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A14462	The firste parte of the Christian instruction, and generall so[m]me of the doctrine, conteyned in the holy Scriptures wherein the principall pointes of the religion are familiarly handled by dialogues, very necessary to be read of all Christians. Translated into Englishe, by Iohn Shute, accordyng to the late copy set forth, by th'author Maister Peter Viret. 1565. Ouersene and perused, accordyng to the order appointed, by the Queenes maiesties iniunctions.; Instruction chrestienne et somme generale de la doctrine comprinse ès sainctes Escritures. Part 1. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; Shute, John, fl. 1562-1573.	1565 (1565)	STC 24777; ESTC S119198	167,989	225

The firste parte of the Christian Instruction and generall sōme of the doctrine conteyned in the holy Scriptures wherein the principall pointes of the Religion are familiarly handled by Dialogues very necessary to be read of all Christians Translated into Englishe by Iohn Shute accordyng to the late Copy set forth by th' author Maister Peter Viret 1565. ¶ Ouersene and perused accordyng to the order appointed by the Queenes maiesties Iniunctions 2. Timothe 3. Al Scripture diuinely inspired of God is profitable for doctrine to improue to amend and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared vnto all good worckes No man that layeth hys hande to the plow and looketh behind hym is meete for the kyngdome of God Luke 9. HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Day dvvellyng ouer Aldersgate beneath Saint Martins ❧ To the honorable the Lord Robert Dudley Baron of Denbigh Earle of Licester Maister of her Maiesties horse and knight of th' order and one of her highnes preuye Councel Iohn Shute vvisheth health vvith increase of honor and Godly vnderstandyng WHen Hanniball a manifold wintered souldiour a Generall of meruelous iudgement and worthines had giuen eare a while to Phormiō the Philosopher discoursing before him of martiall matters the duty of a Generall and office of ech man that commeth to field beyng demaunded at length what he thought of him whome the Lippewise men estemed the wysest and learnedst of the worlde aunswered that fooles he had heard many but a more dotyng foole then this Phormion was he neuer heard It semed to him very straunge that he whiche neuer went further then the scoole neuer fought but with the rod shoulde giue preceptes to hym that had spent all his life in martiall affaires obtained moe vistories then he had red ouerthrowes And may it not right honorable seme as straunge to your good Lordship and be deemed of some others as greate dotage for me a simple souldior better practised abrode in martiall matters then furnished at home with cunnyng of the scoole to deale with matters of hie diuinitie But I take not vpon me to teache of my selfe but to translate out of others nor do I meane to bragge of any skill but to testifie my good will employed to profite others yet do I not thincke it a matter vnmeete for my profession and callyng to knowe the truthe of Gods holy worde and to further in the same as many as I may For requisite it is as your honor and wisedome right well vnderstandeth all Christians to knowe their God further if they will be the children of his kingdome to worcke through obedience to his will as the Apostle sayth their owne saluation with trembling and with feare A souldior is not excluded from this band he must needes in this battell keepe his order ●hil ● and do by grace his vttermost endeuoure leaste the muster maister Christe do casse him and so ●osuc 7 with great reproche deualize hym VVe read that for a litle pilfering of a common souldior the whole armie of the Lorde was in daunger and lyke to haue ben defeacted But the blasphemie incōtinency outrage and suche lyke that in many countreis in the warres in our dayes are vsed are in deede a great occasion to procure and purchase those dreadfull plagues whiche we often see light vpon nations VVherfore that we may continew in quiet peace whē occasion shall require obtaine Godly victories expedient it wer and for my countreys sake I wish that our souldiors may be well instructed in the knowledge and feare of God so much the rather for that their lyfe is doubly incertaine Anacharsis thought saylers and such as trauayle by sea to be rather of the nōber of the dead then of the liuing by cause that he which is in most assuraunce is alwaye within eight or ten ynches of his death And is not a souldior euery moment of an houre more nere his bane amyd so many great shotte samll shot and other weapons VVherfore it were good not onely for the parties them selues but also for all Christian cōmon wealthes if they