poore people in want to be enriched with such a treasure But saith N. D. Wardw. pag. 14. If the translator do not put downe the words of Scriptures sincerely in his vulgar translation then the simple reader that cannot discerne will take mans word for Gods word Secondly he saith that if a false sence should be gathered out of Scripture then the reader should sucke poison in stead of wholesome meate But these reasons make no more against reading Scriptures in vulgar tongues and translating them into those tongues then against reading Scriptures in the Latin and translating them into Latine For as well may the Latine Interpreter erre as he that translateth scriptures into vulgar tongues and aswell may a man draw a peruerse sence out of the Latine as out of the English If then these reasons conclude not against y t Latin translation they are too weak to conclude against vulgar translations Againe if it be hurtfull to follow a corrupt translation and to gather a contrarie sence out of scriptures we are not therefore to cast away scriptures but rather to séeke for the most sincere translations and the most true sence and meaning of the holy Ghost reuealed in holy Scriptures Thirdly he alleageth these words out of the Apostle 2. Cor. 3. The letter killeth but the spirit quickneth against reading of scriptures in vulgar tongues But these words do no lesse touch them that follow the letter in the Hebrew Gréek thē in the vulgar tongs And yet Robert Parsons wil not deny but y t it is lawfull to reade scriptures in Hebrew and Gréeke albeit he if it were vnlawfull would neuer be guiltie of this fault being most ignorant of these tongs Fourthly he asketh how vnlearned readers will discerne things without a guide As if lay-men because they haue teachers might not also reade the books from whence the principles of Christian doctrine are deriued This therefore seemeth to be all one as if Geometricians and other teachers of arts should debarre their schollers from reading Euclide and other authors that haue written of arts Furthermore albeit somethings without teachers cannot of rude learners be vnderstood yet all things that pertaine to faith and manners are plainely set downe in scriptures In ijs quae apertè in scripturis posita sunt inueniuntur illa omnia saith S. Augustine lib. 2. de doctr Chr. c. 9. Quae continent fidem moresque vivendi Fiftly he alleageth that the vnderstanding of Scriptures is a particular gift of God But that notwithstanding no man is forbidden to reade scriptures in Hebrew Greeke or Latine And yet if Robert Parsons vnderstand them at all he vnderstandeth them better in the vulgar English then in these tongues Furthermore albeit to vnderstand Scriptures be a peculiar gift of God yet no man is therefore to refraine from reading of scriptures but rather to reade thē diligently and to conferre with the learned and to beséech God to giue him grace to vnderstand them The which is proued by the example of the Eunuch Act. 8. who read the scriptures and threw them not away albeit he could not vnderstand all without the help of a teacher Sixthly he vseth the examples of Ioane Burcher a pudding wife as some suppose and qualified like his mother the Blacke-smiths wife and of Hacket William Geffrey and other heretickes In his Warne-word Encontr 1. cap. 8. he addeth George Paris Iohn More certaine Anabaptists and other heretikes and insinuateth that all these fell into heresies by reading of scriptures in vulgar languages But his collectiō is false and shamelesse and derogatorie to scriptures and contrary both to them and to fathers Our Sauior speaking of the Sadduceis Mat. 22. saith they erred for that they knew not the scriptures Erratis nescientes scripturas The Apostle talking of reading of scriptures saith they are profitable to instruct men vnto saluation and not hurtfull or the cause of any mans destruction The ignorance of scriptures saith Chrysostome ho. de Lazaro hath brought forth heresies Scripturarum ignoratio haereses 〈◊〉 And againe Barathrum est scripturarum ignoratio that is the ignorance of scriptures is a bottomlesse gulfe Finally to obscure the glorie of this benefite of reading scriptures in vulgar tongues in his out-wortie Warne-word Encont 1. c. 8. he saith that such as vnderstand Latin or haue licence of the Ordinary to reade scriptures in vulgar tongues haue no benefit by this generall permission of reading scriptures as if euery one that vnderstandeth Latin durst reade vulgar translations without licence or as if the Church receiued no benefite vnlesse euery particular member were partaker of that benefite This therefore is a most ridiculous conceit and likely to procéed from such an idle head Further the same might be alleaged against Latine translations And yet Robert Parsons will not deny but the Church receiueth benefite by Latine translations albeit the Gréekes and such as vnderstand Hebrew and not Latin receiue no benefite by the Latine translation If then Robert Parsons meane hereafter to barke against the reading of scriptures that are commended vnto vs as light medicine food