Ecclesiasticus Wisdome into their Canon else where more theÌ„ i Deâ—…civita Dâ—…il 18. 36. contâ—… epist Gauden l. 2 once he coÌ„fesseth that they also seclude the books of the Ma chabees k In Synop. Athanasius also acknewledgeth that the books of the old TestameÌ„t are but 22. answering to the 22. Hebrew letters so saith Epiphanius in his treatise De mensuris ponderibus Hilary in his Prologe on the Psalmes hath the same Where it is to bee observed that the Iewish reckoning of these 22. bookes is some what different from that ordinary enumeration which we doe vse for they diverse times comprehende two bookes vnder one but yet so it is exactly that vvhatsoever vve containe within the compasse of the Canon they receaue the same and vvhat vvee doe reiecte they also refuse And that there is such a secluding of some bookes by the Ievves Thomas l Part 〈◊〉 qu 89 art 8 Aquinas maye bee a vvitnesse vvho maketh doubte vvhither Ecclesiasticus bee of authority or no saying The booke of Ecclesiasticus if it haue authority because among the Hebrews it is not received in the divine writingâ—… So that if vvee follovve the Church before Christ vnto whome most properly the Olde Testament did belong we must repute them as now we do Apocryphal hold their credit to be suspect Neither may this bee helped by saying that there was some later Synode vvhich made a larger Canon among the lewes â—…s m Chronog lib. 2. Genebrard would say if hee could tell what hee saide for that is a fable of his owne inventing directly crossing the Councel of Trent as formerly I haue shevved 10 Thirdly among the Christians there is much more against these writings theÌ„ there is for theÌ„ I wil briefely cite what I finde amoÌ„g some of the Ancient which may seeme to helpe theÌ„ n Lib. 3. Epist 9. ad 〈◊〉 Cyprian citeth somewhat out of Ecclesiasticus vnder the name of Salomon Truth but it is for the likenes of the sentences there to those in the Proverbes which also hath caused some other to take it for Salomons not looking exactly into the impossibility of the matter This therfore is but weake o Lib. 2. de principâ—…js OrigeÌ„ bringeth somewhat out of the story of the Machabees Wel but so he doth also in the same place ou of the Liber Pastoris which neverthelesse no wise Papist wil say to be Canonical Yet else-where he p Lib 10. c. 16 ad Rom. saith of that Hermes or Pastor that it seemed to him a very profitable booke and as he thinketh inspired from God No man therfore wil attribute much to Origens iudgement in that behalfe q Stromatâ—… Clemens Alexandrinus doth cite the story of Tobias But even so doth he meÌ„tioÌ„ the Gospel secunduÌ„ Aegypties but he nameth neither the one nor the other Canonical Yea but r De Tobia cap 1. Ambrose writiÌ„g vpoÌ„ Tobias nameth that a Prophetical book So he doth indeed that is of more force theÌ„ any yet meÌ„tioned But his iudgmeÌ„t in this is not to be warranted since s De bono mortis c. 11. else-where he citeth the fourth of Esdras as true Scripture And we are not ignorant that his skil was little or nothing in the Hebrew wherby he might best haue beene acquainted with the customes of the lewes In S. Austen I finde little concerning Tobias and Iudith onely in the enumeration s De doctr Christ. l 2 8 of the Canonical Scripture he citeth them once and there he hath the bookes of the Mâ—…chabees as also VVisedome and Ecclesiasticus which for a likely-hood to the bookes of Salomons are called as Salomons So t Serâ—… 131 de TeÌ„pore else-where according to the coâ—…on custome neere him he tearmeth Ecclesiasticus Salomons booke But deliberately he doth explicate that point where he saith u De civit Dei la 7 20. Custome hath obtained that Wisedome Ecclesiasticus should be said to be Salomons for some no small likenesse of the speech But the more learned doe not doubt that they are not his notwithstaÌ„ding the Church especially that of the West hath long agone received them into authority in the one of whom which is called the Wisdome of Salomon the passion of Christ is most openly prophecied It was written after the passion of Christ even in the daies of Caligula if Philo were the author of it TheÌ„ it is cleere by S. Austen that they were not Salomons workâ—… but yet he would haue theÌ„ to be Canonical And that he hath also in another place u Speculum Augustini The Church of our Saviour doth receive them yet the words of him immediately before are The Iewes doe reiect from the Canon the booke of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus TheÌ„ by the coÌ„fession of this renoumed maÌ„ the Iewes did repudiat theÌ„ Yea that he acknowledgeth els-where x De curo pro mort gerend c 15. The book of Ecclesiast is spokeÌ„ against out of the CanoÌ„ of the Hebrews because it is not in that And in his y Lib. 2 c. 20 RetractatioÌ„s The Iews doe not receive the booke of Wisedome into Canonicall authority Were it not then to be wished heere that S. AusteÌ„ had remeÌ„bred his own rule which is z De doctr Chr. l. 2. 8. that such bookes principally should bee esteemed Canonicall which are so accepted of al churches but of such as are in doubt that they are most to be approved whom most Churches do allow Then if the Iewish Church refused these and the Easterne Church wholy among the Christians great ones also in the Westerne provinces vpon whom he seemeth principally to rely S. Austen by his owne sentence is much oppâ—…gned and refuted And of these in the East West Church you shall heare anone 11 Touching the bookes of the Machabees as it is said before that S. Austen reckoned theÌ„ among the Canonical volumes so a De morib Cath Eccl cap. 23. elsewhere he calleth the secoÌ„d of them Scripture In his bookes b Lib. â—…8 36. Decivitate Dei he expoundeth it to be so among ChristiaÌ„s not in the lewish Synagogue Not the Iews but the Church doth account the bookes of the Machabees for Canonical by reason of the vehemeÌ„t woÌ„derful suffring of some Martyrs And yet the same father in another place speaketh muâ—…h more coldly faintly for theÌ„ c Contra secuÌ„â—… Gaudent Epist lib. 2. For the Scripture which is called the Machabees the Iews do not accouÌ„t as the Law the Prophets the Psalmes to whoÌ„ the Lord doth give testimony as to his witnesses saying It must needes bee that all thinges are fulfilled which are written concerning me in the Law in the Prophets in the Psalmes but it is received of the Church not vnprofitably if it soberly be readâ—…r beard This even by his owne extenuation carieth but smal comfort with it But
there is a worke vnder the name of S. Austen intituled d Lib 2 34 De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae where by the Authour the book of Machabees is secluded from the Canon NotwithstaÌ„ding we do not vrge thâ—…t to be his but take it for a counterfeit rather yeeld that S. Austen framing his iudgment to some others opinion in the Westerne Church did repute these also Canonicall Yet here that is to be remembred which briefly before I touched concerning S. Ambrose that this mistaking in this worthy Father grew by his want of knowledge in that tongue wherein the old Testa was originally writteÌ„ by which means he was not acquatÌ„ed with many things appertaining to the Iewish church vnto whoÌ„ since al Scripture before Christs time was coÌ„mitted if these had bin Scripture they also should haue bin coÌ„mended then they should haue bin written in the tongue which they vnderstood that is to say in the Hebrew not in the Greek which was a laÌ„guage of the GeÌ„tiles as e Aut l 30. 9 Iosephus testifieth the Iews did not accoÌ„modate theÌ„selues to the learning of any tongue but their own which is to be interpreted of the ordinary sort of theÌ„ But all these controversed writings are only in the Greeke and not in the Hebrew which is a maine argument against them and ruinateth the very foundation of them Now that S. AusteÌ„ knew nothing of the Hebrew he in his own f â—…pist 131. modesty most ingenuously confesseth as also in another place he acknowledgeth that he had but little skil in the Greeke I g Cont. liter Petilian DO nat lib. 〈◊〉 truely haue attained vnto very little of the Greeke tongue and almost nothing And this made the iudgment of S. Austen the more defectiue in that behalfe Now as this great Doctour might bee overtaken partly by his ignorance of the Hebrew and many circumstances belonging to the Iews partly by leaning to the opinion of some other neere about him in the Westerne Churches of Italy Afrike so it is a matter very probable that the h CoÌ„c cart 3. can 471 CouÌ„cel of Carthage induced by the same reasons and most of all by the authority of S. Austen mighte exorbitate in their Censure vvhen they put all these Apocriphal bookes among the writingâ—… Canonical For there assembled none but such Prelates as were about Carthage which standeth toward the West of Africa in comparison of the East Churches The same causes doubtlesse moved i Decret Innocâ—…n CoÌ„câ—…js Innocentius the Bishop of Rome and therefore of the Westerne Church to put all these books into the Canon Tobias excepted of whoÌ„ he saith nothing An errour once begon goeth plentifully forward is not stayed vpon the suddaine WheÌ„ce it was that k Gelas. Epist. in Concilijs Gelasius coÌ„ ming after InnoceÌ„tius did in this case treade the steps of his Predecessor wheÌ„ himselfe togither with seveÌ„ty Bishops doth define al these writings to be sacred Scripture NotwithstaÌ„ding he who wil looke the Decree of Gelasius as l Part 1 Dist. 15. 