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
to the first place of Matth. 13.35 and say Who ever denyed but that some Copies have been corrupted and in some of them some words foisted in but all Greek all Latine Copies with the Arabick and Syriack translations reade Abraham and not Jacob Whereas some Copies were alwayes perfect in that place of Matthew Now if you grant corruption in any point or title in all the Greek and all the Latine Copies how will you prove any part or word of the New Testament to be uncorrupt Which razeth up the very Corner-stone of our Faith Mr Beza again objecteth that the name of Jeremie is written for Zacharie Matth. 27.9 I answer that the Authour of the book of Maccabees giveth us to understand that Jeremie wrote other things which now we have not 2. Maccab. 2.1 and so did divers of the Prophets and why may not this be then taken from some of those works which are perished Secondly S. Hierome saith a Jew brought him an Apocryphall book of Jeremie in which he found this testimonie word for word and this book was called APOCRYPHA or OCCULTA JEREMIAE The Apocryphals or hid writings of Jeremie saith Erasmus on Matth. 27. As what S. Paul saith of Jannes and Jambres 2. Tim. 3.8 and what S. Jude saith of Michael the Archangel striving with the Devil is thought to be taken out of the books Apocryphall so might this testimonie be cited also out of Jeremies Apocryphals Thirdly Erasmus supposeth that Zacharie had two names and was called both Zacharie and Jeremie and so no inconvenience followeth Fourthly not onely the Syriack leaves out the name of Jeremie but even in Augustines time the name of Jeremie was not in many Latine Copies as Augustine himself testifieth de Consensu Evangelistarum lib. 3. cap. 7. The ordinarie glosse also saith that in some editions it is onely thus By the Prophet and the name of Jeremie is left unmentioned Fifthly Augustine in the last recited place of his resolveth that the Divine providence purposely set down Jeremie for Zacharie and what the holy Spirit did dictate S. Matthew did truely write And one reason why the Spirit of God confounded the names of Jeremie and Zacharie was this saith Augustine To insinuate that all the Prophets wrote by one Spirit and wonderfully consented in one and therefore we must beleeve that e Quacunque per eos Spâ—itus Sanctus dixit singula esse omnium omnia singulorum What the holy Ghost spake by them is not to be appropriated unto any one but to all and every of them What was said by Jeremie was as well Zacharies as Jeremies and what was said by Zacharie was as well Jeremies as Zacharies God spake not by the MOUTHS but by the MOUTH of all his holy Prophets since the world began Act. 3.21 and they had but one Spirit to guide them into all truth The Prophesie of Amos is called The book of the Prophets Acts 7.42 and the Word of God which in divers places is called in the plurall number Scriptures as John 5.39 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Search the Scriptures is also oftentimes called in the singular number The Scripture as John 2.22 they beleeved the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said Beleef was to rest as well on his Word onely without Scripture as on Scripture though he had said nothing and the word Scripture is not to be restrained onely to that place of Scripture before pointed at but to the whole Word of God written which they beleeved The Scripture hath concluded all under sinne Gal. 3.22 where not one single place onely but either common places of that point or the whole bodie of the Scripture is to be understood A few words of a Psalme of David is called by Christ himself The law of the Jews It is written in their law They hated me without a cause John 15.25 which is onely so written Psal 35.19 Again he saith to the Jews John 10.34 Is it not written in your Law I have said ye are Gods but it is written so onely Psal 83.6 Yea though one and the same thing in effect be written both Isa 28.16 and Psal 118.22 as also Matth 21.42 and Acts 4.12 yet S. Peter reckoneth all but as one All but one Scripture though severally written by these foure It is contained in the Scripture saith he 1. Pet. 2.6 in the singular number he mentioneth Scripture as if what one wrote the rest wrote S. Peter saith not It is contained in the Word with reference to one Spirit inditing or inspiring though that might have also been truely spoken but contained in the Scripture with relation to the unity and consent of the Pen-men Lastly the words of the Evangelist are these Matth. 27.9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the Prophet Jeremie saying And they took the thirty pieces of silver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 effatum Jeremiae dicentis That which was spoken by Jeremie saying c. Now Jeremiae might say it speak it dictate it which is most true and is all that S. Matthew saith who by the Spirit might also know that Jeremie did teach preach prophesie and utter these words and yet for all this and after all this Zacharie by the same Spirit might write transcribe and insert those words of Jeremie into his own Prophesie which S. Matthew denieth not as Baruch wrote divers things which he had heard from Jeremie as Agur collected some Proverbs of Solomon Again there was no necessitie that all things whatsoever Jeremie as a Prophet did speak g Jerem. 36.2 he himself or Baruch should write much lesse presently since there were many yeares between Jeremie his speaking and his writing for Enoch prophesied as it is in the 14. verse of the Epist of S. Jude but he prophesied Saying c. as it is there written for writing was none till God set the Copie unto Moses by writing the Law in the Tables on the mount Again S. Paul Act. 24.35 remembreth the words of our Lord Jesus how he said It is more blessed to give then to receive yet none of the Evangelists record such words but this might the Apostles relate unto S. Paul or by divine inspiration he might know that Christ spake them or they might be part of the words which Christ himself spake unto S. Paul for there is no certaintie that they were written S. John the Evangelist was commanded to conceal and not to write the words of the seven thunders Revel 10.4 If he had wholly concealed such a thing we could not know it he spake it but wrote it not Jeremie might speak this and not write it or write it and not speak it Any of these answers is better then to incline to Beza that the Text is erroneous or patched up with a false addition or to Erasmus on Matth. 27. intimating there was lapsus memoriae in Evangelistis howsoever he qualifieth it That if there were memoriae lapsus in Nomine duntaxat he
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
