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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
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

therefore stande that I may vse Basill his woordes to the arbitrament of Scripture geuen by inspiration from God and let the sentence of trueth be adiudged vnto them amongest whom doctrines agreeing with God his worde are founde It liketh me to set downe in this place the most beautifull sentence of Cyprian which Augustine affirmeth to bee without doubte moste excellent It is a short way saith he with religious and simple mindes both to lay away errour and to finde foorth and trie out the truth For if we returne to the heade and fountaine of GOD his tradition man his errour ceaseth if the Conduit pipe of water which before did runne plentifully and aboundantly doe faile of a souddeine doe they not goe to the fountayne that the cause of the defecte may foorthwith bee knowen whether it bee drie in the head by meanes that the vaynes of the well are dried vp or whether it runne sounde and full from thence and stoppe in the middle of his passage The which thing also the Priestes of GOD must doe and if in anie thing the trueth shall totter and shake lette vs returne to the fountayne and welspring of the Lorde and of the Euanlistes and to the tradition of the Apostles and from thence let the reason of our doing rise from whence both the order and beginning sprang These thinges are written in his Epistle to Pompeius agaynst the Epistle of Stephanus Therefore by the consente of al the olde writers the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles are the rules of iudgementes in euerie proofe examination and triall of doctrines I knowe Tertullian writeth elsewhere that wee must not appeale to the Scriptures neither offer in them to contende wherein the victorie is eyther none at all or vncertaine or at the least none verie certayne But marke against whom hee reasoneth For so hath hee a little before these woordes This heresie doeth not receiue certayne Scriptures and if it receiue anie it altereth and chaungeth them craftely by putting to taking from for the framing of their purpose Although it doe receaue them yet doeth it not receaue the whole And though it doe receiue the whole after a sorte yet doeth it notwirhstanding peruerte them deuising straunge expositions As greately is an adulterous sense against the trueth as is a corrupt maner of writing Diuerse presumptions will not acknowledge those thinges whereby they are ouerthrowen c. Therefore forsomuch as proofe foorth of the Scriptures coulde nothing preuayle amongest suche he deemeth that controuersies touching faith are to be discussed foorth of the Scriptures because those which were of the right faith wearied themselues without fruite and because the malapertnesse of Heretikes coulde not bee brideled but that they woulde still contende although they were an hundred times ouercommen Hee woulde therefore haue an ende of vayne and vnprofitable strifes and contentions and especially seeing that the Apostle forbid●eth after the first or second admonition to reason anie more with him that is ●n Heretike Otherwise what doeth he himselfe in so manie bookes With what swoorde with what weapons hath ●e slaine Marcion Praxeas Hermogenes and others but with the simple woorde of God Therefore when the matter so requireth he proueth not onely the wordes but also by example that we must both dispute and define none otherwise but onely forth of the worde of God it selfe Neither haue all the professours of the right fayth vsed anie other meane when they defended the right ●nd pure faith against Heretikes as we ●aue alreadie shewed The bookes of God are open sayth Augustine let vs not turne away our eyes The Scrip●ure crieth let vs hearken For they would not haue the authoritie of man ●ut of God to be able to ende controuer●ies and to heale men Yet doe the Papistes reclaime af●irming that controuersies cannot be de●ermined forth of Scripture onely or ●hat iudgement can be giuen forth of it touching the matter of fayth For they say that the Scripture is subiect to the wicked and ambitious expositions of Heretikes and that it may be wrested to diuerse meanings and that it is doubtfull and darke Therefore doe they call vs backe foorthwith to the definition of the Church which as it is without all falsehood so may it be taken for the true and certaine rule of fayth It is a solemne thing amongest these Sophistes to declaime of the doubtfulnesse hardnesse and darkenesse of the Scriptures to turne mens mindes from the Scripture to the traditions of their Church that is to saye from the authoritie of God to the authoritie of men neither is this shift of theirs newe The old Heretikes also vsed the same who when they were reproued by the Scriptures vsed these cauillations that the Scriptures are diuersely spoken that is to saye according to the speech of our aduersaries doubtfull apt to be applied euerie way vncertaine moreouer that the truth can not be founde forth by the Scriptures if a man know not the tradition that is to say as our aduersaries nowe vtter it that the scriptures are