of them forty dayes and spake to them of the things appertaining to the Kingdome of God Can any man tell where those things are written which our Savior spake al those forty dayes 9. All is not at all in the Text neither is it true that our Saviour spake All those forty dayes The Text telleth us of what he spake namely of the Kingdome of God And have not g Act. 28. 23. Moses and the Prophets written of this Doe not the Gospels and the Epistles treate of this It was of the Kingdome of God therefore it was not of Popish Traditions Popish Traditions are of meates but the Kingdome of God is not of h Rom. 14. 17. meates It is profitable to know all that our Saviour spake because he never spake in vaine but it is necessary for us to know all It is lesse necessary to know where the things are written which Reply pag. 119. he spake at such and such a time it is enough to know that there is i Cyrill l. 12. â—â— Ioh c. 68. Aug tract 19. in Ioh. Enough written of all Christs words and workes for our salvation And our Lord before his passion told his Disciples that * Ioh. 16. 1â— He had many things to say unto them which then they could not comprehend but should learne them after of the Holy Ghost yet none of them ever wrote what those many things were S. Augustine telleth us that k Omnes inâ—â—plentistimi haeretici and act as sigmentorum suorum colorare occasione ejus sententis Adhuc â—â—lta habeâ— c. Aug. tract 97 in Ioh. All foolish Heretickes use to colour their bold fictions with this saying I have yet many things to say unto you Thus S. Augustine putteth both the Foole and the Hereticke upon the Iesuite l Lenseus l. 3. de verbo Dei non script c. 1. Lenseus whose eyes were as good as the Iesuits professeth that he can see nothing in this Text for unwritten Traditions But we deale with a Iesuite who can see further into a milstone then an other and maketh himselfe wiser then the Apostles understanding what those things were which the Apostles could not comprehend I may better conclude this of him that he never wrote this Reply himselfe because he could not doe it untill he went over seas for helpe then he can conclude of the Apostles that they wrote not all things because they were not able to understand all things untill they went to Ierusalem to receive the promise of the holy Ghost It is more then he is able to proove that the things which Christ and the holy Ghost taught the Apostles were not the same m Ioh. 15. 15. Christ taught them all things which he heard of his Father But at the first they were not so ripe of n Ioh. 20. 9. understanding nor so tenacious of o Ioh. 2. 22. memory as they were afterwards The holy Ghost therefore first opened their understandings not teaching them any new things but p Iansen in Ioh. c. 16. by a new way more fully opening their understanding saith Iansenius They were not taught q Aquin in Ioh c. 16. Altiora sed altiord mode saith Aquinas And afterwards brought r Ioh 14. 26. Those things to their memories which Christ first taught them So that wee say with Cyrill Å¿ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Catech 16. Christ did not teach one thing and the holy Ghost an other thing but the very same things And the t 1 Ioh. 1. 3. 4. same things they might write afterwards although they did not comprehend them at the first And Eusebius relateth of S. Polycarpe * Euseb l 5. c. 20. That he made knowne some words spoken by our Saviour which are not recorded Reply pag. 119 in Scripâ—ure 10. This is a silly shift to argue à verbis ad res from words to Doctrines We dispute of Doctrines but the Iesuite first flyeth unto Things as in the title of this Section appeareth From things againe he flyeth unto words He saith Eusebius saith that * For Eusebius relateth Irenaeus his words Irenaeus saith that Polycarpe said That Christ spake some words not recorded in the Scripture This is a verball argument this is to shrinke quite from the question Is any man so mad as to say that all the words are recorded in Scripture which our Savior spake Or will any wise man inferre that all the doctrines which he taught are not written because all the words which he spake are not recorded Let him be recorded for an asse that argueth so This Irenaeus saith of Polycarpus u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb ibidem Polycarpus spake all things consonant with the Scripture Any truth is not dissonant from the Scriptures as that Malone is a Iesuite but this is