earnestly to thirst after these waters when hee sayth Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes but the vngodly having tasted of the wine of mundane joy and temporall riches hate dislike and put from them this water and therefore the Lord sayth well of them by the Prophet Esay 8. Because this people haue refused the waters of Siloe that runne softly and without noyse and haue taken rather Rasin and the sonne of Romelia I will bring upon them the mighty waters of of the floud Siloe is interpreted sent and it signifieth the doctrine of the diuine Law sent vnto vs by Christ the Apostles and other faithfull ones which doctrine the Pastors of the Church are bound vnder the paine of damnation to know and teach whereupon Isidore saith de summo bono lib. 3. c. 46. The Priests shall bee damned for the iniquity of the people if either they neglect to teach them being ignorant or to reproue them when they offend the Lord hauing said by the Prophet I haue set thee as a watch-man ouer the house of Israel and if thou shalt not tell the wicked of his wickednes that hee forsake his euill way he shall dye in his iniquitie but I will require his bloud at thy hand Notwithstanding all this many of the moderne Priests cast from them this learning and say we will none of it because it is not de pane lucrando that is it serueth not to bring in gaine and profite and giue themselues to the study of humane lawes which are not so necessary for the sauing of soules as the law of God because as Odo saith here vpon the Gospell sermone 39. If Christ had knowne that we might more easily attaine saluation by the Lawes of Iustinian he would surely haue taught them vs with his own mouth and haue let that alone which he taught vs and deliuered vnto vs et in quâ continetur implicitè vel explicitè omnis scientia ad salutem necessario requisita and in which is contained expressely or implicitely all knowledge necessarily required to saluation according to that of S. Augustine 2. de doctrinâ Christianâ in fine Whatsoeuer a man learneth without and beside the holy Scripture if it be hurtfull it is there condemned if it bee profitable it may there be found But many Church-men leaue this learning and take vnto them Rasin and the sonne of Romelia Rasin signifieth a picture and Romelia high and mighty thunder so that by Rasin and the sonne of Romelia wee may vnderstand painted and glorious wordes and that wordy thunder of humane lawes which kindes of learning many Ecclesiastical persons assume that they may be by such profession exalted in the courts of great Lords and for this cause as the Prophet addeth the Lord shall bring vpon them the mighty and great waters of the floud that is infernall punishments so saith Odo Hitherto hee hath alleadged the words of Grosthead and Odo In another place he saith concerning them that so contemne the word of God that the Lord complaineth of such by the Prophet Ierem. 2. saying My people hath done two euils they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing water and haue digged to themselues broken cisterns to which as Gulielmus Parisiensis saith the decree or canon law may fitly be compared which is a broken cisterne that cannot hold water which though it haue water to day shall haue none to morrow because it shall bee abrogated whereas touching the Law of God it is otherwise and therefore the Psalmist saith thy righteousnesse O Lord is an euerlasting righteousnesse and thy law is trueth Yet is the holy Scripture much contemned by the profession of the Canonists so that the knowledge of holy Scripture and profession of Divinity may say to an ill Advocate or Lawyer as Sara said to Abraham in the 16 of Genesis Thou dealest ill with me I gaue thee my handmaid into thy bosome who seeing that she had conceiued despised me for as Gulielmus Parisiensis saith de vitiis part 4. cap. 6. The profession of Canonists contemneth the profession of Divines and science of holy Scripture because they are not so gainefull as it is When Ismael and Isaack played together Ismael mocked Isaack so that Sarâ—… was forced to intreate Abraham to cast out the bondwoman and her sonne So happily it were behoofefull and profitable for the Church that this Science in a great part should be cast out because it not only contemneth the diuine Science and Law of God but blasphemeth it and in so doing contemneth and blaspheameth God himselfe who is the lawgiuer Here wee haue the opinion of three worthy men touching the sufficiencie of the Scripture and the dangers confusions and horrible euils that followed vppon the multiplying of humane inuentions Many more might be alleadged to the same purpose but these may suffice to let us know what the doctrine of the Church was in the dayes of our Fathers for they deliuer not their priuate conceipts but tel vs what all good and iudicious men conceiued of these things in their times But some men will say wee find often mention of traditions in the writers of former ages soe that it seemeth they did not thinke the Scriptures to containe all things necessary to saluation For the clearing of this doubt wee must obserue that by the name of tradition sometimes all the doctrine of Christ and his blessed Apostles is meant that was first deliuered by liuely voice and afterwards written Sometimes the deliuering of the diuine and canonicall bookes from hand to hand as receiued from the Apostles is named a tradition Sometimes the summe of Christian religion contained in the Apostles creed which the Church receiueth as a rule of her faith is named a tradition but euery one of those articles is found in the Scripture as Waldensis rightly noteth though not together nor in the same forme so that this colection may rightly be named a tradition as hauing beene deliuered from hand to hand in this forme for the direction of the Churches children and yet the Scriptures be sufficient Sometimes by the name of traditions the Fathers vnderstand certaine rites and auncient obseruations And that the Apostles delivered some things in this kind by word and liuely voyce that they wrote not wee easily grant but which they were it can hardly now be knowne as Waldensis rightly noteth But this proueth not the insufficiencie of the Scripture for none of those Fathers speake of points of doctrine that are to be belieued without and besides the Scripture or that cannot be proued from thence though sometimes in a generall sort they name all those points of religion traditions that are not found expressely and in precise tearmes in Scripture and yet may necessarily be deduced from things there expressed Lastly by the name of tradition is vnderstood the sense and meaning of the Scripture receiued from the Apostles and deliuered from hand to hand together with the bookes There are
Catholicarum quam plurimum scripturarum solertissimus indagator authoritatem sequatur inter quas fanè illae sunt quas Apostolica sedes habere ab eâ alij meruerunt accipere epistolas So that whereas Saint Augustine saith that in reckoning the Canonicall bookes of Scripture a man must follow the authority of the greater number of Catholique Churches and among them especially such as either had Apostolicall seates as Hierusalem and the like or receiued Epistles from some of the Apostles as did the Churches of Corinth and Galatia Gratian maketh him say that the Epistles which the Apostolicall See receiued or other receiued of it are to be reckoned among Canonicall Scriptures This ouersight of Gratian Picus Mirandula long since obserued and after him Alfonsus a Castro whereby wee may see how easie it was for men in former times to runne into most grosse errors before the reuiuing of learning in these latter times while the blinde did lead the blinde For Gratian was the man out of whom the greatest Diuines of former times tooke all their authorities of Fathers and Councles as appeareth by their marginall quotations And how ignorantly and negligently he mistooke them mis-alleaged thē this one example is proof sufficient But whatsoeuer we think of Gratian we shall find that not only our Diuines but the best learned among our aduersaries also put a greatdifference between the sacred scriptures of the holy Canon and the Decrees of Councels For first they say the Scripture is the word of God reuealed immediately and written in a sort from his owne mouth according to that of S. Peter the holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holie Ghost And that of S. Paul All Scripture is by diuine inspiration which is not so to be vnderstood as if alwaies the holy Writers had had new reuelations and had alwayes written that which before they were ignorant of for it is certaine that the Euangelists Mathew and Iohn wrote those things which they saw and Marke and Luke those things they heard from others as Luke himselfe confesseth in the beginning of his Gospel But the holy writers are therefore said to haue had immediate reuelation and to haue written the words of God himselfe because either some new things and not knowne before were reuealed to them by God or because God immediately inspired and moued the Writers to write those things which they had seene and heard and directed them that they should not any way erre in writing whereas Councels neither haue nor write immediate reuelations or words of God but only declare which is that word of God vttered formerly to the Prophets and Apostles how it is to bee vnderstood and what conclusions may bee deduced from it by discourse of reason Secondly the holy Writers performed that which they did without any further labour or trauell then that in writing and calling to minde what they had seene and heard but in Councels the Bishoppes and Fathers with great paine and trauell seeke out the trueth by discourse conference reading and deepe meditation and therefore the holy Writers are wont to attribute all to God onely and the Prophets were wont often to repeate The Lord sayth Thirdly in the Scriptures not onethe whole sentences but euery word pertaineth to Faith for no word is therein vaine or ill placed But in Councels there are many disputations going before resolution many reasons brought for confirmation of things resolued on many things added for explication and illustration many things vttered obiter and in passage that men are not bound to admitte as true and right nay many things are defined in Councels that men are not bound to stand vnto For it is the manner of Councels sometimes to define a thing as certainely and vndoubtedly true pronouncing them Heretiques that thinke otherwise and subiecting them to curse Anathema and sometimes as probable onely and not certaine as the Councell of Vienna decreed that it is more probable that both grace and vertues accompanying grace are infused into Infants when they are baptized then that they are not and yet is this no matter faith in the Church of Rome Fourthly in the scripture all things as well concerning particular persons as in generality are vndoubtedly true For it is as certaine that Peter and Paul had the spirit of God as that no man can be saued without the illumination and sanctification of the spirit but in the determinations and decrees of Bishoppes assembled in a generall councell it is not so for they may erre in iudging of the persons of men and therefore there is no absolute certainty in the canonization of Saints as both Thomas and Canus do confesse Fiftly in Scriptures there are no precepts touching manners either concerning the whole church or any part of it that are not right equall and just But councels may erre if not in prescribing things euill in stead of good yet in prescribing things not fitting nor expedient if not to the whole church yet to some particular part of it as not knowing the cōdition of things therein Yea some there are that think it not hereticall to beleeue that generall councels may prescribe some lawes to the whole church that are not right profitable and iust as to honour such a one for a Saint who indeed is no Saint to admit such orders of Religious men as are not profitable to receiue the communion onely in one kinde and the like And there are many that confidently pronounce that generall councells may decree such things as may breed inconuenience and may sauour of too great seuerity and austerity which the guides of the church in the execution of the same must bee forced to qualifie and temper So that the onely question is whether a generall councell may certainely define any thing to bee true in matter of faith that is false or command the doing of any act as good and an act of vertue that indeed and in trueth is an act of sinne Touching this point there are that say that all interpretations of holy Scriptures agreed on in generall councels and all resolutions of doubtes concerning things therein contained proceed from the same Spirit from which the holy Scriptures were inspired and that therefore generall councels cannot erre either in the interpretation of Scriptures or resoluing of things doubtfull concerning the faith But these men should know that though the interpretations and resolutions of Bishops in generall councels proceed from the same Sperit from which the Scriptures were inspired yet not in the same sort nor with like assurance of beeing free from mixture of errour For the Fathers assembled in generall councels doe not rely vppon immediate reuelation in all their particular resolutions and determinations as the Writers of the Bookes of holy Scripture did but on their owne meditation search and study the generall assistance of Diuine grace concurring with them That the Fathers
