the least and the Authority of the Church it self as to the Ground and Foundation of it is chiefly deduced from the Gospel Nay the very Institution Power and Edification of the Church can no way so expresly and certainly be known as from the Gospel But as I imagin it can by no method be so certainly determined whether the Church or the Gospel be of greater Authority as by supposing this Case when the Church defineth any thing contrary to the Gospel I know indeed that this cannot be This is to be understood of the Belief and received Doctrine of the Universal Church not of the Decrees of the Representative Church Otherwise Clemangis will most foolishly contradict himself However that we may the better find out the truth let us put this Case Do you imagin that in that case S. Augustin would have rejected the Doctrine of the Gospel and adhered to the Definition of the Church No surely Where he proceeds at large to urge this Argument and thereby to assert the Superiority of the Scriptures Authority to that of the Church Before the middle of this Century flourished Thomas Waldensis Provincial of the Carmelites and Confessor to two Kings of England Henry V. and Henry VI. successively generally accounted the most Learned English Man of his Age and the great Champion of the Papal Cause against the Lollards and other supposed Hereticks of his time against whom he writ a large and elaborate Work which was in a particular manner confirmed and approved by a special Bull of Pope Martin V. Therein proposing an intire System of Divinity he layeth down the Sufficiency of Scripture as a most certain Principle in three whole Chapters out of which I will produce some few Passages Disputing therefore of all Articles necessary to be believed and the complete System of Christian Faith he useth these words They who yet believe the Canon of Scripture to be imperfect and that it may yet be augmented by the Authority of the Church do yet with the Iews expect the fulness of time perhaps under a Iewish Messias He then takes notice of that famous Passage of S. Augustin I would not believe the Gospel unless the Authority of the Catholick Church perswaded me And giveth this Answer to it I do not approve the arrogance of some Writers who upon occasion of this place maintain the Decrees of Bishops in the Church to be of greater Weight Authority and Dignity than is the Authority of the Scriptures Which indeed seemeth not so foolish as mad unless such an one would say Philip were greater than Christ when he induced Nathanael to believe that Christ was he of whom Moses writ in the Law and the Prophets although without his Authority or Admonition he would not have at that time perceived it All Ecclesiastical Authority since it serveth only to bear testimony of Christ and of his Laws is of less Dignity than the Laws of Christ and must necessarily submit to the Holy Scriptures Well therefore did S. Thomas Aquinas allegorize when he introduced the Samaritan Woman to represent the universal Church which Woman when the Citizens of Samaria heard preaching Christ they were induced to believe on him c. This Passage clearly represents to us the Opinion of Waldensis to have been that by the attestation of the Church the Divine Authority of the Scripture is known which being once known all matters of Belief and Articles of Faith are to be learned from the Scripture just as Philip induced Nathanael and the Samaritan Woman her Neighbours to believe Christ to be a Divine Person of the truth of which when once satisfied they learned not the Rules of Life or Articles of Faith from Philip or the Woman but received both from Christ himself And therefore Waldensis subjoyns That the Authority of the Scripture is far superior to the Authority of all Doctors even of the whole Catholick Church and that although the Catholick Church should attest and confirm their Authority that the Authority of all latter Men following the Apostles and Churches ought to be submitted to the Authority of the holy Canon even to its Footstool That the former is subjected to the latter as a Witness to a Iudge and a testimony to the truth as a promulgation to a Law and as an Herald to a King. As a testimony therefore is no farther to be regarded than as it is true a promulgation invalid when it either increaseth or mutilates the Law and an Herald not to be obeyed when he exceeds the Commission of the King so the Decrees Definitions and Doctrines of the Church are no longer to be respected than as they are exactly conformable to the Scripture and deduced from it Upon this account Waldensis teacheth in the next Chapter That the Church cannot superadd any new Articles of Faith to the Scripture and that the Faith from the times of John the Evangelist who writ the last Book of Scripture receiveth no increase And therefore applieth to the Books of Canonical Scripture the measure of the new City of God made by the Angel in the XXI Chapter of the Revelations That as the circuit of that City consisted of so many miles neither more nor less so the whole System of Christian Faith and Divine Revelations is completed and contained in so many Books of Scripture and can receive no farther Addition Lastly shewing how many ways the Knowledge of the Catholick Truth may be attained he saith It may be obtained best of all and most certainly from the Canonical Scripture He proceeds to prove