Donatistes saith Who knoweth not that the holy canonicall Scripture as well of the old as the new Testament is contayned within her
certaine boundes and that it is so muche preferred before all the later writinges of Byshoppes that there may neyther doubte be made nor disputation raysed touching it whether anie thing whiche is well knowen to bee written in it be true or righte And that the writinges of Byshoppes which eyther haue beene written after the confirmation of the the Canon or which shall bee written may be lawfully reprooued both by the wyser speach of one peraduenture more skilfull in the Scripture and by the grauer authoritie of other Byshoppes and by the wisedome of the learned and by Councels if anie thing in the sayde writinges doe by chaunce varie from the trueth And that the Councels themselues which are holden by particuler countries or prouinces doe geue place without all doubte to the more generall Councels which are assembled forth of the vniuersal Christian worlde And that the latter generall Councels are ofteÌtimes made better by the further when as by some experimenr of matters that which was shutte vppe is opened and that which lay hidde is made knowen without anie shewe of wicked pride without anie arrogancie of puffed vp flesh without any contention of spitefull enuie with holie humilitie with Catholike peace and with Christian Charitie Hierome vppon the Epistle to the Galathians sayeth It is the doctrine of the holie Ghoste which is set foorth in the Canonicall Scriptures agaynst the which if Councels shall determine any thing I esteeme it wickednesse Again August writing to Hierom hath these wordes For I confesse vnto your charitie that I haue learned to yeeld this feare honor to those bookes of the Scripture onely which are nowe called Canonicall that I beleeue most firmely that none of the authours of them haue committed any fault in writing them And if I finde any thing in any of those bookes which may seeme contrarie to the truth I make none other doubt but this that either there was a fault escaped in writing the booke or that the interpreter did not attaine to that which was spoken or that I doe not vnderstande it But I reade others so that although they doe excell in holinesse and learning I doe not therefore thinke it true because they so thought but because they were able to perswade me either by those Canonicall authours or by probable reason that it differeth not from the truth Neither doe I suppose my brother that thou dost think any otherwise This I say that I doe not take it that thou wouldest thy bookes should be altogether so read as the writings of the Prophets or of the Apostles touching whose writings to doubt whether they want al errour it is a great haynous offence This be farre from godly humilitie c. In like manner in the proeme to his third booke de Trinitate he saith As I wil not haue my reader addict to me so will I not be his correctour Let not him loue me more then the Catholike faith and let him not loue himselfe more then the Catholike trueth As I say to him Be not addicted to my writinges as to the Canonicall Scriptures But when thou shalt finde in the Scriptures euen that which thou didst not beleeue beleeue it without stackering And when thou shalt find in my bookes which thou diddest not esteeme certaine except thou vnderstand it to be certaine doe not firmely hold it So say I to him also Correct not my bookes by thine opinion or contention but by the holy Scripture or by firme reason If thou shalt finde any trueth in them in that it is so it is not mine but in that it is vnderstanded and beloued let it be both thine and mine But if thou shalt proue any falshood in them in that there was an errour committed it shal be mine but in that it is nowe auoyded let it neither bee mine nor thine Hee sayeth also to Fortunatianus For wee ought not to make such accoumptes of the disputations of anie although they be Catholike and laudable men as of the Canonicall Scriptures ⪠as though it were not lawfull for vs sauing the honourable reuerence which is due to suche men to improoue and refuse some thing in their bookes if by chance we shall finde that they thought otherwise theÌ the truth is being by God his helpe vnderstanded either of other or of vs Suche am I in other mens woorkes suche woulde I that the vnderstanders of my woorkes shoulde be in mine And againe to Paulina in the sixeteenth Chapter he saith Neither doest thou so beleeue me as thou doest Ambrose ⪠touching whose bookes I haue giuen those so great testimonies Or if thou thinke that thou shouldest beleeue vs both two alike what wilt thou compare vs in any wise to the Gospel or wilt thou matche our writinges with the Canonicall Scriptures Truely if thou be a wise discerner thou seest vs farre of froÌ that authoritie me much more But although thou mayest beâeeue eyther of vs yet mayst thou not compare either of vs to that excelleÌcy Item against Cresconius in the seconde booke and xxxi Chapter he saith For we doe Cyprian no iniurie when we put differeÌce betwene his writings whatsoeuer they be the canonicall authoritie of holy scriptures Neither was the Ecclesiastical Canon without cause sette downe with so wholesome watchefulnesse whervnto the certaine bookes of the Prophets of the Apostles do pertaine which we may not presume to iudge at all and according to the which we may freely iudge of al other writings either of the faithful or of the vnfaithfull In like maner to Vincentius the Donatist in his xlviii Epistle hath these woordes Shew not thy selfe willing to collect pillers forth of the writings of the Apostles against the testimonies of god First because this kind of writings are distinguished from the authoritie of the Canon For they are not so read as though testimonie might so be taken foorth of them that it may not be lawfull to thinke otherwise if perhaps they sauour otherwise Sixe hundred suche testimonies are to be found euerie where in Augustine which teach that the Canonicall scripture is the rule wherby all the writinges and decrees of all men are to be tried Wherfore omitting him let vs heare also the senteÌces of the rest of the fathers agreeing all in one Basill in moralibus summa 72. cap. 1. pronounceth that hearers learned in the Scriptures ought to trie those things which are vttered by the teachers and to receiue those things which agree with the Scriptures but to refuse whatsoeuer doth not agree thervnto And hee applieth to that rule the saying of Paul Gal. 1.8 Though an Angel from heauen preache anie other Gospel vnto you than that which we haue preached vnto you let him bee accursed Epiphanius haeresi 65. saith We can shewe the inuention of euery question not by reasons of our owne but by the consequence of the Scriptures Cyrill de recta fide ad reginas saith It
