a Towre vppon a wheaten strawe Christ and not the Philosophie is the onely true fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of his Churche and of the true supernaturall diuinitie of the which he is the onely workmaster / and not Aristotell I praye the what hath Aristotle to do wyth Christe Manie haue enforced them selues to agre Aristotle with Plato / but they coulde neuer bringe it to passe / because Aristotle beginning at the lowest of the sensible thinges / ryseth in the ende to as high as maye be And Plato begineth where as Aristotle eÌ„deth CoÌ„sidre nowe howe it is possible to agre hiÌ„ with christ / though many will make hym a piller of the Gospell aÌ„d a ladder to clime to heauen Let vs therfore repute the sciences of the worlde as vaine / beiÌ„g like vnto the harlots / that with their flattering woordes and false deceipts corrupt the mindes And let vs consider that if the priestes of the old Testament were prohibited to take a comune woman for a wife / howe much more the Christian that is all wholy consecrate ande dedicate to God / ought to flee and eschewe the vayne sciences and onely seruing him self of theÌ„ as of moost vile handmaidens / to knitte hym selue in spirite and with harte ande minde to applie him selfe to that pure and immaculate virgin of the holy Theologie or diuinité To the intent that euerlastingly we maye render to God all laude honour and glory / by our Sauiour Iesu Christe Amen Sermon iiij Howe we ought to vse the holy scriptures / in attaining the knowledge of God THe knowledge of the holy scriptures is not ynough to proue that we haue suffycient light of God / because it is possible that a man maye by his proÌ„pte memorie attaine the holy scriptures ande their interpretacions in his minde / and by force of his naturall wytte / naturally vnderstand them / and be neuertheles for all that without faith / spirite and lyuely light of God Lue 24. For therto it behoueth hym to haue the spirite and supernaturall light / that God with his fauour do open aÌ„d penetrate the minde by his diuine grace So that therfore we must not accompte the holy scriptures for our last ende / or for our supreame Quene or Emperesse / but for meanes that serue to the faith / to the spirite ande to the true knowledge of God / muche more theÌ„ the creatures And we ought to serue our selues of them in diuers wayes / for that they first incite and teach vs to repaire to God / sayinge / in him is the chief bouÌ„té / go to him / for he is faithfull / and hath promised to make you taste all vertue and goodnes in him Yea. though they do not make the liuely to knowe God / yet worke they / as the Samaritane did / that sent the Samaritanes to Christ / who otherwise made them taste aÌ„d feele that which the Samaritane had said of him vnto them / in soche wise that when they returned / they confessed / saying we beleued not at all by thy wordes / we our selues haue hearde aÌ„d knowe / that this is truly the sauiour of the worlde John 5. And so the holy scriptures do send the to christe / to the ende that he maye opeÌ„ thy hart / aÌ„d make the iÌ„ spirite liuely to vnderstande that which already thou hast redde in the dead letter / that thou maist saye vnto the scriptures / we neuer beleued by thy wordes / the which / being without spirite / coulde not make vs taste liuely the great bounté of God It is true that by thy wordes we haue beeÌ„ prouoked to go to Christe / who / speaking vnto vs in spite hath made vs to fele in the harte / a more clere / high and diuine effect of that thou hast spokeÌ„ They erre therfore that / fedig them selues of the letter aÌ„d not of the spyrite / do fixe theÌ„ selues in the holy sâ—riptures / aÌ„d seke none other light but that Yea I saye that for one houres studie / they ought to praie a thousand / aÌ„d to demauÌ„de of god the true vnderstanding of theÌ„ And like as the Placonistes helde opinion / that the sensyble thiÌ„ges geueth vs occasioÌ„ to studie in the booke of the minde in whiche they saye is imprynted all the veryté So must we consyder that the holye scriptures do call vs to Christ / in whome as Pause sayth be hidde all the treasures of wysdome and knowledge This is no lesse then true / that lyke as if thou haddest a frende whome thou hast not tryed though alwayes thou hast trauayled to proue hym thou woldest not inwardely knowe hym for a frende though he were euer in thine eye because the profe