whatsoeuer giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that not onely the bondes of sins but as well all other knots and difficulties in matters of fayth are to be loosed by S. Peter and by the Pastours that succeed in the Church See more Deut. 17.8 Aggeus 2.11 2. Chron. 19.8 vnto the end 2. Thes 2.15 ¶ The holy Fathers that affirme the same are S. Gregory Naz. in orat excusat Tertul. lib. de praescrip aduersus haer S. Cyprian lib. 1. epist 3. S. Aug. lib. 1. cont Cresc cap. 33. lib. cont Fund cap. 5. Vincent Lyr. in suo commonit And S. Anselme lib. de incar c. 1. writing to Pope Vrban saith thus vnto him Vnto no other is more rightly referred to be corrected whatsoeuer ariseth in the Church against the Catholique fayth c. They affirme III. That the Scriptures are easy to be vnderstood and that therefore none ought to be restrayned from reading of them COntrary to the expresse words of their owne Bible 2. Pet. 3.16 where S. Peter speaking of S. Pauls Epistles saith In which are some thinges hard to be vnderstood which they that are vnlearned and vnstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures vnto their owne destruction But all vnlearned Reformers do both read and are allowed to read those hard thinges yea the Booke of Apocalyps also yet harder without any restraint to man or woman which yet they vnderstand not therefore they wrest them as also other Scriptures to their owne destruction Actes 8.30 And Philip said Vnderstandest thou what thou readest And be said How can I except some man should guide me Where first may be noted that this Noble Eunuch freely confessed he could not vnderstand the Scriptures without an interpreter to expound them albeit he was a great and serious student in them and withall a holy and humble man as S. Hierome noteth of him Epist ad Paulin. de stud Scrip. and next that he sayth Except some man guide me So as he fled not to his priuate spirit nor yet to conferring of place with place as our Aduersaries do Therfore the Scriptures are not easy Luc. 24.25 27. Christ called two of his Disciples fooles and slow of hart c. And beginning at Moyses and all the Prophets he expounded vnto them in all the Scriptures the thinges concerning himselfe How then are the Scriptures so easily to be vnderstood of the vnlearned when Christs Disciples themselues could not vnderstand them till first they were expounded to them Reuelat. 5.1 c. The Angell speaking of the Booke sealed with seauen seales wept much because no man in heauen nor in earth was able to open the booke nether to looke theron A strange case to read in Scripture it selfe that the booke of Scripture should be shut with so many seales but much more strange that euen in S. Iohns and the Apostles time none could be found nether in heauen nor earth able to open the same nor to looke theron which euery Apprentice now a dayes without any difficulty will vndertake to doe See more 2. Pet. 1.20 Mat. 13.11 36. Luc. 24.45 1. Cor. 12.10 Luc. 8.10 54. Luc. 2. 50.2 Tim. 3.7 1. Iohn 4.6 Iohn 5.35 Psal 119.18 34 Reuel 51. c. ¶ The Holy Fathers that affirme the same are S. Irenaeus l. 2. cap. 47. Origen l. cont Cels S. Amb. epist 44. ad Constant where he calleth it A sea and depth of propheticall riddles S. Hier. in praefat comment in Ephes 5. And S. Aug. epist. 119. cap. 21. saith The thinges of holy Scripture that I know not are many more then those that I know So S. Greg. hom 6. in Ezech. and many other Fathers confesse the same of themselues S. Denis Bishop of Corinth cited by Eusebius lib. 7. hist Ec. 20. saith Of this Booke of Scripture to wit this is my opinion that the matter therof is far more profoūd then my wit can reach vnto They affirme IV. That Apostolicall Traditions and ancient Customes of the Church not found in the written word are not to be receiued nor do oblige vs. COntrary to the expresse wordes of their owne Bible 2. Thes 2.15 Therfore Brethren stand fast and hold the Traditions which yee haue bene taught whether by word or by our Epistle Hence it is cleere that some Traditiōs were deliuered to the Thessalonians by word of mouth and those of equal authority with what was written if not of more for the holy Ghost doth name them first as they were indeed the first in being yea it is certaine that before the new Testament was written the Apostles deliuered all by Tradition and word of mouth Therfore Apostolicall Traditions are to be receiued and do oblige vs. 2. Thes 3.6 Now I command you bretheren in the name of our Lord Iesus-Christ that yee withdraw your selues from euery brother that walketh disorderly and not after the Tradition which he receiued of vs. Lo he saith not I counsell you but I command you But these men reiecting all Traditions walke disorderly therfore they breake the Apostles cōmandment Yea they stand not but are fallen they let goe what