holy scripture therfore the booke of the lawe of Moses was perfect and sufficient for the instruction of that people And what sayeth our Sauiour Christ vnto the Saduces which receiued no parte of the olde Testament but only the fiue bookes of Moses Doeth hée not say they erred because they knowe not the Scriptures and power of God And what Scripture but the scripture of those fiue bookes out of which hée doeth so pithily and effectually prooue the article of the resurrection of the dead that hée stopped the mouthes of those obstinate and arrogant heretikes And who doubteth but euen as that one article of the resurrection was by our Sauiour Christ so substantially prooued so all other articles of Christian beliefe by that diuine wisedome of his might as necessarily bée concluded out of those fiue bookes of Moses This alwayes is to bée remembred that it was neither necessarie nor conuenient for the Church of those times vnto which these bookes alone were committed to vnderstand or know these articles of our beléefe so plainly so distinctly so largely as they were after reuealed by the Prophets especially by the scriptures of the new Testament But that al necessary points of saluatioÌ„ euery thing there to belonging was sufficiently perfectly set foorth in those scriptures which the wisdom of God thought to be conuenient for their instruction So y e they shoulde not depend vpoÌ„ the vncertain credit of meÌ„ but alwaies haue the touchstone of Gods word contained in his holy writing inspired by his spirit to trye examine all doctrines teachers thereby But now y e wée haue shewed that the holie scripture is a sufficient most pleÌ„tifull testimony of the word of God let vs sée what other witnes of Gods word the Papists woulde thrust vpon vs. The word of God say they beside y â— which is contained in the scriptures is continued also partly by tradition partly is reuealed by the sentence and oracle of the church of the chiefe shepheard therof which is the Pope all which is of equall authoritie and certaintie with that which is contained in the holie scriptures And first concerning tradition the scripture it selfe doth testifie that it is to be receiued whether it be by writing or vnwritten For so the Apostle coÌ„maundeth the Thessalonians saying Hold fast the traditioÌ„s which you haue learned whether it be by word of mouth or by our Epistle So say they the scripture it self commandeth vnwritten verities traditions beside the scripture to be holden fast and not to bée despised therefore the scripture alone is not sufficient to teache vs the worde of truth but we must also leane vnto vnwritten traditions There is no Papist almost that openeth his mouth or setteth his pen to paper to defend tradition but this is the principall bulwarke to maintain vnwritten verities receiued by tradition A sore place I promise you Out of which if you will gather rightly you must thus coÌ„clude Saint Paul had taught the Thessalonians partly by preaching and partly by writing and taught the truth in both necessary to be reteined therfore the holy scripture doth not contain al doctine néedful vnto saluation Or thus S. Paule in one or two Epistles had not comprehended all necessarie truth therefore all necessary truth is not comprehended in all the bookes of the scripture For hée speaketh not of traditions that were no where written but not written in his Epistle Signifying whatsoeuer hée did deliuer vnto them either by worde of mouth or by his Epistle was the truth of GOD whiche they were bounde to beléeue and yet hée deliuered nothing for any doctrine of saluation vnto them but that whiche hée confirmed by the scriptures of the olde Testament as it is manifest by y e which S. Luke reporteth of their neighbours the Berthaeans which dayly searched the scriptures if those thinges which Saint Paul taught were eueÌ„ so Wherfore this place doth nothing fauour vnwritten traditions y t are altogether beside the holie scripture but only such as are not contained in the first second Epistle to y e Thessalonians but were preached by S. Paul and tried by the scriptures The strongest bulwarke being thus rased made euen with the ground what force can there bée in their other féeble fortresses why do you so exclaime against tradition vnwritten veritie striue so much for your Castle of only scripture say they know you not that the Churche of God continued more then two thousand yeares without any worde of the Bible written how was the word of God then continued but by vnwritten traditioÌ„ There is not therfore such necessitie of the scriptures seeing y e church could so long continue the pillar stay of truth without theÌ„ but y e nowe hauing the scriptures for witnesse of some parte of Gods word shée may coÌ„tinue the rest y â— is necessary for the instruction of Gods people by tradition only w t out the scriptures Heere is a godly shew for traditioÌ„ but indéed nothing els but a vain shew w tout any pithe of matter yea containing manifest vntruth false matter For the word of God was not so long coÌ„tinued only by traditioÌ„ of men but by a much more certain testimony of truth namely by diuine reuelatioÌ„ from god which was renued in euery age y t the word of God might not stand vpon the bare credite of men or be left to the vnsure deceiueable deliuery of men from hand to hand but be euermore confirmed by heauenly oracle that y e Church might be certaine not to be carried away by vntrue reports of deceueable men but to depend alwaies vpon the mouth of god For in al that time the lord had a regard that his people should not be like children wauering carried about with the wind of euery doctrine by the deceit of men and by their craftinesse which haue a methode of errour as the Apostle saith of the church of Christ since his ascention therfore hée did in all generations beside the tradition and deliuerie of the doctrine of truth from the parentes to their children posteritie sâ—â—rre vp Prophets Preachers coÌ„firmed by extraordinary wonderful reuelatioÌ„s and gifts of his holy spirite which testified of that truth word of God that was continued by tradition y t it should neither bée doubted of among so many errors as Satan raysed vp nor be corrupted either by the subtletie of the deuil or by the infirmitie forgetfulnes of men Wherefore the tradition being thus coÌ„tinued coÌ„firmed was not a bare traditioÌ„ deliuery of meÌ„ such as the Papists would draw vs vnto from the holie scriptures but a most certaine and vndoubted testimony of Gods word his truth such as he in wisdome did sée to be most coÌ„uenient for his church in that season Beside this heauenly diuine reuelation which alwaies waighted vpon Gods word in those times continued by tradition