hath not rooted hiÌ„ in thy minde So albeit the holy scriptures do call ande exhorte the to seke god in spirite / it is yet impossible that thou shuldest finde god iÌ„ trueth iÌ„ the scriptures / if first by spirite / thou haue him not at the harte They serue also an other maner / that many tymes happeneth As where God maketh the in spirite with lyuely faith to feale a deuine trueth Afterwardes / rediÌ„g the holy scriptures / thou findest that trueth writteÌ„ that thou hast so coÌ„ceaued And therof resting contented / thou confirmest thy self in the fayth of that trueth / notwithstaÌ„ding that it ought to suffise the / of the fyrst inspiration of the holighost And so moreouer because that in Christ is the ende of the lawe / all the promisses fulfylled aÌ„d all the prophecies verified / the shadowes / figures aÌ„d scriptures of the olde Testament / he that redeth it and seeth all fulfylled in christ is forced to satisfye him self of the trueth / and to establish him self in faith Rom. 10. 2. Cor. 1. For Christ sent the Iewes that wold not beleue hym to the holy scriptures / as to them that witnessed of hym Afterwardes / albeit that in the Churche of God / to be satisfyed / grounded aÌ„d establisshed in the diuine / celestiall and supernaturall verité / it behoueth in effect to come to the inwarde wytnes of the holyghoost / without whome we can not knowe whiche scriptures of god be holy and whiche not Neuertheles / after that by spirite we are assured that our holy scriptures be of God / we ought to serue our selues of them as of a certeine infailyble aÌ„d supreame outwarde rule to teache / reprehende / correct and exhort the others ande to conumce theÌ„ that speake against it For as Paule writeth amongest the exteryour thinges we haue not a more sure clere / parfect aÌ„d stedfast rule / then this / with whiche we ought in spyrite to rule all our wordes / workes / dedes and lyfe 2. Tmo 3. Tit. 1. The holy scriptures moreouer shewe vnto vs though farre of our countrey By her we haue lyght of God of his promisses aÌ„d also of his threateninges Roma â—â— And they nourish in
Sermons of the ryght famous aÌ„d excellent clerke Master Bernardine Ochine / borne within the famous vniuersyte of Siena in Italy / nowe also an exyle in this life / for the faythfull testimony of Iesus Christ ¶ Psal C. xvij ¶ I wyll not dye / but lyue ande declare the workes of the Lorde IMPRINTED at Ippeswych / by Anthony Scoloker Dwellyng in S. Nycholas Parryshe Anno. 1548. ¶ Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum ¶ Vnto The ryght Honourable LORDE Edward / Duke of Somerset mooste deare vncle vnto the Kinges Maiesté / aÌ„d Gouuernour of hys Royall Parson / and of his Realmes / DominioÌ„s aÌ„d subiectes Protectour Hys graces mooste humble Seruaunt Rychard Argentyne wissheth the increase of honour and grace Lyke as in the beginig moost Gracyous Lorde it maye appere by the propre names of men / that the same were appoynted vnto them by a synguler reason Genes 4. So by Seth also it maye be manifest that Kings are geuen vnto the Worlde of God Genes 1. For after the time that the infinite Lorde / had created the vniuersall worlde / aÌ„d reserued the supremité of it vnto him selfe / he made man Prince and Lorde / and a Kynge immediatly vnder hiouer all / whych myght exercise his office / him selfe not being parsonaly present before our eyes / to the inteÌ„t that we shulde alwayes elevate the same vnto Heauen there to seke him And therfore of iust cause Kynges / Prynces ande Gouuernours that moost lyuely and notably represeÌ„t vnto vs the diuine maiesté of God / being indued with a large porcioÌ„ of the same / are called Goddes in the scripture Genes 6. Psal 82. And of the prophane poete Homere are named to come from God These Princes aÌ„d Kinges / as it appereth in the register of thÃges done in time / were in moost places accustumed eueÌ„ froÌ„ theyr tender age / to be brought vp vnder iiij gouuernours Iustice / PrudeÌ„ce / Fortitude and continency / amoÌ„gest the which vertues Iustice beiÌ„g the highest of power albeit that wyth her manyfold benefittes / necessary vnto the vse of maÌ„ / she goeth vppon the ground / yet that notwithstaÌ„ding wyth hyr shulders she reacheth vnto heauen For as moche as she couereth nothig to hyr selfe nor craueth anye thynge / but geueth vnto euery man hys owne / ande restoreth euery thynge vnto hys ryght ordre aÌ„d kynde Paral. 