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A17191 A most godly and learned discourse of the woorthynesse, authoritie, and sufficiencie of the holy scripture also of the cleerenesse, and plainnesse of the same, and of the true vse thereof. Wherin is discussed this famous question: whether the canonical scriptures haue authoritie from the church, or rather the church receiue authoritie from the Scriptures. By occasion wherof are touched the dignities and duties of the church, touching traditions, with aunswere to all obiections. Translated out of Latine into English, by Iohn Tomkys: and dedicated to the right honorable Sir Richarde Pipe, knight, lorde maior of the citie of London.; De scripturae sanctae praestantia. English. Tomkys, John.; Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575. 1579 (1579) STC 4067; ESTC S112817 96,469 260

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did beholde therein the power of God that the Scriptures are come vnto vs euen from the verie mouth of God by the administration of men Therefore the Spouse in the Ballets sayeth with marueilous ioy My beloued sayd vnto me I saye nothing of that which euerie one which is lightned with the light of true fayth must needes finde by experience in himselfe By this experience wrote once Augustine the man of God howe God by a little and a little tempered and disposed his heart with his most meeke and most mercifull hande and at the last thorowly perswaded him so that at the last he knew and beleeued that those bookes were deliuered to mankinde by the spirite and the onely true and most true god Therefore the authoritie of the Scripture doth depend not of the iudgement of the Churche but of the inwarde testifying of the holy Ghost And Iohn witnesseth that Christ sayd thus concerning the spirite If God were your father why do ye not know my speach For it is most certaine that we are adopted to be the sonnes of GOD by the meanes of the holie Ghost Which when we haue obteined Christ witnesseth in this place that wee by the lightning of the same Spirite may so discerne his speache from a strangers that it may be manifest and certaine vnto vs In the which selfe same sense Christ sayth also in another place He that entereth in by the doore is the shepheard of the sheepe To him the porter openeth and the sheepe heare his voyce and he calleth his owne sheepe by name and leadeth them out when he shall put forth his owne shepe he goeth before thē the sheepe follow him for they know his voice A stranger will they in no wise follow but flie from him for they know not the voice of strangers Neither is it to bee doubted that we become Christs sheepe through the power of the holy Ghost that we follow not falshood errours corruptions and heresies which are the voices of strangers but heare the onely voice of Christ that is to say imbrace the true and naturall sence of the Scripture And Paule saith to the Corinthians The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirite of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither cā he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spirituall discerneth all things And in the same place The spirit searcheth the deepe things of God. And Christ also saith The comforter which is the holy ghost shal bring all things to your remēbrance whatsoeuer I haue said vnto you Also Iohn hath these wordes in his Epistle The anointing teacheth you of al things Againe He that knoweth God heareth vs. To be briefe August in the place lately cited saith Therfore when as we were weake to finde foorth the truth by cleare reason and when as we had need of the authoritie of the holy Scriptures for the same purpose I began to beleue forthwith that thou wouldest by no meanes giue ●o excellent authoritie vnto that scripture throughout al lands but that thy will was that thou wouldest be sought by it and wouldest be beleeued by it Behold it is God I say it is God which hath established his holy bookes with so great authoritie in all nations And August addeth the cause why God will be sought through them why he wil be beleued through them I conclude therfore ▪ that the scripture hath not her authoritie chiefly frō the Church For the firmnes strength thereof dependeth of God not of men And the word being both firme sure was before the church For the church was called by the word And seeing the doctrine of the prophets of the apostles is the foundation of the Church it must needes bee that the certaintie of the Church must consist in the said doctrine as in her foundation and ground