not sufficient and that the trueth was not deliuered by writings but by liuely voice For the which cause say they Paule sayde We speake wisedome among them that are perfect not the wisedome of this world Iulianus also the Pelagian with whom Augustine had so great conflictes and whose wordes and argumentes these our aduersaries vse in their disputations verie willingly was wont to stande muche vppon this that the knowledge of holie Scriptures is verie harde and meete for a fewe of the learned sort Neither are these fellowes ashamed to haue the saying of an Heretike in so great admiration But Paule when he affirmeth that faith commeth by hearing God his worde doeth not onely make it the true and certaine rule of fayth but the onely rule thereof But when wee must contend with Heretikes say the aduersaries of the truth then doe the scriptures little preuaile because they can so easily shift thē off Yet thought I that the word of God is that sword of that spirit wherwith Satā might be thorowly ouerthrowne But if it be the victorious triumphant sworde agaynst the head Lorde and maister of all Heretikes how commeth it to passe that it is a dull weapon and as it were made of a reede agaynst his members To what purpose is this worthie testimonie of Paule All Scripture is giuē by inspiration of God is profitable to doctrine to reproue to correction to instruction which is in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect And although the slienesse of all Heretikes and Sophistes be great in wresting and deprauing of the Scriptures yet doth not God his trueth lie so open to their mockes but that it may stoutely be set at libertie by the sayde Scriptures Clowdes may darken the Sunne for a season but they can neither put out nor choke vp the light thereof but that it wil

is that worthie wisedome which hitherto hath filled the mindes of the blinde Iewes with most foolish knowledges and hath caused worthie men otherwise in the Church and a great multitude folowing them to departe from the truth and to goe out of the way So that it is a most sure way to examine all traditions by what title so euer they be commended according to the rule of Scripture that that which hath not authoritie by the Scriptures may be by the same facilitie contemned whereby it is prooued as Hierome his saying well warneth vs. For the counsell of Chrysostome is wise which sayth Therefore the Lord knowing that there would come such a confusion in the last dayes doth commaund that the Christians which are in Christianitie willing to receiue the strength of the true faith shoulde runne to nothing but to the Scriptures otherwise if they shall regarde anie thing else they shall be offended and perish Againe Ierome sayeth The sworde of GOD striketh other things which men finde and deuise of their owne accorde without the authoritie and testimonies of the Scriptures as though they came by the tradition of the Apostles Therefore at all times and in euerie doubtfull matter we must flie to the Scripture which executeth the office of the chiefe Iudge in euerie controuersie of Diuinitie to whose sentence all traditions all Churches all Councels all deuises of men ought to stand and from the which it is not lawfull to appeale to anie other nor to depart from the worde of God and to giue our selues greedily to the traditions of men For he which heareth the scripture heareth the holy Ghost the authour of the Scriptures and reuerenceth him and contrarily he which despiseth the iudgement seate of the Scriptures and the iudgements giuen in the Scriptures will not quiet himselfe therewith despiseth the spirite of God and vseth himselfe more reprochfully against him than can be vttered And he which will not suffer himselfe to be led as it were by the hand by the guiding of the Scripture foorth of the thornes and briers of doubtes errours superstitions corruptions abuses is verie well worthie to wander out of the way he knoweth not whether to stray perpetually The Conclusion I haue prooued by a verie large and contentious disputation that the holie Scripture is God his worde wherein is inclosed a full and a perfect summe of heauenly wisedome Neither is there any thing necessarie to saluation which is not set forth in the Scriptures For if there had beene any thing needfull to be knowne God would not had omitted it since his will was to teache vs thereby not to the halfes but fully whatsoeuer his pleasure was that wee should know and which hee knewe to bee profitable for vs This is the onely foundation and piller of the liuely faith this is the sure bulwarke against the deceites of errours Foorth of this ought Heresies to bee confuted foorth of this ought doctrines chiefly to be discerned foorth of this ought definitions of fayth and assertions to be taken The Scripture is of most cleare and pearelesse authoritie so that all godly and faythfull vnderstanding ought to serue it And it is the Catholike consent of the Fathers yea and of all the Church that the Canonicall Scripture ought to bee preferred before all Churches all Councels although they bee generall all Traditions Decrees deuises writings of all men although they excell