4 Gratian citeth it about this matter shal see that the iudgmeÌ„t of Gelasius coÌ„cerning the CanoÌ„ is very weake little to be regarded And in those decrees of his which are found amoÌ„g the CouÌ„cels the same wil appeere wheÌ„ he maketh meaner things theÌ„ these coÌ„troversed books to be of irrefragable authority For in the very next Decree to that which I formerly mentioned he saith thus touching an Epistle of Leo one of his Antecessors in the Roman see The text of the Epistle of Pope Leo if any maÌ„ shal dispute of eveÌ„ to one iote shal not revereâ—…ly receive it in all things let him be accursed This heate doth shew that Gelasius was not too too much advised in his determinations of this nature but followed the tract of those that weÌ„t before him without farther ventilating or disquisitioÌ„ And this is the most of that which by mine own reading I find in Antiquity making for the iustification of these Apocryphal bookes And some such shewes there be for the story of Susanna of Bel with the Dragon which also are not in the Hebrew therfore togither with the fragmeÌ„ts of the booke of Esther some other of equal sort are by vs held to be no Scripture Hee who would behould what farther may be saide for these things let him looke m De verbâ—… Dci lib. 1. Cardinall Bellarmine where he shal finde a many weake citatioÌ„s agreeing in substance with those whom before I haue named Now if we looke what is against them we shal easily discover testimony of greater ponderosity to overturne them then is any to support vphold them 12 VVhat the Iewes did or doe esteeme of them you haue heard before Onely take this with you that n 〈◊〉 l. c. 10. Bellarmine can say out of S. o â—…n Prolog gelâ—…at Hierome that all these bookes togither are reiected by the Hebrewes Now let vs see what witnes the Easterne Church giveth of them p Eccl. Hist. lib 4 2â—… Eusebius hath an Epistle of Melito sometimes Bishop of Sardis in Asia the lesser where Melito himselfe saith that of purpose he travelled to Hierusalem into Palestina to know what were the Canonical Scriptures of the Church before Christ and there he setteth downe all those bookes which wee admit none other This was very soone after the age wherin the Apostles lived It is heere to be marked concerning this holy man as also of al the rest whom I shall name that they never had in this businesse reference to ought but to the course of the Iewes accepting their iudgement for the bookes of the olde Testament to be that wherevnto Christians also should cleaue Not long after that time came Clemens Alexandrinus of whom q Lib. 6 11 Eusebius writing saith that hee cited the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus in his vvorkes vvhich bookes saith Eusebius all men do not receiue And he addeth as it may seeme to prevent least any man vpon his example should attribute much to those two that he cited also the Epistle of Barnabas of Clement By the iudgement then of Eusebius Wisedome Ecclesiasticus at the least are books coÌ„troversed Soone after came r Cap 19 OrigeÌ„ who lived at AlexaÌ„dria in Aegypt And he reckoneth vp the CanoÌ„ of the Iews coÌ„prised in two tweÌ„ty voluÌ„es accepting all that which we accept not naming the other saving the Machabees which he saith to be reiected of the Iews That worke of OrigeÌ„ wherin that was coÌ„tained is now lost yet in those which remain he saith that the book of Wisdome s De principijâ—… lib 4. 3â—… is not accouÌ„ted of authority with al. Athanatius after his time lived also at Alexandria he sheweth what was held for Canonical what was refused s In Synopsi There be Canonicall of the old Testament two
and twenty bookes equal in nuÌ„ber to the Hebrew letters For among the Hebrewes the elemeÌ„ts of the letters are so many But besides these there be yet of the same old TestameÌ„t other books not Canonical which are read only to the Catechumeus Heere is a most manifest distinction betweene the Canonical and the Apocryphall and a signification that these inferiour volumes were only read to such as were novices in the faith but they were not accounted authentical vnquestionable Next I ioyne Epiphanius who lived in Cyprus he t Haetes 8 rehearseth for Canonical Scriptures of the old Testament the Iewes bookes the other not admitted by them he expungeth for Apocryphal And in a u Haeres 76 second place reckoning vp al the divine writings he shutteth out these Apocryphal fellows only after al the volumes of the old new TestameÌ„t rehearsed he nameth also the Wisedoms of SalomoÌ„ of the sonne of Sirach He nameth theÌ„ I say but after al the right ones yet least any man should take advaÌ„tage of the mencioning of those two heare him else-where u De mensuris poÌ„deribus Among the Hebrews there are two and twenty bookes For thâ—…se two bookes written in verse The Wisedome of Salomon which is called Panaretus of all kinde of vertue and the Wisedome of Iesus the sonne of Syrach the nephew of that Iesus vvho wrote that Wisedome in Hebrew so that his nephew interpreting it did vvrite it in Greeke are profitable and commâ—…dious but are not put into the number of those vvhich are received How corruptly theÌ„ doth x De verbo Dei l. 1 14 Bellarmine deale who citeth Epiphanius as an allower of these two bookes and denieth that hee spake against them otherwise then according to the opinion iudgement of the Iewes But infinite such base shiftes are to bee found in that Cardinall In the meane time we see that thus Epiphanius who was very wel skilled in the Hebrew keepeth close both with the Iewish Canon and the iudgement of the Easterne Church 13 Gregory Nazianzen hath a y De veris libris Scriptur little treatise in verse of purpose made to shew what are the books of the old new TestameÌ„t inspired froÌ„ God He in the old reckoneth vp two twenty books after the Iewish fashioÌ„ so oft aboue meÌ„tioned no more There he putteth al these whoÌ„ we acknowledge vouchsafeth not so much as to name Tobias or Iudith or any one of those whoÌ„ we seclude And so doth he againe z De recta educatione ad Selencum To all these so famous learned men of the East Greeke Church wil I adde for the conclusion the Councel of Laodicea which in the last a Canon 59 Canon recapitulateth all the Canonicall bookes of the old Testament but hath not one of those whom the Romanists vvould gladly thrust vpon vs. Nowe is it not a greate sinne thinke you for vs to ioyne in iudgement vvith so many learned and holie men with all the good and religious Hebrews who were before the time of Christ withal the Eastern Church without impeachment for ought that I can truely find Are not we worthy to be reviled and revelled at as renters tearers and clippers of the sacred Bible I doe marvaile why we should be Heretikes for not admitting of these Apocryphals since so many Fathers and reverend Doctors of the Primitiue Church did the same that wee do and yet heretiks they are none Yea but the Romanists doe loue to be tried by themselues And great reason The Westerne Churches they will say haue ever beene of another minde Wel yet here is but one against two and then by S. Austens rule before named the matter should go on our side But what if we find in the Latin Church as much against it as for it Are not our popish people in a prety case for railing vpon vs as if we were manglers deâ—…uÌ„catours of the Bible Hilary was a Bishop of FraÌ„ce and b Prolog su per 〈◊〉 he saith that there bee two and twenty bookes of the olde scripture See his own opinion consonant with that of the Greekish and Iewish Church vnto which number saith hee some doe adde Tobias and Iudith and so make foure and twenty Marke that they be but some who do adde more and these doe adde but two so that the Machabees and the rest are vndoubtedly gone in his iudgement nay I may say in his minde these two also But if any man be in this cause to be heard it is Hierome whom Lodovicus Vives some-where did truely call miraculum orbis the miracle of the worlde Hee lived a good while at Rome and thought highly of that Church and therefore would not hastily break from any thing vvhich generally or vvith good ground was there received Hee travailed into Palestina and there spent much of his time and by longe conference vvith a Ievve and other his extreame labour attained to the exact knovveledge of the Hebrevve tongue and there-vpon as some thinke translated the vvhole Bible into Latin as others suppose reformed and castigated that version vvhich is called the Vulgar and is now only currant among the Papists Also hee made those learned Commentaries on the Prophets which labour may truly be said to be the glory and beauty of all his vvorkes vvhich yet otherwise are renoumed