The very tradition it self was farre vnlike to the pretended tradition of the Papists For the Lord God who in that time would haue his holy word to be preserued from generation to generation by tradition without writing committed the same to faithfull witnesses whose liues he enlarged vnto so many yeares as we read of in the holic scriptures not only for propagation of their kinde but also and especially that they might continue the doctrine of his word which he had deliuered vnto them vnto many generations to a long posteritie after them For this cause Adam liued 930. yeares Seth 912. yeares Methusalach 969. Noach 950. yeares So that Adam which first receiued the doctrine of GOD both of the lawe the Gospell and also the external forme of worshipping god by sacrifice which hée taught his sonnes insomuch that Abell by fayth offered an acceptable sacrifice vnto God which coulde not bée without hearing of the worde of God as the holie Ghost witnesseth continued a faithfull witnesse and teacher of the same doctrine vnto many thousandes of his posteritie by the space of 930. yeares beside his godly sonne Seth and other of his after commers And whereas by the wicked generation of Cain the true inuocation of God was prophaned in the dayes of his Nephew Enoch which vngodly broode dayly increased in wickednes corrupting many euen of the posteritie of Seth. The Lorde stirred vp an extraordinarie Prophet Enoch to confirme the true doctrine taught by Adam Seth Enoch and other of his godly posteritie and tooke him our of the worlde miraculously both to confirme the faithfull in the hope of the resurrection and to confound the reprobate that despised his holy correction and discipline Now let vs consider the certaintie of this tradition Noach was 600. yeare olde before the Lord God sent the floode to destroye those impudent contemners So that of his father Lamech and of his granfather Methushalech which might sée and heare The first of the worlde Adam which Seth Enoch and all the godly Patriarkes that were before him did receiue the doctrine of Gods worde as it was deliuered by God himselfe vnto them without any addition or corruption Besides that Noach which receiued the tradition but from the second mouth of them which receiued it from the mouth of God is againe confirmed with diuine reuelation with whom and his posteritie the couenant of God is againe renewed so that it appeareth howe for the space of a thousande and sixe hundred yéeres the worde of God and doctrine of saluation was continued in the church by tradition without any danger or doubt of corruption from Adam to Noach Nowe let vs sée howe this tradition was maintained after the flood vntill the time of Moses which was the first writer of the Canonicall Scripture First it is certaine by the computation of the age of Sem the sonne of Noach who was one of them that were preserued in the Ark and with whom the couenant was renewed that hée liued vnto the time of Abraham yée vntill Isaac was 50. yéere olde more for hée liued 502. yéeres after the flood So that all this time there continued a faithfull and credible witnesse of the worde of God and historie of the world restored of whoÌ„ the people might learne the certaintie of the doctrine without any perill or doubt of corruption But when the Lorde called Abraham and seuered him and his posteritie for his peculiar people and chosen congregation and that the age of man was nowe contracted and drawne vnto a much shorter time of life that the certeintie of his heaueÌ„ly truth should not be committed to vncertaine tradition of many generations hée renewed his couenaunt with Abraham Isaac and Iacob and euery one of them and confirmed the same to their children in euery age by diuine reuelation vntill it was his pleasure to record the same in the most certaine Tables of the holy Scriptures For from the death of Ioseph one of the twelue Patriarkes which liued after the comming of Iacob in to Egypt thréescore ten yéeres there passed but thréescore yéeres vntill y e birth of Moses Leui an other of the xii Patriarks liued 23. yeres after Ioseph whose daughter Iacobed was mother vnto Moses And Moses long time before hee brought the people out of Egypt receiued diuine reuelation as S. Steeuen testifieth so that hee thought his brethren shoulde haue acknowledged that God had appointed him to bee there deliuered by killing the Egyptian that oppressed them So that the certaintie of this tradition appeareth from the beginning of the worlde vnto the wriâ—ing of the holy Scriptures to haue béen confirmed in euery age by reuelation from god and by witnesses aboue all exception such as receiued the Oracles and confirmatiof them from God him selfe whose life was prolonged into such number of yéeres that the Church might neuer lacke a prophet inspired of God of whom they might hée instructed in truth of Gods worde So that the Lorde did neuer permit his worde to bare tradition of men suche as the Papistes affirme the tradition of the Apostles to haue béene whiche shoulde haue deliuered the doctrine to their successors