16. Where therfore the people of God made greate ioye ande feasted for their true religion restored / and were ioyfull for the confyrmyng of theyr Kynge / the which dyd minister vnto them onely externally iudgement ande iustice / what ipye / ought all thys realme to be in / vnto whome it hath fortuned the right ordre of the supper of the LORD to be restored / through the studye of suche a Prynce as walketh in all the waies of God in goodnes aÌ„d fayth / ledde by a Gouuernour that moost parfectly hath trayned hym to the same 2. Reg. 6. Psal 25. In whome the spirit of Iesu christ that was ones onely offred / manifestlye produceth hys effectes Phil. 1. And where as in our daies manye that of right ought to be called martirs / lyke vnto Paule / intendig that Chryst shuld be magnyfyed in theyr bodyes or by theyr death / with theyr bloude / dyd not sticke to gyue a testimony vnto the worlde of the internal goodnes prepared vnto the sayntes hereafter / aÌ„d fedde the rauening wolues with their carcases Now God be blessed by our so gracyous a Prynce / their teth are blunted and theyr mouthes musseled For those that shuld have bene the lyght / that the frute of rightuousnes that commeth by Iesu Christ only / might have been planted in manye / lyke vnto the Phariseys that had miracles comune vnto them with the fathers / and the presence also of the moost mekest lambe of God / the which dyd illustrate them wyth hys doctryne ande miracles / wolde in no case come to any amendement And yet they glorye that theyr name was prophecied to be exercised in iustice by the prophete Esay Esay 60. Where the ixx. interpreters have if it be theyr text aÌ„d not others I shall gyue thy Princes in peace / aÌ„d thy Bysshoppes in iustice But the Hebrewe text yf they wyll that place to be ment of them and not of other publyke officyers calleth them more accordyngly vnto the trueth exactours or cursitours / nothyng seking for the founteine of all saturité lacking the frugalité that Paule willeth theÌ„ to vse The which thinge they wolde not if they had in them the carefull mynde of the iust executioÌ„ of thinges to be done vnto Gods honour Lyke as by the shauing of theyr beardes and of theyr heades the whiche were in the olde tyme tokens of a pensyve ande sadde minde they appere to have Esay 15. But treuth it is / that lyke as the bearde that was accounted to be the ornament of the man is hatefull vnto them / and is not to be found amongest them / so is the studye of all good vertue amongest others and not amongest them And therfore the migtye LORD hath appointed your grare vnto the same office for the coÌ„fort of all the faithful / as the necessary haÌ„de of a Kynge gyveÌ„ vnto vs by God And to that purpose these syx Sermons of the famous clerke Bernardinus Ochinus are translated out of the Italyan tongue The fyrst declaring what thynge GOD is The second / Howe to knowe GOD by hys creatures The thyrd yf Phylosophye serue to true theologye and in what maner Fourthely / Howe we ought to vse the Scryptures in attayninge the knowledge of GOD. Fyfthly / Of thinconue mences that are happened and dayly happeÌ„ by the abuse of the holy scriptures Syxtly and finally / If to be good diuines it behoue vs to have the humaine sciences or not / and geveÌ„ vnto your grace as a moost vnworthye gifte / that by your graces fauour the frute of all the oher sermons maye be brought vnto your graces louinge servauntes of the whole bodye of this Realme / vnto whose coÌ„fort the lorde IESV Chryst preserue your grace At Ippeswych the xiiij daye of February Anno M.D. xlviij The preface WHo well coÌ„sydereth wher vnto we are created / good Christen reader / shall finde that of all oure trauayles ther 's resteth no frute / as proueth the holie spirite of prophetie by the mouth of Salomon saying I haue loked vppon all the thinges vnder the sonne / and haue founde none other but vanité Onely reserued the Image of God in vs / beig the spirite that susteineth not the naturall life alone / but also all the holie aÌ„d vertuous thoughtes / which God hathe created immortal vnto his owne likenes / as thou maiest wesparceaue / if thou coÌ„sider the substaunce of the naturall bodie / that hauing the spirite / is all liuely / aÌ„d not onely moueth eche figer / haÌ„de
