full is he of Scripture Fathers and Schoolmen Concerning my self I can say no more but this for I know not how to complement I am and ever shall be in all hearty affection Your servant RALPH WINTERTON ¶ To the Translatour of Gerhards Aphorismes DO Let the Antichristian Clergy keep Their Owl-ey'd Laitie pris'ners in the deep And horrid shades of everlasting night Whil'st thy clear beams and more illustrious light Disperse these clouds of Language display The close-drawn Curtains of thy new-born day Shine forth bright Lamp and chase these shades of night Truth seeks no corners Errour baulks the light Ed. Benlowes ¶ To the Reader concerning the Authour and Interpreter of this Book BEhold choice Aphorismes here like rings beset With Pearls lockt up in this rich Cabinet If worth not number doth commend the store Viewing but one me thinks I need no more Yet in this volume many hundreds dwell And every one 's a volume to live well Each leafe's a perfect book each line is such Each part 's enough yet not the whole too much Gerhard his Aphorismes like starres do shine Thou giv'st them lustre let me cal them thine Most bright themselves by thee they shine most bright As if the sun had borrow'd greater light Apollo needs not to renew his fame Who twice is made immortall by thy name Dove William son Fellow of Kings Colledge Upon the Golden Chain of divine Aphorismes AS no such Maladie so no such Balm Like that which can the souls distempers calm What soul is not diseas'd How hard to find A salve to cure diseases of the mind This Winterton hath found Who but he knew That such an herb in Gerhards Herball grew No Empirick no Chymicks daring Heart Who sets poore Nature on the wrack of Art Descri'd such med'cines Sure in this he can Approve himself a true Physician Each Aphorism's an antidote to thee ' Gainst the old Serpents sting the book may be A Garden richly stored in which place Grows the true Hearts-ease and the Herb of grace These now translated are because 't is ghest That plants translated ofttimes thrive the best He then undoubtedly thrice happy is Who being immur'd from men can chuse out this Garden to be his prison Who would disdain Thus to be fetter'd in a Golden Chain Robert Newman Fellow of Kings Colledge MOst men that put forth Books have this main art First for their Credit then their better Mart With Title fair with fine Inscription To deck their work their onely Minion This man forsooth with Antalthea's Horn Doth of his Book the Frontispice adorn This writes A Honycombe A third doth call His works the Pandects as comprising all The Muses here the Reader waiting stand There is an Enchiridion for his hand Such Titles serve to please the Readers eye And strangers do invite the books to buy But yet alas within what do they find Scarce ought that can content or ease the mind The Pandects having all cannot the Will The Enchiridion scarce the Hand doth fill The Hony cloyes The Horn is quickly dry At best The Muses do but sweetly lie Take then into thy hands Gerhard divine Who saving doctrine hath in every line He in his text more truth doth comprehend Then others Titles vainly do pretend In him all Authours are both new and old Fathers and School-men faithfully caroll'd If all these Authours severally do please How then shall he who joyntly hath all these Henry Whiston Fellow of Kings Colledge WHo list to glance a gentle look Upon The Golden Chain this book As in a Crystall first may see The secrets of Eternitie Such as in Time should come to passe Decreed by God before Time was Such as transcend the Hearts desire And onely Silence can admire But next doth entertain the fight An Embleme of our wofull plight He that ere long Heav'ns darling was Gods Archetype Mans Looking-Glasse Which being dimm'd Nature no more To its first brightnesse could restore He that enjoy'd so rare a Blisse Made happy with a Paradise Behold him now cast out from thence Disrob'd of milky Innocence Poore naked man naked alas Who onely cloth'd with fig-leaves was But Jesse's Branch our souls arraid And wrapt our sinnes in mercies shade Since when is ceast that fatall strife Of tree of Knowledge and of Life One Book contains them let one breast Reade Know enjoy Eternall rest Thomas Page Fellow of Kings Colledge ¶ The Translatour to the Reader THis book when first I read it pleas'd me well I sought another There was none to sell When others read it they were of my mind They sought as I for what they could not find Had not it been by me interpreted For ought I know it might have perished Was 't not great pity that a book so good By English men should not be understood I challenge nothing but what is mine own Had not one been I never had it known 'T was Mr. Carew that did give it mee I in plain English Reader give it thee He lov'd good books and often turn'd them ore I think no young man of his time had more He liv'd as if he lookt alwayes to die And died to passe to immortalitie I flatter not A dead man I commend Who godly liv'd and made a godly