countrey if upon imposed crimes by an appellant the defendant shall yeeld or be overcome in battell b Vâ—imo supplicio punietur cum poena gravi vel graviori secundum criminis qualitatem cum exhaeredatione haeredum suorum omnium bonorum amissione He shall be put to death with a grievous or more grievous pain according to the qualitie of the crime with the disinheriting of his heirs and losse of all his goods Furthermore though he were slain yet the formality of the Common-law proceeding adjudgeth him to capitall punishment that thereby his posterity may suffer the grievous concomitancy of his deserved infamy saith that most learned M. Selden my most courteous and loving friend in his Duello or Single Combat pag. 30. 5. But let us come from the sword where things are cut out with more rigour if not crucltie unto matters Ecclesiasticall and so more civil and peaceable Did not S. Peter stand in stead of all the Apostles when Christ said to him Joh. 21.15 16. Feed my lambes Feed my sheep And again Feed my sheep vers 17. Likewise when Christ said to him Matth. 16.19 I will give unto thee the keyes of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And when this promise to Peter was promised to the rest of the Apostles also Matth. 18.18 and when both these promises were fulfilled and accomplished as they were after Christs resurrection and not before and authoritie given and by a solemne ceremony exhibited by Christ not onely to S. Peter but to all and every of the Apostles saying Joh. 20.21 c. As my Father hath sent me even so send I you And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose soever sinnes ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sinnes ye retain they are retained Did not the Apostles represent the whole body of the Ministery unlesse you will fable that in the Apostles dayes they had more need of remission of sinnes then we have now or that Christ loveth not his Church now nor affordeth the like means of pardon and reconciliation as he did in those times But by the same deceitfulnesse of cavillation you may say as well that when Christ brake bread and gave it to his Disciples and said Take eat this is my body and gave the cup to them saying Drink ye all of it none but they might eat or drink the Supper of the Lord. But it is undeniable that when Christ said to his twelve Apostles Luk. 22.19 This is my body which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me he spake it to them as representours of the whole Priesthood onely who onely have power to consecrate the body and bloud of our Lord. Indeed Hierome saith c Quid facit Episcopus exceptâ Ordinatione quod Presbyter non facitâ— Epist 85. ad Euag. What doth a Bishop except Ordination which a Priest doth not as if the Apostles represented the Bishops in that point onley and the Centuriatours acknowledge that the first Bishops after the Apostles were made Bishops by the Apostles and they say no more then is confirmed 1. Timothy 5.22 and Titus 1.5 Act. 20.28 But other Fathers extend the comparison between the Apostles and Bishops to other matters appropriating to the Bishops above the Presbyters the power of Confirmation and divers other things All which though we grant yet no man will deny but for preaching baptizing and especially for consecrating of the Eucharist and Sacerdotall Absolution or Ministeriall Remission of sinnes the Apostles represented not the people in any wise nor the Bishops onely but the universall body of Christs Ministers And do not among us the Right Reverend Arch-bishops and Bishops and the Clergy assembled in the Convocation represent the whole Church of England are not they our Nationall Councel do not their Articles of Religion binde in conscience all and every one of the Church of England as much if not more then Civill laws Nor is there the like humane authority on earth for the setling of our consciences in matters of Scripture or Scriptures controverted or to be controverted as the externall publick breathing voice of a true Oecumenical Councel of the Patriarchs Bishops and choice Divines of the Christian world The essentiall universall Church of Christ is and we must beleeve it is the house of God the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3.15 It never erred it cannot erre its iudgement is infallible The Spirit leadeth this Church into all truth Joh. 16.13 Of the Church of God consisting of the faithfull in any one age or time I dare say it never did erre damnably or persisted in smaller errours obstinately but alwayes some truly maintained things necessary to salvation and unto this fluctuant militant part of the Church Christ hath promised to be with it to the end of the world Matt. 28.20 The whole visible Church at no time can fall into heresie but some seek after the truth and embrace it and professe it Subject it is to nesciency of some things and perhaps to some kinde of ignorance but it cannot erre in things necessary nor in lesse matters schismatically with obdurate pertinacy Of the representative Church of Christ in Councels this may be said truly and safely viz. Of the first six Generall Oecumenicall Councels not one de facto erred in any definition of matters of faith Of other lawfull general Councels that may hereafter be called though I will not deny but they may possibly be deceived as they are men and therefore are not free from errability but if such Councels may erre or pronounce amisse cannot coblers yet there is least likelihood of their erring Such Oecumenical Councels have the supremest publick externall definitive judgement in matters of Religion if any oppose them they may not onely silence them but censure them with great censures and reduce them into order Private spirits must sit down and rest in their determinations else do the Councels lose operam oleum What S. Ambrose Epist 32. said of one general Councell d Sequor tractatum Niceni Concilii à quo me 〈◊〉 mors nec gladius 〈◊〉 separare I follow the decision of the Nicene Councel from which neither death nor sword shall be able to separate me I say of all true and generall Councels and of the major part of them who binde the rest without which issue the gathering of Councels yea and of Parliaments also would be ridiculous For though it were a true and just complaint of Andreas Duditius Quinquecclesiensis Episcopus That in the Conventicle of Trent the voices were rather numbred then well weighed yet he doth not he cannot finde fault with that course in a just and lawfull Generall Councel but directeth his complaint against the tyrannicall power of the Pope
The easie things any man may judge of in the more abstruse the voice of the Pastours is to be followed c Quam clavem habebant Legis Dectores nisi interpretationem legis What key had the Doctours of the law saith Tertullian in the same place but the interpretation of the law So the key of interpretation rests in the ministery for things which need interpretation as hard places do though the key of agnition in things unto which their knowledge can aspire is permitted yea commended unto all men and they who withhold this key of knowledge from the people are accursed by Christ Luke 11.52 To the further explaining of my opinion let us consider in a Church corrupted these two sorts of people First the Magistrates either Civil or Ecclesiasticall And we will subdivide them into the Wilfully blinde and the Purblinde Of the first were some Bishops and Nobles and Gentry in Queen Maries dayes who hunted after bloud even the bloud of innocents and strained their authority to the highest Such is now the Inquisition falsly called the holy house with all the chief officers thereof such in the dayes of Christ were divers Scribes Pharisees Sadduces and some Rulers of the people who knowing the truth to be on Christs side by his doing such miracles as no man ever did before did choke and strangle their belief made shipwrack of their consciences resisted the holy Spirit who would neither go into the kingdome of heaven nor suffer others that were entering to go in against whom Christ pronounced wo upon wo Matth. 23.13 c. For they took away the key of knowledge Luke 11.52 and purposely kept the people ignorant and blinde According to their demerits there are reserved for them intima inferni the depths of hell blacknesse of darknesse and the greatest torments thereof without repentance The next tribe or sort are the purblinde Magistracy either Secular or Clergy Such were divers in the dayes of Queen Mary who had learning enough to know that all went not right yet did not vehemently oppose the truth but did swimme with the stream made the time their stern the whole Church turning and returning three or foure times in one age These were seduced as well as seducers Such also at this day are divers in the Papacy more moderate lesse rigid and rigorous concealing some truths they know because they have given up their hearts and beliefs to trust in their Church for such things as they do not know though they have means to learn and capacitie to understand if they would and therefore are faulty Such also were divers in the Jewish Church and State Ye killed the Prince of life saith S. Peter to the people Acts 3.15 And now brethren I wot that through ignorance ye did it as did also your rulers Such were those Pharisees Matth. 