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
worthy men were so affected in al their teachings and therefore as also for their admirable learning iudgment they made choise of them before all the great Clerkes which were in Europe And that those who called them hither were not deceived in them the excellent monuments which they have lest in writing behinde them doe testifie to the world T. HILL THIS vnity of Catholikes and discord of Protestants most manifestly sheweth that as the Apostles were they for whom our Saviour prayed to his father was heard of him Holy father keepe them in thy name whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we also be one Iohn seaventeene so they of the Catholike Romane Religion be they for whom in the words following he prayed was heard Not for them doe I aske only but also for them which shal beleeve by their preaching in mee that all may bee one as thou father in me and I in thee that also they in vs may be one and heereof it necessarily followeth that they be of the true Church for that none but they observe and keepe the Unity which he obtained â—…or them of his heavenly Father G. ABBOT 10 THese texts did your maister q Motiv 27. Bristow cite this argument in expresse words did he frame to your handes gentle M. Doctor you might have done wel to have added some our place more of your owne reading But to answere you both togither this maketh nothing against vs for we ioyne in coÌ„sent for all material points of the substaÌ„ce of salvation not only with our selves but with all the faithfull and rightly beleeving which have bin in the world with the Patriarkes the Prophets the Apostles the Fathers of the Primitive Church and the Martyrs neither can you or the greatest Goliah of your side ever proove the contrary Touch any article of our doctrine or any conclusion which wee maintaine and wee will make it good against you Staphilus r Apolog. 〈◊〉 Staphil himselfe could cite it as the saying of Smideline that among the Lutherans and Zuinglians there is no variance of any waight or force touching any articles of our saith of Christian Religion This tale therefore of discord do you tell to your bleare-eyed followers who cannot discerne colours All right beleevers are satisfied for this matter But on the other side the agreement which is among you is but a conspiracie against Christs honour even such a combination as was betweene s Mat. 16. 57 Luk. 23. 12. Herode and Pilate Annas and Caiphas the Scribes Pharisees Priests people to bring our blessed Saviour to the crosse Your consent is not in God nor in his sonne Iesus but to robbe them both of their glory to bestowe it on your I doll at Rome You agree to keepe your Congregations in ignorance to proclaime your kitchin-warming Purgatory to set your Masses Pardons at sale to picke mens s Sparing discovery of Iesuites purses by your Iesuitical exercise to leade theÌ„ as bond slaues to hell this is it wherin you consent So that as one did once read Vanity for Unity in the Psalme Behold how good ioyfull a thing it is brethren Ps. 133. 1. to dwell togither in Vanity so your vnity is vanity your coÌ„sent is cousenning tobe guile God al good Christians so farre forth as you may The title of this your present Chapter might better have bin Vanity Cousenning theÌ„ Vnity Consent for you coÌ„spire to do evil eveÌ„ to betray the soules of meÌ„ redeemed with the blood of the everlasting covenant The text of Ieremy would well fit this your combination u Ier. 11. 9. A conspiracy is found among the meÌ„ of Iudah among the inhabitants of Ierusalem They are turned backe to the iniquity of their fore-fathers which refused to heare my words and they went after other Gods to serve them thus the house of Israel the house of Iudah have brokeÌ„ my covenaÌ„t which I made with their fathers T. HILL AND surely it cannot proceede but from the Holy Ghost that all Sacredwriters of the Catholike Romane Church although being Aug. lib 18. de civitat dei Cap 41. men of diverse Nations Times and Languages yet have so wonderfully consented agreed among theÌ„selves as we see they have done G. ABBOT 11 YOV would make your sily disciples beleeve that this propositioÌ„ of yours so fraÌ„dulently propounded is confirmed by S t. Austen whose words in the place quoted in your margeÌ„t are as much to your purpose as if a man being at Barwike should take S t. Michaels mounte in his way to goe see Powles church at LoÌ„don If you had but looked the title of that Chapter in Austen it would have told you that the authour doth there speake of the agreement of the Canonicall Scriptures amonge themselves And if you had read the Chapter you might have found the drifte to bee that whereas all the olde Philosophers in their opinions and writings dissented eche from other the pen-men of the Scriptures being the Secretaries of the Holy Ghost did not vary at all His words are these u Lib. 18. cap 41 