is in himselfe and maketh vs already to beginne to tast the sweetnesse of so great and happy an vnion is not only true but Diuine and Heauenly such as nature could not teach vs but is to be learned onely of God himselfe It being presupposed in the generalily that the doctrine of the Christian faith is of God and containeth nothing but heauenly truth in the next place we are to inquire by what rule wee are to iudge of particular things contained within the compasse of it This rule is first the summary comprehension of such principall articles of this diuine knowledge as are the principles whence all other things are concluded and inferred These are contained in the creed of the Apostles Secondly all such things as every Christian is bound expressely to beleeue by the light direction whereof he iudgeth of other things which are not absolutely necessary soe particularly to be knowne These are rightly sayd to bee the rule of our faith because the principles of euery science are the rule whereby wee iudge of the truth of all things as being better and more generally knowne then any other thing and the cause of knowing them Thirdly the Analogie due proportion and correspondence that one thing in this diuiue knowledge hath with another soe that men cannot erre in one of them without erring in another nor rightly vnderstand one but they must likewise rightly conceiue the rest Fourthly whatsoeuer bookes were deliuered vnto vs as written by them to whom the first and immediate reuelation of diuine truth was made Fiftly whatsoeuer hath been deliuered by all the Saints with one consent which haue left their iudgment and opinion in writing Sixtly whatsoeuer the most famous haue constantly and vniformely delivered as a matter of faith no man contradicting though many other Ecclesiasticall writers be silent and say nothing of it Seuenthly that which the most and most famous in euery age constantly deliuered as matter of faith and as receiued of them that went before them in such sort that the contradictors and gainsayers wâ—…re in their beginnings noted for singularity nouelty and diuision and afterwards in processe of time if they persisted in such contradiction charged with heresie These three latter rules of our faith we admit not because they are equall with the former originally in themselues containe the direction of our faith but because nothing can be deliuered with such and so full consent of the people of God as in them is expressed but it must needes bee from those first Authors and founders of our Christian profession The Romanists adde vnto these the decrees of Councels and determinations of Popes making these also to bee the rules of faith but because we haue no proofe of their infallibility we number them not with the rest Thus then we see how many things in seuerall degrees and sorts are said to be rules of our faith The infinite excellency of God as that whereby the truth of the heauenly doctrine is proued The articles of faith and other verities euer expressely knowne in the Church as the first principles are the canon by which we judge of conclusions from thence inferred The Scripture as containing in it all that doctrine of faith which Christ the Sonne of GOD deliuered The vniforâ—…e practice and consenting judgement of them that went before vs as a 〈◊〉 and vndoubted explication of the things contayned in the Scripture The Scripture saith Vincentius Lirinensis is full and sufficient to all purposes but because of the manifold turnings of heretiques it is necessary that the line of Propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation be drawnâ—…â—…owne and directed vnto vs according to the rule of Ecclesiasticall and Catholique sense So then we doe not so make the Scripture the rule of our faith but that other things in their kinde are rules likewise in such sort that it is not safe without respect had vnto them to judge of things by the Scripture alone For without the first rule we cannot know the Scripture to be of God Without the second and third we haue no forme of Christian doctrine by the direction whereof to judge of particular doubts and questions without the other rules wee cannot know the authors and number of the Bookes of Scripture nor the meaning of the things therein written For who shal be able to vnderstand them but hee that is settledin these things which the Apostles presupposed in their deliuery of the Scripture We doe not therefore so make the Scripture the rule of our faith as to neglect the other nor so admit the other as to detract any thing from the plenitude of the Scripture in which all things are contained that must bee beleeued CHAP. 15. Of the challenge of Papists against the rule of Scripture charging it with obscurity and imperfection THis rule our adversaries least esteeme of charging it with obscurity and imperfection and thereupon rely vpon humane interpretations and vncertaine traditions Touching their first challenge made against this rule of the scripture as being obscure and darke and so not fit to giue direction to our faith vnlesse it borrow light from some thing else wee aunswere there is no question but there are manifold difficulties in the scripture proceeding partly from the high and excellent nature of the things therein contained which are without the compasse of naturall vnderstanding and so are wholly hidden from naturall men and not knowne of them that are spirituall without much trauaile and studious meditation partly out of the ignorance of tongues and of the nature of such things by the coÌ„parison whereof the matters of divine knowledge are manifested vnto vs. But the difference betweene their opinion and ours concerning this difficultie is first in that they thinke the scripture so obscure and hard to be vnderstood that Heretiques may wrest and abuse it at their pleasures and no man be able to convince their folly by the evidence of the Scripture it selfe Secondly in that they thinke that wee cannot by any helpes bee assured out of the Scripture it selfe and the nature of the things therein contayned that that is the true meaning of it which wee thinke to be but that we rest in it onely for the authority of the Church But wee say that men not neglecting that light of direction which the Church yeeldeth nor other helpes and meanes may be assured out of the nature of the things themselues the conference of places the knowledge of tongues and the sutable correspondence that one part of diuine truth hath with another that they haue found out the true meaning of it and so be able to convince the adversaries and gainesayers CHAP. 16. Of the interpretation of Scripture and to whom it pertayneth TOuching this poynt there are two questions vsually proposed the one to whom the interpretation of the Scripture pertaineth the other by what rules and meanes men may finde out tâ—…e true meaning of it Tâ—…ching the first our Adversaries jangle
the diuine Scripture but because hee thought there is no literall true sense of them but mysticall onely so ouerthrowing the trueth of the sacred history of the booke of God And the fault of many others in former times was that following him too much they neglected the literall sense and ouer-curiously sought out allegories and mysticall senses whereas yet the literall sense alone hath force and power to establish trueth and improue error And this doubtlesse is the first and chiefest vse and necessity of following the literall sense Another is for that being the foundation of the mysticall if wee finde it not out wee may runne into many errours The Manichees out of those wordes of the Psalmist where hee sayth that God hath made a Tabernacle for the Sunne in heaven out of which it commeth in the morning as a Bridegroome out of his chamber to shew the brightnesse of his countenance to the sonnes of men reading Posuit tabernaculum suum in sole God placed his Tabernacle or appointed and made himselfe a Tabernacle in the Sunne inferred that Christ ascended into the highest heauens without our flesh leauing his body behind him within the compasse of the globe of the Sunne so that his flesh is to be adored in the Sunne as in a Tabernacle wherein it resteth and remayneth Now as their course is not to bee excused which follow the mysticall sense onely neglect the literall so they are no lesse faulty that follow the literall sense onely and doe not at all consider the mysteries of spirituall vnderstanding and information of Christian and godly conversation which in the word of God doe offer themselues vnto them For they make the Scriptures especially of the old testament where so many things of outward observation ceremonie and purification were prescribed vnsauorie and to seeme lesse diuine than the lawes and prescriptions of the Gentiles as the Athenians Lacedaemonians and other and the manifold histories of former times to serue little to edification Betweene both these extreames a meane is to be kept that neither the one nor the other be neglected so that we must neither be like them that reiecting the literall exposition seeke out fond and childish Allegories and so ouerthrow the trueth of the diuine historie as Origen did or neglect the knowledge of it publishing their owne idle and ridiculous conceits as if they were the great hidden mysteries of the Christian faith and religion nor like those which rest in the bare and naked wordes and syllables without collecting from thence such instructions as are fit The former sayth Sixtus Senensis are to know that howsoeuer they imagine the literall exposition of the Scripture to bee easie obvious and triuiall yet it is indeed the hardest of all other Whereupon both Hierome and Augustine confesse that at first to decline the obscurities and difficulties of the text of Scripture they followed mysticall senses as being more easie but afterward when they grew in age so in ripenesse of iudgment they sought out the other which is literall Thus we see the difference betweene the literall and mysticall sense of Scripture and how and in what sort the one is the ground of the other Which that wee misconceiue not nor take one for another wee must remember that by the literall sense of Scripture wee vnderstand not that onely which the words doe properly afford but which they primarily affoord according to the intention of him that vseth them and the construction of them that heare them The mysticall sense opposite hereunto is that which is not primarily intended by him that speaketh words hauing such mysticall sense All the allegories therefore parables and Aenigmaticall speaches which are vsed in Scripture not being verified either in the intention of the speaker or construction of the hearer in sort as the words properly import but as signifying things resembled by the things they properly import doe literally signifie that which by comparison of such things they make vs vnderstand Here it is not out of place to obserue the difference betweene a proverbe parable allegory and aenigmaticall speech or riddle A proverbe is a sententious saying much in vse and famous for the most part somewhat obscure by metaphoricall wordes expressing something to vs and alluding to something not distinctly expressed Though sometimes any famous and common saying bee named a Proverbe A Parable is when one thing is compared and resembled to another so Christ compared the kingdome of Heauen to leauen to a graine of mustard seede to ten virgins to a net cast into the sea Though sometimes the similitude of a thing and not any such speach wherein comparison is made betweene one thing and another is named a Parable Abraham recepit filium suum in parabola that is Abraham receiued his son from such an estate as was most like to the state of the dead An allegorie is when he that speaketh intendeth to signifie and insinuate some other thing than his words in their primary vse and signification doe import Behold saith Christ the sower went out to sow c. A Riddle or Aenigmaticall speach is an obscure allegorie The trees went forth to anoint them a King and againe Out of the eater came meate out of the strong came sweetnesse The Scripture is full of these Allegories Parables Proverbiall and Aenigmaticall speaches GOD in teaching vs taking that course he knoweth fittest for vs and making vs vnderstand things heauenly and invisible by those that are earthly and visible And as God doth thus speake vnto vs in parables Allegories and Riddles so did he shew the Prophets of old in dreames and visions the things that are heauenly by those that are earthly and the things that are invisible by those that are visible as in the Revelation Saint Iohn saw seuen golden Candlesticks and one like the Sonne of man walking in the middest of them There is none of these Aenigmaticall Allegoricall or Parabolicall speaches nor none of these visions but either by some things knowne to them to whom they were proposed or by speciall explication added to them or per novi facti exhibitionem by seeming the thing performed that was so obscurely shadowed onely may bee vnderstood From these without these helpes of vnderstanding wee can conclude nothing that is doubtfull An example of vnderstanding Aenigmaticall and hard speaches by force of some things knowne vnto vs giuing light vnto them is the riddle of Samson Out of the eater came meate c. which sny one knowing that out of a Lyon hee had taken hony would vnderstand but another could not By explication added as the mysterie of the seuen starres and seuen golden Candlestickes is expounded to Iohn that saw the vision of them By evidence of the thing exhibited and performed Destroy this Temple sayth Christ and in three dayes I will build it and raise it vp againe The disciples after they saw him
