nedefull God woulde haue sent it to the Eunuche to Saule and to Cornelius in the viij ix and x. of thactes but there ye reade that god sent them teachers Philip Anany and Peter and not the scripture whiche hadde been but in vayne as appeareth by the Eunuches sayinge howe shall I vnderstaÌ„de scripture by reading except I be taught Whervpon S. Hierom sayth Ego vt de me loquar nec saÌ„ctior suÌ„ hoc eunucho nec studiosior quâ—cuÌ„ librum teneret c. ignorabat tamen eum queÌ„ in libro nesciens venerabatur O howe manye this daye muche more ignoraÌ„t then Theunuche will take in hande onelye with their English boke to open mysteries bothe to theyr owne destruction and others The xxiij probation Our men wyll nothinge but theyr english booke but the holy man Ireneus which dyd see S Iohans disciple or as some affirme whiche was scholer to S. Iohans disciple named Policarpus doeth testifie that we must folowe the order of the traditions whiche the forefathers dyd leaue vnto them vnto whoÌ„ they committed the cure of Christes people vnto whiche ordinaunces the very heathens sayth he comming to Christes stocke did obey hauing their belefe written by the sprit of God in theyr hartes and not writen with ynke in velom or perchement What shal we say then to theym whiche yet bewaile their Iewish scriptures plucked besyde the postes and walles onlye desyre theyr scripture with inke and paper in the booke As for saluation only wryten in the hart by the holy spirit it should seme they passe not of The .xxiiij. probation The heathen Philosopher would not youth to be the medlers with moral philosophy bycause they were vnapte therunto eyther to be Iudges therof or to take any profyt thereby and he ment not only youthe in yeares but also in maners a childe saieth Esaie of an hundâ—eth yeares old shal dye Esay lxv What then shal we saie shal we admit vnto the haÌ„dling of our heaueÌ„ly philosophy whome the heathen thought vnmete vnworthy to handle theyr lerning whiche was but prophane woulde not the Iewes permitte all ages to the reading of all the bokes in the olde testament and shall we christen men doe it wyll we be worse then the Iewes Yea worse theÌ„ the prophane ethnickes and more out of order O Lord be mercifull vnto vs. The .xxv. probation It was neuer admitted though somtymes permitted in any place of christenedome scripture to continew in the vulgar tongue but only in tyme of scisme or heresy shall it nowe then be suffred to continew any longer in this realme so many mischefes yssewyng therout as haue done daily increasing these many yeares and would do styl more and more The .xxvi. probation When it is in the vulgar tonge the comen sorte play with Gods worde as the deuyll did disputing with Christ brought Gods worde but to a wronge purpose Christ said man lyueth not only by breade but by euery worde that procedeth fourth of Gods mouth The deuill spake Gods worde but it was not fourth of Gods mouth so did the olde Prophete of Bethell speake Gods word iii. Reg. xiii but not out of Gods mouthe Likewise did the CCCC iii. Re. xxii Prophetes whiche deceyued Achab. All sorcerers witches and coÌ„iurers vse gods worde but not oute of Gods mouthe so haue all heretikes in tymes past and doe at this day But when is it Gods worde furthe of Gods mouthe Howe shall we know or proue that Euer when it is spoken according to the consent faythe of the catholike churche For very scripture doeth shewe that the trew vnderstandynge of Goddes worde and that is furth of gods mouth spoken is euer to be soughte in the catholike churche for the catholike church alone hath euer the true sense of scripture whiche is for that cause called of S. Paule the pyller and foundation of all trueth i. Timo. iii. wherein also for this cause God ordeyned some apostles some Euangelistes Ephes iiii some Prophetes and teachers styl to coÌ„tinue lest we shoulde be ouerthroweÌ„ with blastes of errour And therfore Ireneus wttnesseth Iren. li. 3. cap. 3. and longe after him S. Augustine that the trewe meaning of scripture is to be hadde by the triall of the succession of the holye bishoppes and fathers since Peters time in the see of Rome which thinge caused S. Augustine to say I would not beleue the ghospell if thautoritie of the churche caused me not so to doe Aug. in epist fund So that we must beleue that hath been receyued of all men at all times and in all places of christendome and we muste leane to thantiquitie to the generalitie and consent of the fathers and the true sense and meanyng of scripture must euer be proued and tried oute herby How be it to none of this our new men wil agre because it whollye maketh agaynst theÌ„ but thei euer do studie to bring al into question to deny al general councels all ordinaunces decrees canons and expositours vpoÌ„ scripture And much of this disorder thenglish Bible doeth cause wherfore me thinke it maye not well be permitted to continue The xxvij probation Can it be chosen but so long as all people haue the