sufficiently Then if any man bee to be heard in this Argument it is this Hierome and that deservedly Hee then speaking of Iudith bestovveth this ierke on it c Epist 10 UUee doe reade in Iudith notvvithstanding of it please any man to receiue that booke But aftervvarde hee goeth more generally to vvorke and d Epist â—…06 sheweth which are the Canonicall bookes even those whome vvee holde for Canonicall and vvhich are Apocryphall even the very same that wee reckon for Apocryphall Neither hath hee yet done but continuing in the same iudgement he sheweth how and in what manner the Church readeth and accepteth those inferiour bookes e Epist 115. As therefore the Church indeed doth read the bookes of Iudith of Tobias and the Machabees but doth not receiue them among the Canonical scriptures so it may read also these two volumes that is Ecclesiasticus and the booke of Wisdome to the edification of the people not to confirme the authority of Ecclesiasticall doctrines What would he haue said thinke you if he had seene our Papists bring these bookes as the chiefe pillers of praier for the dead and intercession of Saints and other such like Apocryphal trumpery 14 And that there were more learned men of the Westerne Church in the same minde with Hierome wee appeale to that treatise on the Creede of the Apostles vvhich some suppose to haue beene written by Cyprian and for that cause it is found among his workes but more generally it is thought to be of Ruffiuus his doing who very well might speake for the evidency
full stuffed with them who want gold and silver yet cannot for beare but they will be craking T. HILL ANd for the maintaining thereof they are not compelled to deny certaine parts of Gods holy Booke as the Protestants and their Prede Aug. lib. 28 con faust c 2. de vtil cred cap. 3. cessours heretikes haue beene inforced to doe The Manichees for that their heresies were so manifestly confuted by the Gospell of Saint Matthew and by the Actes of the Apostles as they sould coine no answere nor other shift they denyed them to be Scripture The Ebionites because the Epistles of Saint Paule disproved most plainely Circumcision which they maintained denyed them to be Scripture Luther reiected the Epistle of S. Iames because it was so plaine against the doctrine of only faith His of-spring refused the Bookes of Tobias of Ecclesiasticus of the Machabees and of some others because in them is plainely taught the Doctrine of the custody of Angels of Free-will of Praier for the Faithfull Soules departed and of Praier to Saints all which they deny and therefore must they needs deny those parts of the holy Bible G. ABBOT 2 YOu charge vs with denying of some partes of Gods holy booke as not making for vs and certainely we shoulde repute our selues men impious and irreligious if wee tooke any thing away from that which is so absolute that it may well bee compared to a Circle where if any thing be added it maketh a balke if any thing be subtracted it maketh a bracke We do right wel know that he who taketh away ought frō the word of the everlasting God the Lord shal take away his g Apoc. 22. 19. portion out of the booke of life for the speech may be applied to the whole Scripture as wel as to S. Iohns Revelation But we wil you to remēber the other part of the holy Ghosts divisiō that God shal adde the h Vers. 18. plagues writen in that booke to him who addeth ought to the book of the Lord. Whē therfore you labour to establish that for authētical which is not inspired frō the holy Ghost but a matter seperat seiunct you may iustly fear least you incurre that peril which you would post of to vs. What heretiks haue done against the Divine volume we dislike and detest as wel as you We condemne it in the i August de vtilit credend cap. 2 3 Manichees that they accepted not the old Testament that they questioned the Gospell of Saint Matthew as not being that which S. Matthew wrote because it manifestlie shewed that Christ was born a mā which they denied that they extenuated the authority of the Acts of the Apost as being much corrupted For this their-sacrilegious attēpt we cēsure thē as deep ly cōdēne thē as much as you do The like mind we do cary of the k Euse Eccl. Hist l 3 21 Ebionits whose opiniōs sprūg vp in the time of the Evāg S. Iohn they wold gladly haue retained circūcisiō stil as being a necessary duty of the Lawe that which Christ his Apostles had received in their own persōs And because S. Pauls Epistles had so directly oppugned this their cōceit as also had shewed the whole ceremonial law to be extīguished they would clean haue expūged thē out of the Canō We repute these for evil heretiks we accept of al the bookes of the old Testamēt which can be proved to be the Testamēt we questiō nothīg of the New Only as you wold not like if vnto the new Testamēt the Gospell of Nicodemus or Hermes his Apocriphal Pastor shold be sewed so we cānot endure that those tracts should be reputed part of the Hebrews Canō which the Iews never knew These 2. Periods of the Manichees Ebionits as also the 2. next touchīg Luther his of-sprīg you haue trāslated word for word out of Cāpiās first Reasō And if there had bin in you grace an indifferēt mīd you might also haue seene this slāder cōcerning Luther l Gul. Wh◅taken Resp. ad Ration Campiani◅ answered But your meaning is to be wilfully blind There is nothing more false then thar Luther reiected the Epistle of Iames. He acknowledged it as Scripture cited it as he did other books And how shāfully was Cāpian put to his plūges whē havīg Luthers works laid before him being bidde turne to that place where Luther so depressed vilefied that Epistle he could find no such thīg but said it was so in a copy of Luthers works which was at Prage in the Emperours Library And if any had sought it there then the booke had beene removed to some other place as the m Munsten Cosmogr l 2 tree which Aeneas Silvius saith was sought in diverse coūtries still missed that tree I meane whose leaues fallīg into the river were turned into Barnacles You might do wel in behalfe of Campian to shew some one of Luthers followers in Germany Dēmarke or else-where who is so opposite to S. Iames his Epistle for those whom some cal the Rigidi Lutherani do sinke nothing which he held Since thē both they we al who professe the reformed Religion do accoūt it Canonical it is but an idle speculation to make that obiection And why should Luther fly that booke as crossing the doctrine of only faith since all other who maintaine that doctrin do accept of that Epi. also S. Iames doth not thwart that which S. Paul had taught for the spirit of God is not cōtrary to it self if there be any difficulty in one n Iac 2 24 single text of that Epistle it is to be explicated out of other places which are more cleere opē S. Paule thē in his Epistles to the Romans Galathiās hath so manifested that point of Iustificatiō by faith alone that he who without preiudice wil read the text shal never need any Cōmentary It is so plaine that diverse Papists looking into that laying aside false and perverted glosses haue embraced that doctrine o Sleidan l 21 Vergerius who intēded to write against Luther in that Argumēt was by traversing of it caught himselfe Nay Ferus and Albertus Pighius who otherwise is a grosse Papist haue subscribed vnto it And wheras our Papists obiect that S. Paul saying that a mā is iustified without the workes of the law doth meane nothing else but the ceremonial law that is lōg since refuted resolved by S. p Aug de spirit liter cap 14 Austē otherwise The same father also doth notably shewe that there is no contrariety betvveene the tvvo q In 83 quaest c. 76. Apostles for that when S. Iames doth say that a man is iustified by works he doth no more crosse S. Paule then the same Apostle doth crosse himselfe r Rom. 2. 13. saying The hearers of the Lavve are not righteous before God but the doers of the Law shall