the word it selfe doth will them to hould and therfore in the name of our Lord Iesus-Christ let all good men withdraw themselues from them 1. Cor. 11.2 Now I praise you brethren that you remember me in all thinges and keepe the Traditions as I haue deliuered them vnto you But these reiect all Traditions therfore needes must S. Paul speake thus vnto them Now none of my brethren I dispraise you for that you forget me in all thinges and keepe not the Traditions as I haue deliuered them vnto you Lastly If nothing at all be to be belieued but only that which is left vs written wherein should the Church haue exercised herselfe from Adam to Moyses the space of two thousand six hundred yeares See more 1. Tim. 6.3.20 2. Tim. 1.13.2 Tim. 2.2 Iohn 20.30 21.25 16.12.1 Cor. 11.16.34.2 ep Iohn 12. 3. ep of S. Iohn 13. Actes 16.4 15.28 ¶ The Fathers that affirme the same are S. Irenaeus l. 3. c. 4. Origen in cap. 6. ad Rom. S. Damas l. 4. c. 17. S. Chrysost in 2. Thes 2. And S. Basil de Spiritu sancto saith Some thinges we haue from Scripture other thinges from the Apostles both which haue like force vnto Godlines S. Chrysost hom 4. in 2. Thes sayth If is a Tradition seeke thou no further They affirme V. That a man by his owne vnderstanding or Priuate spirit may rightly iudge interprete Scripture COntrary to the expersse wordes of their owne Bible 1. Cor. 12.8 c. To one is giuen by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another the working of miracles to another Prophesie to another discerning of spirits to another kindes of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues but all these worketh that one and the selfe same spirit deuiding to euery man seuerally as
he will Where the Apostle in expresse words opposeth refelleth this vnsauory doctrine teaching that the gift of prophecying or truly to interpret the holy Scripture is not giuen to all the faithfull but to some only in particular yea he presupposeth that one may haue the gift euen to worke miracles and yet may want the gift truly to interpret the word of God Therfore a man by his owne priuat spirit cannot righly interprete Scripture 2. Pet. 1.20 Knowing this first that no Prophesy of the Scripture is of any priuat interpretation for the Prophesy came not in old time in the margent or at any time by the will of man but holy men of God speake as they were moued by the holy Ghost Loc how clearly the Apostle taketh this faculty authority from a priuate and prophane man restrayning the same to a company and society of men and those also of some speciall note for their sanctity and holines assuring vs that they spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost 1. Iohn 4. Beloued belieue not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God By which wordes we are taught that the spirits of others are to be examined whether they proceed from God or not but this Caueat cannot be vnderstood of the spirit of the whole Church sith then it would follow that there should be none left to try the said spirit of the Church euery particular man being included therin If then it be to be meant of priuate men as needes it must it followeth that a priuat spirit cānot be this Iudge sith it selfe is to vndergoe the iudgment and examination of some other ¶ The Fathers that affirme the same are S. Aug. epist 162. l. de Baptismo cap. 18. ad Epictetum S. Basil epist 78. S. Amb. epist 32. S. Leo epist 53. S. Hier. lib. cont Luciferianos Vincent Lyr. cont prophan heres nouitates Yea Martin Luther himselfe the Protestants great Grand-Father saith lib. de potest Papae We are not certaine of any priuat person whether he hath the reuelation of the Father or no but that the Church hath it we ought not to doubt VI. That S. Peters faith hath fayled COntrary to the expresse wordes of their owne Bible Luc. 22.31.32 Simon behould Sathan hath desired to haue you that he may sift you as wheate but I haue prayed for thee that thy faith fayle not Loe Sathan required to sift them all the Apostles but our Lord heere prayed for Peter only that his faith principally might not fayle Therfore S. Peters faith hath not failed Mat. 16.18 And I say vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this rock I will build my Church and the gats of hell shall not preuayle against it But had S. Peters faith fayled the gates of hell had long ago no doubt preuailed Mat. 23.2 The Scribes and the Pharisies sit in Moyses seat all therfore whatsoeuer they bid you obserue that obserue and do How could Christ bid the people of the old law do all whatsoeuer he should bid them by those that sate in Moyses Chaire if they could erre But God hath no lesse preserued the truth of Christian Religion in the chaire of S. Peter which is in the new Law answerable to that of Moyses in the old Therfore neither S. Peters Fayth nor Chayre hath fayled Iohn 