preached it to the people that within a short time the Sunshine thereof arose to such a latitude that it gave light to the before dark closets of the Kings heart who thereupon sent to Elutherius Bishop of Rome two of his best Divines to entreat assistance from him who sent some laborers into this harvest who for the better promulgating of the Faith and the winning of souls unto Christ and that all the people of the Isle might be instructed did divide themselves into severall circuits Lucius and his Nobles appointing three Superintendents instead of the three Arch-Flamins who formerly ruled in the time of Paganisme one at London another at York another at Carleon in Monmouthshire the Arch-Bishoprick of Carleon was after removed from thence to S. Davids from thence into Normandy London was in after times by Austin the Monk translated to Canterbury only York continues still a Metropolitan This Austin was sent by Gregory Bishop of Rome hither and did convert the South Saxons but the Britains had before his coming received the Faith and though expulsed from the body of the Land into the mountainous part thereof called Wales by the impetuous fury of the Heathen Saxons yet they still retained their faith and had a Monastery of Monks at Bangor in Caernarvanshire when Austin came to preach unto the Saxons and this tradition challenges any Christian man his belief as well as any Romish Tradition whatsoever There doth not from this story any thing at all arise which may conclude us to be beholden to the See of Rome for our faith though some say Philip was sent from Rome by Paul or if they will perswade the world that we received our faith from Rome I should not much stick to grant it for it then follows that if it came from the See of Rome that Paul was Bishop there and so they destroy their universality built upon Peter As for the Allegation of those who say we first received the faith from Eleutherius it is false and utterly against the current of all Antiquity as may appear by Eleutherius himself who writing to King Lucius an Epistle sayes Ye have received of late through Gods mercy in the realm of Britain the Law and Faith of Christ Ye have with you within the Realm both the parts of Scriptures out of that Law take ye a Law by Gods grace with the Councell of your Realm and by that Law through Gods sufferance rule ye your Kingdome of Britain for you be Gods Vicar in your Kingdome c. By this it appears that this Isle had received the faith before that and had the Scriptures with them before and therefore the Papists cannot brag that Rome is the only dispenser of those sacred Oracles of which in the eighth chapter We became Christians much what about that time Rome received the Faith and who was our first Planter it is not of necessity to be proved sith we claim no Jurisdiction but what is common to every Provinciall See to lay challenge unto Let Rome who builds upon Peter take heed to her succession precisely from him it shall suffice us that we received the faith before Eleutherius time and that we were acknowledged by him to have that faith and the holy Scriptures in our Isle before he writ to King Lucius and can produce a continued succession of Pastors if not governing Bishops from afore him For those two which were sent by Lucius to Eleutherius were Bishops Infra chap. 4. as Gildas and others testifie without a precise Catalogue of our first founders and that in respect the Church of Rome did confesse we had the true faith and the holy Scriptures which could not otherwise have come but by the Mission of some of the Apostles or by some ordained by them to that purpose of which more at large in the fourth chapter Reverend Bede seems to incline that we first received our faith from the East for that our Easter was kept almost a thousand years after Christ after the manner of the East in the full Moon what day soever it fell upon and not on the Sunday and not after the Romane custome The like doth Petrus Cluniacensis testifie of the Scots that they kept their Easter after the manner of the Greek Church and not after the Romane by which they collect that the first planters of the Faith here came from the East but I shall not much stand upon that for it makes nothing for the present point for whether we received the faith from the East or from Rome by the means of Paul I hope none will affirm but that we are of Apostolicall Plantation and having a Metropolitan of our own and being a distinct Province of it self have right to the provinciall Jurisdiction declared and confirmed by the first Councells which makes us so free of our selves and independent of Rome that we may justly deny her to be the universall Church And sith there is no expresse and positive proof that our first planter of the Faith was sent immediately from the East and sith the inducements to that belief are but bare conjecturalls I should hold it more proper to admit what is desired from the Church of Rome that she sent Joseph of A imathea hither or that he was sent by Philip who was sent from Paul and that because Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles to carry the Gospell unto them and would the Church of Rome not forsake such a Pastor to feign one by traditionall stories against that which the Scripture and Primitive Church teached we should willingly give her the right hand and honor her as our elder Sister and in order to the Western plantations from Paul and I believe the Churches of Germany France Denmark c. would do the like not that they prefer Paul before Peter but because Christ had ordained Paul a Minister over them and the Scriptures and Councells forbid any to intrude upon anothers plantation and especially Peter being reproved for that very thing he being appointed over them of the Circumcision and therefore unlesse Rome will lay claim to Paul for her Bishop they cannot allow her that primacy of order they heartily wish she were honored with but I much fear whilest the Ignatian tribe are suffered to put in practise the imperious Dictates of the Scarlet Conclave this will scarcely be embraced their whole study is to ascribe all pomp and power to the Papall throne being in hopes to be masters of that Seat e're they die it being by their new order of electing Popes not transferrable to any other and so to enjoy their long studied Dominion and having by a long expectation so sharpned their appetite and set it on so keen an edge they greedily gape after all honor and Soveraignty and think the world too narrow a Province for them to Lord it in whereas if primacy of order would serve their turn none of the Western world would deny it to them and as
more super-intendency over them as their Mother then Jerusalem from whence Paul was sent after he had the laying on of hands or Antioch from whence it is pretended Peter to have came may by the same rule challenge over her and hers a Jurisdiction as Mother to her and them And as in respect of extention of Doctrine she may not assume the name of Catholique so neither can she claim that Title to her self in respect of her Communion with the Primitive Churches as every point of this ensuing Discourse will evidently shew So that unless the Universality of Power and Jurisdiction she claims from Peter will support this her Title and Dignity she is altogether at a loss and must henceforth discontinue her claim to be the onely Catholique Church It rests therefore to examine That 1. It may not be called Catholique in respect of Peters having been there Rome not Catholique â—n respect of Peter being there no more then the Church of Antioch of which he certainly was Bishop The power of planting the Gospel was given in charge to all the Apostles Go and teach all Nations And as the Doctor hath it in his Introduction they going forth preached every where And in the Acts it is said That the Apostles sent out Peter and John unto Samaria hearing that they had received the Word who layd hands on them If then Peter was subject to their mission how comes he to give unto Rome any power above other Churches of Apostolical Plantation and by the same mission that Peter was sent out to Samaria are elswhere planted Peter was as wel to observe the directions of the rest of the Apostles as to prescribe any Rules to them or others It is true Christ said to Peter Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church Saint Cyprian says Cypr. in Tract simp Praelat This was but to denote the Unity of the Church in that it was built upon one for the power of governing and instructing was alike given to all So that admit it was built upon Peter as the Doctor argues fol. 284. yet that gives nothing of superintendency to Rome for Christ after his Resurrection gave power alike to the rest the naming of him alone in that place was ut Ecclesia una monstretur not to take any power or honor from the rest For should it be granted that the Church was built upon Peter alone so that none else should plant or govern then it would follow that any Church planted by any other of the Apostles who received neither order nor power from Peter were not Apostolical or true Churches of Christ which S. Augustin de Doctrina Christiana lib. 2. cap. 8. plainly affirms to the contrary The Apoâ—tles Foundations of â—e Church We are built says S. Paul Ephes 2.20 upon the foundations of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief Corner-stone by which it appears that the rest of the Apostles were foundations as well as Peter and when there was a strife amongst them who should be greatest amongst them Mat. 20.26 sayes Christ Whosoever shall be greatest let him be your servant which is not to be understood that Christ did thereby reprove pride and haughtinesse only but was against superiority or preheminence amongst them It is true Christ was not against superiority utterly for he calls himself their Lord and Master John 13.10 and their head but this preheminence he did not delegate to any one amongst them for they were the foundations he the Corner-stone they the body he the Head they ministers he their Master they equall he their superior The Apostles power to plant the Gospell was equall The Apostles power equall and they dispersed themselves for the propagation of the Gospell not by any order received from Peter but by the Commission they received from Christ himself In the eighth chapter of the Acts it is said that Philip went towards the South and baptized the Eunuch the Queen of Ethiopia her chief Governour and to this day the Catholike Faith is professed in Ethiopia being there preached by the said Eunuch Nor doth the Pope exercise any jurisdiction there which he might as well as in any other Countries which received the Faith from some of the Apostles and not from the Bishop of Rome if Peter was chief Governour of the Church and he his successor Doth not the Scripture plainly affirm that the Holy Ghost came upon all Acts 2. and Gal. 2. James Peter and John gave Paul the right hand of fellowship When Christ instituted his Supper he said to them Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis datur hoc facite c. He gave to all a like power of administration And Joh. 20. As my Father sent me so send I you he speaks it to all the Disciples and not to Peter alone Nolite vocari Rabbi Mat. 23. unus enim magister est vester scilicet Jesus omnes autem vos fratres estis that is saith S. Austin you are all equall And S. Hierome in his Epistle to Evander Omnes Episcopi five Romae five alibie jusdem sacerdotii atque potestatis à Christo collationem habuerunt The Doctor cites Bellarmines argument that Christ is the invisible head but there must be a mysteriall and visible head to govern the whole and therefore when it is said 1 Cor. 12. that the head cannot say to the feet I have no need of you it must not be understood of Christ for he the eternall Word can say J have no need c. The Apostles are called skilfull master-builders 1 Cor. 3. Christ the Head of the Church but another foundation can no man lay then that which is laid Jesus Christ It cannot therefore be understood that Peter was the foundation and rock on which the Church was built Christ as he is head it is of the whole Catholike Church and therefore when Paul Ephes 1. calls him the head he brings in both men and Angells into the rank of members men ver 4. and Angells vers 21. But as touching the particular Churches upon earth they all are but as so many members of the head Christ Jesus and are built upon the Apostles as the Doctor confesses in his Introduction who as I said are called master-builders or the heads of those respective Churches but there was not one of them that was to bear rule over the rest Peter was primus in ordine not supremus in potestate you cannot have twelve without one but every one is as much one as another whether in respect of Power or Ordination as S. Cyprian de unitate Ecclesiae agrees some were ordained Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists for the work of the Ministery for the edification of the body of Christ and to every one of the Apostles was grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ by whom he ascended into heaven but those that were Apostles were aequales inte se and the
Diocesse was a Disciple of Pauls and sent greeting to Timothy from Rome 2 Tim. 4.21 Peter directing his Epistles from Babylon makes mention of Silvaâ—us and Marcus and Paul writing many Epistles from Rome as the Epistles of the Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossiâ—ns the second Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Philemon never makes mention of Silvanus in any of them and for Mark he writes to have him come to Timothy 2 Tim. 4.11 so that it is probable that Peter wrote not his Epistle from Rome and that Linus if he were Bishop there succeeded Paul not Peter As for the traditions of Rome of Peter his being there and his being Bishop there they have no ground from Scripture but rather plain and evident testimonies to the contrary wherefore as yet they find little faith with many insomuch that Marsilius one of their own Writers suspects the truth thereof It was saith he very strange that Peter should be contemporary there with Paul for it is plain by Scripture that he was not there before Paul in as much as when Paul came thither they had never received any letters concerning him out of Iudaea nor any of the Brethren ever heard of him Acts 28.21 and certainly he went not along with Paul insomuch as no mention is made of him in the expresse of that perillous journey and the severall miraculous occurrences which hapned to them that were with Paul for if he was certainly S. Luke would have mentioned him or if he was superintendent over Paul and the rest as the Papists perswade sure he would have shewed some miracle among those Gentiles and not have letten the people wholly follow Paul if they had belonged to his charge wherefore I rather conclude that he was not there or if he was there that he never was Bishop there Osius Bishop of Cordubia one of no small account amongst the 318. Fathers of the first Councell of Nice in a Couneell at Sardis did declare quod non licuit episcopo de Civitate sua ad aliam transire civitatem unde apparet se avaritia inflâ—mmari ambitioni servire ut dominattonem agat to which all the Fathers answered placet this was the sense of the Fathers of those daies as may likewise appearby the 1. Councell of Nice 16. Can. Concil Antioch 21.22 Can. and in the Councel of Chalcedon 10. Can. Si episcopus confugit ad aliam civitatem ob inanis gloâ—ie cupiditateÌ„ revocari debet ad suam ecclesiam ibi tantummodo ministrare Concil Nicaenum 15. Can si quis episcopus de civitate ad civitatem transeat se negotia manciparet in irritum ducatur hoc factum restituatur ecclesiae cui fuâ—t episcopus This was the profession of the Fathers of those daies who certainly if Peter had removed his See from Antioch to Rome would rather for reverence sake to him a chief Apostle have suspended their opinions then by promulgating thereof have thrown this scandall upon him And iâ— the Doctor would but seriously consider of these reasons and opinions of the ancient Fathers in this point he would not ascribe universality to the See of Rome upon Peters score for by them it appears that Peter ought not to remove his See and if he did it was void And the Doctor confesses fol. 288. he was Bishop of Antioch and if so he ought not to remove his See unlesse you wil make him above Councells and that is plain in the 14. of the Acts to the contrary of which I shall speak at large in the chapter of Councells and to say that by any revelation he came thither planted his See there that were to deny the holy Spirit to the general Councels who declare the contrary to that Revelation and so they wil make the Church fallible of which in the eighth chapter It might be that upon some extraordinary occasion as Eusebius saies he came thither to withstand Simon Magus Paul desiring his assistance he might come to Rome but without all doubt he was never Bishop there for it is both against the testimony of Scripture and the infrence of Councells Lastly I conceive that Peter was not Bishop of Rome though I confesse I am something induced to believe he might be there for that the Bishops of Rome vary in their stiles somtimes they stile themselves Successors of Peter somtimes of Peter and Paul I my self have seen a Bul of the Popes dated 1500. wherein his Holinesse is stiled the Successor of Peter Paul Thus these grave Fathers of Rome like the Elders that would have betrayed Susanna cannot agree in a story they would despoil other Churches of their Rights and Priviledges and ascribe all Jurisdiction to their own See but examine them apart and they cannot agree how and by what means to derive their title thereunto for who please to examine Platina Onup rius Genebrard Sabellicus Anastatius Baronius and such like Pope Parasites about this point of Succession from Peter will find them agree like a dog about a bone like Aesops dog they snatch at he shadow and let go what they had they that might universally lord it over all other Churches of the world wil needs give Peter a strange power and tye that power to themselves whereas if they could have been content to