Byble in English at their pleasure there shal euer be some amonge them readie ministers of the deuyl to dispute reason and teache the residue to the vtter destruction of all deuotion and good order And yet amonge them selues they shall saye the cause is they can not be taught truelye of the preachers abrode And hereby heresye shal be sowed plentifullye and Gods worde pitifullye abused vnder a colourable defense therof Thei shal say o the Ghospell ought not to be kept from christen men and that is verye trueth it oughte to bee taught them and preached vnto them but not to teache them selues for wrastynge it amisse The xxviij probation It is the occasion of manye heresies to haue the scripture in the vulgar tongue Howe be it heresie dyd neuer spring furth of scripture but only of the peruerse vnderstandynge of scripture sayeth Hilarius Hilar. lib. ij de triuitate And yet then seing the rude ignoraÌ„t sort be euer prone peruersly to wrast the scriptures we muste thinke that to haue scripture in english is to minister occasioÌ„ to the coÌ„mon sorte to fall into errours· that it so shall doe appeareth by that they be not hable to weye nor beare the mysteries nor to vnderstand the tropes and allegories whiche the greate learned men ofte are scant hable well to digeste howe much lesse the cobler carter or coryer The xxix probation Hilarius vpon In corde meo abscondi eloquia tua Sheweth that the high mysteries oughte not to be publyshed abrode amonge all people It is good saieth he to hyde the kynges priuetie and secret And s Paul saith he was aferd to fede the people with any other but with mylke Math. xiii Christ in the gospell telleth of
were then writen in the hertes of the faythfull but sone after when through synne it begāne to wax colde then was writing for the simples sake to preserue theyr faith and yet that not withstanding the authorite of the church the fundacion of all treuth of as greate strenght as it was before the new testament was all writen For were there not heretikes I pray you which denyed diuerse bokes of scripture as Martion and other wherewith were they subdued euyn with verities not written Marke wel that Moyses saith Origene greatly passed not for the letter writen when he dyd breake the tables nor Christe when he sayd to the Iewes the scripture shal be takē from you spake of the letter whiche they kepe styl but of the sense Wherfore awaye with the englishe damnable translation and lette them lerne the mysteries of god reuerently by hert and lerne to geue as muche credit to that whiche is not expressed as to that which is expressed in scripture Knowing that in .iij. pointes thautoritie of the churche is aboue the aucthoritie of scripture One is in fortifieng verities not writen to be necessary to saluation as plainly appeareth by manye verities in this probation another is for that the church receyued the gospels of Luke and Marke whiche Marke neuer saw Christ and did reiecte the Gospels made by his high Apostels Thomas and Bartilmew as for the gospell of Nicodeme which yet was familiar with Christe I speake not of The thyrde is bycause the church in all doubtfull causes and matters of controuersie must euer be iudge of the trew sense of scripture For she alone hath euer the true sēse of scripture So that by her authoritie onely Ireneus did conuince Valētin Tertulian Mertion Origen Celsum Ciprian Nouatum Nicen councell the Arians Hierom Iouinian and Augustine the Donatistes with many other And no meruell for so muche Christ him selfe made his Churche the Iudge ouer scripture when he sent the Apostels disciples to preache sayeng He that heareth you heareth me And also when he sayd Who so would not heare the Churche should be reputed and taken as an Ethnycke or Publican Seyng then that God thus appointed who wyll refuse to seke the trew vnderstandynge of scripture at that iudge whome Christ appointed hymselfe Surely none but selfe willie heretykes And here nowe to speake a worde or two of the Saboth and of mixtinge water wyth wine in the chalice whereof I should haue spoken before when I recited manye verities not written and firste concernynge the Saboth Albeit the matter of the precept be morall and the daye legal so that it myght be chaunged yet the church would neuer haue done that without speciall ordinaunce of God beinge made iudge in the cause And likewise it is to be sayde of mixtinge water wyth wyne in the chalice The Ghospel speaketh of wine onely tourned into Christes precious bloude who durste then mixte water therewith But the church is so assured of Goddes pleasure therein without any scripture that they dare not only put in water but also dare not leaue it oute And wherby knewe the church these thinges but by Christe and hys holy Apostles whiche taught in their time And so in these thinges and manye other moe went it furth from age to age continuinge in the churche tyll thys daye begonne by Christ in the beginninge withoute mention made in scripture written