whiche are called to serue in warres were well instructed in the knowledge fear of God as god be thāked some of thē are I would thinck my self surerer in the company of fiue hūdred well trayned souldiors whiche were instructed in the feare and loue of God then in that of xv hundred whiche are as well trayned and exercised in the vse of their weapons as they and doe want the other chief instruction And for my parte beyng a simple one am not ashamed to be exercised in the study of Gods booke no more then to be in the fielde exercised in the vse of any weapō or order although my studie in it be not such as I wish it to be yet hauyng receiued great profite cōfort of conscience by reding of sondrie workes of diuinitie and namely by the readyng of a worcke of Maister Peter Viret intituled the Christian instruction I would not bereaue my countrey mē the commoditie of the same but thought my selfe bounde in conscience to make them partakers therof VVherfore hauing translated the first parte of it into our tounge with boystrous and rude termes as a man vtterly voyde of eloquence I haue committed the same to the printe and so farre presumed vpon your honours goodnes as vnder your Lordshippes name to suffer it to come to the sight of others May it please you to accepte this simple token of my trauaile poore good will towardes your honor I dout not but some shall receiue such fruite of it as they shall like well my labour and pray for your Lordship vnder whose name it is published And so shall my desire in Christ be satisfied God prosper your honor in health and high estate God encrease his faith and his feare in you Right honorable I haue added in the end of this worke a table contayning the principall matters that are entreated of in this worke to the end that men may the more easily find them God defend you and preserue you ❧ John Shute to the faithfull reader Grace mercy and peace from God the father thorowe our Lord Iesus Christ COnsiderynge that God requireth no more of man for his innumerable benefites which he hath doth from time to tyme bestow vpon him but onely frāck obedience the whiche he can no wise yelde duely vnto him except he knowe him and he can not know him but by his word and for that ther be many aduersaries at this day who will not haue men to deale with the word of God nor to receiue any Religion but such as shall be giuen vnto them by generall Councels I haue thoght good to turn into y● English toūg this litle worke framed by the right famous worthy godly learned man M. Peter Viret wherin you may see what cōmoditie the Church of God hath reapt

approched Shortly after one appareled lyke a courtier came to the chāber where the Pope laye and knocked very lowdly saying that he must nedes speake with hym The doore beyng opened vnto hym he came and spake with the Pope all others wer retired from them The Pope and he talked very secretly but mē might se be their coūtenances that they wer very earnest and in great contention betwene them selues that the Pope was not well cōtent for he sayd to hym how may this be my tyme is not yet expired thou knowst that I had 19. yeares wherof I haue passed but. 11. 8. monethes wher upon they heard the courtier aunswere hym boldly you dyd mistake that worde for I sayd not 19. yeares but I ment 11. yeares and 8. monethes should be the raigns of thy Papacy and therfore thou must needes dye Now albeit the Pope requested instantly that he would haue consideration of hys lyfe and terme of yeares concernyng hys Papacy it was as if he had spokē to a deafe man for al hys exceptiōs requestes and allegations could stand hym in no stede for al that were in the chamber might well see that the deuill was more perfect in Arithmetique then was the Pope and in the ende it was easyly cōcluded that Alexander had erred in hys accōptes Finally to cōclude the matter when Satan departed frō thēce forthwith the soule of the Pope most miserably departed frō hys body with horrible cryes and feareful gronyngs and bewaylyngs And in this sort most miserably wretchedly and wickedly dyed the Pope Alexander surnamed the 6. leauyng to hys sonne his patrimonie greatly engayged and encombred the Italians theyr Romane common wealth wholly confused disordered and spoyled to the end he might be an example to all ages to declare how that thynges euyll goten are consumed spent miserably wickedly ●ontanus writeth that thy● Pope had a daughter whō hys sonne dyd vse and so dyd the Pope hym selfe her name was Lucresse Sanazarius the Italian Poete in hys Epigrames and 2. boke speakyng of this Pope Alexander notyng hys incest sayth thus O Lucresse will Alexander yet still couet thee O horrible case he is thy father In the worcke intituled l'Estat do