15.12 who were offended with Christ of whom Christ saith vers 14. They be blinde leaders of the blinde And if the blinde lead the blinde both shall fall into the ditch d In foveam peecati inferni Into the ditch of sinne and hell saith Hugo Cardinalis on the place e Cùm pastor per abrupta graditur necesse est ut grex in praecipitium ducatur When the shepherd goes by craggie clifts the flock must needs fall headlong and break their necks saith Gregory f Duces praeceptores fovea infernus The guides are the teachers and the ditch is hell saith Faber Stapulensis on the place So much of the purblinde Magistracy Clericall or Laicall in a corrupted Church From the Magistrates in the first place we descend to the people in the second place whom we also divide into their severall ranks and files In the generall they are either learned or unlearned The learned are first such as go against their conscience and practise contrary to their knowledge and belief sailing with winde and tide and because they will be found fault withall by the fewest they will do as the most do Timorous hypocrites they are fearing persecution losse of goods liberty and life more then they fear God who is able to destroy both body and soul for whom is kept the allotment of hypocrites brimstone and fire storm and tempest ignis vermis this shall be their portion to drink without repentance An other sort of learned men professing truth there are in a corrupted Church and each of them forsooth will be a reformer of the publick these despise government are presumptuous self-willed they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities 2. Pet. 2.10 speaking evil of the things that they understand not vers 12. as out of question they understand not all things which in their carping humour they censure people-pleasers ambitious of esteem full of words running as much after their own will as after their consciences hearty enough to draw on danger obstinate enough to provoke death Of these men though they die for some truths yet because they have a mixture of many errours in their intellect perversenesse in their will and ill grounded ill bounded affections wanting those godly endowments of charity before spoken of we may pronounce as the Apostle did They shall utterly perish in their own corruption 2. Pet. 2.12 Such a fellow was he and his like of whom g Anno 1543. Mr. Fox reporteth that when Christ said This is my body interpreted the words to this effect The word of God is to be broken distributed and eaten So when Christ said This is my bloud the blessed words are missensed as if Christ had then said The Scripture must be given to the people and received by them By which forced exposition the seal of our redemption is troden under foot the thrice-blessed sacrament of the bodie and bloud of our Lord is utterly annihilated whereas indeed in the words of consecration there are included verba concionatoria praedicanda words predicatorie and serving for doctrine I will not esteem him as an holy perfect martyr who dieth with such crotchets in his brain such pride in his heart Such an one was Ravaillac who for conscience sake forsooth stabbed the Anointed of the Lord the Heros of our time his naturall Soveraigne Henry the fourth of France He followed his conscience but his conscience had ill guides When he had outfaced tortures and death it self though he thought that he died a martyr if he died unrepentant the powers of hell gat hold upon him Such manner of people were those Jews who in most desperate fashion said His bloud be on us and on our children Matt. 27.25 Do you think they all were wholly ignorant do you think they all swerved against their consciences or rather medled they not in things above their callings were they not too presumptuous Thus though they had the knowledge of some truths and perhaps would have died for them yet their zeal wanted more and better knowledge to have rectified their consciences and they should have called
representative is imputed to us 85 CHAP. VI. 1. ORiginall sinne is propagated unto us Originall sinne properly is not in the flesh before the union with the soul 90 2. Bishop Bilson Mollerus Kemnitius and Luther in an errour Bishop Bilsons arguments answered Conception taken strictly by Physicians c. We are not conceived in originall sinne if we respect this conception Conception taken largely by Divines Thus we were conceived in sinne 92 3. A Physicall Tractate of conception clearing the point 97 4. A Discourse touching aborsives and abortives Balthasar Bambach answered The Hebrew vowels not written at first when the consonants were Never any wrote till God had written the Two Tables 98 5. The manner how the soul contracteth originall sinne pointed at Bodily things may work upon the soul 103 6. Righteous men have unrighteous children The contagion of originall sinne is quickly spread 106 7. No sinne or sinnes of any of our parents immediate or mediate do hurt the souls of their children but onely one and that the first sinne of Adam 109 CHAP. VII 1. A Review of the last point Zanchius not against it Bucer and Martyr are but faint and rather negative then positive 112 2. Bucer and Martyr make the state of the question to be voluble not fixt and setled Their objections answered The place of Exodus 20.5 examined 113 3. S. Augustine appealed unto and defended 116 4. God justly may and doth punish with any temperall punishment any children like or unlike unto their parents for their parents personall sinnes 118 5. God doth and may justly punish some children eternally and all temporally for originall sinne whether they be like their parents in actuall aversion yea or no. 121 6. God justly punisheth even eternally wicked children if they resemble wicked parents ibid. 7. God oftentimes punisheth one sinne with another ibid. 8. The personall holinesse of the parent never conveyed grace or salvation to the sonne ibid. 9. God never punished eternally the reall iniquities of the fathers upon their children if the children were holy ibid. 10. No personall sinnes can be communicated The point handled at large against the errour of Bucer and Martyr 123 11. The arguments or authorities for my opinion The new Writers not to be overvalued Zanchius himself is against Bucer and Martyr 133 CHAP. VIII 1. ORiginall sinne came not by the law of Moses but was before it in the world 138 2. God hath good reason and justice to punish us for our originall sinne in Adam Gods actions defended by the like actions of men 139 3. Husbands represent their wives The men of Israel represented the women Concerning the first-born of men and beasts The primogeniture and redemption of the first-born 140 4. The whole bodie is punished for the murder committed by one hand Corporations represent whole cities and towns and Parliaments the bodie of the Realm Their acts binde the whole Kingdome Battelling champions and duellists ingage posteritie 144 5. S. Peter represented the Apostles The Apostles represent sometimes the Bishops sometimes the whole Clergie The Ministers of the Convocation represent the whole Church of England The authoritie of Generall Councels Nationall Synods must be obeyed 147 6. Private spirits censured Interpretation of Scripture not promiscuously permitted An Anabaptisticall woman displayed 149 7. Another woman reproved for her new-fangled book in print Scriptures not to be expounded by anagrams in Hebrew much lesse in English but with reverence How farre the people are to beleeve their Pastours 152 8. Saul represented an entire armie Joshua and the Princes binde the Kingdome of Israel for long time after 183 9. Christ represented us Christ and Adam like in some things in others unlike Christ did and doth more good for us then Adam did harm 184 The Contents of the second book CHAPTER I. Sect. 1. THe question propounded and explained Fol. 1. 