vvriting against u Contra 18 articul Wiolif VViclif maketh y In articulo 11. 12. tvvise mention of a booke of his ovvne sent to the Bishoppe of Hereford Dâ—…num Ersordenseâ—… he calleth him in confutation of the booke of VValter Britte 27 While I wrâ—…e these thinges I cannot but thinke vpon the audacious absurdnesse of my ignorant Doctour who blusheth not to vtter that is is y Ration 1. most manifest that all in England vvere Papistes vvithout exception from the first Christening thereof vntill this age of King Henry the eight Hee is doubtlesse an honest man and worthy to be trusted on his word It is not only manifest but most manifest not that the greatest part but all yea beâ—… shal not be scanted all wâ—…ut â—…ption were â—…apistes c. Were Iohn Wiclifâ—… bones burnt because he was a Papist were the Bulâ—… of the Pope against him for that cause and were the Archbishop Arondelâ—… Costâ—… against his followers so severe because they were Papists The man is hâ—… to be pittied for his simplicity A man may know by the lawes ProclamatioÌ„s letters proceedings by the State against some as against Heretickes As also by the Records of Bishops yet extant by the manifold executions burnings afterward that even in that deepe time of ignorance England did give most noble testimony of Christs truth against Popery eveÌ„ so farre as to the fiery trial If the Christian Reader peruse the Ecclesiastical History of M r. Foxe he shal find how z 〈◊〉 An. 1400. sub K. Henrie 4. before the Coâ—… William Saâ—… a Priest was burnt after him Iohn Baâ—…y and that because they were Wiclevists oâ—… Lâ—… as they the â—…ed them and not because they were Papists There are the reasons also and asseveratioÌ„s of Pâ—…y and Thorpe against Popery with diverse other matters And is it â—…ot to bee thought that the Heretikes increased when a â—…ynode a 〈◊〉 Sub Reg. Henric. 5. was assembled in Sâ—… Pâ—… Church at London into the vvhich â—…me 〈◊〉 Inquisitoâ—… who in a former Synode were appointed to 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 the vvâ—…gs of VVâ—… vvherein they found 24â—… Conclusions an vvhich they supposed to bee Iâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 â—…eere of K. Henry the 〈◊〉 dâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ward the L. 〈◊〉 was â—…ge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 had beene a â—…de of Traiâ—… but hee was then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ed Hâ—… So was oâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his 〈◊〉 consumed to 〈◊〉 Not longâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besideâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religion 〈◊〉 and VVâ—… tvvo 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 followed afterwardâ—… Neither â—…d â—…he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of King 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 escape 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of sundrie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHRISTâ—… 〈◊〉 sake 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 profession of the â—…hy the particular stories of vvhome may bâ—…â—…ounde in the Authour abouâ—… 〈◊〉 The Clergy of these times did beare much sway with their Princes and lefte no meanes vâ—…ught no stone vnâ—…ned to keepe vp the dignitie and preheminence of their Romish Hierarchy and the superstitions Idolatry vvhich then vvas in vse Novve â—…in the raignes of all these Princes so many were slaughtered for the testimonie of a good conscience hovve manie weake brethren vvere there vvho did not make open profession of their faith and hovve many did there lie hid diverse of them in probabilitie having confederates and some of them being Priestes and therefore not vnlikely to have learning both to confirme themselves in the truth and such other as hearde them Thus have I both in England and else-vvhere brought vp the doctrine of the Gospell vntill the time of Iohn VViclef who flourished in the yeere 1371. 28 Heere it may please the Reader to remember that the iudgment before cited of â—…vo c Gregor 11. Gregor 12. Popes vvas that VViclef taught the doctrine of Marsilius of Padua and of Iohn of 〈◊〉 Of the later of these there yet appeareth no monument vvritten But hee ioyned in d Catalog test verle lib. 18. opinion vvith the former But as for Marsilius Patavinus our Adversties cannot but acknovvledge him to bee a verie learned man after the measure of the age vvherein hee lived vvhich vvas in the yeere 1324. Hee vvrote a e Defensor pacis booke against the vsurped power of the Bishope of Rome vvhich argument hee entred into in behalfe of the Emperour Levvis of Bavâ—…e vvho vvas mightily laide at by three Popes successiuelie There the Authour avovveth as right and iust the supreme authoritie of the Emperour displaying the iniquitie of the Popes vsurpation over Christian Princes and Generall Councels The booke is vvoorth the reading to see vvhether all in times past did allowe of the Popes doctrine and proceedinges or not His opinions are these That the Pope is not superiour to other Bishoppes and much lâ—… the Emperour and civill Magistraâ—… That thing as are to bee decided by the â—…ure Thâ—… 〈◊〉 men of the laiâ—… 〈◊〉 in Councels That the Clergy and Pope himselfe are to bee subiect to Magistrates That the Church is the 〈◊〉 companie of the faithfull That CHRIST is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Church and appointed 〈◊〉 to bee 〈◊〉 Uiâ—… That Priestes may bee â—…ryed That Saint Peter was 〈◊〉 at Rome That the Popish Synagoge 〈◊〉 a dâ—… of theeves That the doctrine of the Pâ—… not to bee follovved because it leadeth to everlasting destructâ—… In the time of this Marsilius lived that noble Poet Danie vvho vvrote also a booke against the Pope f Petrus Messias in Ludovico Câ—… the Monarchie of the Emperour but for taking part vvith Lewes of Bavâ—…ere hee vvas condemned for an heretike and his booke â—…hereticall Then also vvrote g Catal. test verit lib. 18. Occam directly to the same purpose but for his labour therein and his large reproofe of the Papâ—…cie in other pointes hee was excommunicated by the romane Bishop vvhich he so much contemned that hee not vnwillingly dyed vnder that sentence Aboute that time vvere here and there dispersed sundry godly men who sawe more then the common sorte touching Religion As h Ibid. ex Hen. de Erford Hayâ—… a Minorite vvho frequently saide in his Sermons that the Church of Rome vvat the vvhere of Babylon and that the Pope and Cardinals vvere meere Aâ—… vvhich propositions were helde somevvhat before also by i Ibidem Gerâ—… and Dulcinus tvvo learned men This Duâ—… may be thought to haue had many followers since k Hist. Hussit lib. 2. Cochleus coulde say that Iohn Hus committed spirituall fornication with the Wâ—…sts and with the Dulâ—…nists The same opinions concerning the Pope and Rome did that rare man l Epist. 20. in Poesi Italica Franciscus Petrarche seeme fully to embrace as may appeare to any who will reade his vvorkes hovvsoever Cardinall
question it When the Iesuites mainetaine that the Excommunication Consistorially given against her late Maiesty is a right and Papall sentence but the Seminarians their abetters avouch it to bee a matter of fact and not of faith and therefore the Pope may there in erre And is there one beleefe when you caÌ„not doctrinally agree whither the Pope or the Generall Councell be the greater When not long since m Pigh Eccles Hier. lib. 1. 2. Papists did mainetaine that the authority of the Church was aboue the Scriptures but the n Bellar. de Concil lib. 2. 12. Iesuites now deny it and the o In Gal. 2. 2. Rhemistes as moderatours cannot well tell what to make of it but in some sences rather bend to the prerogatiue of the Church And as you haue reformed many other things in Popery so is your service the same When your Breviaries or Porteises are so much altered since the time of the Councell of Trent and so many shamefull things put out which if they were impious or idolatrous your people before those daies were in a pretty pickle As Georgius Timotheus being more nasute then their predecessors did purge their p Socr. Eccles Hist. 7. 6. Arrianisme and cleared it of many the blasphemies of Arius retaining such as were more plausible so Pius the 5. cleansed the Breviary of many absurdities and helde only those things which he supposed were more defensible q Bellar de verbo Dei lib. 2. 11. In your new Missals also many texts are altered from that which was in the old Your LegeÌ„daries in former times were read in the midst of your Congregations accepted for good truth yet now you reiect your ancient books insomuch that r Motiv 5. Bristow himselfe disclaimeth vncertaine or false Miracles which they reade saith he in I know not what Legenda Aurea so contemptuously he speaketh of it and now that only must goe for currant which s De Vitiâ—… SanctoruÌ„ Surius Lippoman haue revised and allowed Nay hath the Church of Rome ever had one beleefe when the foundations of their faith in which vvill they nill they their soule and salvation must bee acknowledged to consist are and haue beene so and such among them that no man can well tell what to make or determine of them I meane the Scripture which is vnto them as a deade law and the Pope which is as the living Magistrate For first touching the Scriptures we know that with them the Latin Vulgar Edition is only authenticall and so the s Session 4. Councell of Trent hath defined it whereas the Originals of the Hebrew and Greeke which are the first and clearest fountaines are but basely esteemed by many of them insomuch that they t Prolog ad Lector ante li. 1. Esdr. who put out the Complutensian Bible say that they haue set the Latin there betweene the Greeke and Hebrew as Christ was vpon the Crosse betweene the tvvo theeves Now what can any man make of this their Latin Copy when besides the difference of it from the Originals against which we most except it is in it selfe so often altered and chopped and changed for besides the Castigations Corrections of the Lovanists and Coleinists and I cannot tell how many the Pope Sixtus 5. did cause it to be revewed 〈◊〉 professing that hee had amended very much of it he made it