de â—…v Dei To coÌ„clude our Authors in whom not without a cause the Canon of the Holy Scriptures is set bouÌ„ded God forbid that they should dissint among theÌ„selves in any respect Now wil you be so blasphemous as to ioyne your broken and barbarous writers your Schoole-men Dunces Friers with these Oracles of God for if you do not meane by your sacred writers of the Catholike Romane Church your Divines and teachers of the Popes rotten ReligioÌ„ you speake not to your owne purpose you abuse your Reader with aequivocation and your wordes as most Idle do proove nothing at all But doe your writers indeed of such diverse Nations Times and Languages so wonderfully consent as you speake of Belike you haue reade but a fewe of them or else you would see that many of their tales do hange togither as their x Matth. 26. 60. wordes did who came to witnes against Christ. I suppose you have heard of a certaine booke called the Sentences of Peter Lombard Now I pray you good Sir is there no where in the margent there Hic magister non tenetur Looke in the end of him as he was y Ex officina lacob Du-puâ—…s printed at Paris in the yeare 1573. there you may finde that the facultie of Divines at Paris have condemned for errours sixe and twenty severall doctrines avouched in the workes of that maister of the Sentences in the first booke foure in the second foure in the third three in the fourth fifteene Of these one was that brute beasts doe not receive the very body of Christ although it seemeth that they doe when they devour the Hoste after consecration And is it not to bee supposed that the Scholers of this great Clerk did follow their Rabbi in maintaining the
vnfit saying it is wel that it is but one Doctors opiniō since the words of men yea of all the world put togither cannot be ballanced in equall waight with the immediate word of God which is so directly inspired by the holy Ghost A sweet childe the while was our Campian z Ration 4 who would take on him to proue that the rest of the Synods namely that of Trent was of the same authority with those foure first and so consequently all as powerfull as the Gospels By which reconing wee should not only haue a fifth Gospell of Nicodemus or some such counterfeit but eighteene Gospels more besides the foure Evāgelists so our Bibles now will grow so big that one volume wil not hold thē What a wrōg did that prowde and arrogant Iesuite to the Scripture when hee durst write on that fashion we dare not so far dignifie or rather magnifie the best Councels after that in the Apostles time for feare of blasphemy But if we shall compare the better with the worser the weaker with the stronger we shall see that we are not to far to leane on such assemblies least by attributing over much to such confluences we sometimes take error for verity For haue there not bin meetings which haue concluded against the truth yet haue caryed a goodly shew too I wil not insist on Provinciall Councels as that of a Inter opera Cyptiā A frike where Cyprian the rest cōcluded for rebaptising of those which were baptised by heretiks or that of b Soc. 1 21. Tyrus which proceeded against Athanasius being innocēt or that of c Lib 2 7. Antioch as also of d cap. 25. Sirmiū both which decreed for the Arrians against the faith of Consubstantiality in Christ with his Father I will rather stand on those who go for generall as that of Sardis in part reiected by e In Indice conciliorū Possevinus that of Milaine where were 300. Bishops ioyning for Arrianisme that of Selētia being gathered to the same purpose Here may you finde more general Synods making for the Arrians while they were in anye strength then making against them 13 Lay to these the Great Councell of Ariminum vvhere vvere sixe hundred Bishoppes mainetaining and decreeing for the opinion of Arius and the authoritye vvhereof seemed to bee so greate and vvas so farre vrged that Saint Augustine himselfe had beene everborne vvith it had hee not beene forced to flie to the Scriptures which were and are the touch-stone to trye Councels by The place which he hath to that purpose is famous f Aug contra Maxim Arrian Episcop l. 3 But now neither shoulde I produce the Nicene Councell nor thou that of Ariminum as meaning to extoll it Neither am I helde vvith the authoritie of the one nor thou vvith the other VVith authorities of Scriptures vvhich are vvitnesses not proper to either but common to both let matter contend with matter cause vvith cause reason with reason Both of vs doe reade That vvee may be in his true sonne Iesus Christ He is very God life eternal Let both of vs yeeld to waight of so great moment These are the words of the same S. Austē who els-where had said g Epist 118 The authority of Plenary Coūcels is most wholesome in the Church Very whole some while they keepe right with the verity of Christ but whē they fal frō that they are otherwise But S. Austē was never of opiniō to atrribute too much to Coūcels for he was not so simple but that he saw there were or might be many imperfectiōs in thē yea in the best of thē It is a worthy testimony which he gives in this behalf whē he was pressed with the authority of Cypriā the Africane Coūcel h De Bap◅ismo cōtr Donaust lib. 2. 