worke before the said Church can take her beginning For if the Church of Christ were founded in the beginning by the writings of the Prophetes and with the preaching of the Apostles wheresoeuer the saide doctrine bee founde certainely the allowing of the doctrine went before the Church without the which doctrine the Church could neuer haue beene And because the spirit of God wrought in the heartes of them which heard the word of God read it that they might acknowledge that it was not the word of man but of God vndoubtedly the worde of God receiueth authoritie from the spirite and not from the Church The .x. Chapter How the canon of the new Testament was ordeined and that it hath authoritie of it self from the authours thereof that the authoritie of the Church is mainteined thereby THey which reason that we haue receiued manie things to be beleeued ●f necessitie by the authoritie of the Church which are expressed in no part ●f the Scriptures make this as a great ●rgument as they thinke that there are ●ut foure Gospels onely which may not ●e discredited without the perill of losse ●f saluation and that it appeareth by no Scripture that the other Scriptures which we haue are Canonicall wor●hie credite Neither are the titles there●f the titles of the Scripture but put to ●y others Therefore say they if we shall ●eceiue nothing but that which is in the Scriptures then shall wee not receiue ●he scriptures themselues Nowe that I may disclose the deceitfulnesse of this argumēt the indifferent reader must know ●hat the Canonicall Scripture hath her ●uthoritie chiefly from the holy Ghost ●y whose motion and inspiration it was ●et forth as lately wee did declare And ●fter that from the writers vnto whome God gaue certaine and peculiar testimonies of the truth Wherevnto is added the witnesse of the primitiue Church in whose time those bokes wer published receiued And they which haue the spirit of faith do not dispute peeuishly of the receiuing of the said bookes who receiued them or who reiected them but acknowledge in them the sweete sauouring force of the spirit by whose instinct they were set forth The canon of the new Testament was ordeined by the authoritie of God and receiued by the Church of the Apostles Neither can I sufficiently meruaile at their rashnesse which saye that the authoritie of the church hath giuen canonical authoritie vnto certaine of the scriptures yea and those the chiefest which otherwise neither of themselues neither of their authours they could haue had amongst vs Words Not the authoritie of euery one but of the Apostles is required to make any writing in the new Testament Canonical or giuen by inspiration from God. As well saith Tertul. when as he confuteth the counterfeit gospel of Marcion First we do holde that a true Gospel must haue the Apostles for the authors thereof Iohn sawe the writings of three Euangelists allowed ●hem And by writing his Gospel hee ●ade an ende of writing Gospels And ●herefore saieth hee
counterfeite Epistles as though they had come from Paul and from the other Apostles were obtruded vnto the Churches Paul did note his owne naturall Epistles with a peculiar signe of his owne hande least false Epistles should be put in the place of those which were true For this cause read we in the ende of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle So I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen What say you to this moreouer that Tertullian reporteth that the authentike and originall Epistles of the Apostles that is to say their owne hand writings were kept euen in his time in those Churches to whome they were written And the Epistles of Paul are approued by the expressed testimonie of Peter And Iohn concludeth his Epistle thus These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the Sonne of GOD that you may knowe that you haue eternall life and that you may beleeue 〈◊〉 the name of the Sonne of God. ●●d hee finisheth the Reuelation with ●●is most weightie calling to witnesse ●●estifie vnto euerie man that heareth t●e woordes of the prophecie of this ●●oke if anie man shall adde vnto ●●ese sayings God shall adde vnto him ●●e plagues that are written in this booke And if anie man shall take away from the wordes of the booke of this prophesie God shall take awaye ●is part out of the booke of life and ●ut of the holie Citie and from the ●hings which are writtē in this booke Therefore that is the Gospel of the Ca●●olike Church whiche being put in ●riting God hath sealed for his worde And this is the cause that the Churches ●f all ages haue