risen from the dead remembred these words vnderstood that they were spoken of our Sauiour of the Temple of his body and the resurrection of it So likewise when they saw the miserable and abhominable overthrow of Ierusalem and the Temple they could not but vnderstand what was meant by the prophecie of Daniel touching the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place Thus hauing cleared that doubt which some make touching the multiplicitie of senses of the words of Scripture as if there were no certaine meaning of them and hauing shewed which is that sense we must principally seek after as being the foūdation of the rest it remaineth that we come to speak of the rules of direction the helpes we haue to attaine to the vnderstanding of the true meaning of the Scripture For as Hierome fitly noteth Non putemus in verbis scripturarum esse euangelium sed in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum folijs sed in radice rationis We must not thinke that the Gospell consisteth in the words of Scripture but in the sense and meaning not in the outward rinde and skinne but in the inward pith and marrow not in the leaues of the words but in the roote and ground of reason CHAP 19. Of the rules we are to follow and the helpes we are to trust to in interpreting the Scriptures TOuching the rules wee are to follow the helpes wee are to trust vnto and the things required in the interpretation of Scripture I thinke we may thus resolue First there is required an illumination of the vnderstanding for the naturall man perceiueth not the things of God for they are spiritually discerned but the spirituall man iudgeth all things and himselfe is iudged of none Secondly a minde free from the thought of other things depending on God as the fountaine of illumination desirous of the truth with resolution to imbrace it though contrary to the conceits of naturall men Thirdly the knowledge of the rule of faith formerly set downe and the practice of the Saints according to the same Fourthly a due consideration what will follow vpon our interpretation agreeing with or contrary to the things generally receiued and beleeued among Christians in which consideration the conference of other places of Scripture and the things there deliuered is necessary For the consideration of the circumstances of the places interpreted the occasion of the words the things going before and following after Sixtly the knowledge of all those Histories Artes and Sciences which may helpe vs. For seeing grace presupposeth nature and the Scripture doth not teach vs but presupposeth wee know already the things that may be discerned by the light of nature many doe not vnderstand sundry passages of Scripture because they bring not with them to the study of it that degree of naturall knowledge which is requisite Seuenthly the knowledge of the originall tongues and the phrases and Idiotismes of them Soe that to resolue this matter yet more distinctly and fully there are some things required for the attaining of the right vnderstanding of Scripture as making vs capable of such vnderstanding of which sort is the illumination of the minde some things as meanes whereby wee attaine vnto it These are of two sorts either disposing and preparing only as often reading meditating and praying or else guiding vs in the very search it selfe Thēse are either generall and most infallible as the rule of faith which if wee follow wee are sure not to depart from the generall verity of the Christian faith or more proper and speciall directing vs to the true finding out of the meaning of particular places of Scripture There is therefore betweene our aduersaries and vs no difference in this matter if they wil vnderstand themselues For we confesse that neither conference of places nor consideration of the antecedentia consequentia nor looking into the originals are of any force vnlesse we finde the things which wee conceiue to bee vnderstood and meant in the places interpreted to be consonant to the rule of faith And they confesse that though alone and without respect had to the rule of faith they be but probable meanes of direction and not absolutely certaine yet that being joyned with the rule of faith they helpe and are exceedingly necessary Illyricus in his Clauis scripturae speaking of the difficulties that are found in Scripture and how they may be cleared sheweth that nothing is more necessary for the vnderstanding of the Scripture than to be rightly taught the generall principles and axiomes of Diuinity out of which doe flowe and on which do depend whatsoeuer things are contained in the Scripture and then commeth to the other media assigned before Neither is there any of our Diuines that euer thought otherwise CHAP 20. Of the supposed imperfection of Scriptures and the supply of Traditions THus hauing shewed what that difficulty and obscurity is which is found in Scripture who must interpret it and by what rules they must be guided in the interpretatiō of it it remaineth that in the next place we cleare the scriptures from the other imputation of our adversaries which is imperfection which they indeauour to supply by addition of traditions The necessity of writing for the preseruation and safe keeping of those treasures of learning and wisdome which wee desire should remaine and be knowne to posterities appeareth in that fewe things remaine of Socrates Pythagoras others renowned in the times wherein they liued for wisdome and learning because they left nothing in writing as also by that of blessed Iob Oh that my wordes were written c. as if there were no other meanes to preserue the remembrance of things that they should neuer be forgotten but writing only The Auncients had the knowledge of God without writing but how soone it decayed it easily appeareth Surely it failed in euery family in one at the least till the time of Iacob father of the 12. Patriarkes And therefore after God took the whole posterity of Iacob to be his peculiar people a fauour which he shewed not to any of his fathers before hee gaue them his lawes in writing which Scripture or writing was so full and perfect that the Iewes had nothing deliuered vnto them pertaining to the knowledge or seruice of God that was not written The instance that our adversaries giue to the contrary is concerning the females and males dying before the eighth day who not being circumcised they presume they were sanctified to God and found remission of their Originall and birth sinne by some other sacred rite and Sacramentall meanes appointed by God though not written This instance is clearely refuted by Andradius If sayth he we shall more diligently looke into the thing itselfe wee shall finde that the Iewes had no set or certaine rite of religion wherewith to sanctifie cleanse their women children or males that died before circumcision from the
to posterities This may rightly be named a tradition not as if we were to beleeue any thing without the warrant and authority of the Scripture but for that wee neede a plaine and distinct explication of many things which are somewhat obscurely contayned in the Scripture which being explicated the Scriptures which otherwise we should not so easily haue vnderstood yeeld vs satisfaction that they are so indeede as the Church deliuereth them vnto vs. The fourth kind of tradition is the continued practise of such things as neither are contayned in the Scripture expressely nor the examples of such practise expressely there deliuered though the grounds reasons and causes of the necessity of such practise be there contayned and the benefit or good that followeth of it Of this sort is the Baptisme of Infantes which is therefore named a tradition because it is not expressely deliuered in Scripture That the Apostles did baptize infants nor any expresse precept there found that they should so doe Yet is not this so receiued by bare and naked tradition but that wee find the Scripture to deliuer vnto vs the grounds of it The fift kind of traditions comprehendeth such observations as in particular are not commanded in Scripture nor the necessity of them from thence concluded though in generall without limitation of times and other circumstances such things be there commanded Of this sort many thinke the observation of the lent fast to be the fast of the fourth and the sixt dayes of the weeke and some other That the Apostles deliuered by liuely voyce many obseruations dispensable and alterable according to the circumstances of times and persons we make no question Onely this we say that they are confounded with Ecclesiasticall traditions so that which they are doth hardly appeare and that they doe not necessarily binde posterities The custome of standing at prayer on the Lords day and betweene Easter and Whitsontinde was generally receiued as deliuered by Apostolique tradition and when some beganne to breake it is was confirmed by the Councell of Nice yet is it not thought necessary to be obserued in our time Out of this which hath beene sayd wee may easily resolue what is to bee thought touching traditions For first the Canon of scripture being admitted as deliuered by Tradition though the diuine truth of it be in it selfe cleare and euident vnto vs not depending of the Churches authority there is noe matter of faith deliuered by bare and onely tradition as the Romanists seeme to Imagine Yea this is so cleare that therein they contrary themselues indeauouring to proue by scripture the same things they pretend to hold by tradition as wee shall finde if wee run through the things questioned betweene them and vs. The onely cleare instance they seeme to giue is touching the perpetuall virginity of Mary which they say cannot be proued by scripture and yet is necessary to be beleeued But they should know that this is no point of Christian faith That shee was a Virgin before in and after the birth of Christ wee are bound to beleeue as an article of our faith and so much is deliuered in scripture and in the Apostles Creede but that shee continued so euer after is a seemely truth deliuered vnto vs by the Church of God fitting the sanctity of the blessed Virgin and the honour due to soe sanctified a vessell of Christs incarnation as her body was and soe is de pietate but not de necessitate fidei as the Schoole-men vse to speake Neither was Heluidius condemned of Heresie for the deniall hereof but because pertinaciously hee vrged the deniall of it vpon misconstruction of scripture as if the deniall of it had beene a matter of faith Touching this Allegation of our Aduersaries concerning Maries perpetuall Virginity wee must know that howsoeuer they pretend to hold it onely by tradition yet the Fathers that defend it against Heluidius endeauour to proue it by the Scripture Their instance of Childrens Baptisme is most apparantly against themselues for they confesse it may be proued by scripture Bellarmine proueth it by three reasons taken from the scripture The first is from the proportion betweene Baptisme and Circumcision the Circumcision of Children then and the Baptisme of them now This argument he saith as they propose it cannot be auoyded The second from these two places Iohn 3. Except a man be borne a new of water and of the spirit hee cannot enter into the kingdome of Heauen And that other Suffer little children to come vnto mee for vnto such belongeth the Kingdome of Heauen This Argument he sayth is strong effectuall and pregnant to proue the necessity of the Baptisme of Infants The third is taken from the Baptizing of whole families by the Apostles in which by all likelihood there were infants Surely in this point of traditions our aduersaries bewray their great folly inconstancie making it euident to the whole world they know not what they say Bellarmine sayth that many things touching the matter and forme of sacraments are holden by tradition as not being contained in scripture and yet in the particulars there is nothing defined in the Church of Rome touching these things which he indeauoureth not to proue by scripture Some alleage for proofe of tradition the consubstantiality of the sonne of God with the Father and the proceeding of the holy Ghost from them both Others constantly affirme that these things are proued by scripture Some of them say Pugatory is holden by tradition others thinke it may bee proued by scripture g Melchior Canus endeauouring to proue the necessity of traditions produceth sundry things as not written as inuocation of Saints worshipping of images the Priests consecrating and partaking in both parts of the sacrament That ordination and confirmation are to bee conferred and giuen but onely once which when hee hath alleaged hee dareth not say the scripture doth not deliuer them for feare of gainesaying the truth in some of them and his owne fellowes in other And therefore hee sayth These things perhaps the scripture hath not deliuered For Bellarmine thinketh the Scripture doeth strongly proue the Invocation and worship of Saints and Angels and who is so impudent to deny that the Ministers of the Church are bound by the commaundement of Christ contayned in the Scripture to consecrate and participate in both parts of the Sacrament That confirmation and ordination once conferred are not to be reiterated may be concluded out of the nature of them described vnto vs in the Scripture So that for matters of faith wee may conclude according to the judgement of the best and most learned of our adversaries themselues that there is nothing to be beleeued which is not either expressely contayned in Scripture or at least by necessary consequence from thence and other things evident in the light of nature or in the matter of fact to bee concluded That there were many speeches and diuine sayings of our
