be proved Therefore the other answer may stand good that there is no necessitie of making the word Sheshach to be the proper name of King City or Idol it may rather be an appellative For Jeremy 25.26 Rex Sheshach bibet post eos which as I said you may interpret Rex diem festum celebrans bibet post eos The King celebrating a festivall day shall drink after them though Tremell hath it thus Rex Babyloniae festa habentis bibet c. I cannot deny but if there were such an idol among them as was termed Sheshach which is our main enquiry yet unproved it might as well as Bel Merodach and Melcom signifie the people which worshipped it Till that point be evidenced I will say with Tremellius that the forbearing to name the King or veiling the name of the city and describing him or it by what was prophesied they should be doing or acting as indeed it fell out is to be referred ad r De qua Hermog Tom. 4. de inventione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orationis to the gravitie and weight of the speech wherein the Scripture keepeth its majestie and neither with bitter invective nor harsh exprobration but with composed gravitie and eloquent solemnitie designeth the King or Babylon out not expressely by his or her name but by their actions as Nabals name was applied by his own wife to signifie his churlish nature 1. Sam. 25.25 Nabal is his name and folly is with him and Jerusalem is called the holy city for the holy things there done there contained I conclude thus If anagrammes from the Hebrew Chaldee Syriack or Greek languages in which the words of holy Scripture were writ may not be admitted as indeed they may not much lesse may we expound the sacred Originall by English anagrammes the flashes and fire-works of luxuriant brains Hearty reverence and a kinde of ceremonious civill adoration beseemeth the word of God It is not much prating or pridy-self-love that makes the good expositour The silence of swannes is not overcome by the noise of swallows but when the swallows are grown hoarse the swannes shall sing saith Nazianzen The application is easy Josephus in his second book against Apion saith of the Jewish high priest He shall judge of doubtfull matters and punish those that are convinced by the law Whosoever obeyeth not him shall undergo punishment as he that behaves himself impiously against God The great dubious perplexed scruples difficulties were not left to the judicature of private fancies Artificum est judicare de arte It belongs to artificers to judge of the art is a maxime of infallible truth Hierome upon these words Eccles. 3.7 A time to keep silence and a time to speak thus s Omnes artes absque dectore non discimus solae haec tam vilis facilis est ut non indigeat praeceptore We learn no art without a teacher onely this is so mean and so easie that it needeth no teacher and he speaketh by Ironie of those who are rath-ripe in religion Aristotle Ethic. 1. Every one judgeth aright of those things which he knows and this is a good judge And this is called by Ockam our countryman t Judicium certae veridicae cognitionis the judgement of certain and veridicall knowledge Luther divinely u Non licet Angelis nedum hominibus verba Dei pro arbitrio interpretari It is not lawfull for Angels much lesse for men to interpret Gods words as they list much lesse for women say I. Tertullian in his time styled them hereticall women that dared to teach and contend in argument and nothing truer then this that x Imperitia considentiam eruditio timorem creat Ignorance breeds confidence learning fear and distrust Who is more bold then blinde bayard To the word of God we must adde nothing contrarie or forein saith Aquin. No prophesie of the Scripture is of any private interpretation 2. Pet. 1.20 Know this first saith the Apostle there Or is Daniel no Prophet and his writing not propheticall If the wit of men or Angels from heaven should make a law a written law by which people should be ruled or judged as for example concerning theevery and appoint no living judge to determine who offend against the law and who are punishable or not punishable but leave every one to judge himself by this written law and every one to interpret the law to his pleasure were it not a foolish law a mock-law and indeed a no-law And shall God give us a law concerning our souls and permit the interpretation of it to every one The living judge in matters of Faith and Religion in every Kingdome of Christian government is the Nationall Councel thereof till there be found that panchrestum medicamentum that medicine good for all diseases for the Universall Church of Christ a true and free generall Councel from which is no appeal it being the supremest externall judge on earth Yea but the Bereans received the word with all readines of minde and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17.11 Shall they examine the very Apostles doctrine and not we the doctrine of our Pastours I answer first These Bereans were learned and eminent men But every unlearned skullion now that hath skill onely in the English originall will contest with the profoundest Clerks Secondly these Bereans were unbeleevers before the examination of those things for immediately it followeth Therefore many of them beleeved and many honourable Greek women and men Art thou an unbeleever Do thou then as those unbeleevers did If thou beleevest shew me one passage of Scripture where ever the unlearned people did call the doctrine of their learned Pastours into triall I confesse that the judgement of the Scripture and Creed is onely authentick and perfectly decisive And if we could exactly hit on the true meaning all differences were quickly at an end Nor do I monopolize learning to the Clergy when I confine and restrain the judgement of learning to the learned Many there are among the people who in all literature humane and divine exceed many Priests and I wish they were more in number and that way more abundantly qualified With the Churchmen it would be better since y Scientia neminem habet inimicum praeter ignorantem Learning hath no enemy but the ignorant There are sonnes of wisdome and sonnes of knowledge As Wisdome is justified of her children Matth. 11.19 so learning is not to be judged by the unlearned but by her children I acknowledge that all and every one of the people are to answer for their thoughts words and deeds and that God hath given them a judgement of discretion in things which they know but in matters above their knowledge and transcending their capacitie they have neither judgement to discern nor discretion to judge Nè sutor ultra crepidam Shall blinde men judge of colours Sus Minervam Phormio Hannibalem Asinus
illumination as Gerson styleth it Columna ignis A pillar of fire Exod. 13.21 Stella Magos in Oriente antecedens The starre conducting the wise men of the East Matth. 2.9 An holy undeceiving unambiguous influent coruscation The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters Gen. 1.2 This made Abraham not unwillingly to sacrifice his sonne The quenching of this Spirit against the cleare light of his own convicted conscience made the old Prophet more inexcusable then the other officious lying Prophet who deceived him 1. Kings 13.16 c. Nor did an Angel speak unto the seducer by the word of the Lord vers 18. Samuel being but a childe might not indeed as a novice or some others for a while might not know the voice of the Lord as Peter at the present knew not the operation of God by the Angel in his miraculous deliverie But now I know saith he that God hath sent his Angel yea I know of a surety Act. 12.11 Profane ones I will not priviledge from mistaking of God as perhaps lest Satan might out-stretch his Commission from God when he gave Job into his hands God said restrainingly Onely save his life Job 2.6 And S. Augustine de cura pro mortuis gerenda cap. 12. telleth an admirable storie of two men each called Curma to wit How Curma the Countrey-man lay almost dead many dayes onely a little steam of breath coming from him they kept him from buriall though he was without motion or any feeling whatsoever they did unto him in which time he saw many visions So soon as he opened his eyes he said Let one go to the house of Curma the smith Who was found dead that moment in which Curma the Husbandman came to his senses And the surviving