taken the bookes of the ●ewe Testament for authentike which ●n these dayes we do with reuerence ac●nowledge for authentike and which we doe most constantly affirme ought to he beleeued There is a most euident testimonie touching this matter in Irenaeus The Church sayth he learned the true and liuely faith of the Apostles and distributed it to her children For the Lorde of all gaue the power of the Gospel to his Apostles through whom we haue also knowne the trueth that is to say the doctrine of the sōne of God vnto whom also the Lord said He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me he that despiseth me c. For we haue not knowne the setting in order of our saluation by any other then by them by whom the Gospel came to vs which then they did preach and afterwarde by the will of God deliuered vnto vs in the Scriptures to be the foundation and piller of our fayth Thou hearest by the testimonie of this most ancient and holy Bishop that the Apostles did afterward by the will of God deliuer vnto vs in writing the same Gospell which first they published with liuely voyce that this written Gospell might be the foundation and piller of our fayth And although hee doeth vrge this poynt That all Churches taught and instructed by the Apostles shoulde keepe the vnitie of 〈◊〉 founded in the Scriptures yet doth ●●twithstanding maintaine this also ●●at the Scripture is the schole of per● and absolute wisedome Moreouer although all thinges that ●●ist did be not written nor all the ser●●s which he made bee not set downe writing worde for word least the num●●● of bookes should be infinite yet hath 〈◊〉 holy Ghost chosen forth those things ●e written which might suffise for the ●●●●ruction and confirmation of the faith ●he elect as Augustine plainelie tea●●th forth of the word of Iohn the E●●●gelist For whereas the Lord Iesus ●eth he did manie things all are not ●●itten as euen the selfe same holy E●●ngelist him selfe witnesseth That the ●●rde Christ both did and spake ma●e things which are not written But ●●ose things were chosen foorth and ●ritten which did seeme to be suffici●●t for the faith of the faithful There●●re euen by the witnesse and consent of ●ugustine those things are plentifullie ●ritten which the holy Ghost iudged to 〈◊〉 inough for the obteyning of the true knowledge of Christe and of the blessed life Cyrillus in his 12. booke vpon Iohn doeth agree to Augustine All thinges saith he which the Lorde did are notwritten but the writers thought those thinges which are written sufficient aswell for manners as for doctrine that we shining in right faith good workes may come to the kingdome of heauen through Iesus Christ Thus much hath he Neither doth it followe herevpon that those thinges which were not written were vaine and to no purpose They were then verie profitable for the confirming and erecting of the Church of Christe Yet notwithstanding the whole Gospel was moste faithfully drawen into that summe which might fully suffise them that should come after The iiii Chapter The place of Ieremie his 31. Chapter is discussed also it is shewed that the Apostles wrote the Gospel by the will of God. ●Ntichrist his garde setteth vpon vs 〈◊〉 in this place wresteth a dart forth 〈◊〉 Ieremie which wee must needes ●e howe weake it is to proue that ●●●ch they goe about Truely they abuse ●oo shamefully the holie oracles of ●●d who by wresting these woordes of 〈◊〉 Prophete vnto a cleane contrarie ●ishe and absurde sense goe about to ●●●re the eyes of the simple and to di●ishe the maiestie of the Scripture ●●d as they which in scholes geue them ●●●ues to shew their fine witts and which ●●ercise themselues in eloquence do fight ●●ainst elequence with the weapons of ●●oquence euen so doe these by the coun●●naunce of Scripture endeuour to o●●rthrowe the authoritie of Scripture ●ut they are cloudes easie to be scatte●●d with a verie smal blast of an answere ●ieremie doeth prophesie that an other ●ouenaunt must bee made in the name ●f God but not so as it was made in time ●ast with the fathers And amongst other ●hinges he saith vnder the person of God ● will plante my lawe in the inwarde partes of them and write it in their heartes and will bee their God and they shal be my people And frō thence foorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother and saye Knowe the Lord but they shall all knowe me from the lowest to the highest saieth the Lorde for I will forgiue their misdeedes and wil neuer remember their sinnes anie more Vnto this prophesie do they ioyne the place of Paul in the second to the Corinthians and third chapter Ye are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men For as much as ye are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christe ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in stonie tables but in fleshlie tables of the heart They would proue forth of these places that the