have acknowledged themselves Successors to Paul as he having been Bishop there and being the Apostle of the Gentiles I perswade my self that no Churches of this Western world but would give the Bishop of Rome the right hand of fellowship but sith the boundlesse ambition of the Pope carries them beyond all limit of fellowship it makes others to set their ambitious ends at defiance and to stand fast to that Christian liberty to which they are called only to beware they use it not as an occasion to the flesh but by love to serve one another Gal. 5.13 I have I hope sufficiently proved that Rome may not challenge to her self any universality in respect of Peter having been there for that it is not altogether cleare and manifest that he was there or if he was there that he was Bishop there or if he was it makes not much for them to prove any universality to the succeeding Bishops in that See and if from Peter no universality will arise to them it rests to examine whether they may claim it by consent of Councells The first generall Councell the Councell of Nice committed of old the charge of the Catholike Church The Councells against the Universality of Rome to three principall Patriarchs Alexandria Rome and Antioch and after came in Constantinople by the sixth Canon thereof Egypt Lybia c. were allotted to Alexandria quia urbis Romae episcopo parilis mos est And hereupon Athanasius sayes Roma est metropolis Romanae ditionis Rome was shut within the compasse of her own Province inasmuch as she was made like unto Alexandria therefore the Government of Alexandria
hand to lift up her head out of the dust That she may no longer lie groaning and groveling under the heavie hands of wilde persecutors but may by the assistance and loving aid of the Judges of the people be called upon that she may either clear her self to the condemnation of her opposers or suffer according to her deserving by the grave judgement and sentence of the Wise of the Land and not to be troden down and censured without a fair trial any further then her sufferings with patience witness her faith which if they would please to condescend unto it would certainly conduce to satisfie the consciences of many that doubt and by the blessing of God would bring peace into the Land and that according to Solomons saying that there might be a Rod and Correction in the Church whereby the sons obtain wisdom but the liberty of the children makes the mother ashamed Now the Lord open the hearts and give bowels of compassion to the Rulers of the people that by their favours the Church may be again restored to us so that we may worship God in spirit and truth and that we having again restored unto us a Jerusalem at unity within it self we may keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace that we may suck and be satisfied with the brefts of her consolation that we may milk out and be delighted with the brightness of her glory and that by the means of her nursing fathers it would please God to extend peace on her like a flood that we may suck be born upon her sides and be joyful upon her knees to the quieting of all differences amongst us and to the everlasting peace of those that wish well to Sion But I have dwelled too long upon this point I return to the subject matter of this Chapter You may partly perceive that the Church of England is not altogether to be blamed for the Errors and Divisions in our Land in matters pertaining to Faith and Discipline I dare be bold on her behalf to assure the Papists she desires a fair debate of all those differences and would willingly reconcile them or cast off those that would not hearken to her instructions and might she by the favour and free leave of the Civil Magistrate convene and were encouraged to have his assistance in order to put in execution her Decrees without which whatsoever she resolves is but like a Laterane Junto not obligatory to the Western Princes nor the people under their jurisdiction she would not be sparing to launce the wounds of these divisions to the bottom that if there were any hopes of amendment to cause sound and new flesh to grow a gain or else finding them irrecoverable by reason some are grown desperately wicked beyond all remedy to cut off such as withered branches that they might no longer be a cause to putrifie the stock and body of the tree and when she has done would not be ashamed of her work but would recommend it to the publike consideration of others which being by them approved might be exemplary for their imitation or if by the Divine Rule of Scripture it was to be faulted then to be by them rejected and receive a just condemnation I dare be bold to say that if any thing should be debated in her Convocation which might not seem satisfactory to any other sister-Province she would entertain a free debate with her and if they two could not determine the controversie so far as might be satisfactory to others she would agree to submit the debate to a General Council might but that Council be free in its constitution and not subservient to one man the Pope which by the confession of Bellarmin lib. de Concil cap. 21. non potest fieri ut aliquando ad finem controversiarum deveniatur Synodus nisi detur locus majori parti suffragiorum No Appeal to a General Councel whilst the Pope is allowed above that Councel And in another place lib. 2. cap. 11. de Concil Est verum Decretum Concilii quod fit a majore parte destroys the very being of a General Council whenas what shall there be concluded by a major part must stand null unless his Holiness approve thereof or shall be subject to be altered at his will and pleasure It is reported by Quintus Curtius fol. 13. that in the City of Gordin in Phrygia was laid up in Jupiters temple the furniture of King Midas Waggon knit up in such an intricate knot that it was extreme difficult to be untyed and the country-men had a Prophecie that whosoever should untâ—e it should be Lord of Asia Alexander coming thither and viewing the knot and doubting if he should not inexplicate it that it might be reputed as an evidence to those superstitious people of his bad fortune to come with his sword cut it asunder by which the Prophecie was expected to be fulfilled and thereupon those people submitted to him and not long after he became Lord of Asia And thus the Pope deals with Councils if any thing of consequence be to receive debate there he will not abide the canvasing of the Question and the sober unfolding of the knot and difficulty thereof but uno flatu resolves the scruple and with his false key picks the lock of the business by which means he promises to himself an universal obedience as the onely never-erring Oracle claiming by this means a soveraignty over Councils Kings and Bishops which all other Churches of Apostolical plantation judge to be an horrible presumption And till this be rectified we utterly deny all Appeals to a General Council of the Popes convening and as S. Ambrose said to Valentinian so we say to the Pope Tolle Legem si vis esse certamen CHAP. XII That the Scriptures are onely infallible rules of faith and contain all things necessary to salvation That all people are to read them because those points are plain and easie That they themselves witness this truth in those points of salvation And how the Church of Rome abuses the Scripture SCripture is the onely foundation and basis on which our Faith is built Of the force and efficacie of the Scriptures according to that of S. Paul to the Ephesians chap. 2. the faithful are built upon the Apostles and Prophets it is the sword of the Spirit Eph. 6. being profitable to instruct and reprove and being able to make the man of God perfect Irenaeus in his third book against Heresies cap. 11. says The Apostles first preached the Gospel and afterwards delivered the same to us in Scriptures that it might be the foundation and pillar of our faith And Origen upon Matth. 25. says They are to be brought for proof of all Doctrines Our Saviour by Scripture convinced the devil teaching us thereby to know what weapons we are to use against all Heresie and Schism And in the General Councils of old not the Popes Decretals but the Scriptures were