not consonant with the Scriptures onely those things are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the same or are spoken of the same things as Thucydides Diodorus Siculus are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee consonant because both have written the same of the same namely of the Peloponnesian warre The things then which Polycarpus spake being consonant with the Scriptures could not be any unwritten Traditions which are plainely dissonant to the Scriptures either crosse the truth or the perfection of them The occasion why Irenaeus alledged the words of Polycarpus was because both he Florinus the heretick against whom he disputed had heard the doctrin which Polycarpus delivered which was consonant with the Scriptures not because the heresie which Florinus held that God created evill natures could not be coÌ„vinced by Scripture * Iust Martyr Apolog. 2â— Iustin Martyr likewise layeth down many unwritten Reply pag. 109. Traditions delivered by our Saviour unto his Disciples when he appeared unto them upon the day of his resurrection These things saith he Christ delivered unto his Disciples And he sheweth what those things were That the Christians must meete together to sanctifie the Lords daye This is a point delivered unto us in the I Act. â—0 7. 1. Cor. 16. â— Scripture That the ministerie of the word must goe before the administration of the Sacrament This is likewise taught us in the y Act. 2. 42. Scriptures That the Communion must be given unto none unlesse that they have beene baptised The same hath sufficient warrant in the z 1. Cor. 12. 13. Scriptures All the rest of which hee writeth are either doctrinall points written or â—iâ—uall points unwritten which belong not to this present Controversie But what say you to the Apostles S. Iohn and S. Paul S. Reply pag. 120 Iohn would not commit all * â— epist verse 1â— To paper and inke And S. Paul gave unwritten commandements to the Corinthians * 1. Cor. 11. 2. praysing them because thâ—y kept such precepts as hee delivered unto them And againe * verse 23. I received
Tradition of the Church and notwithstanding all your corruptions of the writings of the ancient yet there remaineth enough to finde out the deceit of unwritten Traditions Let the Scripture have the first place which Vincentius assigneth unto it that so God the Father of our faith may have the first audience theâ— let the Tradition of the Church come up in the reare to back that which the Scripture teacheth But the Iesuite would have all done by the Church and nothing by the Scripture For our Saviour fore-seeing the presumptuous and rasâ— Reply pag. 160 boldnesse which some would take upon them to interpret the meaning of his written word hath ordained that his Church should be provided of a singular meanes to finde out and to declare the true meaning thereof being alwayes endâ—ed with that supâ—rnaturall gift which our Saviour imparted unto his Disciples when * Luâ— 24. 45. he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures That which our Saviour fore-saw we see in you A presumptuous and â—ash boldnesse in interpreting Scripture Christ saith of himself All power is given unto me in Heaven and on earth This is presumptuously applyed to the Pope S. Iohâ— saith I saw another Angell come from the East which had the seale of the living God This is rashly boldly applyed to S. Francis And yet the Church interpreteth both these places of Christ The Church hath his supernaturall gift but what Church f Tho. Wald. l. 2. doct fid entiq c. 19. Not the African Church as Donatus said nor the Roman Church as the Iesuite meaneth But the Catholick Church of Christ dispersed over the world As Thomas Waldensis saith And where wilt thou finde or how wilt thou know which is this Church The author of the imperfect Worke on Matthew hom 49. answereth The Scripture is the onely way whereby to know which is the true Church of Christ And againe The Lord knowing that in the last dayes there would be such a confusion commandeth Christians to fly onely vnto the Scriptures For if they doe otherwise They shall perish saith he not knowing which is the true Church by that meanes shall fall into the abomination of desolation which shal stand in the holy places of the Church He sheweth that the Scripture must not be interpreted by privat imagination privat fancie or privat spirit Can he charge us with this Interpretation of Scripture is a g 1. Cor. 12. gift of the spirit He that denyeth this is an Heretick The same spirit that inspired them must interpret them This spirit which like the h Ioh. 3. 