doctours saye they and beleue the catholyke churche whiche hath continued frome Christes tyme hitherto we can shewe say they bi auncient writers from tyme to tyme sence Christs ascention But what can these men shewe Be not these writters whiche I haue rehersed of the chieffest of theÌ„ And al thes agre that their wrytinges must be tried by the scripture and if that allowe theÌ„ not they would not in any wise that we should beleue them This is a wonderfull thynge y t they would haue vs geue such credite to the doctours whiche thynge the docters them selues forbyd But they haue alwayes this sayeinge of Augustine in their mouthes I would not beleue the gospel except the authoritie of the câ—urch did moue me Nowe as sone as they haue caught thys in theyr sermons thei triumph Lo say they what authorite did this gâ—eat doctour attribute to y e church in so much that y e gospel is and must be iudged by y e church For wtout the church he would not beleue christes gospel manye wordes haue they which I caÌ„ not remembre But me think these meÌ„ mought be answered out of Augustines owne wordes before rehersed For he wil geue no such credit to any mans writtinges what so euer he be as he doth to the scripture neither would he y t any maÌ„ woulde he that any man should so esteme his writtynges For al hys wryttynges dooe not please hym Therefore if they wil haue me beleue Augustines wordes they muste proue them true bye the scripture or else by some other probable and sure reasone that dissenteth not frome the truethe else maye not I beleue Austens wordes For thys he counselleth hym selfe But admytte Austens wordes to be true wythout anye contradicion What moughte then be sayed to it These be Augustines wordes I shoulde not beleue the Gospell onlesse the authoritye of the churche moued me Nowe I aske you what the authority of the churche is What cal you y e authorite of y e church Is it long continuance of time TheÌ„ was christes doctrine doubtful For the scribes and phariseis had that on theyr syde Or is it the greater number With lyke reasone we maye refuse Christes Gospell For many be called sayeth he and fewe elected Or else was it the consent of learned wise men All thys had the great byshopes and high pristes in christes time For they were great learned and wyse men But saynt Paule axeth wher be the wyse Wher are the scribes where are the disputers of the worlde Hath not god made the wysdome of the worlde foleishenesse Therfore let them declare vnto me the verie true authoritye of the churche And I make heare distinctioÌ„ of churches For Christe and the Apostles haue prophicied that theyr shal come false prophetes in Christes name and shal rise euen froÌ„ amonge our selues shall speake peruerse doctryne These men come in Christes name and saye they be christes chruch But I am assured they be not Christes true spouse For Lira writinge vpon Mathe sayth The church standeth not in men by the reason of spirituall powre or secular dignitie For many princes and many popes and other inferiour persones haue swarued frome the fayth Wherfore the church doth stande in those persones in whom is y e true knowledge and coÌ„fession of fayth and veritie Therefore it must nedes by Lira his wordes consiste in the scriptures For the gyfte of fayeth and vnderstandeynge the veritye is the worckeynge of the holye spirite that confortour which the Lorde promised to those that beleue hys worde But because they alledge me Austens wordes I wyl answere theÌ„ with Austen him selfe wrytinge vpon the .lvii. Psal Wee speake true thynges sayth he which haue heard true thinges that the lorde sayth not that maÌ„ sayth It may be that man may lie it can not be that god should lye By the worde of trueth do I knowe Christe the same verie trueth By the worde of trueth do I knowe the church to be partaker of the trueth Nowe lette them scan these wordes and tell me where the true touchestonne is Then alledge they these wordes of Christe I haue yet muche to saye vnto you but you can not nowe beare it a waye Nowe be it when the spirite of the trueth commeth he shall leade you into all trueth etc. And agayne Manye other tokens dyd Iesus before hys his disciples Which are not writen in this boke Here staye they and go no farder for it foloweth But these are written that you shoulde beleue etc. But seynge we haue begone wyth Saynte Augustine we wyll ende wyth him He wryteth vpon this same place of Iohn and sayeth They were chosen and pycked out as many as were thought necessarie and sufficient for the saluacion of the faythfull Cirillus also affirmeth the same and sayeth more ouer that althynges that the wrytters thought sufficient boeth for