did beholde therein the power of God that the Scriptures are come vnto vs euen from the verie mouth of God by the administration of men Therefore the Spouse in the Ballets sayeth with marueilous ioy My beloued sayd vnto me I saye nothing of that which euerie one which is lightned with the light of true fayth must needes finde by experience in himselfe By this experience wrote once Augustine the man of God howe God by a little and a little tempered and disposed his heart with his most meeke and most mercifull hande and at the last thorowly perswaded him so that at the last he knew and beleeued that those bookes were deliuered to mankinde by the spirite and the onely true and most true god Therefore the authoritie of the Scripture doth depend not of the iudgement of the Churche but of the inwarde testifying of the holy Ghost And Iohn witnesseth that Christ sayd thus concerning the spirite If God were your father why do ye not know my speach For it is most certaine that we are adopted to be the sonnes of GOD by the meanes of the holie Ghost Which when we haue obteined Christ witnesseth in this place that wee by the lightning of the same Spirite may so discerne his speache from a strangers that it may be manifest and certaine vnto vs In the which selfe same sense Christ sayth also in another place He that entereth in by the doore is the shepheard of the sheepe To him the porter openeth and the sheepe heare his voyce and he calleth his owne sheepe by name and leadeth them out when he shall put forth his owne shepe he goeth before theÌ the sheepe follow him for they know his voice A stranger will they in no wise follow but flie from him for they know not the voice of strangers Neither is it to bee doubted that we become Christs sheepe through the power of the holy Ghost that we follow not falshood errours corruptions and heresies which are the voices of strangers but heare the onely voice of Christ that is to say imbrace the true and naturall sence of the Scripture And Paule saith to the Corinthians The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirite of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither caÌ he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spirituall discerneth all things And in the same place The spirit searcheth the deepe things of God. And Christ also saith The comforter which is the holy ghost shal bring all things to your remeÌbrance whatsoeuer I haue said vnto you Also Iohn hath these wordes in his Epistle The anointing teacheth you of al things Againe He that knoweth God heareth vs. To be briefe August in the place lately cited saith Therfore when as we were weake to finde foorth the truth by cleare reason and when as we had need of the authoritie of the holy Scriptures for the same purpose I began to beleue forthwith that thou wouldest by no meanes giue âo excellent authoritie vnto that scripture throughout al lands but that thy will was that thou wouldest be sought by it and wouldest be beleeued by it Behold it is God I say it is God which hath established his holy bookes with so great authoritie in all nations And August addeth the cause why God will be sought through them why he wil be beleued through them I conclude therfore ⪠that the scripture hath not her authoritie chiefly froÌ the Church For the firmnes strength thereof dependeth of God not of men And the word being both firme sure was before the church For the church was called by the word And seeing the doctrine of the prophets of the apostles is the foundation of the Church it must needes bee that the certaintie of the Church must consist in the said doctrine as in her foundation and ground worke before the said Church can take her beginning For if the Church of Christ were founded in the beginning by the writings of the Prophetes and with the preaching of the Apostles wheresoeuer the saide doctrine bee founde certainely the allowing of the doctrine went before the Church without the which doctrine the Church could neuer haue beene And because the spirit of God wrought in the heartes of them which heard the word of God read it that they might acknowledge that it was not the word of man but of God vndoubtedly the worde of God receiueth authoritie from the spirite and not from the Church The .x. Chapter How the canon of the new Testament was ordeined and that it hath authoritie of it self from the authours thereof that the authoritie of the Church is mainteined thereby THey which reason that we haue receiued manie things to be beleeued âf necessitie by the authoritie of the Church which are expressed in no part âf the Scriptures make this as a great ârgument as they thinke that there are âut foure Gospels onely which may not âe discredited without the perill of losse âf saluation and that it appeareth by no Scripture that the other Scriptures which we haue are Canonicall worâhie credite Neither are the titles thereâf the titles of the Scripture but put to ây others Therefore say they if we shall âeceiue nothing but that which is in the Scriptures then shall wee not receiue âhe scriptures themselues Nowe that I may disclose the deceitfulnesse of this argumeÌt the indifferent reader must know âhat the Canonicall Scripture hath her âuthoritie chiefly from the holy Ghost ây whose motion and inspiration it was âet forth as lately wee did declare And âfter that from the writers vnto whome God gaue certaine and peculiar testimonies of the truth Wherevnto is added the witnesse of the primitiue Church in whose time those bokes wer published receiued And they which haue the spirit of faith do not dispute peeuishly of the receiuing of the said bookes who receiued them or who reiected them but acknowledge in them the sweete sauouring force of the spirit by whose instinct they were set forth The canon of the new Testament was ordeined by the authoritie of God and receiued by the Church of the Apostles Neither can I sufficiently meruaile at their rashnesse which saye that the authoritie of the church hath giuen canonical authoritie vnto certaine of the scriptures yea and those the chiefest which otherwise neither of themselues neither of their authours they could haue had amongst vs Words Not the authoritie of euery one but of the Apostles is required to make any writing in the new Testament Canonical or giuen by inspiration from God. As well saith Tertul. when as he confuteth the counterfeit gospel of Marcion First we do holde that a true Gospel must haue the Apostles for the authors thereof Iohn sawe the writings of three Euangelists allowed âhem And by writing his Gospel hee âade an ende of writing Gospels And âherefore saieth hee
And many other âignes truely did Iesus before the eyes âf his disciples which are not written ân this boke These are written that ye âight beleeue that Iesus is Christ the âonne of God and that in beleuing ye âight haue life thorow his name By âe which wordes if we beleeue the Faâhers Iohn coÌmended vnto the Church âot onely his owne Gospel but also the Gospels of the other three Euangelists Therfore by the euideÌt testimony of Iohn âhose things are written by the foure EâaÌgelists with holy choise which might sufâse the saluatioÌ of men not satisfie their âuriositie Paule hath signed his Epistles ãâã a peculiar marke so haue we 2. Thes â The salutatioÌ of me Paul with mine âwne hand which is the tokeÌ in euery âpistle So I write The grace of our âord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen Vpon these words Ambrose saith âecause of corrupters of the scriptures âe witnesseth that he subscribeth the âalutation himselfe alwayes with his âwn hand in euery one of his Epistles that the Epistle might not be receiue vnder his name which was not subscribed with his hand And Theodoret sayth This did he adde moreouer because of them which presumed to carie about couÌterfeit Epistles teaching them to looke for the subscription For this sayth he is the signe of mine Epistles For I write the salutation my selfe in euery Epistle Therefore hereby we learne that this The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen is vsually writteÌ by him in stead of fare well Thus farre Theodorete Herevpon is it that in the ende of the Epistle to the Romans when as he had set downe his vsuall subscription The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ be with you all Amen And had added newe salutations in the