11.49.51 speaking of Caiphas the High Priest saith And this be spake not of himselfe but being High Priest that yeare he prophesied that Iesus should die for that nation Lo how in this most wicked time of the Sinagogue the very Dregges and outcast of that disobedient people yet speaking forth of that Chaire which Christ had commanded to be heard and obeyed touching mattters of fayth they answere truly and their chiefe Bishops prophesy ¶ S. Leo ser 3. de assump sua affirmeth the same The danger was common to all the Apostles but our Lord tooke speciall care of Peter that the state of all the rest might be more sure if the Head were inuincible VII That the Church can erre and hath erred COntrary to the expresse wordes of their owne Bible Isa 59 21. As for me this is my Couenant vnto them saith the Lord. My spirit that is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seede nor out of the mouth of thy seedes seed from hence forth and for euer Therfore the Church cannot erre Ioan. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall giue you another Comforter that he may abide with you for euer euen the spirit of truth But the Apostles themselues aboad not for euer therfore this is to be vnderstood of the perpetuall aboad of the spirit of Truch with their Successors Mat. 18.17 And if he neglect to heare the Church let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and a Publican Whence is clearly to be gathered that the Church in her Censure cannot erre Isa 35.8 And a high way shal be there and a way and it shall be called the way of Holines the vncleane shall not passe ouer it but it shall be for those the way faring men though fooles shall not erre ther in How far deceiued then are many simple soules who do affirme that the whole Church and all holy men that euer haue bene therein for these thousand yeares how wise soeuer haue all erred Ephes 5.27 That he might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thinge but that it should be holy and without blemish Note well these wordes without spot wrinkle any blemish and tell me now if it be possible that reading this thou canst euer belieue that she hath euer taught such horrible blasphemies abhominations as at this day she is charged with See more Iohn 16.13 Ephes 5.27 Isay 9.7 Ezech 37.26 Luc. 22.32 Mat. 23.3 1. Pet. 2.9 Iohn 17.17 1. Cor. 11.25 Psal 101.23.29 Ephes 2.10 Ihon 10.16 Acts. 4.32 Ephes 4.5.11 Luc. 10.16 Deut. 17.8 Ierem. 3.15 Malac. 2.7 Mat. 16.18 Acts. 15.28 2. Cor. 13.8 1. Tim. 3.15 ¶ The Fathers affirme the same expressely S. Aug. cont Crescon lib. 1. cap. 3. Also vpon the 1◠8. Psal the place beginneth Ne auferas de ore meo verbum veritatis vsquequaque S. Cypr. epist. 55. ad Cornel. num 3. S. Ireneus lib. 3. cap. 4. with many others VIII That the Church hath bene bidden and inuisible COntrary to the expresse wordes of their owne Bible Mat. 5.14.15 Yee are the light of the world a Citty that is set on a hill cannot be hid Neither do men light a candle and put it vnder a bushell but on a candlestick and it giueth light to all that are in the house But the Catholique Church is such a light such a candle and such a Citty built vpon Christ as vpon a mountaine therfore hath not nor cannot be hidden nor is inuisible Mat. 18.17 Tell the Church
by S. Aug. haeres 53. Mat. 17.21 Howbeit this kind of deuills goeth not out but by prayer and fasting Loe the great force of prayer and fasting able to expell the very deuill Therfore it causeth great spirituall good See more Ioel. 2.12 Mat. 6.16 Mat. 9.15.29 Toby 12.8 Luc. 2.37 Act. 14.22 2. Cor. 11.27 2. Cor. 6.5 Numb 30.14 1. Tim. 4.3 ¶ And the Fathers S. Ignat. ad Philip. S. Basil orat de Ieiunio S. Chrysost orat in sanct Lauacrum hom 1. in Gen. S. Amb. ser 4. S. Hier. in cap. 18. Isa and many others XLVI That Iesus-Christ descended not into hell nor deliuered thence the soules of the Fathers COntrary to the expresse words of their owne Bible 1. Ephes 4.8 When he ascended vpon high he led Captiuity captiue in their margent or a multitude of captiues and gaue gifts vnto men Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth These freed Captiues to be the soules of the glorified no man in his right wits will say Nor the soules of the damned for so the deuils should be brought againe into heauen therefore they were the soules of the Fathers which Christ deliuered out of Limbus Actes 2.27 Because thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption These very wordes S. Aug. applieth to the proofe of a third place and saith Who but an Infided will deny Christ to haue descended into Hell Epist 99. ad Euod 1. Pet. 3.18.19 Being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the spirit by which also he went and preached vnto the spirits in prison Now to vnderstand by the word prison heauen there is no sense sith it is called the seate of