2. Armenius or rather his sonne Zoroaster dead and revived ibid. 3. Antillus dead and living again because the messenger of death mistook him in stead of Nicandas Nicandas died in his stead 2 4. A carelesse Christian died and recovered life lived an Anchorite twelve yeares died religiously ibid. CHAP. II. 1. A Division of such as have been raised They all died 3 2. The widow of Zarephath her sonne raised yet died again supposed to be Jonas the Prophet The Shunammites sonne raised not to an eternall but to a temporary resurrection A good and a better resurrection 4 3. Christ the first who rose not to die again 5 4. The man raised in the sepulchre of Elisha arose not to immortalitie ibid. CHAP. III. 1. WHilest Christ lived none raised any dead save himself onely 6 2. The rulers daughter raised by Christ died again ibid. 3. So did the young man whom Christ recalled to life 7 4. Many miracles in that miracle of Lazarus his resurrection ibid. 5. Christ gave perfect health to those whom he healed or raised 8 6. Lazarus his holy life and his second death 9 CHAP. IIII. 1. TAbitha died again 9 2. So did Eutychus 10 3. They who were raised about the Passion of Christ died not again as many ancient and late Writers do imagine Mr. Montague is more reserved ibid. CHAP. V. 1. VVHo were supposed to be the Saints which were raised by such as maintain that they accompanied Christ into heaven 12 2. A strange storie out of the Gospel of the Nazarens ibid. 3. Adams soul was saved Adams bodie was raised about Christs Passion saith Pineda out of diverse Fathers Thus farre Pineda hath truth by him That the sepulchre of Adam was on mount Calvarie so say Athanasius Origen Cyprian Ambrose Basil Epiphanius Chrysostom Augustine Euthymius Anastasius Sinaita Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople ibid. 4. It was applauded in the Church in Hieromes time 13 5. Theophylact thought Adam buried in Calvarie Drusius unadvisedly taxeth the Fathers Tertullian consenteth with other Fathers and Nonnus who is defended against Heinsius 14 6. At Jerusalem they now shew the place where Adams head was found Moses Barcepha saith that Sem after the floud buried the head of Adam 17 7. The Romane storie of Tolus and Capitolium much resembling the storie of Adam ibid. CHAP. VI. 1. HIerom saith Adam was not buried on mount Calvarie Both Hierom Adrichomius and Zimenes say he was buried in Hebron Hierom censured for doubling in this point by Bellarmine 19 2. Hieroms arguments answered 20 3. The Originall defended against Hierom in Josh 14.15 ADAM there is not a proper name but an appellative Arba is there is a proper name of a man Adrichomius erreth in Kiriath-Arbee and the words signifie not Civitas quatuor virorum The citie of foure men New expositions of Kiriath-Arbee ibid. 4. It may signifie as well Civitas quatuor rerum The citie of foure things as Quatuor hominum Of foure men The memorable monuments about Hebron 22 5. It may be interpreted Civitas quadrata quadrilatera quadrimembris quadricollis A citie fouresquare of foure sides
by the Evangelist Matth. 27.52 and 53 verses The graves were opened and many bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many So farre the text Of the various pointing of which words see more hereafter opening two windows for two expositions On which words divers worthy men both modern and ancient conclude That those Saints died not again k Sed apparuerunt multis etiam cum Christo nunquam ultrà morituri abierunt in coelum But appeared to many and with Christ never after were to die but went into heaven saith Jacobus Faber Stapulensis And Mr. Beza on this place opineth that they did not rise that again they might live among men and die as Lazarus and others did but that they might accompany Christ by whose power they rose into eternall life The late Writers saith Maldonate think that they went into heaven with Christ and with them doth himself agree So Pineda on Job 19.25 So Suarez a third Jesuit So Anselm So Aquinas on the place and on the Sentences So if Suarez cite them truely Origen in the first book to the Romanes about those words of the first chapter By the resurrection of Jesus our Lord and Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. 6. and Justinus Quaest 85. Ambrose in his Enarration on the first Psalme and Eusebius Demonst 4.12 and of modern Authours and of our Church Bishop Bilson in the effect of his Sermons touching the full redemption of mankinde by the death and bloud of Jesus Christ pag. 217. So Baronius ad annum Christi 48. num 24. concerning those Saints whom Christ piercing the heavens carried with himself on high leading captivitie captive Ephes 4.8 More reserved and moderate is Mr. Montague that indefatigable Student sometime my chamber-fellow and President in the Kings Colledge in Cambridge now the Reverend Lord Bishop of Chichester who in his answer to the Gag of the Protestants pag. 209. saith of these Saints They were Saints indeed deceased but restored to life and peradventure unto eternall life in bodies as well as souls MOst cleare Fountain of Wisdome inexhaustible wash I beseech thee the spots of my soul and in the midst of many puddles of errour cleanse my understanding that I may know and embrace the truth through Jesus Christ Amen CHAP. V. 1. Who were supposed to be the Saints which were raised by such as maintain that they accompanied Christ into heaven 2. A strange storie out of the Gospel of the Nazarens 3. Adams soul was saved Adams bodie was raised about Christs Passion saith Pineda out of diverse Fathers Thus farre Pineda hath truth by him That the sepulchre of Adam was on mount Calvarie so say Athanasius Origen Cyprian Ambrose Basil Epiphanius Chrysostom Augustine Euthymius Anastasius Sinaita Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople 4. It was applauded in the Church in Hieromes time 5. Theophylact thought Adam buried in Calvarie Drusius unadvisedly taxeth the Fathers Tertullian consenteth with other Fathers and Nonnus who is defended against Heinsius 6. At Jerusalem they now shew the place where Adam his head was found Moses Barcepha saith that Sem after the floud buried the head of Adam 7. The Romane storie of Tolus and Capitolium much resembling the storie of Adam 1. TO the clearing of this cloud and that we may carry the truth visibly before us I think it fit to enquire First Who these Saints were which thus miraculously arose and then secondly to determine Whether their bodies were again deposited in the earth till the resurrection or Whether in their bodies with Christ they ascended into heaven 2. For the first Hugo Cardinalis on Matth. 27.53 hath an old storie It is said saith he in the Evangelisme of the Nazarens that two good and holy men who were dead before about fourty yeares came into the Temple and saying nothing made signes to have pen ink and parchment and wrote That those who were in Limbus rejoyced upon Christs descent and that the devils sorrowed Though the rest be fabulous yet herein the Gospel of the Nazarens agreeth with our Gospel That the names of the raised are not mentioned Others have been bold to set down both the names and the order of them who arose 3. Augustine Epist 99. ad Euodium thus a De illo quidem primo homine patre generis humani quòd eum ibidem Christus ad inserna descendens solverit Ecclesia ferè tota conseutit Almost the whole Church agreeth That Christ descending into hell freed the first Adam thence That the Church beleeved this non inaniter not vainly but upon some good ground we are to beleeve from whence soever the tradition came though there be no expresse Scripture If this be true of Adams soul yet is it nothing to our question of his bodily resuscitation Proceed we therefore to those that think his very bodie was raised Adam then arose saith Athanasius in his Sermon of the Passion and the Crosse saith Origen in his 35 Tractate on Matthew saith Augustine 161 quest on Genesis and others also if Pineda on the fore-cited place wrong them not And he giveth this congruentiall reason That Adam who heard the sentence of death should presently also be partaker of the resurrection by Christ and with him who had expiated his sinne by death To which may be added That as S. Hierom reports the Jews have a tradition that the ramme was slain on mount Calvarie in stead of Isaac as also Augustine Serm. 71. de Tempore ratifieth And to this day they say they have there the altar of Melchisedech So Athanasius reports from the Jewish Doctours that in Golgotha was the sepulchre of Adam This is true but it is not certain that Adam was raised and not true that he ascended bodily into heaven Mr. Broughton in his observations of the first ten Fathers saith thus Rambam recordeth that which no reason can deny how the Jews ever held by Tradition that Adam Abel and Cain offered where Abraham offered Isaac where both Temples were built on which mountain Christ taught and died And as the place was called Calvaria because the head or skull of a man was there found and found bare without hair and depilated saith Basil so divers Fathers have concluded that Adam was there buried and that it was his head See Origen tractat 35. on Matth. Cyprian in his sermon on the resurrection Ambrose in his tenth book of his commentaries on Luk. 23. Basil on the fifth of Esay Epiphanius contra Haeres lib. 1. Chrysostome Homil. 84. in Joannem Augustine Serm. 71. de Tempore and de Civitat 16.32 Euthymius on Matth. So Athanasius Sinaita lib. 6. in Hexam in Tom. 1. Bibliothecae Patrum and Sanctus Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in Theoria rerum Ecclesiast as you may see in Tom. 6. Biblioth Patrum besides abundance of new writers with whose names I delight not to load my page 4 Hierom on