in learning and holinesse The Church doeth so reuerence and adore the fulnesse perfectnesse and soundnesse of the Scripture that she doeth accurse as wicked and false witnesses of God as detestable authours of offences Heresies and dissentions as proude vaine and fallen from the fayth so many as do preach beyonde the scripture Yea and she suspecteth euerie reuelation euerie prophecie euerie Tradition to bee briefe euerie rule of faith which is not grounded in the Law and the Prophets and the Gospel And the high perfection of the chiefe authoritie of the Scripture doeth not depende of the Church or of any testimonie of man but chiefly of the witnesse of the holy Ghost For the allowing of this doctrine went before the Church which was called sprong and increased by the worde and which is stayed vp by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles as by a ground worke or proppe Although we doe not denie that the authoritie of the Church is then of some weight when as it consenteth and agreeth with the authoritie of the Scripture both for this purpose that the scriptures may be beleeued and also for this that the Scriptures may be well vnderstanded But the Church doeth not make newe articles of the fayth or a newe interpretation but is a witnesse and a restorer of the true and incorrupt meaning deliuered in the Scriptures and by the voice of the Apostles and carieth before her the light of the woorde to put awaye the darkenesse brought into the Scriptures by Heretikes And this is the care of the Church alwayes to confirme by Scripture whatsoeuer shee appoint For shee doeth reuerently acknowledge that her authoritie doeth staye it selfe by the woorde and doeth depende of the woorde For the Scripture is a plaine sure and infallible note of the Church For in the Scripture and no where else in so great varietie of sectes and repugnancie of opinions is the Church to bee sought knowne and prooued and by it to bee esteemed Where the Scripture is heard there is the Church there doe the sheepe knowe the voyce of the sheepheard And if the doctrine of trueth bee buried the Church vanisheth forthwith from mens eyes Neither doeth the Church reigne ouer our fayth neither doeth shee require to bee beleeued but so farre foorth as shee speaketh the woordes of god For when as shee doeth confesse that shee receiueth her authoritie and credite from the Scripture onely shee submitteth her selfe obediently to the holie Scriptures Therefore whatsoeuer shee affirmeth or denieth whatsoeuer shee appointeth or commaundeth or disappointeth or forbiddeth shee woulde haue it knowne and beleeued that shee bringeth foorth therein not her owne or anie other mans or creatures but the wordes and sense of God but of Christ Therefore the Church doeth not erre for she followeth her owne iudgement in nothing but euery where and in all thinges obeyeth Gods worde wherein there is no darkenesse no errours And if she do otherwise this saying of Scripture is true Let euerie man be a lyer and God onely true In deede the Church is the piller and ground of truth because she is keeper of sounde doctrine and publisheth it to them which come after least it should faile in the worlde And that is the holie and diuine Scripture which the consent of the Church doeth allowe and approoue but this consent and this approbation is not the deuise of man but a necessarie confession and a testification expressed by the force of the truth which doeth not bring to passe that the authoritie of the

had beene asked whether they would haue preferred their owne authoritie before the scriptures They would neuer haue done it Nay contrarily hauing acknowledged and receiued the said Scriptures they submitted themselues wholy vnto them and esteemed them as the most certaine rule guide and direction of their faith life Wherfore this is a weake and feble argument The Church accepted and discerned the books of holy Scripture from other Therefore the authoritie of the church is more excellēt For we also acknowledge one true God and allow Iesus Christ and put difference betweene him and Idols and betweene him the Diuel and yet cannot inferre herevpon that we are more excellent than Christ or god In like manner our minde alloweth and receiueth the prouocations and motions of the holy Ghost to reade to pray to liue chastly and discerneth them from the wicked entisementes of the worlde of the Diuell and of the fleshe and yet our minde may not therefore be called either better or more excellent than the holy Ghost Againe when a man endued with the perfect knowledge of Philosophie shall receiue Plato or Aristotle or Galen as noble Philosophers and shall preferre them before Epicure Aristippus and Democritus shall hee in consideration of this his iudgement presume to preferre his owne authoritie before Galene or Aristotle or Plato And there be many men of so perfecte iudgement that they can discerne the counterfeite verses of Virgil or Ouid from their true verses yet are they in knowledge farre inferiour to Virgil and Ouid Euen so the Churche ought not for this cause to preferre her credite or authoritie before the holy Scriptures This argument as we