armes and things most necessary he must alleage vs better reasons then these lest he be taken for an hereticall or rather lunaticall fellow that spendeth his wit in the defence of fond senselesse and impious positions CHAP. VI. Of publike Prayers and administration of Sacraments and other parts of the Church liturgie and seruice in vulgar tongues LIke wise the Papists to take from Christians the effect and fruite of their prayers set cut most of their prayer bookes in Latine and closely forbid the common seruice and liturgie of the Church to be said in vulgar languages In the 22. session of the Conuenticle of 〈◊〉 where they anathematise them that hold that the Masse should be celebrated in vulgar tongues their meaning is to establish the rites of the Romish Church and the Latine seruice and to prohibit the vse of vulgar tongues in publike liturgies And this is also proued by the practise of the synagogue of Rome that alloweth the prayers of such as pray in Latine albeit like Parrots they vnderstand not what they prattle and by the testimonie of 〈◊〉 Bellarmine and others writing vpon that argument But this practise is most barbarous fruitlesse and contrary to the custome of Christ his Church in auncient time Sinesciero virtutem vocis saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 14. ero ei cui loquor barbarus quiloquitur mihi barbarus that is If I vnderstand not the meaning of the words I vtter I shall be to him to whom I speake barbarous and he that speaketh shal be barbarous vnto me And againe If I pray in a strange tongue my spirit prayeth but mine vnderstanding is without fruite And a little after I will pray with the spirit but I will pray with the vnderstanding also I wil sing with the spirit but I wil sing with the vnderstanding also Else when thou blessest with the spirit how shall he
in singing Psalmes and giuing thankes to God in the open congregation And therefore the Psalme 95. Come let vs sing vnto the Lord is commonly vsed in the beginning of Gods seruice and the people in auncient Liturgies were wont oftentimes to answer the Priest Againe it is false that publike seruice was appointed to be said and sung onely by ecclesiassicall officers and that the people did not as well pray for things necessaris as praise God for benefites receiued But how could they do this not knowing what they sayd or prayed If a man should present himselfe besore the Pope and speake ghibrish or a language not vnderstood by the partie would he not thinke himselfe mocked He addeth further that it is not needfull for the people to be alwaies present at publike seruice but onely in spirit and consent of heart But the fellow doth plainely contradict himselfe For how can a man be present in spirit and consent of heart when he is absent with his vnderstanding and knoweth not what is done or said Beside that he ouerthroweth that which he would proue For if consent of spirit and heart be requisite in publike seruice then is it requisite the people should vnderstand what is said without which vnderstanding he cannot consent Lastly if it be profitable that the people be present in the congregation where God is serued that is sufficient for vs to proue our assertion For why should not the people meete to celebrate the praises of God being commaunded to kéepe his Sabboths And why should they rather be enioyned to heare Masse which is a profanation of Gods seruice then to come to the Church to praise God and to pray vnto him and to heare his holy word And if the people ought to do this then is it not sufficient that in time of seruice they should gape on the Priest or patter their Pater nosters or Aue Mariaes or rattle their beades as the ignorant Papistes vse to do Thirdly he supposeth he can proue seruice in an vnknowne tongue out of the ceremoniall law of Moyses For because it is said Luk. 1. That all the multitude of the people was praying without at the houre of incense while Zacharie offered incense within he would inferre very willingly that it is not necessarie the people should pray with the Priest in a tongue vnderstood But if this might be applyed to the Masse then would it also follow that the Priest might offer the 〈◊〉 of the Masse without a Clerke and the people attend without in the church yard It would also follow that the people might not heare nor sée Masse For that the people might not enter within nor sée what was done in the sanctuarie Against vs this example fitteth not For neither can any strong argument be drawne from the ceremonies of the law that are now abrogated nor can Frier Robert shew that the Priests of the law prayed in a tongue not vnderstood or that they vsed any publike prayer which the people heard not Fourthly he alleageth that the three learned languages of Hebrew Greeke and Latine were sanctified by Christ in the title of his crosse But neither is he able to shew why these three languages should be called learned rather then others nor doth it follow that in publike seruice we should vse only these three languages because they were vsed in y e title of the crosse vnlesse our