laid before the holy Fathers Est firmamentum columna Ecclesiae Evangelium It onely is infallible in it self all other Councils and Traditions may erre saith Tom. lib. 2. contra Donatistos cap. 3. And though an Angel from heaven teach another doctrine no faith is to be given thereunto Tertullian contra Hermogen pag. 373. I reverence saith he the fulness plenitude and perfection of Scriptures as that which shews to me both the Maker and the things which are made Austin confesseth the authority of Scripture to be above the authority of the Church in his Epistles contra Manich. tom 6. cap. 4. The consent of people and nations the authority of the Church begun by miracles nourished with hope increased with charity established with antiquity succession of Priests and the name of Catholike saith he are great motives to keep me in the unity of the Church but above these he prefers the truth of Scripture in regard whereof he promiseth Manicheus to give more credit to his doctrine then to the Church if he be able to prove it out of Scripture These and many more authorities in this point might be produced to manifest what credit and reverence the Fathers of the Primitive Church did attribute to the sacred Oracles of God Now what may we think of those that count them a bare letter Inkie Divinity a matter of strife and ground of Heresies And by the Doctor fol. 255 the light of the Gospel is termed Ignis fatuus because not borrowed from Rome's dark lanthorn Others affirming that if any contemn the authority of the Romane Church that he shall not be able to assure himself of Scripture any more then of a Robinhood-tale To which I answer The Council of Laodicea can 59. which Council was held long before ever Rome's Bishop claimed a Supremacie over other Churches hath declared which shall be taken and accepted for Canonical Scripture and hath decreed that none else should be read in the Churches besides them we according to that Canon accept and embrace them and according to the ancient copies doth our Clergie retain them in the Church nor are we altogether beholding to Rome for the Translations 'T is true she hath a glorious Library as many witness the onely ornament of her Vatican Hill And in some competent measure is our Oxford replenished with the ancient Manuscripts of the Primitive Fathers and of old approved Translations of the Scriptures both after the Hebrew Syriack Rome not the onely dispenser of the Scripture Chaldee Greek and Latine Translations which the Fathers and the Reverend Governours of the Primitive Churches have permitted to be transmitted to other parts and in these later days we have been beholding to Rome for some Translations But she was not the first that sent the Gospel hither as may appear by Eleutherius his Epistle to Lucius You have heretofore saith he received the law and faith of Christ ye have within your Realm both the parts of Scripture out of which by the counsel of your Realm take a law and by that law rule your kingdom for you be Gods Vicar within your own kingdom c. And in this particular I think Rome as well as we is beholding to other Churches why then should she boast that we know not what is Scripture but that which she has delivered Had not the Apostles equal authority to teach all nations Doth not Peter direct his Epistle to the Saints which are dwelling about Cappadocia Galatia Asia and Bithynia and S. James to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad and S. Jude to all which are sanctified and called of God And S. Paul writes as well to the Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians and Thessalonians as to the Romans wherefore how comes it that the Church of Rome should be the onely Monopolizer of Scripture Was not the holy Ghost given to them which Philip Paul and Barnabas did ordain as well as those Peter did ordain And admit that Peter was Bishop of Rome had not the rest of the Apostles received the holy Ghost as well as Peter did it not sit upon each of them like cloven tongues of fire And why should the Church of Rome boast her self to be onely and alone endowed with an onely spirit of interpretation Let none understand more then is meet to understand was S. Paul's instructions to the Romanes But such is the uncharitableness and presumption of the present Church of Rome that she accounts her self the onely wise interpreter and no other Church to have the spirit of discerning the Truth unless she have received that spirit mediately from her I must needs tell her that she has no warrant to arrogate this transcendency and super-excellencie in this point of wisdom from any divine precept it is but her own humane institution no other Church approving of it and so it is but the wisdom of this world which as S. Paul says 1 Cor. 1.20 is found foolishness before God and according to that saying of Solomon Prov. 12.15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes The treasure of the holy Writ is no common or ordinary bank That the Scripture contains things necessary to salvation but a precious store of eternal happiness in them is laid up life everlasting according to that of S. Paul Rom. 1.16 It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek and 2 Tim. 3.14 Timothy had known the Scriptures from a childe which were able to make him wise unto salvation It is profitable to teach to improve to correct to instruct in righteousness that a man of God may be absolute being made perfect to all good works Therefore are we bidden Joh. 4.39 to search the Scriptures for in them is eternal life and they are they which testifie of Christ It is true All things that Jesus did are not written saith S. John but saith he these things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and believing ye might have life through his Name Joh. 20.31 Cyril lib. 2. upon that place of S. John saith Non omnia quae Dominus facit transcripta sunt sed quae Scriptores tam ad mores quam ad dogmata sufficere putarunt ut recta fide operibus ad regnum coelorum perveniamus And Saint Austin likewise says that all things were not written but onely so much was written as was thought to be sufficient to the salvation of the faithful And whereas in the 20 of the Acts ver 27. it is said I have not spared to shew unto you the whole counsel of God Lyranus and Carthusianus expound it onely to be understood of things pertaining to our salvation which S. Austin lib. de doctr Christian 2. cap. 6. plainly affirms that all things necessary to our salvation are plainly contained in the written Word And Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 1. We know saith he
and reflecting upon the curiosity of some who would be over-scrutinous to examine the points of this Commission by the rule of the holy Writ at last they concluded upon this result That it must be de fide received that his holiness is the only exposito◠and by the same rule of gradation an Evangelist to deliver new Scripture of the old and new Testaments The Pope abuses the Scriptures and having perswaded some and forced others into this opinion without care for the souls upon earth without respect of Saints and Angels in Glory and without all fear of the Almighty God of heaven he commands the holy writ which was the dictates of the holy Spirit of God to be blotted wrested mangled and tortured at his will and pleasure making no more account thereof then if it were but the Embryo of a Bear which by the licking of its dam were to receive shape and perfection And if there be any text which doth impugne this his usurped unlimited power it must not be suffered to pass the Press before first it be either rubbed over with his holiness index expurgatorius or else brushed with his Ghostly interpretation As for example Josh 1.18 the people professing an unlimited power to Joshua in all things to obey him The words in all things are expunged in the Rhemish translations for it stood not with his holiness interest and prerogative to let them be for a president For if the people of God were in all things to be obedient to their Prince this spoiles his holiness claime to command in temporalibus wherefore it was thought fit to send these words to the index expurgatorius Object The Doctor in his book fol. 59. argues the truth of Romes doctrine for that she has not corrupted or extinguished the text that being easier to do then to change her doctrine To which I answer Resp The Scriptures which Rome hath she received from other churches and those Churches from whom Rome received them sending aswell to other places as to Rome copies of those holy writs it would much ashame her to alter them in respect that true original Copies would be produced against her to her condemnation but the Bishop of Rome being to teach these Scriptures within his own precincts and territories he as times served to advantage himself might and has in many places strained courtesie to wrest the sense delivering to the people doctrines not warranted by this holy writ which he might with more confidence do in respect that no other Bishop was to meddle in his diocess and he by the favour of Princes being accounted summus pontifex wherefore reason tels that his doctrine and traditions are more questionable then his translations of the Scriptures for he needed not much to alter the Scriptures in respect it matters not what they say being but dead letters without the spirit of his holiness interpretation Yet so much did they dote upon the pomp and vainty of this world and upon that lordly height they have aspired to here upon earth that the divel did bewitch them to alter that text of Joshua which did directly gainesay such their dominion and power though by reason of their new preheminence they being above councels and the onely infallible expositors of the divine oracles they needed not so to have done or rather thus that corruption of Joshua was before the late councels of Lateran and Trent which made the Pope above councels and it behoved them to blot out such words as did impugne their other power of lording it over Kings and Princes but since these