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heart_n	put_v	spirit_n	stony_a	3,973	5	11.7036	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17191	A most godly and learned discourse of the woorthynesse, authoritie, and sufficiencie of the holy scripture also of the cleerenesse, and plainnesse of the same, and of the true vse thereof. Wherin is discussed this famous question: whether the canonical scriptures haue authoritie from the church, or rather the church receiue authoritie from the Scriptures. By occasion wherof are touched the dignities and duties of the church, touching traditions, with aunswere to all obiections. Translated out of Latine into English, by Iohn Tomkys: and dedicated to the right honorable Sir Richarde Pipe, knight, lorde maior of the citie of London.; De scripturae sanctae praestantia. English.	Tomkys, John.; Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.	1579 (1579)	STC 4067; ESTC S112817	96,469	260

vppon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your vncleannesse and from all your idol● shall I cleanse you a newe hearte also will I geue you and a newe spirite will I put into you as for that stonie hearte I will take it one of your fleshe and geue you a fleshie hearte I will geue my spirite amongst you and cause you to walke in my commaundementes and ye shal keepe my iudgementes and doe them Of the lightening of the minde is this prophesie of Esaie The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lorde euen as the Sea floweth ouer with water Also And they shal be all taught of God Againe this prophesie of Ioel which Saint Peter interpreteth And it shal be in the last daies saith God of my spirite I will powre out vpō all flesh your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your young men shall see visions and your olde men shall dreame dreames And on my seruants and on my handmaydens I will powre out of my spirite Of the free remission of sinnes Esaie hath reasoned most plainely in his liii chapter And Daniel in his 9. chapter Micheas also in his last chapter Who is such a God as thou saith he that pardonest wickednesse and forgiuest the offences of the remnant of thy heritage He keepeth not his wrath foreuer for his delight is to haue cōpassion He shall turne againe and be mercifull to vs he shal put downe our wickednesses cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea But what did the holy fathers of the ●lde testament lacke these benifits Not 〈◊〉 For in obeying the commaundements of GOD and in belieuing rightly they did worshippe God purely which thing they did not performe by the strength of ●ree will nor by naturall power For had it not beene that they had Gods lawes promises written in their minde and vnderstanding by the holie Ghost and also a good wil to obey his commaundements through the grace of God they had not bin able to haue done such things Therefore they wanted not the diuine light which lightened them to beleeue obey And their sinnes also were forgeuē them through Christ Therefore they also enioyed these good thinges Why then did he promise that he woulde geue these thinges in the new League Truely because the father shewed foorth the power of his spirit much more plentifully vnder the kingdom of Christ and poured foorth his mercie vpon men This excellencie is the cause that that small portion of grace which he vouchesafed to bestowe vpon the fathers vnder the lawe is not to be made accompt of Therefore the difference consisted herein onely euen in the largenesse and plainnesse For at that time those giftes were restrained to verie fewe but now are the Gentils also made partakers of them They were in that age somewhat darke and intricate but vnto vs are they made plaine and cleare so that we neede not anie more the olde schoolemaister like instruction Therefore the difference of the olde and newe Testament doeth consiste in this largenesse playnnesse putting away of the olde schoolemaister like instruction and excellent clearnesse of the Gospel and not in that colde and vnsauourie I will not say wicked deuise of not writing the doctrine of the Gospel which these triflers doe feigne For what Hath GOD powred forth in the time of grace so great giftes by the meanes of immediate inspiration from GOD or without anie meanes That may not be By what meanes therefore hath he brought it to passe Euen by the ministerie of the Gospel For by it hath Christ most effectually shewed foorth the force of his spirit hath most clearly made himselfe know●● to men and hath moste plentifully ●estowed all the treasures of his hea●enly riches vpon mankinde So that ●e ministerie of the lawe and of Moses ●e Lawegiuer in comparison of the mi●isterie of the Gospel may seeme verie ●arraine and drie and as Saint Paule ●earmeth it onely the deade letter desti●ute of the liuely iuyce of God his spi●ite Wherefore the same Paule when he woulde commende the efficacie of his ministerie alluded to the Prophesie