this from the Authority of S. Augustin and then concludes See four ways of coming to the undoubted Truth but more or less certain of which the first and most certain is by the Holy Scriptures the rest begetting only an Historical and uncertain knowledge of the Articles of Religion However these Doctors already mentioned were of great authority and sufficiently declare the common Doctrine of the Church in their time yet the practice and judgment of General Councils will give us greater assurance of it Two General Councils were held at the same time in this Age the one at Basil the other at Florence In both together the whole Western Church was present by its Representatives and in that of Florence the Eastern also These two Councils indeed thundered out Excommunications one against the other yet both agreed in using Scripture as the Rule of their Definitions and in all Disputations laid that down as a common uncontroverted Principle I begin with the Council of Basil wherein Iohannes de Ragusio a Learned Dominican by the appointment of the Bishops disputed publickly in the year 1433. against the Bohemians about Communion under both kinds Here magnifying the Authority of the Church he urgeth this Argument chiefly that without the Attestation of the Church the Divine Authority of the Scripture cannot be known and consequently that the Authority of the Church is antecedent to the knowledge even
of the Rule of Faith and therefore the first Principle of the Christian Religion For thus he argues But that the aforesaid Article the existence of one holy Catholick Church is the first of all others into which all others are resolved is manifest For if any doubt arise concerning any other Articles recourse is immediately made by common consent to the Holy Scripture as to a most certain and invariable Rule and according to the Testimony of Scripture the Truth is cleared and all Doubts removed For unless the Existence of the Church be known Scripture hath no Authority Whether this Argument be valid and conclusive concerns not my present purpose It is sufficient that he assumes this Proposition Scripture is the Rule of Faith as an undoubted Principle common to both Parties However if by a Church in this place he meant no more than a Society of credible Persons whose unanimous attestation of a matter of Fact ought to be received the Argument will be good and valid And that he meant no more I am induced to believe because immediately after disputing of the Authority of a Church properly so called he acknowledgeth the proof of this Article is to be taken from Holy Scripture However these words cannot infer the Doctrine at this day received in the Church of Rome since they expresly assert the Scripture to be the Rule and Judge of all Articles of Faith saving this one of the Existence of the Church and attribute to the Church no more than the power of bringing us to the knowledge of the Scripture which thenceforward is to be used as our only Rule and Guide He proceeds to lay down several Suppositions as Foundations and Postulates of his subsequent Determinations Of these the sixth is conceived in these words Faith and all things necessary to Salvation as well Matters of Belief as of Practice are founded in the literal sense of Holy Scripture and from thence only may Arguments be drawn to prove those things which are of Faith and of necessity to Salvation The seventh Supposition is this Holy Scripture in the literal sense well and soundly understood is the infallible and most sufficient Rule of Faith. This he doth not only suppose but also proveth with divers Arguments of which the second is this If Holy Scripture were not a sufficient Rule of Faith it would follow that the Holy Ghost who is the Author of it had insufficiently delivered it which is by no means to be thought of God all whose works are perfect Besides if Holy Scripture were deficient in some things necessary to Salvation then those things which are wanting might lawfully and meritoriously be superadded from some other Principle or if any things were superfluous in it they might lawfully be diminished But this is forbidden by S. John the Evangelist in the last of the Revelations where he saith If any one add to this Book c. From which words of John the Evangelist it is clearly proved that nothing is deficient or superfluous in Holy Scripture which is also consentaneous to the Author of it who is the Holy Ghost as was before said to whose Omnipotence it agreeth that he give us a System of Wisdom neither deficient nor superfluous and that he should deliver it in a method agreeable to our necessity of Salvation In the Council of Florence however the Greeks and Latins differed in all other things till the former were forced into a complyance by the Commands and Threats of their Emperor yet in this they agreed in laying down Scripture to be the only Rule and Principle of Faith although they dissented in determining how far it might be explained by the Church The Controversie was occasioned by the addition of FILIOQVE to the Nicene Creed this the Greeks maintained to be unlawful because the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son is not in express Terms taught in Scripture which they held to be the only Rule of Faith. The Latins denyed not this but only asserted that it was sufficient this procession was taught in the Scripture in