saide is weake and the Maxime with they gather hereof is false Those thinges which the Churche hath deliuered and proposed euen without any testimonie of Scripture ought to haue the same authoritie as hath the Canonicall Scripture vnto whō the church haue geuen authoritie In deede the holy Scripture is allowed by the common cōsent of the Church but this consent is not mans deuise but a necessary confession and an expressed testification proceding of the trueth of the matter And yet the Churche by meanes of this testification hath not reputed her selfe greater or more excellent then the Scripture but hath reuerently committed her selfe to the gouernement of the Scripture It is therefore plaine by the premisses howe the Church standeth towarde the worde of God written Shee is the faithfull keeper defendour of the worde she extolleth it by witnessing with it by setting it foorth by preaching it by defending it by mainteining it And yet doeth shee depend wholely of it as of the rule of her fayth shee changeth nothing shee altereth nothing shee addeth nothing shee taketh away nothing Shee is as it were a Notarie which keepeth safely testamentes when as notwithstanding hee hath no authoritie aboue the last will of the testatour for if hee shoulde chaunge or alter it hee shoulde not bee taken for a faithfull Notarie but for a falsifier and a forger of testamentes The .xvi. Chapter Of this saying of Augustine I would not beleeue the Gospel but that the authoritie of the Church mooueth mee also BEcause the Pope his side doe see that the Scripture maketh against them to diminish the authoritie thereof they contende that the authoritie of the Church the title whereof they doe pretende by their deuises and decrees is rather to be esteemed than of the Scriptures because the Scriptures cannot retaine their credit without the Church But how vaynely they dispute heereof we haue alreadie shewed by manie most strong argumentes But they obiect vnto vs the authoritie of the holy man of God Augustine which wrote thus against the Epistle of a Manichee which they call Fundamenti I woulde not beleeue the Gospel but that the authoritie of the Church mooueth me also Notwithstanding Augustine thinketh not that the authoritie of the Church is greater than the authoritie of the woorde of GOD neither doeth hee graunte vnto the Church authoritie to ordeine anie thing against the woord of God or to make newe articles of the faith or to abolish the articles deliuered in the woord of God he onely deemeth the Church to be a teacher and a witnesse We could not beleeue the Gospel were it not that the Church taught vs and witnessed that this doctrine was deliuered by the Apostles The same Augustine in the xxviii booke the second chapter against Faustus writeth that the Manichees ought so to beleeue the first Chapter of Matthewe which those heretikes receiued not to be written by Matthew as he did beleue the epistle which they called Fundamentum to be Manichees because it was so kept by their ancetours and deliuered from hand to hande Hee writeth that he was also mooued by agreeable testimonies of the first Church not to doubt that these bookes were deliuered by the Apostles and by them which are worthie credit Therfore herevpon it is that the Church mooueth vs also to beleeue the Gospel because shee keepeth the holy Scriptures faithfully preacheth them and discerneth them from others And he speaketh of the primitiue and Apostolike Churche as Gerson Chauncellour of Paris a man in his age most excellent doeth in the same place most wisely say Hee taketh the Church for the primitiue congregation of those faithfull whiche hearde Christ and sawe him and were his witnesses For whilest the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were yet liuing when as diuerse Gospels were sette foorth in the Churche they which had seene Christ and hearde his Apostles coulde witnesse what was naturall and what was Bastardlike In like manner Tertullian and Irenaeus commende vnto vs the authoritie of the first Churche receiue the writinges approoued by the Catholike consent of the first Churche and did therefore sende heretikes to the Apostolike Churches because they did not receiue the whole scriptures Wherefore they woulde that they shoulde receiue the estimation of the Scriptures from those churches wherin it was manifestly knowen that the Apostles taught For it was euident that those Churches had bene continually the witnesses and keepers of the bookes of holy Scripture and yet they did not for that cause ordeyne that the authoritie of the Churche ought to be preferred before the Scriptures But if the Apostolike Churche bee not preferred before the Scripture muche lesse ought this congregation of mitred men whiche are not so aptly termed the Churche as the corruption and eating canker of the church to bee preferred before the sayde Scriptures But they obiecte against vs this rule which is commonly spoken of by Logicians Whatsoeuer it is that is the cause that any thing else is indued with a qualitie the same thing shall rather be iudged to bee indued with the same qualitie Herevpon they reason in this maner If the scripture haue her authoritie because of the Churche then doeth it followe that the saide authoritie is rather in the Church then