behalfe of other brethren he repeateth the subscription the seconde time In the ende of the first Epistle to the Corinthians he subscribeth thus The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hande If any man loue not the Lord Iesus Christ the same be Anathema maranatha The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ be with you Ambrose vpon the same woordes sheweth the cause The vsuall subscription of his owne hand Also Theodorete sayeth I haue indited the Epistle my selfe and put to the salutation with mine owne hande shewing to all men by those letters that those things which are written are mine He subscribeth the Epistle to the Galathians with these wordes Brethren the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ be with your spirit Amen VpoÌ the which wordes Theodoretus sayeth He put vnto his letters his vsual blessing as a certaine seale putting them in remembrance of the gift giueÌ them which they receiued not by the law but by faith Ambrose in the ende of the first to Timothe sayeth He subscribed with his owne hand saying Grace be with thee Amen And the Apostle subscribeth the second to Timothe after this maner The Lord Iesus Christ be with thy spirite Grace be with you Amen Vpon the which words Ambr. noteth This is the subscriptioÌ of the Apostle for he saith it is his mark in euery epist. And Tert. sayth that the verie hande writings of the Apostles were conserued euen in his time in the Apostolike Churches To be briefe Paule doth not onely confirme his Epistles with so great diligence by subscriptions but also hath set them forth with much more riche and polished inscriptions than other writers are accustomed The same hath Peter done also who hath commended Paul his Epistles to the Churches in expressed woordes Iohn concludeth his canonicall Epistle thus These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the sonne of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life and that ye maye beleeue on the name of the sonne of God. Why should not this Epistle bee canonical which was written to this end by the instinct of the spirite of God that the faythfull might be assured of their saluation in Christ through fayth The Epistle to the Hebrues whether it bee Lukes or Barnabasses or Clements the Church is vncertaine of the Authour but most certaine of the spirit and of the truth sauoureth such a grace of the Apostles diuinitie that it easily defendeth it selfe from being reiected The Epistle of Iames being filled full of most wholsome precepts well sheweth that the authour thereof was Iames the seruant of God and of our Lord Iesus Christ whether he were the sonne of Alphe or that Oblias the matter is not great For they were both worthie men The one an Apostle the other a Disciple the Lords cousin of great authoritie in the Church and among the Iewes also I would therfore that they should tell mee which bee those chiefe bookes of the newe Testament which haue authoritie from the church which they could neither haue of themselues nor of their authours And it may be gathered forth of those thinges which I haue alledged now forth of the newe Testament how the Canon of the Scripture of the newe Testament was made and from whence the Canonicall Scripture hath that excellent authoritie Therefore the Church receiued this Canon from the Apostles confirmed by no Councell and deliuered it as it were from hande to hande vnto the posteritie Wherefore Iohn in the ende of his Gospel addeth both his owne testimony and also the witnesse of the Church when as he saith The same disciple is he which testifieth of these things wrote these things and we know that his testimonie is true And this testimonie of the Church is not the deuise of man but necessarie such a confession as is expressed by the truth of the thing it selfe wherof we will intreate more at large in the place coÌuenient And since they do so peeuishly contend that the authoritie of the Scripture doeth depend of the Church why do they not bring forth some canon or decree of some councell whereby holie scripture was approued or confirmed The primitiue Church of the Christians found the bookes of the olde Testament authentical firme and by them approued confirmed the articles of our faith Afterwards succeeded the bookes of the Apostles written by the inspiratioÌ of the spirite of God which no decree of man confirmed For Gods word is not subiect to mans will and pleasure but contrarily whatsoeuer the Churches ordeyned they alwayes were careful to proue it by the word of God as it may be proued by the CouÌcels of best credite So that well wrote blessed Siluianus Bishop of Marsiles All other things that is to say the sayinges of men haue neede of profes and witnesses but the word of God is a witnesse to it selfe for it must needes bee an vncorrupt witnesse of truth which vncorrupt truth speaketh In deede the Councels haue made a rehearsall of the bookes of holy scripture written by inspiration from God which some
holy profitable and necessarie argument I began foorthwith to read the Booke with great affection and easily perceiued that the authour being indued with singular humanitie and modestie did of purpose conceale his name not regarding to make it knowen For hee woulde not seeke to gette any praise of the worlde which manie foolishly doe by setting foorth Bookes but was rather willing to further extolle and sette foorth the glorie of GOD onely and of his woorde I sawe also in the man a feruent desire to bringe the syncerenesse of pure Religion to knowledge and to further the manifest profite of the louers of godlinesse To bee briefe I acknowledged the giftes of God to appeare in this man I meane his dexteritie and happinesse in handeling this famous argument hauing beene long in controuersie among the learned and diuersly expounded For whatsoeuer may be spoken thereof necessarily and profitably hee hath wholy conteined it in this booke yea and that briefely euidently plainly and in verie good order For hee hath distinguished the whole matter being otherwise copious into Chapters then hath âee placed before euery Chapter the Argument so that euen by these briefe Chapters thou mayest easily perceiue the scope and ende of the whole Booke the summe and maner of the handeling of the âame Wherevpon I haue prefixed before this woorke the Title of the Booke fraâed of the matter handeled therein that thou mayest euen with one viewe and foorthwith in the beginning beholde all thinges in a verie briefe summe whiche are conteined in this Booke He setteth foorth plainely and confirmeth all his matters especially as it is meete by the holie Scriptures then also by fitte testimonies of the blessed auncient Fathers Neither hath this his profitable trauaile âiked mee onelie but also certaine other godlye and learned men vnto whome thou mayest worthilie ascribe more than vnto mee I haue therefore placed this mine Epistle before this Booke least the woorke beeing sette foorth without âhe Authours name shoulde eyther âee little regarded or suspected of thee Neither shall this Booke bee namelesse if it meete with anie stoute aduersarie which can assaile it and oppugne it Those thinges which I haue hitherto spoken in praise of this booke thou shalt by experieÌce and with admiration witnesse to be true so that thou reade it diligently and with a sincere minde and also weigh it duely Farewell gentle Reader From Zurich the moneth of August 1571. ⧠A briefe summe of the chiefest pointes handeled in this Booke as it is deuided by Chapters THE reasons of those which doe extoll the authoritie of the Church abooue