we were captiues and that spirituall Egypt wherein we were formerly holden in miserable bondage But as there were some of the children of the captiuity that after long continuance abroad forgat Hierusalem and preferred Babylon before Sion neuer desiring to returne into their owne country any more And as many of the Israelites brought out of the house of Pharoahs bondage by God himselfe and conducted by Moses and Aaron to take possession of Canaan the land of promise a land that flowed with milke and honey in their hearts returned backe so are there many that would neuer be induced to come out of the spirituall Babylon and other that are easily perswaded to looke backe and in their hearts to returne into Egypt againe For the winning and gaining of the former and the staying of the latter I haue indeauoured by the true discription of them out of the Scripture the authenticall recordsof antiquity to make it appeare how farre Canaan exceedeth Egypt and Sion Babylon how different the gouernement of Christ is from that of Antichrist how happy the people are that liue vnder the one and how miserable their condition is that are subiect to the other Beseeching God for his mercies sake to enlighten them that sit in darkenes to bring backe them that are gone astray to raise vp them that are fallen to strengthen them that stand to confirme them that are doubtfull to rebuke Sathan to put an end to the manyfold vnhappy contentions of these times to make vp the breaches of Sion to build the walles of Hierusalem and to loue it still R. F. THE FIFT BOOKE OF THE DIVERSE DEGREES ORDERS AND CALLINGS OF THOSE men to vvhom the gouernement of the Church is committed CHAP. 1. Of the Primitiue and first Church of God in the house of Adam the Father of all the liuing and the gouernement of the same ALMIGHTIE GOD the fountaine of all being who to manifest the glory of his power and the riches of his goodnesse made all things of nothing disposed and sorted the things hee made into three seuerall rankes For to some hee gaue being without any apprehension or discerning of it Others hee made to feele and sensibly discerne that particular good hee was pleased to doe vnto them And to a third sort of a more eminent degree and qualitie made after his owne image hee gaue generality of knowledge of all things and extent of desire answerable thereunto causing them without all restraint or limitation to take view of all the variety of things that are in the world and neuer to rest satisfied till they come to see inioy and possesse him that made them all These hee seperated from the rest of his creatures causing them to approach and drawe neere vnto himselfe and to compasse about his sacred throne and called them forth to be a joyfull company of blessed ones praising and worshiping him in the glorious Temple of the world to bee vnto him an holy Church in the midst whereof his greatnesse should be knowne and his name called vpon These are of twoe sorts Angells dwelling in heauenly palaces and Men made out of the earth dwelling in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust The Angels are immortall immateriall and spirituall substances made all at once and immediately after their creation soe many as turned not from God their Creator corfirmed in grace and perfectly established in the full possession of their vttermest good soe that they neede noe guide to leade them to the attaining of the same howsoeuer in the degrees of their naturall or supernaturall perfections and in the actions of their ministery wherein GOD employeth them they are more great and excellent one then another and are not without their order and gouernement But concerning men made out of the earth and compounded of body and spirit it is farre otherwise For God did not create them all at one time but made onely one man and one woman immediatly with his owne hands appointing that the rest should descend and come of them by naturall generation Whereupon wee shall finde that as in the Creation the tree was first and then the seede but in the naturall propagation of things the seed is first and then the tree So the first man whom God made out of the earth and the first woman whom he made of man were perfect at the first as well in stature of body as in qualities of the minde both because whatsoeuer is immediatly from God is perfect as also for that the first things whence all other haue their being must be perfect but afterwards the beginnings of all the sonnes of men are weake and they grow by degrees to perfection of body and minde hauing need to receiue nourishment support guidance and direction from them from whom they receiue their being So that nothing is more naturall then for children to expect these things from their parents nor for parents then to nourish guide and direct their children This care pertaineth as well to the mother that bare them in whose wombe they were conceiued as to the father that begate them and out of whose loynes they came Yet because the man was not of the woman but the woman of the man the man was not created for the woman but the woman for the man the originall disposition and soveraigne direction of all doth naturally rest in the man who is the glory of God the womans head and euery way fittest to be chiefe commaunder in the whole Family and houshold Heereupon Adam the father of all the liuing was appointed by that God that made him to instruct guide and direct those that should come of him euen in the state of natures integritie though without any forcing with terrours or recalling with punishments while there was yet no pronenesse to euill nor difficultie to doe good And when he had broken the Law of his Creator was called to an account made know his sinne and recomforted with the promise that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpents head he was to teach his children the same things sanctified to be both a King to rule in the litle World of his owne Family and a Priest as well to manifest the will of God to them of the same as to present their desires vowes and sacrifices vnto him then which course what could be devised more fitting For when there were no more in the World but the first man whom GOD made out of the earth the first woman that was made of man and the children which GOD had giuen them who could bee fitter to rule and direct then the man for whose sake the woman was created and out of whose loynes the children came CHAP. 2. Of the dignity of the first-borne amongst the sonnes of Adam and their Kingly and Priestly direction of the rest AND seeing nothing is more naturall then that as the Father is to instruct direct and set forward the children that GOD hath giuen
expresly We retaine it in our Colledges I obserued before that wee must carefully distinguish the generall practise and intention of the whole Church from priuate conceipts the whole Church commemorated the dead offered the sacrifice of praise for them prayed for them in the passage for their resurrection and consummation all which thinges we allow so that neither Doctor Humphrey nor we condemne the Vniuersall Church but thinke it were madnesse soe to doe but the priuate fancies of such as extended their prayers farther thinking they might ease mitigate suspend or wholy take away the paines of men damned in hell for of Purgatory no man thought in the Primitiue Church wee reject This erroneous conceipt and practise Aerius rightly condemned and Doctor Humphrey and wee all agree with him in the same dislike but he did ill to impute this errour to the whole Church and to condemne that which was good and laudable vppon soe weake a ground Of the difference which Maister Higgons would faine make betweene our commendation of the dead vsed in colledges and that vsed anciently whereof Saint Augustine speaketh I haue spoken before wherefore let vs come to his last exception against Doctor Humphrey which is that hee handleth the matter artificially to make a credulous reader beleeue that Saint Augustine himselfe doth conuell the vse of prayer for the dead by those sentences of the Apostle that we cannot reape if wee sowe not here and that wee must all stand before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery one may receiue according to the things hee hath done in his body whether good or euill This imputation is nothing else but a malitious and impudent charging of him with that he neuer thought of For the onely thing he sayth Augustine held proued by these sentences is that vnlesse we depart hence in a true faith wee canot be relieued by any deuotion of other men after we are gone Which is so vndoubtedly true that I thinke Higgons him-selfe dareth not deny it But that Augustine thought that men dying in the state of grace and faith of Christ may bee holpen by the prayers of the liuing hee neither made question himselfe nor euer sought to make his reader beleeue otherwise Neither doe wee dissent from Augustine in this point if the prayers hee speaketh of bee made respectiuely to the passage hence and entrance into the other world as I haue shewed before The onely thing that is questionable betweene Vs and our Aduersaries being whether prayers may releeue men in a state of temporall affliction after this life whereof Augustine neuer resolued any thing what-soeuer this pratling Apostata say to the contrary These things being soe let the reader judge whether the detection of falshood and ill dealing in Doctor Humphrey could possibly occasion Maister Higgons his change as hee would make the world beleeue there being nothing found in his whole discourse that is not most true and iustifiable by all course of learning But because hee is sufficiently chastised by others and knoweth too well the true cause of his running away to bee things of a farre other nature then those he pretendeth I will prosecute this matter no farther against him The Appendix §. 1. NOw it remaineth that I come to the Appendix which he addeth to his booke which hee deuideth into two partes whereof the first concerneth Mee the second D. Morton which hee hath answered already In that part which concerneth Me he vndertaketh to proue that I notoriously abuse the name and authority of Gerson Grosthead c. to defend the reformation made by Princes Prelats in our Churches Wherefore that the reader may perceiue I haue not abused these reuerend worthy men but that he wrōgeth both Them Me I will take the paines to examine his whole discourse though it will be very tedious soe to do by reason of the cōfused perplexed manner of handling of things in the same without all order method In the 1. chapter he doth but lay the foūdatiō of his intēded building therefore gathereth together a great nūber of positiōs sayings out of my book miserably māgled torne one frō another all which shall be defended whē he cōmeth to say any thing against them in such sort as that it shall evidently appeare that there is no falshood or collusion in any part of my Discourse as this false and treacherous Fugitiue is pleased to say there is Onely one thing there is heere that may not bee passed ouer because it hath no farther prosecution in that which followeth His wordes are these Whereas Bellarmine doth object the intestine divisions and conflicts of the pretensed Gospellers this Doctor turneth him off with this answer wee say that these diuersities are to bee imputed wholly to our Adversaries for when there was a reformation to be made of abuses and disorders in matters of practise and manyfold corruption in many points of Christian Doctrine and in a Councell by a Generall consent it could not bee hoped for as Gerson long before out of his experience saw and professed by reason of the prevailing faction of Popes flatterers it was not possible but that some diversity should grow while one knew not nor expected to know what another did This he saith is a very admirable devise For answere hereunto we must obserue that the divisions of this part of Christendome are of two sorts the first is from the faction of the Pope the second among them that haue abandoned the vsurped Authority of the Pope That the Pope and his adherents were the cause of the former of these divisions and the consequents of it is affirmed by better men then Master Higgons I will not deny saith Cassander a man highly esteemed for piety learning by the Emperours Ferdinand and Maximilian that many in the beginning were moued out of a Godly affection more sharply to reprehend certaine manifest abuses and that the chiefe cause of this calamitie and distraction or rent of the Church is to be attributed to them who puffed vp with the swelling conceipts of their Ecclesiasticall power proudly disdainfully contemned and repelled them that admonished them rightly of things amisse And therefore I do not thinke that any firme peace is euer to be hoped for vnlesse the beginning thereof be from them that gaue the cause of this diuision that is vnlesse they that haue the gouernment of the Church remit something of that their too great rigor listning to the desires of many godly ones correct manifest abuses according to the rule of sacred Scripture the ancient Church from which they are departed c. Touching that saith c Contarenus which the Lutherans say in the first last place of manifold and great abuses brought into the Church of Christ against which they so exclaime concerning which they haue made so many complaints to expresse their greiuances I haue nothing to say but first of all to