8. winde bloweth where it listeth may blow on private men Private men having this spirit may discerne the sense and meaning of the Scriptures aswell as the Priest either grant this or else condemne i Act 18. Apollos Aquilâ— and Priscilla who are commended in Scripture for this yea condemne the Homilies of Leâ— the Emperor commended by Gretzer in his edition of those Homilies or else grant this that private men may discerne the sense and meaning of the Scriptures When private men through the helpe of Gods â—pirit doe discerne the sense and meaning of the Scriptures and deliver the sense intended by the Holy Ghost will you call this privat imagination privat fancie privat spirit It is the doctrin of the Devil of Antichrist which possesseth our Adversaries perswadeth them that their doctrine must not be examined nor their Spirit tryed but whatsoever Interpretation their Church that is the Pope giveth of any part of Scripture be the Interpretation never so private never heard of before never so contrary to the exposition of the Fathers yet it must be believed as sure as that S. Iohns Gospell is Scripture And neither S. Iohns Gospell nor any part of Scripture is by them accounted true because it is written but it is accounted true because it so pleaseth the Pope What then he alledgeth out of S. Augustin may fitter be aâ—plyed unto them then unto us * Aug Ep. 222. They are Heretickes not because they contemne not the Scriptures for so S. Augustine is to be read but because they understand them not aright Againe * Aug. tract 18. in Ioh. Good holy Scripture is not rightly understood what is wrongfully understood is audaciously affirmed by them And againe * Aug. cont Faustum This doth not please them because it is written but it must therefore be true Scripture because it pleaseth them If S. Augustine were now alive to â—ee the doctrine practice of the Roman Church he could not more fitly expresse it then he doth in these sayings His third digression is about the translation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wheresoever the Scripture speaketh against certaine Traditions Reply p. 161. of the Iewes partly fcivolous partly repugnant to the Law of God there all the English translations follow the Greek exactly never omitting the word Tradition For example Mat. 15. Contrarywise wheresoever the holy Scripture speaketh in commendation of Traditions there all their Translations agreâ— not to follow the Greek but for Tradition they translate ordinance or instruction as 2. Thes 2. 15. c. any word else rather then Tradition Insomuch that Bezatranslateth it Traditam 2. Thess 2. 15. doctrinam the doctrine delivered putting the singular number for the plurall and adding Doctrine of his owne 3. This is transcribed out of Gregory Martin a learned divine as he stileth him who is censured by one of his own side for an k The treatise of renunciat ignorant divine But all his geese are swans as the proverb is Asinus asinum scabiâ— one good turn requires an other he could doe no lesse then afford him some worthy title who stored him with such a deal of worthy matter He harpeth much upon Allour Translations and yet I know but only of one TranslatioÌ„ the Bishops as they call it which was published by authority untill after the daies of cavilling Martin As that translatioÌ„ doth justifie our doctrin so we are able to justifie that all other our translations in this point from the slanders of this Martin We confesse the fact in those places cited by Martin the Translators have not englished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Traditions D. Fulk who hath discovered Martins discovery to be an heap of senselesse cavillations confesseth the same This I observe to free that learned Dr * yet M. Fulk saith it is found there If he give not us an instance let him give himselfe the lie from this marginal note in which setting aside all good manners the he is given him He hath answered for himselfe in his confutation of Martins discoverie in these words I say there is no law nor statute made against it but the word Tradition may be used by our Translators This is no more then if I should say Papists may be suffred to live as good subjects not