be proved Therefore the other answer may stand good that there is no necessitie of making the word Sheshach to be the proper name of King City or Idol it may rather be an appellative For Jeremy 25.26 Rex Sheshach bibet post eos which as I said you may interpret Rex diem festum celebrans bibet post eos The King celebrating a festivall day shall drink after them though Tremell hath it thus Rex Babyloniae festa habentis bibet c. I cannot deny but if there were such an idol among them as was termed Sheshach which is our main enquiry yet unproved it might as well as Bel Merodach and Melcom signifie the people which worshipped it Till that point be evidenced I will say with Tremellius that the forbearing to name the King or veiling the name of the city and describing him or it by what was prophesied they should be doing or acting as indeed it fell out is to be referred ad r De qua Hermog Tom. 4. de inventione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orationis to the gravitie and weight of the speech wherein the Scripture keepeth its majestie and neither with bitter invective nor harsh exprobration but with composed gravitie and eloquent solemnitie designeth the King or Babylon out not expressely by his or her name but by their actions as Nabals name was applied by his own wife to signifie his churlish nature 1. Sam. 25.25 Nabal is his name and folly is with him and Jerusalem is called the holy city for the holy things there done there contained I conclude thus If anagrammes from the Hebrew Chaldee Syriack or Greek languages in which the words of holy Scripture were writ may not be admitted as indeed they may not much lesse may we expound the sacred Originall by English anagrammes the flashes and fire-works of luxuriant brains Hearty reverence and a kinde of ceremonious civill adoration beseemeth the word of God It is not much prating or pridy-self-love that makes the good expositour The silence of swannes is not overcome by the noise of swallows but when the swallows are grown hoarse the swannes shall sing saith Nazianzen The application is easy Josephus in his second book against Apion saith of the Jewish high priest He shall judge of doubtfull matters and punish those that are convinced by the law Whosoever obeyeth not him shall undergo punishment as he that behaves himself impiously against God The great dubious perplexed scruples difficulties were not left to the judicature of private fancies Artificum est judicare de arte It belongs to artificers to judge of the art is a maxime of infallible truth Hierome upon these words Eccles. 3.7 A time to keep silence and a time to speak thus s Omnes artes absque dectore non discimus solae haec tam vilis facilis est ut non indigeat praeceptore We learn no art without a teacher onely this is so mean and so easie that it needeth no teacher and he speaketh by Ironie of those who are rath-ripe in religion Aristotle Ethic. 1. Every one judgeth aright of those things which he knows and this is a good judge And this is called by Ockam our countryman t Judicium certae veridicae cognitionis the judgement of certain and veridicall knowledge Luther divinely u Non licet Angelis nedum hominibus verba Dei pro arbitrio interpretari It is not lawfull for Angels much lesse for men to interpret Gods words as they list much lesse for women say I. Tertullian in his time styled them hereticall women that dared to teach and contend in argument and nothing truer then this that x Imperitia considentiam eruditio timorem creat Ignorance breeds confidence learning fear and distrust Who is more bold then blinde bayard To the word of God we must adde nothing contrarie or forein saith Aquin. No prophesie of the Scripture is of any private interpretation 2. Pet. 1.20 Know this first saith the Apostle there Or is Daniel no Prophet and his writing not propheticall If the wit of men or Angels from heaven should make a law a written law by which people should be ruled or judged as for example concerning theevery and appoint no living judge to determine who offend against the law and who are punishable or not punishable but leave every one to judge himself by this written law and every one to interpret the law to his pleasure were it not a foolish law a mock-law and indeed a no-law And shall God give us a law concerning our souls and permit the interpretation of it to every one The living judge in matters of Faith and Religion in every Kingdome of Christian government is the Nationall Councel thereof till there be found that panchrestum medicamentum that medicine good for all diseases for the Universall Church of Christ a true and free generall Councel from which is no appeal it being the supremest externall judge on earth Yea but the Bereans received the word with all readines of minde and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17.11 Shall they examine the very Apostles doctrine and not we the doctrine of our Pastours I answer first These Bereans were learned and eminent men But every unlearned skullion now that hath skill onely in the English originall will contest with the profoundest Clerks Secondly these Bereans were unbeleevers before the examination of those things for immediately it followeth Therefore many of them beleeved and many honourable Greek women and men Art thou an unbeleever Do thou then as those unbeleevers did If thou beleevest shew me one passage of Scripture where ever the unlearned people did call the doctrine of their learned Pastours into triall I confesse that the judgement of the Scripture and Creed is onely authentick and perfectly decisive And if we could exactly hit on the true meaning all differences were quickly at an end Nor do I monopolize learning to the Clergy when I confine and restrain the judgement of learning to the learned Many there are among the people who in all literature humane and divine exceed many Priests and I wish they were more in number and that way more abundantly qualified With the Churchmen it would be better since y Scientia neminem habet inimicum praeter ignorantem Learning hath no enemy but the ignorant There are sonnes of wisdome and sonnes of knowledge As Wisdome is justified of her children Matth. 11.19 so learning is not to be judged by the unlearned but by her children I acknowledge that all and every one of the people are to answer for their thoughts words and deeds and that God hath given them a judgement of discretion in things which they know but in matters above their knowledge and transcending their capacitie they have neither judgement to discern nor discretion to judge Nè sutor ultra crepidam Shall blinde men judge of colours Sus Minervam Phormio Hannibalem Asinus
ad lyram * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that learns must beleeve saith Aristotle I abhorre that monstrous opinion of Tolet and others in the Papacy That it is meritorious in simple men to be misled by their Pastours And yet all truth is not at all times to be published to all alike Christ forbad the Apostles to reveal the truth to the Gentiles and Samaritanes who were then in an indisposition to beleeve Matth. 10.5 Give not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is holy unto dogs and cast not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your pearls before swine Matth. 7.6 By which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he meaneth the Gospel saith S. Augustine De adulterinis conjugiis 1.27 Again Matth. 16.20 our Saviour charged his Disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ namely for some time which yet himself published as he saw occasion John 5.18 and 10.30 and 18.37 and died for the publishing of it sealing the truth with his bloud Mark 14.62 1. Tim. 6.13 Yea Christ himself concealed divers things from his own Apostles and from some Apostles more then from others Peter James and John did see more then the rest of the Apostles and were commanded to conceal the Transfiguration even from the rest of the Apostles Tell the vision to no man untill the Sonne of man be risen again from the dead saith Christ to them Matth. 17.9 and yet the knowledge of the Transfiguration was none of the necessary points to salvation Christ at first taught obscurely as it were by shadows and resemblances both his death by the amphibolous words Destroy this Temple Joh. 2.19 and his resurrection and ascension by instancing in the type of the brasen serpent lifted up Joh. 3.14 For Christ was lifted up or exalted both by men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When you have lift up the Sonne of man Joh. 8.28 and by the right hand of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2.33 Yea God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superexaltavit eum highly exalted him Philip. 2.9 After he spake more plainly and he began to teach his Apostles of his sufferings and resurrection Mark 8.31 and that openly ver 32. which is confirmed by specializing of the time Matth. 16.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From that time forth began Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to demonstrate insomuch that his Disciples said unto him Lo now thou speakest plainly and speakest no proverb or parable Joh. 16.29 And the Apostle 1. Cor. 3.1 2. acknowledgeth that he fed them with milk because they were not able to bear strong meat insomuch that he could not speak unto them as unto spirituall but as unto carnall as unto babes in Christ Could not that is could not conveniently could not to their good or edification A young man is not a fit hearer of morall Philosophie saith Aristotle Briefly thus All religions under heaven the true and the falsely called religion have had their arcana their secrets and mysteries the patefaction whereof was not promiscuously imparted to every one of the vulgar or illiterate sort who sometimes hir upon a good belief and by it may rapere coelum take heaven by force in the phrase and sentence of S. Augustine whiles learned men may be thrust to hell but indeed know little with the perfection of knowledge It must be confessed that it was the accursed policie of our adversaries to nuzle up the people in ignorance but Buy the Bible saith S. Chrysostom Search the Scriptures saith Christ John 5.39 Let all the people daily reade or heare them meditate on them and labour to follow them let them who have any learning interpret them according to the competency of their gifts and in their own families instruct the more unlearned What said King Henry the eighth Decemb. 