aduersarie will graunt that it also followeth because Christ rode vpon an asse that he and his consorts are onely to ride vpon asses 〈◊〉 he telleth vs that auncient Fathers testifie that it is not conuenient that all things that are handled in Church seruice praesertim in sacris mysterijs should be vnderstood by all vnlearned people in their owne vulgar languages And to prooue this he citeth Dionysius Origen S. Basil Chrysostome and Gregorie But herein he sheweth himselfe a shamelesse fellow albeit all men knew it before For none of these speaketh one word against vulgar languages Nay all of them shew that the people vnderstood the language of publike Liturgies Againe they deny not that it is conuenient that the people should vnderstand the mysteries of Christian religion but rather shew the difficultie of it But what is that to vulgar languages when the Priests themselues vnderstand not the mysteries of Christian religion 〈◊〉 A sixth argument he draweth from the practise of the Iewes supposing that in Iurie and Ierusalem the publike seruice was in Hebrew and that Hebrew was not vnderstood of the common people But neither was publike seruice in all Syria in Hebrew as appeareth by the songs and prayers of Ephrem in the Syrian tongue nor is it likely that the Iewes did not vnderstand Hebrew in Christs time séeing now all the Iewes as it is said teach their children Hebrew In Esdras lib. 2. cap. 8. it appeareth they vnderstood Hebrew Intellexerunt verba quae docuerat eos They vnderstood the words which he taught them That therefore which is spoken of interpretation is meant of the meaning and not of the words as very simply our aduersaries suppose His seuenth argument is taken from the example of the Apostles that as he saith appointed the order of seruice But this ouerthroweth our aduersaries cause For if the Apostles neuer appointed the Masse or the canon or that seruice should be said in a tongue not vnderstood but rather ordained another forme of celebration of Sacraments as I haue shewed in my bookes de Missa against Bellarmine and if it be a matter cleare that all should be done decently in the Church and to edification then is it not likely that they would allow or did appoint the seruice of 〈◊〉 to be said in a tongue not vnderstood of the people and very hardly vnderstood of most Priests Here also he denyeth That it can be shewed out of any author of antiquitie whatsoeuer that any christian Catholike countrie since the Apostles time had publike seruice in any language but in one of these three viz. Hebrew Gréeke or Latine except by some speciall dispensation from the Pope and vpon some speciall confideration for some limited time But first it maketh nothing for him or against vs if any nation had their seruice in Greek Latine or Hebrew if the same vnderstood the language of the publike Liturgie For we onely say that seruice ought not to be said in a language not vnderstood Secondly where he denyeth the vse of all other tongues beside these thrée he sheweth himselfe either very ignorant or very impudent If he haue not read auncient Fathers and histories concerning the languages of publike Liturgies he is but an ignorant nouice in this cause If he know the practise of the Church and denie it he wanteth shame That other tongues haue bene vsed in publike Liturgies beside the thrée mentioned it may be proued by diuers testimonies Hierome in the funerall Sermon of Paula saith that Psalmes were sung not onely in Hebrew Gréeke and Latine but also in
doth require at their hands yet should they be very ignorant For a man may beléeue as the Church beléeueth and yet know nothing nor be able to answer to any point of faith Thomas Aquinas 2. 2. q. 2. art 6. compareth Gods people to asses and their teachers to oxen holding that it is sufficient for them in matters of faith to adhere to their superiors because it is said Iob 1. Quòd boues arabant asinae pascebantur 〈◊〉 eos Whereby it appeareth he requireth no great knowledge at lay mens hands but would haue them beléeue as their teachers do without further enquiring He fetcheth his proofe out of Gregorie But whence soeuer he draweth it he vseth Gods people very rudely that compareth them to asses and oxen Yet thus much I am content to yéeld that the Masse-priests and their followers are like oxen and asses firmely linked together by the Popes cow-heards and muleters for the diuell their maisters seruice The same man 2. 