wysdome / bounté beaulté and the other perfectiōs And by howe moche the creatures be more noble / hyghe / worthie and excellent / by so moche the more do they discouer God Psal 8. Lyke as the heauens which particulerly do shewe the glory of God And the more perfectly we knowe the creatures Yea God in thē / so moche the more we ryse to the knowledge of God / ande by so moche the more our vnderstādīges wholy ād with perfect light is vnited and copulate vnto hym It is true that many consyder the creatures in thē selues / without respect to hym that hath created them / ande so cōserueth and gouuerneth them But those are of more grosse condicion then is the owle / which / because he can not beholde the Sōne / forceth him self and taketh pleasure to beholde hym in the sterres And they / not seing God in his glorie / seke not / at the lease wise / to see him in the mirrour of hys creatures But knowe thou fyrst that this ladder of the creatures to clime vnto God is perillous / because that God hauing put in them a certeine beaultie and swerenes / to th ende that mannes vnderstandinge of the taste of the swete running water shuld be prouoked to seke the fonteine or springe / ād therby to seke God with more vehemencie Many staye or rather fyre them selues in the degrees / ande neuer arriue to the heigth And sōme of the sight of the beaulté created / fall into vyle / base / vnclene and fylthy thoughtes And other swelle in pryde of that theyr vayne science / without climing to taste the swetenes of Gods boūtie / fyxe them selues in the degrees / and there shewe them selues contented for rewarde to be seen and reputed for learned / of the blinde folysh and frantyke woorlde Furthermore / this ladder is very hard and imperfect because that by the synne of our fyrst parentes we are so blynded of sight / that wyth great difficulté we maye see god in the darkenes of things created / specyally because the wise of the woorlde / coueting to search all the properties / vertues and qualyties of the creatures / have entangled them selves with their curious thoughtes to the vayne shadowes of the worlde / that fyrst they are attrapped of death or ever they are a lytle elevated their mindes towardes God It is also a very longe ladder / for the great distaunce that is betwene the lowe sensyble creatures at the which / as at the fyrst steppe or degree it behoueth to begin at to elyme and God For it requireth extreme labour to arryse to the knowledge of the material substaūces / ād moch more thē to clime with the thought to the knowledge of the imateriall And whē thou art arrived at the perfet knouledge of the supreame creature / because betwene that and God there is infinite dystaūce / before that with the thought thou arrive at god / thy wittes shal be ī maner so wekened that in the ende thou shalt attayne none other but a weake inparfect and darke cōcept Therfore to have sufficiente lyght of God to the knowledge of him by the creatures / suffiseth not to our saluatyon For though with all naturall lyght we dyd arryve by the creatures at the knowledge of God / yet can we be none other but good Metaphisici or natural theologiens / ād not therfore good ād supernaturall diuines / because the woorlde shuld allwayes haue more operatyon in vs and in our hertes then God We myght well leave our goods for pleasure / ande one an other for honour / as in tymes past certeine Phylosophers have done / whyche left one vice perceauing other But no man cā willinglie forsake the world / him selfe and all thinge / and haue God for God / and for his onely laste ende / but he alone to whome the bountie of God is discouered / in soche wyse that he maye more in him / then all the richesses / pleasures and dignities of the worlde Wherunto suffyseth not the bountie of God discouered in his creatures / nor all our naturall light / as Paul writeth to the Romaines 〈◊〉 1. Whome he she wech that the naturall light / whiche leadeth to the knowledge of god by the creatures / was not ynough / because thereof they had not light to glorifye nor yelde the due thankes vnto GOD. wherfore they are not to be excused whiche / thinking the naturall light to suffyse / ād trusting in their propre forces or strēgthes / demaunde none other light of God / but are to be reputed wicked For as moche as we all haue nede of the deuine grace and lyght to knowe GOD suffyciently Neyther is it ynough to beholde hym in his creatures But it behoueth wyth the spirite and supernaturall lyght to vnderstand hym in Christe / where he discauereth hym selfe with so