the one halfe of the Sabboth in as wanton and lasciuious dancing as euer was vsed by any The ancient Christians would not celebrate the solemne daies of the Emperour with bone-fires publike dancings and drinkings And were defended by Tertullian for that their refusall because they would celebrate those daies rather by conscience then by wantonnes because that were to expresse a publike ioy by a publike shame And those things which were not seemely on other daies were not seemely on the Emperours solemne daies Chrysostome would not suffer the people to set vp the image of the Empresse with publicke dancings and stage-playes Neither would he tollerate any pyping and dancings at weddings The councell of Laodicia forbad dancing at weddings and enioyned Cleargie men to depart from meetings where it was vsed Yet our people iudge it an honest and lawfull keeping of the Lords Sabboth to pype and dance all the afternoone And who are greater maintainers of this impietie then our recusants and new communicants Their purses are euer open for the â—yring of the pyper their children and seruants alwaies ready to dance after him and themselues seldome fayle to be spectators By this meanes they keepe the people from the Church and so continue them in their popery and ignorance Though we often preach against this abuse though we let them knowe that the best learned in the Romish Church haue condemned it as a tricke of wantonnes as a prouocation to lust as a breach of the seuenth commandement and an exercise vnfit for the Sabboth yet sturdo canimus They will not forbeare it because they are not restrained by authoritie Augustine witnesseth that the Bishops of his time were accustomed to suppresse such vaine and filthie dancings As your Lor doth treade in their steps by painefull preaching so if you would imitate them by reforming this great disorder you might greatly further the fruit of our ministery The papists of our time and countrey doe esteeme so little of the authoritie of the Canonicall scriptures and ascribe so much to humane writings that though we proue our doctrine by most pregnant places of scripture yet they will not beleeue it vnles they be assured that the old Fathers and their owne late writers haue taught the same Therein dissenting from the ancient Fathers who would try and iudge of mens words and writings by the Canonicall scriptures but would not iudge of the doctrine of the scriptures by humane writings I haue therefore added vnto the sermons a Post-script to papists to let them vnderstand that what we preach in the pulpit against them is not onely warranted by the diuine scriptures but is also witnessed by the fathers and some of their owne Church And therefore if they condemne vs as heretikes for teaching such doctrine we may say to them as Augustine said to Iulian the Pelagian condemning him for teaching the same doctrine touching originall sinne which other Father 's taught Who seeth not that openly you condeme vs and secretly you condemne them yet haue you the same iudgement both of them and vs. These sermons together with the Postscript I now offer vnto your Lordship not as if the matter of them were worthy your reading but rather that they being approued by your iudgement and protected by your authoritie may better escape the spitefull censures of enuious and superstitious persons As also that I might thereby testifie my thankefulnes to your Lordship who not onely from time to time haue much countenanced and greatly furthered my poore ministerie in these backeward partes but also of late considering my long labours and small meanes of maintenance did procure the continuance of that Pension which was graunted vnto me by the royall gift of two famous Princes when as some vpon stinister pretences and by indirect meanes went about to abridge me of a great part thereof Thus presuming of a pardon for this my boldnes I humbly commit your Lordship to the mercifull protection of Almightie God who long continue your health and happie estate and make you a blessed instrument of much good vnto his church Your Lordships in all dutie to be commanded WILLIAM HARRISON THE DIFFERENCE OF HEARERS Or an exposition of the parable of the Sower Luk. 8. vers 11. 12. 11. The parable is this The seede is the word of God 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare afterward commeth the diuell and taketh the word out of their hearts least they should beleeue and be saued c. CHrist Iesus our blessed Sauiour did no sooner begin to preach the Gospell but had many hearers With such authoritie did he teach such excellent and profitable doctrine did he deliuer such admirable miracles did he worke to confirme his doctrine and such great fame of him was spread abroad that all people were willing and desirous to heare his sermons yea all manner of persons out of all coastes and quarters of the land flocked vnto him in great multitudes Wherevpon he not onely taking a view of their number but also duly considering their disposition how al of them came not with same intent and purpose how all of them were not alike qualified for profitable hearing and how all of them should not receiue the same benefit by hearing of him he propounded a parable of a sower of corne to declare the diuersitie of hearers who be vnprofitable who be profitable hearers Lest any should imagine that by any kind of hearing they might be saued he lets them vnderstand that there be bad hearers as well as good And because many of them were husbandmen who liued by tilling and sowing of land and all of them were well acquainted with matters of that nature for their better capacitie he fetched his similitude from husbandry This parable is first propounded then expounded propounded in the 5. 