childishlie doe you cast in an exception of euill men and such like that they are agaynst the lawe of God confounding and huddling in deede The question is altogether of the corruption transgression and sinne which man câ—mitteth and you runne to beasts and to the sinne of deuils where in it is good to note that as you speake not to the question so your speach is not true For euill men as they are the creatures of GOD are not against the Lawe but the euill in men not the deuils but the corruption and euill in them not euill lawes as they commande but y t euil in lawes as it is either commanded or executed You must put a difference betweene the creatures and ordinances of God which are all good as they were created and ordeined and the same as they are nowe by themselues corrupted and made abominable To that you say these things are not properly sinnes for that they are no actions I answere If nothing be sin but that which is an action what Censure will you giue vpon Gods iudgement against Hely for not vsing discipline toward his sonnes What sentence will you pronounce for those watchmen that sound not the trumpet when they see the enemie comming Here is no euill action done but a good action left vndone y t is a sin and hath receiued the punishmeÌ„t of sinne It followeth in the Iesuites definition Sinne is an humane or reasonable action I would not say sinne is an humane or reasonable but a beastly or vnreasonable action of a man indued with reason Yet in the Censurers iudgement if a madde man or a foole kil a man it is properly no sinne but these effects of sinne these great inâ—irmities of folly and madnes shall excuse murder adulteriâ— and other like enormities Lastly you say in the definitioÌ„ of sinne it must be added that it is a voluntarie action done wittingly Al these additions are additions in deede and lay open notable corruptions in your doctrine For whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne be it against thy will or w t thy will bee it an action or no action be it reasonable as you speake or against reason If this part of their definitioÌ„ were true theÌ„ original sin should he no sin because you cannot make it an action done willingly or wittingly Moreouer touching manslaughter done vnwillingly or vnwittingly and to one that is not hated it may be answered that hee that hath so killed a man must flee to the citie of refuge if he be found from the bounds and liberties thereof then the anenger of bloud may kill him Also he cannot depart from the Citie of refuge till the death of the high Priest whose death seemeth herein in some sort to prefigure the forgiuenes of his sinne in the death of Christ the great high Priest Lastly Howlets booke acknowledgeth a sin of ignorance against Christ the wisedome of the Father and hee maketh willing sinne and wittingly committed to come neere the sinne against the holy Ghost Thus betweene your doctrine and his it will fall out that some sinnes are no sinnes and againe that all sinnes are done wittingly and therefore are in some sort against the holy Ghost not easely remitted Which doctrine condemneth all veniall sinne and leaueth no place for indulgences and Pardons for al sinne is wittingly and willingly done sayth the Censure and all such sinnes are against the conscience and therfore damnable saith Howlets author This is the harmonie and consent of your doctrine to mitigate the sorowes of a weake conscience w t many discordes placed in an euil concord As for your example that Iacob sinned not in lying with Lea because he knewe it not it is to make no sinne of a double sinne for Iacob sinned in iudgement not knowing what he did and so sinned as vpon the like ignorance for want of regarde hee might easily haue committed the fowlest incest Also it cannot bee proued that the bed was altogether vndefiled To conclude therefore howsoeuer you alledge Austen to approue your definition it is no way so large as sinne and therefore a most vnlearned definition You prouide for some way to escape by these your last woordes And this is to bee vnderstoode of actual sinne properly betweene properly and vnproperly betweene actuall and not actuall you thinke to finde a defence because the wordes may be diuersly taken But if euery thing repugnant to the lawe of God bee sinne in deede though not actuall the question is graunted and nothing left to you but a warre of woordes against the trueth The contrary doctrine followeth The transgression of the lawe is sinne Howe tauntingly how scornefully doth y â— masker play his part Hee woulde make his reader beleeue I haue made a vowe not to deale plainly in any one thing and that I can not alleadge one litle senteÌ„ce without falsifying I prayse the Lorde it is farre from me to make any such vowe or to haue any such