Curma related that he heard in the place from whence he was returned that the smith and not himself was to be brought to that place A mistaking there was by the messengers of death though it were after righted Caiaphas might not know the inspiration or instinct propheticall which he had because he was a wicked man Dispensativè illi contigit sermo He did distribute the speech to others which he knew not himself saith Basil in Prooem Isaiae He was a Prophet perchance Casu saith Origen on John Balaam his asse and Caiaphas spake they knew not what The prophesie was transitorie saith S. Augustine Wherefore I conclude as before That wicked men may be punished with mistakings in things divine But that ever any holy man was ignorant to the end that God moved when he moved him or that the righteous were ever deceived by Oraculous anfractuous perplexities or that the Notaries of heaven the writers of any part authentick of either Testament could be deceived in their conceptions is not agreeable to likelihood reason or truth The last Lemma is this The holy Penmen could not erre in writing If they could what difference is there between their Writings and other profane Authours And to what end had they infallibilitie of understanding if what they understood they could expresse erroneously A readie perfect and quick scribe writeth not falsly but My tongue is the pen of a readie writer saith the Psalmograph Psal 45.1 Holy Ezra who was the divine amanuensis of the book of Ezra is called by the same words SOPHIR MAHIR a readie swift exact scribe Ezra 7.6 no question with allusion to the words of the Psalmist John 16.13 When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth How into all truth if there be an errour in writing Or had God care that the Apostles should not misse of the truth in their Speeches and yet misse in their Writings If the Prophets could not erre no more could the Evangelists or Apostles for if there were any superioritie in priviledge we are rather to ascribe it to these latter then to those former in regard that the Law of Christ and of Grace is farre above the Law of Moses as the Apostle doth demonstrate to the Hebrews themselves But that the Prophets could not erre is apparent because Christ himself who is Truth would not have appealed from the present more visible pretending Synagogue to them as all-sufficient Judges as he often did if they could erre A perfect rule is not to be tried by an imperfect one Prophets writ their Prophesies and fastened them to the gates of the Temple and other publick places to be read and were rather judged by their Prophesies written then by them as inspired or uttered by mouth The Gnomon of the Sunne-diall which our late Hieroglyphical Poetaster doth make to signifie the Scriptures is better to be judged by a moving clock the curious handie-work of the same great Artist I mean by the Church and Church-men with whom Christ hath promised his Spirit shall be to the end of the world then by the rude masons or rather the senselesse stones and mortar of the walls I mean the ignorant people who have plucked down not onely the Weather-cock by his interpretation the Pope but usurp to themselves a power to judge the Gnomon and to reform and amend the well wrought well ordered clock The shallow phantastick stateth not the question aright when he is so magisterially peremptorie saying That the Clergie may not so judge of the Scriptures as to conclude or teach any thing against them or to vouch unwritten verities if they be certain verities it mattereth not much whether they be written or unwritten Veritie will vouch it self in spight of lying Poets as some call them or Traditions contradictorie to the written Word Which contradictorie Traditions do much differ from unwritten Verities howsoever the Poet confusedly joyneth them For who of us ever taught that the Clergie may teach any thing against the Scriptures when we professe with him that the Church ought to subject it self to be directed by the Scriptures But that fabling rymer may say any thing who in his Sarcasmos and Frontispice is suffered thus to rave No wonder that the Clergie would be Kings whereas we the now unpriviledged Clergie do humbly pray to God to uphold our declining estates from the hands of those Atheists and turbulent Anti-episcopall Anti-monarchicall Reformists perhaps Pensioners of the forcin enemies of our State who under the pretence of Religion labour to pluck down our Church and Ecclesiastick Hierarchie and upon the ruines thereof to arise to the depluming of the Eagle to the bearding of the Lion not onely to the paring of the royall prerogative but also the removing the very scepter and crown from the Anointed of the Lord whom God alwaies mightily defend and to the bringing in of popular government for No Bishop no King said the learned wise and pious King James most truely I return to retort the Church-reforming Poets words upon himself In his Solarie he saith That the diall is the Written Word which is of it self dead and unprofitable without further illumination since none of the Philosophers nor
x Putáne piures baeresâ—â— sectas exerituras fuisse fi nuila pâ—nitus Sâ—riptura extitisset quà m nunc cùm Scritura mortalibus à coelo data est Ego certè propior sum existimanti paucioreâ— fuisse futuras Do you think that more sects and heresies would have bubbled up if there had been no Scripture at all then now are when God hath sent us the holy Writ I rather incline to that side who think there would have been fewer divisions saith Gretser in his defence of Bellarm. de Verb. Dei 4.4 Pighius de Eccles Hierarch 1.2 saith y Apostolos quaedam scripsisse non ut scripta illa praeossent Fidei Religionâ— nostrae sâ—d ut suâ—essent potiús That the Apostles wrote some things not that they might rule over our Faith and Religion but be subject rather and concludeth that the Church is not onely not inferiour nor onely equall but in a sort superiour to the Scriptures The Carmelite Antonius Marinarus in the second book of the Historie of the Councel of Tâ—ent pag. 118. is confident z Ecclesiam fuisse perfâ—ctissimam prius â—uam Sanctorum Apostolorii ullas sâ—ripsisset neq Ecclesiam Christi perfectiâ—â—e ullá carituram etiamsi nihil unquam scripto fuisset mandatum That the Church was most perfect before any Apostle wrote and that the Church of Christ had never wanted perfection though never any thing had been written Majoranus Clyp 2.28 thus a Vnus Ecclesiae consensus qui nunquam caruit Spiritu Dei pluris apud nos esse debet quà m omnes eâ—ingues muti codices quoiquâ—t sunt crunt unquam sâ—ripta volumina quae hominum ingemis semper materiam contentionis praebuerunt The uniform consent of the Church which never was destitute of Gods Spirit ought more to be esteemed by us then all the dumbe writings and volumes which are or shall be written which have ministred matter of debate to the wits of men These are accursed errours and easily confuted because traditions are inconstant and their number was never yet determined by themselves but the Scripture is certain and our Saviour both rebuketh the Pharisees for holding of traditions Mark 7.8 c. Luk. 11.39 Matth. 