Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	ghost_n	holy_a	inspire_v	2,844	5	10.2489	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17144	An apologie for religion, or an answere to an vnlearned and slanderous pamphlet intituled: Certaine articles, or forcible reasons discouering the palpable absurdities, and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion, pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By Edvvard Bulkley Doctor of Diuinitie	Bulkley, Edward, d. 1621?; Wright, Thomas, d. 1624. Certaine articles or forcible reasons.	1602 (1602)	STC 4025; ESTC S106873	145,731	186

the path to Atheisme and open the gap to Machiuilian deuises The Pamphlet The learned Protestants are Infidels 2. Article WHosoeuer buildeth his faith vpon his owne priuate and singular exposition of Scripture is an Infidel But all Protestants in England build their faith vpon their owne priuate exposition of Scripture Ergo all the Protestants of England are Infidels The Maior cannot be denied because faith must be infallible and impossible to be either erronious or changeable but faith which is builded vpon priuat exposition of Scripture is subiect to error and change and consequently vpon better aduice and consideration may be altered The minor I proue for either they build their faith vpon their owne priuat opinion in expounding of Scriptures the exposition of the Church the Fathers or Councels but not vpon these three Ergo vpon their owne priuate exposition Some Protestants allow the Fathers and their expositions so farre forth as they agree with Gods word and no farther but this is nothing else but to delude the world for what meane they when they say they will allow them so far forth as they agree with the Scriptures Meane they perhaps that if the Fathers bring Scriptures to proue any poynt of Religion now in controuersie to allow that poynt as true If so why then reiect they S. Augustine and other Fathers who bring Scripture to proue prayer for the dead yea and all controuersies almost in Religion the Fathers proue by Scriptures when they dispute vpon them Or perhaps they meane to admit the Fathers when they alleage Scripture but such as euery Protestant shall allow of so it be conformable to their fancies and fit their new coined Gospell and in this sense who seeth not that euery paltry companion will make himselfe not only expositor of Christs word but also will prefer his exposition before all ancient Fathers when they daunce not after his pipe and consent not with his heresies Answere HEre we haue a syllogisme to the Maior or first proposition whereof I answere that they which vniuersally in all matters and doctrines of saluation doe follow priuate and false expositions of the Scripture be Infidels but in some places of Scripture a man may follow a priuate and false exposition of the Scripture and beleeue the same to be true and yet be no Infidel Hilarie followed a priuat and false exposition of the place Come behind me Sathan and Ambrose of Peters deniall of Christ and Hierome in like manner of Peters dissembling with the Iewes Galat. 2. yea and all the Fathers haue in sundrie places of Scripture followed priuat and vntrue expositions and haue beleeued the same to be true and yet they were no Infidels Saint Augustine saith well Quisquis igitur Scripturas diuinas c. Whosoeuer therefore doth thinke himselfe to vnderstand the holy Scriptures or any part of them so that by that his vnderstanding he doth not edifie and build this double loue of God and of his neighbour doth not yet vnderstand them But whosoeuer doth draw such a sense or exposition from them as may be profitable to the edifying of this loue and yet doth not deliuer that which he whom he readeth shall be proued in that place to hauement is not dangerously or wickedly deceiued neither doth he at all lye And againe Sed quisquis in Scripturis aliud sentit quam ille qui scripsit illis non mentientibus fallitur sed tamen vt dicere coeperam c. But whosoeuer in the Scriptures doth conceiue any other sense then he that did write it did meane he is deceiued although the Scriptures doe not lye yet as I began to say if he be deceiued by that sense which doth edifie loue and charitie which is the end of the commaundement is so deceiued as if a man missing and leauing his way yet goeth by the field thither whither the way doth leade him Hereby you may perceiue that euery one which followeth a priuate or false exposition of some place of the Scripture is not an Infidel But to leaue this and to come to your Minor or second proposition I anouch the same to be false and doe deny that we build our faith vpon priuat or false expositions of the Scripture We say with S. Peter that no prophesie of the Scripture is of any priuat interpretation But we are to take that sense which the holy Ghost intendeth and meaneth And we say that many things be most plaine and euident in the holy Scriptures so that the simpliest may vnderstand them and get knowledge and comfort by them So Chrysostome saith An ista aliquam expositionem desiderant annon clara sunt etiam vehementer stupidis i. Doe these neede any exposition are they not cleere and manifest euen to those that be very dull So Saint Augustine saith Quadam in Scripturis tam manifesta sunt vt potius auditorem quam expositorem desiderent i. There be some things in the Scriptures so manifest that they require rather a hearer then an expounder So saith Iustinus Martyr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marke