vngodly purpose 〈◊〉 〈…〉 approue my coÌ„science eueÌ„ to my enemies That you may haue a proofe heâ—â—of this very place out of S. Ioh. which you so wâ—der at shal be a witnes being in sense truly fitly aleaged to proue it sin whatsoeuer is against or beside y t law of God For as siâ— is the transgression of the law so again the transgression of the Lawe is sinne these two are conuerted as the â—â—finition and the thing defined and as the termes which are mutually verified one of another To giue you an example whereof we say The Gospeâ— is the power of God to saluation againe The power of God to saluation is the Gospel As for the 〈◊〉 let the same Aposties words be ma 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the fourth chapter where he sayth God is a Spirit yet the woordes lye thus in the Greeke text a Spirit is God wherefore let not a transposition seeme 〈◊〉 to you when you see it bringeth no 〈◊〉 but a true sense â—either accus◠〈…〉 when there is no fraude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of trueth To make some shewâ— of your faâ—â—â— accusation you lay downe a falâ—â— example for a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not termes generally verified one of another being one the generall and conteyning more the other the speciall and hauing lesse If you had brought an example of the like it would haue followed wel without any shewe of fraude For as Euery reasonable creature is a man so againe Euery man is a reasonable creature They that are exercised but a litle in the knowledge of these propositions may easily see your erroâ—r or purposed deceit in the example and your false accusation in the matter But after a false example let vs see a false conclusion you conclude saying So these words as Saint Iohn 〈…〉 eth theÌ„ are most true Euery sinne is iniquitie or transgression of the lawe But as I vtter theâ— you say they are false to witte that euery iniquitie or
A REPLIE to a Censure written against the two answers to a Iesuites seditious Pamphlet By William Charke 1. Reg. 20. 11. Let not him that gurdeth on his armour boast as he that putteth it off ⧠Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie ANNO. DOM. 1581. To the Christian Reader AS there haue risen vp in the Church from time to time false Prophets teachers which oppose them selues to the holye Prophets of God and true teachers of his worde so among the people where such contrarietie of doctrines hath bene deliuered like contrarietie of hearers hath alwayes followed not onely in iudgement but also in their affection For as some through the mercie of God and the sincere preaching of the Gospel haue yeelded obedience to his worde so many caried away with corrupt teachers haue for want of iudgement embraced errour in place of trueth and carnall worshippings in steade of the pure worship of God which euermore consisteth in spirit and trueth Against this so dangerous infection of false teachers the holy Apostle Saint Iohn hath giuen vs a most wholesome counterpoyson willing vs not to beleeue euery spirit but to trie and examin the spirits whether they be of God But to speake of our times this examination and trial may seeme very hard seeing the teachers on both sides are thought learned and al pretend to teach the trueth For it is not denyed but both sides haue had their education in schooles of learning they haue also laboured in the liberall artes to furnish them selues to greater matters wherupō they al bring very good words some shewe of reason seeme to haue no small force of perswasion Howe then shall the simple people iudge howe shal they discerne whose iudgement and discretion should be framed by their teachers and setled by their sownd and plaine doctrine To this I answere S. Iohn in that place maketh the matter more easy then it appeareth at the first shewe For exhorting vs not to beleeue euery spirit he doeth drawe our consideration to the spirit and doctrine of the teachers and not to these outwarde giftes of an eloquent stile or a sweete sownde of pleasing wordes which may be common to good and euil yea wherein the euil for want of a good cause labour to excell and from which the godly absteine for the sufficiencie of their cause without it are also restrayned lest our faith should stande in the wisedome of men and not in the power of God But Saint Iohn to make this his trial of spirits yet more ful plaine addeth that euery spirit which confesseth Christ Iesus to haue come in the fleshe is of God and euery spirit which confesseth otherwise is of Antichrist Now therefore let vs see bowe the Apostle frameth vs to a spirit of discretion to discerne the spirits of true and false teachers If any man shall teach and consesse that Christ was made man and ordeyned of God the Father a Prophet alone to teach a