God cannot properly be referred neyther to the honestie of maners nor to the tructh of faith must be knowne to be figuratiue Moreouer the ancient Fathers long agoe the Schoolemen of late time and the Popish writers at this day do teach that there be diâ—ers senses of Scripture And although all of them preferre the hystoricall and litterall sense yet Sixâ—â—s Senensis and Bellarmine doe make it double eyther proper and simple according to the first and naturall signification of the words or metaphoricall and figuratiue when the wordes are translated from their naturall signification to another and that there bee so many kindes of this sense as there bee kindes of figures Now what is preaching but expounding of Scripture and deliuering the true sense of it As appeareth by the practise of Ezra Nehe. 8.8 and the Leuites who reade the Lawe of God distinctly and then gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand what was read Those then who in their Sermons deliuer the true sense of the word written according to those seuerall kindes of expositions must needes deliuer the worde of GOD cuen the selfe same worde that is written Againe not onely the things expresly set downe in the Scriptures but likewise such thinges as by sound and necessarie consequence bee collected thence are taken for written truthes and not vnwritten traditions Aeonsus Viruestus a Popish Bishop and a bitter enemie to Luther Adners Luther doginat philippi c. 9. p. 147. acknowledgeth so much For hee saith That things may bee conteyned in the Scripture eyther formally and expresly or materially being drawâ—â— by a necessary collection from the contents And this he saith is called Virtualis continentâ—a To denie this saith hee is not Christian wisedome but Iewish superstition And then teacheth that wee are as much bound to giue assent to those thinges that be materially conteyned and drawne thence by a lawfull collection as to those that be formerly and expresly conteyned Bellarmine cannot deny but that Scoties taught De Eucharist lib. 3. c. 23 there was not any expresse place of Scripture to proue Transubstantiation without the declaration expositioÌ„ of the Church Neyther dare the Cardinall reiect that assertion but saith Quia colligitur ex scriptura diuina that Transubstantiation belongeth to the Catholicke faith because it is collected out of the diuine Scripture In his iudgement then that is a written trueth which is collected from the Scripture as well as that which is expressely set downe in the Scripture If therefore Preachers deliuer no other doctrines in their Sermons if they confute and condemne no other errors if they teach no other duties if they reproue no other sinnes if they minister no other consolations and if they vrge no other exhortations then they haue warrant in the written worde of God eyther by expresse testimonies or by necessary collections the worde which they preach is the very same in kind in nature and substance with the word written And so there is not one word written and another word preached as the Doctor woulde beare men in hand but one and the same word diuersly vsed So absurd is this his obseruation so voyde of reason so destitute of proofe and so discrepant from the doctrine of his owne Church that it may well bee thought that rather malice against vs then any warrant from the text caused him to set it downe And heere behold how farre malice doth carry your teachers euen to forsake their owne companions and to ouerthrow the coÌ„mon and receiued doctrine of their owne Church that so they may crosse and condemne vs. And to conclude with him hee that will regard what be writeth in the latter end of his obseruation may easilie perceiue how hee ouerthroweth his owne note obserued in the beginning For he produceth the Apostle Peter as an indifferent witnes in this case who saith that the Worde of God endureth for euer and this is the worde which is preached among you whose testimonie doth euidently prooue that the worde written and the worde preached then by the Apostles and other Ecclesiasticall persons was the very same worde For it is apparant by that verse which hee alleadged that the worde of God which endureth for euer and the worde which then was preached were one and the selfe same worde Now what was the word that endureth for euer was it not the worde written If anie will denye this let him reade the former verse in Peter and compare that verse and this Isaiah 40.6.7.8 with the wordes of the prophet Isaiah and hee shall finde it to be the worde written by the Prophet So as Peter maketh the worde written by the prophet and preached by the Apostles to bee the same Againe this great Doctor saith * Immutabile est in natura substancia sua etâ—i propagatione explicatione variâ— the Word is the Seede because it is vnchangeable