appointmentes of God and the comming of his beloued Iesus Christ our Lorde and that his generation which is of the virgin and his passion and his resurrection from the deade and his ascention in the fleshe into Heauen and his comming from Heauen in the glorie of the Father to finishe all thinges and to raise vp againe all fleshe of mankinde that vnto Christ Iesus our Lorde and GOD and Sauiour and King according to the will of the inuisible Father euerie knee may bee bowed of thinges in heauen in earth and vnder the earth and that euerie tongue may confesse him and that he may doe iust iudgement in all and that he may cast the Angels of spiritual wickednesse hauing transgressed and beeing become Apostataes and also vngodly and vniust and wicked and blasphemous men into eternall fire And that hee maye bestowe as a gift incorruption vpon the iust and vpright hauing kept his commandements and continued in his loue some frō the beginning and some by repentance giuing them life and may cloth them with euerlasting clearenesse Where as the Church hath receiued this preaching and this faith as wee haue before sayde being dispersed into the whole worlde she doth diligently keepe as dwelling in one house and in like maner beleeueth these things euen as hauing one soule and one heart agreeably preacheth and teacheth and deliuereth the same as possessing one mouth For although there be vnlike speaches in the worlde yet the vertue of the tradition is all one and the verie same Neither do those Churches which are founded in Germanie beleeue otherwise or teach otherwise nor those which are in Spain nor those which are in Frāce nor those which are in the East nor those which are in Egypt nor those which are in Lybia nor those which are placed in the midst of the worlde but as the Sunne being the creature of God is all one the selfe same in the vniuersall world euen so the light also that is the preaching of the truth shineth euery where lighteneth all mē which are willing to come to the knowledge of the truth Neither doeth he which excelleth in speach among thē which gouerne the Church say any other things but these For no man is aboue his maister neither hath hee which is weak in speaking lessened the tradition For seeing that the faith is al one the selfe same neither he which can say much maketh it more nor he whiche can saye lesse maketh it lesse Thus farre Ire This is therfore the tradition of the Apostles this is the true antiquitie of the Church this is the catholike consent And this is worthie to bee considered that hee affirmeth that those which were most eloquent among them which gouerne the Churches will say none other thinges but these Therefore so oft as the Papistes fable touching other trifles they are to be iudged to depart from the tradition of the Apostles from the vnitie of fayth and from the Catholike consent And Irenaeus rehearseth in the next Chapter as it were the common places which the Pastours of the Primitiue Church were accustomed to handle And of what matters did they then dispute Of Purgatorie Of the worshipping of Images Of holie water and of other Popishe trifles Not so Of what then Of the Apostacie of the Angels which transgressed of the fall and disobedience of the first men of the temporall and heauenly and earthly promises of the diuerse appearinges of GOD of the difference of the Testamentes why GOD concluded all thinges vnder vnbeleefe that hee might haue mercie vpon all of the cause of the incarnation and passion of the woorde why the Sonne of God came in the last times and not in the beginning of the calling of the Gentils of the ende of the worlde of the resurrection of the fleshe and of other questions of the like sorte drawen foorth of the middest of the Scripture Whereby it is plaine that nothing was accustomed to bee handled then in the Churche beside the Scriptures Againe the same Irenaeus sayth lib. 3. cap. 4. Forsomuch therefore as there be so great proofes we must not still seeke this truth among other which we may easily receiue from the church considering that the Apostles most plentifully layed vp in her as in a riche storehouse all thinges which appertayne to the truth that euery one that woulde might take foorth of her the water of life For she is the entraunce of life and all others are theeues and robbers for the which cause wee must auoyd them and must loue with great diligence those things which are the churches and to holde fast the tradition of the trueth For what and if any man reason of any small question ought hee not to haue recourse to the most auncient Churche wherein the Apostles were conuersant and to take from them touching the present question that which is certaine and verie playne But what and if the Apostles had not left vnto vs the Scriptures ought we not to folowe the order of the tradition which they deliuered to them vnto whom they committed the Churches vnto the which ordinaunce many nations of those barbarous people which beleeue in Christ doe assent hauing saluation written in their heartes by