3. The sacred Scripture saith he is not at alto be doubted or desputed of The letters of Bishops writē since the Scripture if there be any errour in thē may be reprehēded by the wiser speech of any one who is more skilful in that matter by the graver authority of other Bishops by the wisedome of the more learned by Councels And who knoweth not that Provincial Councels without any sticking do yeeld to the authority of plenary Councels which are gathered out of the whole Christian world yea that oftentimes the former Plenary Coūcels are amended by the later when by any experiēce of things that is opened which was shut known which did lye hid without any vanity of sacrilegious pride without any puffed necke of arrogācy without any contention of malicious envy with holy humility with Catholike peace with Christian charity And some part of this he cōfirmeth againe afterward Among after-cōmers the later Coūcels are preferred Cap. 9. before the former the whole evermore by very good right is esteemed before the parts Wel thē by Austens sentēce evē General coūcels may be amēded altered therfore they may erre or come to short Which wil the better appeere if we remēber that sometimes one Councel is directly contrary to another as that of Ariminum to the former of Nice that of Franckforde touching Images to the later at Nice those of Constance Basile in the subiecting of the Pope to the Councel to those of Florence and Trent the 2. at Ephesus approving Eutyches to that of Chalcedō which cōdēned him Yea the k Socrat. 2. 16. Coūcel of Sardis against it self whē the Easterne Bishops were for Arrianisme the Westerne against it whervpō they devided thēselves in place as wel as in opiniō It were thē a hard matter in an vnavoidable cōtrariety or rather cōtradictiō to have both sorts of Coūcels allowed the affirmer the denier therfore simply absolutly of thēselues they are not to be held for sufficient cōfirmers of that which we must beleeve It may bee added as another singular exception against Coūcels that most of thē are hādled with such irregularities that it is not only probable that they may swarve but likely that they wil since even the best men to the best Coūcels do come so laden with passions affections humours partialities that they wil not or cannot see the truth One of the most moderate of all the Popish Councels was that of Basile yet what turbulētnes doth l De Concil Basilcens Aeneas Sylvius witnes there to haue bin He therfore in that argumēt is rather to be reade thē that which cōmōly goeth for the Coūcel of Basile as m In Indice falcic rerum expet fugiend Orthuinus Gratius wel observeth for in Aeneas who was present at that meeting and saw and recorded all the manner of it a man may find the order or disorder of it so described that he may imagine himselfe to behold the Fathers there assembled sitting in their Pōtificalibus If we would haue an exāple of this in an olde
sheweth by what sinister meanes such came to bee reputed Fathers who were more fit to bee taken for children 29 Fourthly I name that which is most horrible of all other even a manifest evidence of a desperate cause and that vvhich is rotten at the roote VVherein the impudency and shamelesse fore-head of the vvhore of Babylon and her Peeres can never sufficientlye bee exclaimed vppon albeit heaven and earth and all the creatures therein bee called to vvitnesse For hath this Antichristian broode so longe fledde from the Scriptures to the Fathers and haue they and doe they so crake of these every where and are they nowe forced to raze them and pare them and blurre them else they cannot hould vp their irreligion This is the case of vvhich I desire all my weake and abused country-men to take notice In the Conventicle of Trent there were certaine u Index Expurgar Belgic in Regul CoÌ„cil Tridentini rules made vvhich openlye did pretend the purging and clensing of bookes from hereticall matters but secretly intende more even to raze out what they thinke fitte out of olde or newe as their practise in this behalfe doth testifie vvhich is vvarranted by the covert orders there concluded For this businesse in diverse places of the Papacy vvere secretly appointed some of their owne stampe men conscience-lesse and fitte for any vile acte to revise as well the Fathers as later bookes of all sortes and vvhatsoever made against Popery and could not handsomely bee glosed should vppon the newe printing of the bookes by Printers in Popishe places bee cunningly altered or quite lefte out This must bee done notwithstanding that all the copies even formerly printed by themselves and many written ones