councels they may now put them in againe For it is no matter what the Scripture says for his holiness will give such an exposition as shall not destroy his own interest and since those councels such exposition though it be never so contradictory to the word of God it must de fide be received O tempora O mores Saint Basil saith they which have been brought up in Gods word will not suffer one syllable of her doctrine to be betrayed what then shall we think of the fathers of Rome's Church that practice as time serves these tricks upon those sacred letters These divine writs the dictates of Gods holy Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no marvel if they make bold with the fathers mis-translating and altering their writings and crying up their own traditions making their own mole-hills mountaines and making the fathers like unto Moles whose nature as Aristotle saith is never to open her eyes till she be dead and so they make the fathers being dead to witness things they never dreamed on or saw being living as I have shewed in the tenth Chapter If these divine oracles of God must not escape the venom of their claws if these must not be delivered to the people without corruption I know not how we may give faith or credit to her traditions the vanity of which I will briefly discover in this ensuing Chapter CHAP. XIII That because all things were not written the Church may deliver traditions such as she derives from the doctrine of the Apostles or ancient fathers That the Scriptures are to judge of those traditions That Rome is to be blamed for her traditions because they are against Scripture THe Jews say That when Moses was with God on the Mount and received the written law that he had unwritten law likewise delivered him by word of mouth for certainly say they God staid not fourty dayes and fourty nights on the mount to keep Geese nor needed he stay so long to interpret the law of the tables wherefore they conclude that Moses received traditional law which he taught Joshua Joshua the elders the elders the Prophets the Prophets taught the people Now because those their traditions were uncertaine the sects of the Pharisees sprung up and Essenes obtruding new traditions as simply necessary and a more perfect Rule of Sanctity then that that was writ whereupon our Saviour in the seventh of Mark reproves them saying They worship me in vaine teaching for doctrines the commandments of men and yet in the 23 of Mat. he hath commanded us saying All that they bid you observe that observe and do but after their works do not for they say and do not These two texts seem to impugne each other but the fathers of the premitive Church have resolved this knot and reconciled these texts by this exposition that all traditions agreeable and consonant to the holy word are to be observed but such traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees as were not agreeable to the holy word of God were to be rejected We confess that all things which Christ and his Apostles did No traditions but such as are agree able to the word of God are to be embraced were not written according as is expressed Joh. 21. vers ult And that the Apostles had order to teach the people whatsoever Christ had commanded them but as we allow this so by no meanes
and praise ought to be in faith Whatsoever ye ask if ye believe ye shall receive it Matth. 21.22 We must come unto the Father in the Sons Name and he will hear us ask and he will do it John 14.14 By faith in Jesus we have boldness and entrance with confidence Eph. 3.12 So that Whatsoever we desire when we pray believe that we shall have it and it shall be done unto us Mark 11.24 But without faith it is impossible to please God For He that cometh to God must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him Heb. 11. And without faith our prayer turns into sin for Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 So then for any society to come to Divine service in a Tonge they do not understand their prayer and praise cannot be of faith in respect they know not what they ask their Priest is their mouth and they cannot in heart go along with him because they understand not what he sayes and their saying Amen to they know not what cannot be acceptable unto God according as S. Paul writes to the Romanes Rom. 10.14 How shall we call on him in whom we have not believed and how shall we believe in him of whom we have not heard We must believe in him and by him and by him offer the sacrifice of praise to God we must draw neer unto him with a pure heart in the assurance of faith Heh 10.22 This was the Doctrine of the Apostles and this was the practice of the Primitive Churches Theodoret lib. 5. de Graec. affect curat pag. 521. telleth us that in his time which was about 440 years after Christ the Scriptures were translated into all manner of languages and that they were not onely understood of Doctors and Masters of the Church but of Lay-people and common Artificers Hebraici libri non modo in Graecum Idioma conversi sunt sed in Romanam Aegyptam Persicam Judicam Armenicam Scyithicam linguam semelque ut dicam in omnes linguas quibus ad hunc diem nationes utuntur It was then the practice that every Nation should have the Scriptures in their own Tongue which Bellarmine unawares confessed Bellarm. Chap. 106. Tom. 1. col 191. lib. 4. de verb. Dei Script cap 11. But such is the pride and vain-glory of the Popes of Rome that they will not admit this in these latter dayes for since the Bishop of Rome grew up to be the Universal head all Churches must receive anew the Scriptures in their own Tongue and not onely so but their Lyturgies too burning such Scriptures as the people understand in their own vulgar Tongue and excommunicating all persons of the Laity be they neveâ— so well learned that shall reason of matters of faith or dispute of his power commanding Latine Service and Latine Homilies to the vulgar and though they cannot understand it yet he has Decreed it shall be so 6 Decret lib. 5. cap. quicunque By which means he thinks to gain an opinion of being the onely Planter of those Churches whenas indeed he is but a busie intruder upon the Apostolical foundations of others and in this his Holiness has a further reach for by this means he pleads Authority to rule over them producing this in evidence against them should they oppose him that Conqueror-like he has given them a Law in the proper language of Rome And if any questions should arise concerning any points taught in those Translations he likewise did by this means obtain the priviledge to be the Interpreter it being more proper to Rome to unfold the sense of that language than to any other place And thus and for those ends did the Popes of Rome obtrude the Latine Lyturgies upon several Churches which how it agrees with the Law Divine for the work of the Ministry for the gathering of the Saints and for the edification of the body of Christ till we all meet together in the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God let the holy Spirit of that God and the Angels of the several Churches witness CHAP. XVIII The Conclusion Wherein the Reformation of England is justified notwithstanding the Objections of Rome against it and that the Pope was the cause of the Protestant Churches their separations from the Church of Rome I Have briefly touched most of those points which the Doctor hath urged against the Protestants wherein I conceive the Church of England doth differ from the Church of Rome and for that it is not my desire to make the breaches wider but if possible to reconcile them into one and to make up the gap of separation betwixt them I now hasten to a conclusion Yet let not any one censure me as if I were weary of my enterprize because to some particular Chapters I have not given particular answers for I conceive that the scope of their matter is sufficiently refuted in this discourse and those Chapters not concerning any points of controversie betwixt us any further than I have already answered I did therefore forbear to multiply words against the Doctor but hastned to the conclusion The Doctor in his 22. and 23. Chapters doth flutter with the Lapwing and makes most bussle when he is furthest off the Nest He had formerly cast his sting and there in conclusion ends with buzzing and noise onely he rolls up himself in Rhetorick and with the Seriphian Froggs of which Pliny writes lib. 8. cap. 85. he is clamorous in invectives he like an untamed Colt having leaped the Pale which kept him in a safe and fitting Pasture ranges up and down the miry paths throwing up dirt behind him till at length having run himself out of breath he becomes tame and is content to take scraps at the Jesuites hands he feeds upon the Orts of Parsons Saunders and such like Renegadoes he has turned away his face from England's Sion in whose true mirror of divinity he might have seen the image of Christ himself and his own face beauteous as a Son of that Church but now having turned aside he has forgot what manner of man he was or what before he had beheld by the help of the reflections and now he altogether contemplates upon a false gloss which doth present unto him deceiving objects on the one hand is the Church of England presented to him black and ugly being transformed by the false Vail they and such like have put upon her for which they are with all indulgence cherished and encouraged by his Holiness according to the saying of Salomon Prov. 26.22 The words of a Tale-bearer are as flatterings and they go down into his belly But on the other hand the Church of Rome is set out with all the Art imaginable so that any who will give up himself unto the speculative Religion of Popery is cheated into an opinion of Romes beauty and comliness and into a â—aâ—â—en and deâ—â—â—tation of the Protestâ—nt Religion because