the Scriptures Cap. 1. Fol. 1 The deceitfulnesse of them is reprooued which doe diminish the authothoritie of the Scripture wherevpon the authoritie of the church doeth depend Cap. 2. Fol. 4. That the authoritie of the Scripture is greatest because it containeth the woorde of God which in the begining was deliuered to the church by liuely voice cap. 3. Fol. 8. The place of Hieremie his 31. chapter is discussed also it is shewed that the Apostles wrote the Gospel by the will of god cap. 4. Fol. 14. That all things which concerne faith godlinesse and saluation are fully and sufficiently contained in the Scripture cap. 5. Fol. 26. That the Scripture was giuen by inspiration to correct euill manners to confute heresies that forth of it onely controuersies must be iudged And that it is neither darke nor doubfull cap. 6. Fol. 30. Whervpon the Scripture is called Canonical Also testimonies of the Fathers touching the most excellent authoritie thereof cap. 7. Fol. 42. That the authoritie of the Canonicall Scripture is more excellent then the Councels the Fathers yea then the decrees and ordinaunces of all men Cap. 8. Fol. 44. That the Canonical Scripture hath the chiefe perfection of her authoritie from the holie Ghoste and of her selfe And coÌtrarily that the Church receiueth her authoritie from the Scripture cap. 9. Fol. 51. Howe the Canon of the newe Testament was ordained and that it hath authoritie of it selfe and from the Authors thereof and that the authoritie of the Church is maintayned thereby cap. 10. Fol. 55. Howe vngodly and wicked it is to preach without the warrant of holy Scripture cap. 11. Fol. 11. That the true Church is to bee sought in the Scripture to bee included ded therein and to be esteemed by the Scriptures cap. 12. Fol. 65. Of the dueties of the Church about the Scriptures and first of this that she keepeth the holy Bookes of the scripture as a witnesse cap. 13. Fol. 69. That the Church publisheth the word of god cap. 14. Fol. 70. That the Church discerneth the Books of holy Scripture from Apocryphall and counterfaits cap. 15. Fol. 71. Of the saying of Augustine I would not beleeue the Gospel but that the authoritie of the Church mooueth mee also cap. 16. Fol. 74. Of the gift of interpretation Cap. 17. Fol. 77. Of the the saying of Christ If he will not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as an Heathen man and a Pubcan Mat. 18.19 cap. 18. fol. 82. Of the saying of Paule The Church is the piller and grounde of the trueth 1. Tim. 3.15 Chap. 19. Fol. 84. Of the saying of Paule Brethren stand fast and holde the ordinances which ye haue taught whether it be by our preaching or by our Epistle 2. Thes 2.15 Chap. 20. Fol. 86. That the doctrine which the Apostles taught by liuely voyce and which they deliuered in writing is all one and that this is the fourme of the traditions of the Apostles if they agree with the holie Scriptures Chap. 21. Fol. 88. A perfite proofe of those Traditions which are indeede the Apostles foorth of the moste auncient Writers Irenaeus and Tertullianus Chap. 22. Fol. 91. Of the subtiltie and deceitfulnesse of Sophisters which vse guilefully the woorde Tradition which is diuersly taken Chap. 23. Fol. 101. Of the vncertaintie repugnancie and varietie of Traditions Chap. 24. Fol. 104. That the Church hath beene deceiued euen from the Apostles time vnder the pretence of Traditions Chap. 25. Fol. 106. A Catalogue of the Doctors and writers whose testimonies the authour of this Treatise doth alledge in this Booke Ambrose Athanasius Augustine Basil Chrysostome Clemens Cusanus Cyprian Cyril Epiphanius Enagrius Eusebius Gerson Gratian Hillarie Hyperius Ierome Irenaeus Lactantius Nicephorus Origen Panormitanus Philaster Saluianus Sozomenus Tertullian Theodoretus Theophilactus Whether the holie Scripture haue authoritie from the Church Or whether the Church doe rather take authoritie from the holie Scripture The first Chapter The reasons of those which do extoll the authoritie of the Church aboue the Scripture THE chiefest reuerence after God God his woorde is due to the Churche Christe his spouse whiche God so dearelie loued that his will was that his onely begotten sonne should be a sacrifice for the same whome he endueth with his spirit that the sayde Church may be the temple and image of God wherein his
counterfeite Epistles as though they had come from Paul and from the other Apostles were obtruded vnto the Churches Paul did note his owne naturall Epistles with a peculiar signe of his owne hande least false Epistles should be put in the place of those which were true For this cause read we in the ende of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle So I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen What say you to this moreouer that Tertullian reporteth that the authentike and originall Epistles of the Apostles that is to say their owne hand writings were kept euen in his time in those Churches to whome they were written And the Epistles of Paul are approued by the expressed testimonie of Peter And Iohn concludeth his Epistle thus These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the Sonne of GOD that you may knowe that you haue eternall life and that you may beleeue ãâã the name of the Sonne of God. ââd hee finisheth the Reuelation with ââis most weightie calling to witnesse ââestifie vnto euerie man that heareth tâe woordes of the prophecie of this ââoke if anie man shall adde vnto ââese sayings God shall adde vnto him ââe plagues that are written in this booke And if anie man shall take away from the wordes of the booke of this prophesie God shall take awaye âis part out of the booke of life and âut of the holie Citie and from the âhings which are writteÌ in this booke Therefore that is the Gospel of the Caââolike Church whiche being put in âriting God hath sealed for his worde And this is the cause that the Churches âf all ages haue taken the bookes of the âewe Testament for authentike which ân these dayes we do with reuerence acânowledge for authentike and which we doe most constantly affirme ought to he beleeued There is a most euident testimonie touching this matter in Irenaeus The Church sayth he learned the true and liuely faith of the Apostles and distributed it to her children For the Lorde of all gaue the power of the Gospel to his Apostles through whom we haue also knowne the trueth that is to say the doctrine of the soÌne of God vnto whom also the Lord said He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me he that despiseth me c. For we haue not knowne the setting in order of our saluation by any other then by them by whom the Gospel came to vs which then they did preach and afterwarde by the will of God deliuered vnto vs in the Scriptures to be the foundation and piller of our fayth Thou hearest by the testimonie of this most ancient and holy Bishop that the Apostles did afterward by the will of God deliuer vnto vs in writing the same Gospell which first they published with liuely voyce that this written Gospell might be the foundation and piller of our fayth And although hee doeth vrge this poynt That all Churches taught and instructed by the Apostles shoulde keepe the vnitie of ãâã founded in the Scriptures yet doth ââtwithstanding maintaine this also ââat the Scripture is the schole of perâ and absolute wisedome Moreouer although all thinges that ââist did be not written nor all the serââs which he made bee not set downe writing worde for word least the numâââ of bookes should be infinite yet hath ãâã holy Ghost chosen forth those things âe written which might suffise