propertie of the doctrine of the newe Testament is so appointed by God him selfe that it can neither be written in tables nor in papers nor with penne nor with ynke nor by any other meanes What and if some Libertine with the Euthusiastes make further exception that the ●●●●rine of God cannot be deliuered by 〈◊〉 voyce forsomuch as God his will ●●to illuminate mennes mindes with ●●●●ledge that they shall all know him 〈◊〉 the least to the greatest so that no 〈◊〉 shal haue neede to teache his neigh● saying Knowe the Lorde What 〈◊〉 they I beseeche you aunswere for 〈◊〉 traditions yet dare they goe furth●● insomuch that they say that it was 〈◊〉 without his commaundement in 〈◊〉 the Euangelistes and Apostles did ●●mitte certeine things to writing be●●●se the Lorde commaunded them to ●●eache and not to write and also be●●●se the worde of God conteyned in the ●●spell is of such a nature that it can 〈◊〉 be expressed in writing And yet the ●●hour of the Epistle to the Hebrues ●he middest of his writing whilest hee ●●eth downe the doctrine of the niewe ●●●enant in writing alledgeth the selfe ●ne sentence of Hieremie And Paule ● nowe alreadie written both the E●●●tle to the Thessalonians and the first ●pistle to the Corinthians when hee ●yed Not with ynke but with the spirite of God yea he did deliuer the selfe same then not with liuely voice but in writing did purpose to write more afterwarde It is therefore plaine that neither the Apostles did so vnderstande the sentence of Hieremie nor Paul his owne saying as these triflers faine that is to say that the doctrine of Christe and his Apostles cannot beare to be comprehended and deliuered in writing Certainely if their sentence may preuaile it will followe that the Apostles and Euangelists did wickedly beside yea rather against the minde of the Lorde blemishe the doctrine of grace in that they did committe that worde to writing and papers which is vnapt to bee written and vnto which suche a propertie is allotted by God that by no meanes it ought to bee committed to writing And hath hellish rage so blinded them that they cannot consider this These are they forsooth which bring the professoures of the sincere doctrine into hatred and accuse them of noueltie when as they them selues doe mocke the Churche with niewe foolishe and 〈◊〉 deuises Who at anie time be●●●hem did so vnderstande or inter●●● Hieremie Augustine a man of a 〈◊〉 sharpe witte in that booke which ●ote of the spirit and letter handleth place of the Prophete at large and ●eaketh he not so much as one worde ●●is interpretation neither doeth anie 〈◊〉 olde writers agree with them there 〈◊〉 Where is then this consent of the ●●rche which they so greatly bragge ●●nd require Are these Giauntes so ●●de to thinke that they haue seene 〈◊〉 which hath escaped the most excel●●● lights of the Church Fie for shame ●●e foolishe and friuolous is that diffe●●●ce of the olde and newe Testament ●●ich they appoint Truely this reward ●●e they for contemning the scripture ●●t they may staine the maiestie thereof ●●h their wicked toyes you may see ●●m that I may vse the woordes of Ba●● weaue the lenowe webbe of the spi●●t But let vs singularly reuerence the ●earle troden vnder foote by hogges ●●d keepe it most religiously Let vs therefore see the most sweete sentence of this excellent prophesie full of Euangelicall and heauenly comfort Therefore shall it appeare that the Prophetment nothing lesse than that which these goe about to wreste forth of his wordes yea rather that this place is directly against them Moreouer no man will doubte which shall heare Paule the Apostle and the epistle to the Hebrues who are the most certaine interpreters of this prophesie but that this prophesie doeth wholie appertaine to the kingdom and time of Christ and that the diuine Prophete did prophesie in this place of the benefit of Christ And God doth promise by expresse wordes That hee will make a newe couenant with his people to heale the weakenesse of the first and to correct the corruptions whiche were crepte into it by no faute of God but thorowe the noughtinesse of the people who as league breakers were departed from it neither tooke him according to the conditions of the league for their God in beleeuing