l'Eglise it is writen of this Pope Alexander that not only he dyd vse hys daughter Lucresse but hys sonne dyd the lyke wherupon she is called his wife his daughter and daughter in law c. Vrspergensis noteth of Bregory the. 7. otherwise named Hildebrand that the common wealth of Rome and the Churche was in great daunger vnder him by meanes of errors and new Scismes whiche were neuer heard of before that he dyd vsurpe the Papall seat by tyranny not be lawfull election The Councell holden at wormes in the yeare 1080. sayth of Gregory the. 7. that it is certayne that he was not chosen of God but that he dyd shamefully thrust him self in by disceate and money and did turne vp syde downe the order of the Churche and troubled the state of the Christian Empire and framed the destruction of both the body soule of the Catholicke kyng and dyd defend the periured kyng dyd sow discord among such as did accord and strife among the quiet offences among the brethren diuorce among the maried and sturred vp and chaunged all thinges that might tend to quietnes among such as were of honest lyfe we therfore beyng gathered together by God agaynst the sayd Hildebrand who preached nothyng but sacrileges fires main tayned the periured and murderers and brought the vniuer fall and Apostolicke fayth of the body and bloud of the Lord into doubt being an obseruer of diuinations and dreames an open Nigromancer hauing a familiar spirit and leauing in this sorte the true fayth we iudge that he ought by lawful auctoritie to be deposed driuen frō his seat and perpetually condēpned if he leaue not hys seat when he shal vnderstand these thyngs I refer such as wil vnderstād more of the said Gregory to the readyng of the Cardinal Benno hys worcke wherin the lyfe of the sayd Gregory is set forth Moreouer I wish them in Platina to consider the lyues of Iohn the. 8. Siluester Bennet the. 8. with many others Also in Sabellicus in hys 9. Eneide and first and 2. booke where they shall see of the Popes afore writē Also in the Cōmentaries of that worthy mā Iohn Sleydan in hys 21. boke where he mencioneth of an Italian whiche wrote a booke very sharpely agaynste Paul the. 3. namyng hym therin Antechrist declaring that in the tyme of Innocent the Pope he was committed to prison beyng a wicked prelat for if murders and for the poysoning of his mother his nephew wherby the inheritaunce might come to hym further after that he was deliuered out of prisō he made great fute for a Hatte of a Cardinall and was three tymes refused by the Cardinals in the end his sister Iulia Fernese obtayned it For she threatned the Pope Alexāder the. 6. that frō that time forth she would neuer be at his cōmaundment the Pope fearing her displeasure accepted him into the troupe of Cardinals further that he poysoned an other sister of hys and vsed an other of them and also his nee●e and hys own daughter and for that that he would the more liberally enioye her he found the meane to poyson her husband Bose Sforce he was also a great Nigromācer as witnesseth Sleidan in his Cōmentaries and. 19. booke Iohn Bale in the lyfe of the said Paul the 3. in his act Roma Pontificum wher he fully declareth the vertues of him Let vs see one mo among a great nōber of these reuerend fathers Clemēt the. 8. of that name borne in Florence bastarde to Leo the. 10. his nephew I should say named before Iulius Cardinal Priest of the title of S. Laurēce in Damase c. It is writen of him in certaine Cōmētaries vpon the articles of the Doctors of Paris that this Clemēt was a bastard empoysoner homicide bawd simoniaque Sodomit periured whoremaster negromancer Church robber and a worker of all wickednes c. Such as wil vnderstād more of the goodnes of the lyues of such holy fathers I referre thē to the readyng of the Florentine hystory of Machiauell let them read Volateran Sabellicus Platina Iohn Bale act Rom. pont Iohn le Maire in hys woorke of Scismes the sea of histories Fascicul tēp Naucle supplimēt chro with a nomber of others whō for briefty I do omitte Truly these fathers ar iolly folowers of Christ who ought chiefly to be folowed he sent his Apostles abrode into the world commaundyng thē to preache the Gospell to all men and to A comparisō betvvene Christ the Pope baptize in the name of the father the sonne the holy ghost c. the Pope commaūdeth hys to hallow Churches water bread oyle belles chalices grene bowghes candles with such lyke traishe to sing Masses for the liuyng and for