of Ieremie saying Yee are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men Forasmuche as yee are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirite of the liuing GOD not in stonie tables but in fleshie tables of the heart Here muste wee diligently note that hee calleth them forthwith the Epistle of Christ whom a litle before he called his Epistle moreouer he doth straightway reconcile expoūd those things which at the first sight semed to be cōtrarie the one to the other when as he addeth Ministred by vs. It may be called his Epistle in this respect that the holie Ghost seemeth to vse him in the writing thereof as the writer and the penne and it may also be called the Epistle of Christe because he is the authour of the saide writing and endited it to Paul by his spirite and guided the hande and penne of the writer and moreouer ingraued with his finger the healthfull doctrine of the Gospel in the heartes of the Corinthians by the force whereof it is not nowe printed in stonie tables as was the lawe before but in the fleshly tables of the hearte This is therefore to pertaine to the newe Testament saith Augustine to haue the lawe of God written not in tables but in the heartes that is to say to conteine the righteousnesse of the lawe in the inwarde affection where fayth woorketh through loue This is that sweete goodnesse of the hearte euen a niewe creature in Christe This is that pleasaunt goodnesse of the minde euen lightenyng And this happie and ●●●ceiued goodnesse doeth not lead vs ●●y from the Lawe and testimonie to know not what vnsauerie traditions doeth delight in the law of God and ●geth to passe that our will is in the ●we of the Lord and that we exercise 〈◊〉 selues therin day and night although other law striue still in our members ●●●inst the lawe of the minde vntill the ●●wnesse which from day to day is in●ased in the inwarde man all oldnesse ●ng chaunged passe away The grace God thorow Iesus Christ our Lorde ●iuering vs from the bodie of this ●ath Moreouer who is he nowe but hee ●y see by the premisses howe iustly the ●rt may bee turned backe vpon our ad●rsaries which they foolishly and rash● wrested forth of the Prophesie of Iere●ie The Lorde giueth his lawe into ●●r heartes and writeth it in our bowels ●ith his finger and bringeth to passe ●at we walke in his statutes and keepe ●s iudgements and doe them he lighteth our mindes with the knowledge of ●●m he freely forgiueth our sinnes and putteth away our iniquities Therefore let vs sanctifie and glorifie him and turne from these iuglers

counterfeite Epistles as though they had come from Paul and from the other Apostles were obtruded vnto the Churches Paul did note his owne naturall Epistles with a peculiar signe of his owne hande least false Epistles should be put in the place of those which were true For this cause read we in the ende of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle So I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen What say you to this moreouer that Tertullian reporteth that the authentike and originall Epistles of the Apostles that is to say their owne hand writings were kept euen in his time in those Churches to whome they were written And the Epistles of Paul are approued by the expressed testimonie of Peter And Iohn concludeth his Epistle thus These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the Sonne of GOD that you may knowe that you haue eternall life and that you may beleeue 〈◊〉 the name of the Sonne of God. ●●d hee finisheth the Reuelation with ●●is most weightie calling to witnesse ●●estifie vnto euerie man that heareth t●e woordes of the prophecie of this ●●oke if anie man shall adde vnto ●●ese sayings God shall adde vnto him ●●e plagues that are written in this booke And if anie man shall take away from the wordes of the booke of this prophesie God shall take awaye ●is part out of the booke of life and ●ut of the holie Citie and from the ●hings which are writtē in this booke Therefore that is the Gospel of the Ca●●olike Church whiche being put in ●riting God hath sealed for his worde And this is the cause that the Churches ●f all ages haue taken the bookes of the ●ewe Testament for authentike which ●n these dayes we do with reuerence ac●nowledge for authentike and which we doe most constantly affirme ought to he beleeued There is a most euident testimonie touching this matter in Irenaeus The Church sayth he learned the true and liuely faith of the Apostles and distributed it to her children For the Lorde of all gaue the power of the Gospel to his Apostles through whom we haue also knowne the trueth that is to say the doctrine of the sōne of God vnto whom also the Lord said He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me he that despiseth me c. For we haue not knowne the setting in order of our saluation by any other then by them by whom the Gospel came to vs which then they did preach and afterwarde by the will of God