for the ââââruction and confirmation of the faith âhe elect as Augustine plainelie teaââth forth of the word of Iohn the Eâââgelist For whereas the Lord Iesus âeth he did manie things all are not ââitten as euen the selfe same holy Eâângelist him selfe witnesseth That the âârde Christ both did and spake maâe things which are not written But ââose things were chosen foorth and âritten which did seeme to be sufficiâât for the faith of the faithful Thereââre euen by the witnesse and consent of âugustine those things are plentifullie âritten which the holy Ghost iudged to ãâã inough for the obteyning of the true knowledge of Christe and of the blessed life Cyrillus in his 12. booke vpon Iohn doeth agree to Augustine All thinges saith he which the Lorde did are notwritten but the writers thought those thinges which are written sufficient aswell for manners as for doctrine that we shining in right faith good workes may come to the kingdome of heauen through Iesus Christ Thus much hath he Neither doth it followe herevpon that those thinges which were not written were vaine and to no purpose They were then verie profitable for the confirming and erecting of the Church of Christe Yet notwithstanding the whole Gospel was moste faithfully drawen into that summe which might fully suffise them that should come after The iiii Chapter The place of Ieremie his 31. Chapter is discussed also it is shewed that the Apostles wrote the Gospel by the will of God. âNtichrist his garde setteth vpon vs ãâã in this place wresteth a dart forth ãâã Ieremie which wee must needes âe howe weake it is to proue that âââch they goe about Truely they abuse âoo shamefully the holie oracles of ââd who by wresting these woordes of ãâã Prophete vnto a cleane contrarie âishe and absurde sense goe about to âââre the eyes of the simple and to diâishe the maiestie of the Scripture ââd as they which in scholes geue them âââues to shew their fine witts and which ââercise themselues in eloquence do fight ââainst elequence with the weapons of ââoquence euen so doe these by the counâânaunce of Scripture endeuour to oâârthrowe the authoritie of Scripture âut they are cloudes easie to be scatteââd with a verie smal blast of an answere âieremie doeth prophesie that an other âouenaunt must bee made in the name âf God but not so as it was made in time âast with the fathers And amongst other âhinges he saith vnder the person of God â will plante my lawe in the inwarde partes of them and write it in their heartes and will bee their God and they shal be my people And froÌ thence foorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother and saye Knowe the Lord but they shall all knowe me from the lowest to the highest saieth the Lorde for I will forgiue their misdeedes and wil neuer remember their sinnes anie more Vnto this prophesie do they ioyne the place of Paul in the second to the Corinthians and third chapter Ye are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men For as much as ye are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christe ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in stonie tables but in fleshlie tables of the heart They would proue forth of these places that the
therefore stande that I may vse Basill his woordes to the arbitrament of Scripture geuen by inspiration from God and let the sentence of trueth be adiudged vnto them amongest whom doctrines agreeing with God his worde are founde It liketh me to set downe in this place the most beautifull sentence of Cyprian which Augustine affirmeth to bee without doubte moste excellent It is a short way saith he with religious and simple mindes both to lay away errour and to finde foorth and trie out the truth For if we returne to the heade and fountaine of GOD his tradition man his errour ceaseth if the Conduit pipe of water which before did runne plentifully and aboundantly doe faile of a souddeine doe they not goe to the fountayne that the cause of the defecte may foorthwith bee knowen whether it bee drie in the head by meanes that the vaynes of the well are dried vp or whether it runne sounde and full from thence and stoppe in the middle of his passage The which thing also the Priestes of GOD must doe and if in anie thing the trueth shall totter and shake lette vs returne to the fountayne and welspring of the Lorde and of the Euanlistes and to the tradition of the Apostles and from thence let the reason of our doing rise from whence both the order and beginning sprang These thinges are written in his Epistle to Pompeius agaynst the Epistle of Stephanus Therefore by the consente of al the olde writers the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles are the rules of iudgementes in euerie proofe examination and triall of doctrines I knowe Tertullian writeth elsewhere that wee must not appeale to the Scriptures neither offer in them to contende wherein the victorie is eyther none at all or vncertaine or at the least none verie certayne But marke against whom hee reasoneth For so hath hee a little before these woordes This heresie doeth not receiue certayne Scriptures and if it receiue anie it altereth and chaungeth them craftely by putting to taking from for the framing of their purpose Although it doe receaue them yet doeth it not receaue the whole And though it doe receiue the whole after a sorte yet doeth it notwirhstanding peruerte them deuising straunge expositions As greately is an adulterous sense against the trueth as is a corrupt maner of writing Diuerse presumptions will not acknowledge those thinges whereby they are ouerthrowen c. Therefore forsomuch as proofe foorth of the Scriptures coulde nothing preuayle amongest suche he deemeth that controuersies touching faith are to be discussed foorth of the Scriptures because those which were of the right faith wearied themselues without fruite and because the malapertnesse of Heretikes coulde not bee brideled but that they woulde still contende although they were an hundred times ouercommen Hee woulde therefore haue an ende of vayne and vnprofitable strifes and contentions and especially seeing that the Apostle forbidâeth after the first or second admonition to reason anie more with him that is ân Heretike Otherwise what doeth he himselfe in so manie bookes With what swoorde with what weapons hath âe slaine Marcion Praxeas Hermogenes and others but with the simple woorde of God Therefore when the matter so requireth he proueth not onely the wordes but also by example that we must both dispute and define none otherwise but onely forth of the worde of God it selfe Neither haue all the professours of the right fayth vsed anie other meane when they defended the right ând pure faith against Heretikes as we âaue alreadie shewed The bookes of God are open sayth Augustine let vs not turne away our eyes The Scripâure crieth let vs hearken For they would not haue the authoritie of man âut of God to be able to ende controuerâies and to heale men Yet doe the Papistes reclaime afâirming that controuersies cannot be deâermined forth of Scripture onely or âhat iudgement can be giuen forth of it touching the matter of fayth For they say that the Scripture is subiect to the wicked and ambitious expositions of Heretikes and that it may be wrested to diuerse meanings and that it is doubtfull and darke Therefore doe they call vs backe foorthwith to the definition of the Church which as it is without all falsehood so may it be taken for the true and certaine rule of fayth It is a solemne thing amongest these Sophistes to declaime of the doubtfulnesse hardnesse and darkenesse of the