greate excessyue bountie / that he rauissheth ande draweth vnto him the hartes / in soche wyse / that deliuering them of the worlde / he saueth them Let vs therfore fyxe our eyes in that diuine spectacle / to th ende / that fealing in him and by hym the bountie of the father / we maye rendre vnto him all honour ād glorie by our Sauiour Iesu christ Amen Sermon iij. If Phylosophie serue to true Theologie or diuinite / and in what maner THere be sōme the which denying al supernatural light / thinke that in the worlde there is none other Theology or diuinité but the naturall / whiche they call Metaphysyca And because that a Man can not be a Good Metaphysiens / vnles he be fyrst a good Philosopher / therfore they be constrained to saie / that Philosophie serueth to Theologie or Diuinite Somme other / not being able to denye Theologie or diuinitie to be supernaturall / saye that it is groūded vppon the naturall / in such wise that after their sayig as the knowledge intellectiue requireth the sensytiue / because therof it hath originall / groweth and hangeth or dependeth / so hath Theologie or diuinitie nede of Philosophie / because of it it taketh beginning groweth and is establisshed Philosophy then after theyr opinion / is the guide that leadeth vnto Santa Sātorum / to beholde the celestiall thinges The ladder by the whiche it behoueth / to clime to true Theologie or diuinitie And mannes reason is the rule to the whiche according to theyr iudgementes resorte all the knowledge of the diuine light And in so moch do they allowe thē / in as moch as they agre / not with the holy scriptures nor with the spirite / but with theyr blinde humaine iudgemēt / which they holde for the sceptre that she with all / euen to God But I saye / that as our humaine reasō by the sinne of our fyrst pareutes / is weake / blinde / frenetike and foolish So is lykewise theyr Philosophie Ande that because that albeit after the synne / God left vnto man a litle light of
vs / the faith hope / charité feare and other vertues They comforte vs in our troubles / and in prosperite exhorte vs to be temperate They discouer the vanities of the world / our miseries aÌ„d the bountie of God And who that studieth them must of forie recyre or withdrawe him self from the worldly thoughtes / and settle his minde to mortifie his vices / inordinate desires and affections So that the studie of them is very proffitable to them that duely vse it But it behoueth not to studie as the Iewe who fyxeth hiÌ„ in the vttermust rynde of the letter / whiche as Paule saith killeth / and beholding Moses wyth the face couered / ande not entering into Sancta SanctoruÌ„ / but as the true Christian / to whome is geuen the knowledge of GODS celestiall Reygne or Kingdome / without parables / that with the lyuely spyrite doth penetrate to the lyuelie taste ande fealing of GOD in Christ / beholding hym with lyuely faith in the face discouered / ande entryng into Sancta SanctoruÌ„ / to see wyth clere supernaturall lyght / the hygh resplendent secretes of God To whome be geueÌ„ all laude / honour and glory by our Sauyour Iesu christ Amen Sermon v. Of thinconueniences that are happened and dayly happeÌ„ by the abuse of the holy Scryptures T The holy Scriptures of them selues be the good giftes of got and of the holyghoost Neuertheles they maye be vsed of vs wel or euell / as by experieÌ„ce it is manifest For where as Gods elect serue theÌ„ selues of it to Gods honour / the reprobate contrary wyse serue theÌ„ selues of it to his dishonour / through their owne faute aÌ„d not of the scriptures In so moch that in respect of their wicked malignité it hath per chaunce done hurte in some wayes to the worlde / though at length / god of his infynite bounté reduceth all thiÌ„ges to his honour aÌ„d glorie For first the scriptures aÌ„d specially the holy scriptures / haue aÌ„noied theÌ„ who haue been diligeÌ„t to gather to gether manie bookes / and negligeÌ„t to studye theÌ„ ThiÌ„king theÌ„ selues fully learned wheÌ„ they haue had their librarie full of bokes Other some studying / haue not attayned to imprynte the trueth that they founde in theyr mindes / and therfore haue wrytten it in papers / so that / resting moost ignorauÌ„t / all their learniÌ„g coÌ„systeth in their wrytinges / aÌ„d loosing them / they also loose their science Which was one of the Argumentes that caused Plato to coÌ„dempne lettres / sayinge that before