deliuered vnto vs in the Scriptures to be the foundation and piller of our fayth Thou hearest by the testimonie of this most ancient and holy Bishop that the Apostles did afterward by the will of God deliuer vnto vs in writing the same Gospell which first they published with liuely voyce that this written Gospell might be the foundation and piller of our fayth And although hee doeth vrge this poynt That all Churches taught and instructed by the Apostles shoulde keepe the vnitie of 〈◊〉 founded in the Scriptures yet doth ●●twithstanding maintaine this also ●●at the Scripture is the schole of per● and absolute wisedome Moreouer although all thinges that ●●ist did be not written nor all the ser●●s which he made bee not set downe writing worde for word least the num●●● of bookes should be infinite yet hath 〈◊〉 holy Ghost chosen forth those things ●e written which might suffise for the ●●●●ruction and confirmation of the faith ●he elect as Augustine plainelie tea●●th forth of the word of Iohn the E●●●gelist For whereas the Lord Iesus ●eth he did manie things all are not ●●itten as euen the selfe same holy E●●ngelist him selfe witnesseth That the ●●rde Christ both did and spake ma●e things which are not written But ●●ose things were chosen foorth and ●ritten which did seeme to be suffici●●t for the faith of the faithful There●●re euen by the witnesse and consent of ●ugustine those things are plentifullie ●ritten which the holy Ghost iudged to 〈◊〉 inough for the obteyning of the true knowledge of Christe and of the blessed life Cyrillus in his 12. booke vpon Iohn doeth agree to Augustine All thinges saith he which the Lorde did are notwritten but the writers thought those thinges which are written sufficient aswell for manners as for doctrine that we shining in right faith good workes may come to the kingdome of heauen through Iesus Christ Thus much hath he Neither doth it followe herevpon that those thinges which were not written were vaine and to no purpose They were then verie profitable for the confirming and erecting of the Church of Christe Yet notwithstanding the whole Gospel was moste faithfully drawen into that summe which might fully suffise them that should come after The iiii Chapter The place of Ieremie his 31. Chapter is discussed also it is shewed that the Apostles wrote the Gospel by the will of God. ●Ntichrist his garde setteth vpon vs 〈◊〉 in this place wresteth a dart forth 〈◊〉 Ieremie which wee must needes ●e howe weake it is to proue that ●●●ch they goe about Truely they abuse ●oo shamefully the holie oracles of ●●d who by wresting these woordes of 〈◊〉 Prophete vnto a cleane contrarie ●ishe and absurde sense goe about to ●●●re the eyes of the simple and to di●ishe the maiestie of the Scripture ●●d as they which in scholes geue them ●●●ues to shew their fine witts and which ●●ercise themselues in eloquence do fight ●●ainst elequence with the weapons of ●●oquence euen so doe these by the coun●●naunce of Scripture endeuour to o●●rthrowe the authoritie of Scripture ●ut they are cloudes easie to be scatte●●d with a verie smal blast of an answere ●ieremie doeth prophesie that an other ●ouenaunt must bee made in the name ●f God but not so as it was made in time ●ast with the fathers And amongst other ●hinges he saith vnder the person of God ● will plante my lawe in the inwarde partes of them and write it in their heartes and will bee their God and they shal be my people And frō thence foorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother and saye Knowe the Lord but they shall all knowe me from the lowest to the highest saieth the Lorde for I will forgiue their misdeedes and wil neuer remember their sinnes anie more Vnto this prophesie do they ioyne the place of Paul in the second to the Corinthians and third chapter Ye are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men For as much as ye are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christe ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in stonie tables but in fleshlie tables of the heart They would proue forth of these places that the

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of the same nature as is Instruction whereof 1. Cor. 10. All these things saith Paule hapned vnto them for ensample but they are written for our admonition This doeth perteine to the instruction and amendment of life the which the examples applied by the Apostle and all the course of his speache doeth witnesse For hee sayth that the Fathers which came forth of Egypt were baptized and that they were refreshed with the spirituall meate and drinke as well as wee notwithstanding when they did not keepe them selues from sinnes that they were grieuously punished through God his iustice and vtterly destroyed by death Therefore doeth the Apostle admonishe all Christians by their examples that although they bee baptized and fedde with the spirituall foode of the bodie and bloud of Christ yet may they not