and giue heede to those things which I shall recite out of the holy Scriptures which neede not to be expounded but onely to be heard And whereas we confesse that there be some things hard in the Scriptures wee say that the same are to be vnderstanded and expounded by conferring them with other places of the Scriptures And that no forraine or priuate exposition is to bee brought to them but that which is gathered out of the Scriptures themselues So Chrysostom saith Scriptura seipsam exponit lectoremerrare non sinit that is the Scripture expoundeth it selfe and suffereth not the reader to erre Againe Semper enim quando quid obscurum loquitur seipsum iterum interpretatur Whensoeuer Paul doth speake any thing obscurely he doth alwayes expound himselfe So saith Saint Augustine Magnifice igitur salubriter c. that is The holy Ghost hath so excellently and holesomely tempered the holy Scriptures that with plaine places he doth put away hunger and with obscure places take away lothsomnesse For there is nothing gathered from those hard places which is not to be found most plainely vttered in others So Saint Basil saith Quae ambigua sunt tectè dicta esse in quibusdam diuinae scripturae locis videntur ea ab alijs locis manifestis declarantur that is What things be doubtfull or seeme to be couertly spoken in some places of the holy Scripture the same are expounded by other plaine places Againe Ecce nunc audi ipsam seipsam declarantem scripturam Behold now heare the Scripture expounding it selfe So also saith Irenaeus Ostensiones quae sunt in scripturis non possunt ostendi nisi ex scripturis that is The expositions which be in the Scriptures cannot be shewed but out of the Scriptures So Theodoritus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou needest no strange exposition For

the Euangelist expoundeth himselfe So Hilarius saith Dictorum intelligentia aut ex praepositis aut ex consequentibus expectetur that is The vnderstanding of the sayings is to be looked for either of those things which goe before or those that follow after So Clemens saith Ex ipsis scripturis sensum capere veritatis oportet From the Scriptures themselues we must take the sense and exposition of truth Finally so Pope Pius the second Ab ipsa scripture recipiendus est sensus veritatis that is The vnderstanding of the truth is to be receiued from the Scripture it selfe Now how carefully and diligently we endeuour to doe this that is to expound the holy Scriptures truely and sincerely by the Scriptures themselues God knoweth our writings and sermons doe shew and the consciences of those that reade and heare them can witnes with vs. And this is also an argument hereof that you cannot bring forth any places of the Scriptures which we falsely expound or seeke violently and wickedly to wrest from the true and simple sense of the holy Ghost contained in the holy Scriptures The which this cauiller should haue done and thereby declare how we builde our faith vpon priuate and false expositions But let vs see and examine his proofe of his Minor which is that because we builde not our faith vpon the exposition of the Church the Fathers or Councels therefore we builde vpon our owne priuate expositions I answere that although we reuerence the iudgement of the true Church of God the holy Fathers and Councels yet by this that I haue before alledged it plainely appeareth that we are to fetch the sense and exposition of the Scriptures not from them but from the Scriptures themselues And whereas you by the Church doe meane the Romish Church I will shew hereafter that she hath corrupted and falsely expounded the Scriptures As touching the Doctors we are not bound vnto their expositions which sometimes be not sound and sometimes differ among themselues Yea Cardinal Caietanus plainely auoucheth this and doubteth not to bring sometimes senses and expositions to the Scriptures which be not in all the Doctors His words be these Nullus itaque detestetur nouum sacrae scripturae sensum ex hoc quod dissonat à priscis doctoribus Sed scrutetur perspicacius textum ac contextum scripturae siquadrare inuenerit laudet Deum qui non alligauit expositionem scripturarum sacrarum pristorum doctorum sensibus c. that is Let no man hereupon detest or dislike a new exposition of the holy Scripture because it dissenteth from the ould Doctors But let him more sharpely search the text and Coherence of the Scriptures and if he finde it to agree therewith let him praise God who hath not bound the exposition of the holy Scriptures to the senses and expositions of the ancient Doctors Yea Bishop Fisher a great patrone of the Popes doubteth not to affirme that many things in the Gospel and other Scriptures be now more exactly discussed and more plainely vnderstoode then they were of old time of the Fathers and that there be yet many obscure and hard places which will be much better vnderstoode of the posteritie whereby it appeareth that his Iudgement was that the exposition of the Scriptures is not to be tyed vnto the Fathers and then much lesse to the Councels which doe not expound in order the bookes of the Scriptures as the Fathers did but onely examined some places and discussed some Doctrines which were in controuersie Moreouer whereas Saint Augustine in his foure bookes de doctrina christiana entreateth largely of the exposition of the Scriptures and giueth many good and learned lessons concerning the same and namely seuen rules of Ticonius the Donatist which he commendeth and