learne honor thy father thy mother but thou doest the contrary Thou bringest thē vp in the study of the writynges of the heathens and Gentils out of the whiche they learne very noughty thyngs which happen not vnto thē if they be instructed in the holy Scriptures c. S. Chrisostome vpon Genesis in his 5. Homelie 6. chap. and. 1. Tome sayth I besech you that we be not negligēt as concerning our health but rather y● our talke be of spiritual thigs and that some one take in his hand the boke of God and callyng hys neighbours to hym he do water his owne soule theyrs with godly sentēces to the end that we may chase frō vs the treasons and awaytes of the deuil S. Chrisostome in his 3. sermō of Lazar saith I do alwais exhort you wil not cease but stil exhorte you to gyue heede not onely to what is said here but also when you come home into your houses that you be cōtinually occupyed in the readyng of the Scriptures whiche I haue not left to vrge thē with in particular that haue ben conuersaunt with me and let no mā say vnto me these wordes are cold and of smal effect I am an aduocate or lawyer I am occupyed in the affayres of the common-wealth I am a man of occupation I haue a wife I haue a charge of children I am burdened with house kepyng I am a man of the world it is not for me to read the Scriptures but it is for those that haue forsaken the worlde which dwel in mountaines lead a cōtinent solitarie life Man what sayst thou hast not thou to do with the readyng of the Scriptures bycause thou art occupyed with many cares and businesses But thou hast greater neede of it then they haue For they haue not so great neede of the helpe of the Scriptures as you haue whiche are tossed turmoyled among the sourges and wanes of wordly busines for truly the Monckes and so litarie men which dwell in the desertes are without proces and wordly cares haue none acquaintaunce with any but do Philosophe study for knowledge in peaceable quietnes and sucetie and as they were in a sure hauē haue fruition of things permanent certaine and cōtrarily we beyng tossed with infinite wordly cares and busines as it wer in the middest of the sea haue alwayes nede of continual solace and cōforte of the Scriptures They are farre of frō the cōbatte but thou art dayly in the battayle bycause thou receyuest many woundes therfore hast thou greater nede of remedy S. Hierome writyng to a Lady named Gaudence of the bringyng Education of youth vp of her daughter ●acatulla sayth when the litle yong mayden shall come to the. 7. yeare of her age and that she begynneth to haue shame and to know wherof she ought to be silent to doubt of that which she should speak let her then learne the Psalter by hart vntyll she come to the. 12. yeare of her age that she lay vp a treasure in her harte of the bookes of Salomon of the writinges of the Apostles Prophetes writing also to an other good Ladye named Leta exhorting her to instruct her daughter in the holy Scripture euen frō the cradle saying thus let her embrace the booke of God in the stede of precious stones sylke in the which bookes let her delight not in their goodly couerings of sōdry colours but in the distinct erudicion being corrected according to the fayth let her first learne the Psalter by such songes let her withdraw her selfe from the world Let her learn out of the Prouerbes of Salomō to liue vertuously let her learne out of Ecclesiastes to tread worldly things vnder fee●e out of Iob example of vertue and pacience let the Gospel be continually in her handes let her thorowlye learne the actes and Epistles of the Apostles And when shee hathe in thys sorte enriched the Cabinet of her harte with such treasures let her learne by harte the Prophetes the bookes of Moses of the kings the Paralipomenon Esoras and also Hester last of al the song of songes called in latin Canticū Canticorū for if she shuld read it first she might be hurt by it not vnderstāding the holy sōges of spirituall mariages by those carnal phrases let her auoyd al the Apocripho bokes let her haue also continuall excercise in the workes of Cipriā Athanase Hillary S. Chrisostom in his 31. Homeli vpō s Iohn the. 4. chap. sayth who is he of vs I pray you who when he is returned home to his house doth any thing belōging to a Christian who is he that searcheth soundeth the meanyng of the Scriptures Truly not one but we finde oftentymes tables and dice but very seldome bokes if any haue bokes they kepe them shutte vp as thoughe they had none or els they employ theyr time in beholdyng theyr braue painted coueringes or fayre figures letters c. S. Chrisostome vpon S. Iohn in hys 10. Homely 5. Tome and. 1. chap. sayth And Gōmoditie of the scripture you shall be much more sharpe subtil not onely to heare vnderstand but also to teache others c. And within fewe lines after in the same Homelie he sayth they which ar negligēt haue yet an other excuse verye vn apt to wit that they haue no bookes This were a very vayne aunswere for the riche to make but for so much as