esteeme that sufficient to saluation but desire moreouer to liue godly and innocently whiche except they doe that they shall perishe by the example of the old Fathers 4. Correction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is whereby men are reprooued corrected and reformed if anie negligence or faults appeare in their liues maners ●●erefore by it are men reproued for de●●●ing the doctrine of religion for hypo●●●e pride ambition couetousnesse 〈◊〉 such like And by it is also shewed ●e they which haue offended both ●●ght and may be amended Consola●●●n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is whereby their ●ndes are comforted and confirmed ●●ich either through errour in doctrine through faulte in actions or through ●ne inconuenience either spirituall or ●porall were discomforted and discou●●ged To be briefe doctrine and re●●oofe are occupied in expounding docu●entes instruction admonition and cor●●ction treate of life and manners vnto ●ose two are referred the chiefe pointes 〈◊〉 fayth and vnto the other two the ●eties of charitie as vnto consolation ●e pertaine properly those things wher●y hope is stirred vp The first two con●●ine speculation instruct the inwarde ●an the other two containe action and ●mploy all their labour in instructing the ●utwarde man The two first discerne ●rue doctrine from false when as the one ●onfirmeth the trueth stoutely the other confuteth falshood pithily The two other discerne godly and honest deedes from wicked and dishonest deedes for the one teacheth and persuadeth honest deedes the other sharpely reproueth dishonest deedes and doth labour and indeuour to amende them And these pointes haue I written foorth of the most learned Hyperius touching al the which since the most plentiful fountaine of the scriptures doth yeelde aboundantly most wholesome and sweete preceptes doeth it not largely minister that whereby the whole man as wel the inward as the outwarde may be rightly instructed in faith charitie hope So that Paule did wholesomely admonishe Timothie to take heede to himselfe and vnto doctrine for in doing this he shall both saue himself them that heare him Therefore the Authours lastly cited and Augustine also do teache right wel that those thinges are written by the Euangelistes Apostles which they iudged to be sufficient for the saluation of the beleeuers as well for manners as for doctrine that they shining in right 〈◊〉 in wordes and vertue might come ●e kingdom of heauē through Christ 〈◊〉 whome Chrysostome agreeth dis●ing of the worthinesse of the Scrip●es Whatsoeuer saith he is requi● for saluation the same is fully con●ned in the scriptures Also The Gos●● containeth all things both things ●esent and thinges to come honour ●●dlinesse faith comprehendeth 〈◊〉 things together vnder the name of ●●dlinesse Athanasius also accordeth ●rein contra gentes The holy scrip●●res saith he geuen from God by in ●iration are sufficient for all instructi●n of truth I omit many testimonies ●hich I could alledge here foorth of the ●oly fathers which geue in plaine wit●es of the perfectiō fulnes sufficiency ●f the Scripture I doe therefore con●lude that all things which concerne the perfection of the man of God are plenti●ully contained in the Scripture So that Paule did moste wisely admonishe the Euangelicall pastour that it behoued him to bee wise foorth of the written woorde of GOD onelie wherein are perfectly sette foorth whatsoeuer to pertaine as well to the knowledge establishing of true doctrines and to the ouerthrowing of false doctrines as also to the correcting of euill manners and instructing of good manners Therefore do the aduersaries wrongfully complaine of the straitnesse and imperfection of the Scripture and they doe also vainly contende that all thinges which concerne faith are not contained in the bookes of holie Scripture As by these thinges which followe more plainely shall appeare The vi Chapter That the Scripture was geuen by inspiration to correct euill manners and to confute heresies That foorth of it onelie controuersies must be iudged And that it is neither darke nor doubtful BAsill Archbishoppe of Caesaria in Cappadocia in the beginning of his Homilie vppon the first Psalme say●●● All the Scripture being geuen 〈◊〉 God by inspiration and pro●●ble is constantly receiued as it is ●●ten by the holie Ghost for this ●●ose onelie that euerie one might ●ose foorth of it as foorth of a cer●●e common shoppe for the curing ●oules a medicine healthful and fitt ●his disease Well and wisely said Ba● forsomuch as all thinges which per●●e to the instruction of true godlinesse 〈◊〉 the framing of our life are fully com●●hended and set forth in the Scripture doeth appeare by those things which ● haue alreadie spoken Scripture is ●e to make the man of God wise vnto ●●uation through faith which is in ●●rist Iesus which was therefore giuen 〈◊〉 inspiration of God that foorth of it a and onelie foorth it true doctrine ●●ght be