King alone to rule and a Priest alone to sanctifie vs and to reconcile vs to his Father by the obedience of faith this confession and doctrine is of the holy spirit of God and to be receiued what spirit soeuer shall mightily or cunningly perswade the contrary On the other side if any spirit shall teach that Christ is not our only teacher by his holy Gospel but that we must admit vnwritten beleefe and traditions from we know not whom to be of like authoritie with the written worde secondly if any spirit make not Christ alone our King and head to rule vs by his holy spirit but teache that a mortall and sinfull man must sit in our consciences and for hatred or gaine which is his practise bynde or loose at his pleasure lastly if any spirit impeach the alsufficiencie and entier vertue of Christs sacrifice offered vp once for euer teach that themselues must renforce it from day to day by the continuance of their dayly sacrifice of the Masse offered for the quick dead it appeareth manifestly that such spirits are not of God nor their doctrine to be receiued though it be deliuered with neuer so much perswasion of eloquent speach or offered to vs with neuer so much expectation of worldly honour For to denie the most absolute vertue and effects of Christes offices is in effect to denie the authoritie of his person and to lose the benefite of all his graces because they withdrawe a part To this examination of spirits without regard of persons the godly Reader is to be exhorted For the doctrine that giueth al glorie to God is of God the doctrine that attributeth some glory and ascribeth some merites to man is of men the religion also that is agreeable to flesh and blood making an acceptable sounde and shewe to the outward senses is carnall and vayne finally what religion so euer is not ioyned with the knowledge and exercises of the worde of God that is no true religion but a disguised and blinde maske full of deuilish superstition The aduersaries take a contrary course in making triall of their doctrine for they woulde haue this examination of spirits vtterly suppressed and vnder one title of that falsly named Catholique Church of Rome they would bind all men to receiue for vndoubted true religion what corruptions so euer they teach without any further question Which being graunted them the examination of spirits neede not for if Rome affirme it the matter is sufficient and must not be denied Also these enemies of the trueth leaue the touchstone which tryeth al metalles namely the doctrine and for it they drawe the teachers into examination supposing that if they can discredit or disgrace the men they shall easily vndermine and ouerthrowe their doctrine For triall of this long practise there are so many bookes that I neede not alleadge any but this late Censure written as in defence of popish religion but the authour shifting his hands very cunningly of the direct and plaine maintenance of the questions in controuersie doth but offer at them or giue some false fire his leauell and batterie is against their persons and credit that maynteining the trueth cannot but assaile the doctrines and put in hazarde the authoritie of the popish Church Therefore I am in the name of the trueth to craue it of the good Reader to lay aside respect of men the regard of those giftes that may please him much and deceiue him more and if it be his desire not so much to see the fight as to beholde the issue enioy the victory then let him imbrace that doctrine most that attributeth least to the broken arme or blinde iudgement of man that in the Church al the power and wisedome of our saluation may be ascribed to God alone through Christ Iesus our Lorde Amen W. Ch. A Replie to a Censure written against the two answers to a Iesuites seditious Pamphlet IT
is much to be lamented that in the things of this life there is not a cause so good nor a title so iust but when it is brought into question the quarelling partie will readily finde out some forme of pleading against it in the iudgement of y e ignorant or partial hearer seeme to haue a good cause great reason on his side when in deede he hath neither the one nor the other But it is much more to be lamented that in the thinges of a better life namely in the matters of our saluation there is nothing so plaine in the word of God nothing so agreeable with the vse of the primatiue Church but it hath enemies that crie out against the light as if it were darkenesse and against the trueth as if it were falshoode whereby the ignorant are interteyned in their ignorance and the obstinate hardened in their rebellion Yf the trueth be subiect to such iniuries and reproches they that mayntaine the trueth must partake with it also but alwayes with an affiance therein that it is mightie and will preuaile As many