thoughts were in my heart The like I say of all and every of them Psal 39.2 I was dumbe with silence I held my peace even from good and my sorrow was stirred and vers 3. My heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue and vers 4. Lord make me to know mine end From whence appeareth that David was premeditating as other people do and at the last as other mens his thoughts brake forth The similitude is taken from sorrow and grief which being for a while suppressed groweth greater or from fire which being smothered or half quenched with water upon recovery of its strength groweth farre more violent The answer is that David relateth what course he took when he could not exonerate and alleviate his soul by conference with men whose wayes he liked not He poured out his complaints and prayers unto God So Musculus And this no doubt did the Spirit of God stirre him up to do It pleased the holy Ghost to make those thoughts of David which before were pure and divine yet private now to be divine publick and canonicall Again That they might conceive and understand by the Spirit a great deal more then the holy Ghost would have to be written I denie not and on such things they might muse Yet I conjecture that what they wrote in holy Scripture they studied not before-hand the Spirit hath no need of mans studie or learning and I do remove from every part of it all humane premeditation and maintain that the Spirit did frame both matter and words as by Gods grace shall anon appeare pro re nata as occasion offered it self One chief reason may be this That nature which is the right hand of God hath greatest care of greatest matters and lesse of least and equall care of things equall If the Apostolicall and Evangelicall writings are not consideratis considerandis weighing one thing with an other of more esteem then their words were yet let them go as equivalent Then Christ will have as much care of their writings as of their speaking But their speeches were without premeditation and were commanded so to be Therefore all their writings Matth. 10.19 Take no thought how or what ye shall speak you see both the matter and manner is not to be from them For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you vers 20. Not they there is the negative but the Spirit there is the positive Likewise Mark 13.11 Take no thought before-hand neither do ye premeditate An absolute inhibition and it had been a great sinne to transgresse it and a distrust of the holy Ghost The like I say concerning all their writings They might have indeed in their meditation before-hand divers of those things which afterwards they wrote but when they thought on them they knew not they should write them and when they did write they wrote them not as copies or extracts of former conceits out of the wombe of their own memories but as freshly and newly inspired apprehended indited and dictated unto them There is one kinde of knowledge proceeding from principles known by the naturall light of the intellect as Arithmetick Geometrie c. Others proceed out of principles known by light of an higher knowledge as Perspective from the principles evinced by Geometrie and Musick from principles known by Arithmetick So is the Scripture beleeved by an higher light even by the revelation of God saith Aquin. part 1. quaest 1. art 2. and not beleeved onely but the matter and manner and words proceeded from a diviner understanding then humane conceit could reach unto and were written by an higher and better hand then the hand of man All was the holy Spirits doing even the leading of their hands whilest they wrote that they could not erre Cornelius Cornelii à Lapide on 2. Tim. 3.16 thus The Spirit did not dictate all Scripture after one manner The Law and the Prophesies are revealed and dictated to a word the Histories and Morall exercitations which before by sight hearing reading or meditation the holy Writers had learned there was no necessitie to be inspired or dictated from the Spirit since they knew them alreadie So John 19.35 He that saw it bare record and Luk. 1.3 It seemed good to me also having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order Then doth he mince modifie and qualifie his former saying in this manner But the holy Spirit may be said to have dictated even the latter also First because q Astitit scribentibus nè vel in puncto à veritate aberrarent he was present whilest they wrote that they could not go one jot from the truth Secondly because it stirred them up and suggested that they should write this rather then that r Conceptum ergò memoriam corum quae sciebant non iis ingessit Spiritus Sanctus Therefore the conceptions and remembrance of such things as they knew the Spirit did not inspire into them Thirdly saith he The Spirit did order direct and methodize all their conceits that they might put this in the first that in the second another in the third place In which words of his three things deserve censure even the strict censure of the Inquisition First That the Spirit did not dictate all Scripture after one manner I answer Then all is not of a like dignitie that which is after the divinest manner is to be held best that wherein there is a medly of divine and humane knowledge and wisdome is of an inferiour sort But this may not be granted for All Scripture is of divine inspiration Excellently saith Doctour Estius on 2. Tim. 3.16 Rightly and most truely from hence do we conclude that all the sacred Canonicall Scripture was written by the dictate of the holy Spirit not in that manner say I that he left the Penmen to their own memories and knowledge which as humane were weak and imperfect but f Ità nimirum ut non solùm sententiae sed verba singula verborum ordo ac tota dispositio sit à Deo tanquam per semetipsum loquente aut scribente so that not onely the sentences but every word and the order placing and the whole disposing of the words was from God as speaking or writing by himself But God I dare say hath no need of their memories nor his writing or speech of their hearing reading sight or premeditation Secondly he is to be taxed for saying there was no necessitie that things Morall and Historicall should be inspired I say there was a necessitie that histories and moralities should be inspired if they are to be parts of the sacred Writ otherwise this knowledge and writing are onely parcels of humane learning Though S. John bare record to what he saw his bearing record without the Spirit had been but an ordinary testimonie Not his saying but
Hellenists Chaldee Paraphrase or any heathen Authours yet it doth not necessarily evince that the holy Actuaries or Notaries did oversee reade heare or transcribe those things out of their knowledge from the said Authours but both the names of those Authours and the things themselves were presented to them by that blessed Spirit which knew all things and this among the rest That these words phrases and sentences were fit to be inserted into the holy Writ which now are in it All Scripture is of divine inspiration But the very words are part of Scripture Therefore even they were inspired Revel 19.9 The Angel said Write Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lambe Did not the Angel speak the words Did not he give the Apostle both matter and words When the Apostle was commanded Revel 14.13 by a voice from heaven to write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord c. was he commanded to write his conceits and thoughts apprehended in Syriack and translate them into Hellenisticall Greek or did the heavenly voice suggest onely an holy inspiration into him and left him to coyn words as Heinsius would have it or rather did not the voice teach the very words which should be written viz. Blessed are the dead c. Now let us passe to the fifth and last Conclusion in which we must dissent from the worthy Heinsius and disarm him of his often-inculcated but not once proved Tenet The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Writers of holy Scripture conceived in one language and writ in an other Upon which ground he hath raised a strange structure but his very ground-work is sandie slipperie and false And this I hope to evince by