scripture was founde / the men were moche better learned then sence / because they were forced to write in theyr mindes that that afterwardes they haue written in paper I passe ouer that many haue coÌ„sumed theyr time in the dishonour of god / in readiÌ„g aÌ„d wrytyng of thinges curious ande pernicious to the health And that manie transported of Curiosyté / haue willed to see so many bookes that in the ende they remained confused wythout frute As doth the felde wheron they cast ouermoch seede And of some that by those meanes haue lost their wittes But that which importeth moche more is that they thynke the true knowledge of Theologie or diuinité coÌ„sisteth in lettres / which is vtterly false / because they giue not true and lyuely light of the supernatural thiges that can not otherwise be knowen of vs but by spyrite / reuelation / faith spirituall taste / lyuely vnderstanding and sure experience For like as the Phylosopher without experience can haue no knowledge although he beare in minde all that is written / ande nor hauing practysed / he must rest onely in opynion grounded vppon Aristotle / Plato and the other Philosophers / whiche moueth hym to beleue theyr wrytyng to be true / being neuertheles in very dede more ignoraunt then is the poore paisaunt or husbandman / that by labouring of the Earth / without sekinge lettres / fyndeth the operacion of many naturall thynges / that proueth his science to be somwat and theirs none / though well they study for euer aÌ„d wante experyeÌ„ce So likewise one symple ydeote without learning / if he haue faith / lyuely taste / and spirituall vnderstanding of God / is a greater diuine then all the learned men of the worlde that be wythout spirite Yea he is a diuine ande they none For that of the heaueÌ„ly supernaturall thinges he knoweth so moch as he tasteth / and experâ—nâ—ateth by faith 〈◊〉 the learned maÌ„ hath onely a barraine / yâ—le colde aÌ„d dâ—ade opintoÌ„ which staÌ„deth without faith in desperacioÌ„ / accompained of euery vice Nowe therfore it appereth that of this errour / by thiking that true Theologie or diuinite coÌ„sisteth in learning / there are innuaerable inconuemeÌ„ces groweÌ„ / and chefely that many / wantiÌ„g letters / aÌ„d not hauing tyme to studie / thinking that by other wares it is impossible to become diuines / haue not disposed them selues to demaunde of God with meke harte ande feruent desyreth lyght of the diuine thinges And moreouer they haue fledde ande withdrawen them selues from the intelly gence or vnderstaÌ„ding of the holy scriptures / as from a terrible ruyne / because their wyse learned and holy men haue persuaded them that no man may vnderstand it but they onthe that are learned CondeÌ„pning them that write in the vulgare tongue / as if the true diuinite depended of the Hebrue Greke or Latin lettres / or of that witte that hath well studied them Beholde nowe therfore whether this be not a moost rawe aÌ„d wicked opinioÌ„ / beig the very cause that hath moued me thus to write iÌ„ my natural toÌ„gue to thinteÌ„t that knowing the true Theologie to be opeÌ„ to euery langdage and to the symple our owne natioÌ„ shulde not be priuate / who haue none other but the mother tongue Ther be many that / studying the holy scriptures without spirite / lyuely faith and supernarall light / haue not onely not attayned the true knowledge of the bountie of God aÌ„d theyr owne propre miseries / but the more they haue studied / the more / by the drie aÌ„d deade letter / they are become blynde of God and of them selues Yea vnfaithfull / vnkind / proude arrogauÌ„t presumptuous contentious ande repleate of all other byces Where as the supernaturall true Theologie or diuinité stewing the great bounté of God / and declaryng in our selues our owne myseries maketh vs faithfull / thankfull / iuste / humble / modest / gentle / quiet and conformable And moreouer they be so blynde that not knowing theyr owne wretchednes / they not onely forbeare to huÌ„ble theÌ„ selues before God / aÌ„d of him hartely to demauÌ„de helpe lyght and grace / but also leauing praier for their studie / and the spirite for theyr learnig / they presume to be masters of the others as Paule wryteth / ande so inflambed of theyr science / haue staundered the worlde where as charyte edifieth Rom. 2. And being consequently without spyryte / they study