upon the Christians your selves are guilty of these things and yet lay them to our charge This Domineering is in the first cheifest place the Church of Rome challengeth this priâ—acie principalitie above all places The judgement of Heaven and earth namely the Tradition of the Apostles which is contained in the Scripture the doctrine of the Fathers must yâ—eld to her opinion This deformed Church not unlike a toad-stoole all head no body for the r Hervaeâ— de potest Papâ— c. 23. Pope saith Harvie virtually is the whole Church is so swollen up with arrogancy that whatsoever interpretation he giveth of Scripture though it crosse the sense which the Fathers gave yet it must be beleeved if wee will beleeve Å¿ Cusan epist 7. Cusanus And whosoever is absolved by the Pope from Gods Law he is safe enough with God if we will credite t Bodin de Rep. â— 1. c. â— Bodin The touling of Bells the sight of reliques the forgivenes of sins Masses for the dead are some of the rotten wares solde by these soule-marchants Is not this to sell the Inventions of upsâ—arts And from your Charity good Lord deliver us Thus gentle Reader thou hast heard the verdict of the Iurie the senselesse exceptions which the Iesuite hath taken against them all that he can say for himselfe answered and confuted now take upon thee the office of a Iudge consider consult give thy sentence as God shall direct thee SECT VII Of the originall of unwritten Traditions 1. THE contrariety or diversity of any Doctrine froÌ„ the Doctrine of the Apostles is sufficient as a Tertul. pâ—aescript advers haereâ— c. 12. Tertuslian held for the confutation of it We have shewed that the Doctrine of unwritten Traditions doth either crosse the verity of the Scriptures and so they are contra legem or else they crosse the perfâ—ction of them and so are prater legem To find out the original of all Heresies is as difficult a thing as to find out the head of Nilus Hic labor hoc opus est and yet for the more full discoverie of the falshood of this Doctrine unto your Fatherhood the originall of it is thus found out If now is bee demanded in what Popes dayes the contrary Doctrine was brought in among Christians I answere that if S. Peter were ever Pope in his dayes it was that some Seducers first laboured to bring in will worship into the Church against whom S. Paul opposing himselfe Coloss 2. counteth it a sufficient argument to condemne all such inventions that they were the commandements and doctrines of men You tell us a tale of a tub for the Traditions which wee Reply pag. 15â— â—aintâ—ine are not commandements and doctrines of men but delivered unto the Church by the Apostles 2. This is a tale of a tub that you defend no Traditions but such as were delivered by the Apostles unto the Church Will you be content to renounce all your Ecclesiasticall Traditions only to cleave unto Apostolicall Traditions The Scriptures tell tales of your Traditions and we have discovered them to be no better then Aesopes fables or tales of Robin Hood The Apostles words are these * Coloss 2. â— Beware lest any man deceive Reply p. 15â— you by Philosophie according to the Tradition of men according to the elements of this world and not according unto Christ In this place he treateth â—ot of any Traditions which â—e different from the Scriptures but of the observation of the Ceremoniall law which he tearmeth the Tradition of men because it was now expired by the comming of Christ By Philosophiâ— hee doth not meanâ— the Philosophicall Sciences of the Schooles but the doctrine of such as were accounted Sages and wise among the Hebrewes The elâ—ments are not the foure elements but the weake elements of the Iewish Religion He speaketh this saith S. * Hieron Epist ad Algas q. 10. Hiernme against certaine of the Iewes who desired to bring in Iewish Ceremonies And again He swâ—lleth with pride who endeavoureth to bring in Iewish Traditions And thus he presenteth uâ— with a masse of Iewish Traditions Here is a great cry but little wooll much a doe to little pâ—â—pose about Philosophie and the four â— Elements with this Foolosopher The sum of all is this That here the Apostle speaketh of the câ—râ—moniall law I confesse that the Apostle seâ—keth to weane the Colossians from the ceremoniall law and to win them unto Christ In presenting you with a messe of Iewish Traditions we serve you with your owne souce for this messe of Iewish Ceremonies is served up and observed in your Church you have digged Moseâ— out of his grave and a great part of your Religion as a late b Reynolds against Hart. pag. 567. Writer