Scripture Authoritie and Reason All which shall be squared to that Corner-stone which more then once before I hewed upon more roughly and now by Gods grace intend to polish namely That the very words and letters were dictated unto the holy Scribes and therefore they had no power to change or transchange to adde or diminish or to expresse by their own words their internall irradiation but in the language which they conceived they also wrote their heavenly dictates 2. Pet. 1.21 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 Therefore their very speech being according to the motion of the holy Ghost their words were not of their own choice but from above and not onely divine thoughts but sacred words were also given them 1. Cor. 2.13 S. Paul spake in words which the holy Ghost taught Did the holy Ghost inspire thoughts into them in one language and teach them words to speak in an other language Cui bono To what end and purpose and why not all done in the language which they conceived 2. Tim. 3.16 Scriptura per Spiritum scripta est The Scripture was writ by the Spirit saith the Syriack not onely inspired as it is from the Greek but written and as it was inspired written Revel 19.9 The Angel saith concerning very words which he commanded to be wrote These are the true sayings of God Not inspirations onely of God and the words of Men but the sayings of God Exod. 34.27 Write thou these words for after the tenour of these words I have made a covenant God was not tied to the words Moses was to the writing of the very words Jerem. 30.2 Write thee all the words which I have spoken unto thee in a book He gave him no power to put in words of his own Twelve times in the Revelation was S. John commanded to write and knew he not the words Hos 8.12 I have written to Ephraim the great things of my Law Even all what my Prophets have done I challenge as mine own writing Authorities of men The Scriptures were written y Magisterio Spiritus in obedience to the Spirit saith Sasbout on Peter Therefore the Apostles had not the power left unto them of writing their own conceits but were fitted with words by the Spirit z Si Spiritu saucto inspirati ab eo impulsi locuti sunt Prophetae caeteri librorum sacrorum scriptores Consequens est Scripturam totam esse verbum Dei non aliter à nobis accipiendam quà m si Deus immediatè absque humano vel Angelico ministerio eam edidisset ut ità dicam digito suo scripsisset If the Prophets and other writers of holy Scripture spake by the moving and inspiration of the holy Ghost it followeth that all the Scripture is the word of God no otherwise to be esteemed of by us then if God immediately without the ministery of men or Angels had set it forth and as I may say had written it with his own finger saith the learned Estius Even Cornelius Cornelii à Lapide himself on Timothie thus a Prophetae alii scriptores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocantur calami instrumenta Spiritus sancti quast scribae velociter scribentis inspirantis dictantis sacras literas The Prophets and other holy Penmen of Scripture are styled the pens and instruments of the holy Ghost as of that scribe who speedily writeth inspireth and dictateth the divine writ Where he confesseth the holy Spirit not to inspire onely but to dictate yea to write like a swift scribe the holy Scripture Gregorius Praefat. in Job cap. 2. b Scriptores sacri Eloquii quia repleti Spiritu sancto super se trahuntur quasi extra semetipsos fiunt sic Dei sententias quasi de labiis proferunt The writers of the heavenly word because they are filled with the holy Ghost are elevated above themselves in him and as it were out of themselves and so the sentences of God are uttered as it were by their lips Athanasius Epist ad Lib. saith c Christus vetus novum Testamentum composuit Christ made the Old and New Testament d Quid est illud o◠Domini nisi Scripturae per quas loquitur Dominu◠What is the mouth of the Lord but the Scriptures by which the Lord speaketh saith Rupert on Matth. lib. 4. Philo Judaeus in lib. Quis rerum divinarum haeres thus e Propheta nihil ex se proloquitur sed omnia submonente alio A Prophet prophesieth nothing out of his own brain but all things by the prompting of the holy Ghost as he wittily concludeth Therefore not so much as the words are his own Chrysostom de Lazaro Homil. 4. Though a dead man revive and an Angel come from heaven you must beleeve Scriptures above all for the Master of Angels the Lord of the living and the dead he himself framed them The same Chrysostom de expulsione ipsius sheweth the manner I reade his own handwriting c. They are done by his hand the very writing it self is his and therefore called Chyrographum Dei A writing under Gods own hand by Augustine
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
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
Charles the fifth his Edicts n Nè quis de Sacra Scriptura maximè de rebus dubiis difficilibus privatim aut publicè disputet aut ejus interpretationem sibi sumat nisi sit Theologus qui probatae alicujus Academiae testimonium habeat Let no man take upon him to dispute publickly or privately of the sacred Scripture especially of doubtfull and hard points or to interpret it except he be a Divine that hath the testimonie of some approved Vniversitie It was an holy Edict breeding reverence to the sacred word of God and I could wish it were in practise with us though I must needs confesse the breach of the edict was too severely punished for the men were to be beheaded and the women to be buried alive though they desisted from their errour but if they were obstinate they were to be burned and their goods confiscated Yet the rebellions of the Anabaptists in Germanie may be some cloke for that cruell sentence which rebellions also forsooth were moved by the Spirit of God if for example sake you wil give credit to Thom. Muncer his oration unto the armed rebellious clowns o Constat nobis auspicatum esse me hanc actionem non meâ quadam autoritate privatâ sed jussu divino We are sure saith he that I began not this action by any private authoritie of mine but by a divine injunction c. And again p Videbitis ipsi manifestum Dei auxilium Ye your selves shall see the manifest help of God And he had Scripture to confirm it Scripture in word not in sense Scripture misapplied things falling out contrary to his propheticall Spirit for they were overcome and he beheaded Likewise Sleiden Comment 30. fol. 28. saith of the Anabaptists q Cum Deo colloquium sibi esse mandatum se habere aiebant ut impiis omnibus interfectis novum constituerent mundum in quo pii solùm innocentes viverent They said they had conference with God and a mandate from him to kill all the wicked and then to frame a new world wherein none but the godly and innocent should live This I will say of mine own knowledge that when that man of happy memory the late right Reverend now most blessed Saint Arthur Lake Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells appointed Doctour Sclater now also a Saint of heaven then my most learned loving friend and sometime fellow-Collegian in the two royall Colledges at Eaton and Cambridge with my self to conferre with an Anabaptisticall woman we heard her determine great depths of Divinitie as confidently as ever S. Paul did though he was taught by Christ himself and as nimbly as ever an ape crackt nuts yet so ignorantly and with such non-sense that we both wondred at her incredible boldnesse The