Scriptures to turne mens mindes from the Scripture to the traditions of their Church that is to saye from the authoritie of God to the authoritie of men neither is this shift of theirs newe The old Heretikes also vsed the same who when they were reproued by the Scriptures vsed these cauillations that the Scriptures are diuersely spoken that is to saye according to the speech of our aduersaries doubtfull apt to be applied euerie way vncertaine moreouer that the truth can not be founde forth by the Scriptures if a man know not the tradition that is to say as our aduersaries nowe vtter it that the scriptures are not sufficient and that the trueth was not deliuered by writings but by liuely voice For the which cause say they Paule sayde We speake wisedome among them that are perfect not the wisedome of this world Iulianus also the Pelagian with whom Augustine had so great conflictes and whose wordes and argumentes these our aduersaries vse in their disputations verie willingly was wont to stande muche vppon this that the knowledge of holie Scriptures is verie harde and meete for a fewe of the learned sort Neither are these fellowes ashamed to haue the saying of an Heretike in so great admiration But Paule when he affirmeth that faith commeth by hearing God his worde doeth not onely make it the true and certaine rule of fayth but the onely rule thereof But when wee must contend with Heretikes say the aduersaries of the truth then doe the scriptures little preuaile because they can so easily shift theÌ off Yet thought I that the word of God is that sword of that spirit wherwith SataÌ might be thorowly ouerthrowne But if it be the victorious triumphant sworde agaynst the head Lorde and maister of all Heretikes how commeth it to passe that it is a dull weapon and as it were made of a reede agaynst his members To what purpose is this worthie testimonie of Paule All Scripture is giueÌ by inspiration of God is profitable to doctrine to reproue to correction to instruction which is in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect And although the slienesse of all Heretikes and Sophistes be great in wresting and deprauing of the Scriptures yet doth not God his trueth lie so open to their mockes but that it may stoutely be set at libertie by the sayde Scriptures Clowdes may darken the Sunne for a season but they can neither put out nor choke vp the light thereof but that it wil
of the auncient fathers haue done also as of the Greekes Melito Origines and Eusebius Bishop of Caesaria and of the Latines Cyprian Bishop and Martyr and Hierome Priest But long before their iudgement the bookes of holie Scripture had diuine authoritie among christians which they would haue had although Councels had neuer bene celebrated Notwithstanding the holy men of God thought good to giue foorth their senteÌce also against theÌ which were wickedly beÌt against the canonical bokes If the Church were able to bring to passe that the Scripture might be receiued certainly she would haue perswaded long before this time Epicures Talmudikes and Mahometistes to haue receiued it For the authoritie of the Gospel doeth not hang on the Church but what authoritie soeuer the Church hath it hangeth wholy on the worde of god And if the authoritie of God his woorde decay the authoritie of the Church must needes decay with it For if thou demaunde of them howe they proue the authoritie of the Church or howe they bee certaine that it erreth not in the vnderstanding of holy Scriptures and in discerning them from others They will say because it is gouerned by the holie Ghost And if thou saye And howe knowe you this They will answere because Christ hath promised that he will bee with the Church vnto the ende of the worlde And because he hath sayde also Where twoo or three are gathered in my name there am I in the middest of them And I will sende the comforter vnto you and hee will leade you into all trueth These are the thinges say they which perswade the authoritie of the Church But whence take you these thinges good men but foorth of holie Scripture Wherefore we must rather conclude that the Churche hath her authoritie from the Scripture Therefore as no man deemeth but the testimonie of the Church is greatlye to bee weyed aboute the woorde of GOD so euerie man well seeth that the authoritie of the Church is of greate renowme therefore because it is sette foorth by the cleare light of God his worde The .xi. Chapter Howe vngodly and wicked it is to preache without the warrant of holie Scripture BY those things which we haue saide of the worthinesse of the scriptures it is manifest that that doctrine whiche the Prophetes and Apostles haue deliuered to vs in writing is the foundation of our faith Wherefore the Ministers of the Churche and Preachers ought to learne hereby what they shoulde preach euen the worde of God onely set forth in the Scripture and not mens traditions although they presume to say they bee God his worde which by no meanes they can proue because they be vncertaine contrarie one to an other sometime abolished and sometime newly deuised which by no meanes can agree to the worde of god Neither be there any Apostolike Churches wherin the traditions of the Apostles be sincerely kept But wee will speake of traditions more at large in place conuenient Moreouer Christ his sheepe are not quiet vntill they heare the certaine voice of their shepheard And the minde desiring to liue to God is not certaine vntill it vnderstande those things which it heareth to bee grounded vppon this firste principle of Diuinitie Thus sayeth the Lorde Christ his spouse can not be quiet in minde vntill she may say I heare the voice of my beloued Nowe his voice according to the common rule of God his disposition towards vs doeth not sounde any where more cerâainely vnto vs then forth of holie Scripâure Well saide Chrysostome If anie âhing be spoken without Scripture the âhought of the hearers halteth But wheÌn the Testimonie of God his voice âs come forth of the scriptures it conâirmeth both the speache of the speaker and the minde of the hearer And Esaie hauing admonished the people to âeeke after none but God onelie addeth âhe meanes also saying Get thee to the âawe and testimonie Wherefore well âayde Augustine Let our bookes be âaken away from among vs and let God his booke be brought foorth among vs Heare Christe telling âeare the trueth speaking Hee sayâth also in an other place Read vs this âoorth of the lawe foorth of the Prophetes foorth of the Psalmes foorth of the Gospell reade it foorth of the Apostles writings and we will beleeue ât Againe Vrge them to shewe some manifest testimonies foorth of the Canonicall bookes Remember that this is the saying of the Lorde They haue Moses and the Prophetes let them heare them If an Angel from heauen preach any other Gospel Paul coÌmauÌdeth that he be accounted accursed Now if the Angels ought also to be in subiection to God his worde to obey it then are they worthely brought into this order that if they doe otherwise They are iudged Deuils And although that cannot come to passe yet such is the maiestie of the Gospel that to sette foorth the dignitie thereof it is not vnlawfull after a sorte to abuse the name dignitie of Angels Wherfore their wicked and cursed rashenesse which presume to preach in the church of GOD beside the Scripture is as it were stoned to death with the most graue sentences of most holy fathers Let vs therefore recite some testimonies of the Fathers Tertullian against Hermogenes sayeth I reuerence the fulnesse of scripture Let Hermogenes his shoppe shewe that