The .iiij. probation Some desire to haue it in the englyshe tongue only for knowledge and this is but curiositie some only for vain praise this is but vain glory to be sene learned Some only to taunt poore priestes and other therewith and this is but deuelishnes so that for none of these it ought to be in english Nowe where some would desyre it in english only to be edified thereby for this desyre only is to be embrased treuth is they may be sufficiently edified by sermons and holsom doctrine of the scriptures expounded vnto theym by such as haue the key of knoweledge as ofte as they shall well requyre and herewith a godly minde wyl be content knowing that the contrary is against the catholyke church So that euin the good and catholyke people which would doe good and noo hurt with the Bible in english yet may not be permitted to kepe it in the english tōge partly lest the infirme and weake thereby should be offended eyther in misiudging or in taking example yf occasion serue to get the same libertie to theyr destruction and partly that no occasion be geuen therby to obstinate heretikes to murmur that they haue it not in english them selues as wel as thother And this answer I geue vnto theym which seme of a godlye zeale to say scripture ought to be in english for the vse and commoditie of such people as with an earnest zeale and deuoute study doo hunger and thurste the simple and plaine knowlege of Gods worde not for contentious bablyng but for innocent lyuyng not to be curious searchers of the high mysteries but to be faithfull doers of Gods byddyngs not to be troublous talkers of the Bible but sincere folowers of Gods preceptes therin conteyned not to be vnreuerent reasoners in holy scripture for vain settīg out of their painted sheathe but to be hūble and louly workers of Gods glory not to be curious disputers in the Gospell for the mayntenaūce of theyr inordinate lustes and carnall libertye but to be vpryghte walkers in holye conuersation of lyfe in the rule of the gospell prescribed The fyfte probation Hauyng the scripture in englysh they presume to know all the scriptures perfitly and that to theyr condemnation contrary to s Hieroms rule which is this Si non succedat idoneus interpres potius nescire oportet quam cum periculo discere c. Yf there be not one present that is mete to expounde the scriptures it is better not to know the mysteries then with ieoperdie and peryll to searche theim c. The syxte probacion The most parte of the people be euyll but Christe wolde none such should haue the handlyng of his secrettes as appereth by that he willeth precious stones not to be caste amongest swine nor holye breade to dogges Therfore scripture ought not so to be lefte that all without anye discretion or difference may hādle it at their pleasures whiche muste nedes be if it be sette at libertie in the vulgar tongue in euerye churche The seuenth probation The moste part of the people be ignoraunt not hable to discerne betwene the letter and the mystery but none suche be mete iudges in suche high matters yet none wylbe more bolde then blynde bayarde therefore the scripture must be kepte furth of the handling of all suche which cānot be if it cōtinue in English as it doth for all men to dispute of it that wyll The eight probation Is not the scripture ful of figures and tropes Shal it then be so lefte that euery one shal be iudge therof The
inestimable treasur foūd and hid in the fylde that was bought Math. vii and of the precious stones not to be cast before swyne nor the holy vnto dogges c. What doeth all thys but plainelye forbydeth thee Byble in Englishe or the mysteries therof to be set abrode The xxx probation Lyke as GOD appointed tholde lawe to bee written in stone tables or boke so did he appoint as Hieremie witnesseth the new to be writen only in the heart of man Hier. xxxi Why should the writing in bookes then be so highlye regardyd But this carnall this fleshly regardyng by no meanes can be so well extenuate or rather quyte taken awaye as by taking the scripture fourth of the vulgar tonge and fourth of thandling of the lewde ignoraunt The xxxi probation God appointed the Gospell onelye to be writen in the hert of man And therfore the Apostels did fulfyll theyr office concerning this matter in that thei only wrote theyr epistles to the people being absent but euer taught by mouthe theym that were present as appeareth to the Corinthians where Paule saith othere thinges i. Cor. xi when I come and am present I wyl order And S. Iohn sayde Epistle .ii. I had mani thiges to write which I wil not write but tel you and teache you mouth to mouth The same teachinges then and many other haue bene receiued in the Church euin as it were by hande and so continued styll and shall doo tholye ghost teaching frome tyme to tyme as Christe promised if the Bible were ones taken forthe of the ignorauntes iudgementes The xxxij probation i. Timoth. i. Paule writeth to Timothe rebukynge many whiche then woulde