him worshipping him and obeying his lawes For they ●ere weaker by meanes of their natu●●ll vanitie corruption and stubburnesse ●●en that they coulde frame themselues ●●roughly to the folowing of GOD his ●ill and to perfect obedience Where●ore that league was broken oftentimes ●hrough their vnfaithfulnesse What ●houlde God therefore doe if he had bin willing to haue dealt according to extremitie of lawe and to haue punished them for breaking the league he might forthwith haue forsaken the people which brake the league and as they deserued haue cast them of and haue appointed them to suffer euerlasting torments But the vsing his greate mercie suche is his goodnesse and loue towardes mankinde was rather willing to spare those miserable men and their weakenesse then without mercie and with seueritie to reuenge the iniuries done vnto him Therefore he shewed the remedie when he promised that he woulde make a niewe couenaunt with his people which once he chose vnto himselfe Which couenante as touching the matter and substance is moste niew For his will was not by changing his purpose after the manner of men to backe and to make frustrate that which once he had decreed neither did he make a newe couenant cleane contrarie to the first For God his purpose is vnchangeable although as touching the properties or qualities it may be iudged after a sorte niewe Which thing Chrysostome hath expressed by a verie goodlie similitude Beholde saith he this also is niew when as some things thereof are taken away and some things remaine as if one alter an olde ruinous house thorowly and lay new foūdations we say foorthwith he hath made it niewe when as he hath but taken away some thinges and chaunged some thinges Therefore GOD pitying the state of mankinde hath dayly ioyned greater benefites and hath more and more polished that which as yet to his ancient benefites was rude and only begonne and hath made it perfecte Of this new or rather renewed league there be chiefly three principall pointes whereby GOD cureth all the inwarde diseases of mankinde and re●●oreth him to perfect health And these ●ointes are the inwarde reforming of ●ens heartes the lightening of their mindes to the knowledge of God and ●he free forgiuenesse of their sinnes of the which inestimable benefites to bee bestowed in the time of the Gospel not onelie Hieremie but also the rest of the prophetes haue prophecies And of the reformation and correction of heartes that is to say of regeneration and newe birth Ezechiel hath prophesied moste clearely of all I will sprinckle saith he cleane water
vppon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your vncleannesse and from all your idol● shall I cleanse you a newe hearte also will I geue you and a newe spirite will I put into you as for that stonie hearte I will take it one of your fleshe and geue you a fleshie hearte I will geue my spirite amongst you and cause you to walke in my commaundementes and ye shal keepe my iudgementes and doe them Of the lightening of the minde is this prophesie of Esaie The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lorde euen as the Sea floweth ouer with water Also And they shal be all taught of God Againe this prophesie of Ioel which Saint Peter interpreteth And it shal be in the last daies saith God of my spirite I will powre out vpō all flesh your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your young men shall see visions and your olde men shall dreame dreames And on my seruants and on my handmaydens I will powre out of my spirite Of the free remission of sinnes Esaie hath reasoned most plainely in his liii chapter And Daniel in his 9. chapter Micheas also in his last chapter Who is such a God as thou saith he that pardonest wickednesse and forgiuest the offences of the remnant of thy heritage He keepeth not his wrath foreuer for his delight is to haue cōpassion He shall turne againe and be mercifull to vs he shal put downe our wickednesses cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea But what did the holy fathers of the ●lde testament lacke these benifits Not 〈◊〉 For in obeying the commaundements of GOD and in belieuing rightly they did worshippe God purely which thing they did not performe by the strength of ●ree will nor by naturall power For had it not beene that they had Gods lawes promises written in their minde and vnderstanding by the holie Ghost and also a good wil to obey his commaundements through the grace of God they had not bin able to haue done such things Therefore they wanted not the diuine light which lightened