the fayeth and beleue and also for y e coÌ„uersacioÌ„ of men that wee myghte shyne wyth a ryghte and perfecte fayeth and wyth true workes and vertues and so come to the Kyngdome of heauen thorowe oure Lorde Christe be wryten sayeth he and therefore it is a newelye inuented in y e diuilles shop to saye that all the articles of oure christian fayeth can not be proued by scripture and mens tradicions bysyde the scripture be goode workes and please God These be Cyrillus workes And therefore sayeth Saynte Ambros in hys fourth boke of virgines All newe thynges that Christe hath not tought we lawfully condemne For vnto faythful men sayeth he Christe is the waye If Christe therefore haue not taught that we teache sayeth he we iudge it to be detestable Nowe let these holye fathers turne and tosse these olde holye doctours and let them fynde me out a touchston some other wher For these doctours say playnely the worde of God the holy scripture the word of truth is y e rule wherby Christes true church is ordered gouerned enstructed For whosoeuer sercheth findeth The holy gost faileth not such as seke him ther but to seke him in anye other place is no promise made As for theyr general counsayles that they sticke so muche vnto is but a weake foundacion For saynt Austine writtynge agaynst the donatistes sayeth Who is it that knoweth not the holy canonical scriptures boeth of the olde and newe testamente to be conteined within certayne limettes and bouÌ„des And that they be so put before al the wrytinges of bishopes y t shal come afterward that it can not be doubted at all neyther can we be deceyued of the whether it be true or whether it be ryght and good or not what soeuer is knowen to be writen in them But al other wrytynges of byshopes or else which either haue writteÌ„ or shal write after the confirmacion of the cananicall wrytynges maye be reprehended both by the wordes or wyse senteÌ„ce of some more knoweynge man in that matter as well as by the sage authorite
The copie of a letter sente to one maister Chrispyne chanon of Exceter for that he denied y e scripture to be the touche stone or trial of al other doctrines wherunto is added an appologie and a bulworke in defēce of the same letter ¶ To the right worshipfull and his syngular good Maister syr Peter Carewe Philip Nicolles wysheth the continuall fauoure of God GReate cōforte is it to Christes pore floceke right worshipful syr among so manie hudge Rockes and wylde seas as oure weste partes are compassed with all to haue some porte or hauē wher Christes shippes mought cast ancre and for a space haue succoure tyl y e stormes be paste This fatherlie prouision maketh the al myghtie and most mercifull Lorde al waies to helpe thē that be hys And though Ionas sincke yet is y e whale redie to kepe him frō perishing to brynge hym to land as amonge so manye greate stormes no meruaile thoughe some haue ben pluged vnder the water but of suche gloriouse shall the resurrection be But in my contrey my right deare sir where most daynger appeareth to be scantly hath ther any wette their feete praysed may the name of God be therfore y t so prouideth for yong suckelinges whiche else shoulde be ouer whelmed before they were weaned frō their milke Your pure and yernest zeale toward gods truth and paynefull laboures infendeynge innocentes is not vnknowne to a great menye But would to God it were farther knowne euen tho rowe out Not that you shoulde haue the prayses of men for your laboure for they belonge to God and it is wickednesse to seke them from hym but that it myght prouoke other mē of worship and honour also in all places to so feruēt and godlye desire of Christes doctrine to be publisshed among vs Namely the whole bible the scriptures of God the newe and olde testament Which onely doctrine is a lone sufficient to teache vs the true worship of God fayeth in his promises and in all good workes to walke the waye to euerlastinge lyfe To the defence of thys heauenly doctrine I saye woulde I prouoke all mē of honour and worshipe by your ensample if wit and learneing failed not Your gentlenesse and liberalitye towardes me and al those that longe for that heauenly doctrine I passe ouer w t silence to cut awaye occasions frō iuell tonges althoughe the example be greatly to be desired in all men of worshippe yea in all them that professe Christe accordinge to theyr power Al these thinges nowe considered besyde the manyfolde labours and daylye trauaile that you take diuers waies to haue the veritye knowne to bannyshe lieinge and cloked holinesse to haue the Lorde truly worshiped and to rote cut Idolatrie Consideringe also your yerneste desier to thys my smal laboure