to be new printed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praefixa Biblijs Sixti quinti. prefixed a Bul before it testifying that he in his own person had gone through the whole Copie and iudged of it yea amended the faultes escaped in the Printers Presse with his owne hand therfore did give charge by that his ConstitutioÌ„ which was evermore to stand in force that it should never afterward bee altered or any other Copy of the Vulgar Edition bee vsed And if anâ—…e did attempte contrary to his Decree then hee shoulde incâ—…rre the displeasure of Almightie GOD and of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paule This vvas published but in the yeere 1589. and vvithin three yeeres after Anno 1592. commeth Pope Clement the 8. and vnder a coulour that his Predecessour Sixtus had inteÌ„ded torevise his Bible once againe but that hee dyed before hee could effect it hee putteth out another in many hundreds of textes differing from the former so that the diversities compared togither doe make a 〈◊〉 prettie booke and there is little more variety 〈◊〉 Bellum Papale Thomâ—… Iames. for materiall pointes betweene the translation vsed in the Church of England and the Rhemish Testament then is betweene these two And since the nexte Pope vvho succeedeth vvill thinke scorne but to have as much auctoritie as his Anteceslour it may bee chopped not onely once more but many times so that the Romish Church may bee saide to bee so farre of from Vnitie in Veritie that of certainty they have not the Scriptures vvhereon their faith must bee builte but they in former times and these in this present age have various groundes to rest themselves vpon Secondly as nowe it is with the Scriptures so it hath beene heeretofore vvith the Popes when they have had 23. severall Schismes Antipapes being erected the one against the other and those broyles sometimes continuing for scores of yeeres togither vvithout interruption so that all Christendome by partaking vvith them hath beene in an vprore and thousandes by that meanes have beene murthered Novve if it bee such an Article of faith that the Church must bee beleeved yea beleeved in and this Church is the Romane Church and is ministerially inspired by the heade and the heade is not onely like bifidus 〈◊〉 a hill vvith tvvo toppes but triplex Gerion or tricâ—…ps 〈◊〉 vvitlâ—… three partes as it was a little x Vide Câ—…cil Constantions before the Councel of Constance three Popes vsurping at one time and everie one of these doe eurse to the deepest bottome of the lovvest hell all that stande against them nay all vvho are not vvith them and in their Consistories if they bee Popes they cannot erre Will any man vvho hath his vvittes about him thinke that here is one Faith and one 〈◊〉 in the Romish Cocke-pit And especially when these Popes shall against the Antipapes proclaime Croisadoes that men are to marke themselves with the signe of the Crosse and fight against their adversaries as against Turkes Saracens and Infidels the knowne enemies of the Christian profession Heare this yee Papists blush when you mention your Vnity T. HILL BVT on the other side if you looke into the dâ—…ings of Protestants you shall see such dissensions such divisions such schisâ—…s such contraâ—…tie of opinions as the like was never among the Arrians among the Eutychians among the Donatists among the Nestorians among the Valentinians 〈◊〉 yet amâ—…ngest the most â—…arring Heretikes that ever were So as you may plainely beholde in Luther his seede the selfe same thing that the Poets faine of
fight Then if you had your will touching the authority of these controversed books you could not make one quarter of the gaine by them as you suppose but since they are not of the right stampe we may not allow theÌ„ to you Be the matter in theÌ„ for vs or agaiÌ„st vs we may not authorize those for Authentike Scripture which God hath not so authorized In the 2. of the Machabees there is a place against Limbus PatruÌ„ where one of the seven brethren saith p Cap 7 36 My brethren that haue suffered a little paine are now vnder the divine covenant of everlasting life that is to say at that very time inioying it and in possession of it for if it be vnderstood but of the way thither the mother and brother yet remaining aliue were also vnder that covenant of assured hope but we account not of this testimony neither do wee vrge it because the booke whence it is taken is Apocryphal T. HILL FOr Heretikes ever framed the Bible to their opinions changing wresting paring and somtimes flatly reiecting al which made over-plainly against such Doctrine as they devised and so doe most impudently the Protestants now Wheras the Catholikes ever squared their Doctrine by the line and the levell of the Word of her Spouse and therefore never had cause to reiect the least iote of the holy Bible and at one worde the Catholikes followe the Bible but the Protestantes force the Bible to followe them G. ABBOT 5 WHat heretiks do to the Bible or how they intreat it we respect not neither doth it make ought against vs til you haue first proved vs to be heretiks Nay look you well to it whither you do not seclude vs from being heretiks since we do not change wrest pare the Bible We allow al Scripture to be Scripture we wreÌ„ch nothing we alter nothing but avow that our collections and interpretations are consonant to other places of Gods sacred word and in all points material are to be warranted out of some or many of the ancient fathers of the Primitiue Church which when any of you shall iumpe vpon we never refuse to put in trial with you Now that you Pseudo-Catholiks do that indeed wherwith you wrongfully charge vs how can you deny when you admit for q CoÌ„c Triden Sess 4â— authenticall no copy nor translation of the Scripture but the vulgar Latin which hath diverse flawes and gaps in it much being missing which is in the Originall Hebrew Greek When almost in al your r Vaux Catechi Horae beatissim Virginis Catechismes other books you leaue out the second CoÌ„mandement touching Images as too plainly coÌ„vincing your idolatrous carved painted stuffe in Churches So wheÌ„ in the Eucharist you take the Cup froÌ„ the s CoÌ„c Constat Sess 13 people coÌ„trary to Christs institution the relation of the forme of that Sacrament by S. Paule expouÌ„ding s Mat 26. 27 Drinke you all of this to be meant of the Clergy only how do you wrest and pare As when you say that your Masse is a dayly reall sacrifice wheras the t Heb 7 27 cap 10 18 Author to the Hebrews so copiously disputeth that there is no more sacrifice for fin Briefly you do little better then take away all the Bookes of the Bible when for so many yeares togither you willingly suffred not the laity to looke into them And how do you pervert the Scripture to confirme that abuse as when u In Apolog. Staphilus directly applyeth to that purpose the text u Mat 7 6 Giue not that which is holy vnto dogs so accounting the laity to be no better then dogges and swine Yea your great Rabbins Peter x Lib 3 Distinct 25 Lombard the Master of the Sentences Thomas of y Aquin 2. Aquine can finde so much in that place of Iob z 〈◊〉 art 6. The Oxen were plovving and the Asses were feeding in their places taking the oxen plovving to signifie the Priests reading the Scripture the Asses feeding Iob 1. 14. to be the people not troubling their heads with such matters but contenting themselues to beleeue in grosse as the Church and Cleargy do beleeue Are not these sweet men do they not froÌ„ dogs swine Oxen Asses proue their matters handsomely Thus you square your doctrine by the level of the Babilonish harlot no otherwise folowing the Bible verily as many in LoÌ„don do follow the Law when they go to Westminster after the Iudges who know much law but their followers study vnderstand little of it So you sometimes let the Bible stand in your Libraries or studies before you but you look little in it take very small acquaintance of it when any thing commeth to bee questioned you had leifer be tryed by any thing then that and for traditions you wil striue as for your soule knowing they must do the deed in vpholding your Popery or els al wil to the grouÌ„d for in the Scripture it hath no footing But we contrarywise doe teach our people to cary with them Gods booke to read it and meditate on it to try our teachiÌ„gs therby not to force the exposition thereof to their own humour but to the purpose of the holy Ghost And so I leaue you and this your slaunder 6 Here to proceed a litle farther in the matter of this Motiue we are charged as the Reader doth see to offer iniury to the scriptures in denying those to be Canonicall whoÌ„ the Romanists do grace with that name But what is our fault Is it that we do not allow all that to bee of vndoubted authority which is within the coÌ„mon volumes of the Bible Yea that is it as M. Bristow his fellows belike wold say We answer that if this be it the Church of Rome it selfe is gilty of that crime For are there not 2. books which are coÌ„monly called the 3. 4. of Esdras which theÌ„selues evermore coÌ„prise within their Bibles yet repute not Canonical No better triall of this then by the a Session 4â—… Councell of Trent which reckoning vp the sacred Volumes doeth with those vvhich are not controversed yea with those which are past controversie ioyne Tobias â—…dith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and the two books of the Machabees but of these of Esdras not a word Heere then by the iudgement of that renoumed Synode which curleth as many as ioine not with it some tractes in the Bible are now as good as leaped out of the Bible This fact of theirs wil warraÌ„t our proceedings since by the same reason wherefore they seclude some may more bee shut out if they do deserue it Gentle Genebrard saw this wel and therfore he was desirous although it were but by the head shoulders to haue pulled in these two bookes againe b Lib. 2 Chron An. 3638. postea He therefore more then once is vehement for them would make