6. 7. 8. verses of this chapter whereof I forbeare to speake because the doctrines thereof may be better considered in the exposition It pleased Christ for the instruction of his disciples and for the edification of his Church in future ages to expound this parable And it is the first parable which wee find penned with his exposition The occasion of the exposition is set downe in the two verses immediately going before namely a question moued by the Apostles what should be the meaning of it And a reason rendred by Christ why he would explane it to them and not to others because it was giuen to them to knowe the mysteries of the kingdome of God but not to others Now in the verses following is conteyned the matter of the exposition which is double the former respects the seede the later respects the ground The seede saith Christ is the word of God The ground was of foure kinds and signifieth 4. sorts of hearers 1. The first kind of ground was the high way What hearers are signified thereby is declared here vers 12. and more may be supplied out of
hee and the rest of the Apostles preached and therefore he saith If wee or an Angell preach otherwise then that which wee haue preached And what worde hee preached I haue proued before not any traditions but the written word If it be true which Irenaeus and Nicephorus doe write that what the Apostles preached at first was afterward by the will of God set downe in the scriptures it must be acknowledged that they preached no traditions seeing we can finde no traditions penned by thē in their Epistles And though they had bene traditious when they were preached yet they ceased to be traditions when once they were written by them Againe the Fathers restraine the words of the Apostle to the scriptures as if he were accursed that would preach any thing not cōtained in them Augustine is most plaine therein Whether concerning Christ or concerning his Church or any other thing that pertaineth to our faith or life I will not say if wee for we are not to be compared to him who saide if wee but euen as he going forward added If an Angell from heauen shall preach vnto you besides that which ye haue receiued in the scriptures of the lawe and the Gospell let him be accursed Basill likewise teacheth that hearers who be skilfull in the scriptures ought to examine those things which bee deliuered of their teachers And to receiue those things which be agreeable to the scriptures and to reiect those that be not And produceth this testimonie of the Apostle to proue it which had bene an impertinent proofe if the Apostle had spoken as well of a word not written as of a word written The Cardinall mentioneth both these testimonies and would auoyd them by saying that they doe not of purpose expound this place but doe proue by this place that it is not lawfull to auouch any thing contrary to the scriptures Yet cānot he deny but that they doe alleadge this place of the Apostle And I hope he will not say but that they doe deliuer the true sense of it and doe alleadge it according to the true meaning of the Apostle Doth the Cardinall thinke that such learned fathers would giue one sense of it when purposely they expound it and another sense when they alleadged it to prooue a point which they haue in hād This were to wrest the scripture to make it serue their present turne I hope he will not so iudge of such reuerend men And to say that they onely proue thence that it is not lawful to auouch any thing contrary to scripture is to alter and inuert their words Doth not Augustine say praeterquam quod accepistis besides that which you haue receiued but of that afterward And if by that place they proue that nothing must be taught contrary to the scriptures then must they not hold with the Cardinall that the Apostle speaketh of each word as well written as not written but onely of the written word And so the Cardinall maketh them to confute him Chrysostome purposely expounding the place saith Paul preferreth the scriptures before angels comming from heauē As also that Paul doth not say if they preach contrary things or if they subuert the whole Gospell but if they preach but euen a little beside the Gespell which ye haue receiued let them be accursed Thomas Aquinas their Angelicall Doctor professedly expoūding that place doth write that nothing is to be preached but that which is conteyned in the Gospells and in the Epistles and in the holy scripture implicitely or expresly Will they say that their Traditions are conteyned in the scriptures either expresly or by way of implication or consequent thenare they not vnwritten verities as they tearme them A second answere of the Cardinall is this that the Apostle by Praeter vnderstood Contra. And therefore did not forbid new doctrines and precepts which were besides those that were deliuered but onely doctrines and precepts contrarie to the former Yet will not this serue his turne For in matters of faith and religion proeter and contra are both alike Whatsoeuer is taught as necessarie to saluation if it be besides the scripture must be condemned as well as that which is contrarie to the Scriptures The reason is because the Scriptures conteyne all thinges which Ministers are to teach as necessary to saluation And therefore Paul told Timothie that they were able to make him wise