also as loue the trueth yet for want of knowlege do as it were stagger in so great contrariâ—rie of opinions they must not haue their faith in respect of persons or be caried about with euery blast of doctrine in the vncerteintie or hazard of men who are exercised in cunning waies and lye in waite to deceiue For this Religion is not true because such learned men teach it or that false because such wise men doe condemne it but whatsoeuer is truely taught and playnely proued by the holy worde of God if thou â—â—care it with feare and reuerence that wil confirme thy iudgement and establish thy heart in a good conscience of the trueth But in handling these controuersiâ—s because an earnest zeale of the trueth doth prouoiâ—â— the godly to a great hatred of error and a blind loue of superstition carie away others to the slaunder of wholesome doctrine let both sides remember that there is one that sâ—eth and iudgeth in these actions whose final sentence shal stand in that great day of the Lord Iesus against al that withhold the trueth in vnrighteousnesse This being well considered will ioyne christian loue with godly-zeale on the one side and somewhat stay the other that they breake not out into a defyaunce of the trueth and into the same open faultes wherewith they so much and so vniustly accuse others For many in great want of arguments recômpense the matter with vnchristian taunts and slaunders and not being able to ouerthrow the trueth are yet alwayes armed with varietie and colout of wordes to charge it as a lye and the defenders thereof as forgers of lyes and as maynteiners of daumable absurdities Notwithstanding as the trueth was not tied when Paul was in bandes so good causes are not confuted though the defenders thereof be neuer so scornefully reproched This may appeare as by many other treatises against our brethren heretofore so by the late Censure of Ed. Campion or some other for him that was more ready before hand to deale somewhat with the answers made to his proud and seditious libel For in a round stile this quareler would cary away the maintenance of an euil cause and vnder the title authoritie of a Censurer ratifie his manifold and vniust accusations that so finally he may sit downe to giue open sentence against the truth But for an answere to those accusations and a repeale of his false sentence I mind to follow him as from line to line where iust occasion is offered that vpon examynation it may appeare howe little force there is against the naked truth of Gods causes in the painted wordes of mans wisedome This Censurer taketh in hand the open defence of y e Iesuites seditious Pamphlet and as a man of authoritie and iudgement to censure my answere to it but as he hath nor perfourmed the one so hee hath greatly missed of the other For the argumeÌ„ts alleged to proue Campions seditious enterprise in euery part of his libel to open the like practises in his fellow Iesuites and other Papistes that imploy all their labours against the Church of God and the good estate of this kingdome they remaine all vnanswered the Censurer did not think it safe to giue his sentence in these matters although he knewe well they were the chiefe things that he should haue answered The matters handled by the waye as of the sect and doctrine of Iesuites of Ed. Campions person of disputation of Christian Frankens treatise against the Iesuites they are the matters that the Censurer hath chosen out to abide his bitter taunts and receiue his vniust sentence Thus this iudge that for the skill and authoritie hee taketh vpon him should haue censured the matter it self hath dealt only with certaine accessaries leauing the principal cause in ful force against the Iesuite But for proofe hereof to come now to the Censure Campion oâ— the like spirit in some other petie champion doth at his entraunce giue an aduertisment to abuse his reader that the Iesuites offer required not so much an answere in writing as shorter triall in disputation In which wordes he would seeme to make it a matter out of doubt that he his confederates can soone confute the religion established and by a short way defende their Popish superstition if they might come to the triall But these few wordes do bewray much vanitie For who is Campion or who are the rest of these seedmen that they should presume so much of themselues as to make so short worke in anowing that popish religioÌ„ that hath nothing to vphold it but tyrannie nothing to defend it but lies nothing to restore it but hypocrisie rebellion Where haue these disputers staied so long time Now they are come what can they get by renewing the battaile so often and so lately refused and auoided by their chiefe fathers auncient captaines Surely if your studied prepared bookes be a sure argument what you can