confirmed and false doctrine ●nfuted and good manners might bee ●ught and euill manners reformed ●s Chrysostome teacheth most finely 〈◊〉 his first Homilie vppon Matthewe It ●ad bene meet saith he that we should ●ot neede the helpe of writinges but that wee shoulde leade so pure a life in all thinges that wee mighte vse the grace of the spirit in steed of bookes But because wee haue put this grace from vs let vs at the leaste sette our mindes on the seconde remedie Euen so God spake to the Patriarches not by writinges but by himselfe because he founde their heartes naked But after that all the people of the Iewes were fallen into the sinke of sinnes then were writinges necessarily geuen and the tables and that admonition which is geuen by them And wee doe vnderstande playnely that this did not onely happen to the holie men of the olde Testament but also of the newe For neither did Christe deliuer anie thing in writing to his Apostles but promised to geue thē the grace of the holie Ghost in steede of writinges And that this was muche better for them Hieremie chapter 31. and Paule 2. Cor. 3. doe witnesse But because in processe of time some erred

greatly in doctrine some in wickednes of manners that admonition also which is in writing was needefull And he ad●●●h Consider how great madnesse it ●n vs which haue lost that firste dig●●tie not to bee willing to vse the se●●nd remedie to saluation but to de●ise the heauenly writinges as geuen to no purpose and in vayne This ●ace of Chrysostom doth not only shewe 〈◊〉 what cause and to what ende GOD ●●ue vnto vs the Scripture not onely in ●e olde Testament but also in the newe ●t also sheweth the vanitie of the main●yners of the Pope which reasō foorth 〈◊〉 Hieremie and Paule that it is proper 〈◊〉 the doctrine of the newe Testament ●euen of God to bee possible to be writ●●n neither in tables nor in paper nei●●er with pen nor with ynke nor by any o●her meanes but that it must be kept with ●ut writing and deliuered from hande to ●and These bee toyes Because by the ●estimonie of Chrysostome we haue lost ●hat first dignitie when as the doctrine ●f the Apostles was deliuered by liuely voyce onelie so that now we haue need of admonitiō put in writing But because ● haue reasoned of this matter before I will nowe spare to speake anie more hereof And that which Chrysostome spake at large Theophilactus hath comprehended as he is woont in fewe wordes Because saith he There were heresies sprong vp which might haue corrupted our manners it seemed verie expedient that the Gospels shoulde be written that we learning the trueth foorth of them shoulde not bee deceiued by the lies of heresies Hieronymus also agreeth herevnto For as it was necessary saith he that the Gospel should be preached for the confirmation of faith so was it also necessarie that it shoulde be written against Heretikes Herevnto also doeth Augustine geue his consent who vppon the seconde Epistle of Iohn Tractatu 2. hath these wordes You ought chiefly to cōsider and to commit to your remembraunce that God his will was to put a chiefe stay in the Scriptures against deceiptful erroures against the which no man dare speake who in anie sorte is desirous to seeme to be a Christian ●or when he had offered himself to be ●●ndled it suffised him not but that 〈◊〉 did confirme the hearts of the faith ●ll out of the Scriptures For he did ●rouide for vs which were to come ●hat which we may handle wee haue ●ot but that which wee may reade ●ee haue Loe God his wil was to put ●rong defence against the deceiptes of ●rroures in the Scriptures Therefore ●or●th of the Scriptures are all here●es to be confuted and doctrines to be ●●dged with this shield with this sworde ●ith these weapons must heresies be put ●acke For the Scripture is as it were a ●peciall singular and sure preseruatiue ●efending vs against the paysons of all kinde of errours Herevpon is it that the auncient fa●hers so often as controuersies rose in re●igion fled rather to the Scripture then ●o councels or to anie authoritie of men because the Scripture onelie can iudge firmely soundely and holily Beholde Paule being furnished with the weapons of Scripture onelie disputed against the Iewes although they were roughe and ouerthwarte if Luke reporte the trueth And the holie Ghost commendeth the Iewes of Berrea who when they had receiued the woorde with all readinesse of minde searched the Scriptures whether those thinges were so Worthily sayeth Augustine vnto Maximinus Neither ought I to alledge the Councell of Nice nor thou of Ariminum as by preiudice to hurte one another his cause Neither am I bounden to the authoritie of the one nor thou of the other Let matter contende with matter cause with cause reason with reason by the authorities of Scriptures witnesses not proper to anie but common to either Cresconius the Grammarian disputing with Augustine obiected vnto him the authoritie of Cyprian Augustine answereth I am not bounden