implicit Terms the Church having authority by explanation of those obscure Passages to constitute Articles necessary to be believed and add them to the Creed although but implicitly contained in Holy Scripture the Rule of Faith and consequently that to insert FILIOQVE in the Creed was no addition to the Faith since that Article is implicitly contained in Holy Scripture The Opinion of the Greeks is thus represented by Bessarion Archbishop of Nice who was chosen by the Greeks to manage and defend their Cause We derive and receive all Articles of Faith from the Fountains of Holy Scriptures which are the Principles and Foundations of our Faith. Nothing was ever added to them accounted necessary to be believed which is not contained in them nor may any thing ever be added to them neither by us while we are our selves nor by any other Christians And when the Latins recurred to their wonted refuge of Explanation or Declaration made by the Church of what is implicitly contained in Scripture Bessarion replyed That it is undeniable that although any thing were added by way of Declaration it was still an addition which seemeth to be forbidden and consequently the addition of this word FILIOQVE is forbidden But whereas ye alledge the Actions of the Fathers in Councils wherein some things seem to be thus explained this reacheth not our Question For that any thing should be added to the Faith it never was nor ever will be lawful The Bishop of Friuli was chosen by the Latins to answer the Arguments of Bessarion and defend the addition of the word FILIOQVE This he doth not by denying Scripture to be the Rule of Faith but endeavouring to prove that the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son might be deduced from the Principles of Faith viz. from the Holy Scriptures Ye grant saith he that Articles of Faith are taken from the fountain of Scriptures which are the Principles of Faith. From this Proposition we infer that a Declaration Expression and Explication which is made concerning an Article of Faith or of the Creed by the Writings of the Gospel the Epistles of Paul and the Booke of the Old and New Testament is by no means to be accounted extraneous or a Doctrine of another kind since it is the Doctrine of God and of the Church For then only is a proof to be accounted extraneous when it is made not by the proper Principles of that Doctrine but by the Principles of some other kind of Science As if a Physical Conclusion should be proved by a Mathematical Principle But according to you the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Principles of Faith. Therefore a Proof and Declaration which is made by these Scriptures is plainly made by the proper Principles of Faith and intrinsecal Principles of our Religion Yea this ought not properly to be called an addition
all points in Controversie between the Church of Rome and the Lollards and largely endeavours to confute the latter But as his zeal induced him to plead the Cause of the Church so copiously so his Learning enabled him to discover the Follies and gross Superstitions practised in that Age which when once discovered his Piety inforced him to detest Religion had now passed through so many ignorant and barbarous Ages the means of greaterknowledge had been so studiously hidden from the People and the ignorance of the Laity was so advantageous to the interest of the Clergy that the true Spirit of Christianity seemed to be wholly lost and had degenerated into Shews and Ceremonies many of which were unlawful but almost all unuseful And not only this fatal stupidity and idle Superstition had generally possessed the minds of Men but all Remedies were detested and all Artifices made use of to continue the Disease Many good and Learned Men endeavoured the Reformation of these Abuses without departing from the Communion of the Church but were attended herein with the usual Fate of the Opposers of inveterate Evils who seldom escape the Persecution but never the hatred of those who are engaged both by zeal and interest in the continuance of those Evils Our Learned Bishop was of the number of those brave and generous persons who while he earnestly invited the Lollards into the Communion of his Church no less vehemently opposed the Superstitions of his own Party Some Footsteps and Marks of this Disposition may be found in this Treatise which prove his Integrity to have been equal to his Zeal and neither inferior to his Learning The Authority of the Church and Infallibility of her Definitions had of late been set up as the most successful Engine against the prevailing growth of supposed Hereticks To refute the Arguments of Wicleff and convince his Followers with solid Reasons neither the Ignorance of the Clergy nor the Badness of their Cause did then permit It was accounted too great a Condescension in the Governors of the Church to confute the Mistakes and inform the Judgments of their seduced People Yet somewhat at least was necessary to dazle the eyes of the unthinking multitude and at once convict all their Adversaries of the Charge of Heresie Nothing could be more effectual to this end than the pretence of Infallibility which alone might satisfie the Scruples and command the assent of credulous persons For this reason ever since Heresie began to be punished with death it was thought sufficient to oppose the Infallibility of the Church to