the spirite without character or ynke and keeping diligently the olde tradition beleeuing in one God the maker of heauen and earth and of all thinges which are in them through Christ Iesus the Sonne of God ▪ which for the most tender loue towarde his owne workemanshippe Man sustained that generation which was of the Virgin he himselfe of himselfe vniting the manhood to the Godhead and suffering vnder Pontius Pilate and rising againe and in clearnesse receiued in glorie to come the Sauiour of them which are saued and the iudge of them which are iudged and sending into eternall fire the counterfeiters of the trueth and the dispisers of his Father and of his comming They which beleeued this fayth without writing as touching their speache are barbarous but as touching their iudgement and custome and conuersation throughe their fayth are most wise and please GOD walking in all vprightnesse and chastitie and wisedome Heere hast thou agayne the true and auncient tradition of the Apostles described by Irenaeus whiche deliuereth nothing without and beside the Scripture but containeth the summe of the whole Scripture Nowe it remayneth likewise that wee heare Tertullian bearing witnesse of the tradition of the Apostles also The rule of faith saieth he is euen this whereby wee beleeue that there is but one God and none other but the maker of the worlde which brought all thinges foorth of nothing by his worde first of al sent foorth that that woorde was called his sonne in the name of the same God was diuersely seene of the Patriarches was alwayes hearde in the Prophetes was lastly brought by the spirite and power of God into the Virgin Marie was made fleshe in her wombe and was borne man of her

doting and fabulous deuises into the Churche and did not erre himselfe onely from the sinceritie and purenes of the faith but gaue occasion of erring to many woorthie men also For Irenaeus Tertullian Apollinarius Victorinus Lactantius and many other famous and woorthie men as Hierome witnesseth imbraced this doting toy of the thousande yeares as a tradition of the Apostles Good God what men became companions of this errour pretending as Eusebius saieth the antiquitie of the errour of so woorthie a man euen of Papias their guide Beholde whether the authority of traditions not written once receiued may leade vs out of the way O laudable agreement of traditions with the Scripture spoken of by Policarpe an Apostolicall man also whiche kepte him in the kinges highe way Therefore this deceite and guile of vnwrittē traditions stuck in the church which gaue occasion of going out of the right way euen to them which seeme to defende the Churche which may be proued by many examples whereof I will recite one or two which are plaine The fame of Clement of Alexādria is great in all antiquitie And hee was a man which both most diligētly searched forth and greatly reuerenced vnwritten traditions Wherefore he sayeth that the labourer which is sent foorth into the Lordes haruest hath a double husbandrie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnwritten written And hee yeeldeth this reason why hee searched other traditions touching the doctrines of faith beside the Scripture because forsooth the Lorde did not reueale to manie those thinges which did not belong to manie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secretes saieth hee are committed to woorde not to writing Also Mysteries are deliuered mystically And in his fifth booke of Stromates hee disputeth at large that euen as the Philosophers did so hide certayne secretes touching their doctrines that they shoulde not bee knowen to all men so doeth the Apostle also reteining that auncient conceyling say Wee speake wisedome among them that ●re perfect Hee citeth also foorth of a ●ertaine Apocriphall Gospell this pre●ept of the Lorde My mysterie is mine owne and the Sonnes of mine house But if it may please you to compare the one with the other you ●hall finde that these are the very selfe same thinges whiche in Irenaeus and Tertullian the Valentinians Carpocratians and other Heretikes alledge for the defence and confirmation of their doctrines Therefore although this iudgement in Heretikes were then grauely repressed by Irenaeus and Tertullian yet Clement his talke doeth shewe that the infection stucke in the Churche to the posteritie And Clement doeth extoll in many woordes a certayne kinde of Gnostikes whom in these woordes hee describeth That is the knowledge which maketh a true Gnostike which commeth deliuered without writing by succession to a few from the Apostles This description of Clement is to be noted For although the heresie of the Gnostikes were condemned in the Church yet certaine seedes of this plague remained in the Churche and that in greate men Therefore Clement doeth magnifie vnwritten traditions and doeth not onely make them equall with the Scriptures but see whither this rule of traditions doeth lead him out of the way yea casteth him downe headlong I wil report of manie thinges a fewe whereby it shall appeare howe perilous a thing it is to followe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinges vnwritten He