without writing and they to their successours and so from age to age without any assurance of the fidelitie of al their successours through an hundred handes before it come vnto vs. By whiche vncertaintie of the Tradition a wyde gate is opened vnto Satan to bring in any falshood strange error to father it vpon the tradition of the Apostles As it is manifest he did in y e heresie of the ValeÌ„tiniaÌ„s Maniches Montanistes such other monstrous heresies who had none other refuge to couer y e noueltie of there strange opinions but a secret tradition beside the Scriptures according to which the Valentinians iumpe with the Papists as Irenaeus testifieth they affirmed the Scriptures were to bée interpreted not otherwise But when Irenaeus not content to confute them by Scriptures seeketh to ouerthrom them also by tradition what certaintie of truth findeth he in the traditioÌ„ of the apostles as it was receiued in his time And a man woulde thinke hée being so néere the time of the Apostles so that hee had séene them which had heard the Apostles shoulde haue had a much greater certaintie and assurance of their traditions then we can haue in these times after so many heresies corruptions alterations persecutions contentions which take away alcertaintie from such vnwritten traditioÌ„s Yet eueÌ„ this godly father Irenaeus whiles hee striueth to beare downe the Heretikes not only by scriptures but also by tradition in which they gloried was deceiued by a false and counterfet tradition contrary to the Scriptures by which it was affirmed that our sauiour Christ liued more then fortie yéeres in the fleshe And yet to iustifie this tradition hée alleadgeth for witnesses all the elders of Asia which had conuersation with S. Iohn the Disciple of our Lorde who
the Pope Concerning the Church the Apostle seemeth to giue a cléere testimonie that the answere thereof is an infallible Oracle of Gods worde when he saith It is y e piller and stay of truth whereof it may bée inferred that the Church alone whiche as the holy Scriptures is sufficient to vpholde and stay the truth that it should neuer faile nor decay in the worlde Much rather when it hath the assistance of the Scriptures in some part is the Church able to maintaine an other part of truth without the Scriptures After this maner the Papistes reason out of this text to prooue that all truth is not conteined in the holy Scriptures But this is a very féeble kinde of reasoning For graunting that the Church is y e piller and the stay of truth as it is in déede it followeth not thereof that it vpholdeth any truth which is not comprehended in the holy Scriptures But contrariwise séeing it hath béen plētifully prooued that all true doctrine is taught in the holy Scriptures euen to the perfection of the man of God it followeth that the Church is the piller and stay of that true doctrine which is taught in the Scriptures and not of any truth beside the Scriptures For when all truth is taught in the scriptures it followeth that whatsoeuer is not taught in the Scriptures is not truth But if this be y e proper note of y e Church to bee the piller of truth say they it is prooued thereby that the Churche cannot erre so that if it set foorth any thinge beside the Scriptures the same muste needes bée true I answere this Sophistrie is already confuted for it it bée graunted that the Church cannot erre as in matters necessary to saluation the whole Churche of God cannot erre to continue therein it is because the Church cannot depart from the doctrine contained in the Scriptures which are able to make a man wise vnto saluation But admit it were graunted that the Churche cannot erre at all what shoulde that auaile the Papistes verily nothing but to prooue that they are not the Churche For if this be a proper inseparable note of the Churche that it cannot erre what companie soeuer doth erre is not the Churche But the Papistes whose doctrine containeth so grosse contradiction of the worde of GOD doe shamefully and abhominably erre from the truth therefore the Popishe faction is not the Church which is the piller and stay of truth Thou shalt make no images for religion saith the worde of God Thou shalt make some images for religion saith the Popish Churche Thou shalt not fall downe to them nor worship them saith Gods commaundement Thou shalt fall downe and worship them saith the popish Sinagogue Thou shalt worship the Lorde thy God him only shalt thou serue saith our Sauiour Christ. When hée was tempted to fall downe and worship the Diuell not as GOD but as Gods Minister to whom the kingdomes of the worlde were committed to dispose The Pope saith thou shalt worship and serue other beside the Lorde thy God so thou worship them not and so thou serue them not as Gods I might runne ouer a whole hundreth of contradictions which the papistes doe holde and teach contrary to the worde of truth written in the Scriptures by which it is more then manifest that they holde and teache damnable errours therefore they are not the Churche of the liuing God which is the piller and stay of truth at the least wise in matters necessary to eternall saluation But let vs sée whether the Apostle by these wordes intended to priuiledge the Churche of God from all possibilitie of erring in any matter albeit the Church should departe from the certaine direction of the holye Scriptures in any thing Firste it muste bee remembred that Saint Paule in the Chapter 1. Timothie 3. describeth the persons and offices of Christian Bishoppes and Deacons which doone he addeth immediatly These thinges doe I write vnto thée hoping to come vnto thee shortly but if I tarry long that thou mayst knowe howe it behoueth thée to bée conuersant in the house of God whiche is the Churche of the liuing God the piller and stay of truth In which wordes wée haue to note first that the Apostle hath written briefly that which hée purposed if they met