the Arguments and Reasons of condemned Hereticks and the maintenance of this pretence was esteemed the great Bulwark of the Church However our Bishop easily discovered the vanity of these pretences and in this followed the Opinion of the most Learned Writers of his Age that the Representative Church or General Councils were not only fallible but had sometimes actually erred that the Decrees and Definitions of the Church ought to be submitted to the Examination of every private person that no Article of Faith was to be received which was repugnant to the Principles of Reason and that not the Belief and Acceptation of the Church caused any Doctrin to be accounted true and an Article of Faith but the presupposed Truth of the Doctrine rendred the Belief of it rational and justifiable Indeed the Doctrine of the Churches Infallibility had by some Men in this Age been advanced so far that nothing less than a fatal credulity or no less fatal ignorance could excuse the admission of it Our Author assureth us in the first part of this Book of Faith that many Divines in his time argued from those words of S. Paul If we or an Angel from Heaven should teach any other Dâ—ctrine than that which ye have received let him be anathema that if it should happen that the Church militant and the Church triumphant disagreed in an Article of Faith the Determination of the Church militant were rather to be followed Such crude Positions might raise the admiration of fools but deserved the indignation of wiser Men. Our Author chose to do justice unto Truth in owning and asserting the Fallibility of Church and Councils and yet not to quit the specious pretence of the Churches authority in pleading her Cause and confuting the Lollards This therefore he proposed in a more plausible way confessed the Church might err and that even in matters of the greatest moment however that it would be most safe and rational for ignorant Laymen intirely to submit their judgment to the Direction of the Clergy that by this submission indeed they might possibly be led into Error and mortal Heresie but that this would be no disadvantage to them since in that case God would reward their submission and docility although to them the occasion of most grievous Errors no less than if they believed the Christian Faith intire and incorrupted and would even bestow upon them the Crown of Martyrdom if they laid down their lives in testimony of their Errors And since in that Age the Laity were generally very ignorant of the true Principles of Religion and devoid of all sort of Learning he included them all in the number of those whose duty and interest it was to pay an implicit submission to the direction of the Clergy But not only did he disown the Infallibility of the Church but also disallowed and condemned her practice of burning Hereticks He desired rather to win them to her obedience by gentle methods and thought it more noble to convince them by Reasons and Arguments than by Racks and Fires This moderation could not but displease his Fellow Bishops who chose rather at that time to satisfie their Malice by the punishment than serve the Church by the conviction of supposed Hereticks But our Author was acted with more noble and generous Principles he endeavoured to remove their Errors but refused to practise upon their Lives and which perhaps was no small part of his Crime neglected to thunder out his Curses against them and scorned to treat them with opprobrious Titles Rather in the first part of this Work he giveth to them an honourable Character and confesseth them to have been generally persons of good Lives and exemplary Conversations The incredible Fables of Legends and incurable itch of Lying for the Honor of their Saints and Patrons which then reigned among all the Monastick Orders and was fondly received by the credulous multitude were one of the greatest scandals and most pernicious abuses in the Church at that time The greater and more necessary Articles of Faith and all genuine and rational knowledge of Religion had generally given place to fabulous Legends and Romantick Stories Fables which in this respect only differed from those of the ancient Heathen Poets that they were more incredible and less elegant These our Learned Bishop feared not to oppose and disesteem arraigns them of Error Heresie and Superstition proclaims their falseness and
Writing and also he knewe by experience the treuthe and the sadnesse and the unbigilefulnesse of hise felowis where that we knowen it by liklihode oonly thoug so likeli that to the conttary we have noon evydence so likeli VII Sone y seid bifore that there ben two maners of feith oon is opinial feith and this is the which we and alle Cristen hau bi the comon lawe of God whilis we lyven in this lyf Another feith is sciencial feith and thoug this feith may be had bi specialte in this lyf yitt it is not commonli had in this lyf but it is had in the Blisse of Hevene VIII Wherefore he the Church knowith not himself neither ougte know himself for to teche authentikli or bi authorite of maistrie to eny persoon ni lasâ—e than he knowe himself to have receyved the same feith fro God in maner of arguyng bifore seid by oon of these Meenes of which oon is this Holi Scripture witnessith and denouncith this Conclusion Another is this Holi Church for Feith hath bileeved this in tyme of the Apostlis fro thens