in their libraries and as many in ours did plainely shevve the contrarie Yea though marveilous store of copyes vvritten hundreds of yeeres before vvhen as neither Luther nor Hus nor Wiclefe vvere yet borne did concurre in that for which we plead Heere-vppon closely vvas dravvne first u An 1571. one Index Expurgatorius by the vvarrant of Philippe the second King of Spaine and of the Duke of Alva Governour of the Lovve Countryes for him There in the Kinges letters patentes prefixed before the booke charge is given that in every city where booke-sellers dvvell there shoulde bee some Prelates appointed to supervise all noted bookes and that x Diploma Regis Catholici Belgic they should have vvith them privatelye and no other men knovving of it one Index Expurgatorius vvhich they shoulde neither communicate vnto others nor graunt a copy of it to any man but only shall most diligently take care of that that they inquire vppon expunge and restore the places before spoken of According to this were al the new printed bookes proceeded withall by them and our men not knowing the mystery wondred at those things which were left out and altered but could not gesse at the true cause till about fifteene y An 1587 yeeres after Franciscus Iunius by Gods speciall providence light vpon one of them and published it to the vvorlde Sutable to this vvas there by the commaundement of Pope z An. 1572. Pius the 5. a Censure vpon the Glosses of the Canon Lawe closely framed by Frier Thomas Manriq Maister of the holy and Apostolike Palace and the same by the a An 1580 mandate of Pope Gregory the 13. was afterward reviewed by Sixtus Faber also Maister of the same Palace Apostolike and according therevnto were the Glosses of the Canon Lavv printed all thinges being blotted out which made against the Romishe faith This also vvas concealed as the Index Expurgatorius had beene before till that b An 1599 latelye Doctour Iohn Pappus mette vvith it and published it to the view of all vvho vvill reade it I finde also c F. Gregor Capuch in libris Corrig fol 166 mention of a Censure concerning certaine Authours vvhich vvas put out in Spaine in the yeere 1562. but the booke it selfe is not yet come for ought that I knowe to anye of our handes But after that by the meanes of Gaspar Quiroga Cardinall and Archbishoppe of Toledo beeing also cheefe Inquisitour in Spaine d An 1584 Madriti apud Alphons Gomezium RegiuÌ„ Typograph there was printed another Index Librorum Expurgatorum which was not without the advise of the highe Sonate of the holy Generall Inquisition This booke also vvas unknovvne to any Protestant vntill that her late Maiesties forces taking the tovvne of e An. 1596 Calez in Spaine there vvas one of these Indices founde there vvhich beeing brought into England was by a f M. Tho. Iames. man carefull to laye open such fraudes sent to the L. of Plessis into Fraunce vvho keeping the originall in his ovvne Library g An 1601 printed it at Saumure and made it knowne to the bodye of Christendome In the beginning of this edition it is shevved that they thrust out diverse thinges of their ovvne vvriters as out of the vvoorkes of Osorius Ferus a booke called h Edit Venetijs An 1576. Ordo Baptizandi cum modo visitandi Yea out of the Glosse on Epiphanius and from the Tables in the endes of the woorkes of Chrysostome Hilary Hierome Cyril of Alexandria vvhen notvvithstanding the matters to bee put out and razed are either literally or in sence apparantly and not to bee spoken against in the Texte of those Fathers Nay in the Index of the Bibles put out by Robert Stephanus these propositions must bee blotted out as suspect i Ioh 11. 26 Hee vvho beleeveth in CHRIST shall not dye everlastingly k Act. 15. 9. By faith the heartes are purified l Gal. 2. 16 UUee are iustified by faith in Christ Christ is m 1. Con 1 30. our righteousnesse No n Ps 143. 2 man is righteous before God o 1 Cor 7â—… 2. Every man may have his wife wheras yet notwithstanding they are the very worde of GOD as may bee seene in the places quoted 30. Last of all for ought that is yet come to our knowledge there was a treatise p Venetijs An 1597 apud lo Baptistam lo Bernardum Sessam Concerning bookes to bee corrected put out by Fâ—…ter Gregory a Capuchine Neopolitane intituling himselfe Purger of the bookes at Naples This fellow doth frequently make mention of the Censure put out in Spaine Anno 1562. 1584. is much more peremptory then it or any other whom I haue seene I will breefely lay downe some things that I finde in him Speaking then of q Litera F. fol. 153 Frauncis Petrarcha thus he saith Let there bee put out the foure expositions with the texte to wit Dell ' impia Babilonia 〈◊〉 Avara Babilonia Fontana de dolori fiamma del Cielo which matters how neere they touch Rome every one acquainted with Petrarkes works do wel know Mentioning the Bibles of the r Fol. 166. Vulgar edition thus he speaketh Bibles which