in writing to maister Chrispyne a simple letter for asmuch as I perceyued that you were determinatly mynded to put it in print I thought I coulde not bestowe my laboure better then to set it furthe in your name chiefely to purg me from that euel suspicion that is lyke to ensue the printinge of it For seinge they begin to byte me priuilye all redye for exhibitynge certayne Articles preached of oure learned men and woulde perswade men that I dyd it of a pretēced malice sekeinge their destruction I knowe well they shall saye much rather that it was my suite to haue this my letter spread a broad and that I dyd it to seeke prayse as they alwayes seeke most preise to them selfe y e least deserue it or that I stād in mine owne cōceite as to thinke y t I haue done agreat acte wheras I acknoweledge it in deede to be but counterfaite in cōparison of a great nūbre that be wel leraned Which if they had the matter in handlyng these men myght haue been a shamed to shew their faces in a pulpit to declare any suche matter agayne Nowe to preuente these biteinge serpentes of thys poisone the lord knoweth whether it be my faute or no to haue it printed and you partly can testifie Notwithstandynge ▪ it shal not greue me to haue it prynted but rathere I shal be glad of it thoughe it were but for thys cause onelie To declare vnto all other contreis that deuensher lacketh not some well wyllers at the leaste as well amonge the pore creatures as the riche and worshipfull y e desier the glorye of God and furdraunce of hys word As touchinge the articles offerred to the visitours which they say to be done of malice hatered and manie other good morowes let suche mē knowe that I hate theyr doctrine in dede As for any malice that I owe to the men I axe no more grace and fauour of the Lorde to be geuen to my selfe then I wysh to the vilest of them all if it might so come to passe and please God For I knowe there can no suche ranckor and malice dwell in any christen herte as they iudge other men by them selues And thys I saye more ouer that I am assured of these ministers and of the kynges counsayle also that they be no suche bloude thurstye tirantes as haue pleasur in shedynge of bloude For if they were but as cruell in punisheinge the blynde wycked and sediciouse I nought saye preachers as the popes ministers haue beene in tormentyng innocentes I take God to wytnesse I woulde neuer haue declared so muche as I haue vnto them though I should haue smarted for it This much haue I sayde to declare vnto all honeste hertes myne innocencie in suche thynges as they begin to laye to my charge and to stope the mouthes of them that can do naught elles but slāder flatter and dissēble euen with theyr frindes that they mought holde theyr tongues lest if they passe theyr boundes I opē them to theyr shame let them take thys for a warning Neithere let them thynke this spoken of malice for I spake it for theyr honestie and quietnesse as wel as mine owne commoditie Now to conclude in fewe wordes I haue added to thys my letter a little appologie or defence the better to wythstande theyr cruel and subtyle deceite And because they lye alwaye lurckynge in bulworkes and wyll not come furth into the open fielde I haue in the ende made a little bulworke out of the whyche I haue shotte a fewe of theyr owne pellettes Not that I thinke them necessarie to confoūd them wyth all but euen to shame them whē they shal se them selues striken with theyr owne weapons Beholde nowe appeare those meruailouse thynges that Esaye speaketh of so ernestlie in so much that he repeteth it agayne Yea euen meruailouse thynges and a wonder sayth he and what is it It foloweth For the wysdome of the wyse shal perishe the vnderstandeinge of the wyttye shal hide it selfe But wherefore happeneth thys Loke you a little before and you shal easelye perceiue the cause No man can open it more playne then the prophet doeth hym selfe Read the
place After this will I poure out my spirite saieth Ioel vpon all fleshe and your sonnes and daughters shal prophecie your olde mâ—n shal dreame dreames and your yonge men shall se visions Yea in those dayes I wil poure out my spirite vpon maidens and seruauÌ„tes ct Nowe therefore seynge that S Peter affirmeth after the Prophete Esay that al fleshe is grasse and al y e glorye of maÌ„ is as y e floure of grasse the grasse withereth and the flower falleth a waye but the worde of oure God abydeth for euer I woulde exhorte in you ryght worshippefull syr all men frome the hygheste to the loweste to cleaue faste to the word of god For it wyl come to passe that who soeuâ—r calleth vpon the name of the Lorde shall be saued Who eeuer defende you Amen ☞ Your humble and fayethful at your commaundement Phillip Nicolles ¶ Here foloweth the copie of a letter writtyn to master Chrispyn chanone of Excester concernynge thre questians put furth in hys sermon wherby he entended to declare all them heretickes that would Gods word to be the touch stone IT chaunced me worshipful maister Chrispen to be at your sermoÌ„ preached at Marledon the .xxiiii. Daye of marche laste paste at the monethes mynde of maister Otes Gylberd In whiche sermon amonge other thynges I remembre you enuied Luther verie sore onelye because he woulde haue the scripture to be the touch stone or triall of al other doctrines And calling Luther as it were into disputacions wyth al his disciples you put furth three questians whyche be these Fyrst if ther rose any heresies or dissentions before the Gospel was written as ther dyd in dede betwene SimoÌ„ Magus and SimoÌ„ Peter and ouer the circumsicion aske Luther hys disciples whoe nowe shall discusse the matter and whoe shoulde be the touche stone to trie the mattier The Gospell can not for it was not then wrytten The second questian is If one shoulde denye Mathewes Gospel or say Mathewe wrote it not how can it be proued by scripture It can not you say for scripture speaketh not of it The thyrd questiaÌ„ dyd deceiue the ignorante people which haue litle or no knowledge which is If ther be dissension or strife aboute the vnderstandeynge of the scriptures and both alledge scripture as the Areans dyd whoe brought to places of scripture for y e defence of theire errour in suche case you aske whoe shal be iudge or by whoÌ„ shall this be determined Or rather to vse your veri wordes wher is Luthers touch ston The scripture can not be touche stone you saye for boeth bringe forth scripture Wherefore ther must nedes be an other touch stone Where is Luthers now quoth you What answer can be made to these questians For Luthers touch ston wyll not serue Your answer was ther fore that Luther must gyue place and saye wyth you that it is the holye gost that must be touchston Thus you triumphed vpon Luther and hys disciples meaneinge by Luthers disciples suche I suppose as holde thys opinion as though you had ouer come theÌ„ that they coulde answere nothing Thys is easye to do when a maÌ„ hath all the talke hym selfe But for as muche as you wyshed Luther there at your sermon or some of his disciples to answere to your questians I thynke verelye you wylbe contented to heare a pore man answere though yet but simplye But I do you to wyt that I am none of Luthers disciples for I knowe not Luther But that I thynke hym to be a man as you be and therefore of hym selfe a lyer But if Luther spake the truth I woulde beleue him as sone as you or any other that speake the truth For the trueth by the whiche I meane gods worde can not be spoken wyth out holye gooste if it be spokeÌ„ to the glorye of God But in dede you or any other maye wyckedlye alledge the scripture of your selfe wythout the spirite to the defaceinge of the glorie of god and hinderaunce of hys worde as the deuyll dyd to Christe Mathe. iiii But I wyl resorte to the questians â–ª wyth thys protestacion that if I haue by any meanes mysse reported your wordes or other wyse vnderstanded them then you ment I hertelye desire you that you wyll charitably infourme me what were your questians what ye ment in them and howe you lyke thys my rude answere In so doinge â–ª I wyll be confirmable to your counsayle or else I wyll shewe you my mynde why I ought not Nowe to your fyrste questian whyche is thys If ther arose any dissention of heresie before the gospell was writen as it happened in dede betwene SimoÌ„ Magus and Simon Peter Also ouer the circumsicion where had ben then the touche stone To this questiaÌ„ by your leaue mayster Chripyne I wyll in this maner answer wyth Luther and say the scripture must be the touch stone If you saye it was not written I answer The worde was in the begyninge You wyl saye that Christe came accordynge to the scripture to finishe a newe testament whiche he coÌ„firmed and sealed wyth his bloude and when the newe was come the olde vanished awaye as Saynte Paule affirmeth to the Hebrues And you wyll saye peraduenture that Luther also meaneth the newe testa mente whiche was not written when the questian of circumsicion was moued wherefore it coulde not be the touche stone To make many wordes about this questian in my coÌ„ceyt wer but losse of time But I aske you Maister Chrispine what difference is betwene scripture written and scripture spoken if boeth be scripture You wyl graunte I am sure that Peter Paul and Iames wordes wer scripture when they preached or taughte the