of her spots and deforâ—mity whereas if any please to seaken them both he shall finde that Englands Church which is thus presented to him is black but comely and like the curtains of Salomon is set all with precious Stones and Jewels on her inner side Cant. 1.4 I am black but comly as the curtains of Salomon And if he please to make inquisition into the Church of Rome he will finde that she has onely a glorious outside she is a painted Jezebel that cares not to venter through a Sea of blood to take possession of her Neighbours Vineyards causing the Prophets of the Lord to be slain 1 Kin. 18. She is Harpy-like with a fair face and a foul heart and in that fair face were but the Ignatian paint taken off would rivelled browes and wan-worn cheeks appear How much therefore is the Doctors case to be lamented who hath joyned himself to the Heathen to open his mouth that he may praise the power of the Idols and to magnifie a fleshly King for ever Esth 5.10 Hence is it that in his second and third Chapters taking for granted that Rome is the onely Catholick Church and her Bishop Peter's Successor and absolute and sole possessioner of all Apostolical Power and Jurisdiction he doth hereupon conclude that the Protestant Churches are heretical Conventicles and that they know not the Scriptures without the Tradition of Rome nor can disperse and teach them without Commission from thence Now for that it is my desire not to multiply words I will forbear any particular answer to these Assertions and refer the Reader to my second Chapter where his Holiness Universality is fully refuted And as touching that Assertion of his concerning the Scriptures my 2.8.11 and 12. Chapters are sufficient answers where first I have proved equal Commission then that the Scriptures are to judge the truth of themselves Traditions and Councels and that other Churches had the Scriptures and not from Rome that the Provincials of Apostolical plantation have equal power having the same Spirit to guide them as by the outward means the visible sign of the invisible grace given in the Sacrament of order is in Christian charity to be presumed and therefore may as well judge of those points of Scripture which admit of explanation as the Church of Rome And the many arguments used by the Doctor in those Chapters are not onely grounded upon false suppositions but in themselves are injurious wrongfully accusing the Church of England laying opinions to her charge concerning the wayes and means to understand the meaning of those Scriptures which she doth not profess as Doctrinal And then in the 22. Chapter he would disprove our ground of separation from Rome as to this I have in part touched in the 2.4 and 6. Chapters and in the 11. Chapter I have proved aright in Provincials to reform Schismes and Heresies And whereas he saies we ought not to have separated from Rome hecase saith he we pretending the truth of our opinions ought to have demonstrated them to the world whereby to have reformed Rome and not to have separated our selves To this I answer The first occasion of the separation was about the difference of the Popes Supremacy and he having in a high way got the upper hand of many Churches which were vassallized under his power and the Councels being so abused and made invalid by the late Lateran Prerogative it was to no purpose to offer the difference to a general Councel which must either act for or not against his Holiness having no power to decree any thing against his Holiness as I have proved in the tenth Chapter This gave occasion to other Provinces which could get opportunity to back the right and priviledge proper to their own Sees to cast off any further appealing either thither or to Rome And they knowing this to be an usurpation in Popes it gave them occasion to suspect the truth of many other of her Doctrines and betaking themselves to the holy word of God delivered to them and approved through all ages for the verities of God himself and searching into the Primitive Churches and practices of the antient Fathers they found Rome to have changed her faith as those particulars I have already treated on make mention Vincentius adversus Hereticos sayes that Doctrine is to be accounted Catholick quod semper ab omnibus credendum est and if this must be the rule then are neither we Hereticks nor Rome Catholick Rome cannot be said Catholick in respect the faith of Christ was at other places professed when it was not at all at Rome nor may we be by her called Hereticks because she has changed The Doctor upon Saint Austin's rule fol. 120. sayes that Doctrines without known beginnings are not to be disputed against but those Doctrines of Rome of which I have treated I have fairly proved them to be innovations and therefore by that we are not to be censured for opposing them And whereas the Doctor sayes that Rome must either be the true Church or else there is none he hereby proves himself to be in darkness he has confessed it in Aethiopia without her planting and in several other places I have proved it to have been planted and not from Rome wherefore it is not necessarily to be concluded upon the score of her onely dispensing the Gospel that she is the visible Church if the Gospel be hid it is hid to those that are lost the lost sâ—eep's gone to Rome to idolize the pontifical Pope whom the God of this world hath blinded that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ which is the Image of God should not shine unto him for saith Saint Paul We preach not our selves but Christ Jesus our Lord and our selves your servants for Jesus sake Which is neither the Jesuites Doctrine who teach nothing but the infallibility of his Holiness nor the Popes profession who would every where be a Master but no servant to the Saints and people of God We therefore because of his change from this Doctrine and because of his intolerable pride and usurpations and as the other Churches shake him off but do not change from the Primitive faith taught by the Apostles and formes maintained by the Church of Rome it self And though we lay long under Romes innovation yet this is no Argument for the Doctor to urge against us that we should not at all reform Christ has withdrawn his Spirit for a time from several Churches as I have proved in the 5. Chapter Magna est veritas praevalebit Truth is stronger than all the power of man as I have proved by Zerubbabel 1 Esdr 4. And though the Pope with the inventions and polices of his Cardinal conclave had so warded the several Churches of the West that he thought them absolutely mastered and under his command to be servants to do his drudgery he did as we say reckon without his Host he did consult with flesh and
thirteenth Chapter Neither is there any warrant from Scripture or other antiquity to warrant these titles unlesse like a Sowter the leather with his teeth his Holinesse will strain Scripture so farre that he will have that place of 1 Sam. 2. Domini sunt Cardines terrae to be propheticall of their order or els orrows the phrase from a Carpenter who is said to incardinate or mortize or rivet and the Pope alluding to this thinks he has so engeniously strengthened the door of his Pallace by these adventitious props which though at first they were but underhand Vicars to the Parish Priests of Rome insomuch that a Bishop formerly refused to accept the title because he would not descend from a higher to a lower dignity yet now through the iniquity of time the pride of Popes and the dullnesse of Christian Princes are started up from minor shrubs to top the pole of Majesty and instead of Parish Priests are become Princes Peers and by Pope Nicholas the second made sole Electors of the Pope of which in the fourteenth chapter The first that was elected by their holy honors was Pope Hildebrand a most troublesome wicked man of whom you will hear more hereafter and one in whom nature seemed to have placed the indelible characters of rebellion against God and man a fitting son for such a Mother the first born of this purple Conclave in whom they perceived their own Image and that the tree might be known by the fruit did therefore elect him Pope who did not afterwards bastard his calling but manifested through the course of his life from whence he sprung and lest in time this plantation should degenerate from that sublimity was then challenged by them they have continually since studied to find out men