2. q. 2. art 5. teacheth that lay men are to beléeue all the articles of the Creed and no more explicitè The which is no point of deep learning yet his scholer Siluester in sum in verb. fides 6. will not allow so much saying that it is not necessarie for a lay man to beleeue all the articles of the faith but as much as is sufficient to direct vs to the last end Nec tamen necesse est cuilibet saith he explicitè credere omnes articulos fidei sed quantum sufficit ad dirigendum in vltimum finem The author of Summa Rosella saith that it is sufficient for simple people and percase for lay men comming to yeares and discretion to beleeue that God is a rewarder of all good and a punisher of all euill And that other articles are to be beléeued implicitè that is beléeuing all to be true which the catholike Church teacheth Simplicibus fortè omnibus laicis discernentibus adultis sufficit credere Deum esse praemiatorem bonorum omnium omnium malorum punitorem alios autem articulos sufficit credere implicitè credendo scil verum quicquid Ecclesia catholica docet But beside that this is an argument to proue the aduersaries allowance of the peoples extreme ignorance it is false and blasphemous to say that any man may be saued without notice or beléeuing in Christ as the author of Summa Rosella his words imply Loth the Pope is that the people should know too much and therefore he forbiddeth Scriptures to be either translated or read in vulgar tongues without licence In publike Liturgies it is not the fashion of Papists to suffer the 〈◊〉 to heare Scriptures read in vulgar tongues The Papists also that vnderstand not Latine pray with their lippes but not with their vnderstanding and spirit For the Popes pleasure is that the publike Liturgie of the Church shall not be read in vulgar tongues whereupon the people must needes grow dull and ignorant Iohn Billet in prolog lib. de diuin offic complaineth of this abuse Quid nostris tēporibus est agendū saith he speaking of reading of Latin seruice vbi nullus vel rarus reperitur legens vel audiēs qui 〈◊〉 videns vel agens qui animaduertat iam videtur impletum quod à Prophet a dicitur Et erit saccrdos quasi de populo vnus He saith that there are few or none that reade or heare that do vnderstand or marke what is read or heard and that the saying of the Prophet is fulfilled That the priest shall be like one of the people Costerus saith That God and the Saints vnderstand all languages and therefore that it is sufficient if the people pray in Latine Which as it is blasphemous making Saints present in all places so it is an argument that he requireth litle vnderstanding in the people Hosius commendeth the Coliars faith that could not tell one article of his beléefe but onely answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeueth which is an argument first of the commendation of ignorance among the Papists next of Hosius his blasphemie that would haue a man saued beléeuing as doth the Catholike church albeit he beléeued or knew nothing of Christ Iesus Séeing then the Papists require so litle knowledge in the people and will not suffer them either to pray or-to haue Scriptures read publikely in vulgar tongues and preach so seldome and so leudly is it likely that they should prooue great clearkes Furthermore the Priests in England were commaunded to teach the people the worship of the crosse of images of reliques and how farre the same reacheth as appeareth by B. Arundels prouinciall constitution beginning 〈◊〉 de haereticis They were also taught what manner of men were S. Austin of Canterburie S. Bernac S. Dunstane and such good fellowes And were wont to heare many good tales of the miracles of S. Audrey and S. Cuthburge and other she Saints But all this tended litle to instruction in faith or reformation in manners Finally in stead of true doctrine they were taught the traditions of men concerning worship of Saints crosses images reliques fasting on Saints Uigils pilgrimages indulgences purgatorie and such like Petrus de Alliac lib. de reform Ecclesiae wisheth That Apocryphall Scriptures and new hymnes and prayers and other voluntarie nouelties should not be read in churches Quòd in huinsmodi festis Scripturae Apocryphae aut hymninoui vel orationes seu aliae voluntariae nouitates non legerentur but he preuailed not Nay further they do not onely teach false doctrines and Apocryphall nouelties but also most wickedly rehearsing the commaundements they haue left out the second commaundement that concerneth worship of images albeit S. Augustine quaest ex vet test 7. do set it downe for a distinct commandement from the first Being then taught very litle truth and much falshood it must néeds follow that the Papists were in time past very ignorant and that Iohn Billet in prolog de diuin off plainely confesseth Experience also teacheth the same and manifestly sheweth that they scarce vnderstood any article of the Créed A certaine Italian being asked not many yeares since by his confessor in Rome whether he beleeued the holy Trinitie answered yea Being further demaunded what the Trinitie was VVhat said he but our Lord God and our Lady and you our masters the priests and Friers They are so brutish that they verily beléeue that images walke and talke and haue life Certaine parishioners of a village not farre from Florence coming to the citie to bespeake a Crucifixe the caruer séeing the simplicitie of the men asked them whether they would haue one aliue or dead The parties after some deliberation answered they wold haue a crucifixe aliue For said they if the parish like him not we will kill him and so ridde our hands of him Most of them beléeue the lyes and fables that Priests tell them out of their legends And those are the best part of