doe in a present disputation then I doubt not if it were graunted but you would therein make a short triaâ—â— of your vaine ch 〈…〉 ge and leaue a sure testimonie of your 〈…〉 tichristian religion This your aduertisement is ioyned with a bolde and malicious accusation not so much against Mâ—st Hamner and mee as against the religion and as many as professe y e same For not hauing a watch before your lippes you affirme it as cleare that there can be had nothing from vs but wordes Mast Hamner hath with his words brought more reason and trueth against you then you wilbe wel able to answeare Whether I bring nothing but wordes or no I leaue it to them that 〈◊〉 measure my answere by their own indifferent iudgemeÌ„t not by y e preiudice of your vnlawfull Censure Whereas you would seeme briefly to gather y e effect of my bookâ— in steade thereof you
written also nowe wee can not take the Apostles wordes as vttered of all because much scripture is now wanting as he doth imagine Should these be your plaine arguments if you could obteine disputation Should this be the shorter waye I know not your name but know I pray you and teach your fellowes to knowe that the scripture hath bene in all ages sufficient for the time wherein it was written of all that which hath by seuerall encreases bene written nothing was at any time superfluous and whatsoeuer hath bene written and not come to our handes nothing for all that is now missing that is necessary vnto saluation He that hath not giuen vs the bookes of Nathan Gad Achia the Shilonite and Iehdo if they wrote any other then partes of the two bookes of Samuel after his death of the first booke of the Kings also he that hath not giuen vs the rest of Salomons Prouerbes to passe by your ouersight concerning the epistle to the Laodiceans already noted therefore gaue them not because he knewe them not necessarie or expedient for the posteritie Iohn proueth this in the conclusion of his Gospell and Christ teacheth that they which had Moses and the Prophets euen then had sufficient without miracles and traditions And you haue no sound opinion of the wisdome and mercie of God if you thinke his maiestie to leaue any age since he chose a peculiar people voide of scripture profitable and sufficient to the saluation of his Church Thus the reader may see that I neither wrest the former place agaynst my selfe neither can you doe it that would so faine In the fifth article the Iesuites are reported to say The want of holy scriptures must be supplied by peecing it out by traditions For the report of this doctrine the Censurer bestoweth more of his vndeserued tauntes If the Censure of Colen hath no such wordes Gotuisus failed in citing their booke but failed not in charging them with their owne doctrine which all Iesuites and Papistes so vpholde as Peters chaire both to mainteine their false doctrines and to vnderset their Antichristiā tyraunie But although you would for the time dissemble the matter traditiōs are not of so smal force as to peece out the want of scripture For except the Presidēt of y e Trent council haue a forge to coyne lies traditions are a liuing Gospel and hee vttereth it as a question that can not be denied This is most true saith Hosius that if traditions be reiected the very Gospell also seemeth to be reiected for what els are traditions then a certaine liuing Gospell In deede traditions make a quicke court at the Vaticane Thus by your doctors opinion it is most true y ◠traditions are made not a supplie to any wants in y ◠Gospel but an other liuing Gospel after a sort to giue life to that which in y ◠true Gospell seemeth to be dead And may not a man w tout a lie call this doctrine vlasphemous My vttering of y e Cōmandemēt in the singular number is without additiō or alteration of sense For Moses in the same Chapter speaking of the same lawe and to the same men doth change the plurall number into the singular The selfe same Lawe also is recited in the singular number in the twelfth chapter of Deuteronomie by Salomon in the thirtieth chapter of his Prouerbes and euermore that which is said to al is also said to euery one and truly taken as vttered to euery one Surely I cannot guesse what you unagined at this change of the Lawgiuers wordes without change of the sense being done by the example of the same Lawgiuer in another place and without any breach of his Lawe and wherupon your vttermost malice could inferre none absurditie in sense none iniurie to the scripture nor aduantage to my cause but a stinging guesse insinuating some cause mouing mee to this change which whether you cōcealed as forbearing me or ashamed on your own behalfe to bewraye the indifferent reader iudgeth Againe what made you adde so haynous a slaunder as if all thinges were lawfull for me and to charge