shortly more at large to set foorth and confirme Secondly that if he were disapointed so that hée coulde not come shortly that Timothie might haue a sufficient direction howe to behaue himselfe for ordering of the Church of god in appointing the ministers of the same By which it is manifest that this which hée speaketh of the piller and stay of the truth is meant in respect of the Pastors and Teachers of the Churche by whom the truth of heauenly doctrine is vpholden and continued in the worlde which without their ministery woulde vtterly fall to the grounde and decay For euen as hée writeth to the Romans séeing faith commeth by hearing of Gods word of them that are sent of faith commeth inuocation and from thence saluatiō if none be sent there can be no preaching no hearing no faith no innocation no saluation So the Church of the liuing God in respect of the faithfull Ministers of the same which teach the truth to the saluation of Gods people in which respect they are said to saue themselues and them that heare them is rightly called the piller and stay of truth which Ministery if it be taken away the truth also is taken away Euen as the remoouing of the Candlesticke in the reuelation signifieth the ouerthrowe of the Church of Ephesus vnto whom it is threatned if they doe not repent The Candlesticke which signifieth the Church vpholdeth the light of the gospell by the continual preaching of the Ministers thereof so is it a piller and stay of the truth so long as preaching of the Gospell is continued which if it cease then followeth darknes blindnes ignorance errour and destruction This is the true and plaine meaning of the Apostle where hée saith The church is the piller and stay of truth Not that it is vnpossible for the church to erre at any time or in any matter or that the determination of y e church without the scripture is a sufficient testimony of Gods worde or of the truth in any cause as the Papists maintaine For Paule instructeth Timothy by writing howe hée ought to behaue him selfe in the Church of God which is the piller stay of truth although hée should haue no further conference with him in the matter These thinges doe I write vnto thée saith he y t thou maist know so forth whereas if in calling the church the piller of truth hée had meant that the church without the scripture was able to haue instructed him hée would haue said If any thing want in my writing thou maist aske the determination of the church which is the piller and stay of truth But S Paul saith that
of Paganes and Infidels as we sée by manifest Analogie and proportion that the Sacrament of baptisme hath vnto the Sacrament of Circumcision which was the Sacrament of regeneration vnto the Iewes as baptisme is vnto vs and was commaunded to bée ministred vnto infants therefore the Sacrament of baptisme is likewise commaunded vnot infants Also by Analogie which the Lords Supper hath vnto the Pascall lambe wée doe plainely perceiue that it ought not to bée ministred vnto infants For in the institution of the Sacrament of Passeouer the Parents were commaunded to teache their children the right vse thereof beside that many things were to bée doone in the celebration of it as it was first instituted which coulde not bée doone of infants as to eate in standing with staues in their handes yea the meate it selfe which was rosted flesh with sowre or bitter hearbes and vnleauened bread colde not bée eaten of young infants therefore neither the Lordes Supper which is succéeded in the place of the Passeouer ought to bee ministred to infants It was therefore an errour in Innocentius and the Church of y t time to thinke it lawefull for infants to communicate although they had not thought it necessary as I haue plainely prooued that they thought both and therfore erred in both points But this you will say was no damnable heresie I will therefore leaue Innocentius and come to Pope Honorius which was condemned in the sixt generall Councell holden at Constantinople for defending the heresie of the Monochelites which affirmed that our Sauiour Christ had but one will as God which was all one in effect as if they had denied him to consist of two natures for if hée had an humane nature hée must also haue an humane will though alwayes subiect to his diuine will as is prooued plainely by many places of the scriptures This heresie did pope Honorius hold while hée liued as was prooued by his owne writings vnto Sergius Bishop of Constantinople so that both the Popes of both the Romes for Cōstātinople was called new Rome were at once infected with that horrible heresie and therefore they were condemned by that councell and accursed The like censure is thundred against him in the second of Nice What can you nowe say why the Pope shoulde not bée burned for an Heretike Peraduenture you will say those Councels were not confirmed by the Pope yes verily the one by Leo the seconde the other by Pope Adrian the first yet saith one you cannot prooue that any Pope although hee erred himself went about to seduce other or to chaunge the auncient Catholike faith which was alwayes helde in the Churche of Rome yes that I can And that by suche a witnesse as you may not refuse For I will bring foorth no lesse witnesse then Pope Leo the second himselfe which in his Synodall Epistle by which hée confirmeth the decrées of the sixt Councell of Constantinople as you may reade in the 18. actiō of that Councell hath these wordes Pariterque anathematizamus noui erroris inuentores Nec non Honorium qui hanc Apostolicam sedem non Apostolicae tradn ionis doctrina lustrauit sed prophana proditioone immaculatam fidem subuertere conatus est Likewise saith hée wée doe accurse the inuentors of the newe errour and so nameth a number of heretikes and also Honorius which did not lighten this Apostolike Churche with the doctrine of Apostolike tradition but went aboute to subuert the immaculat