contynueli hidirto Another is this Myracle is doon unto witnessing of it IX Resoun which is a sillogisme well reulid aftir the craf taugt in Logik and having two Premyssis openli trewe and to be grauntid is so strong and so mygti in al the kindis of maters that thoug alle the Aungels in Hevene wolden feie that this Conclusion were not trewe yitt we schulde leeve the Aungels seing and we schulden truste more to the profe of thilk sillogisme than to the contrari seiyng of alle the Aungels in Hevene For that alle Goddis creaturis musten nedis obeie to doome of resoun and such a sillogisme is not ellis than doome of resoun If the Church in erthe determines agens it what such a sillogisme concludith we schulen rather trowe and holde us to thilk sillogism than to the determynacioun of the Church in erthe X. Every Man is bound to obey the determination of the Church but if he can evidentli and openli without eny dowte schewe teche and declare that the Churche bileeveth or hath determyned thilk Article wrongli and untreuli or ellis that the Churche hath no sufficient ground for to so bileeve or determyne yhe thoug the Churche schuld bileeve or deterymne amys yet thereof schulde not this persoon be blamed of God but schuld be ful excused XI Sithen it is here bifore undoutabili proved that bi thi obedience to the Clergie in case of the Clergies erring whilis thou it not knowist neither desirist neither makist noon hurte schal come but the same good which schuld to thee therebi come if the Clergie in thee teaching not errid is not this ynoug to thee what maist thou loke aftir eny more XII If a Parish Priest should teach his Parishioner some grosse Heresy instead of an Article of Feith it were his Duty to receive and would not only be excusable before God but would be as meritorious and equally rewarded with the belief of any true Article Nay if that Man should lay down his life for defence of this Heresy imagining all this while that it is the Doctrine of the Church he would be a true and undoubted Martyr XIII If you seie to me thus I have leernyd that holi Writte is so worthi a ground and fundement of oure Feith that noon othre ground or fundement passith it or is surer to be eleven to than is it Wherfore Sir it wolde seem that if y cleve to holi Scripture to take of it my Feith y am not to be blamed but y am thereyne thank-worthi forasmuch as I conforme me to thilke reule which God hath purveied for to be oure reule in mater of feith and whom no other reule in erthe passith Sir that this is trewe y graunt wee l namelâ—â—l as anentis al the feith which holi Writt techith For that this be trewe shall be shewed wel in the Book of Feith in Latyn or ellis in the Book of the Churche in Latyn as God wole graunte PARS II. Fadir ye hau seide in the X. Chapter of the first parti of this present Book to alle tho lay men whiche ben obstinat to the feith of the Church that holi Writt is the chief principal ground of all the feith which is conteined in holi Writt And treuli fadir y can not undirstonde as yitt but that nedis ye must have so seid to them yf it mygt be holde for trew in eny wise nameliehe sithen ye hau seid to them as ye musten nedis seie to them and it mygten not be left unseid that the dewe and rigt literal undirstonding of holi Writ for trewe feith to be had laymen musten fetche at the Churche that is toseie that the al hool Clergie of Dyvynite or of the more and wittier party thereof And redily y know so moche of her wittis and of her counseilis that ellis if ye hadde not so seid to them ye schulden labour in vain as for to bringe them into the obedience into which ye ben about by writing of this present Book Also resoun thereto money thus The Churche or the Clergie in delyvering to peple feith which is in holi Writt alleggith for thilk delyverance holi Writt and expowneth holi Writt into thilk feith so delyvered Wherefore the Churche in that biknows that he hath thilk feith of holi Writ and so not of him silf principali Forwhi not of him silf originali or groundeli but of the seid holi Writ eer and bifore and therefore of holi Writ originali and groundeli And so as anentis al feyth conteynyd in holi Scripture the same Scripture schulde be principal bifore the Churche Confirmacionn to the same may be this If the Churche hadde of him silf principali groundeli and foundamentali al the feith which is conteynyd in holi Writt the Churche wolde not and ougte not for to leene to holi Writt as for grounding and foundamental teching of thilke feith neither wolde sende eny askers into holi Writt or wolde labore to expowne holi Writt to them into thilk feith But the Church wolde and ougte to seie to such askers of rigt feith Bileeve ye to me for that I seie this to be rigt bileeve And the Churche wolde not fetche to such askers auctorite of a thing longer and of lasse auctorite to the purpos than the Church is Wherfore the Church as it seemeth bi his owne pretencioun or interesse to expowne holi Writt in to teching which is trewe feith must nedis knowleche that he takith holi Scripture for his better worthier higer and groundier foundament of the Feith which Feith the Churche techith by holi Writt and bi the exposicioun of the same holi Writt And therfore opene it is that ye have not seid amys in this youre now spoken seiyng to laymen Into the othre contrarie side Fadir manye skilis now be maad that the