vnto saluation And were profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse Two of which respect mens mindes what they are to know and beleeeue as the trueth and what they are to reiect as errors Two of them respect their maners what sinnes they are to auoyde what duties they are to performe Is there any things needfull to bee taught the people but these things And because the Cardinall answereth that the Scriptures are profitable for all these things but not sufficient Consider the wordes of the Apostle following where hee declareth the end of this profitablenes namely that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect to all good works By the man of God he meaneth the Minister of the Gospell That tytle had he in his former Epistle giuen vnto Timothie And Lyra saith the man of God was one ordeyned to the diuine office such a one as Timothie was If then the Scripture being profitable for those foure vses will thereby make a Minister of the Gospell absolute and perfect for each good worke belonging vnto him he is not to teach any things ouer and besides the Scripture Theophylact thus writeth on the former place Hee doth not inferre if they onely preach contrary things but if they preach that which is beside that which we haue preached that is if they shall adde any thing that is but a very little more they are subiect to the curse And indeed it may seeme strange that the Papists are so earnest to haue vnwrittē traditions as wel preached as written truthes seeing the things written are more cettaine more excellent and necessary and require a long time to bee all taught and learned They are more certaine because all men are more certainely assured that the Scriptures the doctrines conteyned in them bee the word of God then that vnwritten traditions be his worde Bellarmine confesseth that nothing is better knowne nothing more certaine then the sacred Scriptures which bee conteyned in the writings of the Prophets Apostles that he must needes be most foolish who denyeth that they are to be beleeued And produceth 5. inuincible and infallible proofes that they are the very word of God Whē he commeth to speake of traditions he alleadgeth no such proofes but onely goeth about to prooue by 4. places of Scripture which haue bene long agoe answered that there are some traditions though neyther he nor any of his fellowes can tell what they are nor can make a perfit Catalogue of them so vncertain are
thistles Experience may verifie this Looke into those places and Parishes where the worde is neuer taught or to those persons who will not heare though they might and you shall find nothing among them but Atheisme Popery and prophanenesse Yet in those places where it is taught and heard wee may finde the frutes of holinesse and righteousnesse If not among all yet among many The consideration whereof should mooue the Ministers of the Gospell to bee instant in season and out of season as Paul exhorteth them The lesse they preach the lesse shall they profite the people The more seede they cast into the furrowes of the peoples hearts the greater plenty of fruit may they expect We should follow Salomons aduise who sayth In the morning sow thy seede and in the euening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or whether both shall bee alike good What shall wee answere to the Lord our Maister and owner of the fielde if through our negligence in sowing his fielde of the Church yeelde him not such store of fruit as otherwise it might haue done And you people should likewise apply this to your selues and learne from hence to heare often If you contemne the word will not suffer your hearts to bee sowne with the seede of it you shall bring forth no good fruit but remaine as a barren Heath Doe you not remember what the Apostle saith That the ground which beareth thornes and bryars is reprooued and is neere vnto cursing whose ende is to bee burned Fearefull is their case who are such ground yet no better can they bee who refuse to heare As you are content to haue your fieldes sowne yeerely that so you may reape a croppe at Haruest So must you bee content to haue your hearts cōtinually sowne with this heauenlie seede that so you may be fruitfull in all grace and godlines though your fields be sowne but once a yeare yet must your hearts be sowne continually because you should yeeld and beare fruit continually As we are content to bestowe our paines in sowing this seede continually though it be as toylesome a labour as you finde in your seede-time so be ye willing and readie to receiue this seede into the furrowes of your hearts continually that so you may from time to time abound in fruit for Gods glory and your owne comfort But whose word is it that is this spirituall seede It is not the word of Angell or of man but the word of God This seede did Christ sowe and none else And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me As my Father hath taught me so I speake This seede did the Apostles sow none else For when Christ sent them abroad he bad them teach all Nations to obserue all things which he had commanded them All those thinges must be taught yet nothing else And lest they should forget what those things were hee promised to send the Holy Ghost who should bring all thinges to their remembrance which he had told them who should lead them into all trueth Because as hee sayd hee shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake And so carefull were the Apostles to sow this seede onely as they did confidently protest that