23.18 and commandeth them to search the Scriptures John 5.39 and referreth himself and the whole course of his life and death to be examined by Scripture Luke 24.25 c. The other extream is of such who neglect or deride the Church and the very name thereof because they have the written word and these do as much glory in it as the Jews did in the materiall Temple of Solomon when in truth their contempt of the Church and its power turns to their damnation without repentance and if the frequent divine immediate revelation had been imparted by God to us as it was to the Patriarchs it had been better for us for in that illumination there was no errour no mistaking no doubtfulnesse but an impossibilitie of being deceived So that my discourse endeth in the point in which it began The Scripture was not absolutely necessarie to be written but ex hypothesi conditionally and supposing the divine decree it was necessarie yea upon corruption of manners and doctrine it was not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 convenient but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 necessarie not onely the most convenient way but the most necessarie means Otherwise God would never have written it It is necessarie if not as a cause yet as a concause The word as a cause the writing as a concause saith Trelcatius The Scriptures are not simply necessarie ad esse Eclesiae to the being of a Church whatsoever Scharpius saith but ad bene esse to the wel-being for nothing was written of the New Testament in Christs life-time nor in some yeares after Away with the Popish vilifying of Scripture c Materia litis non vox judicis Matter of strife say they and not the voice of the judge Away with the Puritanicall cut disdaining the Church and the interpreters thereof to wit their thrice-reverend Bishops and Priests and priding themselves in their own senselesse private Spirit The second question followeth viz. Whether the holy Penmen or Actuaries wrote the Scripture casually I answer If we take casually for fortè fortunâ for sole chance or onely bare contingencie they wrote not casually Te facimus Fortuna deam coelóque locamus Men think they make Fortune a goddesse a giddie one like the people themselves but indeed God worketh that which we call Fortune amongst men Augustine lib. 80. quaest quaest 24. divinely reasoneth in this sort What is done by chance is done suddenly or rashly what is so done is not done providently but whilest providence administreth all things nothing falls by chance in this world if through it we look up to God as to the universall cause by his providence For nothing falls under our senses but was commanded or permitted from the invisible and intelligible Hall of the highest Emperour saith Augustine de Trin. 3.4 1. Kings 22.34 A certain man drew a bow at a venture or in his simplicitie and smote the King of Israel between the joynts of the harnesse What the 32 Captains of the King of Aram could not accomplish though this were their Commission Fight neither with small nor great save onely with the King of Israel vers 13. that this roving arrow did by chance accomplish and slew the bloudie Ahab yet so by chance as the hand of the Lord did guide it Nec erranti Deus abfuit and it might have been written on the shaft before it was drawn out of the quiver Deus Achabo more certainly then what was written on the arrow that stroke out the eye of Philip of Macedon Astur Philippo A wealthy merchant sendeth two of his Factours one to the East Indies the other to the West each of them not knowing the others employments after certain yeares he appointeth each of them to be at such a port on such a moneth and day if they so can They both meet both wonder both at the first hold it a strange chance when the deep wisdome of their master providently determined all this There is no chance where providence reigneth If we take casually as importing counsel meerly humane led by opportunitie onely and excluding inspiration as men consilium capiunt ex tempore pro re nata Advise according to the fresh occurrences or as bonae leges ex malis moribus oriuntur Good laws are made upon former mis-behaviour thus the holy Prophetâ— Evangelists and Apostles wrote not casually for as the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1.21 so both for the Old and New Testament S. Paul saith All Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2. Tim. 3.16 Is that casuall If we conceive the matter thus The holy penmen wrote casually that is
representative is imputed to us 85 CHAP. VI. 1. ORiginall sinne is propagated unto us Originall sinne properly is not in the flesh before the union with the soul 90 2. Bishop Bilson Mollerus Kemnitius and Luther in an errour Bishop Bilsons arguments answered Conception taken strictly by Physicians c. We are not conceived in originall sinne if we respect this conception Conception taken largely by Divines Thus we were conceived in sinne 92 3. A Physicall Tractate of conception clearing the point 97 4. A Discourse touching aborsives and abortives Balthasar Bambach answered The Hebrew vowels not written at first when the consonants were Never any wrote till God had written the Two Tables 98 5. The manner how the soul contracteth originall sinne pointed at Bodily things may work upon the soul 103 6. Righteous men have unrighteous children The contagion of originall sinne is quickly spread 106 7. No sinne or sinnes of any of our parents immediate or mediate do hurt the souls of their children but onely one and that the first sinne of Adam 109 CHAP. VII 1. A Review of the last point Zanchius not against it Bucer and Martyr are but faint and rather negative then positive 112 2. Bucer and Martyr make the state of the question to be voluble not fixt and setled Their objections answered The place of Exodus 20.5 examined 113 3. S. Augustine appealed unto and defended 116 4. God justly may and doth punish with any temperall punishment any children like or unlike unto their parents for their parents personall sinnes 118 5. God doth and may justly punish some children eternally and all temporally for originall sinne whether they be like their parents in actuall aversion yea or no. 121 6. God justly punisheth even eternally wicked children if they resemble wicked parents ibid. 7. God oftentimes punisheth one sinne with another ibid. 8. The personall holinesse of the parent never conveyed grace or salvation to the sonne ibid. 9. God never punished eternally the reall iniquities of the fathers upon their children if the children were holy ibid. 10. No personall sinnes can be communicated The point handled at large against the errour of Bucer and Martyr 123 11. The arguments or authorities for my opinion The new Writers not to be overvalued Zanchius himself is against Bucer and Martyr 133 CHAP. VIII 1. ORiginall sinne came not by the law of Moses but was before it in the world 138 2. God hath good reason and justice to punish us for our originall sinne in Adam Gods actions defended by the like actions of men 139 3. Husbands represent their wives The men of Israel represented the women Concerning the first-born of men and beasts The primogeniture and redemption of the first-born 140 4. The whole bodie is punished for the murder committed by one hand Corporations represent whole cities and towns and Parliaments the bodie of the Realm Their acts binde the whole Kingdome Battelling champions and duellists ingage posteritie 144 5. S. Peter represented the Apostles The Apostles represent sometimes the Bishops sometimes the whole Clergie The Ministers of the Convocation represent the whole Church of England The authoritie of Generall Councels Nationall Synods must be obeyed 147 6. Private spirits censured Interpretation of Scripture not promiscuously permitted An Anabaptisticall woman displayed 149 7. Another woman reproved for her new-fangled book in print Scriptures not to be expounded by anagrams in Hebrew much lesse in English but with reverence How farre the people are to beleeve their Pastours 152 8. Saul represented an entire armie Joshua and the Princes binde the Kingdome of Israel for long time after 183 9. Christ represented us Christ and Adam like in some things in others unlike Christ did and doth more good for us then Adam did harm 184 The Contents of the second book CHAPTER I. Sect. 1. THe question propounded and explained Fol. 1. 