24. in the 37 yeare of his reigne as it is in Stows Chronicle enlarged by Howes pag. 590 and to whom said he it Be not judges your selves of your own phantasticall opinions and vain expositions For in such high causes you may lightly erre And though you be permitted to reade holy Scriptures and to have the word of God in your mother-tongue you must understand it is licensed you so to do onely to inform your consciences and to instruct your children and families and not to dispute and make Scripture a railing and a taunting stock against Priests and Preachers as many light people do Queen Elisabeth also shewed her dislike in Parliament March 29. in the 27 yeare of her reigne in Stows Chronicle pag. 702 saying I see many overbold with God Almighty making too many subtile scannings of his blessed will as Lawyers do with humane testaments The presumption is so great that I may not suffer it nor tolerate new-fanglednesse So she Humilitie and subjection of spirit ought to be in every Prophet to the Prophets and shall the unlearned take up presumption as a buckler and arm himself with obstinate singularity which is a branch of pride as with a sword As I would not have the people with the Papists as it were to hoodwink and cover their eyes that they may be led by others and glory in blinde obedience which little differeth from wilfull and stupid ignorance but advise them to unmuffle their heads and open their own eyes and judge of things which they do or can know are skilfull to judge but z Ignorantia in Jadice aequiparatur dolo Ignorance in a Judge is as bad as injustice and a simple unlearned Judge is a mischief as intolerable as unheard of so do I wish the people to avoid the other extream of Separatists who thinking they know all things though they have no heavenly inspiration will seem wiser then their teachers and taking up opinions for truth and malepert obstinacy for humble constancy disrepute their Pastours disregard all authority and ascribe nothing to that sovereigne generall commission He who heareth you heareth me which is enough to seal up their mouthes and captive their thoughts unto their learned Pastours in things which themselves cannot apprehend and their Pastours can well judge of Oh but men are men and as men may erre I hope the unlearned people are not Angels nor more free from errour then the learned Yet we must be led by our consciences True and your consciences even therefore ought the rather to be well grounded and founded not upon the slippery sand of self-conceit but on knowledge as on a sure and safe rock And in whom should knowledge reside if not in your Pastours But in Queen Maries daies should a man have been led by his Pastours when themselves were at ods and the greatest part awry Or how should a true Protestant and now a subject of Spain in Spain behave himself How much is left to his power of discretion when the whole Estate both Ecclesiastick and Civil runneth with a torrent the contrary way If he be led by his conscience and oppose them
in a long narration especially if it be sudden he hath mingled and confounded some things a In quibusdam etiam memoriâ lapsus fuerit And forgot himself in some things to wit in such things as belonged little or nothing to the purpose for he was busily musing and intent upon the main matter But saith he S. Luke writing the historie changed not one jot but writ as Steven spoke Now we need not defend Steven from all errour and fault saith he but we must quit the Evangelist For onely the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists did never labi memoriâ or erre in any matter great or small other men did His proofs are these Jephthah in Judges 11.26 pretendeth 300 yeares possession when they were not so many and the divine Pen-man or Historiographer writeth as Jephthah pretended and established not the truth of the thing it self I answer that Salianus in his Annales Anno Mundi 2849 maketh one account wherein the time of the Israelites coming out of Egypt to the instant of Jephthahs arguing is 377 yeares and from the death of Sihon king of the Amorites 337 yeares But the truth is if we will hit the exact number both Salianus and Tremellius and many others say That from the coming out of Egypt and from the giving of the Law unto this present controversie of Jephthah with the King of the Amorites there were 305 or 306 yeares expired And Tremellius well observeth that Jephthah began his narration from their coming forth of Egypt vers 16. Therefore thence beginneth the number and the reckoning Now the shortning of an account is an usuall Ellipsis both in Scripture and in other Authours The 70 Interpreters are cited for 72. Among the Romanes the Centum-viri consisted of one hundred and five men Judges 20.46 all which fell of Benjamin that day were 25000. yet there fell that day 100 more vers 35. So 2. Sam. 5.5 the account is shortened by six moneths lesse then was set down in the precedent verse it being b Synecdoche frequent ad rotunditatem numeri A frequent Synecdoche to make a round and smooth reckoning saith Tremellius If any shall yet contend that Jephthah saith expresly v. 26. Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns and in Aroer and her towns and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon 300 yeares Peter Martyr on the place answereth That the Scripture-account often followeth the greater number Now because the yeares from Sihons death were nearer 300. then 200. Jephthah reckoneth not the refract but the whole number and accounteth them 300 yeares as inclining to the greater number For Sihon was overcome and slain the last yeare of Moses his life being to the present debate 266 yeares saith Abulensis 267 saith Lyranus 270 yeares saith Peter Martyr If Peter Martyrs answer be sleighted I adde that the perfection of Scriptures stands not so strictly on exactnesse of number but that it puts a certain number for an uncertain Instances are obvious So while we plead too much for number we shall as S. Augustine saith forget or neglect both weight and measure Lastly grant that Jephthah either mistook or mispleaded the yeares in a braving fashion and say that the holy Ghost hath penned not what was truth in it self but what Jephthah alledged erroneously or covetously for his prescription for Jephthah had more then one errour yet it followeth not that S. Steven was deceived for he was full of the holy Ghost when he spake this Act. 7.55 and before he spake this he was full of faith and of the holy Ghost Act. 6.5 Full of faith and power vers 8. and they that disputed with Steven were not able to resist the wisdome and the Spirit by which he spake v. 10. Therefore he spake wisely truely and by the Spirit as well as S. Luke wrote by the Spirit and neither of them could in this passage erre though Jephthah be held a man of imperfections 2. Secondly saith Canus the Evangelist hath it Matth. 2.6 That IT IS WRITTEN BY THE PROPHET AND THOU BETHLEHEM IN THE LAND OF JUDAH ART NOT THE LEAST AMONG THE PRINCES OF JUDAH when it is not so written by the prophet who saith Micah 5.2 BUT THOU BETHLEHEM EUPHRATA THOUGH THOU BE LITTLE AMONG THE THOUSANDS OF JUDAH the sense being very different almost contrary In which place S. Matthew reports the words not as they are in Micah but as the chief Priests and Scribes recited them to Herod c Quod testimonium nec Hebraico textui nec 70 Interpretibus convenire me quoque tacente perspicuum est Which testimonie saith Hierome on Micah 5.2 agreeth neither with the Hebrew nor the Seventie as is plain though I say nothing Then followeth his opinion d Arbitror Matthaeum volentem arguere Scribarum Sacerdotum erga divinae Scripturae lectionem negligentiam sic etiam posuisse ut ab iis dictum est I think that S. Matthew being willing to reprove the negligence of the Scribes and Priests toward the reading of holy Scriptures related the words as they were cited by them So that though the Scribes and Pharisees were blinde and seeing the Prophet through a vail took one thing for an other and though the Evangelist purposely reciteth their mistaking that we might discern the fault of these ill guides and ignorant teachers yet it no way followeth that S. Steven did erre or was mistaken or that S. Luke misreported the words of S. Steven But enough of this to testifie my dislike of the second opinion and of such who excusing the Greek Text from corruption wherein I wonderfully applaud them do impute an errour and slip unto the holy powerfull gracefull truth-speaking and dying Protomartyr S. Steven which I cannot endure in them And certes both these former rejected opinions are built on a false ground and idlely do presuppose that there is no reall historicall truth in the words as they are in the Greek and in the Latine Text. But truth there is and though truth lie deep hid as in a well said he of old yet by Gods help we shall winde her up and draw her above ground that every eye may see her though we have many turnings 3. Which that I may the better accomplish I must straggle awhile after two most learned men Cardinall Cusanus and Daniel Heinsius especially Heinsius whom when I have overtaken and wrung and wonne from him some holds which are offensive to the majestie of sacred Scripture then shall I return and descend to the most difficult place of Acts 7.16 c. The learned worthie Heinsius whom I name not without honour though I dissent from him in his Exercitations upon Nonnus and in the Prolegomena beats out certain paths which never any on the earth trode upon before him pag. 27. making the Hellenisticall language to be the best interpreter of the Hebrew and Chaldee and the Hebrew and Chaldee interchangeably the best interpreters of it Before all his