suitable to their own heart to make Cardinalls of and generally such are chosen into this order as will not stick to pull down their naturall Prince to advance the designs of their new Master witnesse my Countrey-man Allen who confessed to the Jesuit Parsons that his Holinesse had made him Cardinall intending to send him as his Legat for the sweeter managing of that great and godly design of the Spanish Armado against England and that he compiled a book which should have been published for the better drawing on the people of England to joyne with the Spaniard The first part whereof was called A Declaration of the Sentence the second an Admonition to the Nobility wherein he promised their safety and preservation though it may be doubted he intended to practise the feats of an Allen upon them which saies Purchas in his Pilgrimage lib. 8. cap. 3. beats other Beads till they vomit their prey for him to devoure and then dismisses them away with little meat in their bellies or feathers on their backs and tâ—is like he would have used our Nobleâ— no better had his Bilbo Blades been once brandished on our English plains and proved successefull in that design He for this his unnaturall cruelty and trechery against his own dear Countrey and liege Lord was admitted as Saul amongst the Israelites chief of the scarlet crew a godly tribe truly worthy of their red Cap and Gown as thereby denoting to the world their bloudy inventions and close practises against all that will not become subservient homages and vassalize themselves to their impious Lord and Master to whom I desire-to return my present discourse to disprove his pretended Catholiqueship I have hitherto argued ex Concesso Peter was not Bishop of Rome that Peter was not Bishop of Rome which I desire might be proved I find that he was appointed over them of the Circumcision and Paul was to preach unto the Gentiles he was appointed Bishop of Antioch and I do not find that he was removed by any order or mission of the rest to translate his See to Rome nor that he himself had any vision or revelation to warn him thereunto when he went to Cornelius being a Gentile we read that it was upon speciall revelation Acts 10. for ordinarily it was not lawfull for him to accommodate with the Gentiles he being consigned over them of the Circumcision insomuch that Paul withstood him to his face Galat 2. for accompanying with the Gentiles which the Doctor confesses in his book cap. 20. to be an error of conversation wherefore for him to argue that Peter was at Rome is to charge Peter with more errors and so it will prove a hard task for the Pope to prove his Church built upon him to be infallible unlesse he can prove mission of the rest of the Apostles or an especial revelation from God for his so doing The Popes Parasites must pump for a new tradition to prove that Peter had another vision for his coming to Rome as they have already done to prove his returning back to Rome when he had intended to have left it and when that 's done still they are at a non plus for should they prove that he was there it doth not thereby follow that he was Bishop there for if so they charge him again with another condemnable error as that he should for fear of persecution forsake his Flock insomuch as his own traditions say he was flying out of Rome for fear of the persecution which was not done like a good Shepheard if he had a flock in Rome wherefore should they prove him there and that he was warned to return as their traditionall story doth purport yet they cannot from thence conclude that he was Bishop there his walking thorow all quarters did not make him Bishop in anothers Dicesse James continued Bishop of Ierusalem notwithstanding Peter and the rest were there nor is it evident by the Scripture that he walked thorow the Gentiles quarters For admit universall power of governing was given to him by the treble pasce yet yet it was afterwards restrained from the Gentiles Paul being a chosen Vessell for to carry the Gospell to them and was ordained an Apostle and Minister to that end Paul appointed over the Gentiles infra 63. chap. 8. so that where it is said that Peter walked thorough all quarters that is to be understood the then known quarters of the East for at that time Paul was not called who after his Ordination preached at Damascus and Hierusalem and after to the people of Rome and that without let as it is in the last of the Acts and he did magnifie his office Rom. 11.13 in that he was appointed over them Marsilius defensor pacis 2. dict 16. cap. affirms that he was Bishop there and if so then Peters coming thither did not nullifie his Office for that it was the direction of the Holy Ghost Rom. 15.19 that none should build upon anothers foundation that is they should not be busie Bishops in anothers Diocesse so that it will be very hard for the Doctor to prove his Holinesse Peters Successor Linus who by some is supposed immediate Successor after Peter in that
must we admit that they taught any thing contrary to what they writ they had the Holy Ghost that never-erring Spirit that did lead them into all truth and could not at one time write one thing and after teach another We allow that they did deliver traditions to the people but Saint Peter in his 1 Epist 1.25 tells us it was the word of the Lord that was preached amongst them for nothing contrary to that was preached and delivered and that the people were bound to observe all things they did teach by the commandment of God Mat. 28.20 and therefore Saint Paul enjoynes the Thessalonians 2 Thess 2.15 to hold fast the traditions they had learned whether by word or Epistle The old Testament was delivered by the Jews and confirmed by Christ and his Apostles and therefore the Church of Rome did embrace that and reject the other traditional books of the Jews which were not by Moses written or by Christ approved of Now we make bold in this to follow her example if the Church of Rome have any traditions which are not repugnant to the written word we shall not disallow of them but if they make against that with the Evangelists and the Apostles have delivered to us in writing which writing we approve in our Judgement as the infallible oracles of God we by her own eâ—ample as rejecting those traditions of the Jews which were not consonant to the written law of Moses or approved of by Christ and likewise by warrant of Christ not to leane to the traditions of men and to cast off the commandments of God desire to be excused for not embracing every tradition the Church of Rome would obtrude upon us and we perswade our selves that sith she hath rejected the traditions of the Jews because not warranted by the written word she cannot be so impartial to deny us the same liberty to reject her traditions upon the same score and that the rather because she hath not so good a ground for her traditions as the Jews had in respect Moses talked with God face to face Exod. 33. Besides the Jews traditions were certaine and reduced into writing by the late Rabbins and therefore the Church of Rome might better have embraced them then think that we shall follow hers which are daily of new invention After the destruction of Jerusalem and scattering of the Jews Papist traditions uncertaine one Rabbi Juda Hannasi got leave of Antoninus to assemble the people and because the books of their old traditions were utterly lost and perished they then being met writ all that they could remember The Jews Talmud calling it Mischna that is Deuteronomy or a Law reiterated which was a memorial of their Cabala or traditional law which collections of theirs were afterward Anno Christi 219. by Rabbi Jochanan enlarged and called the Talmud which Talmud was after Anno Christi 500. perfected and received as a Rule in all cases Ecclesiastical and civil So that the Jews having thus reduced their traditions into certainty it were more reasonable for the Church of Rome to embrace them then to think that we shall hand over head accept of her ever-growing traditional rules which are not held forth in any certainty to us but every day upon colour of Church-traditions she plays an Affrican trick and brings out new monsters so that I may say it is as easie to make a gown for the Moon as for any man to think he can keep and observe her traditional rules The variety of her strange production in this particular might serve to cloy the appetite of any that should desire to render himself obedient to her rules but the vanity of them and their contrariety to Gods word doth more especially and justly detaine every good Christian for being her superstitions proselyte to embrace them and eâ—pecially those Christians which are not within her jurisdictions nor belonging unto his charge Amongst whom I may rank our English Church which being of Apostolical foundation and in power and Church-authority equal with the Church of Rome and for that the Law of God was as well extended to other Churches and particularly to her as to Rome as I have proved in the second and fourth Chapters may in that respect as well prescribe traditional law to the Church of Rome as she should