2. Armenius or rather his sonne Zoroaster dead and revived ibid. 3. Antillus dead and living again because the messenger of death mistook him in stead of Nicandas Nicandas died in his stead 2 4. A carelesse Christian died and recovered life lived an Anchorite twelve yeares died religiously ibid. CHAP. II. 1. A Division of such as have been raised They all died 3 2. The widow of Zarephath her sonne raised yet died again supposed to be Jonas the Prophet The Shunammites sonne raised not to an eternall but to a temporary resurrection A good and a better resurrection 4 3. Christ the first who rose not to die again 5 4. The man raised in the sepulchre of Elisha arose not to immortalitie ibid. CHAP. III. 1. WHilest Christ lived none raised any dead save himself onely 6 2. The rulers daughter raised by Christ died again ibid. 3. So did the young man whom Christ recalled to life 7 4. Many miracles in that miracle of Lazarus his resurrection ibid. 5. Christ gave perfect health to those whom he healed or raised 8 6. Lazarus his holy life and his second death 9 CHAP. IIII. 1. TAbitha died again 9 2. So did Eutychus 10 3. They who were raised about the Passion of Christ died not again as many ancient and late Writers do imagine Mr. Montague is more reserved ibid. CHAP. V. 1. VVHo were supposed to be the Saints which were raised by such as maintain that they accompanied Christ into heaven 12 2. A strange storie out of the Gospel of the Nazarens ibid. 3. Adams soul was saved Adams bodie was raised about Christs Passion saith Pineda out of diverse Fathers Thus farre Pineda hath truth by him That the sepulchre of Adam was on mount Calvarie so say Athanasius Origen Cyprian Ambrose Basil Epiphanius Chrysostom Augustine Euthymius Anastasius Sinaita Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople ibid. 4. It was applauded in the Church in Hieromes time 13 5. Theophylact thought Adam buried in Calvarie Drusius unadvisedly taxeth the Fathers Tertullian consenteth with other Fathers and Nonnus who is defended against Heinsius 14 6. At Jerusalem they now shew the place where Adams head was found Moses Barcepha saith that Sem after the floud buried the head of Adam 17 7. The Romane storie of Tolus and Capitolium much resembling the storie of Adam ibid. CHAP. VI. 1. HIerom saith Adam was not buried on mount Calvarie Both Hierom Adrichomius and Zimenes say he was buried in Hebron Hierom censured for doubling in this point by Bellarmine 19 2. Hieroms arguments answered 20 3. The Originall defended against Hierom in Josh 14.15 ADAM there is not a proper name but an appellative Arba is there is a proper name of a man Adrichomius erreth in Kiriath-Arbee and the words signifie not Civitas quatuor virorum The citie of foure men New expositions of Kiriath-Arbee ibid. 4. It may signifie as well Civitas quatuor rerum The citie of foure things as Quatuor hominum Of foure men The memorable monuments about Hebron 22 5. It may be interpreted Civitas quadrata quadrilatera quadrimembris quadricollis A citie fouresquare of foure sides
and involved in originall sinne which they either knew not or considered not Lastly when I had taken these pains to frame this chapter in defence of a point which I never held to be questioned it grieved me to heare my ingenious friend so much to defend the new Writers and to dance after the new pipe Candid and favourable expositions I shall love while I live and both use towards others and desire to be used towards me but violent forced farre-fetched interpretations as this hath been I can no way allow For since reformation hath been so sharp-sighted as to finde fault in all things to esteem the Schoolmen as dunses though they are thought dunses that so censure them to account the Fathers as silly old men or as children though they are but babes that admire them not to disregard Provinciall Councels yea Generall Councels as the acts of weak and sinfull men though they are the chiefest the highest earthly-living-breathing Judges of Scriptures controversed which cavils against former times I have heard belched forth by the brain-sick zealous ignorants of our times since we have hissed out the Papists and think they speak against their own consciences when they maintain the infallibilitie and inerrabilitie of the Pope May not Bucer and Martyr erre Must all new opinions needs be true and defended with might and main with wrested part-taking over-charitable defenses rather then a small errour shall be acknowledged If such milde dealing had been used against times precedent we could not have found as some now have done about two thousand errours of the Papists But thus much if not too much shall suffice concerning these men and this matter with this cloze That Zanchius himself in the place above cited saith thus against that new-fangled opinion t Neque enim aliud peccatum in posteros transfusum est quà m quod ipsius quoque fuit Adami fuit enim inobedientia cum privatione justitiae originalis totius naturae corruptione Deinde etiam non propter aliud peccatum nos sumus adjudicati morti quà m propter illud propter quod Adamus Ejusdem enim peccati stipendium fuit mors Illi autem fuit dictum Morte Morieris propter inobedientiam c. For no other sinne was transfused to posteritie then that which also was Adams for it was disobedience with a privation of originall justice and corruption of the whole nature Besides we are sentenced to death for no other sinne then for that for which Adam also was for death was the wages of the same sinne Now it was said to him THOU SHALT DIE THE DEATH for disobedience c. Now let them say if they can that Adam was sentenced to death for any sinne of predecessour or successour or any other sinne of himself but one onely I have maintained and do resolve Death was inflicted for his first sinne onely Therefore by Zanchius his true Divinitie against Bucer and Martyr and their peremptorie defenders Not all not many sinnes of all of many of any of our predecessours but the first sinne onely of Adam is transfused to posteritie nor are they guiltie or condemnable for any other preceding actuall sinne or sinnes of others whosoever O Father of consolation O God of mercies who knowest that every one of us have sinnes personall more then enow to condemne us lay not I beseech thee the sinnes of our fathers or fore-fathers or our own if it be thy holy will to our charge to punish us in this life present or our originall sinne in and by Adam or our own actuall misdeeds to trouble our consciences by despair or to damne us in the world to come but have mercy upon us have mercy upon us according to thy great mercy in Christ Jesus our alone Lord and Saviour Amen CHAP. VIII 1. Original sinne came not by the Law of Moses but was before it in the World 2. God hath good reason and justice to punish us for our original sinne in Adam Gods actions defended by the like actions of men 3. Husbands represent their wives The men of Israel represented the women Concerning the first-born of men and beasts The primogeniture and redemption of the first-born 4. The whole bodie is punished for the murder committed by one hand Corporations represent whole cities and towns and Parliaments the bodie of the Realm Their acts binde the whole Kingdome Battelling champions and duellists ingage posteritie 5. S. Peter represented the Apostles The Apostles represent sometimes the Bishops sometimes the whole Clergie The Ministers of the Convocation represent the whole Church of England The authoritie of Generall Councels National Synods must be obeyed 6. Private spirits censured Interpretation of Scripture not promiscuously permitted An Anabaptisticall woman displayed 7. An other woman reproved for her new-fangled book in print Scriptures not to be expounded by anagrams in Hebrew much lesse in English but with reverence How farre the people are to beleeve their Pastours 8. Saul represented an entire armie Joshua and the Princes binde the Kingdome of Israel for long time after 9. Christ represented us Christ and Adam like in some things in others unlike Christ did and doth more good for us then Adam did harm IT hath been plentifully evidenced that death entred into the world by sinne and that both Adam and we were sentenced to die for one sinne the first sinne onely of Adam onely and not for any other sinne or sinnes of him or any other our remote propinque or immediate parents and that death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression Rom. 5.14 I adde Death shall live fight and prevail though not reigne from Moses unto the end of the world For when this mortall shall have put on immortality then then and not till then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory 1. Cor. 15.54 and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death 1. Cor. 15.26 Aquine on Roman 5. lect 4. thus Because corporall death reigned from Adam by whom originall sinne came into the world unto Moses under whom the Law was given and death is the effect of sinne especially originall sinne it appeareth there was originall sinne in the world before the Law and lest we might say they died for actuall sinnes the Apostle saith Death reigned even over those who sinned not proprio actu as children So he 2. The things themselves then being unquestionable and before elucidated to the full That death is inflicted for originall sinne and that we all and every of us except Christ have contracted originall sinne it followeth justly by the judgement of God that death is appointed unto us for this sinne Tertullian lib. 1. contra Marcion a Homo damnatur in mortem ob unius arbusculi delibationem pereunt jam omnes quì nullum Paradisi cespitem nôrunt Man is condemned to death for tasting of a small