Revelation she had at her fingers ends she thought that she understood it better then S. John himself and defined in a few houres conference more depths of Divinitie then six Generall Councels would in a long time Mysteries were no mysteries to her if an Angel of earth or one from heaven instruct her contrary to her frantick prepossest imagination she would conclude Because the Spirit bloweth where it listeth that the Spirit instructed her in the right way A fit consequence for such a pseudo-prophetissa 7. But what do I speak of her self-conceit when of late an other of her sex hath printed a book of her phantasticall crudities and by English anagrams expoundeth Scripture A new kinde of interpretation never thought of fit for a woman to be the inventour of She teacheth Daniel to reveal himself after a new fashion and such things which were he alive and racked he must say he never thought of She thinks she untieth knots and gives light to prophesies but indeed misapplieth things past and perhaps future contingents to present times and while she gathereth many excellent strains of words and sentences out of the divine Writ in coupling them together she maketh such a roaring hotch-potch as if she had vowed to write full-mouthed non-sense in loftie terms others not knowing nor perhaps herself what she aimeth at Take a taste of her anagrams DANIEL I END AL. Yet did not he end all prophesies nor all things MEDES AND PERSIANS SEND MEE SPANIARDS What would she do with them It was feared that they would have come too soon for her and others too THE ROUGH GOATE THE GOTH ROAGUE Like you this you shall have more as bad as void of wit PRINCE OF PERSIA I CAN POPE FRIERS If Friers should come and prevail they would teach her to be more humble DARIUS THE MED I DREAMED THUS Awake dreamer no sense is in thy dreams much lesse religion Was ever Scripture made such a nose of wax did ever any religious heart think such could be the meaning of those words Let me but touch at her obscene exposition of the end of Christs Circumcision pag. 5 and consider her fanaticall imagination that the Spirit of God by Michael understood King James pag. 50 And the warre in heaven with Michael and his Angels against the Dragon and his Angels is thus expounded by her pag. 55. The fray is fought by seconds by Michael is meant King James the Dragon is the Pope whom Michael overcame by the bloud of the Lambe and by the testimonie of so many Bishops and other faithfull crowned with the glory of Martyrdome whereas King James had never a Bishop so crowned and never a Bishop was so crowned since he was born Holy peaceable and harmlesse King James who would scarce hurt a worm is now interpreted to be the greatest fighter among the celestiall host I could wish she would repent for her blasphemy pag. 70 where she writeth That the person of the sonne of God not made was turned into a lump of clay and for her pointing out the day of judgement For though she confesseth pag. 90 Of the day houre no man knoweth no not the Angels that are in heaven nor the Sonne but the Father yet she addeth The account of this book of note is by centuries of yeares Suppose it were so as it is not could not Christ and his Angels know the day by the computation of centuries as well as she but she by a new account hath found out as she imagineth what Christ and the good Angels were ignorant of namely the exact day of doom For thus she determineth pag. 100 There is nineteen yeares and a half to the day of judgement July the twenty eighth one thousand six hundred twenty five Had not this woman been better never to have seen Scripture then thus to profane it and take Gods word in vain You think you have the Spirit of God as you write in the last page but I am sure if you repent not betimes for your wire-drawing of Gods word and intruding into hidden and unsearchable depths of Divinitie you are in a desperate case and all the Separatists and Enthusiasts of
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
by him who were also the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standers by who had smit and buffetted him and calling them by the charitable term of brethren whom it had been fitter to reprove it argueth his plain sincerity speaking of his superiour Secondly if S. Paul had spoken by way of jest irrision or Irony when he said I knew not brethren that he was the high priest he might well have ceased there But since he bringeth in the sacred Text seriously truly and sadly to confirm his nesciency and that there is no mocking with the divine veritie with me it shall passe currant that he spake from the bottome of his heart when he said he knew him not to be the high priest The Spirit never taught any inspired to apply Scripture contrary to their knowledge nor to cite the sacred Text of truth to prove an untruth Thirdly consider the Antithests and opposition between the words In the fifth verse he said simply and directly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I knew not where his ignorance is the more seriously professed by the opposition in the sixth verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Paul knowing that the one part were Sadduces and the other Pharisees as if the Spirit had said Paul indeed was ignorant who was the high priest but he knew they were divided into factions the word But running with a singular emphasis to this point Fourthly by this exposition we shall cut off that objection which Julian the Apostata used against S. Paul as if by this double dealing he were a very time-server in his words we maintaining all to be done in solemn gravity and reality of truth Fifthly if S. Paul had spoken Ironically that he had not known the high priest when they knew one an other how easily could the high priest have confuted and confounded him and laid lying and imposture to his charge But this he did not do therefore in likelihood S. Paul knew him not Lastly the objections for the former opinion are easily answered How could he be ignorant who was the high priest when he was bred up in their law and well acquainted and familiarly in their Synedrion and had been there when S. Stephen was condemned and when he got letters from the high priest a little before his conversion especially since he appealeth to the high priest as to his witnesse Acts 22.5 To the first point I confesse he was bred up in their law and could not then in likelihood be ignorant who was the high priest or what was his name yet now he might be ignorant for S. Paul had been away from Jerusalem a good while avoiding the storm of persecution and high priests died as other men and at that time there were two high priests which was not of old and with one of them he might not be acquainted Oh but he frequented the Synedrion I confesse that not onely the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young mans feet whose name was Saul Acts 7.58 but that Saul consented to the death of S. Stephen Acts 8.1 and as certain that he as a principall agent received letters from the high priest and all the estate of the elders to search out the Christians and to bring them to be punished Acts 22.5 and so he must needs know the high priest and the elders and they him and therefore in likelihood he was conversant sometimes in their Synedrion But I say as before this might not be that high priest who sat to condemn S. Stephen or to whom S. Paul appealed as witnesse but the other high priest might sit at this time and on