more fully shall be enioyed Resting in the first degree as the authority of the Church moueth vs to beleeue so if it be weakned that kind degree of faith that stayeth on it falleth to the ground hauing no other sufficient stay But if we speake of fayth in respect of her two other degrees shee hath a more sure and firme ground stay to rest vpon And therefore August affirmeth that the truth clearly manifesting it selfe vnto vs is to be preferred before all those things that commend vnto vs the authority of the church that there are certaine spiritually minded men who in this life attaine to the knowledge of heauenly truth sincere wisdome without all doubt discerning it though but in part weakly in that they are men Of which number there is no question but that Aug was one so that the authority of the Church could not be the sole or principall motiue or reason at that time when hee wrote of his present perswasion of the truth of heauenly mysteries contayned in the Gospell of Christ as the Treatiser would make vs beleeue but hauing to do with the Manichees who promised the evident and cleere knowledge of trueth but fayling to performe that they promised vrged him to beleeue that which they could not make him know to bee true he professeth that if he must beleeue without discerning the truth of that he beleeueth he must rest on the authority of the catholicke church For the Manichees had no authority sufficient to moue a man to beleeue in this sort Now the Catholicke Church commanded him not to listen to Manicheus in which behalfe if they would could weaken the authority thereof he professeth hee neither can nor will beleeue any more with such a kind of faith as they vrged him to which is without all discerning of the truth of the things that are to be beleeued Thus we see the discourse of S. Augustine no way proueth that the authority of the Church was the fole or principall ground of the highest degree or kind of faith he had but it is most euident out of the same that it serued onely as an introduction to lead to a more sure perswasion then it selfe could cause §. 5. 6. THe next thing the Treatiser hath that concerneth Mee is that I acknowledge in the Church a rule of faith descending by tradition from the Apostles according to which the Scriptures are to be expounded Whereunto I briefly answere that indeede I admit such a rule so descending vnto vs but that the rule I speake of is nothing else but a summary comprehension of the chiefe heads of Christian doctrine euery part whereof is found in Scripture and from them easily to bee collected and proued deliuered vnto vs by the guides of the Church from hand to hand as from the Apostles So that my words make nothing for proofe of the papists supposed vnwritten traditions wherefore let vs passe to that which followeth which is the Sophisticall circulation which I say Papists runne into in that they beleeue that the Church is infallibly lead into all truth because it is soe contained in the Scripture and that the Scripture is the word of God because the Church infallibly led into all truth telleth them it is In this passage he sayth I wrong Stapleton in that I charge him that in his triplication against Whitaker he affirmeth other matters to be beleeued because they are contained in Scripture and the Scripture because it is the word of God and that it is the word of God because the Church deliuereth it to be so and the Church because it is lead by the spirit and that it is lead by the spirit because it is so contained in the Scripture and the Creed For that as he saith Stapleton in the last place maketh no mention of the Scripture but of the Creed only Wherefore let vs heare Stapleton himselfe speake Whereas D. Whitaker obiecteth that Papists according to Stapletons opiniō beleeue whatsoeuer they beleeue not only by but for the Church that ingenuously he had cōfessed so much he answereth that indeed he had so professed that he euer would so professe and in another place whereas D. Whitaker saith Papistes beleeue the Church because God commaundeth them to do soe and that God doth so commaund them because the Church whose authority is sacred telleth them so he answereth that they doe not beleeue that God commaundeth them to beleeue the Church either properly or onely because the Church telleth them soe but partly because of the most manifest authorities of Scriptures sending men to the Church to bee taught by it partly moued so to doe by the Creede of the Apostles wherein we professe that wee beleeue the Catholique Church that is not only that there is such a Church but that we are members of it and that God doth teach vs by it Is here noe mention of the Scripture but of the Creed onely Doubtlesse the Treatiser hath a very hard fore-head for otherwise he could not but blush and acknowledge that hee wrongeth Mee and not I Stapleton But to make good that which I haue written that Papists either fall into a Sophisticall circulation or resolue the perswasion of their faith finally into humane motiues and inducements first it is to be obserued that noe man perswadeth himselfe of the truth of any thing but because it is euident unto him in it selfe to be as he perswadeth himselfe either in abstractiue knowledge or intuitiue intellectuall or experimentall or of affection or else because it is soe deliuered to bee by some such as hee is well perswaded of both in respect of their vnderstanding discerning aright and will to deliuer nothing but that they apprehend to be true In the former kind the inducement motiue or formall cause of mens assent to such propositions as they assent vnto is the euidence of them in themselues which either they haue originally as the first principles or by necessary deduction from things so euident as conclusions thence inferred In the latter the authority and credit of the reporter The former kind of assent is named assensus euidens the latter ineuidens of which latter sort faith is which is named a firme assent without euidence because many of the things which we are to beleeue are not nor cannot be euident vnto vs originally in themselues as the first principles of humane knowledge nor by deduction from and out of things so evident in such sort as conclusions in sciences are Yet is not this assent without all evidence For though the things beleeued be not euident in themselues yet the medium by vertue whereof we beleeue them must be evident the proofe of them by vertue of that medium Now the medium by vertue whereof we beleeue things no way evident vnto vs in themselues can be nothing else but the report of another neither is euery report of another a sufficient medium
done by euery one Wherevnto we answere according to their owne groundes that those partes of divine and canonicall Scripture which particularly wee haue not read or considered are onely implicitè and vertually beleeued of vs as likewise the thinges that are contayned in them neither should this seeme strange to the Romanists for they thinke it pertayneth to the faith of each Christian man to beleeue all the bookes of holy Scripture to bee vndoubtedly true and indited by the Spirit of God Yet are there many amongst them that neyther know how many nor which these bookes are but beleeue them vertually onely as it appertayneth to the fayth to beleeue that Iesus Mary Ioseph fledde into Aegypt and that Paul mediated for the reconciling of Onesimus to Philemon but it is sufficient for men that neuer read or considered these particulars to beleeue them vertually Thirdly he chargeth vs with contrariety in our sayings in that we make the Scripture to bee the ground and rule of our fayth and yet make the light of faith a meane whereby we come to the knowledge of Scripture because as hee thinketh the Scripture cannot bee a rule of our fayth vnlesse it bee certainely knowne to bee diuine before we beleeue But the good man should knowe that the Scripture may bee the rule of our fayth directing vs touching such particular things as wee are to beleeue though it be not knowne to bee diuine before we beleeue For first God giueth vs the eyes of fayth and openeth our vnderstandings that wee may see and discerne in generall heauenly trueth to bee contayned in Scripture then it becommeth a rule of direction in all particular poynts of faith Fourthly he imputeth to vs that wee relie vpon illuminations and inspirations in the things wee beleeue as if wee beleeued them without any other proofe or demonstration vpon bare imagined inspirations whereas wee beleeue nothing without such proofes and motiues as all men may take notice of and yet knowe right well that none doe make right vse thereof but such as haue their vnderstandings enlightned So that his reasoning against the certainty of this illumination is idle seeing we doe not make illumination or inspiration the ground of our perswasion touching things to be beleeved but a disposition of the mind making vs capable of the apprehension of thinges that are diuine and heauenly This illumination is in some more and in some lesse but in all the chosen seruants of God such as sufficeth for the discerning of all sauing trueth necessary to bee knowne of each man according to his estate and condition Fiftly besides idle repetition of thinges going before to which hee referreth himself and some vntruths mingled with the same First he chargeth Me that I am contrary to my selfe in deliuering the opinions of Papists The first supposed contradiction is in that I affirme that it is the ordinary opinion of Papists that the articles of faith are beleeued because God reuealeth them and yet say in another place that they make the authority of the Church the rule of our fayth and reason why we beleeue The second in that I charge the Papistes in one place that they giue authority to the Church to make new articles of faith and in another place free them from the same This latter supposed contrariety I shewed before to bee none at all but in the Treatisers imagination onely and touching the first if hee were a man of any common vnderstanding or knew what contrariety is hee vvould not charge Mee with any such thing For it is true that all Papists thinke the articles of faith are to be beleeued because reuealed but they thinke also that wee knowe not that they are reuealed but beleeue so onely and that not by reason of any diuine reuelation testimony or authority but because the Church so telleth vs and wee haue many humane inducements mouing vs so to perswade our selues So that they make the authority of the Church and humane inducements the last and finall reason of beleeuing whatsoeuer they beleeue This the Treatiser knew well enough and therefore hee requireth Mee to shew how I know that God reuealeth the things beleeued by Christians If I will not fall into the same fault for which I blame them Whereunto I answere that I know the Scriptures to bee inspired of God by the diuine force and majesty that sheweth it selfe in them in which sence I say the bookes of Scripture win credit of themselues and yeeld sufficient satisfaction to all men of their diuine truth For as the colour in each thing maketh it visible and to be seene so the diuine power vertue that sheweth it selfe in the Scripture maketh vs to beleeue that it is of God But the Treatiser will not thus leaue Mee but still goeth on adding one vniust imputation to another For whereas we say only the Scriptures are not discerned to be diuine and inspired of God vnlesse we be inlightned by grace and not that they are proued to bee diuine by the certaintie of that illumination he maketh vs whether we wil or not to proue the Scriptures by our inspirations and that we are inspired by the Scriptures whereas we proue neither the one nor the other of these things in any such sort For touching the Scripture I haue sufficiently shewed before how we know it to be diuine and for the other the Treatiser should know that we doe not proue by Scripture that we are divinely inlightned and inspired but that as naturall reason hath a direct act whereby she apprehendeth things without a reflexed act whereby taking a view of the former direct acts she findeth out her selfe so the light of Faith first discouereth Heauenly verities in the Scripture such as naturall reason could neuer find out then by reflexion findeth it selfe to be of another nature kind then that rationall vnderstanding that was before Wherefore let vs goe forward Did not mine eyes see and my hands handle the palpable absurdities of this Treatiser I would not beleeue any mans report that one so voide of all sense reason as he euery way sheweth himselfe to be should be permitted to write For whereas I bring a most cleare sentence out of Augustine to proue that howsoeuer the authoritie of the Church serue as an introduction to bring vs to the spirituall discerning of diuine things yet men rest not in it hee answereth that Augustine in the chapter cited by Me affirmeth onely that because all men are not capable at first to vnderstād the sincere wisdome truth taught in the church God hath ordained in it a motiue which may first moue them to seeke it to wit the authority of the Church which partly through miracles partly through multitudes is of force to moue which no way taketh any thing from but rather addeth strength to my proofes for if these motiues be necessary onely at the first before men bee purged made pure in