countrey if upon imposed crimes by an appellant the defendant shall yeeld or be overcome in battell b Vâ—imo supplicio punietur cum poena gravi vel graviori secundum criminis qualitatem cum exhaeredatione haeredum suorum omnium bonorum amissione He shall be put to death with a grievous or more grievous pain according to the qualitie of the crime with the disinheriting of his heirs and losse of all his goods Furthermore though he were slain yet the formality of the Common-law proceeding adjudgeth him to capitall punishment that thereby his posterity may suffer the grievous concomitancy of his deserved infamy saith that most learned M. Selden my most courteous and loving friend in his Duello or Single Combat pag. 30. 5. But let us come from the sword where things are cut out with more rigour if not crucltie unto matters Ecclesiasticall and so more civil and peaceable Did not S. Peter stand in stead of all the Apostles when Christ said to him Joh. 21.15 16. Feed my lambes Feed my sheep And again Feed my sheep vers 17. Likewise when Christ said to him Matth. 16.19 I will give unto thee the keyes of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And when this promise to Peter was promised to the rest of the Apostles also Matth. 18.18 and when both these promises were fulfilled and accomplished as they were after Christs resurrection and not before and authoritie given and by a solemne ceremony exhibited by Christ not onely to S. Peter but to all and every of the Apostles saying Joh. 20.21 c. As my Father hath sent me even so send I you And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose soever sinnes ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sinnes ye retain they are retained Did not the Apostles represent the whole body of the Ministery unlesse you will fable that in the Apostles dayes they had more need of remission of sinnes then we have now or that Christ loveth not his Church now nor affordeth the like means of pardon and reconciliation as he did in those times But by the same deceitfulnesse of cavillation you may say as well that when Christ brake bread and gave it to his Disciples and said Take eat this is my body and gave the cup to them saying Drink ye all of it none but they might eat or drink the Supper of the Lord. But it is undeniable that when Christ said to his twelve Apostles Luk. 22.19 This is my body which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me he spake it to them as representours of the whole Priesthood onely who onely have power to consecrate the body and bloud of our Lord. Indeed Hierome saith c Quid facit Episcopus exceptâ Ordinatione quod Presbyter non facitâ— Epist 85. ad Euag. What doth a Bishop except Ordination which a Priest doth not as if the Apostles represented the Bishops in that point onley and the Centuriatours acknowledge that the first Bishops after the Apostles were made Bishops by the Apostles and they say no more then is confirmed 1. Timothy 5.22 and Titus 1.5 Act. 20.28 But other Fathers extend the comparison between the Apostles and Bishops to other matters appropriating to the Bishops above the Presbyters the power of Confirmation and divers other things All which though we grant yet no man will deny but for preaching baptizing and especially for consecrating of the Eucharist and Sacerdotall Absolution or Ministeriall Remission of sinnes the Apostles represented not the people in any wise nor the Bishops onely but the universall body of Christs Ministers And do not among us the Right Reverend Arch-bishops and Bishops and the Clergy assembled in the Convocation represent the whole Church of England are not they our Nationall Councel do not their Articles of Religion binde in conscience all and every one of the Church of England as much if not more then Civill laws Nor is there the like humane authority on earth for the setling of our consciences in matters of Scripture or Scriptures controverted or to be controverted as the externall publick breathing voice of a true Oecumenical Councel of the Patriarchs Bishops and choice Divines of the Christian world The essentiall universall Church of Christ is and we must beleeve it is the house of God the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3.15 It never erred it cannot erre its iudgement is infallible The Spirit leadeth this Church into all truth Joh. 16.13 Of the Church of God consisting of the faithfull in any one age or time I dare say it never did erre damnably or persisted in smaller errours obstinately but alwayes some truly maintained things necessary to salvation and unto this fluctuant militant part of the Church Christ hath promised to be with it to the end of the world Matt. 28.20 The whole visible Church at no time can fall into heresie but some seek after the truth and embrace it and professe it Subject it is to nesciency of some things and perhaps to some kinde of ignorance but it cannot erre in things necessary nor in lesse matters schismatically with obdurate pertinacy Of the representative Church of Christ in Councels this may be said truly and safely viz. Of the first six Generall Oecumenicall Councels not one de facto erred in any definition of matters of faith Of other lawfull general Councels that may hereafter be called though I will not deny but they may possibly be deceived as they are men and therefore are not free from errability but if such Councels may erre or pronounce amisse cannot coblers yet there is least likelihood of their erring Such Oecumenical Councels have the supremest publick externall definitive judgement in matters of Religion if any oppose them they may not onely silence them but censure them with great censures and reduce them into order Private spirits must sit down and rest in their determinations else do the Councels lose operam oleum What S. Ambrose Epist 32. said of one general Councell d Sequor tractatum Niceni Concilii à quo me 〈◊〉 mors nec gladius 〈◊〉 separare I follow the decision of the Nicene Councel from which neither death nor sword shall be able to separate me I say of all true and generall Councels and of the major part of them who binde the rest without which issue the gathering of Councels yea and of Parliaments also would be ridiculous For though it were a true and just complaint of Andreas Duditius Quinquecclesiensis Episcopus That in the Conventicle of Trent the voices were rather numbred then well weighed yet he doth not he cannot finde fault with that course in a just and lawfull Generall Councel but directeth his complaint against the tyrannicall power of the Pope
who made unlearned men Bishops as many as served his turn and more would have made if more need had been Bishops e Pompaticos ostensionales pompaticall and onely for shew as Lampridius said of Perseus his souldiers namely titular Bishops void of learning void of Churches void of good consciences and mercenary parasites Concerning our Nationall Church till a lawfull General Councel may be celebrated both Pastours and people of England are to obey her Decrees Injunctions Articles Homilies and our approved last best Translation above Coverdales Tindals or any private ones Therefore Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account Heb. 13.17 And you are to follow their faith ver 7. 