this day since now and then one sat now and then an other and sometimes both of them And thus S. Paul might be ignorant who was his Judge Oh but he well knew the high priest by his place and by his clothes I answer The Jews were not now sitting in their Councel-house but where the chief Captain commanded them to appeare Acts 22.30 himself sitting as the Moderatour in his own tribunall which he was not wont to do in their Synedrion neither might the high priest take the proper vestments in such a place by which he might be known from others To close up all If nothing said before do satisfie thee but thou art confident that S. Paul did know the high priest though thou wert better to adhere to the words yet have I found out an other way for the opening of this point which hath perplexed many learned men Observe therefore I pray thee these things First that not onely the high priest but all their Councel were summoned to appeare Acts 22.30 and of the Councel each man had liberty to speak at his pleasure and at such publick trialls there is a great dinne murmures and mutterings so that the speaker is not alwaies discernable whiles many may speak at once and some louder then others Secondly while S. Paul earnestly beheld not the high priest onely but the Councel Acts 23.1 casting his eyes from one to another the high priest commanded him to be smitten on the mouth These words S. Paul might heare and yet not know in such a confused noise which of those his many Judges spake them and in likelihood thought that such an unjust sentence could not proceed out of the high priests mouth but to the authour of those words whosoever he was to that unjust Judge S. Paul sharply and punctually replied God will judge thee thou painted wall But when S. Paul was informed that they were the words of the high priest himself he was sory for his quick speech and said I knew not brethren that he was the high priest So that if S. Paul had known the high priest and the high priest him if they had been well acquainted the one with the other at this time of S. Pauls triall which will never be sufficiently proved yet here is now a new way as probable as any to excuse the Apostle from dissimulation and from using the Scripture as a cloke to it viz. Though S. Paul knew the man to be the high priest yet he knew not at first that it was the high priest who pronounced so unjust and furious a sentence but divers of the seventy two Judges might be speaking one to another and S. Paul might be mistaken at first in the speaker As if he had said I knew not brethren it was the high priest that spake these words concerning me And thus I hope this difficultie is cleared I will onely adde this That divers ancient Fathers from S. Pauls example in this place prove his modesty moderation and undisturbed passions by his sudden wise setled answers And That I hold this paraphrase probable as if S. Paul had said If I had wist that it was the high priest who used those words though I would not have forborn others yet I would have forborn him since God had said THOU SHALT NOT SPEAK EVIL OF THE RULER OF THY PEOPLE But yet this man
unlesse he kept still a Jewish heart within him which certainly he did if Balthasar Bambach saith truly of him t Praecipua mysteria reticuit nibil arcani revelavit He concealed the chief mysteries and revealed nothing of their secrets Seventhly that many Hebrew Radixes do signifie not onely things wonderfully disparat and incompatible the one with the other as Sheol signifieth the grave in some places and hell in other places which caused some to deny Christs descent in his humane soul into hell but even things clean contrary This instance as the former shall be in a word generally known Job 2.9 his wife saith unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Curse God others render it Blesse God None hitherto hath infallibly expounded it Yet my Laick can swallow camels strain at gnats that is buildeth upon the Translation made by the Ministers though the ground hath been slippery and full of ice but will forsooth be judge of the meaning when he understandeth not the words as if one unskilfull in the Dutch language should say when he heard a German speak I know his meaning by his gaping or by the sound of his words or by the gargarism of his throat-speech Though the Apostle saith 1. Thessal 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good yet he speaketh of the spirits of private men or misperswasions of the false Apostles who presumed very much and knew very little These are to be tried But concerning the decrees of the Church the same Apostle doth not say Prove them examine them trie them judge them but Acts 16.4 Paul and other Ministers as they went through the cities delivered them the decrees for to keep or observe that were ordained of the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem And so or by this means of keeping or observation were the Churches established in the faith c. verse 5. But saith the frantick Libertine I am a man spirituall But he that is spirituall judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man 1. Corinth 2.15 I answer S. Paul speaketh of the Apostles who had the Spirit of God vers 12. and spake in words which the holy Ghost taught vers 13. and who might well neglect the judgement of men 1. Corinth 3.3 Prove thou thy Apostleship by such undeniable miracles and testimonies as they did and thou shalt judge and not be judged But that every idiot should claim the priviledge of an Apostle is lewd divinity or rather insufferable pride The Angel in the Church of Thyatira is censured Revel 2.20 because he suffered that woman Jezebel which called her self a Prophetesse to teach and seduce Gods servants If the profoundest Divines on earth unexperienced in worldly courses should teach the skilfullest tradesmen their trades or manufactures and meddle in their crafts as they call them would they not expose themselves to laughter and mocking is not the proverb of the world too true The greatest Clerks are not the wisest men if you take them from their books Are there more depths in trades then in the Word of God Or shall tradesmen and women judge of the depths of Divinity and the learned Divines in their own profession be not beleeved but laught at controlled and censured by the private spirit of unlearned people Are not the spirits of the Prophets subject to the Prophets Very learned men scarce trust to themselves A Physician that is very sick seeks counsel of an other who is whole and dares not trust his own judgement and shall a soul sick of sinne sick of errour sick of scruples be its own helper shall it understand without a guide be cleansed of its leprosie without a Priest Hierome in his Preface to the Cōmentary upon the epistle to the Eph. thus From my youth I never ceased to reade or to ask of learned men what I knew not I never was mine own Master or taught my self and of late I journeyed purposely to Alexandria unto Didymus that he might satisfie me in all the doubts which I had found in the Scripture Now adayes many a one is wiser then his Teachers not by supernall illumination but by infernall presumption And if they have gotten by rote the letter of Scripture and can readily cite tmemata tmematia the chapter and the verse though they have little more judgement then Cardinall Ascanius his parret which would prate the Creed all over they vilifie the opinions of the most learned and their private spirit of seduction