heart that they may discerne see the light of heauenly truth it is evident that in Augustines judgment the authority of the Church serueth but as an introduction that the thing which right beleeuers rest vpon is of a higher nature to wit the discerning of heauenly truth Wherefore finding himselfe too weak to giue any substantiall answer he betaketh himselfe to a most silly exception pretending that I haue not truly translated these words of Augustin praesto est authoritas quā partim miraculis partim multitudine valere nemo ambigit authoritie is ready at handwhich standeth vpō 2 things the one the greatnes of miracles done the other multitude Is this a false translatiō hath the authority of the church that force which it hath to moue mē to beleeue partly by reasō of miracles partly by reasō of multitude may it not be truly said that it standeth partly vpon the greatnes of miracles wrought partly vpō multitudes but valere doth not signifie to stād vpō it is true it doth not yet what boy in the Grāmer School will not laugh at him for thus childishly demeaning himself for what man of vnderstāding would cal men to cōster euery word precisely as it importeth by it selfe without consideration of the coherence it hath with other in the same sentence Besides this place of Aug. there is another cited by Me out of Hugo where he maketh 3 sorts of beleeuers whereof the first are such as are moued out of piety to beleeue which yet discerne not by reason whether the things they beleeue are to bee beleeued or not The second such who by reason approue that which by faith they beleeue The third sort are such as by reason of the purity of their heart conscience begin inwardly to taste what by faith they beleeue This place maketh strongly for the confirmation of that I say that the evidence of sundry things in the light of faith and grace is that formall reason which assureth vs of the truth of them For heere Hugo affirmeth that the best sort of beleeuers doe approue by reason or by taste invvardly discerne the things they beleeue to be true So that such approbation or spiritual taste is the reason of their perswasion of the truth of these things To this authoritie the Treatiser hath nothing to say but that it maketh nothing to the purpose and that if I meant to translate the vvords of Hugo I haue not exactly translated thē Whether the saying of Hugo be to the purpose or not I vvill leaue it to the iudgment of the Reader but as for his other exception I vvould haue him knovv and any sensible Reader vvill very easilie discerne that I meant not exactlie to translate his vvordes but at large to set downe the intent driftes of them which I haue most truely performed and therefore hee doth Me wrong when hee saith I deale corruptly vntruly In the third place hee endeauoureth to make his Reader beleeue there is a contrariety betweene Me and Luther Brentius in that Luther with whom Brentius seemeth to agree maketh the Scripture to be of it self a most certaine most easie and most manifest interpreter of it selfe prouing judging and enlightning all things I acknowledge many difficulties in it But if the Treatiser had beene pleased to haue taken thinges aright he could not but haue seene that Luther also acknowledgeth manifold difficulties in the Scripture yea hee doth see it and acknowledge it and yet will not see it and therefore that he bee not contrary to himselfe when he affirmeth that the Scriptures are easie interpret themselues and judge and enlighten all thinges he must bee vnderstood to meane that notwithstanding some difficulties they are not so obscure and hard as that Heretiques may wrest and abuse them at their pleasure and noe man bee able to conuince them out of the euidence of those sacred writings as the Romanistes imagine but that wee may bee so assured out of the Scripture it selfe and the nature of the thinges therein contained that wee haue the true meaning of it that wee neede not altogether to rest in the authority of Church which explication of Luthers words the Treatiser might haue found in the place cited by him if hee had beene pleased and so haue omitted the vrging of this imagined contradiction §. 3. The 4. thing that he proposeth which cōcerneth me is that I mentiō a rule of faith according to which the Scriptures are to be interpreted which if we neglect al other considerations are insufficient the like he alleageth out of the Harmony of confessions whence he inferreth that we admit another guide in interpreting the Scripture besides the letter of the Scripture But hee should knowe that the rule of faith mentioned by me deliuered to vs from hand to hand by the guides of Gods Church containeth nothing in it but that which is found in Scripture either expressely or by necessary implication so that though wee admitte another guide in the interpretation of of Scripture besides the bare letter yet wee admitte noe other but that forme of Christian doctrine which all right beleeuing Christians taught by the Apostles and Apostolique men haue euer receiued as contained in the Scripture and thence collected To this hee addeth an excellent obseruation which is that I seeme to confesse that Saint Paul sometimes by the workes of the Law vnderstandeth the workes of the Law of Moses in that I say that that Apostle pronounceth that the Galathians were bewitched and that if they still persisted to joyne circumcision and the workes of the Law with Christ they were fallen from grace and Christ could profit them nothing But hee needed not thus to mince the matter for I willingly confesse that Paul not sometimes onely but euer vnderstandeth by the workes of the Lawe the workes of Moses Law Neither can there any thing be inferred thence for the Papists or against vs. For whereas by the workes of the Lawe some vnderstand those workes which the ceremoniall Lawe prescribed other such as the morall Lawe requireth and and a third sort such as by terror it worketh in men or causeth them to worke without any chaunge of the heart which cannot be wrought but only by grace the Papists think that whē the Apostle sayth we are iustified by faith without workes he excludeth not such works as the Morall Law requireth but such as the ceremoniall Law prescribeth and the morall Law worketh in men we teach that he excludeth all these So that a man repenting and beleeuing may bee saued though hauing neuer done any good worke he be taken out of this world before he can do any It is true indeede that good workes do necessarily follow iustification if time do serue and opportunity bee offered yet are they no meritorious causes of saluation But the Treatiser will proue out of that which I haue written that they are meritorious that
Caluine doth expressely condemne these reseruations which I confessed before but no way goeth about to make good the consequence which I denied to wit that therefore hee thought the sanctified elements so reserued not to bee Sacramentally the Body of Christ. For that which hee hath that Caluine Bucer Melanchthon and almost all Protestants holde the Eucharist to bee no permanent thing but to bee the Sacrament onely when it is receiued hath no more force of proofe then the rest of his frivolous discourses seeing it is most evident that the Protestants named by him haue no such meaning that the sanctified elements in the Holy Eucharist are no Sacrament but precisely in the very receiuing of them for then they should bee no Sacrament in the hand of the Minister and on the Holy Table but onely in the hand or mouth of the communicant but that they are no Sacrament but in reference to the vse to which they were appointed by Almightie God as I haue shewed at large in the place against which this Treatiser quarrelleth §. 5. LEt vs therefore proceed to see what hee hath more to say In my Fourth booke writing of the things required for the attaining of the right vnderstanding of the Scripture I say some things are required as making vs capable of such vnderstanding and other as meanes whereby we attaine vnto it Amongst the things required as making vs capable of the right vnderstanding of Scripture I reckon the illumination of the vnderstanding and a minde free from the thought of other things depending on God as the Fountaine of illumination desirous to finde out the Truth with resolution to embrace it although contrary to the conceipts of naturall men The meanes whereby we attaine to the right vnderstanding of Holy Scripture I make to be of two sorts some disposing and preparing onely as often reading meditating and praying some guiding vs in the search it selfe and these I make to bee fiâ—…e Whereof the first is the knowledge of the rule of faith and the practise of the Saints according to the same The second a due consideration what will follow vpon our interpretation agreeing with or contrary to the things receiued amongst Christians In which consideration the conference of other places of Scripture is necessary The third the consideration of the circumstances of the places interpreted the occasion of the words the things going before and following after The fourth the knowledge of all those histories arts and sciences which may helpe vs. The fifth the knowledge of the originall tongues and the phrases and idiotismes of the same In all these passages as I thinke there is nothing that the Diuell himselfe dareth gaine-say yet as if I had vttered some strange paradoxes and things neuer heard of before the Treatiser sayth my doctrine is commonly singular in so much that hee professeth hee thinketh hee may very well in some sort liken the platforme or order and Faith of a Church sette downe in my bookes of that argument to Sir Thomas Moores Vtopia and that there neither is nor euer was any such Church in the world as I describe and therevpon maketh shew as if hee would confute euery word that I haue in the place cited by him Verily I thinke it will not bee safe for mee to write or say that there is a GOD that GOD made heauen and earth or that hee sent his sonne into the world for he impugneth thinges as cleare as any of these as that an illumination of the mind is necessary to the vnderstanding of the Scripture inspired of God the thinges contained in it seeing the naturall man perceiueth not the thinges of GOD which are spiritually discerned whereas yet wee shall finde that hee canne say nothing against the necessity of such diuine illumination for the vnderstanding of the Scripture but hee might say as much against the necessity of the light of naturall reason for the vnderstanding of things naturally discernable For hee might aske as now hee doth touching this illumination how a man knoweth hee hath reason or the vse of reason and is not mad or drunke seeing such men as are soe distempered thinke they haue the vse of reason as well as any other and one kinde of answere will serue for both these doubtes For as men know they haue reason by the discerning of such things as are not discernable by the senses or sensitiue faculties which are organicall soe faithfull and beleeuing men that haue their mindes enlightned knowe they haue receiued such a new illumination in that they discerne thinges which before by the dimme sight of nature they could not and as men that are sober and in their right wittes doe certainely know they are soe though such as are madde or drunke thinke they are when they are not and soe deceiue themselues Soe men that haue true illumination of grace may certainely knowe they haue it though some franticke and braine-sicke men thinke they haue it when they haue it not The weaknesse of this assault it seemeth the Treatiser did perceiue and therefore hee assayleth vs another way and vndertaketh to proue that it is not necessary a man should be spirituall before hee vnderstandeth the Scriptures because then it would be consequent that our faith could not be builded vpon Scriptures as we thinke it is But I doubt hee will haue as bad successe as before For as there must bee a naturall light of reason shining in men before any thing naturally discernable canne euidently appeare vnto them to bee that it is and yet the perswasion men haue touching the beeing of such things buildeth it selfe vppon such euidence soe likewise there must be a light of grace shining in the vnderstanding of men before they can vnderstand the Scripture and yet the perswasion they haue of the trueth of diuine thinges may and doth build it selfe vppon the Scriptures vnderstood through such light Wherefore let vs see what hee hath yet more to say Whereas besides an illumination I require in him that will vnderstand the Scriptures a minde free from the thought of other things depending vpon God as the fountaine of illumination and desirous of trueth with resolution to embrace it though contrary to the conceipt of naturall men besides his former exception already answered he addeth these words I dislike these wordes desirous of truth with resolution to embrace it The like wherevnto I protest I neuer read nor heard to come from any man For is it possible there should any such man be found that should dislike it in vs that wee require in him that will vnderstand the Scripture a minde desirous of trueth with resolution to embrace it Surely it is for we haue met with such an one but he hath taken order by concealing his name that noe man shall make him blush by looking on him This doubtlesse is one of the sons of Belial that haue cast off the yoake that neither feare God nor reuerence men But what