end He 's now with God in blest eternitie But late was one of our Societie He was my friend whilst we did live together And once my friend he is my friend for ever Reader this book was Gerhards Carews Mine Now 't is a common good therefore Thine The Contents of this Book in Verse BEfore Time was here are Divine decrees Fulfill'd in Time and after Promises To be fulfill'd when Time shall cease to be And in its place succeed Eternity Reader Behold the Worlds Nativity And Adam in his happy Infancy He was created at the first Upright His Understanding filled was with Light His Will with God's did hold Conformitie And his Affections kept good Harmonie Yet such he was that he might staâ—d or fall He fell We feel 't In him we perisht all His Understanding Will Affections All Lost what they had at their Originall His Understanding was depriv'd of Sight And Darknesse did succeed in place of Light His Will fell from the first Conformitie And tended altogether to Obliquitie His jarring did Affections disagree And Discord did break off their Harmonie His Body which disease none knew before Let in diseases now at every Pore His Body made Immortall for to be Became now Subject to Mortalitâ—e And thus he was depriv'd of Endlesse joyes And plung'd into Eternall Miseries By Nature such are we which from him come Blind Crooked Froward from our mothers wombe Conceiv'd in sinne Born in iniquitie Acting in Life a Sinfull Tragedie We for our Parts deserve no other due But Death and that of Soul and Body too But God of his mere Mercie promised The Womans Seed should break the Serpeâ—â—s head He gave his Law a Glasse for man to
THE SVMME OF CHRISTIAN Doctrine By John Gerhard Doctor in Diuinitie And translated by Ralph Winterton Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel 1640. And are to be sold by Will Hope at the Vnicorne neare the Ro Exchange The Summe OF CHRISTIAN Doctrine Written originally in Latine BY JOHN GERHARD Doctour in Divinitie And translated by RALPH WINTERTON Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel 1640. And are to be sold by William Hope near the Exchange in Cornhill To the right Worshipfull his most worthy friend and Benefactour Sir John Hanbury of Kelmersh in Northhamptonshire Together with his Sonne and â—eir Edward Hanbury Esquire and Mary his daughter Lady to Sir Miles Sandys of Brimsfield in Glocestersh all that are descended from them Gerhards Interpreter wisheth what Temporall happinesse this world can afford and Eternall happinesse in the world to come SIR FRom me perhaps you expected Physicall Aphorismes rules and directions for â—ealth as from a Physician rather then Theologicall Aphorismes doctrines of salvation as from a Divine And I confesse considering my Profession it had been more proper for me to have sent oveâ— such unto you But such is thâ— nature and condition of man whilest he lives here below under the clouds that no Profession can priviledge him from storms and tempests anâ— from injuries of weather Insomuch that even Physicianâ— themselves many times becomâ— Patients The Great worlâ— is a Theatre in which arâ— acted nothing but Tragedieâ— of humane miseries Everâ— man hath his Intrat as soon aâ— he is born He acts if 〈◊〉 may call it Acting and not â—ather Suffering all his life He findes no Exit till he descends into the chambers of death to put off his dresse I may truly call the Great world The Common school of Patience and every Societie a Private and every Person in each Societie being a Little world within himself an Epitome or Module of the Great To School we must to learn Patience And where should a man learn Christian Patience but in the School of Christ And where is that but in the Scripture Books of Devotion I for one have been so exercised in a World of Sufferings that it hath driven me to the School of Christ to learn Patience and according to the counsel of the Apostle In all estates to be content and troubled at nothing whatsoever can happen to me from without considering that nothing comes to passe without a Divine Providence Apollonius as Philostratus reports being asked if he did not tremble at the sight of the Tyrant made this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God which hath given him a terrible Countenance hath given also unto me an undaunted Heart And it is the saying of S. Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not so much the nature of Things as the weaknesse of Persons Troubles happen alike to all but all are not alike troubled Fire is one and the same for Nature but for Effect it is not alwayes the same It consumes wood and cole but it purifies gold and silver The Sunne softens wax and hardens clay The Light is comfortable to the sound but troublesome to the diseased The saying of Apollonius I may apply thus unto my self Though God hath suffered storms and tempests to arise and to be stirred up against me yet he hath not suffered me to be removed or cast down Though fortune frown upon me yet I thank God having a chearfull heart I can smile upon her And the saying of S. Chrysostome I may thus apply Though troubles have come upon me yet I thank God who hath given me Patience I have not been troubled But among many crosses nothing hath more afflicted me then the death of him who truly honoured you in his life and was truly beloved by you to his death my dear brother Francis Winterton late one of her Majesties Privie Chamber Vnhappy man But shall I call him unhappy in his death who was most happy in his life That I cannot He that lived well certainly could not but die well Shall I call him unhappy because he died in a strange Countrie Nay rather happy in this because he died for his Countrie Shall I call him unhappy in this because he is taken from me This were to love my self more then him and to envie his happinesse Or shall I grieve that I my self was not with him to take care for him for things necessarie in time of life and for his funerals after death He wanted neither comfort in life nor honourable buriall after death Ever let my tongue be tied and my hand dried up if I do not as a poore scholar serve him with both who was so carefull for him I mean that most Heroicall Worthie with the splendour of whose Titles and Greatnesse I dare not presume to set a lustre on so small a work as this but shall ever admire and proclaim his Vertues and Goodnesse who of his innate and noble disposition loved all his followers in generall as his fellow-souldiers and my brother in speciall who to his power provided for all as for his own familie but made much of him in health as a faithfull servant took care for him before his death as for a friend lamented for him at his death as for a brother and after death saw him honourably buried as a souldier I will not then lament his death who is translated into a better life Neither will I weep for him that is in joy Nor put on mourning-clothes for him that is clothed with immortalitie If it was any unhappinesse for him to die it is his friends not his I wept for him when he was alive and then he seemed to me to die when I left him on shipboard at Graves-end The next news I heare he lies buried at Custrin in Silesia Whom sea and land and death hath parted I hope blessed Eternitie shall at length bring together again So I leave him and return to you Sir I hope you will pardon this digression or rather count it no digression at all to speak of him whom I know you dearly loved But I was speaking of my troubles for which still I find a remedy in the Sanctuarie For my manner is when troubles seize upon me presently to retire my self into my study and take in hand some book of devotion So presently after I parted from my brother I took in hand Drexelius his Enchiridion of Eternitie And since upon a new occasion offered I renewed my acquaintaÌ„ce with Doctour Gerhard It were fit that I should present my service unto you my self in mine own person considering my many obligations to you and your kind invitations of me But being otherwise hindred I have sent Gerhard in my place who dedicates himself and his best service to honour you your progenie Concerning whom I may truly say thus much If you make him your Counseller and Companion you shall never be without a walking Library So
two wayes either for that which of it self alone is All-sufficient excluding all want or else for that which is but In part profitable and not sufficient of it self without the help of something else It is manifest that the Apostle here speaketh of that which is profitable taken in the first sense 22 By those things which are written we may be taught to beleeve on Christ John 20.31 and be furnished unto all good works 2. Tim. 3.17 And the brethren of the rich glutton by hearing Moses and the Prophets in the Scriptures might have escaped the torments of Hell Luke 16.29 23 Whereupon it follows without forcing that the perfection of the Holy Scripture is such as we assigne unto it For whosoever beleeveth on Christ and is furnished unto all good works and made partaker of eternall life what can he desire more 24 This also is an Argument worthie our consideration That the Apostle S. Paul declared unto the Church of Ephesus all the counsel of God to wit concerning our salvation Acts 20.27 Again the same Apostle said none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Acts 26.22 Therefore in Moses and the Prophets is contained all the counsel of God concerning our salvation 25 Now if the Scripture be perfect as indeed it is Away then with Traditions which some would thrust upon us to be received with like affection and to be beleeved with like authoritie as the Scripture 26 For they are full of doubts and sometimes also contradictions being very apt to be corrupted and many wayes subject unto errour 27 The Ecclesiasticall Historie witnesseth that in the time of the Primitive Church under the name of Apostolicall Traditions many falsities were broched and that men of great note have been deceived in former time by the opinion of Traditions 28 Furthermore seeing that the Holy Scripture was by God given unto men to this end to instruct them unto salvation from hence we conclude that The Scripture is perspicuous 29 What Could not God which made both mind and tongue speak plainly and perspicuously Yea certainly he used great care and providence that all men might understand vvhat he spake unto all men Lactant. lib. 6. Div. Institut cap. 21. 