me as blaming the Apostles and Euangelistes for adding the Gospel Take heede you allowe not your selfe such scope in these suggestions manifestly agaynst the trueth and your owne conscience for you knowe what that sentence implieth Blessed is he that condemneth not himselfe in that thing which hee alloweth The Lorde that addeth grace to grace and light to light he also hath added to the lawe the fulnesse and satisfaction thereof in Christ Iesus which is published in his most holy and most perfect Gospell To expounde Moses wordes forbidding to adde or take away from the Lawe as spoken of the things he deliuered by word of mouth and not of the lawe written 〈◊〉 is a doubtfull speaking and may beare a harder conclusion then I will charge you with His cōmandement respected the law eyther pronounced or written by him 〈◊〉 afterwarde to bee preached and written by the holy Prophets and Apostles in the spirite of God I dare appeale to your conscience though it be deliuered from your pen you do not thinke in your heart that I woulde haue no scriptures beleeued besides that which Moses set downe Wherfore your proofe needed not in this matter To conclude it is a great iniquirie to adde traditions or your unwritten ve 〈…〉 to the written worde of God whereunto no man may adde because nothing is wanting from which no man can take because nothing is superfluous but to him that addeth shal the curses written in the booke be added for euer In the sixth place the Iesuites wordes are thus reported The holy Scripture is a nose of waxe At the true report of this blasphemous doctrine you fall into a storme perswading that I haue therein sinned agaynst God and abused the Iesuices with other most bitter woordes as if I tooke the way to ouermatch both learning and trueth But howe wrongfully all these woordes are cast out against me your owne wordes beare witnesse for presently after the sentence of condemnation you repeale it and acquite me of the fault graunting that as a nose of waxe may bee formed what way and to what forme one list so naughtie men may wrest the Scriptures Notwithstanding because you presse the wordes against me let them be examined First to proue that the Iesuites haue them more plainely then you will acknowledge I appeale from your Censure to Andradius playne confession Hee as you knowe defended the Iesuites in these poyntes agaynst Kemnitius which you defende against mee and hath lent you no small furniture for this seruice This Andradius as hauing more learning and in his kinde more true dealing then you in handling this article doth not at all cry out as you doe but acknowledgeth and defendeth the matter without such needelesse scoffes And for the words he confesseth saying The fathers
Take ye Eate ye bynde them What moued you here to cite your Clement Ambrose Cyprian with others I knowe not except it were some meriment to ioyne with your similitude of singing for in good earnest you minde not by those places without matter in them to proue that the wordes of Christ Doe this in remembrance of me were onely saide to the Ministers touching Consecration and not to the people also for their participation In the twelfth Article the Iesuites are reported to say Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God wee must beleeue them though they bee manifestly against the Scripture Here the reporte and the texte vouched to disproue their doctrine are both censured The first for adding we must beleeue them though they be manifestly against the Scripture for reporting the rest so generally and confusedly Touching y â— latter point if my report of your doctrine be in these wordes Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God meaning it of some only for who would thinke it of all you hauing so many and so feeble why doe you charge mee as generally and confusedly saying al traditions are equal with y â— scriptures Was it I pray you to deserue your owne note of a sounde lye for a parting blowe which false mis 〈…〉 you haue doubled to make it the sounder For aunswere to the former poyut I doe not onely auow that I haue faythfully reported my authors wordes which is alwayes my iust defence against your vniust flaunder laying them vpon me but I say further that their practise compared with their wordes will â—ustifie the report as truely layde downe against them For proofe whereof not to goe further the Censurer rehearseth amongest these traditions which the Popish Church charge our faith withall the number of the bookes of Scripture the Lent fast Of al other traditions these two are taken out to stande for their owne credit and for the credit of the rest let vs therefore see what treasons there are against God in these your traditions First the Apocrypha bookes are not in the auncient Canon or language of Canaan