the Canonical Scripture Which albeit originally it be but the censure of one man yet knowe that he was Bishoppe of Rome and when it is prefixed before the Summe of Aquinas dedicated to another Pope it is intended to bee of credite and that more must be of that mind if they thēselues wil. And l Icon. vite Papar in Pio 5 since that time Pius the 5. hath placed the same Aquinas fifte among the Doctou◅ of the Church to the greate preiudice and dishonour of all the rest Secondly vvhat dishonour doe they to the renoumed company of those admirable men vvhen they ranke vvith them and as it vvere thrust vppon them base companions a bastardlye broode vvhich have no learning iudgement or anie other eminente parte to commend them Of their counterfeit Dionysius Areopagite I have spoken before But Maister Harding vvriting against Bishoppe lewel citeth in his greatest matters n L. Humfry in vita luelli Amphilochius Abdias Leontius Martialis Simon Metaphrastes Hippolitus Vincentius Clemens Cletus Anacletus counterfeit Athanasius and Basile and other authours of Decretall Epistles in steede of true Fathers And Bellarmine in his disputes beeing many times neere driven is glad to flye to such as for a stake to a hedge This is to extenuate the reputation of those greate starres and to make them to be meanely thought of because those vvith vvhomethey are sorted deserve no better It is the disgrace of the best when those of vvorst qualitye are coupled vvith them as their fellowes In the time of o Bodin de Rep l 5 4 Pope Iulius the thirde the Cardinals of Rome knevve this vvhen seeing the Pope to create Montanus Cardinall one vvhome for his pleasures sake he had taken out of a most beggerly estate brought him vp at home they ioyned in a request and motion in behalfe of the College of Cardinals that hee vvould not suffer that honourable degree to bee stayned by the presence of so contemtible a man vvho had neither vvealth nor vvisedome nor vertue nor parentage nor learning nor any thinge to commend him Indeed the Pope there had thē at the advātage for he was able to beate them with their own rodde therfore replyed vpon them VVhat vertues I pray you what learning vvhat parentage what good qualities vvas I famous for vvhen you made mee Pope His personall reproofe to them vvas iust othervvise their sute had beene reasonable for such a consort coulde no vvay honest their College as these silye Popishe authours doe no way adde estimation but manifold dis-reputation to the Fathers Thirdly howe shamefully did the predecessours of these late Papists in the time of darke ignorance foist in parts of tracts and whole treatises into the volumes of the Fathers so labouring that new writings might runne currant for old vpstarts for natural very draffe chaffe for good corne There is seāt any one of the Fathers which hath escaped free herein not Cyprian not Austen not Hierome out of whose works many bookes peeces may be pulled which for the matter or style doe no more refēble those authours thē Aesops Asse did a Liō whē he had got that Roial beasts skinne on his backe The Popish Censurers in their editiōs do cōfesse so much but Erasmus a mā who had the gift of p 1 Cor 12 10. discerning of spirits did go beyond them al and in his prefaces arguments or Censures vpon bookes doth yeelde the reasons of his opinion It is incredible to thinke how absurde things are fathered on these Doctours as by name that Adfratres in eremo before said to be intituled to Saint Austen where the absurde fellow sometimes plainly taketh vpō him the name of Austē Bishop of Hippon but to procure admiration saith q Serm 37. that he traveiled into Aethiopia saw there men without heades with their eies set in their brest and others he beheld which had onely one eye in the middle of their fore-head I wishe that either Sir Iohn r M Hac◅its ving Maundevile had beene with him or he with Sir Iohn Maundevile This tricke of iugling in such tractes is a daungerous matter to any who vvill rest himselfe too farre vppon the Fathers vvritinges and our Popishe people haue in their fraude greate advauntage vvhen out of such as they are they vvill confirme their Paradoxes But there is another pointe more tickle then this vvhen their Monkes and Cloister men vvould intersert into the true and proper workes of the best writers whole leafes or pages or sentences more or lesse to serve for their purpose Erasmus who laboured exceedingly in repairing and restoring antiquity to whose paines al learned men do owe much cōplaineth bitterly of this as in one of his s Lib de spirit sāct prefaces to a booke of S. Basile he with griefe saith that the same measure was affoorded to Basile which he had otherwise experimented in Athanasius Chrysostome Hierome and that vvas that in the middle of treatises many thinges vvere stuffed and forced in by other in the name of the Fathers Hēce the Romish generatiō might build even what pleased thēselves But besides all this as in other artes so in Divinity in the writings of the Doctours by the ignoraunce of the Novices in Monasteries sette to write out Copies of bookes yea of their s Vives de canis corrupr art lib 1. Nunnes so imployed diverse argumentes of bookes vvere put into the bookes themselves and Annotations in the Marge ◅t were erepte into the texte Concerning this depravation of learned mens vvorkes in all kindes Lodovicus Vives hath written diverse bookes intituled Of the causes hovve or vvhy the artes vvere corrupted and hath there many observations and complaintes that some ignorauntly some maliciously all audaciously did such thinges I thinke it not amisle to cite one sentence of his vvhich shevveth hovve diverse counterfeite bookes had the names of noble Authours put vppon them Among such as did vvrite out volumes t Libr 1 there vvere some vvho to procure authoritie to a booke did in writing put to it the name of some greate authour other that when in times past many bookes vvere put out vvithout names being mooved vvith some very light coniecture did adiudge it to one or to another other if they did not knowe the name of the title did not doubt to chaunge it and to transferre it to vvhome they thought good there were such as vvrote out bookes vvho looke vvhat name came first in their mind that they did sette before for the title There bee manie examples of all these thinges in those authours vvhome even novve I named Aristotle Plato Origen Cyprian Hierome Augustine Boetius Cicero Seneca and all these have beene received vvithout difference and no lesse authority and credite given to them then to those which were true and naturall This is a noble testimony of a very learned man who spent much traveile purposely in this argument and
Nabuchodonosor and while the first temple or m Ca 16 20 Sanctuary stood Nay the consultation concerning this warre is reported to be in the n Cap. 2 1â—… eighteenth yeare of Nabuchodonosor we finde in the book of the o 〈◊〉 King 25 〈◊〉 Kings that in the nineteenth yeare of his raigne the same king sent Nabuzaradan his steward to Hierusalem vvho burnt the house of the Lorde the Kinges house and all other of worth in the citty Adde to this that whereas the writers of the bookes of Kings and Chronicles are most exacte in setting downe all great warres and victories of the Iewes from the time of Saul to the ruinating of the first temple there is not one word of any person or circumstance belonging to this warre in them nor in any other vndoubted booke of holy writ Yea Iosephus who was a Iew and with much learning and labour continueth the story of his countreymen from Adam to his own daies hath not the least mention of this Iudith or ought appertaining to her which he being so desirous to coÌ„ceale nothing which might make for the honour of his people would never in such deepe oblivion haue buryed These things may well be questioned 8 The book of Wisdome is by some of the Popish Synagoge not only accounted to be Canonicall Scripture but also reputed to be p Sixt. sent Bibli lib 1. 8 Salomons if not for the compiling yet at least for the matter And the reason therof is yeelded because there is in it a praier in the q Sap. 9. 