and vpoÌ„ this matter agaynste Heluidiê° alledged not one texte of the scrypture to proue this truth but onely dyd make answere to the auctorities that Heluidiê° mysse toke for his purpose the which he did as Erasmus In argumeÌ„ to epistoâ—e illius sayeth truely because the scrypture spake nothyng of that thynge but it was set forth and lefte to the church by the holy apostles tradicion Certaynlye yf the prophet Ezechiels texte alleged before of Bullynger coulde haue proued that our blessed ladye was a virgyn to the ende of her lyfe saynte Hierome wolde haue alledged it to that purpose synce he expowned that whole pphet and therfore for as moche as he dyd not recyte it to yâ— ende it may appere that he sawe that it made nothynge at al to proue that thyng But this of this veryte vnwrytten delyuered from the apostles to vs by mouth wtout any expresse worde of scrypture speakynge therof Further we beleue as iÌ„ dede we are bouÌ„d The crede of the apostles to do that the holy .xii. apostles made a certayne crede called in latyn symboluÌ„ apostoloruÌ„ as S. CypriaÌ„ affirmeth expowning it because euery one of them made an artycle therof and yet it can not be proued by the scrypture that they made any suche Rufinus aquiliensis saynte Austen In exposâ—illiê° August sermo 10. de penteco c. in ramis palmarum Lyprianus in symbo apost ait Tenet fidel traditio saÌ„ctaÌ„ ecclesiaÌ„ diuers other do wytnesse that the apostles wrote that crede thys article I beleue the holye church catholyke whyche is coÌ„teined in it can not be proued by any texte of the scrypture If we shulde beleue nothynge that is not expressely namely set forth in the holye scrypture then we shulde not beleue that christ the sonne of god is equall wyth hys father of the same nature substance power for Ariê° denyed it because he saw nothyng in the scrypture namely to proue it as saynte Athanasius wrytynge agaynst hym affyrmeth playnly Lib 2 dispâ— in arianos Where fynde ye sayed Arius thys worde homousios that betokeneth one that is of lyke or the same substaÌ„ce in al the scripture Dasillê° cp 78. Si vero quis dixerit exaiteta essentia et substaÌ„tia esse filiuÌ„ euÌ„ reprobat as detestatur catholica et apostolica ecclesia O. did est satis ad illius hereseos explosionem was he not as foolyshe as many nowe are many now as then he was / which do euer aske where fyndeste thou that in the scrypture Saynt Athanasius and the great councel holden at Nicea wyth as manye as haue written against yâ— heresie which holdeth yâ— the sonne is not equal wyth hys father haue made answeare vnto the arryans that albeit this worde or name homousios signifiynge that christe the sonne is of one nature and substaunce wyth hys father is not put forth expressely in gods holy worde yet the scrypture alloweth and proueth the thynge it selfe in dyuers places the which they iudged to be sufficyent as in dede it is not in thys matter oneâ—â—â— but in sundrye other as that there be three persons in the trinitie though it be not expressed in the scripture and therfore Sabelliê° denyed it yet yâ— scrypture doth fully and plenteouslye set the thynge it selfe forth Also that the holye gooste procedeth from the father and the sonne is not namely expressed in the scripture and for that cause the grecians and the Armenes denyed it and yet the scrypture proueth that thynge sufficiently as it is expowned of the holy doctours Wherfore it is peryllous to demaunde for the beliefe of euerye thynge receyued of vs where it is wrytten in the scrypture or howe can it be proued by the holy scrypture syth it is ynoughe that the scripture is not against it beynge receyued of the catholique churche or that the scrypturs dothe sette it forth as it is vnderstande and expowned of Tertulianê° de corona militis the holye churche and her doctours catholike In this matter concernyng the askyng of scrypture for the proufe of euery thing I wolde that euerye man wolde marke wel what the eldest latine doctour of christes church Tertulyan sayth therin whose wordes are these Cum quaeritur cur quid obseruetur obseruari interim constat ergo nec nullum nec incertum videri potest delictuÌ„ quod coÌ„mittitur