send forth her historical edicts to England Yet lest some may think that if uppon this score we cast off her traditions we do but thereby evade the question of validity and authority of her traditions in themselves as they are by her held forth unto the world I will therefore make it evident that neither those of her own Church and province nor the Romane Catholicks of other Kingdomes are bound or ought to receive and embrace whatsoever traditions the Church of Rome shall hold forth to them as being so imposed upon them to be received for matter of faith I have in some measure in the former Chapter treated upon the authoâ—ity and excellency of Scriptures wherein I have shewed that she is the ground and foundation of the Church and if so then it follows that whatsoever tradition the Church shall deliver as matter of Doctrine must either stand upon this ground-work or else â—t is a paper-building an airey peece a black cloud of humane condensing hurried to and fro by contrary winds â—ill the loosly-contracted vapour dash â—t self upon this rock of Christ and â—â—ke smoak vanish into nothing She â—s the touchstone must distinguish the gold from the drossy and courser peeces of Rom's treasure she is the Fan must winnow and purge the floor of the Churches granary from all chaff and light corn and from those Tares which being cast into her field by Satan sprung together with her better graine And hereupon the good Emperor Constantine as it is recorded in the Ecclesiastical History lib. 1. cap. 7. did say That seeing the Evangelical and Apostolical books and the Oracles of the Old Testament do plainly teach us any thing that we ought to know or learn concerning God whether concerning his Divine Nature as Saint Luke useth the words Acts 17.25 Or his attributes and qualities as Saint Peter applies it 2 Pet. 1.5 Or his Law and Religion as the penner of Maccabees takes it 2 Mac. 4.7 Away therefore with all strife and seek for the solution of these matters out of the Scriptures inspired by God himself And herewith agreeth Bellarmine Tom. 1. Col. 2. saying That the books of the Prophets and Apostles are the true word of God and the sure and true rule of our faith And as I said before in the precedent Chapter All things necessary to our salvation are contained in the Scriptures It is true indeed that in the Scriptures we do not finde any mention of Peter being Bishop of Rome or of the Assumption of Mary the mother of Jesus nor can we finde by Scriptures that Saint Luke was a Painter or that Nicodemus had so much
skill in Appelles Art that he drew that exquisite picture of Christ which Rome has representing unto us his posture whilst the Jews whipt him I must confess that for these matters of importance we must submit to the traditions of Rome But all things touching God and the means to attaine faith in him are plentifully therein to be found Chrysostome sayes in his 41 Hom. upon the 22 of Matth. Quicquid queritur ad salutem totum eam ademptum est in Scripturis and upon the 95 Psalm Si quid dicatus absque Scriptura c. If any thing be spoken without the Scripture the cogitation of the Auditors faile but so soon as the Testimony of Gods voice is heard out of the Scripture it confirmeth both the word of the speaker and the mind of the hearer Saint Hierom upon the 9 of Jeremy Nec parentum ne majorum error sequendus est sed author it as Scripturarum Dei docenti imperium Saint Cyprian who writ almost 1400 yeers ago would not yeeld to Stephanus Bishop of Rome but reproved him for leaning to tradition and demanded of him by what Scripture he could prove his tradition Cyprian Epist ad Pompeium 74. So then if in his time it was not enough to alleadge tradition for the proof of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome much less is it lawful to follow the Popes definitive sentence in matters of faith and doctrine When the Arrians would not admit the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it could not be found in Scripture Athanasius did not plead tradition for it but said Although the express words be not found in the Scripture yet have the Scriptures that meaning and sense in them as every one that readeth the Scriptures may plainly understand and therefore by warrant thâ—eof that word might be maintained Saint Austine de unitat Eccl. cap. 10. Nemo mihi dicat quid dixit Donatus quid dixit Parmenianus quid Paulus aut quillibet illorum quid nec catholicis episcopis consentiendum est sicubi forte falluntur ut contra canonicas Dei Scriptures aliquid sentiant Methinks the very word Canonical which the Church of Rome having approved Canonical Scripture disprove â—raditiods what Scriptures shall be Canonical what not is sufficient of it self to prove this point for signifies a rule and thereupon those books are called Canonical because they are the rules of our faith and consequently whatsoever is not consonant to the Scripture ought to be rejected as pernicious and swerving from the rules of our faith For as whatsoever is not of faith is sin and as faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God therefore whatsoever is extra Scripturam cum ex fide non sit peccatum est This was the saying of Basil one of the Church of Rome's Saints in his Ethicks difinit ult prope finem And for my part I shall not be so harsh with her as this St. was I should be willing to allow of her traditions if they do not impugne the Scriptures and not to be so rigid against her traditional power as upon Basil's rule utterly to reject all if not expresly contained in Scripture I say for my part I should allow of such and approve of them as to be cerdited for the matter of fact but if she enjoyn them as doctrinal and to be rules of faith then â—ith Cyprian I desire to examine them by this Touchstone of truth the Scriptures For if once she propound traditions to be rules of faith then with Hierome Cyprian and Austin I must examine the truth of them by the rule of Scripture and with Saint Chrysostome in his 13 Hom. upon the 2 Cor. 7. do pray and beseech the Church of Rome to reject what this or that man says and search the truth out of the Scriptâ—re that learning true riches we may follow them and so attain life everlasting neither let any Church be wedded with her own traditions or give her self to believe the traditions of other Churches unless saith he she can bring authority from these truths to a warrant her doctrine and not to receive for doctrine the commandments of men and with Saint Cyprian examine from whence such tradition came whether it descended from authority of our Lord Jesus Christ or his Gospel or whether it came from the Mandates of the Apostles or their Epistles If so saith he let such divine and holy tradition be observed if no let it be rejected especially any tradition that shall contradict the written verities of God for such certainly proceed from spirits of error Here is a cloud of witnesses all agreeing in one that no traditions are to be embraced that have not warrant from the word of God so that for the Church of Rome to put her traditions upon the people for rules of faith upon that score that it is the power and authority of the Church that awarrants those traditions is vain and not binding to the conscience of men unless she can justifie and maintaine them warrantable by the word according to Saint Pauls saying to the Galat. 1.9 Though an Angel from heaven come and teach any other doctrine then what we have preached let him be accursed For the Testimony of no Church whatsoever is to be received if it be contrary to the Scripture Sâ—riptures above the Church Ante 73. Chapter 9. according to that of Saint Austin upon that text The Scriptures are not true because the Church sayes they are the word of God but the testimony of the Church is true because they are the word of God and should Rome or any other Church teach contrary to the holy Scripture it is to be rejected as that which hath nothing of verity in it Now sith the Scriptures are the onely rules of our faith The vanity and falseness of the traditions of the Church of Rome and do containe in themselves the necessary points of our faith what shall we think of the traditions of the Church of Rome which have no warrant from the holy Scriptures but many of them being repugnant and utterly contrary to those Scriptures which therefore by the rule of Christ himself in the 7 of Matthew and by the general consent of the fathers of the primitive Church are to be rejected yet notwithstanding are by her enjoyned upon her pretended authority of universality and infallibility to be rules of faith unto others And lest any should think me injurious to the Church of Rome in this particular I wiâ—l give you a smal taste for I delight not to lay open her infirmities thereby to draw a scandal upon her of such of her traditions as are not warranted by the holy word of God only maintained out of self interest and to warrant her claim of universal power Spiritual and Temporal by these ensuing examples and further refer you to the 7 Chapter The Church of Rome that she might perswade the world of Peters being Bishop of Rome by