them to beleeue obey And their sinnes also were forgeuē them through Christ Therefore they also enioyed these good thinges Why then did he promise that he woulde geue these thinges in the new League Truely because the father shewed foorth the power of his spirit much more plentifully vnder the kingdom of Christ and poured foorth his mercie vpon men This excellencie is the cause that that small portion of grace which he vouchesafed to bestowe vpon the fathers vnder the lawe is not to be made accompt of Therefore the difference consisted herein onely euen in the largenesse and plainnesse For at that time those giftes were restrained to verie fewe but now are the Gentils also made partakers of them They were in that age somewhat darke and intricate but vnto vs are they made plaine and cleare so that we neede not anie more the olde schoolemaister like instruction Therefore the difference of the olde and newe Testament doeth consiste in this largenesse playnnesse putting away of the olde schoolemaister like instruction and excellent clearnesse of the Gospel and not in that colde and vnsauourie I will not say wicked deuise of not writing the doctrine of the Gospel which these triflers doe feigne For what Hath GOD powred forth in the time of grace so great giftes by the meanes of immediate inspiration from GOD or without anie meanes That may not be By what meanes therefore hath he brought it to passe Euen by the ministerie of the Gospel For by it hath Christ most effectually shewed foorth the force of his spirit hath most clearly made himselfe know●● to men and hath moste plentifully ●estowed all the treasures of his hea●enly riches vpon mankinde So that ●e ministerie of the lawe and of Moses ●e Lawegiuer in comparison of the mi●isterie of the Gospel may seeme verie ●arraine and drie and as Saint Paule ●earmeth it onely the deade letter desti●ute of the liuely iuyce of God his spi●ite Wherefore the same Paule when he woulde commende the efficacie of his ministerie alluded to the Prophesie of Ieremie saying Yee are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men Forasmuche as yee are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirite of the liuing GOD not in stonie tables but in fleshie tables of the heart Here muste wee diligently note that hee calleth them forthwith the Epistle of Christ whom a litle before he called his Epistle moreouer he doth straightway reconcile expoūd those things which at the first sight semed to be cōtrarie the one to the other when as he addeth Ministred by vs. It may be called his Epistle in this respect that the holie Ghost seemeth to vse him in the writing thereof as the writer and the penne and it may also be called the Epistle of Christe because he is the authour of the saide writing and endited it to Paul by his spirite and guided the hande and penne of the writer and moreouer ingraued with his finger the healthfull doctrine of the Gospel in the heartes of the Corinthians by the force whereof it is not nowe printed in stonie tables as was the lawe before but in the fleshly tables of the hearte This is therefore to pertaine to the newe Testament saith Augustine to haue the lawe of God written not in tables but in the heartes that is to say to conteine the righteousnesse of the lawe in the inwarde affection where fayth woorketh through loue This is that sweete goodnesse of the hearte euen a niewe creature in Christe This is that pleasaunt goodnesse of the minde euen lightenyng And this happie and ●●●ceiued goodnesse doeth not lead vs ●●y from the Lawe and testimonie to know not what vnsauerie traditions doeth delight in the law of God and ●geth to passe that our will is in the ●we of the Lord and that we exercise 〈◊〉 selues therin day and night although other law striue still in our members ●●●inst the lawe of the minde vntill the ●●wnesse which from day to day is in●ased in the inwarde man all oldnesse ●ng chaunged passe away The grace God thorow Iesus Christ our Lorde ●iuering vs from the bodie of this ●ath Moreouer who is he nowe but hee ●y see by the premisses howe iustly the ●rt may bee turned backe vpon our ad●rsaries which they foolishly and rash● wrested forth of the Prophesie of Iere●ie The Lorde giueth his lawe into ●●r heartes and writeth it in our bowels ●ith his finger and bringeth to passe ●at we walke in his statutes and keepe ●s iudgements and doe them he lighteth our mindes with the knowledge of ●●m he freely forgiueth our sinnes and putteth away our iniquities Therefore let vs sanctifie and glorifie him and turne from these iuglers