6. The Devil brought not a more dangerous Paradox into the Church of God this thousand yeares then this That every one illiterate man or woman at their pleasure may judge of Scripture and interpret Scripture and beleeve their own fancies of the Scripture which they call the evidence of the Spirit and the contradicting them though with truth they esteem as the not convincing nor clearing of their conscience So that Nationall Councels are of no esteem Generall Councels not of much the sheep will not heare the Pastours voice but to their pleasure censure them for All may erre The Spirit from heaven as they suppose doth as well dictate the sense to them as it did sometimes the words to the holy Pen-men thereof Let such seduced ones know They have the cart without the horses and horsemen whereas the Prophet Eliah was called and other Church-governours may be called the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof 2. Kings 2.12 They have the words with the Eunuch but want both Philip to be their guide and the humblenes of the Eunuch who was willing to be instructed Act. 8.30 Though they have the letter yet they may misse the true literall sense which is not in divers places to be measured by the propriety of the words onely or principally as in proverbiall parabolicall and mysterious sentences The literal sense is the hardest to finde f Simplicem sequentes literam occidunt Filium Dei qui totus sentitur in Spiritu They that follow the bare letter do kill the Sonne of God who is wholly perceived in the Spirit saith Hierome of some men on Matt. 26.21 Presumptuous and illiterate Expositours are like the Carriers or Posts hasting between Princes having letters of truth in their packets but sealed up so that they cannot see nor know them while their mouthes are full of leasings false rumours and lies They have the spirit of self-conceit and pride These men little think that they who wrested some hard places in S. Paul as they did also the other Scriptures wrested them to their own destruction 2. Pet. 3.16 What shall become of those who wrest easie places These dream not that g Ejusdem penè auteritatis est interpretari cujus condere it belongs almost to the same authority to interpret and to make That they are to rest on the Generall Commission given to the Priest Teach all nations therefore others must learn That the Priests lips must preserve knowledge and the people must fetch the Law from their mouth That an implicite belief in depths beyond their capacity is better then adventurous daring to take from the holy word of God that divine sense which it hath and to fasten their own false sense upon it Tertullian saith h Tantum veritati obstrepit adulter sensus quantum corruptor stylus De Praescript advers hętet cap. 17. 38. The truth of the Scripture may be depraved as well by a false glosse as by corrupting the text Hierome thus i Non est in verbis Evangelium sed in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum foliis sed in radice rationis Comment in Galat. 1. The Gospel is not in the words but in the sense not in the outside but in the marrow not in the leaves of speeches but in the root of reason Irenaeus 2.25 k Melius est nihil omnino scientem perseverare in dilectione Dei quae hominem vivificat nec aliud inquirere ad scientiam nisi Jesum Christum Filium Dei pro nobis crucifixum quà m per quaestionum subtilitates multiloquium in impietates cadere It is better for the ignorant to continue in the love of God which quickneth a man and to seek no other knowledge but Jesus Christ the Sonne of God crucified for us then by subtilties of questions and much talking to fall into impieties And Augustine Serm. 20. de verbis Apost l Melior est fidelis ignorantia quà m temeraria scientia A faithfull ignorance is better then a rash knowledge Again S. Hierome ad Demetriadem speaketh of unlearned men m Quum loqui nesciunt tacere non possunt docéntque Scripturas quas non intelligunt priùs imperitorum magistri quà m doctorum discipuli Bonum est obedire majoribus parere praesectis post regulas Scripturarum vitae suae tramitem ab aliis discere nec praeceptore uti pessimo scilicet praesumptione suâ Knowing not how to speak they cannot hold their peace but will needs teach the Scriptures which they understand not and be masters of the ignorant before they be disciples of the learned It is good to obey our elders to submit to those that are set over us and next to the rules of the Scriptures to learn of others how to live and not to be led by our own presumption the worst guide of all others Excellent is the counsel of Gregory Nazianzen to these fanaticall giddy-brain'd private spirits Ye sheep presume not to lead your Pastours c. If a Jew a Turk a Devil convince thy conscience thou must follow it shall the governour of thy soul have no other power over thee then Jew Turk or Devil Or was the Ministery ordained in vain In vain indeed it was ordained if every one be his own judge or a peremptory judge of his guide If great learned men may be deceived may not the ignorant man much more I dare truely avouch that the unlearned single-languaged-interpreting-lay-man hath all the faults whatsoever learned men have and some other especially such as are the offsprings of ignorance That wise Historian Philip de Commines in his 3. book 4. chap. reckoneth it as an unseemly thing to reason of Divinity before a Doctour The world is turned topsi-turvey the great and most learned Archbishop of Canterbury was confronted by a cobler yea confounded if we will beleeve that monster of men that incarnate devill Martin Marre-Prelate who thus sung of his Idol Who made the godly Cobler Cliff For to confound his Grace I warrant you the spirit the private spirit by which the fool presumed that he was guided Sleidan Comment 22. fol. 266. saith it was one of
unbridled Circumcellions to choose their own wayes which is the guise of Separatists and to be their own judges and judges of whatsoever their Pastours preach which is the practice of ill taught zelots in our Church and by necessary consequence judges of things of Faith of Controversies and of Scripture it self And so the supreamest Tribunall for interpretation of matters religious to be the conscience of an unlearned brain But thou O Man of God flee these extreams and O blessed God and man O Saviour of mankinde Jesu Christ keep us in the mean and bring us by holinesse to the truth and by thy truth unto thy glory So be it Lord Jesu so be it The word of God is a sea saith p Epist 44. ad Constanâ—num S. Ambrose having in it deep senses and height of propheticall riddles But in these dayes of Libertinisme the simplest presume they can sound these deeps and finde out the riddle though they plow not with Samsons heifer Hence are these innumerable springs of errours which Luther even in his own time seeing to overflow Germany in his first book against Zwinglius and Oecolampadius saith If the world continue it will be again necessary by reason of the divers interpretations of Scripture that now are if we will keep the unity of the faith that we receive the decrees of Councels and flee to them The place of Augustine is common and in every mans mouth q Ego Evangelio non crederem nisi me Ecclesiae Catholicae authoritas commoveret I would not beleeve the Gospel unlesse the authority of the Catholick Church moved â—â—e How should we know that such and such things are Sâ—â—â—â—ure and not such or such but by the Church as by the fâ—â—â—â—â—â—roductary means or why should not the unlearned people as well trust their Pastours for the exposition of Scripture as they have done and do and must do for the translation For be ye not deceived O over-inspired brethren neither Moses nor the Prophets nor Christ nor the Evangelists or Apostles ever wrote or penned your English Scripture They wrote in Hebrew Chaldee Syriack and Greek but they were your Pastours who translated the word of God into our mother tongue and some translations are more imperfect then other and no one absolutely perfect And will you silly ignaroes who cannot know whether the words be true or false well or ill translated be every one of you your judges of the meaning thereof which in deep points is harder then translating and usurp the power of interpretation I may take up the complaint of Michael Piccart in his epigram before Balthasar Bambach his tractates Et tractare quidem quisnam est qui sacra veretur Imberbes pueri jam quoque sacra crepant But I am loath to adde as he doth O pecus Arcadicum linguas priùs imbibe sanctas Et sacra ex ipso fonte deinde pete Yea I have an intent to have a bout with the learned Daniel Heinsius for maintaining in the preface to his Aristarchus Sacer upon Nonnus That no man can rightly interpret the Scriptures but he that is skilled in Eastern languages Hebrew Chaldee Syriack and Greek both sacred and profane Hellenistical and the pure which is all one in effect with the Jewish-Greek and the Heathen-Greek Some of his words pag. 53. are these r Multum resert scire Hebraea Hellenistes Graecè expresserit an Syra Hebraeum item textum an interpretationes respiciat Graecorum