they receiued of the Lord that which they deliuered to their hearers And if they or an Angell from heauen or any man preach otherwise then they had receiued let him be accursed And no other seed must we sow if we will make the people fruitfull Christ and his Ministers sow none but good seede in his field If bad seede as Tares or Cockle be sowne it is done by the enuious man the Diuell and his instruments As there be doctrines of God so there bee doctrines of Diuels namely errors and heresies those be as tares among wheate and doe greatly hinder the fruitfulnesse of the good seede There be also doctrines of men as the inuentions of their owne heads vnwritten verities Decrees of Popes Canons of Counsels traditions of the Church which wanting the warrant of Gods word are but as chaffe to the wheate and beeing taught in the Church will yeeld no more fruit then chaffe that is sowne in a field Vnder the Lawe God woulde not permit the Iewes to sow the same field with mingled seede And shall we thinke that now vnder the Gospell he will permitte vs to teach for doctrines mens traditions to mingle trueth with error and his diuine Oracles with humane inuentions Wee therefore that bee sowers must see that our seed be good As the Husband-man against seed-time will not onely prouide good seede but will also winnow it fanne it and try it that so he may neither sow chaffe nor light corne nor darnell but pure graine which is like to fructifie So wee before wee come to the Pulpit must try and examine our doctrine that it bee sound and that we deliuer nothing but that which will edifie the hearers And because Non omnis fert omnia tellus Each grounde will not beare each kinde of graine Wee must like wise and carefull Husband-men sow that seed which is fittest for our ground and deliuer such doctrines as are most fitting for the capacitie and present condition of the Auditorie that will yeeld the best encrease And you Christian people as you must take heede how you heare so also take heede what you heare It is the word of God not the word of the Diuell It is the word of Christ not the word of Antichrist that must make you fruitfull As you haue great care that your ground be sowne with sound and cleane seede so be carefull that your soules bee instructed with sound and wholsome doctrine Beleeue not euerie spirit but try the spirits whether they bee of God Despise not Prophesying but try all things and hold that which is good With the Noble-men of Berea search the Scriptures daylie whether those thinges bee so which are taught you What you finde contrary thereto that reiect as tares what is not warranted thereby blowe away as chaffe what is proued thereby that receiue as good seede into the furrowes of your heartes I know the Popish Seminaries will not suffer you to trye their seede you must trust them and take it vpon theyr word but we allowe and require you to trye ours If two men offer you Seede to sowe your ground and the one bid you trye it and view it well the other tell you of it but keeps it in his sacke you must not viewe it whether dealing would you like better whether seede would you receiue If theyr seede were good if they taught Gods worde they would not refuse tryall Vers. 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare IN the former verse you haue heard the exposition of the seede Now see the exposition of the ground
so shall you be able to keepe them for euer Wherefore be carefull to vse these meanes What is the cause why people heare much and keepe little but are like to bottomlesse barrels which let water runne out as fast as it is powred in That of all the Sermons which they haue heard in their whole life time they haue scarce the abridgement of one left in their heartes or heades for their direction and consolation But euen because they haue neglected these meanes Vse them hereafter and you shall finde how well they will make you able to keepe that which you heare And bring forth fruite The third and last propertie in these hearers is this They bring forth fruite And this is another speciall difference betwixt them and all the rest For the rest eyther bring forth no fruite at all as the first sorte or but for a time as the second or imperfect fruite and in some things onely as the third But these bring foorth not for a while but continually not in some things onely but in all and that type and perfect Fruite If good seede bee sowne in good ground it vsually bringeth foorth fruite for the vse of them which owe it and sowe it So if some Doctrine bee preached and people heare it with good heartes it will bring foorth fruite in theyr liues These fruites are brought forth not by profession but by practise and doe consist not so much in wordes as in deedes And therefore Paule prayed that the Philippians might be filled with the fruites of Righteousnes And that the Colossians might please God in all things being fruitful in all good works And he saith of the Romanes That they being freed from sinne and made seruaants vnto GOD had theyr fruite in Holynesse So that this fruite cannot be vnderstood of the reward which the saints receiue in heauen but of the obedience which they performe on Earth for that is a fruite which they receyue this is a fruite which they bring forth That they receiue from God this they yeeld vnto God that is a fruit of glory this is a fruit of grace See then the disposition of these good hearers They doe not onely heare the word with their eares and vnderstand it with their mindes and keep it in their hearts