faith by prophane Treason Beholde the Pope condemneth and accurseth the Pope for an heretike and yet men are not ashamed to affirme in these dayes that the Pope cannot erre The Pope condemneth the Pope for labouring to subuert the fayth of the Churche with hereticall treason and yet the Papistes nowe a dayes for a miserable shift say that the Pope although hée might himselfe bée deceiued yet cannot attempt any alteratiō in the faith of the Church Well to be briefe I will omit Pope Vigillius which was priuily an Eurichian as Liberatus chargeth him by an Epistle that hee write to the heretikes at the instinct of the Empresse which fauoured them hée was also condemned and accursed by Pope Syluerius I will come to the councell of Constance at which time there were no lesse then thrée Popes at once Iohn the 23. of some called 24. Gregory the 12. and Benner the 13. All which by authoritie of the Councell being deposed a Decrée or Canon was made declaring that the generall councell was aboue the Pope that the Pope may erre but y t the generall Councell cannot erre In this councell Pope Iohn among other horrible crimes was conuicted condemned for an heretike of y ◠sect of the Saduces because he denied the resurrection of the dead and immortalitie of y e soule as it is to be séene in the 11. Session of y e Councell This decrée and condemnation of the Pope and Popes was then counted Catholike But what saith the Popish Catholikes of our time There wanted the approbation of the Pope No forsooth for Iohn the 23. the person condemned who of the Councell of Constance was taken for the right Pope because the other were deposed before in a counsell holden at Pise by all the Cardinalles although they would not yéeld vnto it nor leaue their papacy Pope Iohn I say in the next Session acknowledged that the Councel of Constance was a most holie Councell affirming that it could not erre But least this approbation might be thought to be extorted by feare because hée was imprisoned or of hope that hee might be restored and confirmed in his papacy there wanteth not a more authenticall approbation of Pope Martine the fifte who in the ende of the Counsell and before the dissolution therof solemnely approoued all thinges decréed in that Councell Conciliariter that is in the forme of a Councell and in his Bull charged all persons suspected of heresie to be examined vpon this interogatory whether they did acknowledge that the generall Councell coulde not erre whether they did acknowledge the Councel of Cōstance to be such a Councell as coulde not erre which Councell decreed that the Pope was inferiour to the Councell and condemned the Pope for errour Thus the Pope him selfe confesseth that the Pope may erre and the Councell confirmed by the Pope decreeth the same And not one Councell only But the generall Councell of Basill made euen the same Cannon and decrée of the Councels superioritie aboue the Pope Then belyke it will be cleare that although the Pope bée not alwayes a certaine witnesse of truth yet the general Councell can not erre No surely wée are neuer the neare of certaintie of truth in the generall Councels determination For at the same time that the Councell of Basill was held in Germany the Councell of Ferraria and Florentia was held in Italy that was of the cleane contrarie iudgement concerning the Popes superioritie to that of Basill and Constance But it will be obiected
A Sermon Preached vpon Sunday beeing the twelfth of March Anno. 1581. within the Tower of London In the hearing of such obstinate Papistes as then were prisoners there By William Fulke Doctor in Diuinitie and M. of Penbroke Hall in Cambridge Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson for George Bishop 1581. A Sermon preached by M. D. Fulke THe place of Scripture which I haue chosen to speake of at this time and vpon the present occasion is written in the 17. Chapiter of the Gospel after Saint Iohn and the 17. verse of the same being part of the wordes of our Sauiour Christ vnto his heauenly Father in that most vehement and heauenly prayer which hee maketh for his disciples and his whole Church a litle before his Passion Iohn 17. Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy word is the trueth AFter that our Sauiour Christ had accomplished his office of preaching and sealed the doctrine of his redemption by institution of his holie Supper finally as it were taking his leaue of teaching his Apostles had instructed them of pacient bearing of his Crosse by setting foorth such comforts whereunto they should leane and by promising the comming of his spirite lifted them vp to a better hope then the present miseries did portende discoursing of the glorie and Maiestie of his kingdom wherof they should be partakers as is conteined at the full in the thrée Chapiters going immediately before The Euangelist declareth in the beginning of this seuenth Chapiter howe hée conuerteth himselfe to prayer that this his most heauenly doctrine might be made effectuall first in the heartes of his Apostles which then were his hearers and afterwarde in all true members of his Churche which by their Ministerie shoulde bée gathered in his name Wherfore among other requestes that hée maketh for his Disciples in this prayer this is one especially that his father would sāctifie them in his truth which is his holie worde the only outwarde witnesse of his will which is as much in effect as that it woulde please his Maiestie of his infinite goodnesse and for his sake who sanctified him selfe for them to be a sacrifice propitiatorie to dedicate them vnto his father to consecrate or hallowe them by his holie spirite vnto him selfe as his chosen and peculiar possession according to that most holy trueth which hée hath reuealed in his worde and doctrine of saluation conteined in the Gospell of his sonne that béeing truely vnited vnto him hée may be glorified in