calleth them keyes to open the Scripture neither he nor Ticonius doe make mention of these rules which the author of this pamphlet doth here set downe nor referre vs vnto them Therefore these be new coined rules of your owne voyde of the testimonie of antiquitie But that the Christian reader may see who they be that builde their faith vpon priuate and false expositions of the Scripture let vs come to the examination of some particular places of the Scripture and see who they be that follow priuate and false expositions The wordes of our Sauiour Christ drinke ye all of it they expound that Christ spake them onely to his Apostles which as they terme them were priests and therefore this bindeth priests to drinke of the Cup but not the lay people So saith Iohn Fisher the Bishop of Rochester Bibite ex eo omnes Quae verba proculdubio solis erant dicta sacerdotibus quibus potestas tum fuerat collata conficiendi sacramenti nimirum hijs verbis hoc facite in meam commemorationem that is Drinke all of this which words without all doubt were spoken onely to priests to whom power also was giuen to make the Sacrament that is by these words doe this in remenbrance of me The same in effect wrote Cardinall Hosius Doctor Harding Andradius Aeneas Siluius and others This exposition although peraduenture it wil not be counted priuate for that it is maintained by so many great men yet it is a very false absurd exposition and easily to be discerned by any simple man For if these words Drinke ye all of it were spoken onely to priests then likewise these Take ye eate ye were spoken onely to priests And so by your wise exposition as none but priests by these words are bound to drinke of the Cup so none but priests are bound to take and eate the bread as it was the manner and custome of the common people in Liuonia not to receiue this Sacrament at all as Gerson writeth But if our Sauiour Christ did speake the one to all both priests and people why not theother If the one doe binde all why not the other Moreouer Saint Paul deliuering to the Corinthians the Supper of our Sauiour Christ according to the institution which he had receiued of Christ deliuered not onely the breade but also the Cup to the whole Church of Corinth which I suppose you will not say were all priests This Cup is the new Testament in my bloud As often as ye shall eate this breade and drinke this Cup ye shew the Lords death till he come Wherefore whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinke the Cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guiltie of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. Paschasius expoundeth these words thus Bibite ex hoc omnes hoc est tam ministri quam reliqui credentes that is Drinke ye all of this that is to say both ministers and the rest that beleeue The glosse as it is alledged by Cassander thus Bibite ex hoc omnes scilicet sine personarum acceptione that is Drinke ye all of this that is all without respect of persons So doth

painted the which he foule errors If you will not allow the worshipping of Images to be an errour then you cannot say but that the Councell of Constantinople vnder Leo the Emperour where were present 338. Bishops and another of Frankford vnder Charles the Great in which the worshipping of images was condemned did erre Some of these Councels erred To omit for breuitie sake manie other Councels a Councell at Rome vnder Stephanus the sixth or as some reckon seuenth condemned Pope Formosus and his doings Another Councell at Rauenna vnder Pope Iohn the tenth restored Formosus and condemned Stephen and the actes of his Councell I hope you will not or cannot say but that one of these Councels erred Another Councell at Rome vnder Pope Nicholas the second caused that excellent learned and godly man Berengarius to recant and to confesse that the verie true bodie of Christ is indeed handled and broken by the priests hands and torne with the teeth of faithfull people The which is a grosse false and blasphemous doctrine The Councell of Constance erred most wickedly in taking away the cup of the Lord from the lay people contrarie to the word of God and the testimonie of all antiquitie And that their last Councell of Trident hath fouly erred and confirmed false doctrine repugnant to the truth of Gods word and the Canons of ancient Councels both these excellent learned men Martinus Chemnicius and Innocentius Gentilletus haue shewed and we do and will proue to the consciences of all those whom the God of this world hath not blinded I am not ignorant what colours that Iesuite Bellarmine seeketh to cast vpon the foresaid errours of these Councels and such others and what simple shifts he seeketh to elude and auoid them the which I wil not stand here to answer but I will referre the reader to the answers of Lamb. Danaeus and to that excellent man of blessed memory D. Whitakers where he may find the weaknesse and nakednesse of Bellarmines said shifts plainly discouered and the same fully confuted the which I thinke will stand as other of his works haue done long vndefended Whereas you note in your margent the ancient Councels of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon wherin old heretikes were confuted and condemned and thereby claime them to appertaine to your Church I answer that as it is most certaine that those Councels were not called not gouerned and directed by the Bishops of Rome as now by vsurpation they are so you shall neuer proue that those godly and learned fathers agreed with