but they doe also practise it in their liues This is the chiefest end of all the rest Therefore doe they heare it and learne it and keep it in their hearts that they may order their liues by it and practise it when occasion is offered Happy are all those which thus heare For as Iames saith Who so looketh into the perfect law of liberâ—ie and continueth therein hee not being a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke shal be blessed in his deede If therefore you would haue your hearing to be acceptable to God and comfortable to your owne soules let it end in obedieÌ„ce Ground that is sowne with good seede though it shoot forth a broad and rancke blade will not content the owner vnlesse it bring forth a good croppe No more can you please the Lord by hearing vnderstanding and professing the word vnlesse therewithall you bring forth fruite of obedience in your liues All the knowledge and learning that men can possibly haue in any Arte or Science is nothing worth without practise And can you thinke that your knowledge in matters of Religion will profite you any whitte without practise And indeede wee learne no more then wee practise As that Pambo acknowledged who hearing the first Verse of the 39. Psalme I said I will take heede to my wayes least I offend with my tongue confessed that he had not learned it in many yeeres because he had not in many yeres attained to the right practise of it We should be carefull to bring forth these fruits both in respect of God and also in respect of our selues First in respect of God because they serue for his glorie Therefore say de CHRIST to his Disciples Herein is my Fathet glorified that yee beare much fruite And therefore Paul prayed that the Philippians might be filled with the fruites of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ vnto the glorie and prayse of God Those which glorie in the Lawe and breake it doe dishonour God but they which heare it and obey it do honour him If then you haue any zeale of Gods glorie bring foorth those fruites Againe in respect of our selues because we shall receiue the reward of theÌ„ Those that haue theyr fruite in holines shall haue their end in eternall life The works of darknes are vnfruitfull works they bring no good to the authors but the workes of Righteousnes are fruitefull and procure a great rewarde to the doers The fruits of grace are the seedes of the fruites of glorie He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape eternall life Let vs therefore as the Apostle exhorteth vs not be wearie of well dooing for in due season wee shall reape if we fainte not Let vs be stedfast and vnmooueable aboundant alway in the worke of the Lorde For as much as wee knowe that our labour is not in vayne in the Lorde Yea let vs bee fruitefull in all good dutyes as well in those that abridge vs of our fleshlie delights and worldly gaine as in other seeing the losse and want of those here shal be recompenced with greater pleasures and profites in the Kingdome of Heauen But take heede least you be deceyued in iudging amisse of these Fruites For some haue erred in taking those to bee good Fruites which are none and those to be none which are 1. These fruites come of the seede and bee of the same kinde and nature with the seede As nothing is good seede but the Worde of God so nothing is to bee taken for good Fruite but the practise and obedience of the Worde And therefore the actes of Will-worship the Obseruations of vnwritten Traditions and the practise of mens precepts are not the fruites heere spoken of The Lord may say to them that bring foorth such fruite Who required these thinges at your handes These things as the Apostle saith may haue a shewe of wisedome in voluntary Religion and humblenesse of minde and in not sparing the Bodye nor hauing it in estimation to satisfie the flesh yet they perish with the vse they are after the commandements doctrines of men and therefore cannot please the Lord. God requires that you who haue beene taught the word should bring forth the fruites of it and not the fruites of humane traditions If a man sow his field with corne and it bring forth more grasse then corne it will not content him the grasse would haue growne there though it neuer had beene sowne with corne In like sort if you be taught the word of God and be more carefull to obserue mans traditions theÌ„ Gods truth you shall not please the Lord therby but rather
which was sowed by the sower and is able to make the receiuer fruitfull in all good workes and heire of saluation in heauen To that which I deliuered in the sermons I will adde more for your satisfaction to proue them not to be Gods word nor to be taught by the preachers of the Gospell 1. Christ himselfe when he was vpon the earth was a Sower and a principall sower when he preached the word as is acknowledged by all writers in the parable Look then what word he preached that onely was the true word of God there called Seede and no other what hee taught not that was not the word of God For he called his Disciples friends because he had made known to them all things which he heard from his Father Now it is most euident that Christ neuer taught any Traditions of the church nor decrees of coūcels he often codemned the decrees of the Elders and the traditions of the Pharisies And tolde them that in vaine they worshipped God who taught for doctrines mens precepts But himselfe neuer taught any such He receiued his doctrine immediately frō his Father And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent mee The things that I heard of him those speake I to the world As my Father hath taught mee so I speake these things Will they say that Doctrine receiued immediately from God and presently taught to people is at the first teaching of it a tradition Then all the visions of the Prophets and all the reuelations of Saint Iohn were traditions They holde onely those to be traditions which being not written are conueyed from one man to an other Againe though Christ receiued his doctrine from his Father euen as the Apostles did from him yet was it no other then that was caught and written in the Bookes of the olde Testament eyther by Types or Precepts or Prophecies or Promises And therefore he bad the Iewes Search the Scriptures because they testified of him And tolde them that Meses accused them For had they belieued Moses they would haue belieued him But if they belieued not Moses writings they could not belieue his words His Sermons were expositions of the Lawe and the Prophets Hee 11 tooke Texts to expound Hee alleadged Testimonies out of the Olde Testament to prooue his Doctrine And that both in his publicke Sermones and in his priuate conferences Whereas he preached pardon of sinne to all that belieued in him Peter tolde Cornelius and his companie To him giue all the Prophets witnes that through his Name all that belieue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Augustine said perēptorily there was in the olde Testament so great preaching and fore-shewing of the New Testament that nothing are found in the Euangelicall and Apostolicall discipline which be wanting in these olde Bookes Yea he found so great consent of doctrine betwixt the two Testaments that he affirmed that in the Old the New was hid and in the Newe the Old was reuealed Let the Papists name any one doctrine taught by Christ which they take for a tradition and I will vndertake to proue it out of the old Testament Moreouer what Christ taught the Apostles afterward did write thogh not euery word yet the summe and substance of all Luke did perfectly search out all things from the beginning to write therof from point to point And said he made the treatise of his gospell of all that Iesus began to doe and teach vntill the day that he was taken vp Expositors hold that the Euangelists wrote all his wordes and deedes which he thoght worthy and fitte for the office of his dispensation Augustine saide whatsoeuer Christ would haue vs to read of his deeds and sayings he commanded them to write And althogh any one of the Euangelists did not of himselfe make a perfect narration of all Christs doctrines and deede Yet all of them together haue don it For they who wrote last tooke a viewe of those things which the former had written by direction of the spirit added such things as they had omitted It is testified by most Authors that when Iohn percceyued how other Euangelists wrote onely the things of one yeare euen the yeare after Iohns imprisonment hee approued those and in his Gospell added the things done and taught in the former yeares And because some Heretickes denyed the God-head of CHRIST he considering that other Euangelistes did at large describe his Humanitie but spake little of his God-head did in his Gospell write such thinges as proued him to be GOD. And added those Sermons which the rest had omitted And therevppon Sixtus Senensis saide against the Alogan Heretickes That from them all ioyned together there ariseth a most Consonant and most perfect Hystorie of our saluation It is then to be examined whether the Euangelistes haue written that Christ taught any traditions receyued from men If they write no such matter it is certaine that hee taught none at all Let our Aduersaries runne thorough the whole Newe-Testament and they shall not bee able to finde any one of theyr Traditions recorded by the Euangelistes as a doctrine taught by Christ. Seeing then Christ taught no traditions why should wee presume to teach any must wee not receiue from him the matter of our Doctrine and imitate him in the manner of teaching Saide not Ambrose well that wee doe iustly condemne all newe things which Christ hath not taught because Christ is the way to Belieuers If therefore Christ haue not taught that which wee teach euen we doe iudge it to be detestable 2. Againe the Apostle Paul was a painefull Sower and did sowe all the worde of God And therefore could protest to his hearers that hee had kept nothing backe from them but had shewed them all the counsell of God Now what word taught he Did hee teach traditions and mans ordinances Did he not teach only writtē truths Did he not proue his doctrine by the scriptures Did he not in his apologie before Festus auouch that hee taught none other things then those which the Prophetes and Moses did say should come And how could the Bereans haue examined his doctrine by the Scriptures if hee had deliuered anie thing not taught in the Scriptures Yea Saint Paul was so farre from preaching any other Doctrine then that which was written that hee denounced him to be accursed whether hee were man or Angell that should teach otherwise I knowe Bellarmine would elude that place by two seuerall answeres yet all in vaine First he saith that the Apostle speaketh not onely of the word written but of euery word whether it be written or it be by tradition But besides that hee beggeth the question he hath the wordes of the Text and the testimonies of the Fathers and of some Popish writers against him For the Apostle speaketh of that worde which