Gospell Then if anie man had asked for scripture it mought haue ben answerd Go to Peter Paul Iohn wyth thother Apostles For theyr preaching and couÌ„sayle was scripture So lacked not at that tyme Luthers tuchestone for the Apostles wryttinges and preachinges agreed and all was scripture Wherefore thys questian is sufficientlye answered to the worthynesse of it To your second questian which is It any man should denye Mathwes Gospell you aske howe it coulde be proued by scripture that Mathew wrote it To this I answere that if it be agreinge to the other scriptures and dissent in nothinge from it what daynger is it to call it Mathewes Gospell who so euer wrote it And though you coulde denye Mathewes Gospell to be Scripture yet there is Scripture For Marke Luke and Iohns Gospell Peter Paule and Iohns Epistles be scripture But I doubt not you wyll grauÌ„t Mathewes Gospel to be scripture But you wil aske me how I know it I answere by the reporte of the elders holye fathers mother holye churche Howe saye you nowe Haue I answered you wel Doth not thys answere please you I thynke yes But if I shoulde are the turkes howe they knowe that Mahomete was an holye prophet whoe deuised and caused to be deuised the Alcaron what
doctrine of the apostles which is written we cal it the Gospel we call it the scriptures we cal it y e newe testament and the olde these wordes written in a boke beinge reade vnto the people to enstruction edifying of y e cōgregatiō is the word of god yea Christ y e breade of life which came frō heauē so y e whoso eateth therof shal liue euer The words that Moyses dyd testifie vnto the children of Israell and sayed vnto them it is no vayne word but your life be they not writtē And be they not our life as wel as theyrs But what life cā thei be vnto vs if thei be kept frō vs so that we know thē not Dyd Moyses hyde them away and say they would make mē heretykes But all suche as do euil hate the lyght and come not to it that theyr dedes should not be reproued but he that doeth the trueth cometh to the lyght that his workes maye be knowen for they be done in God Agayne I am the lyghte of the world sayeth Christe Whye shoulde these men refuse goddes word to be their light if they wer of god whie should they feare to saye y e Christes worde is Christe the worde of the father the light that lyghneth al men that come vnto hym Esaye sayth If anye man want light let him loke vpon the lawe and testimonies What meaneth he by the lawe and testimonies meaneth he not the scripture or written word of God shall we not ther fynde the lighte I woulde aske these disputers of the worlde Whether the Gospell be written or no I thyncke they wyll graunte that it is written Well Saynct Paulle sayth he is not a shamed of y e Gospell of Christe for it is the powre of God whiche saueth all that beleue Nowe is this gospel written for our learneing saueth as many as beleue Marke wel the beleuers are not saued because it is writtē but they be saued because they beleue y e which is writē I aske these philosophers whether y e wordes that Christe speake be written or no I trowe the Euangelistes haue written the moste necessarye thynges yea the verie secretes hyd thynges If Christes wordes which he spake be writtē then the word y t is written shal iudge these vnbeleauers in the laste daye For thus sayth Christe He y t refuseth me and receyueth not my wordes hath one alredye y t iudgeth hym The word sayth he that I haue spoken shal iudge him in the last day Vnderstād nowe gentle reader y t these fathers would vnder colours plucke a waye the great authoritie of the scriptures and diminishe thorowe subtyle disputinge y e efficatie and strength of the gospell Whether they do of hatred to gods word or blindnes and ignoraunce in the same or else for lucers sake I can not tell But to far wander they out of the waye But I exhorte the though they be to far on the left hand rune not y u to far on y e rigt hande Enter in at the strayte gate for wyde is the gate and brode is the way that leadeth to destructiō many ther be y e go in ther at But strayte is y e gate and narrowe is the waye that leadeth vnto lyfe and fewe therbe y e fynd it Thys is therfore the sume of thys disputaciō y t Christ is the word and wisedome of the father in whom who so beleueth hath euerlasteinge lyfe Thys same word did he him self preach and sayeth If you abyde in me any my wordes abyde in you ye shall axe what you wyll and it shal be done vnto you Beholde wheras he sayde before If you continue in my wordes nowe he sayeth If you byd in me and my wordes abid in you By this it is euident that Christe is the worde euen that worde whiche was preached frō the