1. name of Salomon But r Vide Sixt. Senens vbi supra Bellar de verbo Dei li. 1. 13 learned men of our parte rather hold it to be the worke of Philo the Iew which also Bellarmine citeth out of S. Hierome and that not the elder Philo but even the same who with some other of his countrymen was sent in embassage to the s Philo de legat ad caium Emperour Caligula to intreate him that the Iewes might not be forced to accept of and to erect his image or statue at Hierusalem which they held to be contrary to the law of their Moses He therefore compiled that worke insinuating to Kings and great men moderation in their governement terrour of torments after this life and the extreme vanity of Idols matters most fit for their present purpose to Caligula to giue never the lesse credit to all his words he was contented that Salomons name should be vsed in the praier before mentioned because the name of wise king Salomon was famous over al the world And that for this purpose 〈◊〉 the booke of Wisdom was made the whole drift of it may very well purport Now if there were nothing els in this treatise to check it selfe yet that bloudy s Sap 4. 3â—… sentence and censure against all borne in bastardy woulde bewray that it was written with an humane spirite and not by divine authority For although God be pleased sometimes to lay a temporal punishment vpon men so borne as he also doth on other persons yet he who so that we serue him and feare him hath professed of himselfe to be no t Act 10 34 respecter of persons he who blessed Phares being in fornication begotten vpon u Gen 38 18 29. Thâ—…ar so that our Saviour Christs petigree according to the flesh is u Matth. 1 3 derived from him he who forgiveth the parents committing adultery or fornication so that they doe repent which was x 2 Sam 12 13 Davids case adding to his adultery murther also he wil much more pardon the child that is innocent in that behalfe and not accessary to the crime of his nocent parents and will not lay that fearefull iudgement vpon him that neither he nor any who descend froÌ„ him shall long prosper The examples are manifolde how God hath powred various temporall blessings on the issue of such as haue beene borne in fornication as we need look no farther then to William the Conquerour tightly termed y Haillan Histo lib 6 Guillaume le Bastard which notwithstanding ought to incourage none to coÌ„mit that fleshly sinne but rather they are to feare and tremble at it since God may iustly destroy both the bodies and soules of such offen ders But this I haue spoken to shew that the saying of that authour cannot be iustified in Divinity neither may any man goe about to advouch it since albeit all hope well yet few are assured that all things are right in their owne birth Nay Papists theÌ„selues among whom be pretty store of bastards as wel as among other men saw this well enough which caused their z Hugo cardinal Lyra Glo. interl ordinar Dâ—…oni Car thusian Commentatours vpon that place to flie the literall sence and to interpret it of bastards spiritually meant that is heretikes and such like Of the bookes of Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees I haue spoken before and therefore say no more of them but this that S. Austen who thought reasonably well of the bookes of the Machabees yet coulde not tell how to iustifie the a 2. Mach 14. 42 commendation of Razias killing himselfe and therfore is shrewdly b Aug. epist 61. plunged how to salue all by allowing the book and disallowing the fact Since then the matter of these volumes hath such imperfections in it that it cannot keepe coherence with the vn-questioned Oracles of the sacred Scripture and the Spirit of the Almighty is ever vniforme never dissenting from it selfe if the other books do stand as not a c Mat 5. 18 title of them shall perish vnto the worlds end these then must needs fal from that high credit to which Papists would bring them and we are not to blame when we acknowledge not them for divine who haue no such slampe vpon them 9 Secondly we referre our selues to the iudgment of the lewish Church before Christ vvhose the Scriptures then vvere and to whom were commended the d Rom. 3 2 Oracles of God Among them e Luk 24 27 44 Moses and the Prophets and the Psalmes by a generall name comprised all Scripture but otherwise for order and memorie sake they reduced al their books to the two f Sixt Sen Bibli lib 1 and twenty letters of the Hebrew Alphabet and as in them they comprehended al every particle which they and we do receiue so they shut out also from thence al which they we now do expunge No better witnes of this theÌ„ that learned Iosephus who ex g Contr Apion lib. 1 professo haÌ„dleth this sheweth the dignity prerogatiue of the divine inspired writings aboue all other the credit of whom he holdeth doubtful vnsure Now in the nuÌ„ber of those of sacred authority he hath neither Tobias nor Iudith nor any one of their companions h Spec. Aug S. Austen doth witnes that the Iewes do not accepte
the brother of Gregory Nazianzen hath little better opinion of him when hee first termeth him f Diolog 3 a vaine trifler but afterward impious and an idle talker Breefely the famous sentence of g Contr. Haeres cap 23. 24 Vincentius Lytinensis concerning him Tertullian biteth deepe as the Reader may see if hee please to looke into that Authour 25 I come now to some other of these worthy men but yet still men and therfore may trippe in their pathes Cyprian was a good Bishoppe and a Martyr for the truth of CHRIST yet h Concil Carthag in CypriaÌ„â—… Euseb Eccle Hist lib 7â—…3 hee and diverse Africane Bishoppes swarved from the truth in the question of rebaptizing those vvho vvere baptized by Heretikes Of him Saint Augustine vvriteth thus i Lib 1 de Baptism 〈◊〉 contra Donatistas UUhereas that holy man Cyprian thinking otherwise of Baptisme then the matter vvas which afterward vvas handled and by most diligent consideration established did continue in the Catholike Unity it vvas both recompenced by the plentifulnesse of his charitie and vvas purged by be cutting booke of his suffering VVhat a straunge imagination was that of k Lib 10 de Trinitat Hilary when hee supposed that all the hurtes and vvoundes did no more touch or affect Christ on the Crosse or else-where theÌ„ blows do the aire or the water or prickiÌ„g the fire He thought that there was a violeÌ„ce offered on the adversaries parte but no smart or paine of Christs part This strange supposal doth l Part 3 quaest 15 art 5 Thomas Aquinas labour to excuse in Hilary but the blemishe is so plaine as that by no meanes it can bee covered VVhat Lactantius thought of the holy Ghost I had leifer sette downe in Hieromes vvoordes then in mine owne m Epist 65â—… Lactantius in his bookes but especiallye in his Epistles ad Demetrianum doth altogether denye the substance of the holye Ghost and by a levvishe errour doth saye that it is either referred to the Father or to the Sonne and that the sanctification of either person is intended vnder the name of it that is the holye Ghost And had not Hierome himselfe those thinges in him vvhich cannot bee defended As his n Contr. lovinian immoderate preferring of single life before mariage and his o Aug Epist. 19 pertinacious advouching that Saint Peter did not deserve to bee reprehended by Saint Paule for p Gal 2 12 halting vvith the Iewes Chrysostome besides his too forward testimonies for free-will which Papistes themselves dislike is of minde q Hom 3 in Epist ad Philip. Hom 11. in 1. ad Cor. teacheth it that although men dye in sinne be condemned and in hell yet almes and ostrings other helpes of praiers done by them who are alive may ease them and diminishe some measure of their tormentes Neither doth Saint Augustine want his imperfections as wheÌ„ he determineth that all children dying without r Epist 28. Baptisme go to the flames of hell which the Romanistes nowe wil not admit And wheÌ„ he liketh their iudgment who thought that vpon hazard of their salvation the s Epist. 106. 107. Eucharist was to be administred to Infantes Many more such examples might be added of vndoubted errours in these learned meÌ„ wherin I trust no Papist is so absurde as to prescribe vnto vs that we should ioyne with them least of good Christians we should become lovers of errours and in some things embracers of heresyes Besides these vnquestionable over-sightes it falleth out ofte that the Fathers do some of them differ nay are contrary or coÌ„tradictory in iudgment some to other and some to themselves What shal we doe in this case or whom shal we follow if the bare authority of these writers be of it selfe so stronge as they would make it I will not instaunce in those hereticall or erroneous opinions before named where some of them affirme and some Orthodoxely deny and a Christian man without the Scripture can give no decision vvhether is in the right Cull out that onely for example sake vvhere Hierome and Augustine doe so differ about Saint Peter and Saint Paule vvhether of them did amisse hovve should we know but by the Apostles writing But to whether of them in this contradictorie case shulde vvee give credite if they vvere considered in themselves Neither vvill I instaunce matters of meane respecte as hovve Saint s Quaest. 