you in manie great and principall points of Christian doctrine It were easie to shew that sundry things were condemned by them which be receiued and vsed by you And therefore you vainly brag of their names whose doctrine and proceedings you haue forsaken neither haue you so much by disputation in Councels as by cruel persecution through fire and fagot suppressed such as in all ages haue complained of your idolatry and abominations as plainly appeareth by histories As it is true that we admit the holy Scripture or rather the holy Ghost speaking in the Scripture to bee the supreme vmpier and Iudge in matters of controuersies and acknowledge him to be the onely infallible interpreter of his own words so is it false that we admit no other iudge but remit al to euery mans priuate spirit and singular exposition We say that as the holy Ghost in the Scriptures is the high infallible iudge and interpreter of the Scriptures so we acknowledge inferiour Iudges and interpreters both priuate and publike Euerie man is a priuate iudge to discerne and iudge of the doctrine which he heareth or readeth in the Scriptures So Saint Paul saith I speake as vnto wise men iudge ye what I say Let the Prophet speake two or three and let the other iudge Despise not prophecying Try all things and keep that which is good Abstain frō all appearance of euill Beloued beleeue not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God The spirituall man iudgeth all things Good Christians ought to haue their wits exercised to discerne both good and euill The true sheepe of Christ heare and know his voice and they will not follow a stranger but they flie frō him for they know not the voice of strangers whereby our Sauiour Christ sheweth that those which be his sheepe and be truely gathered into his fold can iudge and discerne betweene his voyce sounding in the Scriptures and the voyce of strangers deliuering a strange doctrine differing and dissenting from the same such as is the false doctrine of the Church of Rome We also admit publike iudges of controuersies both seuerally as learned Bishops pastors and doctors who may giue their sentences and iudgements in matters in question and coniunctly when they be assembled in Synodes and Councels to examine questions of greater difficultie and to decide the same How beit their iudgements be not infallible for all men be lyars and subiect to ignorance and errour neither haue they any absolute power and authoritie to iudge after their own spirit or mind but according to the canonicall Scriptures from the which if they bee found to decline and swarue their iudgements are not to be followed But your meaning is that the Pope with his Councell is the supreme vmpire and iudge in matters of controuersie and the infallible interpreter thereof How they haue most falsly interpreted the Scriptures I haue in some part shewed before and that he who is a partie and whom a great part of Christendome doth accuse to bee Antichrist and guilty of most grieuous crimes as of impietie idolatrie tyrannie ouer the Church sacrilege treason c. should be iudge in this his owne cause is against all law and reason It is written in your owne Canon lawe Si Papa cum aliquo causam habet non debet ipse esse iudex i. If the Pope haue matter with any other he ought not himselfe to be iudge And againe Quando Papa est in statu qui plerisque est offendiculo scandalizat Ecclesiā noc est corrigibilis tunc non potest esse iudex quia videtur male sentire de fide i. When the Pope is in that state that he is an offence to manie and scandalizeth the Church and is incorrigible then he canot be Iudge because he seemeth to be of an euill faith And euen so not only we do but also manie of his owne fauourers haue iustly accused the Pope to be You vainly and falsly exaggerate controuersies and irreconciliable iarres as you terme them among vs in essentiall points of faith But why do you not particularly expresle some of those essentiall points of faith Surely because you cannot I cōfesse there hath been in our Church some controuersie concerning externall ceremonies and forme of gouernment as there hath beene heretofore betweene good men as betweene Peter and Paul betweene Paul and

Barnabas betweene Anicetus Bishop of Rome and Polycarpus betweene Chrysostome and Epiphanius and manie others who all were godly men agreeing in vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God But you that are so eager in traducing our iarres cannot see your own manifold and vnreconciliable iarres and controuersies among your selues As betweene your Schoolemen namely your Thomists and Scotists differing in sundrie matters of moment as not onely Erasmus hath declared but also Iohn Bishop of Rochester hath affirmed Also betweene your Dominican and Franciscan Friers about the conception of the virgin Mary debated not onely by words but also by blowes which controuersie was neuer yet decided but in the Councell of Basil which the Papists count a schismaticall Councell and in the same was the false doctrine approued to wit that the Virgin Mary was conceiued without sinne You cannot see your iarres betweene your great Maister of Sentences Peter Lumbard who iustled Saint Paul out of the schooles and your Sorbonist Doctors of Paris which found and condemned 26. errours in him nor the iarres betweene Ambrosius Catharinus Archbishop of Minorien and Dominicus de Soto confesson to Charles the fift concerning assurance of Gods grace predestination originall sinne freewll and