beginning is preached nowe and shal be to the ende And although Christe be not as is sayde incke and paper or a worde closed in a boke as thought we mought saye looe here in thys boke is Christe or in that boke is Christe yet was it the wyll of God that thys heauenly doctrine shoulde be written and that it shoulde remaine wyth vs and also that these wordes written beinge reade vnto vs shoulde be vnto vs euē that same worde that Christe spake when he sayed He that is of god heareth gods worde And euen the verie same to them that beleue that he speaketh of sayeing If anye man kepe my worde he shal neuer se death And to them that beleue not the same that he sayeth shall iudge the vnbeleuers in the last daye Now marke well I besech the and consider wyth thy selfe the mischiefe of these subtyle sophisters They make it wounderfull dayngerouse to call the scriptur Christe They be verye carefull to haue the true worship of god preserued and kepte And they feeare leaste we wyll fall to worshipynge of the verie boke wherin the testimonies of Christe be wrytten And therfore do they withdrawe all men from readeinge and heareing it as much as they can But alas why be they not so ware and dayngerous in theyr laye mens bokes as they cal them whiche al the scripturs crie out vpon euen from the begininge of the olde testament to the later ende of the new By the which bokes or rather abominable Idoles it is open and manifest that muche Idolatrie hath ben cōmitted yea wil be stil so longe as ther is one left standing in the temples The word of god the doctrine of Christe whiche he and his Aposteles so ernestlye taught exhorted cōmaunded to harken vnto to beleaue and folowe almost al the bible is nothing else this I say they cānot suffer any man to haue to do with al. Thei haue burned it frō tyme to tyme they burned the readars of it as al the worlde can testifie It is manifeste that they beare little good wyll to it vnto thys daye But these mahomets puppetes veri Idolles which haue not one word in al scriptur for them but contrarie to the vtter abolishinge of them these they can suffer to be called Christe saynte sauioure saynte Sundaye the holye trinitie oure ladye of Pitye our ladye of grace oure ladye I can not tell wherof Alhallowes wyth a thousād like names Yea they can abyde that the people should worship those stil for they neuer preach agaynste them but rather defende them to kepe the vnlerned in their blindnesse styl Alas to open is your doynge nowe O you catholyke fathers euerye chylde maye perceyue your blinde doctrine Yet wyl not you cease to exalt this false church cōgregaciō of deceyceyuers euē aboue god him selfe For God was the worde and aboue the rule of thys worde sete ye your owne tradicions in the name of Christes church Thus dyd Christe prophecie that you shoulde come that you shoulde dooe miracles and wonders In so
perceyued by the helpe of God nether by oure selues or other c. Suche a one am I in other mens writtinges as I would other men should be in myne If we had no moe sayeinges of the doctours but thys one consideringe the estimacion Augustine is in it were inoughe to ouerthrowe all the confidence that they woulde teach vs to haue in mens writinges besyde gods worde But heare an other He writeth vnto Hierome and sayeth I haue learned to geue this feare and honoure onlye vnto the writters whiche be called canonicall y t I stedfastly beleue that none of them haue erred in writtinge For if I finde anye thinge in those letters y t semeth contrary to the trueth either I thinke the boke not to be true or the translater hath not truelye folowed his copie or else I think verilye I do not vnderstande it But I read al other writers saieth he after this maner that I thinke be they neuer so holy and well learned that it whiche they haue written is not strayte way true because they haue thought so but because they coulde make me beleue it either by those canonical authoures or else by some probable and sure reasone which dissenteth not frō the trueth He writeth agaynste one Cresonius the grāmariā sayinge I am not boūd by the authoritie of this Epistle because I do not cōpt and esteme Ciprians letters as canonicall of lyke authoritie w t the scripturs but I way thē pōder thē by the scripture If I finde any thing in thē agreinge w t the authoritie of holy scripture I receyue it with his praise But if it agre not bi his leaue fauour I refuse for sake it Againe in his treatise of shepherdes He hath ordeined y e hilles of Israel sayth he y e authours of holy scripturs There feade ye that you maye feade salfelye What so euer ye heare of that let it sauoure well wyth you whatsoeuer is besides that