them and they made by him partakers if eternall felicitie Sanctifie them O Father saith hée in thy truth thy worde is the trueth There are two speciall reasons why our Sauiour Christ commendeth his Disciples vnto the holie and sanctifying protection of God his heauenly Father the one conteined in the verse going immediately before the other in the verse that followeth immediatly the one being the great daunger they stood in the other the great and high office also that they were called vnto Concerning the former he said they are not of the world euen am I am not of the worlde In that they were not of the worlde it could not be auoided but that they should be hated of the world as he said also in expresse wordes They therefore that shoulde be hated of all the worlde had néede to bée mightily protected They that had so many enemies must needes haue a strong defender and where should they haue any rest that had all the worlde against them but in God who is greater then the worlde And therefore in consideration of that great perill they were in which must remain in the world although they were not of the worlde although they were hated and persecuted of the worlde our Sauiour Christ committeth them in this prayer to his fathers holie tuition Forasmuch as they are not of the worlde but inheritours of heauen Sanctifie them in thy trueth Againe cōsidering how waightie a charge is laide vpon them as hée sheweth in the nexte verse As thou hast sent mée into the world so haue I sent them into the world hée desireth his Father to make them able to execute that charge saying Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy worde is the truth As though hée should say Knowing that they are men in whom naturally dwelleth the spirit of errour and not of trueth and yet such men as I haue chosen to testifie vnto the worlde the same trueth which thou O heauenly Father hast sent vnto them by mée I confesse they are not able of them selues to know the trueth to speake the trueth to loue the trueth for that mueterate corruption that beareth the sway in all the children of Adam therfore I beséech thee holy Father to sanctifie them in thy trueth euen in thy holy word which is the witnesse and expresse declaration of thy reuealed trueth that by thy sanctification they may be renued in the inner man to will and loue those things which thou commaundest by thy trueth they may be deliuered from errour blindnesse and ignoraunce in which they are holden Captiues and by thy holy worde they may be instructed from time to time that no forgetfulnesse of thy truth do take them but hauing recourse alwayes vnto it as to a light shining in a darke place they may be méete to accomplish the work of so high a calling And this is generally the summe and effect of the wordes of our Sauiour Christ in this his praier Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy word is the trueth But that I may speake of them more particularly I will diuide my Treatise vpon this text into two parts In the former I wil set foorth the request of our Sauiour Christ vttered in these wordes Sanctifie them in thy trueth in the other the exposition whiche hée maketh of the trueth when hée saieth Thy word is the trueth Concerning the request which hée maketh for their sanctification wée haue to cōsider first that it is neither lawfull nor possible for any man to haue any accesse vnto God to stand before his presence to looke for any benefit at his hands without true holinesse For the Lorde béeing holie abhorreth all that is prophane polluted and defiled testifiyng both by Moses and by the Apostle Peter that if wée will approch or come neare vntoo him wée must be sanctified wée must be holie be you holie or sanctified saieth the Lorde for I am holie According to him which hath called you which is holie be you holie saieth the Apostle To shewe that sanctification is necessary the Lorde ordeined all the sanctifying rites of the lawe by which the Tabernacle the Altar the Priestes the sacrifices and all the people were first sanctified and made holie before they coulde be accepted of him to be the Lordes Tabernacle his Altar his Priestes his sacrifice his people Yea this light of God shined euen in the darknesse of naturall vnderstanding so that without reuelation from heauen the Gentiles acknowledged that no man coulde come neare
is not thereby prooued that it is sufficient for our learning No sir but mark the end of this learning that wée may heare by the scripture this that we may haue hope And know you not that hope maketh not ashamed That by hope we are saued Séeing then wee may haue sufficient learning by the scripture to haue hope by hope wée may haue saluatiō is it not manifest y t by holy scriptures we may be abundantly instructed vnto saluatiō And what neede we any far fetched arguments when the Apostle saith in expresse words the scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto saluatiō They are the very wordes of the holy Ghost vttered by S. Paul vnto Timothie when he cōmendeth y t from his infancie he had learned y e holy scriptures which are able saith he to make thée wise vnto saluatiō through the faith of Iesus Christ◠Would any mā think after so manifest a testimonie of y e holy scriptures brought foorth for the sufficiēcie of y e holy scriptures that the papists durst for worldly shame although they be void of the feare of god to cōtinue in their impudēt paradoxe y t all truth is not taught in the holy scriptures That the holy Scriptures doe not containe the whole truth of gods word in such perfectiō but that wée must receiue some parte of the worde of God out of some other testimonie which cannot bée proued out of the holy scriptures There is none so blind as the obstinate that will not sée But who so hath a care of eternall saluation will séeke it in none other word then that which is comprehended in the holy Scriptures séeing by