Quae nisi omnia distinguat operam necesse est interpres ludat Nos autem ut exiguae scientiae it à nullius ut loquuntur vulgò conscientiae existimamus qui transferre Sacra audet nec de istis cogitavit It is very materiall to know whether it be Hebrew or Syriack which the Hellenist expresseth in Greek also whether he hath respect to the Hebrew Text or to the Greek translations of it All which unlesse the expositour distinctly considereth he must needs lose his labour And we think him to be a man as of little skill so of no conscience that dares translate the Scriptures without any consideration of these things Both these were eminent professours and men singular among thousands the first in High-Germany the other in the Netherlands from whence some of them brag and some of us rejoyce that we have received the reformation of religion I will onely humbly propound to your religious considerations these things First that the difficulties of the Hebrew Chaldee and Aramean languages in the Old Testament and of the Greek in the New especially where it reflecteth up to the Syriack are above common capacities even of the learned I might adde that words of divers other languages are part of the sacred Text. The Egyptian Abrech Genes 41.43 the Arabick Lehhem Job 6.7 and Totaphoth Exod. 13.16 a compound of Egyptian and African languages and the like Yea one verse and one onely was written by Jeremy in the Chaldee language viz. Jeremy 10.11 which every captive Jew was commanded to cast in the teeth of the Babylonians Moreover Daniel 5.25 Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin was written in the Chaldee with the Samaritan letters so that the Chaldeans themselves could not reade their own language I would tell you of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finall being placed in the middle of a word of the Text and of divers other difficulties which in part I passe over and in part thus contract in the observations following Secondly that Hebrew words without points may have foure or five significations according to the diversity of vowels affixed to them and have no certain meaning but as it is guided by antecedents and consequents And yet you shall have an ignorant mechanick or talkative woman as confident of the Genevean Translation and notes as if God himself did speak or write the same words as he did once the law on Horeb. Thirdly that in the Hebrew many words are written with fewer letters then they are pronounced Fourthly that many are written with more letters then they are pronounced Fifthly that divers words are written in the sacred Text which are not pronounced at all but others are read in their stead Å¿ Sunt octo voces quae sâ—riptae sunt in Textu sed non leguntur quas adducit Masora Ruth 3.12 There are eight words written in the Text but not read which the Masora alledgeth Ruth 3.12 Sixthly that the Jews have most severely and strictly forbidden that any Rabbin should teach Christians the true sense of the Talmuds which as they boast no labour and endeavour can attain unto without such a guide Elias Levita in Masâ—oreth-Hammassoreth complaineth that the Jews were wonderfully offended with him because he instructed Christians in the Hebrew And though some tax him for singing placentia to sooth flatter his patron Aegidius and call him a turn-coat because he came forth of the Jewish synagogue to pray with us in our temples yet that odious name ought to have been spared
by the Evangelist Matth. 27.52 and 53 verses The graves were opened and many bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many So farre the text Of the various pointing of which words see more hereafter opening two windows for two expositions On which words divers worthy men both modern and ancient conclude That those Saints died not again k Sed apparuerunt multis etiam cum Christo nunquam ultrà morituri abierunt in coelum But appeared to many and with Christ never after were to die but went into heaven saith Jacobus Faber Stapulensis And Mr. Beza on this place opineth that they did not rise that again they might live among men and die as Lazarus and others did but that they might accompany Christ by whose power they rose into eternall life The late Writers saith Maldonate think that they went into heaven with Christ and with them doth himself agree So Pineda on Job 19.25 So Suarez a third Jesuit So Anselm So Aquinas on the place and on the Sentences So if Suarez cite them truely Origen in the first book to the Romanes about those words of the first chapter By the resurrection of Jesus our Lord and Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. 6. and Justinus Quaest 85. Ambrose in his Enarration on the first Psalme and Eusebius Demonst 4.12 and of modern Authours and of our Church Bishop Bilson in the effect of his Sermons touching the full redemption of mankinde by the death and bloud of Jesus Christ pag. 217. So Baronius ad annum Christi 48. num 24. concerning those Saints whom Christ piercing the heavens carried with himself on high leading captivitie captive Ephes 4.8 More reserved and moderate is Mr. Montague that indefatigable Student sometime my chamber-fellow and President in the Kings Colledge in Cambridge now the Reverend Lord Bishop of Chichester who in his answer to the Gag of the Protestants pag. 209. saith of these Saints They were Saints indeed deceased but restored to life and peradventure unto eternall life in bodies as well as souls MOst cleare Fountain of Wisdome inexhaustible wash I beseech thee the spots of my soul and in the midst of many puddles of errour cleanse my understanding that I may know and embrace the truth through Jesus Christ Amen CHAP. V. 1. Who were supposed to be the Saints which were raised by such as maintain that they accompanied Christ into heaven 2. A strange storie out of the Gospel of the Nazarens 3. Adams soul was saved Adams bodie was raised about Christs Passion saith Pineda out of diverse Fathers Thus farre Pineda hath truth by him That the sepulchre of Adam was on mount Calvarie so say Athanasius Origen Cyprian Ambrose Basil Epiphanius Chrysostom Augustine Euthymius Anastasius Sinaita Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople 4. It was applauded in the Church in Hieromes time 5. Theophylact thought Adam buried in Calvarie Drusius unadvisedly taxeth the Fathers Tertullian consenteth with other Fathers and Nonnus who is defended against Heinsius 6. At Jerusalem they now shew the place where Adam his head was found Moses Barcepha saith that Sem after the floud buried the head of Adam 7. The Romane storie of Tolus and Capitolium much resembling the storie of Adam 1. TO the clearing of this cloud and that we may carry the truth visibly before us I think it fit to enquire First Who these Saints were which thus miraculously arose and then secondly to determine Whether their bodies were again deposited in the earth till the resurrection or Whether in their bodies with Christ they ascended into heaven 2. For the first Hugo Cardinalis on Matth. 27.53 hath an old storie It is said saith he in the Evangelisme of the Nazarens that two good and holy men who were dead before about fourty yeares came into the Temple and saying nothing made signes to have pen ink and parchment and wrote That those who were in Limbus rejoyced upon Christs descent and that the devils sorrowed Though the rest be fabulous yet herein the Gospel of the Nazarens agreeth with our Gospel That the names of the raised are not mentioned Others have been bold to set down both the names and the order of them who arose 3. Augustine Epist 99. ad Euodium thus a De illo quidem primo homine patre generis humani quòd eum ibidem Christus ad inserna descendens solverit Ecclesia ferè tota conseutit Almost the whole Church agreeth That Christ descending into hell freed the first Adam thence That the Church beleeved this non inaniter not vainly but upon some good ground we are to beleeve from whence soever the tradition came though there be no expresse Scripture If this be true of Adams soul yet is it nothing to our question of his bodily resuscitation Proceed we therefore to those that think his very bodie was raised Adam then arose saith Athanasius in his Sermon of the Passion and the Crosse saith Origen in his 35 Tractate on Matthew saith Augustine 161 quest on Genesis