spite it out agayne leste ye erre in the clowde Addict youre selues to the meaneynge of the scripture There is the deyntie of y e hert there is no poysen no straynge thynge ther onelye is the moste holesome feadeyng Beholde the mynde of this great doctour named to be one of the greateste clarkes that wrot sence the aposteles tyme. He woulde haue no mans doctryne what soeuer he be to be compared to the holye scriptures In hys owne wryttynges he warneth vs that we shoulde not geue ouer much credence in the thynges sayeth he that you thynke yourselfe suer vnles ye surely vnderstande it beleue it not so stidfastely And writyng to Vincentius he graūteth that he hath wryten some thynges worthye to be blamed and therefore sayth that he hath made a boke of retractacions reuoking and casting agayne that which he had made before that the readers thereby maye learne that al his writinges in al points dyd not please hym Thys diffidence had Augustine in his writynges that in no case he would compare them wyth the scripture And loke what opinion he had of his owne writinges euen the same had he in al other mens besides the canonicall scriptures For he sayth in his boke of retractaciōs I cā not nor ought to denie sayth he but lyke as in myne elders so are many thynges in so many seuerall workes y t I haue made whyche maye be blamed wythout rayshnes with good iudgment If Austen wyl haue no credence geuen to mens writinges whether they be byshops or what so euer they be onlesse they bringe the authorite of scripture w t thē as he writteth to Vincentius We must make a differēce sayth he betwene mens wryttinges He nameth Hilarie Ciprian and Agrippie which be lyke were byshopes and the canonicall scriptures For they ought not so to be reade sayth he as though we might geuefurth suche testimonies of them that it shoulde not be lawefull to thinke other wyse then they affirme For peraduenture they vnderstande it otherwyse thē y e truth requireth He y t lusteth to searche Austēs workes shal find many thinges cōtrarie to their proud doctrine kycking against y e scriptures yea cōtrarie almost to al theyr blind erroures In so muche that I haue meruayled that they haue had him so longe in such estimacion and had not rather condemned hym for an heretike As for the authoritie of mens doctrine besyde the scripture he can not abyd But in all thynges he wylleth vs to haue respect to the scripture euē in prayseing god sayeth he let it be done as he hath appoynted lest in steppinge a syde we offend him that we would prayse And agaynste fanstus be writeth euē the same we must not tourne either to the right hand neither to y e lifte no not in y e prayse that we geue to god But euen the same praises sayeth he must we frame according to y e wil of y e scriptur And in y e xvi Cha. he sayth that they which would teach y e people any other thing thē y e canonical scriptures are not only false prophets but theaues robbars euē of our sauioure How cā our olde catholike fathers abyde thys felowe He calleth thē false prophetes theaues and robbars It is tyme the popes excommunication were out for hym He writeth agaynste the Maniches and sayeth Dispise you the scriptures whiche are commaunded and established with so great authoritye You do no miracles whiche if you dyd yet we would be ware of them in you because the Lorde teacheth vs to beware of suche saynge Ther shall aryse many false Christes etc. Many mo places maye there be founde in this mans workes which thei maye be a shamed to heare if it were nedfull But because they shall not conceyue al ther malise against Austen and parauēture haue hym in examinacion for slanderinge these holye fathers ye shal heare what Hierome sayeth He declareth y t Christ speaketh in Peter in Paule and that of the people and princes y e scripture is to be vnderstanded of the doctrine of the Apostls Of those sayeth he which were in it not of those which we beholde nowe And marke what he sayeth Those that were and not those that be that ye moughte vnderstande that what so euer shal be sayed after the Apostles tyme let it be cut a way sayth he for it hath none authoritie afterward Therfore if ther be any S. after the Apostles tyme he hath none authorite for thei come to late to be alowed quia nō fuerūt in ea sayeth he If y e saints must geue place to the holie scripture and haue none authoritye besydes that than what are they that make articles of our fayth or at least condemne thē for heretikes that wyl not receyue that doctrine that hath none authoritie of y e scripture but rather against the scripture The same Ierome vpon Ieremie sayth And they haue gone after straing gods as theyr fathers taught them