witnesse of Gods spirite they are able to make vs wise vnto saluation which coulde not bée truely saide if there were any trueth necessarie to saluation which were not to bée found and sufficiently proued by the onely authoritie of the holy Scriptures Finally the same Apostle saith in the same place All the scripture is inspired of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may bée absolute being made perfect vnto euery good work Coulde any thing be said more fully to expresse the perfection of the holy scriptures or to proue that all true doctrine is contained in them Tush say the Papistes this is nothing to prooue that the word of God or all true doctrine is perfectly contained in the Scriptures Hée saith the Scripture is profitable to teach hée saith not it is sufficient to teach Many thinges are profitable and good helpes which yet bée neither necessary nor sufficient and suche a thing is the scripture without the which the Church hath cōtinued néere two thousande yéeres and so might haue continued still but that God hath added the aide of the Scriptures as profitable to teache to improoue to correct and instruct and yet it followeth not that the Scriptures alone are sufficient and able to instructe a Christian man in all thinges that it is néedefull for him to knowe But there bée other testimonies of Gods worde whereby many thinges are taught which are taught in the scriptures and yet bée as necessary to bée knowne practised of Christians as any taught in the Scriptures What things are these I pray you They will answere the misterie of the blessed Trinitie the sacraments of the Church the baptisme of infants the perpetual virginitie of Mary and such like Concerning the inysterie of the blessed euerlasting Trinitie if it were not plainely taught inuincibly prooued by the holy scriptures the Church in old time labored in vaine to prooue it and defend it out of the Scriptures against so many heresies as Satan raised vp against it But they wil vrge vs to shew where we finde the Trinitie once named in the scriptures A perillous question wee finde thrée persons of the Godhead plainly and perfectly distinguished by the holy Scriptures then what vnreasonable beast is hee that will contend of the name whē the thing is certain Likewise I say of the name of sacramēts although it be not applied in the Scripture vnto baptisme the Lords Supper yet that which is the definition of a sacrament is cléerely in the scripture aduouched of these misticall actions The name of Sacrament is borrowed of the Latine spéech in which no part of y e scripture was first writtē As for y e baptism of infāts I shal haue occasiō to speak of it héereafter In y e meane time I say the papists are very fauourable vnto y e Anabaptists which affirme y e baptisme of infants cannot be prooued out of the holy scriptures so strengthen them in their heresie Touching the perpetuall virginitie of Mary if it be néedful to saluatiō that it should be knowne of euery Christian it is vndoubtedly taught in the scriptures if it bee not taught in the scriptures it is nothing necessary to euerlasting saluation For to stop the mouth of this impudent and arrogant cauiller against the sufficiencie of the holy scriptures the holy Ghoste had immediatly before prouided where the Apostle shewing what vtilitie he spake of namely that which is both necessarie and sufficient said that the scripture was able to make a man wise vnto saluation Therefore the Scripture is so profitable that it is also necessary to giue knowledge of saluation And it is so profitable y t it is also sufficient able to minister abundance of heauenly wisedome to the attainment of eternall saluation O blinde shamelesse cauillers y t cannot or will not sée y t is written in the verse immediatly going before able to put y e whole matter out of cōtrouersie But let vs yet cōsider more of their shameles shifts Admit the papists see not these wordes going before shoulde not bee vrged with them Doth not this very text in w t the apostle cōmendeth y e vtilitie of y e holy scriptures set foorth also the sufficiencie of the same Doth not the Apostle say the Scripture is so profitable that the man of God therby may bée perfect and throughly instructed vnto euery good worke Who woulde require greater perspicuitie or plainnes if hee meane to set his beleefe and not to maintaine his error Yet see what Cobwebs the spider weaueth to couer y e light of this text from the eyes of the ignorant and such as wilfully bée obstinate The man of God saith hée in this place is not taken generally for euery godly man but specially for the Minister of the Churche the Minister of God Therefore although the Minister of God may bée made perfect by the doctrine of the Scriptures it followeth not that euery man may bée so likewise Albeit the Minister hath his whole duetie taught by the holy Scriptures yet hath not euery one of the people his dutie throughly taught in the Scriptures that hée may bée made perfect and prepared to euery good worke For euery good worke in that place