and vnderstand the holy scriptures according to their owne iudgementes / diuersly as their wyttes ād studie are varyable / and euery one according to hys fantasye expoundeth them / thynkyng he hath perfectly and iustly conceaued them / Wherof are growen infynite sectes ande herespes 2. Cor. 8. In steade of that / if they had beē good ād true diuines ād had had the spirite of Gods gyfte / they had vnderstāde thē in treuth and verité / wherof followeth none other but vnion of faith both in spyryte and charité Many also beleuing by the studie of the holy scriptures / to attayne true Theologye and parfect knowledge of God ande consequently the chefe felycyté possyble to the lyuing man / haue geuen them selues to studye the scriptures / and walkinge by them to ioyne to the supreme faelicité of Gods knowledge / because they wanted the spirite / they neyther can arryve at the true ande lyvely lyght / taste and spirituall vnderstanding of God nor yet to the true felicité Wher of it groweth that they fall to the botome of infidelyté / in suche wise / that they beleue that there is none other light / faith or diuinité then that their barreine and deade opinion / nor other felyeiré then that theyr myserye / and so / seming to have attained the heigth of vertues / before they have ones tasted of them / they disprayse them These and soche other inconveniences are growen ande continual lye growe through them that knowe not how they ought to vse the holy scriptures in soche wise / that by theyr default / ande not of the scriptures / they have perchaūce done hurte to the worlde But for that we ought not to cōdempne the letters as many have done but the men that knowe not to vse them as they shulde be vsed to the honour of God To whome be all honour ād glory by our sauiour Iesu christ Sermon vj. If to bee good diuines it behoue vs to haue the humaine sciences or not THere be many that thinke it is not possyble to attaine the perfection of Theologie / if fyrst a man learne not Grāmer / Dialec ica / Philosophie and metaphisica / Yea Scotus Thomas bonauenture ande soche other I confesse my selfe to haue been in that errour and therfore am nowe moued to compassion of them that rest blinded withall If it were as they saye / we shulde be moost bounden vnto the inuentours of those sciences / syns that by them we maye be good diuines / ād without thē not And then I praye you if they happened to perish or those aucthours to be lost shulde it not followe that also the worlde shuld lacke diuinité And lykewyse if the learned men in those sciences be onely the good diuins and consequently Sainctes the contrary wherof is clerely seen then myght well the symple ande vnlearned people despaire of all ghoostly health / and the true and necessarie diuinité hange vppon humaine sciences So by that reason it shulde behoue vs to saye that the Apostles and in maner all the sainctes / Yea and the blessed virgin Marie weare not good diuines / notwithstanding that they haue taught others No nor Christ neuer learned those humayne sciences / and yet was he the moost excellent diuine Iohan. 7. Therfore we must knowe that one humaine science leadeth vs to clyme to an other / moche vnworthie of the name of Theologie or diuinité / but rather to be called Metaphisica / the which neither hath nor geveth so moch light of God as can suffyse to our saluacion / being a knowledge / that by force of mannes witte / eliming the degrees of humaine reason / maye be attained Where as the true ande supernaturall Theologie or diuinité is a science of the spirite / a gifte ande light that by grace cōmeth from God aboue / in soche wise / that not he that hathe the pregnaūt witte / hath moost studied and is best learned / is greatest diuine / but he that hath faith / liuely light and vnderstanding of God / that lyueth better and more christianly Ephe. 2. And because faith is a gifte of God / and the true diuinite a supernaturall light / not attaynable or can not be attained of vs / but gyuen of God to hys Electe Therfore euerie symple Yoeote and ignoraunt of the humaine sciēces / maie by the grace of god / sodenly become a parfect diuine and christian / as in the actes of the Apostles it is redde of the Eunucho Act. 8. It is possyble thē / that a simple olde womā maye haue more of the true Theologie or diuinité / then all the learned men of the worlde For the humaine sciences do fyll our myndes of smoake and pryde / ād occupie them in soche wise that distracte with Marta