God and not the prison of God To vnderstand it of the wicked Caluin himselfe opposeth this opinion and maintayneth that S. Peter speaketh of the good which were knowne from the dayes of Noe. Adde heerto that this doctrine destroyeth an article of our Creed Therefore Christ descended into hell Heb. 11.38.39.40 And these all hauing obtained a good testimony through faith receiued not the promise to wit of Heauen God hauing prouided some better thing for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect to wit in their perfect complete glory Whence it followeth necessarily that they must needes grant another place distinct as well from the Heauen of the saued as from the Hell of the damned wherin these holy soules were detayned Mat. 12.40 For as Ionas was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly so shall the Sonne of man be three dayes three nights in the hart of the earth But how I pray is this Figure fulfilled if Christ were not as many dayes and nightes in the heart of the earth as Ionas was who was not in the whales belly in body only but also in soule Whence it followeth that either Christs holy soule was three dayes and three nights in the hart of the earth as well as his body or that this place of Scripture is either false or vnfulfilled But this were most absurd to say Mat. 27.52.53 And the graues were opend and many bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues after his resurrection and went into the holy Citty and appeared vnto many Vnderstood by S. Ignatius Bishop of Antioch of Limbus Patrum writing to the Cittizens of Trallis thus Many arose with our Lord for the Scripture saith that many of the bodies that slept arose with our Lord. He descended alone but returned with a multitude Zachary 9.11 As for thee also by the bloud of thy Couenant I haue sent we read let forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherin is no water Both S. Hierome and S. Cyril vnderstand this pit to be meant of Limbus Patrum And with very great reason for how absurd were it to say that the damned haue their share in the bloud of the Couenant Or that they are let forth of their infernall pit Or that they may be said to be thy prisoners that is Christs but rather the prisoners of the diuell Yea where I pray to speake properly hath Christ had any prisoners at all which he hath let forth if not out of this place Therfore either Christ let forth prisoners our of Limbus Patrum or this place likewise as the former is either false or not yet fulfilled Like vnto this is that of 1. Samuel 2.6 The Lord killeth and maketh aliue he bringeth downe to the graue we read hell and bringeth vp we read back againe Loe how plaine and conforme the faith of that old Church was is to this of ours bringeth downe to hell and bringeth backe againe which hardly in any cleare sense can be auerred if Limbus Patrum be denyed As for the word Graue which they erroneously haue added insteed of Hell to diminish the force of so plaine a place why do they not aswell foist the same into their Creed insteed of Hell as heere they haue done and say Was crucified dead and buried he descended into the graue How absurd this is who doth not see See more Osee 6.3 Psal 16.10.2 Pet. 3.19 Zach. 9.11 Rō 10.6 Eccles 24.45 Ps 23.7 Genes 37.35 ¶ See also the Fathers that affirme the same S. Hier. in 4. ad Ephes S. Greg. lib. 13. Moral cap. 20. S. Aug. in Psal 37. v. 1. The place beginneth Futurū est enim XLVII That there is no Purgatory fire or other prison wher in sinnes may be satisfied for after this life COntrary to the expresse wordes of their owne Bible 1. Cor. 3.13.15 The fire shall try euery mans worke of what sort it is If any mans worke shal be burnt he shall suffer losse but he himselfe shall be saued yet so as by fire S. Augustine writing vpon the 37. Psalme and drawing these very wordes of the Apostle into his discourse sayth Because it is said he himselfe shall be safe that fire is therfore contemned Yea verily though safe by fire yet that fire shall be more grieuous then whatsoeuer a man can suffer in this life Thus he Therfore there is a Purgatory fire wherein sinnes may be satisfied for after his life Iohn 11.22 But I know that euen now whatsoeuer thou wilt aske of God God will giue it thee S. Martha the sister of S. Mary Magdalen belieued that our Lord whom then she held only for a holy man or Prophet and not for the Sonne of God could obtaine of God something profitable to her brother Lazarus who was deceased For hauing said Lord if thou hadst bene heere my brother had not bene dead she presently added But I know that euen now whatsoeuer thou wilt aske of God God will giue it thee Which speach she could neuer haue vsed in any good sense if she had not learned this doctrine of the Sinagogue who offered sacrifices almes and prayers for the departed and vnles she had