induration of a sinner as in their bitter bookes one against another about these matters appeareth nor y e iarres betweene the said Catharinus and Cardinall Caietane whom Catharinus chargeth with 200. errors of which he writeth thus Quae vt non solum euidenter falsa meritò culpari possent verum etiam vt Christianae religioni perniciosa c. Which may be worthily reproued not onely as euidently false but also as pernicious to Christian religion I might mention many mo iarres among the Papists and namely betweene the secular Priests and Iesuits as appeareth by their bitter bookes one against another and particularly that of William Watson a secular Priest lately published in print against the Iesuits which this camlling exclamor cannot espy who can see a moate in our eyes but cannot behold great beames in their owne but for shortnes sake I omit them at this present onely the learned may see how that great Rabbi Rob. Bellarmine iarreth with all other his pewfellowes and in very many essentiall points of doctrine dissenteth from them and controuleth them Whereof also Iohannes Pappus hath made a large collection Whereas you say y t we haue no argument to proue that we haue the true Church true religion and true faith but such as al heretikes haue euer vsed I answere that we haue that argument proofe for these things which although Heretikes haue falsely pretended as popish heretikes now doe yet the godly learned Fathers haue sincerely vsed And that is the holy word of God the onely touchstone of truth and piller of the Church for as the Church in one respect is the piller of truth as Saint Paul saith so in another the truth is the piller and prop of the Church as Chrysostom saith For by what meanes els haue the godly and learned Fathers in all ages confuted heresies and proued the Church but by the Scriptures by them out Sauiour Christ foyled the Diuell and put him to flight By them he answered the Pharisies By them he confuted the Sadduces By them he proued himselfe to be the promised Messias and Sauiour of the world By them Saint Paul confirmed the Gospell which he preached By them hee perswaded the Iewes those things which concerned Christ Iesus both out of the Law of Moses and out of the Prophets By them Apollos confuted the Iewes with great vehemencie shewing by the Scriptures that Iesus was the Christ By them the godly and learned Fathers confuted and confounded the Arians and other Heretikes whom you here name as by their bookes and particular sayings it euidently appeareth Athanasius speaking of the godly decrees of the Councell of Nice against the Arians writeth thus Atque harum rerum non aliunde nos quàm ex scriptutis persuasionem habemus that is We be perswaded of these things by no other meanes but by the Scriptures Epiphanius saith In Scripturis sanctis Trinitas nobis annuntiatur ac creditur citra curiositatem c. The Trinitie is in the holy Scriptures preached vnto vs and without curiositie beleeued And that by thē all doctrines are to be confirmed and all errors and heresies to be confuted they plainely and plentifully shew Tertullian saith that if Heretikes bee brought to examine and try their questions onely by the Scriptures they cannot stand Epiphanius saith that we are not to discusse questions by our owne wits and reasons Sedex scripturarum consequentia By the consequence of the Scriptures Saint Basil saith Let vs stand to the arbitrement of the Scripture inspired of God and with whome bee found doctrines agreeable to those diuine words let the truth be iudged to be with them Constantine said vnto the Bishops in the Nicene Councell The Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the oracles of the Prophets doe plainely instruct vs of God wherefore laying away all enimitie and discord let vs take the explication or resolution of the questions in controuersie out of those sayings inspired of God So saith Saint Augustine Verum nos sacris literis accommodemus auditum c. that is Let vs harken vnto the holy Scriptures and according to them let vs by the helpe of God dissolue this question And againe Non secundū opinionem c. We must consider of this matter not according to y e commō opinion but according to the holy Scriptures of our religion And of the church he saith thus Sed vtrum ipsi ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum Scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant that is But whether they haue the Church let them shew by no other meanes but by the Canonicall bookes of the diuine Scriptures Chrysostom saith that we cannot know which is the true Church of Christ Nisi tantummodo per Scripturas that is but onely by the Scriptures Therefore by the Scriptures proue your doctrine and shew your Church But you say the Arians and other Heretikes alleadged the Scriptures whereunto I adde that so did the Diuell also but 〈◊〉 in such sort as you and your fellowes do in mangling them and falsly expounding and applying them as I haue in some part before shewed I am cōtent to ioyne this issue with you that they which be proued to depraue detort mangle and falsly expound and apply the scriptures be heretikes and to bee condemued with these old heretikes whom you here name To whom whether you or we bee more like let the vpright Reader indifferently iudge The Arians seeing that they could haue nothing out of the Scriptures fled as Athanasius saith vnto the Fathers and euen so do you The Arians vsed subtill distinctions to elude and shift off the truth and so do you They denied