it is written If it be not written let him feare the curse pronounced against them which adde and take away from GOD his worde Saint Augustine likewise against Petilian his letters in his thirde booke and sixth Chapter hath these woordes If anie I will not say if wee but which Paule added If an Angel from heauen shall preache either of Christ or of his Churche or of anie other thing whiche pertayneth to faith or to the leading of our life otherwise then you haue receyued in the holie Scriptures of the lawe and of the Gospel Let him bee accursed Wherevnto agreeth that also whiche hee writeth in an other place saying Let him whiche preacheth any other Gospel bee accursed or let him reade it mee in the holie Scriptures and not be accursed He saith also in his treatise of Pastoures Christ hath appointed the mouÌtaines of Israel the authours of the holie scriptures Feede there that you may feede safely Whatsoeuer you heare thence let that sauour well vnto you whatsoeuer you heare not thence refuse that you wander not in a cloude gather your selues to the meaning of the scripture There be the dainties of your heart There is nothing venemous nothing from the purpose There be onely the most fuitful pastures Also in his boke of the goodnesse of widowehood in the first Chapter he saieth What shoulde I teach thee more then that which we reade in the Apostle For the holy Scripture fashioneth the rule of our doctrine least we shoulde presume to be wiser than wee ought Therefore let it be to
reproue to witnesse and to set forth the holy Scriptures plainely yet doth she not require to be beleued but because she speaketh the words of god And the church hath iiii goodly offices about the Scriptures First shee keepeth safe the bookes of holy Scripture as a witnesse Secondly she preacheth and publisheth them Thirdly she discerneth them from counterfeites Fourthly shee interpreteth them And these functions proue not that the Church hath authoritie ouer the Scripture as many foolishly suppose For whereas the Church keepeth the scripture safe as a witnesse it cannot bee inferred thereby that it is lawfull for the Church to peruert or change anie thing in the holye Scriptures For so should she weaken the force of her testimonie and shew her selfe to be an vntrustie witnesse And this would be a corrupting and not witnesse bearing For the pure and simple fourme of the commandement sayth Ambrose is denounced by earnest testimonies to be kept A witnesse for the most part when as he addeth any thing of his owne deuising to the orderly report of things done staineth the whole credite of his testimonie by the lying report of the part Nothing must therefore be added although it bee neuer so good It is a common vse to committe publike and priuate euidences to recorders whome commonly men call Notaries to keepe and conserue with all diligence and yet no wise man will say that they may lawfully chaunge any thing that is conteined in them And it is not to be beleeued that the authoritie of the sayd Notaries is of greater strength than was their willes which requested that those things might be so recorded Neither is it any matter that the Churche receiued the worde of God deliuered by liuely voyce before it was committed to writing In deede the worde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is to say vnwritten in time is before the woorde which afterwarde was written yet both were bestowed vpon the Church being of one authoritie and of like efficacie For the Scripture sayeth of the woorde written They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them And as it was then the duetie of the Churche to heare GOD speaking in the writinges of Moses and the Prophetes so is it nowe the duetie of the Church to heare Christ with all reuerence speaking in the writings of the Euangelists and Apostles to imbrace the instructioÌ of the spirite Although the honour of the Church be great that shee is chosen of God to be as it were the keeper and defender of this most excellent and worthie treasure yet maye the Churche by no meanes either wreith or change or corrupt those writings but ought as a faithfull keeper with chiefe care and prouision to keepe the bookes of holy scripture vncorrupted for them which shall come after The xiiij Chapter That the Church publisheth the worde of God. WE said that the second dutie of the Church about the Scripture is to publish and preach the wordes committed to her by god Wherein the Church is like to a crier who although he doe proclaime the Edictes and commandements of Princes Magistrates yet is he not aboue them or of equall authoritie with them but all his indeuour is to pronounce all things faithfully as he hath receiued them from the Princes and the Magistrates and if he doe otherwise he may worthily bee holden for a traitour Well sayeth Chrysostome For as the crier proclaimeth to all that are present in the stage so do we saith the Apostle proclaime publikely with this condition that we adde nothing but that we proclaime those thinges onely which we haue heard For this âs the vertue of a crier to publish those âhings truly which are committed to him not to adde any thing or to change or to take away Tertullian agreeth with Chrysostome saying We may not follow our owne appetite in deuising any thing of our selues neiâher may we choose any thing which âny other hath deuised wee haue the Apostles of the Lord for our authors who chose not any thing of their own âudgement which they might bring ãâã but faythfully assigned to nations âhe doctrine receiued of Christ Therefore though an Angell from heauen preach otherwise we may call him accursed Let vs therefore auoyde them which intrude mens deuises and traditions as necessarie to bee obserued and beleeued let vs heare with all attentiuenesse the sincere preaching of the Gospel in the Church and reuerence it The .xv. Chapter That the Church discerneth the bookes of holy Scripture from Aprocryphal and counterfeit THirdly forsomuch as the Church is indued with the spirite of God we doe confesse that it is her function to discerne the sincere and true bookes of holy Scripture from the counterfeit and Apocryphal So hath the Church disallowed and reiected the Gospell of Thomas of Bartholomewe of Thaddee of the Nazarites of Nicodemus as also the actes of Peter the diuers reuelations of the Apostles the Booke of the Pastour and such like Contrarily shee hath allowed and receiued the foure Gospels which wee haue and the writings of the Apostles which in these dayes we reade in our Churches And although the conseruation of the assured bookes of the Prophetes and Apostles as of a certaine diuine Treasure be the singular worke and benefite of GOD notwithstanding both the diligence and authoritie of the church is to be acknowledged herein which hath partly giuen foorth her Testimoniall of the assured writinges and hath partly by her spirituall iudgement refused the writinges which are vnworthie and which agree not with the rest of the writinges of the Prophetes and Apostles Which was so much the more easie because as saith Augustine they wrote in suche a time wherein they were thought worthie to bee allowed not onely of the Churche of Christ but also euen of the Apostles who then remayned aliue But to discerne Bookes is not to bee of greater authoritie than are the sayde Bookes as some foolishly dreame For when as the King his letters be brought some gouernours of Cities and presidentes of Prouinces are able by vse and ciuill skill sufficientlie to iudge whether they be true letters or forged which are deliuered them in the Kinges name and yet may they not at their owne pleasure either change or wrest them when they shall perceiue that they are not couÌterfeited or feigned And wee may not otherwise esteeme of the Church Who although she haue giuen foorth her faythfull testimonie to the bookes of holy Scripture and not to the workes of other who peraduenture did not onely digresse from the truth of the historie but also reported many things which are cleane contrarie to the olde testament and to the other Euangelists yet may shee not otherwise vnderstande or ordaine any thing then God hath defined and taught in these bookes of holie Scripture But if they which being lighted by the holy Ghost acknowledged the holy Scriptures to be the words of God