in it owne nature and substance though diuers in explication and proueth it out of Basil and Vincentius Lyrenensis who make that agreemeÌ„t betweene the word written and the word preached that they are both one in substaÌ„ce for they preached nothing but what was written yet the word writteÌ„ was made fruitfull by preaching SECT III. BVt to leaue the Docter and his obseruation It may be some others will acknowledge contrarie to his minde that whosoeuer preacheth nothing but such doctrines as are either expresly taught or necessarily gathered from the scriptures preacheth nothing but the written word And yet will likewise contradict me because they hold that there is another word of God besides the written word Bellarmine (1) De verho Dei nonscript lib. 4. c. 1. saith there is verbis Dei scriptrÌ„ verbum Dei non scriptum A word of God written namely the bookes of the old and new Testaments And a word of God not written namely the traditions of the Church which be not written in the scriptures Gregory de Valentia (2) Refutat falsar causar Herbrand cap. 1. holdeth it for a most certaine thing that the word of God is not onely conteyned in written letters as it pleaseth him to tearme the scriptures in way of disgrace but is also put in the voyce of the Church and there doth sound Coster the Iesuite speaketh more plainely and peremptorily (3) Et anteÌ„ scriptura ecclesiae catholicae consensies concors omnium Christianorum per tot uÌ„ terrarum orbem doctrina Huius scripturae praestantia multis partibus super scripturas quas nobis in membranis Apostoli reliquerunt Encherid cap. 1. So also saith Hosius Quod ecclesia docet expressum Dei verbum est De expresso Dei verbo fol. 119. in 106. That the consent of the Catholike Church and the consonant doctrine of all Christians throughout the world is the scripture And in many points excelleth the scriptures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchments And this he maketh the first and
beleeueth shall not be confounded because they doe not put their hope in him Now who that hath any vnderstanding in Religion will say that the faith which is able to saue a mans soule and the faith which is not able to saue a mans soule are both one in kind in nature and substance And that those who are tormented in hell can truely say that while they were on earth they had the very same faith which brought the Saintes to the Kingdome of heauen By that which hath bene spoken touching this point you may vnderstand what a kinde of faith is taught by the greatest Doctors in the Romish church what is the best faith which they require of the people euen an hystoricall faith to giue assent to the truth of things reuealed Which faith as hath bene prooued may be in wicked men in Reprobates in men out of the state of grace in men that shall goe to hell Yea such a faith as is found in the very diuels of Hell What saluation can be obtained in that Church whose preachers teach no better faith Who would be ledde by such guydes I knowe that they would make a difference betwixt the faith of their right Catholickes and the faith of diuels because the one hath Charitie alwayes accompanying it the other wanteth Charity But they might consider that according to their doctrine this maketh no essentiall but a meere accidentall difference Seeing they teach that the same assent to the truth of things reuealed is in some with charitie and in others without charitie in cuideÌ„tly appeareth that according to their doctrine Charitie is not a proper immediate necessary and essentiall propertie of it but meerely accidentall Indeed wee hold that Charitie is a proper necessary effect of a iustifying faith so as faith is no sooner wrought in the heart of any but forthwith hee is endued with loue (45) Vel quòd vna esset de ratione altâ—â—s vâ—l quod vna necessariò nasceretur ab altera c. Licet chaâ—tas oriatur ex fide tameÌ„ non oritur vt propria passio quae necessariò fluâ—t a subiecto sed vt virtus adquam alia disponit inclinat De Iustif lib. 1. cap. 15. Sect quintum argum He cannot but loue him in whom he belieueth and of whose loue and fauour he is perswaded And therefore charitie though it do not make yet it may declare the essentiall difference and the nature of this faith But seeing it is no such necessary effect of their assenting faith it can neyther make nor declare any essentiall difference of it And therefore he who wanteth charitie may haue the same faith in substance that hee hath who is endued with Charitie Bellarmine going about to proue that true faith meaning theyr assenting faith may bee separated from loue draweth one Argument from the proper reason nature of them both If they cannot be seuered saith he 46 It is eyther because the one is of the reason or being of the other or that the one doth necessarily