reason doth he giue of his dislike these words hee saith seeme to pretend a kind of doubting or staggering which must not be allowed especially in such men as are spirituall As if a spirituall man might doubt of nothing nor be ignorant of nothing whereas yet all men know S. Augustine S. Hierome and other holy Fathers who as wee thinke were spirituall doubted of the meaning of sundry passages of holy scriptures and left many questions vnresolued If happily he say men may not doubt of matters of faith and that therefore they must not be said to haue mindes desirous of truth with resolution to embrace it it will be answered that noe man professing himselfe to be a Christian ought to doubt of such things as all Christians are bound expressely to beleeue yet are there many matters of faith that is such as must be beleeued at least implicite that faithfull men may doubt of and enquire after Yea at first when a man beginneth to beleeue hee doubteth of all points of faith and must be setled in the same by the Scriptures interpreted vnto him the diuine illumination of grace making him vnderstand them Thirdly whereas I reckon the knowledge of the rule of faith and the practise of the Saints according to the same amongst the meanes which are necessarie for the vnderstanding of the Scripture and define that rule First to bee the summary comprehension of such principall articles of diuine knowledge as are contained in the Creede of the Apostles and are the principles whence all other things are deriued Secondly all such things as all Christians are bound to beleeue expressely which haue bin euer constantly beleeued by all such as haue not beene noted for singularity and nouelty Hee sayth most men will dislike my doctrine and pronounceth this rule to bee verie vncertaine and yet presently forgetting himselfe addeth that hee hath proued in the first part of this Treatise that in very deede the Scriptures ought to bee interpreted according to the rule of faith that is the summe of Christian Religion preserued as a depositum in the Church But some man happily will say that howsoeuer he forgetteth himselfe yet hee hath good aduantage against vs. For first he argueth that if the Scripture be to bee interpreted according to the rule of faith the rule of faith it selfe is not knowne and beleeued through the authority of the Scripture Secondly hee sayth the practise of the Saints from the beginning to which I require men to haue an eye in interpreting Scripture canne very hardly be gathered out of the monuments of Antiquity according to my grounds For answere to which obiections First I say that the particular and seuerall parts of Scripture must bee interpreted according to the rule of fath that is the summe of Christian Doctrine receiued in the Church and that yet the same summe of Christian doctrine is no otherwise to bee receiued by vs but because it hath beene deliuered by the Church as gathered out of the due comparing of one part of Scripture with another and from thence confirmed and proued Neither must wee firmely rest in the direction of it till the Church make vs see and discerne how it is gathered out of seuerall places of Scripture layd together Secondly that the practise of the saints may bee knowne out of the monuments of antiquity soe farre forth as is necessary for the helping of vs to vnderstand the Scriptures without any such difficultie as the Treatiser imagineth For example when Saint Augustine was to interpret certaine places of Scripture touching the deriuation of sinne from Adam and to cleare the point whether it were by naturall propagation or by imitation onely as the Pelagians thought it was not hard for him to know that the Church did euer most carefully present her new borne infants to Baptisme before they could bee mis-led and drawne away to euill by following the example of Adams disobedience thence to infer that she euer beleeued that infants are conceiued and borne in sinne and consequently that the propagation of sinne from Adam is naturall and not by imitation onely The fourth thing that I require in him that will take vpon him to interprete the Scripture is a due consideration what will follow vpon his interpretation agreeing with or contrary to the things generally receiued beleeued amongst Christians against which he hath nothing to say yet that hee might bee thought to say something first hee challengeth Luther for not obseruing this rule And secondly affirmeth that it is insufficient if at any time almost all Christians may erre as I teach But first concerning Luther the good man should know that hee cannot iustly be charged with the breach of this rule seeing he broached no new doctrine in the Church as the Treatiser vntruly affirmeth but such as had the testimony of Antiquity and the allowance of innumerable Christians in his time as well in the West as in the East And secondly that the possibilitie of the erring of the greatest part of the Church prejudiceth not this rule he might if hee pleased learne out of Vincentius Lirinensis who acknowledgeth that sometimes error may ouer-spread almost all the present church prescribeth that in such a case men should looke vp higher into antiquity The two other ensuing rules to wit consideration of the circumstances of the places interpreted the occasion of the words the things going before following after the knowledge of all such histories arts sciences as may helpe vs in interpreting the Scripture he passeth ouer as necessary though not sufficient of themselues alone The knowledge of the originall tongues he acknowledgeth to bee profitable but will not admit it to be necessary especially according to the conceipt of the Romanists First because they are sure they haue the Scriptures rightly translated Secondly because they make not the Scripture the propounder of their beleefe but expound it according to the rule of Faith deliuered receiued In which passages he bewrayeth grosse ignorance For first the Romanists are not sure that they haue the Scripture truly translated as it appeareth by that which Andradius hath written who proueth at large that though the vulgar translation were allowed of by the Councell of Trent as containing nothing in it whence any heresie or errour in faith may be inferred yet is it not without many great mistakings And secondly if they were sure yet as Melchior Canus sheweth the knowledge of tongues is needfull for the finding out of the meaning of sundry particular places of Scripture by reason of some ambiguity or obscurity in the translation Thirdly for that though the rule of Faith serue for direction in generality so that following the same we may bee sure not to decline from the truth of doctrine yet will not that rule secure vs from all erring and swaruing from the meaning of each place in particular so that in this respect the
Iewes being of two sorts Hebrewes and Hellenistes The Hebrewes deliuered to the Christian church onely the 22 bookes of the old Testament whereof there is no question to bee the absolute rule and Canon of our faith and tooke no notice of the bookes now in question But the Hellenists deliuered with them these also that are questioned if not to be the canon of our faith yet to be a canon and rule of direction for matters of conuersation and manners and to bee read at least ad aedificationem plebis for the edification of the people though not for confirmation of matters of doctrine And truely I am perswaded it cannot bee proued that the Hellenists euer receiued these bookes in question as any part of the canon of faith or absolutely canonicall but in a sort only in that they containe a good direction of mens manners But saith hee D. Field speaking of this volume of the Hellenists addeth These bookes which are doubted of ioyned in one volume with those 22 whereof there is no question were translated out of Greeke into Latine and read by the Latine Church in that translation and intreating of Saint Augustine and the Latine Fathers especially in Africa and the third Carthaginian Councell writeth thus They reckon the bookes of Scripture according as they found them in vse in the Latine Church then Doctour Field hath absolutely granted that in the Latine Church vnder which England is these Scriptures were euer esteemed as Canonicall They seeme greatly to desire to end the controuersies betweene them and vs by publicke disputation and challenge vs in such sort as if we durst not shew our selues where they should appeare but surely if they performe no more when they come to disputing then they doe when they write nor bring no better arguments when they oppose in our schooles then they publish in their bookes the very boyes in our Vniuersities will hisse them out For how will this consequence euer be made good Augustine and the Africanes in the third Councell of Carthage reckon the bookes of Scripture as they found them joyned in one volume translated out of Greeke into Latine not exactly noting the difference that is betweene them and so seeme to admitte into the canon those bookes which wee reiect therefore the bookes which wee reiect were euer esteemed to bee canonicall in the Latine church seeing Hierome at the same time translating the Scriptures out of Hebrew exactly learning which bookes pertained to the Hebrew canon reiected all besides the 22 Hebrew bookes as the Grecians did before him and as after him almost all men of note in the Latine church did But hee will say Augustine and the Africanes found the bookes reiected by vs in vse in the Latine church as well as the other which wee admit to be canonicall therefore they were euer esteemed to be canonicall in the Latine Church vnder which England is This proofe is too weake for as I haue noted in the place cited by him the prayer of Manasses confessed by our Aduersaries to bee Apocryphall the third and fourth of Esdras and the booke called Pastor were likewise in vse in the Latine Church that is read by them of the Latine church cited by them in their writings and many things translated out of them into the publicke prayers liturgie of the church yet will it not follow that these bookes were euer esteemed as canonicall in the Latine church vnder which England was It is true indeede that Augustine when hee was blamed for citing some testimonies out of the bookes reiected by vs defended his so doing by the practise of the church which had anciently read the same in her publicke assemblies but not much pressing the authoritie of them saith hee can proue the things for proofe whereof he alleaged those bookes out of other that are not doubted of So that Caietanes opinion is not improbable that Augustine did not thinke these bookes to be absolutely canonicall but in a sort onely in that they containe many godly instructions and a good direction for mens manners That which hee addeth in the last place that these controuersed bookes being translated out of Greeke into Latine with the other originally written in Hebrew were in likelihood first deliuered by the Hellenists or Iewes of the dispersion to the Greeke Churches as being in Greeke amongst them is to no purpose For though we should graunt they were so deliuered all together yet they of the Greeke Church hauing an eye to the Canon of the Hebrewes put a difference betweene the one and the other and neuer accounted these to bee canonicall as I haue largely proued out of the testimonies of Melito Origen Athanasius Nazianzen Cyrill Epiphanius and Damascene Thus haue we examined the allegations of this chapter and found them very weake and frivolous CHAP. 5. IN the fifth chapter hee vndertaketh to proue that Protestants confesse the vulgar translation to bee the best and their own the worst But because he alleageth nothing to this purpose out of any thing that I haue written I will passe from this to the next not doubting but they who are wronged by him will make him know that he vndertaketh much and proueth little CHAP. 6. IN the sixth chapter wherein he vndertaketh to proue by the confession of Protestants that the true lawfull and iuridicall exposition of Scriptures is in the Romane Church not with the Protestants he endeauoureth to shew that I confesse so much His words are these D. Field confesseth that neither conference of places nor consideration of the Antecedentia Consequentia nor looking into the originals are of any force vnlesse we finde the things which we conceiue to be vnderstood meant in the places interpreted to be consonant to the rule of faith therefore hee confesseth that the warranted exposition of Scripture belongeth to the Romane church This consequence I deny as strange absurd wherefore let vs see if he make any shew of prouing it He addeth that I teach the rule of faith must be tryed either by the generall practise of the Church the renowned of all ages or the Pastors of an Apostolicall Church which as the world can witnesse no Protestant can make claime vnto as if from hence it would follow which is the thing he goeth about to proue or else he doth nothing that all warranted exposition of Scripture belongeth to the Romane Church Whatsoeuer become of the consequence of this argument there are many exceptions to be taken to the antecedent of it For first I doe not giue these three rules whereof he speaketh whereby to know the rule of faith but to know true traditions from false Secondly I do not say the generall practise of the Church the renowned of all ages the Pastors of an Apostolicall church are the rules whereby true traditions may be knowne from false but the generall practise of the church frō the beginning the report testimony of the most renowned