and others also if Pineda on the fore-cited place wrong them not And he giveth this congruentiall reason That Adam who heard the sentence of death should presently also be partaker of the resurrection by Christ and with him who had expiated his sinne by death To which may be added That as S. Hierom reports the Jews have a tradition that the ramme was slain on mount Calvarie in stead of Isaac as also Augustine Serm. 71. de Tempore ratifieth And to this day they say they have there the altar of Melchisedech So Athanasius reports from the Jewish Doctours that in Golgotha was the sepulchre of Adam This is true but it is not certain that Adam was raised and not true that he ascended bodily into heaven Mr. Broughton in his observations of the first ten Fathers saith thus Rambam recordeth that which no reason can deny how the Jews ever held by Tradition that Adam Abel and Cain offered where Abraham offered Isaac where both Temples were built on which mountain Christ taught and died And as the place was called Calvaria because the head or skull of a man was there found and found bare without hair and depilated saith Basil so divers Fathers have concluded that Adam was there buried and that it was his head See Origen tractat 35. on Matth. Cyprian in his sermon on the resurrection Ambrose in his tenth book of his commentaries on Luk. 23. Basil on the fifth of Esay Epiphanius contra Haeres lib. 1. Chrysostome Homil. 84. in Joannem Augustine Serm. 71. de Tempore and de Civitat 16.32 Euthymius on Matth. So Athanasius Sinaita lib. 6. in Hexam in Tom. 1. Bibliothecae Patrum and Sanctus Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in Theoria rerum Ecclesiast as you may see in Tom. 6. Biblioth Patrum besides abundance of new writers with whose names I delight not to load my page 4 Hierom on
Hellenisticall tongue but few the depth of it Since he resteth not at this saying It much mattereth to know whether an Hellenist expresse the Hebrew or the Syriack in Greek and whether he hath an eye to the Hebrew Text or to the interpretations of the Grecians but addeth a Quae nisi omnia distinguat operam necesse est interpres ludat All which unlesse the Interpreter distinguish he must needs lose his labour And he hath little knowledge and no conscience as Heinsius censureth b Qui transferre sacra audet de his non cogitavit who dares translate the Scripture and thought not on these things Pag. 53. Prolegom Whereby all the Primitive-Church the Schoolmen and late Writers Interpreters or Translatours who knew not Hebrew from Syriack are censured as unconscionable ignorants Since he proceedeth avouching The knowledge of the New Testament c Frustra petas ex Graecis quia ad Hebraeam aut Syriacam dâ— dictio voces exigendae sunt in vain shall you seek from the Grecians because both words and phrases winde up to the Hebrew or Syriack And again The Greek Fathers d Omni eruditione ad stuporem omnium instructi amazing the world with their abundant learning have given document that other things without the Hebrew are little worth Whence may be inferred that the knowledge of the Greek in the New Testament is not to be found in the Greek Fathers and that their labours have been of little worth though some Greek Fathers knew the Eastern tongues better then Heinsius as Origen Theodoret and others and the most learned of them all in those Eastern languages to wit Origen was the worst of them all in the interpretation of Scriptures Since he proclaimeth in his Prolegomena Cùm plurima in novo foedere à summis maximÃsque hominibus sunt praestita potissima pars superesse videtur Which is as much as if he had said All the world have not expounded the Greek Testament half well enough or not half of it well enough to this day or the choicest learnedest men have laboured much but the best or chiefest things have they not cleared as if they who well interpreted Hebrew with her Dialects in the Old Testament had been faultie in their interpretations of the New Testament because they understood not or reflected not up to the same Hebrew and her Dialects I say in all these regards we must sever from Heinsius and leaving him to his singularitie hold our selves to the generall expositions which Fathers Councels and the Church of God hath made of Scripture till this more then Doctor subtilis or Doctor Seraphicus for they are by him rejected as being wholly ignorant of the Hebrew Syriack or Hellenistick Greek give us better and more light All which things I passe by with a touch onely because he hath one strain of farre more both difficultie and moment In which one point many are involved and some of those seldome or never handled His words are these in his Prolegomena pag. 52. e Si quis ex me quaerat Quanam linguâ— scripserit Evangelista noster S. Joannes Hellenisticâ scripsisse dicam Si quis quâ conceperit quae scripsit Syriacam fuisse dicam Ad cam autem quod est Hellenistis proprinm voces sermoneÌ„ deflexisse Graecum Quare ad allusiones non quae extant sed quas animo conceperat eundum est If one ask of me In what language S. John wrote I will say He wrote as an Hellenist If one enquire in what language he conceived the things which he wrote I will say He conceived them in the Syriack tongue and that he did bend the Greek and winde up to the Syriack both the words and the sayings as is proper to the Hellenists Wherefore we must not have recourse to the allusions which now are but we must look to them which S. John then conceived in his minde Yea Proleg pag. 49. he saith in generall f Novi foederis Scriptores linguâ conceperunt aliâ quae scriberent aliâ scripserunt quae conceperant The Penmen of the New Testament conceived in one language what they wrote and wrote in another what they conceived So he Such is the power and vertue of naked truth that if we could see her as she is in her self Admirabiles sui amores excitaret She would make men wonderfully enamoured on her and such is the ouglinesse of errour and untruth that they dare not appeare without masks vizors colours fucusses but go commonly trooping in the companie of truth or likelihoods And so it fareth in these words of Heinsius in which there are some truths mingled and shuffled together with some errours which will easier be distinguished by their severall ranks and files if we consider and handle three Lemmata or Postulata Reasonable axioms or demands which I account as granted seven Questions and five Conclusions directly opposing Heinsius 7. The first Postulatum is this That the inspirations and conceptions of the sacred Penmen were divinely delivered under one or other language S. Basil in Psal 28. said remarkably that the intellectuall and inward conceits of the inspired were after a wonderfull manner as it were figured and characterized S. Augustine de Genes ad literam 12.26 saith thus of the kinde of prophesying by spirituall vision g Si ab ipsis similitudinibus rapiatur ut in illam quasi regionem intellectualium intelligibilium subvebatur â—â—t sine ulla similitudine perspicua veritas cernitur nullis opinionum falsarum nebulis obfuscatur ibi virtutes animae non sunt operosae ibi videtur claritas Domini non per visionem significantem sive corporalem ut visa est in monte Sina sive spiritualem ut vidit Isaias Joannes in Apocalypsi sed per speciem non per aenigmata quantum ea capere mens humana potest secundum assumentis Dei gratiam ut os ad os loquatur ei quem dignum tali Deus colloquio fecerit non os corporis sed os mentis If the soul be rapted from and above the phantasmes so that it is elevated and carried as it were into that region of things intellectuall and intelligible where without any phantasme or similitude apparent truth is seen no clouds of opinion dimming it there the faculties and powers of the soul are not turmoiled or painfully busied there the brightnesse or excellencie of the Lord is seen not by any typicall or corporall vision as it was seen in mount Sina or spirituall as I saiah saw and S. John in the Revelation but plainly and directly not darkly or in riddles so farre as the minde of man can conceive according to the grace of the indulgent Lord so lifting up the soul that he speaks face to face to him whom the Lord makes worthy of such a conference Vnderstand the face or mouth not of the body but of the minde Dionysius coelestis Hierarch cap. 1. somewhat