presume to be doctours and teachers not mete for that office but how many thousādes be in Englād English teachers now yea rather seducers and only sowers of heresies through the englysh translacion muche worse and more ignoraunt then they of whō Paule then spake The xxxiij probacion Yf it be laufull for all to haue the handeling of scripture then made not tholy ghost a iuste diuision of giftes appointing but som doctours and teachers and thother to be taught Yea and Christ cald in vain the Apostles and theyr successours the salt of th earth the light of the world if euery one that wyll shal haue that office as no doubte they haue had this longe tyme and wyll haue styl if it shoulde continue in English which GOD forbyde The .xxxiiij probacion Gregorius Nazianzen saieth Oportet paulatim infirmis fidelibus ea que perfectiora sunt aperire c. Greg. Nazian concione de spiritu sancto We must by lytle and litle open the secretes of scripture to the infirme christians How can it be suffred thenne to be in englysh for euery one too open it to him selfe The xxxv probation Paule would all to be taught the scripture and therfore he wrote his epistles to al but not all to descant vpon them For then he would not haue saide i. cor xiiii if any be thought to be a prophet let him know what I write vnto you c. The .xxxvii. probacion Moises did committe the boke only to the pristes not to the people Deut. xxxi And the priest was euer made iudge in hard causes of the scripture Deut. xvii But our men wil be iudges them selues where lerned they that euen of the deuil the autour of arrogancy God said in Deut. he that will not obey in this to the preiste Deut. xvii shall suffer death But what obedyence woulde the englishe readers geue to the preist yea to the highest Priest of all in earth vnder Christ The xxxvij probation S. Basil biddeth be circumspect that ye blabbe not out the holy mysteries nor suffer them to be defiled with prophane eyes but ye shall rather bee afrayed to handle them yea ye shall reuerence the hydde mysteries of God with spirituall and not corporall beholdynges and kepe them not touched nor to be handled of the rude ignoraunt and common people What can be more playne then this againste the Byble in the vulgar tongue The xxxviij probation O howe manye scrupules and doubtes haue spronge in manye mens heades whiche neither they nor their fathers euer imagined before through the scripture in Englishe How many alterations scismes and deuisions amonge the simple haue rysen yea betwene man and wyfe maister and seruant How manye women heretikes haue taken vpon them thoffice of teachinge hereby in these yeres paste Women heretikes and all contrarye to Paules doctrine The xxxix probation Amonge other one of the greatest inconueniences that hath these wretched yeres sprōg by hauing the Byble in english is this that many yea very manye God best knoweth haue presumptuouslye taken vpon them beinge yet moste vnmete thervnto thoffice of doctours and teachers in corners and conuenticles beinge not sent but arrogantly and presumptuouslye saying God did send them and they woulde seke for none other sending howe be it they did not marke the plague of Osias kyng of Iuda for vsurping thoffice of the priest whervnto he was not called They did not marke howe Christ being very man did chose the xij Math. x Luc. x. Apostles and lxxij disciples and sent thē furth where ye see bothe the outwarde chosynge and outwarde sendyng Actes i. Mathias was outwardlye by men chosen to succede Iudas and so were the seuen deacons outwardlye called Actes vi and thactes the xv it hathe pleased tholye ghost and vs c. Beholde here bothe the inward and outward sending And the holye ghost sayde Actes xiii seperate me Paule and Barnabas they put theyr handes on them and sente them furthe Here ye see outwarde sendynge Yea and Paule sayeth Rom x. howe shall they preache except they be sent Nowe yf we shoulde take onely inwarde sendinge without the outwarde then the Churche coulde neuer bee certayne who were sent and who were not Agayne Christ appoynted certayne Apostles doctours and teachers c. Whiche order saith Paule Ephes iiii shall continue in the church for euer But thē it must nedes be that the churche shal stil appoynt them as they did then c. Moreouer he that shall be called to the office of a priest or byshop must haue a good report of them whiche are without i. Timo. iii. Marke here the outwarde sending And S. Augustine sayth ▪ if because Thappostles were taught of god Aug. in prolo li. de doct Chri. none own ought to bee outwardelye called or taughte then sayeth he lette none reade the gospel nor none heare sermons Paule had tholye ghost and yet he went not to preache tyl Ananias had layde his handes vpon him Actes ix ▪ He was sent sayth he to man to receiue the sacramentes and to be ioyned to the church Neuertheles all might be done and wrought onely inwardlye by thangell or spirite of God but then shoulde neuer be any certayntie