will beare them out u Lib. 11. cap. 9. Ruffinus saith thus of Basil and Gregory Nazianzen They were both noblemen both students at Athens both colleagues for thirteen yeares together all profane learning removed studied on the holy Scriptures followed the sense not taken from their own presumption but from the writings and authority of the ancients which ancients it appeared took the rule of right understanding the Scripture from Apostolick succession S. Basil himself saith of himself and others in his Epistle to the Church of Antioch As for us we do not take our faith upon trust from other later men x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor dare we deliver to others the conceits of our own brains lest mens devices should be thought to be articles of Religion but what we have been taught of the holy Fathers that we declare to those that ask of us How often doth the divine S. Augustine confirm his interpretations by the authority of Cyprian Ambrose and other preceding Fathers How often doth he confesse his own ignorance though he was the most accōplished that ever writ since the dayes of the Apostles It was a wise observation of Scaliger That some words and passages in Plato y Plus sapiunt authore are wiser then their authour and many excellent conceits are collected from Homer and Aristotle which they never dreamed of But in the Word of God it is contrary The Spirit was and is infinite that did dictate it the finite capacity of man cannot comprehend it whatsoever good interpretation we finde may well be thought to be the meaning of the Spirit and yet the Spirit may and doth mean many things which the wit of any man could never disclose And the true literal sense is the hardest to finde I confesse I have dwelt too long on this point but it is to vindicate the authority of our Church from the singular fancies of private unskilfull unlearned and censorious men and women and to shew the madnes of those base people-pleasers or publicolae who make or esteem tradesmen and youth and ill-nurtured unlettered idiots yea though their places be eminent the competent judges of controversies whilest they flee from the chairs of the Universities and from the representative Church of our kingdome viz. the most learned Bishops and Convocation-house unto whom they ought to have recourse and in whose judgement they are by way of obedience without opposition to set up their rest For as for private
restriction because in it was speech of Adam by whom death came upon all without exception but in the second and opposite member All is not to be taken in the same amplitude sed juxta rem subjectam But according to the subject spoken of All that have grace and the gift of righteousnesse Omnes vivificandi All that are to be made alive saith S. Augustine All that are Christs So much in defence of those who by All understand genera singulorum but not singula generum Some of all kindes but not all of every kinde restraining and imprisoning the word yet as it were in libera custodia The free gift came upon all men to the justification of life that is it came upon all upon whom it did come freely and yet upon many which were not of Christs flock it came not at all If this seem harsh to any there is a second interpretation which came in my minde before ever I had heard or read that any other thought so and amongst a whole army of expounders I never met with any who wholly agreeth with me and never but one whose opinion in part concurreth with mine and he is Cardinall Tolet who is found fault withall covertly by Justinian the Jesuit and by the learned Estius under a generall Quidam vir doctus A certain learned man and expressely by name by Cornelius à Lapide the Jesuit whose judgement otherwise I had been ignorant of as not having Tolets labours on the Romanes The words of S. Paul Rom. 5.18 at the latter end are these By the righteousnesse of one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life So it is read according to the Vulgat in our late Translation the Bishops Bible hath it Good springeth upon all men to the righteousnesse of life but it is certainly amisse for they take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas there is great discrepancy between them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is generally confessed to be according to Philosophers that vertue or aggregation of vertue which is named Justice generall or according to Divinity the vertue or the habit of justice the work of grace sanctification righteousnesse or holinesse inherent Neither is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for though I would be loath to say as Beza doth on that place I do not admit saith he Nè in anis quaedam argutia tribuatur Apostolo id est Spiritui sancto that these two are all one for this reason among others Lest some vain nicety should be attributed to the Apostle that is to the holy Ghost for if I did admit them to be all one yet I would rather admire the depths of the holy Spirit which I am not able to sound then ascribe any empty or vain nicety to the perfection of divine Scripture l Adoro Scripturae plenitudinem Tert. lib. contra Hermog Whose plenitude I adore that I may use Tertullians phrase whereas Beza intimateth as if the infinite Spirit knew not to dictate what he could not understand yet will I be bold to say there is a main difference between them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commonly is rendred justificatio For grant that among Heathen writers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be now and then expressed A just cause or The ground-work or foundation of a just cause as l 1. de coelo Aristotle useth it Grant we also that in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used sometimes for the judgement of God as Rom. 1.32 and Revel 15.4 sometimes for the ordinances of God as Luke 1.6 and Heb. 9.1 and 10 verses and Rom. 2.26 yet most properly it is rendred Justificatio and by it is meant the merit of Christ and his righteousnesse imputed to us and is in Christ and not in us Beza saith right in this m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ipsam justificationis nostrae ut ità dicam materiam hîc declarat ab effecto nempe illam Christi obedientiam cujus imputatio nos juslos in ipso facit quam paulò antè vocavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quò Deus gratis eam nobit largiatur The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justification declareth as I may say the very matter of our justification from the effect namely that obedience of Christ the imputation whereof makes us righteous in him which a little before he called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift because God gives it freely to us Thus is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and our justification all one in effect and onely divers in words to the same sense Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used both in the 16 verse and in this present place and thus Rev. 19.8 The fine linen is the righteousnes of Saints Not of themselves not inherent for to the Church was given or granted that she should be arayed ut cooperiat se as some reade it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fine linen pure white 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pure in it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 white to be seen by others And since our Saviour Revel 19.13 was clothed with a vesture dipt in bloud which Blasius Viegas saith is commonly interpreted of Christs humanitie begored with its own bloud by the Jews which suffer me to term Meritum rubrum as well as the School-men stile it Meritum udum which was pointed at Esai 63.1 Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah and verse 2. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparell and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat which Tertullian wittily thus expounded n Spiritus propheticus veluti jam contemplans Dominum suum ad passionem venientem carne scilicet vestitum ut in ea passum cruentum habitum carnis in vestimentorum rubore designat conculcatae expressae vi passionis tanquam de foro torcularis quia exinde quasi cruentati homines de vini rubore descendunt Contra Marcionem 4.40 The spirit of the Prophet contemplating as it were his Lord going to his passion clothed with flesh as suffering in it describes by the rednesse of his garments the bloudy habit of his flesh troden and pressed by the force of his passion as by a wine-presse because men come out thence as it were all bloudy with the rednesse of the wine According to that prophesied of him rather then of Judah or of Judah as a type of him Gen. 49.11 He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the bloud of grapes So that S. John may be thought to expound Esai and Esai to reflect on that prophesie of Jacob and all to designe out our Saviours passive obedience by which that I may so speak our sinnes are most properly washed away or not imputed Upon proportionable semblance of reason permit me to say that the pure and white linen describeth Christs active obedience his fulfilling of the Law in
did think no man should be so morose nosy and stern as thence to question the authoritie of the whole Scriptures But his opinion is justly exploded as hypercritically nice and Julius Scaligers whip here fetcheth bloud of Erasmus Maximus esse potuisset si minor esse voluisset He diminisheth himself by taking upon him to be a censor of the Scripture Nihil parturiens continuò parit omnia saith a Papist of Erasmus 6. Wiser S. Augustine in Epist 19. ad Hieronymum thus h Ego solis cis Scripturarum libris qui jam Canonici appellantur timorem hunc honorē didici deferre ut nullum corum autorem scribendo aliquid errâsse firmissimè credam I have learned to give that reverence and honour onely to those books of Scripture which are called Canonicall that I most fully beleeve no writer thereof erred any Iota But if there were a fail of their memory they did somewhat erre whatsoever Erasmus should seem to suggest who would have taken it in fume if the Friers his opposites had said there had been in his books lapsus memoriae A fail of memorie S. Augustine is constant to himself and to the truth for again he saith concerning the Evangelists i Omnem falsitatem abesse ab iis decet non solum eam quae mentiendo promitur sed eam etiam quae obliviscendo The Evangelists must be so farre from lying that they must not fall into an untruth of forgetfulnesse S. Cyril lib. 6. in Levitic toward the end of his book ascending from one particular saith of the whole Scripture divinely inspired k Quid dicemus Oblivionem dabimus in verbis Spiritus Sancti What shall we say shall we grant forgetfulnesse in the words of the holy Ghost And he answereth his own question in generall l Non audeo hoc de sacri◠sentire sermonibus I dare not think so of the sacred Text. 7. Yea but saith Masius The Syriack translation proves that this place is faulty for the Syriack Copies have it thus Jacob was translated into Sychem and laid in the grave that Abraham bought for money of the sonnes of Hemor Junius his Syriack accordeth with Masius and on that place Junius thus The Syriack Interpreter either used a diverse Copie or his own judgement and authoritie Lastly the Arabick translation as it is set out by Junius readeth it correspondently to the Syriack and Junius on the Text in the Arabick translation preferreth the Arabick and Syriack reading before the Greek and the meaning of the Arabick and Syriack is this That Jacob being dead was carried into the field of the Sychemites the Egyptians accompanying Joseph and the Israelites wher 's septemdialis luctus Seven dayes mourning was made and after the mourning he was carried again from Sychem to Hebron to be buried with Abraham This is wittily invented saith Beza yet not to be admitted And indeed Junius himself in his Parallels retracts it and Chorographie sheweth it is no wittie invention For Hebron lieth between Goshen and Sychem now that they should carry him from Goshen even almost through Hebron it is not likely Wherefore to conclude neither be the Arabick or Syriack Copies of authoritie enough to confront the Greek for the Greek was not translated out of them but they out of the Greek neither may we yeeld that either the Evangelists did labi memoriâ fail in their memories or that generally in any place all the Greek and Latine Copies are corrupted If it had been a literall errour as Genes 3.15 the Vulgat readeth ipsa for ipse or ipsum or Dei for diëi in Epist Jude vers 6. or lapides seculi for lapides sacculi Proverb 16.11 or viduam ejus for victum ejus Psal 132.15 or fontem for fortem Psal 42.2 we would yeeld it was the fault of the transcriber but to admit such a corruption wherein is no similitude of letters and in all Copies both Greek and Latine I cannot like though more Authours then Masius Beza Drusius or Erasmus did joyn hand in hand to justifie it O Infinite Spirit unsearchable yet searching all things Omnipotent yet unable to lie or be untrue who never didst lead into errour thy holy Instruments nor sufferedst the Pen-men of thy sacred Scripture to take thy Dictates amisse I humbly beseech thee to inspire me with knowledge and zeal to vindicate thy heavenly Word and the most blessed Writers thereof from imputed corruption mistaking or obliviousnesse Grant this at the Mediation of my onely Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ Amen CHAP. IX 1. The second answer disliked Melchior Canus censured for saying S. Steven his memorie failed him His like proof from Jephthah his mistaking answered 2. An other argument of his from Matth. 2.6 answered 3. Heinsius touched at Cusanus rejected for holding that Adam could have understood all languages now in use The manner of the confusion of tongues at Babel 4. The Oriental languages a goodly ornament and necessary in some places The Syriack enlightening the Greek 5. The Jewish excommunications Donations to Religious houses sealed up with curses to the infringers Mr. Selden in part defended though his Historie of Tithes hath done hurt Maran-atha The Amphibologie of Act. 3.21 cleared by the Syriack Vbiquitaries with Illyricus taxed Heavens and Heaven taken for God 6. Heinsius strictly examined and rejected 7. Things granted viz. The inspirations and conceptions of holy Pen-men were under one or other language in which conceptions they could not erre nor could they erre in writing 8. Questions handled at large Whether it were necessary that the Scripture should be written Whether the sacred writers wrote casually Whether they were commanded to write Whether they were compelled to write Whether they understood all that they wrote Whether they did reade profane Authours Whether they studied the things beforehand 9. Conclusions against Heinsius There was no difference between the Pen-men of the Divine writ of the Old and New Testament in the point of conceiving and writing in different languages We are not to have recourse to the thoughts of S. John rather then his words They had no libertie left them to put in their own conceits or in writing to adde or blot out what they had done They had no libertie to cloath their inward apprehensions with words of their own They did not conceive in one language and write in another 1 THus then the constant and uniform accordance of the Greek and Latine Copies being held for Authenticall and Canonicall and all manner of corruption and generall aberration in any one letter being wholly removed there is invented a second way of answer grosse and absurd which I dislike as ill if not worse then the former A defender of it is Melchior Canus de Locis Theologicis lib. 2. cap. 18. toward the end of that book and chapter For he would seem to gather from Beda and Rabanus That it happened to Steven as to other common people namely that