in obseruationem suo nomine vindicandam et satis autoratam consensus patrocinio That is to say When it is asked whyany thynge shulde be obserued it is euydente in the meane season the it is obserued Therfore it may seme some faulte a certen synne that is coÌ„mitted agaynste an obseruation whyche is to be defended by hyr name is sufficyentlye authorysed by the defence of consente These wordes do rubbe some men of thys oure tyme vpon the gall as also do Tertuliande corona militis those whyche now folow in thys olde authoure Quale est autem vt quis tuÌ„c in questioneÌ„ prouocet obseruationem cum ab ea excidit et tunc requirat vnde habuerit obseruationeÌ„ cuÌ„ ab ea desiit But what thynge is it sayeth he that anye man shulde then cal in to question or doubte an obseruation when he is fallen from it And then requyre froÌ„ wheÌ„se or wherof he had the obseruation when he hath lefte it Do not dyuers men euen after thys sort now among vs chrysteÌ„ people For we do forsake fastynge and dyuers other thynges longe kepte of al chrysten nations before we were borne / and then we call them in doubte / and aske what autoritie they be of and how they may be proued by scripture It is an easy thing to aske where is it written that we shulde faste the lent obserue any feastes kepe many other thynges not playnly namely set out in scrypture but we maye aske of them where is it wrytten that these thynges oughte not to be obserued ExpostulaÌ„tesenim scripturae patrocinium So reasoneth Tertulian in parte diuersa praeiudicaÌ„t suae quoque parti scripturae patrocinium adesse debere That is For they / askyng a defeÌ„ce or an eayd of scrypture in the coÌ„trary part do iudge before that the scryptures defence oughte to helpe theyr parte Habemus obseruationem inueteratam quae praeueniendo statum fecit Hanc si nulla scriptura determinauit certe coÌ„suetudo corroborauit quae sine dubio manauit detraditione Quomodo enim vsurpari quid potest si traditum non sit priê° Tthus maye be the englyshe We haue an olde obseruation whych coÌ„myng before hath made a state or a certayntie in it Thoughe no scrypture hath determyned thys obseruation yet at lest the custome hath streÌ„ghthened it or made it stronge whyche doubtles came of tradition For how maye any thynge be obserued or kepte yf it be not fyrste taught or delyuered by tradition Hitherto Tertulyan whyche was aboue M. ccc yeres xl before
our dayes whose sayeng maketh much for traditioÌ„s for thynges vsed in the church of christ without manifeste scripture for them Nowe where some lerned meÌ„ haue supposed As Iohan ceciê° BuÌ„de riê° and other certen and set also forth in theyr bokes that the goinge downe of our sauiours blessed soule with his godhead in to the place where the olde fathers soules remayned before christes death called libê° patruÌ„ to coÌ„fort theÌ„ to shewe the he was come in to the world by his birth had dyed for theÌ„ to deliuer theym thense is not expressed in the scripture I thynke that therein they were greatly deceyued as no man is cleare from all erroure especiallye they that write vpon goddes holy worde which onely is without al lyes and errours as the wryters of August ad hieroni it onelye were in that theyr dede not deceyued in any one poynte I say the they whyche affyrmed that descensus Christi ad inferna the descendynge downe of christ to hell is a truth not wrytten in the scrypture were playnlye deceyued therein because manye textes of the scrypture do proue that thing euydently of the whiche these are the chyefe Dauyd sayeth in the parson of our sauyour Psal 19. chryste Non derelinques animam meam in inferno O father thou wylt not leaue my soule in hell Howe could this haue bene truely sayed of chryst to god his father excepte his soule coupled with his godhead had desceÌ„ded in to hell or the place where the fathers were before chrystes coÌ„mynge and death Also we rede these wordes in the sawtre Abstraxisti Psal 29. de inferno animam meaÌ„ Thou hast O father taken my soule oute of hell I let passe other Act. 2. Ephe. 4. auctorites puing the same because these two are sufficyent for to proue this purpose which is that the scrypture maketh meÌ„ tion that christ defeeÌ„ded or went downe in to the place where the fathers soules remayned abidyng and lokyng for his comyng thither to them after his death wheÌ„ his body laye in the sepulchre Nowe to make ones an ende of this treatyse I wyll breyfely declare that the certayne knowledge of the holy scrypture coÌ„meth by tradicyon without any other auctorytye then of the catholyke churches the fathers of christê relygyon that lerned of the apostles which were the very trewe scryptures wrytten by the inspiracion and styrynge of the holy goost which were not though they were putforth in the euangelystes or apostê names Saynt Austen in dyuers places of his The euangels and other the holy scripturs are not assuredly knowen to be gods worde but by the churche of chryst bearynge wytnesse there vnto workes and namely iÌ„ these that nowe do here folowe affyrmeth the the auctoryte of the holye scryptures dependeth and hangeth vpon the iudgement of the vniuersal or catholike church Fyrst this hath he lib .vii. coÌ„fess Scripturas saÌ„ctas ecclesiae catholicae coÌ„mendat autoritas That is to saye The auctoryte of the catholyke churche setteth forth the To. 6. epist coÌ„tra fuÌ„da Mani holy scryptures Agayne more playnly this he wryteth Quid faceres dicenti non credo euangelio Ego vero non credereÌ„ euangelio ni Hiero contra vigilantium Quid necesse est in manus sumere ê™ ecclesia non recipit si me catholicae ecclesiae authoritas coÌ„moueret That is to say What woldest thou do to hym that saith I beleue not the gospel I trewly wold not beleue the gospel except the auctorytie of the catholyke churche shulde moue me It folowethe anone there I muste neades beleue the boke of the apostles actes yf I do beleue the gospell because the catholyke churches autorytie coÌ„mendethe to me of like sort both those scriptures TertuliaÌ„ also affyrmeth Tertilianê° prescript the same thus wrytynge Quid apostoli predicauerint id est quid illis christus reuelauit et hiÌ„c praescribam non aliter probari debere quaÌ„ per easdeÌ„ ecclesias quas ipsi apostoli condiderunt eis predicaÌ„do tam viua quod aiunt voce quam per epistolas postea That is What the apostles haue preched that is what chryste hath reueiled or opened to theÌ„ I wyl note or determyne also hence or therof that it ought not otherwise to be proued then by the same churches or sayth full companyes whiche the apostles them selues buylded preachinge to them as well with a lyuely voyce as they say coÌ„menly as afterwarde by epystles Besyde this in another boke he wryteth after this maner Tertilianê° lib 4. aduer sus martia nem Habemus et Iohannis aluÌ„nas ecclesias NaÌ„ et si apocalipsin Marcion respuit or do tamen episcoporum ad origineÌ„ recensitus in Iohan nem stabit autoreÌ„ Sic et caeterarum generositas recognoscitur Dico apud illas nec solas a postolicas sed apud vniuersas quae illis sacrameÌ„ti societate confaederantur id euaÌ„gelium lucae ab initio aeditionis stare quod cum maxime tuemur Eadem autoritas apostolicaruÌ„ ecclesiarum caeteris quoque patrocinatur euangeliis quae proinde per illas et secunduÌ„ illas habemê° IohaÌ„nis dico Mathaei et Marci Thus may be the englyshe of these wordes We haue also churches of s IohaÌ„s scholynge or bryngynge vp in learnynge of the gospell For though marcion doth refuse the reuelation or apocalipse yet the ordre of bysshoppes nombred or rekenyd to the begynnynge shal hold with Iohan that he is the autour or maker of it So also the nobilite or strength of the other scryptures is knowen perfectly I say yâ— that gospell hath stande for Lukes from the makynge or puttynge forth of it at these churches nother onelye with them that were the apostles but at or with all them holly which are confedered or ioyned to theÌ„ with feloshyppe of a sacrament othe or sygne of a holye thynge the whiche thinge we do chyefly defende The same autorytie of the apostles churches defendeth also the other gospels froÌ„ iniurye the whiche therfore and after or by them we haue I say Iohas Mathewes and Markes Hitherte the auncyent wryter Tertulian whose wordes declare yâ— the apostles tradicyon teacheth vs / whiche are the gospelles of chryste and the