30 Ought not that which is to instruct the rude and ignorant and make them wise and learned ought not that I say be perspicuous 31 It is perspicuity which in fit to teach and instruct not obscurity or perplexitie 32 Yet when we say that the Holy Scripture is perspicuous we would not have it so understood as if we meant that whatsoever is contained any where in Scripture were so easie and plain that any man at the first sight may understand it 33 But this is our meaning that The perspicuity of Scripture is such that from thence a man may learn sure and infallible grounds and principles of religion the knowledge whereof is necessary unto every man toward the attainment of everlasting salvation 34 The books of the Prophets and Apostles are the integrall parts of Holy Scripture And that both those are perspicuous it is proved by good testimonies If the parts of Scripture then be perspicuous how can the whole be said to be obscure 35 The Propheticall word in the Old Testament is compared unto a Lamp Light or Lantern Psalme 119.105 And as much is said of the Apostolicall word 2. Pet. 1.19 And again If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost 2. Cor. 4.3 Whereby it appeareth that if the Scripture be obscure and hid it is so onely by accident But of it self and by its own nature it is perspicuous 36 Seeing therefore it is demonstrated that the Scripture is perfect and perspicuous It follows that It is and ought to be the certain infallible and onely rule and judge of all controversies that are moved about points of Christian religion 37 What David saith concerning the Apostles Psal 19.4 Their line or their rule or direction is gone out through all the earth the same Paul applies to the doctrine of the Apostles Rom. 10.18 Their sound went into all the earth But the Apostles wrote and taught the same things 38 Christ also and his Apostles for determining controversies of faith appealed unto no other Judge went by no other Rule but the Holy Scriptures and they send us also to search the Scriptures And what sheep will not follow Christ his Shepherd and Leader and the Apostles his followers 39 The word of Christ contained in the Holy Scriptures Propheticall and Apostolicall shall judge all men in the last day John 12.48 Rom. 2.16 Rev. 20.12 What hinders then but that it may be unto us in this life a Perfect Rule 40 For if there be any part of celestiall doctrine not contained within the Canonicall books How shall the judgement which shall be passed hereafter according unto them be entire 41 Furthermore seeing that it is not onely permitted but also commanded to all Christians to trie the Spirits 1. John 4.1 to beware of false prophets Matth. 7.15 to prove all things 1. Thess 5.21 and thus it lies upon them to discern between divine truth and humane dreams certainly the rule of truth that is the Holy Scripture belongeth unto all men And therefore The common people ought not to be debarred the reading of the Scripture 42 What the Spirit of God approveth and commendeth let not any man say It is forbidden But the Bereans are commended for this that they examined Pauls sermon by the Rule of the Scriptures Acts 17 1â— The elect strangers scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia 1. Pet. 1.1 are commended for attending unto the word of prophesie as unto a light 2. Pet. 1.19 And Coloss 3.16 the diligent study in the Scripture is commended to all Christians 43 And seeing that the common people are altogether ignorant of the Hebrew and Greek tongue wherein the books of the Old and Nevv Testament were written and yet are bound to reade the Scriptures Therefore their pains is to be commended who have translated the Holy Scriptures into the vulgar tongues 44 But yet the Hebrew text onely in the Old Testament and the Greek in the New Testament is Authenticall because they were both written in those tongues 45 Whatsoever floweth not from those fountains hitherto hath not cannot neither must it be accounted Canonicall seeing that it is not inspired by God 46 Therefore that vulgar interpretation which may sooner be said then proved to be Saint Jeromes is without cause exalted to that high throne of authenticall authoritie 47 For there are in it many faults both Graphicall Ellipticall Chronographicall and Dogmaticall faults in writing in leaving out many things in Chronographie and in points of doctrine 48 They have a corrupt judgement that say that the Hebrew text is corrupted 49 Neither do they love pure truth who say that the fountains do not flow pure 50 The end and use of Holy Scripture is