death and therefore he is exempted out of the compasse of that word All by speciall dispensation and onely Abel Noah Abraham are the All there meant Secondly saith Drusius in his Preface It may be said the Apostle spake m De morte calamitatum agritudinum ut sententia sit Nè videret mortem hoc est ea incommoda quae mortâ—m comitari solent of calamities crosses and sicknesses which may be accounted as a death as if he had said Lest he might see death that is THE DISCOMMODITIES AND INCONVENIENCIES WHICH ACCOMPANY DEATH For who are continually sick are accounted as dead First I say this is a forced interpretation Enoch was translated lest he should see death that is lest he should be continually sick and that he might not feel the discommodities which accompany death Secondly that opinion leadeth Enoch to death but not the dolorous way to it which indeed rather beggeth the question then proveth any thing against me Lastly there is no circumstance inducing us to think that the Apostle by the word death aimed at the large and extended signification of it for calamities or sicknes Sure about Enoch his time there were no such notable calamities upon the Saints and the generations of the world were then strong and healthfull Thirdly saith Drusius in the same place It may be said Enoch died not because the Scripture when it mentioneth his rapture mentioneth not his death so the Jews say Jacob is not dead because the Scripture useth the word of EXPIRING not of DYING This is ridiculous for what is expiring but dying Genes 49.33 Jacob yeelded up the ghost and was gathered unto his people doth not either of these phrases do not both evince that he died Oh but the Jews say Jacob non est mortuus I am sure the Apostle Hebr. 11.21 speaking of Jacob saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he was dying he blessed his children or when he was a dying as it is in our last translation It evinceth he died within a while after And I am sure again that Christ Luke 20.37 from the testimonie of Moses proveth that Jacob died I am also sure that S. Stephen saith Act. 7.15 Jacob went down into Egypt and died Surely these crotchets of misbeleeving Jews should not have the least countenance against pregnant proofs both of the Old and New Testament Drusius yet inforceth this third answer thus The same Apostle saith of Melchisedech Heb. 7.3 HE WAS WITHOVT FATHER WITHOVT MOTHER WITHOVT DESCENT HAVING NEITHER BEGINNING OF DAYES NOR END OF LIFE Wherefore without doubt because in Scripture there is no mention of his parents and kindred of his birth or of his death I answer First If it be said of all whose progenitours issues kindreds birth and death are unrevealed in Scripture that they were without father mother descent having neither beginning of dayes nor end of life we should have many very many more Melchisedechs in those respects Demetrius the silversmith and Alexander the coppersmith and troups of the wicked Daniel Sidrach Misach and Abednego Nathanael and Joseph of Arimathea S. Mark and S. Luke and divers others For what mention is there of their parents their children their genealogies their birth-dayes or of their death-dayes in the sacred Writ Therefore these words may be said of Melchisedech without any reference at all to that reason and the words may not be said of others though the divine Scripture omitteth as much as it did of Melchisedech Secondly if we grant that it is in part the reason why he is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without a father c. yet it may be said also because no other record before S. Pauls time no sacred or profane Authour no tradition no book Apocryphall historified his parents or issue so farre as yet appeareth And because S. Paul who knew the names of Jannes and Jambres some such way or by revelation immediate and by no such way knew Melchisedechs pedegree he might say as he did Thirdly Erasmus saith Melchisedech came of obscure parents not worthy to be named Before him Eustatius Antiochenus said the same and perhaps it may be a reason why David called his Nephews Joab and Abishai the sonnes of Zeruiah 2. Samuel 19.22 for Zeruiah was Davids own sister 1. Chron. 2.16 and omitted their father for his unworthinesse yea the Divine historie where David is silent often mentioneth Joab and Abishai with the addition of their mothers name but alwayes omitteth the fathers name This I cannot think to be Melchisedechs case for being a King and so glorious a Priest both in one it is most unlikely that he had obscure and poore parents yet he might descend from cursed Cham as well as Christ from Moabitish Ruth or from Rahab the harlot of Canaan Fourthly the Jews say He was a bastard But it is sooner said then proved for never bastard attained as called by God to those two highest conjoyned titles of King and Priest Many men have thought him to be Noah and more to be Sem Noahs sonne as some Jews Lyra and Abulensis when indeed he can be neither n Quidam admodum stultè opinantur Sem esse Melchisedechum Vâ—rùm id impossibile est suprà enim cùm ejus genealogiam explicaremus patuit quòd nec Tharrae tempora assequi potuit Some very foolishly think that Sem was Melchisedech saith Procopius But that is impossible for when I set down his genealogie it appeareth that he lived not to the time of Terah or Thara Genesis 11.24 So he who hitteth the truth that Melchisedech was not Sem but is out in the genealogie for both Noah and Sem lived in Abrahams time See Cornelius à Lapide on the Hebrews and the learned Helvicus Noah saith Helvicus died the 57 yeare of Abraham and Sem out-lived Abraham That neither Noah nor Sem could be Melchisedech is demonstrable from Hebr. 7.6 Melchisedechs descent or pedegree is not counted saith the Apostle Hebr. 7. from Levi or Abraham or their Progenitours who came from Arphaxad the sonne of Sem the sonne of Noah Secondly both Noah and Sem and their genealogie and generations are perfectly and exactly set down but Melchisedech is without descent or pedegree or genealogie Hebr. 7.3 as undescribed say they Thirdly we know Sems father was Noah Noahs father was Lamech but Melchisedechs father is not known Fourthly Noah died Genes 9.29 and Sem lived not 603 yeares as it is apparent Genes 11.10 c. Helvicus maketh his death fall on his six hundredth yeare but there is no end known of Melchisedechs dayes Origen in likelihood fore-seeing the inconveniences accompanying the fore-recited and commonly received opinion inventeth a new trick That Melchisedech was an Angel After him ran Didymus But no Angel was ever a temporall earthly King no Angel was ever a Priest offering up bread and wine and receiving tithes or had an order of Priesthood annexed to any of them no Angel had ever pedigree from
Abraham or any other But Melchisedech though he had none at all from Abraham or his ascendents none at all mentioned in any authentick records or tradition yet had he one or other of which hereafter There was one Theodotus saith o De praesâ—riptione cap. 53. in fine Tertullian and he brought in a novel opinion and held That what Christ doth for men Melchisedech doth for the Angels But this cannot be for the good Angels needed not any Mediatour of Redemption no not Christ himself nor ever had nor ever shall have This Arch-heretick had other Melchisedechians who taught that Melchisedech was a certain vertue or power greater then Christ because Christ is said to be a Priest according to his order So Epiphanius relateth lib. 2. Haeres 55. Yet this holdeth not for the majoritie or betternes but for the prioritie or typicall resemblance Some have held that Christ was a Priest according also to the order of Aaron and then by that argument the Aaronicall Priesthood should be better then Christs which is plainly confuted in the Epistle to the Hebrews Christ accomplished every type of him and according as they signified did he fulfill This doth not prove their betternes or efficacie greater then his no more doth his being a Priest according to the order of Melchisedech either magnifie Melchisedech above Christ or any way vilifie Christ Varietie of conjectures have been manifold I hold it probablest