trew scryptures where there is no scryptures to proue them by and therfore he that wyll beleue nothynge withoute scrypture let hym tel me why he Mark this reader beleueth any one boke of yâ— scripture to be true scrypture syth no texte of the scrypture can testifye that it is scrypture in dede Wrote not I praye the reader Bartylmewe a gospell and Nychodemê° another as storyes do tell whiche are not receyued for anye parte of the scrypture By what auctorytye is this done wherfore doest thou rather giue credence vnto Lukes gospell whiche neuer sawe chryste then to saynte Bartylmewes whiche was one of the twelfe apostles Eusebiê° testifyeth that an euaÌ„gel Lib. 3. ca. 3. or gospel was iuged to haue bene
that zachary whom chryst sayed that Mat. 23. the iewes murdered betwene the temple and the aultare was S. Iohan baptistes father prouiÌ„g by certen bokes dreames which were apocriphi because theyr makers were hyd and not knowen that he was therfore sleane because he publy sshed our sauyours coÌ„mynge Hoc quia de scripturis inquit hieronimus non habet autoritateÌ„ eadem facilitate coÌ„temnitur qua probatur That for as moche as it hath not auctoritie of the scryptures is with the same easynes despysed by which it is praysed or aproued Loo we se that the holy father saynt hiecome mente of that one thynge which was proued onely by bokes of none auctorytie what is this agaynste the apostles tradicions or to proue that we are bouÌ„d to beleue and kepe nothyng but onely that whiche is expresselye written in the scrypture Do the churches traditions hange and depende of bookes the autours wherof be vnknowen Haue not I declared that scrypture approueth the apostles vnwrytten traditions and that they taught or ordeyned diuers thinges by the motion and inspiratioÌ„ of the holy goost which they lefte to the churche vnwrytten and so they remayne hytherto and shal styll whyles the world dureth Now to make an ende of this boke I exhorte euery man and woman to be ware of erroneê° doctours and yll bookes which do teache and auauÌ„ce any learnynge contrary to the fayth of the churche of chryste / that is yâ— deare spouse of our sauyour bought with the shedynge of his moost precious bloude and therfore hath euer bene so tenderly beloued of hym that he hath not suffred hyr wholly to erre in any weightye point of our religion nor hereafter wyll permit to erre accordyng to his ê“mes sayeng hel gates yâ— is syn and heresye shal not preuayle agaynste hyr Who that leaneth to this sure pyller the church shall be euer in the ryght waye ouercome all heresye to the great coÌ„forte of his soule / at the length throughe the helpe of god lyuiÌ„g deuoutly he shal come to endles Ioyes of heauen which our saniour Iesu Chryste purchased for all his seruauntes to whom with the father the holy goost be honoure glorye for euer AmeÌ„ ☞ Another tradition of the apostles ⧠The catholyke and vniuersall churche of chryste our sauyoure hathe beleued almoste this xv huÌ„dred yeres euen sence our ladyes deceace that her body is in heauen and yet there is no scrypture to proue that poynte wherupoÌ„ it must neades folowe that this beleefe came vp fryste by the holye apostles tradition especially sence no man can tell whaÌ„ by whoÌ„ it was fryste of al begone brought iÌ„ to the church ¶ Saynt Hierome sayeth vnto Theophilus Scito nobis nihil esse antiquiê° quaÌ„ nec christi iura nec patrum transire terminos That is in englyssh Knowe thou that we do set by nothynge more then nother to passe ouer Chrystes lawes nor the fathers lymytes or determinations †Hieronimê° vigilaÌ„tio OiÌ„a coÌ„tra ecclesiaÌ„ dogmata reprehendo et publica voce damno I do reproue al doctrine that is agaynste the churche and condempne it with an open voyce Theophilê° hieronimo Optamus sifieri potest in diebus nostris catholicam fideÌ„ et ecclesiae regulas cum subiect is nobis populis custodire et omnes nouas sopire doctrinas We wysshe or desyre yf it maye be to kepe with the people vnder vs the catholyke fayth and the churches rules and to brige a sleape al newe doctrine ☞ Imprinted at LoÌ„don in paules churche yearde at the sygne of the maydeÌ„s hed by Thomas petit M. D. XL vii