123 sup Exod qu. 81. sup Levitie Austen crosseth himselfe in this question whither the Cydaris vvere an attire for the heade or no Or vvhether Plato spake personally vvith the Prophet Ieremie in Aegypte and learned of him many thinges or no to the which being the iudgement of Ambrose in one t De doctr Christ lib 2 28 place hee assenteth but in u De civit Dei l. 8 11 another hee speaketh against it But I rather referre men to their differences about the Canonicall Scripture vvhich i Responsad Ration 8. before I have shewed and vvhich is a matter of greate momente Or to those thinges which Saint Augustine himselfe u In libr Retract retracted in his owne vvorkes Or to those different iudgementes in capitall causes vvhich Bellarmine citeth in infinite places and Sixtus x In Bibliothe casaÌ„cta Senensis in verie many Or to such like as that of Gregory where one vvhile hee saith that Cornelius by those y Homil 9 in Ezechi vvorkes vvhich vvent before his faith did merite that hee afterward might haue faith and another z Homil 19. while hee expressely denyeth that and saith that by faith hee came to his workes Now if there bee such doubtes as these in the Fathers or other like and we cannot be resolved out of these Doctours or if question be of the verity of their doctrine whither must we haue recourse The Papistes will say to the Church of Rome that is to theÌ„selves but the Fathers wil tell vs to the word of God as forth-with I shal shewe which every way discovereth the base weakenesse of the vnCatholike Church since the Doctors are not the touch-stone of truth but are themselves to be tried by some thing else they are not selfe sufficient but all their words are to be weighed in the ballaunce of the Sanctuarie where if they beare waight they are to be accepted if they be found too light they are to bee reiected Our ground then and foundation is not in these men although never so worthy men but the booke of God must make the finall and irrefragable decision 26 For the better establishing of this let vs heare the Fathers themselves speake I put Saint Augustine in the foremost ranke as one vvho had most occasion to deale in this argument In the controversie betweene him Hierome he is a Epist. 19 pressed with the authority of other writers Hee answereth I doe confesse vnto your charity I have learned to give this
reverence and honour to those onely bookes of Scriptures which are called Canonicall that I doe most firmely beleeve that no authour of them did erre in writing any thing To other then hee taketh exception Hee speaketh elsewhere plainer b Epist. 48. The Fathers are not so reade as if a testimony might bee so drawne out of them that it were not lawfull to thinke contrariwise if they have otherwise suppoâ—…ed then the truth did require And againe c Epist. 113. I have put the opinions of so great men c. not that I doe thinke them to be followed as the Canonical Scripture And wheÌ„ he was hard pressed in the Controversie of Baptisme with the authority of Cyprian hee aunswereth Cresconius d Contr. Crescen GraÌ„matic lib 2â—… I esteeme the letters of Cyprian not as Canonicall but I consider them out of the Canonicall and looke vvhat agreeth in them to the authoritie of the Divine Scriptures vvith praise to him I receive vvhat doth not agree vvith his good leave I refuse And afterward Because that is not Canonical vvhich thou râ—…est vvith that libertie to vvhich GOD hath called vs I doe not receive that vvhich savoured amisse of that man vvhose praise I cannot attaine vnto to vvhose many letters I doe not compare my vvritinges vvhose vvitte I lone vvith vvhose speech I am delighted whose charity I doe admire whose martyrdome I hold venerable Can ought be delivered more significantly and to our purpose then this is And least that any man should suspect that hee was more strictly laced toward other men theÌ„ he would have other toward him he frequently writeth as modestly of himselfe as he doth wisely of those who went before him As to e Epistol 7 Marcellinus I therefore doe confesse my selfe to bee of the number of them vvhe in profiting doe vvrite and in vvriting doe profite VVherevpon if any thing bee set dovvne by mee either vnvvarily or vnlearnedly which not onely by other men vvho can see that may bee vvorthily reprehended but also of my selfe because even I at least aftervvard ought to see it if I doe profite it is neither to be wondered at nor to be grieved at but rather it is to be pardonned and to bee reioyced at not because there hath beene an errour but because it hath beene disliked For that man doth too perversely love himselfe vvho vvill have other men also to erre that his errour may lye hid And to Fortunatianus f Epist. 111. Neither are wee to account the disputations of any men though Catholikes and commendable persons as the Canonical Scriptures that saving the honour which is due vnto those men it is not lawfull for vs to dislike and reict some thing in their writings if perhaps we shal find that they haue otherwise thought then that truth hath which by the helpe of God hath either bin vnderstood by others or by vs. Such a one am I in the writings of other mens such would I have the vnderstaÌ„ders of mine to be And handling the high mysteries of the Trinity he saith g De Trinit at l. 1. 3 Whosoever readeth these things where he is alike sure let him go on with me where alike hee doubteth let him seeke vvith mee vvhere hee knovveth his errour let him returne to me vvhere hee spieth mine let him recall mee And in the same booke else-where h Lib. 〈◊〉 in pâ—…aefation Let the one not love mee more then the Catholike faith let the other not love himselfe more then the Catholike truth As I say to the one doe not attend on my writings as on the Canonical Scriptures c. This is the minde of Saint Augustine 27 Neither doth this renoumed servant of God heerein goe alone but he hath sufficient of others who in this be halfe do second him The great Dionysius not the supposed Areopagite but another worthy man since his time did long ago informe vs in this doubt Eusebius bringeth him in speaking thus i Eccles. Hist l 7 19 I do very much reverence Nepos yet truth is the neerest friend of all and ought deservedly to be preferred before all And if any thing be rightly spoken that is to be commended without envy but if any thing bee committed to writing not sincerely and soundly this with diligence is to bee sought out to be reprooved To this effect also are the words of S Hierome I k Epist 62 doe know that I my selfe doe esteeme of the Apostles in one sort and of other writers in another sort that the first do alwaies speake the truth and the latter as men doe in some things erre Adde to these that of Theodoret who saith that l Dialog 3. the Fathers of the Church by a veheâ—…ent contention against their adversaries doe many times exceede measure Thus they vse to do who plant trees For wheÌ„ they see a tree growne crooked they do not onely set him vp vpright but they doe bende him to the other side that by too much inclining to the contrarie parte they may cause it to bee straight This is the iudgement of the auncient vvriters themselves concerning the workes of one another that they go too farre that they do may erre that they are not to be ioyned in equal estimatioÌ„ with the Canonical Scriptures And therfore what reasoÌ„ have we not to vse our ChristiaÌ„ liberty in examinig of theÌ„ by the rule of truth so to embrace that which is right and to repudiate that which is of another nature I doe marveile then what advauntage our Papistes doe thinke they can gette by craking vppon the names of these since their authority even in their ovvne iudgement is not absolute and Dictatourlike but vvith a reference and meerely dependent vppon a higher commaunder In which case if they stoope to the scepter of the LORD wee willingly and readily admit of them vvith due honour and reverence othervvise we leaue them But the tryer of them we hold to be the Canonical Scripture of the olde and new Testament 28 On the other side how the Synagogue of Rome speake they of these Doctours never so faire doe deale vvith them it is good that every vveake Christian shoulde know For howsoever they in their vvordes pretende greate honour to them yet in truth they are the onely men in the vvorlde vvho offer notorious vvronge to them For first how are they debased when such lights of the Easterne and VVesterne Church men so fraughted vvith knowledge and adorned vvith eloquence shall not onely bee sette in comparison vvith but set after the Popes barbarous champion Thomas of Aquine Noble Hierome thou hast vvell studyed and renoumed Augustine thou hast wel laboured to come to such a preferment in thine old age For one of the Popes Aug HuÌ„naeus in praefat SuÌ„mm Aquinat ad Pium 5. Pontific Innocents did so much esteeme the learning of Aquinas that he doubted not to give vnto him the first place after