intermedleth the Gospel with the decrees of Philosophie and maketh it equal with the lawe of god For saith he as the law was an instruction for the Iewes to Christ so was philosophie for the Greekes also And he attributeth power to iustifie to both as well to the lawe as to Philosophie which is most manifestly against the doctrine of Paule He ●enieth that men committing sinne after ●aptism ought to be receiued into grace ●hich also is contrary to the doctrine of ●e Gospel and the consent of the Catho●●ke Churche Hee yeeldeth place to re●entance after this life in his sixth booke ●e contendeth in manie wordes that the ●reekes were saued through Philoso●hie which iudgement if we do imbrace 〈◊〉 not Christ dead in vaine according to ●e doctrine of Paule Is not Christ be●●me vnto vs of none effect and doe wee ●t fal from grace to make short he reue●ceth many doting toyes as traditions 〈◊〉 the Apostles Loe whither they fall ●hich wil be wise beyond the scripture Origen his witte than the which ●here was skant any other among the fa●hers of the Church either more fine or ●ore excellēt was depraued by this Clement who had vnwritten traditions in so ●reat admiratiō For he hath stuffed full his bookes euerie where with straunge ●octrines which hee had receiued from Clement vnder the title of the traditions of the Apostles wherevppon he is so often noted reprooued and nipped both of the olde writers and of the newe Hierom calleth Origen his doctrines impoysoned But from whence supped he his poyson but from the instruction of Clement And by whom was Clement deceiued but by the admiration studie and reuerence of suche traditions In deede the Apocriphall booke of Hormas the Pastour doeth teache that in the interpretation o● Scripture wee must departe from the letter and searche foorth the allegorie Clement receiued this as a tradition of the Apostles and deliuered it to Origen vnder the same title Herevppon was kindled an incredible desire in this man to transforme the Scriptures into allegories with the infection of the which disease it is woonderfull howe hee corrupted afterwarde the mindes of all doctours For after they had once tasted the sweetnesse of allegories as of a more loftie vnderstanding they vaunted themselues immoderately and brought euery thing to allegories so that euerie one thought that he might lawfully say what he woulde herein And this euill did not stay it selfe within the East but inuaded Afrike Italie France and Spayne also So by a little and a little the purenesse of Christian Theologie was transformed into a certaine Philosophie And wee may thanke suche traditions for this fruite And Epiphanius was a great boaster of such traditions who sometime alledgeth thinges vnder this title which are taken foorth of Apocriphall writers What neede many woordes Whosoeuer haue beene bewitched with the admiration of suche like traditions they haue all turned from the purenes of the Apostles doctrine vnto strange opinions vnsauorie follies So that these traditions seme vnto me to be like the meteorologicall fire which will burne nothing which naturall Philosophers call leaping goates For as that fire appeareth in the night ouer moist fēnie places leadeth trauellers in the night out of their way if they meruayle at it and bee afrayde to beholde it vppon the which fraude it is called in Duitche Droechliecht deceitfull lighte euen so the Ghost or phantasticall appearance of Tradition leadeth them which haue it in admiration out of the way from trueth and throweth thē into errours And this

Church is greater or of like credite with the authoritie of the Scripture But the Church of the wicked which not onely heareth not God his worde but most cruelly persecuteth and killeth them which beleeue the Gospel besides this is grounded wholy vpō mens traditions declareth manifestly that shee is of him of whom it is written Ye are of your father the Diuel and the lustes of your father will ye doe he was a murtherer from the beginning abode not in the trueth because there is no truth in him For she is knowne what she is by the fruites of her Herodlike crueltie vanitie bewitchings and corruptions But the spouse of Christ heareth the voice of her bridegroome and submitteth her selfe to him as it is meete Her chastitie is not to bee withdrawne from the singlenesse of Christ as Paul witnesseth Therefore shee erreth not which followeth God his trueth for a rule from the which if shee depart shee is no longer a spouse but becommeth an harlot Therefore he which iudgeth that the definitions of the reuolting church ought to be heard without choise any exception compelleth the faithful Christ being denied and Gods trueth forsaken often times to sticke fast to iniquitie so that the iudgement of such a Church can in no respect be a most exact rule of fayth But the holie Ghost sayeth plainly of the Scripture that the man which bestoweth his diligent trauaile in the holie Scriptures becommeth learned to saluation which is prepared after this life then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say perfect lastly furnished instructed and as Ambrose yeeldeth it thorowly appointed and prouided to euerie