to the authoritie of this Epistle for I esteeme not the writinges of Cyprian as Canonicall but I consider of them foorth of the writinges which are Canonicall and that which in them agreeth with the authoritie of holie ●criptures I receiue with his praise ●ut that which doeth not agree I ●efuse by his leaue Against Faustus ●ib 23. he sayeth That which Faustus ●ath sette downe touching the gene●ation of Marie which is not Canonicall bindeth mee not Also vpon ●he 57. Psalme he hath these woordes Let our owne wrytinges bee taken away let GOD his booke be brought foorth emongest vs Heare Christ speaking heare the trueth talking And woorthely doeth Augustine the man of GOD write these thinges forsomuche as it is meete to yeelde this honour to the Scripture that all things be tried by the examination thereof Whatsoeuer is proued by the authoritie therof may not anie more bee called in doubt Againe nothing but that which agreeth therewith may be receiued and whatsoeuer is contrary therevnto must bee accompted damnable that all the definitions of faith may depende therevppon and consiste therein So that they are found more vayne then vanitie it selfe whiche dare write that the Apostles wrote certaine thinges not that those their writinges shoulde rule our Faith and Religion but that they shoulde be in subiection therevnto Sozomenus reporteth that the sentences of them which assembled at the Councell of Nice were diuerse Some giuing counsell to alter nothing from the fayth deliuered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the beginning some other affirming that they ought not to sticke to olde opinions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rashely with out search and examination wherevppon the matter was protracted through diuerse questions therefore Constantine the Emperour sitting amongest the Bishoppes exhorted them to conferre quietly and to searche foorth the trueth setting Sophistrie aparte and bannishing the grudging of their mindes There are saith he the bookes of the Apostles and the decrees of the Prophets which doe instruct vs what we ought to thinke of holy matters Therfore setting enuious contention aside let vs search the solution of questions foorth of the Scriptures giuen by inspiratiō from god Enagrius writing of the Councel of Ephesus Chalcedon doth in like manner rehearse the sentence of Iohn Bishoppe of Antioche approoued by Cyrill Wee doe knowe that holy men haue set downe their determinations touching the Lorde foorth of the woordes of the Euangelistes and of the Apostles And Cusanus writeth that the forme of the olde generall Councelles was to place the holie Gospels in the middest And that the same was also obserued in priuate disputations touching religion Augustine is a witnesse Wheresoeuer saith he the place shall be appointed let vs cause the bookes of Canonicall Scripture to bee readie And if they can bring foorth anie proofes of eyther side all the rest sette aparte let vs make a full ende of so weightie a matter Therefore the examination of Scripture is lawfull for the triall of doctrines Let vs

propertie of the doctrine of the newe Testament is so appointed by God him selfe that it can neither be written in tables nor in papers nor with penne nor with ynke nor by any other meanes What and if some Libertine with the Euthusiastes make further exception that the ●●●●rine of God cannot be deliuered by 〈◊〉 voyce forsomuch as God his will ●●to illuminate mennes mindes with ●●●●ledge that they shall all know him 〈◊〉 the least to the greatest so that no 〈◊〉 shal haue neede to teache his neigh● saying Knowe the Lorde What 〈◊〉 they I beseeche you aunswere for 〈◊〉 traditions yet dare they goe furth●● insomuch that they say that it was 〈◊〉 without his commaundement in 〈◊〉 the Euangelistes and Apostles did ●●mitte certeine things to writing be●●●se the Lorde commaunded them to ●●eache and not to write and also be●●●se the worde of God conteyned in the ●●spell is of such a nature that it can 〈◊〉 be expressed in writing And yet the ●●hour of the Epistle to the Hebrues ●he middest of his writing whilest hee ●●eth downe the doctrine of the niewe ●●●enant in writing alledgeth the selfe ●ne sentence of Hieremie And Paule ● nowe alreadie written both the E●●●tle to the Thessalonians and the first ●pistle to the Corinthians when hee ●yed Not with ynke but with the spirite of God yea he did deliuer the selfe same then not with liuely voice but in writing did purpose to write more afterwarde It is therefore plaine that neither the Apostles did so vnderstande the sentence of Hieremie nor Paul his owne saying as these triflers faine that is to say that the doctrine of Christe and his Apostles cannot beare to be comprehended and deliuered in writing Certainely if their sentence may preuaile it will followe that the Apostles and Euangelists did wickedly beside yea rather against the minde of the Lorde blemishe the doctrine of grace in that they