they be not attentiue with Marie to receaue the knowledge of God It is seen by experience that rather and more lightly the symple haue accepted the Gospell thē the learned mē of the worlde Yea where the symple / the ydeotes / the litle children ande the Samaritanes magnified Christ / the learned scribes and Phariseis persecuted him euen to the death of the crosse Ande whan the worlde conuerteth / seldome the learned men come to the fayth / but haue been euer the laste There coulde none entre into Sancta Sanctorum by tholde lawe / but the hygh Bysshop But Christe dying on the crosse / hath ouerthrowen the vaile of the temple / so that the resplēdent treasures of Gods wisdome hidde ī christ Col. 2. are manifested so openly / that the symple and ydeotes / yea the publicanes ād comune women haue vnderstanded them Wherof Dauid speaketh saying Thy wordes be open / they lyghten ād giue vnderstanding to the litleones Psal 118. That highe and diuine wisdome is become so lowe ād opē in Christ / that euery symple maye vnderstande For that Christ is not come as an humaine man to teache vs letters but is diuinely ād spiritually descēded to kindle the spirite / light charite and grace in the hartes of his electe / ande so hath he made them to vnderstand / euen to the Children whiche magnifie hym / saying Blessed is he that is come in the name of the lorde Math. 21. And Christ reproued his Apostles when they letted the Childeren of comming to him / though nowe their be many that wil Luk. 18. not allowe the holie scriptures to be had in the vulgare tongue / nor redde and declared to the simple / as if they coulde not vnderstand them / nor were not bounde to knowe that which is conteined in them And yet it is certeine / they conteine none other but proffytable and necessary thinges to the health / and that being of the holyghoost / those diuine verities be in maner so expressed / that in what tongue soeuer it be written / so it be truly declared / ād with pure harte hearde and vnderstande / they must nedes edifie without offendig Christe thanking his father / sayde vnto hym Wath 11. I praise the father and lorde of heauen and earth that thou hast hidde these thinges from the wyse and prudent / ande opened thē vnto babes / not for that they haue studied / but because it hath so pleased the. Ieremy 3. In this is fulfilled that that God promised by his prophet Ieremie / that euen to the least of all they shulde knowe Nowe beholde if they be blind or not / that wyll buylde the true Theologie vppon Philosophie / and vppon the humaine sciēces where as christ is the true fondaciō / and vppon him it behoueth to buylde / not woode strawe or haye / but syluer golde ād pretious stones / that is to saie / not the inuencions of mā / but the onely true reuelacions of God Sainet Iohan Baptist / and not Aristotle / was the precursor or forerūner of Chryst It is not possyble with the light of a litle burning candell to augment the great light of the Sonne ād lykewise Christ can not be clarified by the humayne sciences Iohn 5. He him selfe saith that he hath taken his beaulte / not of men but of his father / who saide vnto hi. Iohn 13. And the I haue glorified / and the I shall glorifie And wilt thou then that Chryst / which is the light of the world / shulde haue node of the light of Aristotle Iohan. 1. That theyr drye / colde and dead Theologie serueth to make them proude / to presume of them selues / to contende and to deceaue the blinde ignoraunt people with persuading them falsely to repute them for diuines / yea ād to begile them selues / that albeit that they be darkenes in dede / yet they thinke them selues to be the light of the worlde / ande therfore humble not theyr hartes to praie vnto God to giue them light I wyll not saye that we cā not serue our selues of all the humaine sciences in the honour of God / yea and of our synnes / in asmoch as of them we maye take occasyon of vertue But I saye in dede that they be not necessarie to make vs good diuines For to that it behoueth a supernaturall lyght of God / with clennes and purité of harte And this light we ought euermore to demaunde of God with feruent prayer / we ought also to seke the hearing of Gods worde / and with humilité to exercise our selues in studying the holy scriptures / to the intent / that as true ād good diuines / we maye rendre vnto God all honour and glorie by our sauiour Iesu Christ Amen Finis