well observeth consisteth in Iewish Ceremonies But this is not the principall thing against which the Apostle disputeth Bellarmine denyeth your exposition saying c Bellar. de verbo Dei l. 4. c. 10. In those places of the new Testament which condemne Traditions they were such Traditionâ— aâ— were contrary to the written word The Apostle hore condâ—mneth Traditions and you say They are not such as were different from the Scripture Bellarmine giveth his reason Because they are never called Traditions of Moses or of the Prophets but Traditions of men you â—ee they are called Traditions of men and yet say they were so called Because the ceremonies were now expired by the comming of Christ Bellarminâ— and this Iesuits doe both cite this place of Hiâ—româ— the one to prove that those Traditions were contrary the other to prove that They differed not from the Scripture And thus the Cardinall and the Iesuâ—te differ in their opinions and agree like Harp and Harrow I approve of Bellarminâ—s reason Traditions of men cannot bee said to bee Traditions of God and though the Ceremoniall law was abolished by the comming of Christ yet it is not therefore to bee called a Traditioâ— of men And if that bee true which the Iesuite * pag. 159. observeth out of our English Translations Thâ—◠〈◊〉 use the word Tradition onely where the Scripture speaketh of certaine Traditions of the Iewes partly frivolous partly repugnant to the Law of God Then the Traditions heere spoken of must needes bee not onely different but also repagâ—â—â—â— to the Law of God for in this place all our Traâ—llations have the word Tradition That the Apostle here speaketh of Traditions different from the Scriptures this doth evidently appeare by the particular Traditions which he condemneth as d Verse 18. 19. worshipping of Angels And touch not tuste not handle not These are Popish Traditions they worship Angels in praying to them and some of them must not touch fine liâ—â—en not tâ—ste flesh not handle money These are Traditions of men not different from the Scriptures And if you had not stinted us to shew In what Popes dayes unwritten Traditions were brought in
among Christians wee could easily have shewed not onely the Grandfathers of this Doctrine to be Heretickes among the Christians but also that the Sâ—ducers among the Iewes were the great grand Fathers of it In a booke of theirs called Pirke Aboth Capitula Patrum we reade thus God gaue by Moses not onely the written Law but also an unwritten Law And e Peres de Tradit eccles part 2. asseâ— 1. Peresius citeth this out of Rabbi Moyses That God gave unto Moyses severall Doctrines by word of mouth besides the written Law which Moyses delivered to Ioshua Ioshua to the 70. Elders the 70. Elders to the Prophets and the Prophets to the chiefe of the Synagogues These Traditions the Apostles condemned as f Iâ—en l. 4. e. 25. Irenâ—uâ— declareth Not the Law of Moyses but the Traditions of the Elders corrupting the Law of Moyses were condemned by them These were condemned by the Prophets g Isaâ— 29. 13. As Doctrines â—f men even then when the Ceremoniall Law was of force And these were received in the dayes of S. Peter not from the Law of Moyses but h 1. Pet. 1. 18 By the Tradition of the Fathers namely those Seducers among the Hebrowes Neither doth S. Hicroâ—â— in that Epistle cite this tâ—xt at all therfore his words are here impertinently alledged Shortly after them started up other Heretickes who taught Answer that * Iren. l. 3. c. 2. the truth could not bee found out of the Scriptures by those to whom Tradition was unknowne for as much as it was not delivered by writing but by word of mouth for which cause S. Paul also should say we speake wisedome among them that be perfect This sticketh so close unto the Iesuite that with all his idle shifts he cannot shake it off â—â— He answereth ex concessis Those Heretickes were so Reply pag. 153 madde as to say that they were wiser then the Apostles themselves c. How then can they have any part with us who adâ—it all Apostolicall Doctrine 3. Are you not likewise tolde that All of them did not breake forth into that open impiety Some of them and not all of them were so madde as to say They were wiser then the Apostles And you may bee stareing though not starke madde Doe you admit all Apostolicall Doctrine Why then doe you not admit the Communion sub utrâ◠specie The inconstant Councell of Constance saw good reason to take away the Cup and to