the fathers haue disauowed them they are euidently repugnant to the doctrine of the holy scriptures and dis 〈…〉 eeing among them selues Yet your Trent conspirarie doeth adde them to the number of the Canonical bookes and bolde all men accursed that holde them not for canonicall scriptures Therefore this your tradition is manifestly against the word of God Further also what is more manifest against the woorde of God then the doctrine of deuils The Lent fast as you commaunde to keepe it for conscience sake forbidding meates created of God to bee taken with thankesgiuing is plainly called a doctrine of deuils Furthermore your opinion is playnely deliuered to be with this distinction Ecclesiasticall traditions are of no greater authoritie then the writings and other decrees of the Church and Apostles traditions are of no lesse authoritie then if they had bene written by them or then are the other thinges which they wrote This is confusedly taught and needeth yet more plainenesse for not all orders deliuered by the Apostles are to bee kept perpetually and vnchangeably of like authoritie with the doctrine of the Gospell which they preached The Apostolique doctrine is perpetuall subiect to no varietie of persons of times or places but some traditioÌ„s that is some orders are altered as that in the acts where they commaunde to absteine from strangled and from blood for it appeareth that the Apostles commanded not this for a perpetuall order alwayes inuiolably to be obserued but onely for a time to auoids offences which cause ceasing the order or tradition was no longer in force Againe some orders might be set downe by them for comlinesse which yet were not to be beleeued as necessary partes of saluation nor yet to remayne for euer in that forme or kynde and therefore can not be matched with the Apostolique doctrine of fayth which is euer al one and which whosoeuer beleeueth not cannot bee saued Nowe touching your pretensed Apostolicall traditions I vtterly denie that there are any such beside those which are euidently shewed or by iust consequence fitly gathered out of the written worde For what so euer is necessary to saluation is in this sort to be proued by the holy Scriptures Therefore your Censureshippe dyd well to adde If they be certaynly descended from Christ and his Apostles But how can this I pray you be certaynely knowen but by the holy writings can any other custome or testimonie assure your consciences what came vndoubtedly from Christ or what from his Apostles Is there any one of your traditions that you can vouch to descend from so sufficient authors otherwise then by report of insufficient witnesses What is it then for you to boast of inuincible arguments to proue diuers doctrines not written but left by woorde of mouth onely whereas you bryng nothing but counterfeyt Couneils erring Fathers fabulous stories and Apocrypha scriptures This is right the bragging Apostle and a shewe of the vaine chalenger Yf a man coulde be feared with the guilte of your armour or with your plume of feathers you woulde bee a worthie champion wounding more with a vayne feare then with the force of your shrinking arme In this encounter of al your profes you haue sorted out two the first is out of that excellent chapter to the Thessalonians conteining a prophecie and reuelation of Antichrist For an answere to which place it is first to be vnderstoode that the worde Tradition in the Apostles speach commeth as it doth in Latin of a verbe to deliuer so that whatsoeuer y â— Apostle deliuered to the Churches those were the traditions hee lefte with them Therefore I denie that Paule doth in any place by tradition signifie any vnwritten veritie but that as in other places he vnderstandeth the doctrine of the Gospel which in the sundrye partes thereof he deliuered This appeareth apparauntly by the place so cited for your purpose without regarde of any more then the worde Tradition For in the verses nexte before the Apostle maketh mention of the Thessalonians faith to the trueth saying God hath called you thereunto by our Gospell to obteyne the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christ and therupon inferreth this conclusion now therefore brethren stand fast holde the tradition which you haue learned eyther by worde or by our epistle Whereby it plainly appeareth that the traditions or thinges deliuered by him partly by word and partly by writing were the diuers partes of the Gospell which hee had taught them Wherefore the written woorde affordeth you no proofe for vnwritten verities The seconde is of doctrines which you say wee holde not by record of writing but by word of mouth from Christ and his Apostles as for example baptisme of infants celebratioÌ„ of Sunday y â— number of y â— bookes of scripture the fast of