many poore men do often tymes make this excuse I will some thyng say to them and Carelesse nesse of the Christians will aske thē if they haue not al theyr tooles instrumētes which do belong to theyr occupatiōs craftes not withstandyng theyr pouertie Is not this then a great foly to excuse thē by theyr pouertie yet they so prouide that they wāt nothing belōgyng to theyr occupatiōs yet they excuse thē selues vpō theyr pouertie occupatiōs in a matter which is so cōmodious vnto thē S. Chrisosto in his 3. sermon of Lazar sayth Seest thou not the workers of metals gold smythes siluer smithes such like mē of occupatiōs that they haue al theyr tooles redy which belōg to their occupations albeit that hūger pinch them pouertie afflict thē yet had they rather endure any kynde of these miseries thē to sel any instrument that belongeth to their occupation by the whiche they liue c. S. Chrisostome in the same sermon sayth that a man may get great holynes and perfection by reading of the holy Scriptures and the holy Ghost hath so tempered them that he would haue sinners and Publicans saued yea to the end that the Idiots and vnlerned should be without excuse touchyng the hardnes of the vnderstandyng therof he hath willed that the thynges therin spoken should be so easy euen at the first sight that men of occupation laborers seruaunts women widowes and such like that are most ignoraunt of all

others might by the readyng therof obtayne vnderstanding c. The Scripture is the power of God to saluatiō by it we knowe God and Christ by it we knowe our selues by it we are taught our duety toward our neyghbour by it we learn to obei our prince by it we know the true Prophet frō the false the Scriptures ar to be preferred before al the writings of men it is the touche stone wherby we ought to examine Ad Regina● derecta fide the doctrines of men Cyril sayth it is necessary for vs that we folow the holy Scriptures not to swarue in anye thyng that is commaunded in them S. Ambrose vpon the. 1. Epistle to the Corinthes 4. chap. saith what soeuer is not receiued frō the handes of the Apostles is full of wickednes Cyprian in Sermon ● de lapsis And how dare they ordeyne and decree any thing without Christ whose hope and fayth vertue and glorye is whollye in hym Origine vpon Ezechiell Homili 7. lette vs folowe no man and if wee will folowe any wee haue Christe set foorth to vs to followe The actes of the Apostles are set forth vnto vs we know the doings of the Prophetes by the holy volumes that is a sounde exāple to folow Theophilactus vpō the Epistle to the Romains the last chap. sayth They whiche bryng any thyng beside the determinations and doctrine of the Apostles they bryng in offences heresies and dissensions Ireneus aduersus Valentini similiū scripta lib. 2. cap. 56 ▪ Leane to the holy Scriptures which is the sure and vndoubted truth it is a sure stone wherwith to build when ye leaue this cleaue to any other doctrines c. S. Augustine in his prologue of his 3. boke of the trinitie sayth Obey not my writinges as thou wilte the Canonicall scriptures for what so euer thou shalt finde in thē that thou beleuest not the same beleue without douting but in myne if Authority of the wryting● of the fathers thou finde any thing wherin thou art not persuaded thorowly beleue it not assuredly Againe in his 112. Epistle which he writeth to Paulm he speaketh to the like end Itē in his 2. boke of Baptisme against the Donatists 3. chap. he saith you alwayes alledge to vs the letters of Cypriā the sayinges of Cypriā why take you authoritie of Cypriā for your Scisme refuse his exāple to trouble the church who is he that doth not well know that the Canonicall scriptures as wel of the olde as of the new Testament are conteined within limites which ar certain that the same is to be preferred to the writings of al the Bishops y● haue ben hereto fore so that we may not in any thing doute or dispute of it to wit whether y● all y● therin is be true or no but it is lawfull to reprehēd the writings of the Bishops which were writen before or which wer writen after the cōfirmation of the Canonical scriptures either by word c. Moreouer Origene vpō the Prophet Ieremie in his 1. Howelie sayth we must needes call to witnesse the holy Scriptures for without thē no mā ought to credite our sayings or writings S. Hierom vpon s Mathew fayth That which is spokē without the authoritie of the scriptures euen as it is spoken so may it be reiected contēned vpon Ieremie 9. chap. sayth The error of fathers mothers of aūcesters ought not to be folowed but the authoritie of the scriptures the cōmaūdemēt of God whiche he teacheth vs c. And within fewe lynes after he sayth Assuredly thorowe ignoraūce of the law men shall receiue