on Psal 144. Now follow the Reasons why they concelved and writ in the same tongue First there is little or no difference between the Apostles and other men if the Apostles did frame words to their heavenly inspirations For when it pleaseth the blessed Spirit who bloweth where he listeth to drop down into the soul of an ordinary man some thoughts divine and in the language of spirits saith unto the same soul Of these see that you make a prayer the righteous man accordingly obeyeth and of those inward apprehensions shapeth a verbal prayer and poureth it forth before God Almightie and setteth it down in writing Shall the prayer be held as Divine as Scriptures Then may Manasses his Apocryphall prayer immediately before the books of Maccabees as it is in our last translation be no longer Apocryphall but Divine as Divine as any prayer made by the selected holy Penmen To have a thing perfectly Divine is required that heavenly words may be mixed with heavenly illumination Secondly our faith will be questioned if thoughts were inspired and the Penmen should adde what words they pleased f Titutabit fides si Scripturarum vacillat authoritas Our faith will stumble if the authoritie of the Scripture be shaken never so little saith Augustine de doctr Christian 1.37 But the Scriptures authoritie shaketh if God give onely the matter and men the words Thirdly the Prophets and Apostles wrote not alwayes all their own things themselves but sometimes used the ministerie of divers others A Scribe and a Prophet were two distinct persons and offices Jer. 36.26 Jeremie had Baruch Jer. 36.4 Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord so then the words of Jeremiah to Baruch were the words of the Lord to Jeremiah And when that roll was burnt Jeremiah by the word of the Lord was bid to take another roll and write in it vers 28 c. Which Jeremie did not by himself but by Baruch the scribe vers 32. The nine first chapters of the Proverbs of Solomon were written by Solomon himself The rest were writ by others who attended on Solomon and heard them and are like so many precious stones apart and severally though not made up into one jewell or chain nor hanging together in any setled method yet to be esteemed at as high a rate and value as the very writings of Solomon The same Spirit inspired all the same mouth spake all though they were penned by severall hands by the command of the same holy Spirit In the New Testament S. Paul wrote much with his own hand The whole Epistle to the Galatians Gal. 6.11 at least to these very words and to Philemon vers 19. Many saluations 2. Thessal 3.17 18. The saluation of Paul with mine own hand which is the token in every Epistle so I write The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen So that we may soundly gather that whatsoever Epistle under his name hath not that in it it was not written by him There was an Epistle written in his name to the Thessalonians terrifying them as if the generall judgement had been present as may be gathered 2. Thess 2.2 But S. Paul disclaims it It had not belike the salutation with his own hand his friendly farewell and prayer which saith Anselm was in these or the like words Grace c. as all the rest of his Epistles have toward their end though with a little variation of words sometimes larger sometimes briefer even the Epistle to the Hebrews also Hebr. 13.25 Grace be with you all Amen That you may not question but also that is his Epistle whereas no other Apostles have it so fully though S. Peter cometh nearest him 1. Pet. 5.14 For all this he used the help of some others in writing All the second Epistle to the Thessalonians was written with another hand except the salutation at the end saith Estius Rom. 16.22 I Tertius who wrote this Epistle salute you in the Lord. The words will bear this sense I Tertius who wrote this Epistle in the Lord salute you or thus as the Vulgat hath it I Tertius salute you who wrote this Epistle in the Lord. He said IN THE LORD to shew that he wrote not for money saith Cajetan Questionlesse Paul dictated and Tertius wrote the Epistle saith Estius Even those words themselves are not Tertius his own inserted as a private mans or secretaries but are divine Scripture And either by the Spirit he was commanded to write so and that thought was from heaven put into his heart and those words into his mouth to be written by his hand or else which I take to be most likely S. Paul knowing the minde of Tertius perhaps in part by Tertius his own expression but rather and chiefest by Divine revelation that Tertius did salute them in the Lord he willed him so to write I hope Heinsius will not say that Tertius conceived in Syriack and wrote in Greek or when S. Paul made his narrative in the Hebrew tongue Act. 22.2 that Luke conceived in Syriack and wrote in Greek neither can he say the like of the holy secretaries to whom not first thoughts in language spirituall and then words but thoughts by words outward and expressed were revealed Yet Erasmus in his last Annotation on the Epistle to the Hebrews saith thus g Quod affâ—runt hîc quidam Paulum ipsuÌ„ scripsisse Hebraicè caeterùm Lucam argumentum Epistolae quam memoriâ tenebat suis explicuisse verbis quantum valeat viderint alii What some do affirm THAT S. PAUL HIMSELF VVROTE IN HEBREVV BUT S. LUKE DID EXPRESSE IN HIS OVVN VVORDS THE ARGUMENT OF THE EPISTLE VVHICH HE HAD GOTTEN BY HEART let others consider what force and power it hath What will you say nothing to this Not so great a Critick Sure this drop might have fallen from your pen That such manner of writing had savoured no more of the Spirit then any ordinary writing where a skilfull scribe doth amplifie the heads given unto him Again Erasmus on Hebr. 2. in his Answer to Fabers 57 objection relateth that Faber h Quicquid est incommodi offâ—ndiculi id in Interpretem rejicit sed meo judicio parùm prudenter Whatsoever seems incommodious or offensive layeth the fault thereof upon the Interpreters but not prudently enough as I think saith Erasmus and in the answer to the one and fourtieth objection i Faber flagellat Interpretem huius Epistolae qui in Psalmo non verterit ELOHIM A DEO cùm idem fecerint Septuaginta quibus magìs conveniebat hoc imputari Faber scourgeth the Interpreter of this Epistle who did not turn the word ELOHIM in the Psalm FROM GOD when the Septuagint did so to whom this might rather be imputed Again Erasmus saith ibid. of Faber k In â—us trahit Interpretem Epistolae He commenceth a suit against the Interpreter of this Epistle All this