rightly noteth that there is no merit properly so named to bee attributed to mortall miserable men and that though the ecclesiasticall writers vse the word merit and when they speake of holy mens workes call them merits yet they thinke them not to bee properly so but doe so name the good actions of holy men that proceed from faith and the working of the holy Ghost because Almighty God though they bee his gifts and joyned in them by whom they are wrought with defect imperfection yet is so pleased to accept of them out of his goodnesse that he not onely rewardeth the doers of them with ample great rewards in their owne persons but so as to doe good to others for their sakes So God sayd to Abraham if there were but fifty righteous in the city hee would spare the whole city for their sakes Neither onely doth hee good for their sakes whose workes hee thus rewardeth while they liue but euen after they à re dead also And therefore God promiseth that hee will protect Hierusalem for his owne sake and for Dauid his seruant which he must be vnderstood to doe not onely in respect of the promise made vnto him but with respect had to his vertue according to the which we read 1 Reg. 15. 3. that God left a little light in Hierusalem to Abiam the sonne of Roboam King of Iudah for Dauids sake who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. This Dauid saith Chrysostome did not only please God while he was in the body but he is found to haue yeelded great comfort after his death to such as he left behinde him aliue The Prophet Esay commeth to Hezekiah and saith vnto him I will defend this city for mine own sake and for Dauid my seruants sake David is dead but his vertues that pleased God do still liue O strange thing O ineffable clemencie a man long since dead patronizeth him that liueth In this sense then it is that the Church desireth God to be gratious vnto her in graunting her petitions for the merit of those his holiest Ones that she remembreth no way derogating from the merites of Christ but putting a great difference betweene them and those of the Saints for Christs merite is the onely price of our redemption by which onely we are redeemed from sinne eternall death and being reconciled to God are adopted to bee sonnes and heires of eternall life but the merites of the Saints here mentioned are nothing but those imperfect good workes which they did while they liued here which God was pleased so to accept that hee promised not onely to reward them with great and ample rewards in their owne persons but to doe good for their sakes that did them to others also Bucer speaking of the publique prayers of the Church which wee call Collects in which the intercession and merites of Saints are commemorated hath these words Seeing in these prayers whatsoeuer is attributed to the intercession and merites of Saints all that is asked not of the Saints but of our mercifull God through Iesus Christ they that so pray doe thereby professe and testifie that they acknowledge that those things which they aske of God by the intercession and for the merites of the Saints are the free gifts of God c And a little after Wee willingly acknowledge and publiquely professe that GOD doth reward the workes of his Saints not onely in their owne persons but in those also that pertaine vnto them and for whom they intercede for hee hath promised to doe good to a thousand generations to them that loue him and study to keepe his Commaundements hence it was that hee would not heale those of the house of Abimelech till Abraham interceded and intreated for them and hence it was that God graunted and gaue the deliuerance and saluation of all the people to Moses when he intreated for the same These are the wordes of Bucer which not being contradicted by any of our profession it is evident that no part of Romish Religion disliked by vs can bee prooued out of this part of the Canon of the Masse Thus hauing cleared that great objection of Mr Brerelie touching the publique Liturgie vsed in the Church in the dayes of our Fathers and made it appeare that the vsing thereof is no proofe that the Church that then was was not a Protestant Church and hauing made it cleare and evident that both the Liturgie it selfe and the profession of such as vsed it shew plainely that the Church that then was neuer allowed any Romish errour howsoeuer some did in the midst of her it remaineth that I now proceed to shew in the particulars that the outward face of Religion at and before Luthers appearing was not as M ◠Brerelie telleth vs the now professed Romane Religion and that whatsoeuer wee haue done in the reformation of the Church was long before wished for and desired by the best men amongst the guides of the Church CHAP. 1. Of the Canon of the Scriptures THat the Church did not admit the Canon of Scripture which the Romanists now doe nor euer accounted those bookes Canonicall which we thinke to be Apocryphall it will easily appeare in that all the most famous Divines from the beginning of the Christian World euen till the time of Luther did reject those bookes as Apocryphall that wee doe The Church of the Iewes to whom as S. Paul saith the oracles of God were committed admitted but onely 22 Bookes as deliuered to them from God to be the Canon of their faith as Iosephus witnesseth Neither did the Christian Church euer admit any more Melito Bishop of Sardis being desired by Onesimus to send him a catalogue of the bookes of the old and new Testament writeth thus vnto him Hauing diligently sought out the bookes of the old Testament and put them in order I haue sent them vnto you the names whereof are these the 5 bookes of Moses Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie then Iesus the sonne of Naue Iudges Ruth the 4 bookes of Kings two bookes of Chronicles the Psalmes of Dauid the Prouerbes which is also called the Wisdome of Salomon Ecclesiastes the Canticles Iob the Prophets Esay Hieremie one booke of the twelue Prophets Daniel Ezechiel Esdras Some soe translate the words of Melito as if hee reckoned the wisdome of Salomon as a seperate booke and so meant the booke that is commonly called the Wisdome of Salomon and is by vs accounted to be apocryphall but Ruffinus translateth as wee doe and that wee haue rightly expressed the meaning of this worthy Bishoppe and that hee onely added this as a glorious title to the booke of Salomons Prouerbs which as Eusebius saith the auncients vsually called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reader will soone be satisfied if he peruse that which D. Raynolds hath touching this point in his prelections Eusebius she weth that Iosephus according to the auncient
tradition of the Iewes numbred only 22 Canonicall bookes of the old Testament as we do and in his Chronicle he sayth expressely that the bookes of the Macchabees are not in the canon Reade saith Cyrill of Hierusalem in his Catechisme the diuine Scriptures that is the 22 bookes of the old Testament and a litle after Reade therefore these 22 bookes but with the apocrypha haue nothing to doe meditate vpon the diuine Scriptures which wee confidently reade in the Church the holy Apostles the guides of truth who deliuered vnto vs these bookes were more wise and religious then thou art Seing therefore thou art but a sonne transgresse not the precepts of the Fathers Now these are the bookes which thou must reade and then numbreth all the bookes of the old Testament and omitteth all those that are controuersed sauing that hee addeth that of Baruch thinking it a part of Hieremies prophesies Of the same opinion is Epiphanius making no mention of any of the bookes reiected by vs as apocryphall but onely the booke of Wisdome and Iesus the sonne of Sirach which hee saith are profitable but not to be esteemed as the 22 bookes or 27 as some count them that were kept in the arke of the couenant which are the bookes by vs acknowledged to bee canonicall Amphilochius Bishoppe of Iconium writing to Seleucus hath these words I will reckon vnto thee all the bookes that proceeded from the holy Ghost and that thou mayest cleerely conceiue that which concernes this matter I wil first number vnto thee the bookes of the old Testament then he nameth the 5 bookes of Moses Iosua and the Iudges Ruth 4 bookes of the Kings 2 of the Chronicles 2 of Esdras Iob the Psalmes 3 of Solomon the proverbes Ecclesiastes Canticles 12 Prophets Hose Amos Micheas Ioel Abdias Ionas Naum Abacuch Sophonie Haâ—…ge Zacharias Malachias the 4 Prophets Esai Hieremie Ezekiel Daniel and concludeth that to these some adde Hester The reason why some doubted of Hester I haue elsewhere shewed out of Sixtus Senensis to haue been the Apocryphall additions to the booke I haue some where cited this booke as a part of Gregorie Nazianzens workes because some thinke it so to be and put it amongst his workes But Gregory hath deliuered his opinion clearely touching this matter though that booke happily be not his Bee conuersant saith hee day and night in the diuine oracles but least such bookes as are not of this sort deceiue thee for many erroneous bookes are inserted receiue the true and iust number of bookes that are diuine and then nameth all the bookes that wee admitte saue that hee omitteth the booke of Hester vpon the same reason that I noted out of Sixtus Senensis and when he hath named these he addeth those of the new testament and then pronounceth that whatsoeuer is not within this number is to bee accounted amongst bastard counterfeit bookes Origen expounding the first Psalme putteth downe a catalogue of the holy Scriptures of the old Testament writing thus in precise words as Eusebius telleth vs Wee must not be ignorant that the bookes of the old Testament as the Hebrewes doe deliuer are 22 which is the number of their letters and then nameth all the bookes admitted by vs and addeth that the bookes of Macchabees are without this number Athanasius agreeth with Origen writing in this sort All our Scripture that are Christians was giuen by divine inspiration neither hath this Scripture infinite bookes but a definite number and contayned in a certaine canon and these are the bookes of the old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie Iosuáh Iudges Ruth the first and second of Kings accounted one booke the third fourth of Kings accounted one booke Chronicles first second accounted one booke Esdras the first second one booke the Psalmes of David 151. Proverbs of Salomon Ecclesiastes Canticles Iob 12 Prophets contayned in one volume Osee Amos Micheas Ioell Abdias Ionas Naum Ambacum Sophonias Aggaeus Zacharias Malachias 4 other Prophets Esai Hieremie Ezechiel Daniel the bookes therefore of the old Testament are 22 in number answerable to the Hebrew letters Beside these there are certaine other bookes of the old Testament that are not in the canon and these are read onely to the Catechumens or Novices Amongst these hee numbreth the Wisedome of Solomon the Wisedome of Iesus the sonne of Sirach Iudith Tobit but mentioneth not the bookes of Macchabees at all to these he addeth the booke of Hester accounting it Apocryphall being misperswaded of the whole by reason of those Apocryphall additions as before I noted out of Sixtus Senensis In the conclusion of his Synopsis he mentioneth together with the former foure bookes of Macchabees and the story of Susanna but sayth they are in the number of them that are contradicted The councell of Laodicea decreeth in this sort Let no bookes be read in the Church but the bookes of the old new Testament and then addeth these are the bookes of the old Testament that are to bee read Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie Iosuah Iudges Ruth foure bookes of Kings 2 of Chronicles Esdras the booke of the Psalmes 150. the Proverbs of Solomon Ecclesiastes Canticles Iob Hester 12 Prophets Osee c Esay Hieremie Ezekiel Daniel The canons of this councell are confirmed by the sixt generall councell holden in Trullo To these we may adde Damascene who hauing numbred all those bookes and those onely as canonicall that wee doe addeth that the booke of Wisedome and of Iesus the son of Sirach are good bookes and containe good lessons of vertue but that they are not numbred in this account neither were layd vp in the arke Leontius advocatus Byzantinus sayth there are onely 22 bookes of the old Testament reckoneth all those and those onely that wee doe All these worthies that wee haue hitherto produced to testifie in this case are of the Greeke Church wherefore let vs passe to them of the Latine Hilary Bishop of Poictiers saith the law of the old testament is contained in 22 bookes according to the number of the Hebrew letters which are so disposed and put in order according to the tradition of the auncient that there are fiue bookes of Moses that Iosuah is the sixt the Iudges and Ruth the seaventh the first and second of Kings the eigth the third and fourth the ninth 2 of Chronicles the tenth Esdras the eleventh Psalmes 12 Solomons Proverbs Ecclesiastes Canticles 13 14 15 the 12 Prophets 16 Esay Hieremie with the Lamentations and epistle Daniell Ezechiel Iob Hester doe make vp the number of 22 bookes some haue thought good to adde Tobie and Iudith and so to make the bookes to bee 24 in number according to the number of the Greeke letters Ruffinus in the explanation of the Creed which is found amongst the works of Cyprian and so attributed to him setteth downe a Catalogue of those bookes