with Josephus the Jew with divers late Writers with the ancient Fathers p Coelestis Hierarchiae cap. 9. Dionysius q Haeres 51. Epiphanius r In Genes quaest 63. Theodoret Procopius and others that Melchisedech was one of the Kings of Canaan and came from Cham not from Sem. And this God might ordain purposely that the Gentiles might not despair of salvation but though Christ came of the seed of Abraham and the Jews were Gods peculiar people yet Christ himself was a Priest according to the order of Melchisedech who descended from the cursed seed That Melchisedech was the holy Ghost was a mad opinion now forsaken of all That he was not an Angel nor a vertue greater then Christ I proved before but a man a meer man whose pedigree is not to be reckoned from Abraham or his predecessours for Abrahams predecessours dwelt in Vr of the Caldees Genes 11.28 and 31. and Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the floud in old time Joshuah 24.2 that is Beyond Euphrates Eastward even unto the East-Indies did Sems posteritie reach and multiply propagating true religion with the histories both of the Creation and of the Deluge In the East-Indian Shaster which is the Canon of their devotion esteemed by them as the sacred Bible is by us there are now many fables intermixed savouring more of humane invention then of faith yet their rationall traditions make nearer approaches to the divine truth concerning the creation then the more ignorant Theologie of the Romanes till Christs time and as good laws and precepts have the East-Indians for moralitie and government Oecomenick and Politicall if not better for a settled State And I hold it a most remarkable thing that the East-Indian language to this day hath farre more affinitie with the Hebrew then any one of our Occidentall languages yea then all of them put together And those Indi Aurorae or as one calleth them Indi Diei have scarce a word but it is found in the Caldee Arabick or primitive Hebrew and by perfect knowledge in the Hebrew one may easily attain to the knowledge of all other the Eastern tongues Whence we may conclude the prioritie of the Hebrew tongue See the learned William Postell in his alphabet of twelve tongues different in characters and more specially de Indica lingua One great errour I cannot omit in the said learned Postellus in his Tractate de lingua Samaritana for from S. Hierom in prooemio libri Regum and with him he maintaineth that it is certain that Esdras after the instauration of the temple under Zerubbabel invented other letters which now we use and that the characters of the Samaritans and Hebrews were all one till then and withall himself found out a very probable specious reason why Esdras should forsake the old characters and framed new and yet he bringeth in the characters of Hebrew now in use as delivered by God in the tables given to Moses whereas if he would be constant to himself either God gave to Moses the Samaritan letters and Esdras invented new ones or if God gave these now in use to Moses the Samaritans may be thought to invent new characters that they might differ from the Hebrews and make their schism more irreconcileable by the strangnesse of misfigured letters Moses was farre more ancient then Esdras and the Samaritans who received no Scripture but Moses his writings in all likelihood used the letters and characters used by Moses and so in conclusion it will arise that the Samaritan letters and the Hebrew were all one a long time which Postellus confesseth and that they were exactly the same which God gave to Moses which Postellus denieth and after that Esdras might invent new characters upon the ground which Postellus framed and the Jews as he saith approved and these commonly we enjoy I cannot omit that you shall finde other characters of the alphabet of that language which was used beyond Euphrates different from the Samaritan but more from the Hebrew And it is in the Hebrew Grammar of Abraham de Balmis q Prout inveni in libro vetustissimo As I found saith he in a most ancient book and he saith It was r Scriptura transitus fluvii the writing used beyond Euphrates The characters of both which I would have described exactly if I had been sure our Printers had the stamps for others have not In regard of which defect Mr Selden in the preface to his book called Marmora Arundeliana excuseth his printing of the Samaritan the Syriack and Arabick words and passages used in his Commentarie by the Hebrew letters rather then by their own proper characters I am come back to Jerusalem where Melchisedech reigned And though he was a most holy man and an extraordinary type of Christ yet I say he came of the cursed seed For C ham possessed all Canaan and it was called the land of Canaan from Canaan the sonne of Cham. And he was one of the Kings in that land for it had many Kings Genes 14. Melchisedech and Job and many other in the old Testament do prove that God was not the God of the Jews onely but also of the Gentiles This place of the Apostle Hebr. 11.5 concerning Enoch Nè videret mortem hath occasioned much discourse but I cannot leave Enoch yet Indeed it is said Genes 5.24 God took him Å¿ Id est abstulit eum Deus per mortem that is God sent for him by death saith Aben Ezra and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
may rightfully incurre punishment seventy times seven-fold as it is if not in truth yet at the least in the swasive of Lamech to his wives Genes 4.24 There is a mote and there is a beam Matth. 7.3 This beam may be sawed into many boards or rafters and there is no verture nor vice but hath its latitude and degrees partaking of majus and minus There are funiculi vanitatis Esai 5.18 cords of vanity There are funes peccatorum ropes of sinnes Proverb 5.22 And there are funes plaustri as Vatablus rendereth it according to the Hebrew cart-ropes or vinculum plaustri according to the Vulgat the wain-rope Esai 5.18 differencing sinnes and being indebted to divers kindes of punishments Every sinne causeth a blot on the soul the greater sinne the greater blot A frequent sinner is compared to a spotted leopard Jerem. 13.23 and some notorious sinners are called spots in the abstract Jude vers 12. More testimonies I could heap but the point is cleared and the enquiry Wheter Adam or Eve sinned most is yet unanswered 6. And here both ancient and modern Divines do much varie * Chrys Hom. 7. ad Pop. Ant. Chrysostom saith expresly Eve sinned more then Adam and * In Rom. Homil. 25. in Morali elsewhere to this effect Eve was more punished then Adam but the punishment is answerable to the fault Therefore her sinne was greater Rupert followeth him * Triplicipoená mulier punitur quia triplo majus peccatum fuit ejus quà m Adami Rup in Gen. lib. 3. cap. 22. The woman is punished by a threefold punishment because her sinne was three times greater then Adams Hugo and Lombard untruly supposing that Eve onely beleeved the Serpents words promising them to be like unto God do rather think Eve sinned most The Shoolmen by troups follow them Cajetan is dubious commenting on Aquinas he would not differ from his Master the great Summist but condemneth the woman more then the man yet expounding the third of Gensis he brings five reasons to excuse Eve more then Adam S. Aug. is by both sides sometimes ascribing more fault to the man then to the woman sometimes to the woman rather then to the man and * De Gen. ad lit 11.35 De Civit. 14 11. twice he seemeth to hold That they sinned equally On the other side * Ambr. De Instit virginis cap. 4. Ambrose saith Adams sinne was greater And again * Eva magis mobilitate animi quà m pravitate peccavit Comment in Luc. 4.38 Eve sinned more by unstablenes of minde then by perversenes Isdore saith * Gravius est de industria peccare quo modo peccavit Adam quà m ignorantiâ quo modo peccavit Eva. Isid De Summo Bono 2.17 It is more hainous to sinne of set purpose as Adam then out of ignorance as Eve This point needing to be distinguished upon Aquine telleth us The greatnes of a sinne is two wayes considered either exipsa specie peccati from the especiall kinde of the sinne or according to the circumstances of place or person and he resolveth thus * Quantum adgenus peccati vtriusque peccatum aequale dicitur In regard of the kinde of sinne the sinne of them both is said to be equall Pride was in both but if we look ad speciem superbiae Eve sinned more for these three regards She was more proud then the man She not onely sinned herself but made her husband sinne Thirdly Adams sinne was lessened by the love he bore unto his wife Which last reason is grounded on the words of S. Augustine * Adam non carnaliconcupiscentiâ victus sed amicabili quâdam compulsus benevolentiâ quâ plerunque fit ut offendatur Deus nè offendatur amicus peccavit De Gen. ad lit 12. ult Adam sinned not being overcome by carnall concupiscence but being constrained by some friendly affection by which it cometh often to passe that God is offended lest a friend should be offended Yea the same S. Augustine is cited thus * Postquam mulier seducta manducavit eÃque dedit ut simul ederent noluit eam contristari quam credebat sine suo solatio contabescere à se alienatam omnino interire After the seduced woman had eaten and had given him that they should eat together he was loth to grieve her whom he thought ready to pine away without his comfort and altogether to die being estranged from him Lastly Aquine saith If we weigh the condition of both persons the mans sinne was greater because he was perfecter then the woman So Aquine 2.2 Quaest 163. Art 4. 