hissed out of all Christian Schooles not only by learned men but euen by women and children If the scripture of the olde Testament be sufficient say they the new Testament is superfluous Is there no mean betwéene sufficiency and superfluitie A man that hath wherewith to prouide him selfe of meate and drink apparell and lodging of the meanest sorte hath sufficient for his liuing But if any thing be added to this sufficiency wil you say it is superfluitie Is there no vse of riches or abundance aboue sufficiency but it is by by superfluitie The scripture of the olde Testament cōtaineth the word of God sufficiently for mens saluation but the newe Testament added therevnto containeth no new substance or matter of doctrine or article of beliefe necessarie to saluation but the same auncient and eternall worde of God most richly most plentifully most abundantly Wherefore that the Apostle giueth the commendation of sufficiency vnto the scripture of the old Testament yet so far of that it should hinder the credite of the whole scripture which nowe the Church enioyeth that it doeth a great deale more magnifically set foorth the vnsearchable treasures of Gods wisdom and holy word reuealed more at large more plainly and openly set foorth in the time of the Gospel then it was reuealed or set forth vnder the law Wherfore we may not reason w t the papists if the scripture of the old testamēt had béen sufficient the newe should haue béene superfluous but contrariwise if the olde Testament were sufficient the scripture of the newe and olde together must néedes be abundant That the scripture of the old Testament contained sufficient instruction vnto eternall life hath béene prooued alreadie sufficiently and yet for more clearnesse I will adde other reasōs and authorities to prooue the same richly and abundantly The whole doctrine of the Gospell of Christ is contained in the scriptures of the olde Testament which is sufficient for a Christian mans instruction therefore there is no want nor imperfection no vnsufficiency of the substance of doctrine in the scripture of the olde Testament Saint Paule in this verie place exhorteth Timothy to continue in those thinges whiche hée had learned and whiche were committed vnto him knowing of whome hée had learned them namely of the Apostle and secondly of the holy scriptures in which hée had béene instructed from an infant which were able to make him wise vnto saluation Sée you not here most plainly that the same thinges which Timothy had learned of Paule and which were committed vnto him that hée might perfectly fulfill the worke of an Euangelist which cannot be except hée preache the Gospell perfectly were contained in the scripture of the olde Testament which hée had knowne from a childe which Scriptures were not able to make him or any man wise vnto saluation excepte they contained all articles of Christian doctrine which a christian man is bound to know and beléeue And therfore vpon this ground hée inferreth that the whole scripture is profitable to furnish the man of God vnto all partes of his office and to make him perfect vnto euerie good worke Beside this the holy Ghost in the Actes of the Apostles commendeth the Berhaeans that they receiued the word of God with all readines of mind daily searching the scriptures if these thinges were so as y e Apostles preached Mark this text diligently they receiued the word of al redines as it was preached by the Apostles but they admitted nothing for the word of God but that they found to haue grounde and cōfirmation in y e scriptures in y e law the prophets wherfore the apostles preaching y e Gospel preached none other word of god but that which was cōtained in the scriptures of the old Testamēt For if they had preached any vnwrittē verities howe should the Berhaeans haue found the same in the scriptures And what speak I of the Apostles euen their lord maister y e sonne of God the word of God the truth of God offereth his whole doctrine to be tried by the scriptures of the old testamēt Search y e scriptures saith hée for in thē you think to haue euerlasting life they are the same y t beare witnes of mée Hee testifieth also y t all things that are writtē of him in y e law the prophets in the psalmes must be were fulfilled And whē he authorized his Apostles to preach y e Gospel performāce of all things that were written in the law the prophets He openeth their vnderstāding that they might vnderstād the scriptures which contained the worde of God perfectly sufficiently although the same in the new testament doctrine of fulfilling be set forth more richly more plentifully more plainly And lest you shoulde think this sufficiency of the scriptures to haue béen only after all the bookes of y e old testament were written which were many hundreth yéeres frō the first to the last So that from Moses vntill Malachy or from the beginning of the worlde vntill Malachies prophecy was receiued there was no sufficiency of true doctrine contained in the scripture I will plainly prooue vnto you that frō the time that the worde of GOD was first deliuered in writing there was sufficiency in that scripture for the perfect instruction of the church of that time And what soeuer bookes of scripture were afterward added was but a larger opening and playner demonstration of the same as GOD in wisedome and mercy dyd sée it conuenient and necessary for euerie age of the Church and his people liuing in those times The fiue bookes of Moses was the first scripture that was deliuered vnto the Church which contained a perfect and most sufficient doctrine of all thinges to be knowne and done of that people for the attainment of eternall life the other bookes that followed were but enlargementes and interpretations of the same doctrine that was contained in those fiue bookes For if they had béene additions of any newe doctrine they had béene contrarie to the prohibition of the same law and subiect to the curse of God Yea the principall triall of all Prophetes that succéeded was by the same lawe Insomuch that if a Prophet or dreamer of dreames did arise which taught an other God or an other worship of God not set foorth in the lawe hée was thereby discryed to be a false prophet although he could tell before of thinges that came to passe or worke myracles This argued sufficiently the perfection of the doctrine contained in that lawe against which no signes or miracles should be credited Also Iosua in his exhortatiō made vnto y e people after that hée had deuided the lande vnto them chargeth them to obserue and doe all that is written in the booke of the lawe of Moses that they turne not there from neither to the right hande nor to the left that is they doe neither more nor lesse but that is written in the