Antichrist for Christ c. S. Cypriā to Cecil in his 3. boke of his Epistles 3. Epistle saith yf you do that which I cōmaūde you I will not cal you my seruaūtes but my frends And also that Christ ought onely to be herd the father hath borne witnes from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him wherfore if it be so the Christ onely ought to be herd then ought we not to looke what any man before vs hath thought good to be done but that which Christ who is Christ and not custom is to be followed before all hath done for we are not boūd to folow the custome of mē but the truth of God for so much as God sayth by his Prophet Esay in ye. 29. chap They honor me in vain teaching the cōmaūdemēts doctrines of mē And again in the Gospel Mathew 15. you reiect the cōmaūdemēt of God to establishe your own traditions And therfore deare brother if anye of our predecessors eyther through ignoraunce or simplicitye haue not obserued that which the Lord hath taught vs to do by his example or doctrine that same may be refused for the symplenes therof may through the mercies of the Lord be pardoned him c. And shortly after he sayth if we be the elders ministers of God Christ I fynd not that we ought to follow any but God Christ for somuch as he saith in the Gospel of Iohn chap. 8. I am the light of the world he that followeth me shal not walke in darcknes but shal haue the Diui●●●um institut lib. 6. cap. 8 light of life Lactāti ' Firmian ' in his 6. boke of his godly institutiōs 8. chap. sayth we ought not to follow mē but god The canons decrees of the Popes in the. 9. distinct ca. Noli cap. Ego cap. Negare dist 24 1. quest ca. Non affermam ' say thus Men must dwell vpon the holy Scriptures not vpon the sayings of men how holy soeuer they be c. S. Chrisostome vpō S. Iohn sayth in the end of the. 16. homelie That mē of occupatiō do seeke striue to be excellent in their occupacions Gredi desire of corporall things and carelesnesse of spirituall things but the christiā can not render reasō of his religion if these handy occupations were not knowen it were but losse of money but the cōtempt of the christiā religiō carieth with it destruction of the soule yet we tranayle in so great miserye madnes that we bestow in thē all our studie care but the things which are most necessary for vs and are most sure fortes of our saluation we esteme not at all It is it that letteth the heathens frō acknowledging their errour and causeth thē to scoffe at vs for albeit they are groūded onely vpō lyes to do al that which they do to defend the ignominie of their doctrine we which serue the truth dare not once opē our mouthes to defend that which is ours why should they not condemne our great imbecillitie haue vs in supicion to be crafty disceitful why should they not speake euil of Christ as of a lyar who by his fraud should haue abused the simplicitie of the multitude we are

to erre S. Paule and S. Iohn Iame. i. Act. 3. 14 Gal. 1. 2. Dauid and Ely Esay and Moyses and all the Prophets and Apostles were men like vnto others subiecte to the same infirmities that others were and yet S. Paule doth so authorise his doctrine as hath bene alreadye sayd that he condempneth the Aungels of heauen if they doe gayne saye it Wherfore they conclude that euen so as the Prophets and Apostles were men and yet notwithstanding all their writinges are without errour euen so fareth it with the fathers in all their determinations and Councels D. They conclude veri euel and speak wholy against the sentence of S. Augustin who is as good a christiā as any one For they attribute as much to the bokes ordinances of men as to the Canonicall bookes whereupon we oughte to consider that albeit the Prophets and Apostles were men yet notwithstanding there is greate difference betwene them and those that came after them For we are certayne that they spake by the spirit of God and that God hath not suffered any errour to be mingled in their writinges because that he woulde they shoulde be geuen and left to vs for most certayne rules wherby to examine all other doctrines There is yet an other matter besyde this which is well worthye to be noted To wit that if any of those by whom it hath pleased God to be serued in this woorke haue chaunced to committe any faulte in their office the spirite of God hath not hidden it but hath manifestly declared it to the end the men shoulde not so be moued with the authoritie of suche personages that they shoulde followe lies in the steed of the truth and vice in the steede of vertue We haue an euident example hereof in Nathan the Prophet who without hauing demaunded i. Sam. 7 at the mouth of the Lord sayd of his owne onely authoritie and proper councell to Dauid that he shoulde