make it a dry Feast although as the i Concil Constan Sess 13. Councell confesseth Christ appointed it and the Primitive Church used it This declareth that you are as badd as the worst and as madde as the maddest Heretickes that ever were How could you doe this to make a new law contrary to the law given by Christ observed by the Apostles and by the Primitive Church if in this point ye did not thinke your selves wiser then the Primitive Church then the Apostles yea then Christ himselfe Cardinall Hosius breaketh forth into this impietie k Hosius Confess Petricoviâ—â—sâ— de Tradit 9â— That the Church which now is hath more revealed unto it then was revealed unto the Apostles And thus The same mysterie of iniquity which wrought in the fore-runners of Antichrist thâ—â— is discovered in his ministers now His second shift is to put the Hereticke upon us You are in the same predicament with those Heretickes in denying unwritten Tradition Whatsoever can be proved to have beene delivered by the Apostles either by writing or by word of mouth we deny it not we willingly receive what soever is truly an Apostolical TraditioÌ„ But 〈…〉 nomine it is you that are in the same predicaâ—â—â—â— for we can evidently prove it and our l Concil Constan ses 13. Bellarm. l. 4. de Sacram. Lucharist c. â—4 Adversaries confesse it that the Church received this written Tradition froÌ„ the Apostles and did likewise observe it to administer the Cup in the Supper of the Lord this Apostolicall Tradition delivered both by writing by word of mouth is litle couÌ„ted of by you and therefore you may take up your standing among those Heretickes and enter your name in Catalogâ— Hareticorum His last shift is this This holy Father Irâ—nâ—us was accustomed Reply pag. 153 to urge the Hereâ—â—ckes with the Tradition of the Apostles which is preserved in the Churches by the succession of Priests And if he were now alive he would as earnestly â—rge you with the same looly Traditions With what weapons Irenaus fought against the Heretickes we have * Sect. 4. Div. 5 already shewed Traditions are either written or unwritten unwritten Traditions were the hereticks plea they spake disgracefully of the scriptures that they were obscure might be diver sly interpreted could not be understood without Traditions and that Traditions were before them the same spirit possesseth our Adversaryes as if those Heretickes by some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were transformed into them Against these Heretickes Irenâ—â—â— fought first by the Scriptures then when they appealed unto Traditions he fought against them by the Tradition of the Apostles preserved in the Churches If Irenâ—us were alive he needed not â—rge iâ— against us wee urge it against you wee are now upon triall by it we say that we follow the Tradition of the Apostles preserved in the Churches that is the succession of true doctrine in the Churches as it is contained in the Scriptures But what is this to Popish Traditions They are not from the Apostles they are not contained in the Scriptures nor preserved in the Churches but onely maintained contrary to the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Churches as they were of old by Hereticks so in latter times by an Antichristian faction They confessed indeed as witnesseth Tertullian * Tertul. de prâ—scripâ— c. 25. that the Apostles Answeâ— were ignorant of nothing and differed not among themselves in their preaching but they say they revealed not all things unto all men some things they delivered openly to all some things secretly and to a few Because that Paul useth this spâ—â—ch unto Timothy O Timothy keepe that which is committed to thy trust And againe That good thing which was committed unto thee keepe I confesse in one thing our Adversaries are not like thâ—se Heretickâ—s they confâ—ssed that the Apostles were ignorant of nothing but our Adversaries hold this That there is more revealed unto the Church which now is then was revealed unto the Apostles as we have heard from Hosius the Cardinall Setting aside that part of the testimonie in all things elfe they are as like those Heretickes as if they had beene spit out of their mouth and therefore lest their agreement should be discovered the Iesuite in his wisedome thought it the best way not to lay downe these words of the Answerer but onely to returne a blind answere unto them It is confessed that Tertullian was a maintainer of unwritten Reply pag.