7. Scotus thus opineth Because Adam was more circumspect more noble more strong to resist therefore by accident his sinne was more great * Formaliter tamen per se merè praecisè inse peccatum Evae fuit gravius Scotus in 2. Sent. dist 27. quaest 2. Yet formally in it self and precisely the sinne of Eve was greater But the learned Estius on the same distinction Paragraphe 7 thus The greatnes of sinne cometh many wayes principally from the object and the end then from the circumstances either of the person or the intent of him or of the frequencie of the act or the greatnes of harm that cometh by the sinne or of the ignorance or infirmitie or industrie of the person If we lay Adams and Eves sinne in the ballance respecting the object and the end it weighed alike both of them beleeved the Serpent both would be like God both ate of the fruit forbidden both excused their faults but weigh the circumstances saith he the mans sinne was simply greater First he had more power to resist Secondly he dealt with a lesse subtile enemy a simple woman but she had to do with an evill Angel of an higher nature then herself Thirdly he had the precept from God himself she but from her husband Fourthly he was to be head over his wife and not she over him and he was to reduce her into the right way when she strayed Fifthly his excuse cast part of the fault as it were upon God himself Sixthly indeed he was worse punished and so saith Augustine truly Seventhly the better things are the worst in their corruption The best wine turnes to the sharpest vineger the best of government a Monarchie proves the worst if it degenerate into a Tyranny But the man exceeded the woman as well in naturals as in gratuitous So farre in effect Estius Bellarmine compareth their acts and per sons together Bell. De Amis Gratiae Statu Peccati 3.9 and concludeth that both in regard of acts and persons Eve sinned least Adam worst His observations are not onely passable but commendable save in two things First that he makes the excusation of their sinne to be one act of the seven in Adam and Eves sinne when as in truth their excuse was no part or branch of their first sinne but a distinct and severall sinne by it self For
having ended their first sinne they were ashamed and had time to gather figleaves and sew them and make themselves aprons or things to gird about them after this they heard God speak and hid themselves after this was their examination de facto and their confession after all this begins Adams excuse Genes 3.12 and Eves vers 13. The diversitie of these severall actions and the distance of time interceding shew it was no part of their first sinne to excuse themselves An other especiall sinne it was aggravating the former and in this sinne Adam sinned worst as accusing God indirectly for giving such an helper to him as had hurt him Who will see things more at large let him consult with Estius and Bellarmine unto whom for the main I do subscribe though I make the last part and act of Adam and Eves sinne to be their reall orall manducation The second scape of Bellarmine is that whereas in true Divinitie the fall of mankinde is a consequent of our first parents transgression Bellarmine makes it one of the seven acts of their sinne confounding the cause with the effect and not sufficiently distinguishing the fault from the punishment May I adde these things Out of the words of Scotus I thus argue Originall justice was given to Adam as to the worthier abler and wiser person yea it was so given that if he lost it he was to lose it for himself and his whole posteritie But it was not so given or infeoffeed to Eve therefore since he failed when the trust of the whole World was reposed on him his sinne must needs be much more hainous then hers If the first sinning Angel was the greatest delinquent though none of the other Angels sinned in him but each of himself by his own proper will then Adam certainly sinned worse who bare our persons and being the Referre to whom our blessednesse or cursednesse was intrusted drew us all into unhappinesse For the woman was but the incompleat principle of offending saith Gorran But by Adams first sinne we lost the good of nature * Bonum naturae quod erat per originem naturae traducendum Aquin in Rom. 5. Lect. 3. which was to be transmitted by the spring of nature saith Aquine By Adams other transgressions the good of personall grace was diminished and might be recovered but the Naturall good traducible could not be regained by any repentance The greatnesse of Adams sinne appeared in that he might so easily have kept the precept * Quanta erat iniquitas in peceando vbi tanta eratnon peceandi facilitas Aug. De Civit. 14.15 How great iniquitie was there in sinning where such facilitie was of not sinning saith Augustine Indeed to eat of the apple seemeth a small matter to the carnall eyes of men but in the least thing to be disobedient is not the least offence for as to obey is better then sacrifice so disobedience is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednesse and idolatrie 1 Sam. 15.22 23. Naaman who would have performed a greater matter should much more willingly have been ruled by the Prophet in a trifle it was the well-poised argument of his servants 2. Kings 5.13 and his correspondent obedience was justly rewarded with health But Adam besides the smallnes of the matter it self erred grosly in the manner for God did not appoint him any hard work no laborious task to perform Omission is of an easie and pliable nature more facile it is for one not to wash a thousand times then to wash once Now the precept unto Adam was inhibitive meerly of omission negation or preterition easier to be kept then broken and therefore to break it was a sinne of an high hand a presumptuous sinne which may be aggravated in him by this circumstance that he received the restraint from God which Eve did not They who think otherwise of Adams sinne do judge of it as the common people do of the fixed starres who imagine them to be no greater then a candle But if you truly take the height and breadth of Adams sinne it will be found as the starres in heaven of greatnes almost incredible divers of them in their severall stations being greater then the whole earth Perhaps one of the reasons why the Apostle Heb. 11. nameth not Adam among the old faithfull Heroes was this because he committed a greater sinne then any of them For his offence hath been the cause of death of sicknes of all punishments inflicted on men in this life or in the life to come Not Satans temptation not Eves seduction but Adams wilfull disobedience cost the bloud of the Sonne of God And all the despighteous sinnes of mankinde wherewith the Father blessed for ever the gracious Redeemer and the sanctifying Spirit are grieved and do as it were grone under and at which the holy Angels are offended and do in their sort mourn proceed originally from that sinne of Adam and but for that had never been Therefore was his offence greater then Eves Moreover God first summoned Adam though Eve sinned first and questioned Adam particularly for that sin and not Eve Genes 3.9 and at the censure perchance with an emphasis God said unto Adam which he did not unto Eve Gen. 3.17 Thou hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded THEE saying THOV shalt not eat of it and denounced more punishments against him then against Eve and worse and this among the rest ratifying the former threatning Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return inflicting death on Adam on Eve on us for Adams sinne and not for Eves Lastly the Spirit of God seemeth to derive the fault from Eve unto the Serpent 2 Cor. 11.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in astutia sua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his craft and her simplicitie he deceived her Now let Scotus lessen Adams offence as much as he can let him say * Esus ligni vetiti non fuit piccatum nisi quia prohibitum The eating of the forbidden tree was no sinne but because it was forbidden and he might well and lawfully have eaten of it if he had not been forbidden and he erred not against any naturall law but a law positive and in a thing otherwise indifferent I answer The same and more excuses are for Eve Again in regard of its spreading infection and the myriads of evils thence ensuing the blessed estate of many millions by him betrayed to the lake of fire and brimstone which never shall be quenched contrarie to the trust to him concredited I shall alwayes think Adams sinne the worst of all sinnes that ever any one of mankinde committed not excepting the sinne of Judas or the sinne against the Holy Ghost For these hurt but few and if they were worse intensively they were not so bad extensively and therefore I must account it one of Scotus his errours when he saith * Peccato Adae non debebatur maxima