builde the Lordes house and temple wherfore he was rebuked and corrected immediatly the next nyght following by the Lorde who commaunded him to declare the contrarye to Dauid We may also alledge the example of the Prophet which was sent into Beth-el and was kylled by the Lyon i. kings 17 Iob in Iere. xx i. Kings xix Ionas 2 Gal. 2 and that of Iob and of Ieremie who cursed the day of their byrth and also that of Hely and of Ionas so many faults of S. Peter and especially that for the whiche S. Paule reproued him I leaue vntouched a number of others such lyke Now it standeth not so at this present with vs ne yet with the auncient doctors that were before vs. For seing that God woulde that thys rule shoulde be obserued in hys church it coulde not otherwise be but that it must be appoynted by a number of bookes certayne or ells there woulde neuer haue beene any ende Seing then that the Lorde hath once appoynted and allowed thys rule we maye compare vnto it neyther booke nor Councell what so euer they bee For if since the time of the Apostles there hath neuer beene man of what holines or knowledge so euer he were that hath so perfectelye and wel written and taughte as the Prophettes and Apostles didde without faylinge in anye one thinge ▪ wee maye not thincke that it is otherwise in their Councelles and Sinodall statutes then it is in their bookes For those that write such bookes be the very self and same men by whom the Councells are celebrated and holden vnto whom their aduises and opinions are spoken euen as they are couched in their bookes Wherefore they may as wel erre in the one as in the other we must also knowe that the most holy and perfecte men in deede haue not all the giftes of God neyther continuallye nor in all ages ne yet in all things no not those giftes in dede which are geuen vnto them but that GOD doth reueale manye thynges to others and at other tymes ¶ VVhat rule S. Augustine geueth concerning Councells and the vvritinges of the auncient Fathers T. SEing it is so it is very nedeful that we haue some certayne rule wherwith to guide vs in these matters D. I doe thinke that we can not doe better nor follow a better rule when any of these things come in question then to followe the maner of proceding that S. Augustine did vse with Maximine Bishop of the Arrians which would arme himself with the Councell of Arimine againste the conclusion that was made and confyrmed by the holy fathers touching the diuinitie of our Lorde Iesus Christ in the Councell of Nice by the authoritie of the truth as it is sayd and hy the truth of authoritie Tom. 6. Lib. 3. I may not now sayeth he alledge the Councell of Nice nor thou the Councel of Arimine as for a preiudice neyther am I bounde to the authorite of the one nor thou to the authoritie of the other Let vs debate the one matter with the other the one cause with the other the one reason with the other by the authoritye of the Scriptures not by proper and particular witnesse of euery man but by indifferent to vs both Which thing he hath also written in other places as concerning To Paul Epist 112 To Hic 29 Epist the authoritie of the Canonicall bookes agreeth very well with this I will not saith he that thou embrace myne authoritie to the end thou shouldest thinke it necessarie to beleue any thing because that I haue spokē it but that thou beleue the Canonicall Scriptures And againe I confesse to thy charitie that I haue learned to beare that honour and reuerence to the onely bookes of the Scriptures which are called Canonicall that I doe beleue assuredlye that no one of the authors of them hath in any one iote of his writinges erred And i●●●diatlye after he sayth But I read y● others in such 〈…〉 what excellencie of holines and doctrine so euer be 〈…〉 I thinke not that which they saye to bee true because that they were of that opinion but because that I am perswaded that that whiche they speake is agreeing to the truth eyther by the Canonicall authors or els by apparaunt reason This is his manner of writing to Saint Hierome And agayne thou seest here howe S. Augustine submitteth the writings of the auncients and the Coūcels to the worde of God and to the determinations therof conteyned in the holy Scriptures and maketh it iudge aboue all T. I do finde the aduise of S. Augustine very good but me thincketh there are other things to be considered in that conference and difference of the auncient Doctors and determinations of the lawfull Councels whereof I woulde gladlye heare the resolution But because that we haue entreated of manye good poyntes touchyng thys matter of Councells it seemeth to me very good for this present hers to make an ende to the end I may haue some little tyme to call to my remembraunce