good worke Thou hast here gentle reader a treatise of the authoritie of the Scripture and of the Church penned by me verie grossely and almost rudely which God graunt it may recompence the largenes thereof with due commoditie and profite I could excuse the infancie and the disordered inditing thereof but that I feare to inlarge it by excusing the same Therfore I beseech the learned eares to pardon my baren want of eloquence the rudenesse of my style For I haue not written these things for the learned but being my selfe rude simple for the rude simple The Lord Iesus breake in peeces the moste hurtfull corde of contention with the spirit of trueth and of true concorde and pluck vppe by the roote and put away from all vs which professe his name the offence of discentions among vs that we may all speake one thing and be ioyned togither with one minde and iudgement in him to whome be praise honour and glorie for euermore Amen FINIS Certaine additions by the Translator AVgustine in his Booke Of the vnitie of the Church the 16. Chapter vrging the Donatistes saith Let them shew none otherwise but by the Canonical books of the Scriptures whether they haue the Church For neither doe we say that we ought heerevpon to be beleeued because we are in the Church of Christ because Melenitanus Optatus or Ambrose of Millane or other innumerable Bishopes of our fellowship commended that Church which we haue Or because it is preached by the councels of our fellowes in office Or because so great miracles either of hearings or of healings are wrought thorowe out all the world in holy places which our fellowship doeth frequent Or that men ought to departe from Donatus his side because such an one sawe a dreame and such an one beeing rauished in the spirite heard a voice Whatsoeuer of this sort are done in the catholike Church are therfore approued because they are done in the Catholike Churche the Catholike Church is not therfore made knowen because these things are done in her The Lord Iesus him selfe when hee rose from the deade and offered his body to be beholden with his disciples eyes and to bee touched with their handes yet leste they should thinke that they were any whit deceiued or deluded iudged that they ought rather to be confirmed with the testimonies of the lawe and Prophetes Psalmes shewing that those thinges were fulfilled concerning him which had bene foretolde so long before So did he commend his Church also saying that repentaunce and remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name c. He hath witnessed that this is written in the lawe and the Prophetes and the Psalmes this doe wee holde beeing commended by his mouth These bee the documentes of our cause these bee the foundations these bee the confirmations We read in the Actes of the Apostles spoken of certaine which beleeued that they searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things were so What Scriptures I pray you but the Canonicall Scriptures of the lawe and the prophets Hereunto are added the Gospels the Epistles of the Apostles the Actes of the Apostles and the Reuelation of Iohn Searche all these and picke out some manifeste Proofe whereby you may shewe that either the Church remained onely in Afrike or that shee should come foorth of Afrike But bring forth somewhat which needeth not an interpreter nor wherby you may be conuicted that it was spoken of an other matter that you goe aboute to wreast it to your owne sense Hierome to Mimerius and Alexander sayth Neither according to the scholers of Pythagoras is the preiudiciall opinion of the teacher to be wayed but the reason of the doctrine But if any of a contrary faction murmure saying Why should I read their e●clamations vnto whose opinions I doe not assent Let him know that I doe willinglie heare this saying of the Apostle Examine all things hold fast that which is good ▪ and the woordes of our Sauiour saying try ye the coine so wel that if there be any counterfeit money and haue not Caesar his image neither bee signed with the common coine it may bee reprooued And that that money which doth represent the face of Christe in the cleere light may be layed vp in the purse of our heart And a little after hee sayth My purpose is to reade the auncient Writers to try all thinges to holde those thinges which are good and not to departe frō the faith of the church Psal. 120.4 The prayse of the Church of Christ Irenaeus aduersus haeres lib. 3. ca. 4 Rom. 10.15 What the aduersaries gather of the authoritie of the Church August contra epist. Manichaeorum fundament cap. 5. Manie things say the aduersaries are to be beleeued which are not written Mat. 18.17 1. Tim. 3.15 Io. 16.7 13. Hierem. 31.33 Matth. 28.19 Mark. 16.15 Against the persons of the aduersarie Why they do attribute so much to the Church and derogate from the Scripture They do imitate herein the olde heretikes Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 2. Augustin de haerisib ad quod vult Deum Tertul. lib. de haeresib Philaster lib. 1. Euseb Historia Ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 29. It is a pernicious errour to contend that the authoritie of the scripture must