did committe that worde to writing and papers which is vnapt to bee written and vnto which suche a propertie is allotted by God that by no meanes it ought to bee committed to writing And hath hellish rage so blinded them that they cannot consider this These are they forsooth which bring the professoures of the sincere doctrine into hatred and accuse them of noueltie when as they them selues doe mocke the Churche with niewe foolishe and 〈◊〉 deuises Who at anie time be●●●hem did so vnderstande or inter●●● Hieremie Augustine a man of a 〈◊〉 sharpe witte in that booke which ●ote of the spirit and letter handleth place of the Prophete at large and ●eaketh he not so much as one worde ●●is interpretation neither doeth anie 〈◊〉 olde writers agree with them there 〈◊〉 Where is then this consent of the ●●rche which they so greatly bragge ●●nd require Are these Giauntes so ●●de to thinke that they haue seene 〈◊〉 which hath escaped the most excel●●● lights of the Church Fie for shame ●●e foolishe and friuolous is that diffe●●●ce of the olde and newe Testament ●●ich they appoint Truely this reward ●●e they for contemning the scripture ●●t they may staine the maiestie thereof ●●h their wicked toyes you may see ●●m that I may vse the woordes of Ba●● weaue the lenowe webbe of the spi●●t But let vs singularly reuerence the ●earle troden vnder foote by hogges ●●d keepe it most religiously Let vs therefore see the most sweete sentence of this excellent prophesie full of Euangelicall and heauenly comfort Therefore shall it appeare that the Prophetment nothing lesse than that which these goe about to wreste forth of his wordes yea rather that this place is directly against them Moreouer no man will doubte which shall heare Paule the Apostle and the epistle to the Hebrues who are the most certaine interpreters of this prophesie but that this prophesie doeth wholie appertaine to the kingdom and time of Christ and that the diuine Prophete did prophesie in this place of the benefit of Christ And God doth promise by expresse wordes That hee will make a newe couenant with his people to heale the weakenesse of the first and to correct the corruptions whiche were crepte into it by no faute of God but thorowe the noughtinesse of the people who as league breakers were departed from it neither tooke him according to the conditions of the league for their God in beleeuing him worshipping him and obeying his lawes For they ●ere weaker by meanes of their natu●●ll vanitie corruption and stubburnesse ●●en that they coulde frame themselues ●●roughly to the folowing of GOD his ●ill and to perfect obedience Where●ore that league was broken oftentimes ●hrough their vnfaithfulnesse What ●houlde God therefore doe if he had bin willing to haue dealt according to extremitie of lawe and to haue punished them for breaking the league he might forthwith haue forsaken the people which brake the league and as they deserued haue cast them of and haue appointed them to suffer euerlasting torments But the vsing his greate mercie suche is his goodnesse and loue towardes mankinde was rather willing to spare those miserable men and their weakenesse then without mercie and with seueritie to reuenge the iniuries done vnto him Therefore he shewed the remedie when he promised that he woulde make a niewe couenaunt with his people which once he chose vnto himselfe Which couenante as touching the matter and substance is moste niew For his will was not by changing his purpose after the manner of men to backe and to make frustrate that which once he had decreed neither did he make a newe couenant cleane contrarie to the first For God his purpose is vnchangeable although as touching the properties or qualities it may be iudged after a sorte niewe Which thing Chrysostome hath expressed by a verie goodlie similitude Beholde saith he this also is niew when as some things thereof are taken away and some things remaine as if one alter an olde ruinous house thorowly and lay new foūdations we say foorthwith he hath made it niewe when as he hath but taken away some thinges and chaunged some thinges Therefore GOD pitying the state of mankinde hath dayly ioyned greater benefites and hath more and more polished that which as yet to his ancient benefites was rude and only begonne and hath made it perfecte Of this new or rather renewed league there be chiefly three principall pointes whereby GOD cureth all the inwarde diseases of mankinde and re●●oreth him to perfect health And these ●ointes are the inwarde reforming of ●ens heartes the lightening of their mindes to the knowledge of God and ●he free forgiuenesse of their sinnes of the which inestimable benefites to bee bestowed in the time of the Gospel not onelie Hieremie but also the rest of the prophetes haue prophecies And of the reformation and correction of heartes that is to say of regeneration and newe birth Ezechiel hath prophesied moste clearely of all I will sprinckle saith he cleane water