therein Therefore if it be eyther commaunded in the Gospel or conteined in the Epistles and Actes of the Apostles let this holy tradition be also obserued Also Basill in his third booke against Eunomius hath Our Baptisme is according to the very tradition of the Lord in the name of the father and of the Sonne of the holy Ghoste And it is a pointe of diligence to marke where the olde Writers vse the woorde Tradition in this sense For wheresoeuer the Papistes finde this woorde they wrest it foorthwith to their traditions with they cannot prooue foorth of the Scripture Secondly the olde writers by this woord Tradition vnderstand the articles of our fayth which are conteined in the Apostles Creede as we haue lately declared more clerely than the light it selfe forth of Irenaeus and Tertullian Which writers propose the saide badge or Creed as a perfect rule of faith whervnto there may nothing be added and from the which there may nothing be takeÌ which remaining whole men may safely inquire of all thinges Thirdly by the woorde Tradition the fathers vnderstand a sentence or meaning not expressed woorde for woorde in the holy Scriptures but gathered by the true interpretation thereof which the Apostles preached with liuely voyce and their auditours and successours deliuered vnto vs and conserued as for example that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifieth a person that there are in the diuine nature three persons and yet one and the selfe same substance that the Sonne is coequall with the Father and of one substance with him that there be two natures in Christ the Lord and yet but one person that the holy Ghost is to be woorshipped and glorified together with the father and the Sonne that the flesh of Christ is of one substance with vs that infantes ought of right to be baptized others of this kinde which although we reade not expressed in the oracular scripture yet haue we learned by the authoritie of the auncient Fathers and most graue Councels that they are to be vnderstode by the meaning and vnderstanding of the Scriptures And this vnderstanding is not to be separated from the scripture it selfe forsomuch as it may be conteined therein either as the definition in the definitiue or as the conclusioÌ in the premisses And although the tradition of the Church haue shewed vnto vs the scripture and vnderstanding thereof yet hath it not bestowed authoritie vpon it which it hath greffed in it froÌ god For they froÌ whoÌ we haue receiued this tradition are onely witnesses of the heauenly doctrine and not authours therof VVhereof we haue reasoned plentifully in the place belonging therevnto Lastly where the olde writers make mention of traditions they doe not entreate of the doctrine of faith to be receiued without and beside the Scripture although it can be prooued by no testimonie of Scripture but they speake of certaine olde rites which for their antiquitie they ascribed to the Apostles Part of the rites seeme to take their beginning from the Apostles and parte of them are vnwoorthie such authours But we haue declared alreadie by what rule such manner of rites are to be prooued and examined Nowe since that this woorde Tradition is so diuersly vsed of the fathers truely it is wicked sophistrie to intermeddle all these thinges without difference that superstitions being deriued partly froÌ the Iewes partly froÌ the Ethniks may haue their defence maintenance without the scripture vnder the cloke title of traditions The xxiiii Chapter Of the vncertaintie repugnancie and varietie of traditions AND their madnesse is to be noted and auoyded which will haue the âertaintie of doctrine to depend rather of âe authority of traditioÌs of those things âhich they call ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã vnwritten thaÌ of âe scriptures this especially coÌsidered that ââey caÌnot prooue vnto vs the traditioÌs of ãâã apostles gathered described any where âse but in the scriptures neither can they âooue that the traditions which by this âtle they commend come froÌ the Apostles ââeir authours There be traditions reciââd by the fathers in diuers places as reââiued froÌ the Apostles but those traditiââs w they gather are partly abolished partly do not wel agree one with an other âhervpon it commeth to passe that al traââtions are not to be esteemed Apostolike âither can the faith of christians be holâ vp with so weake feble a fouÌdation as âe traditions which faith must stand vnânquered against al the engines of hell âhere was a tradition in TertulliaÌs time ât milke honie should be giuen foorth ââth them which were baptized where with as he saieth they might bee fedde like infantes It was a tradition in the time of Cyprian and Augustine that the Euchariste and that vnder both kinds shoulde be geuen to infantes and shoulde be so giuen as necessarie to saluation Hierom in his Commentaries vppon Matthewe Chapter 25. sayeth that the tradition of the Apostles remained That in the day of the vigiles of Easter it was not lawfull to let the people goe looking for the comming of Christe before midnight Although these and other like bee read in olde writers vnder the title of the traditions of the Apostles yet are they a bolished are obserued now in no nation so that Tertullian wrote well in his book Of couering virgins There is altogeather one rule of faith onely vnmoueable irreformable to beleeue in one God almightie maker of the worlde and in his Sonne Iesus Christ borne of the Virgin Marie crucified vnder Pontius Pilate raysed againe the thirde day from the dead receiued in heauen sitting now at the right hande of the Father to come to iudge the quicke and the dead euen by the resurrection of the flesh This Lawe of faith remaining al other points of discipline conuersatioÌ admit the newnesse of correction the grace of God working and profiting euen vnto the ende Thus much hath that flourishing Septimius Tertullian Therfore the onely rule of faith grounded in the Scripture hath runne on euen from the beginning of the Gospell vnchangeable vnmoueable and vnreformeable when as in the meane season rites and traditions be mutable variable and such as may somtimes be taken away and sometimes restored againe The west churches in progresse of time inioyned the Lawe of single life to the ministers of Churches coÌtrarily the east Church euen vnto this day will haue mariage to be lawfull for them Wherevpon Stephanus Bishoppe of Rome saith The Tradition of the east Churches is after one sorte and of this holy Church of Rome after an other sorte For their Priestes Deacons and Subdeacons are maried but none of the Priestes of this Church or of the west churches froÌ the Subdeacon to the Blshop hath licence to marie It was an Apostolical traditioÌ at Ephesus and in Asia that Easter should be kept after the maner of the Iewes Again the Apostolicall traditioÌ in