arise from the other Not the first because Faith charitie are not one vertue but two And besides that haue diuers subiectes actes and obiectes For faith is in the vnderstanstanding Charitie in the will Faith belieueth charitie loueth Faith respecteth the first trueth Charitie the chiefe good Not the second because although charity arise of faith yet it doth not arise as a proper passion which doth necessarily flowe from the subiect but as a vertue vnto which an other doth dispose and encline And Thomas Aquinas saith Seeing (47) Cum charitas fit extra essentiam fides per eues aduentum vel recessum non mutatur substart ea eius In Ron. 1 â—ect 6. Charitie is without the essence of faith by the comming or departure of it the substance of faith is not changed And although Bellarmine holde with the school-men that Charitie is the forme of faith yet he (48) Formam esse extrinsecam no intrinsecaÌ„ que det illâ— won vt sit sed vt moueatur De Iustif lib. 2. cap. 4. tteacheth that it is an outward not an inward forme And such a forme as doth not giue beeing vnto it but motion Howe then can it make it make any essentiall differeÌ„ce betwixt that faith which hath it and that faith which wanteth it I know that the Fathers do sometime note loue as a difference betwixt the faith of Christians and diuels and betwixt the faith of good Christians and bad Yet do they not make it the onely difference betwixt them they teach an essentiall diffeteÌ„ce by belieuing in God with trust and confidence Againe they might better make it a difference of theyr faith then the Papists can make it a difference of the faith which they teach because it was a necessary and proper effect proceeding from that their faith not from any other For those that do so belieue in God with hope and confidence of his mercie and goodnes towards them cannot but loue him But papists haue no such confidence nor assuraÌ„ce in their faith which should make them to loue God they may haue all theyr faith without loue And therefore loue cannot distinguish it essentially from the faith of diuels So then to shut vp this point it still remaineth apparent that in the nature and substance there is no difference at all betwixt popish assenting faith and the faith of diuels And surely those that now content themselues with such a faith as is no better in substance then the faith of diuels may iustly feare least hereafter they shall haue no better estate in substance then the deuils haue SECT XII THe last kinde of faith which I mentioned I called a Temporary faith which differeth from a dead faith because while it lasteth it bringeth forth outward fruites And yet is not the same with a iustfying faith because it commeth short of it by many degrees doth not saue any and continueth not vnto the end This faith is scarce knowne to the papists very fewe of their writers make any mention of it Yet lest any should thinke that it is a new coyned tearme and a newly inuented faith I will shew what authors write of it Augustine long agoe (1) Quae sit stabilis fides siuchistorica temporalis siue spiritualis aeterna De verarelig cap. 50. vsed the name and tytle together with the name of Historicall faith as before I declared Bernard (2) Mittunt nos ad quandam fidei trifariam diutsionem vt dicatur sides mortua sicta probata c. Fictam aute ego arbitvor illam vocari fidem quae suscepta quidâ—m excharitate vita moueri inchoat ad bene operandum sedâ—n perseâ—â—â—ns defiâ—it moritur tanquam abortiua Eo vtique 〈◊〉 sictam dixerim nominatam quo vasasiâ—ulâ— vocamus fiâ—â—tâ—â—â— ron quia vâ—delâ—cet vtilia non sint quamdâ—â—â—â—rant scu quâ—a fraâ—â—lia cum sint diu minime durant De hac siâ—â—â—
accâ—pistis before angels comming from heaueÌ„ As also that Paul doth not say if they preach contrary things or if they subuert the whole Gospell but if they preach but euen a little beside the Gospell which ye haue recâ—â—â—ed let them be accursed Thomas Aquinas their Angelicall Doctor Quam illud quod conâ—inetur in euangâ—l 〈◊〉 apostolâ—s in sacra scripturaam â—â—ite vel expresse Thom. in Gal. 1. professedly expouÌ„ding that place doth write that nothing is to be preached but that which is conteyned in the Gospells and in the Epistles and in the holy scripture implâ—â—â—ely or expresly Will they say that their Traditions are conteyned in the scriptures either expresly or by way of implication or consequent then are they not vnwritten verities as they tearme them A second answere of the Cardinall is this that the Apostle by Praeter vnderstood Contra. And therefore did not forbid new doctrines and precepts which were besides those that were deliuered but onely doctrines and precepts contrarie to the former Yet will not this serue his turne For in matters of faith and religion prâ—ter and contra are both alike Whatsoeuer is taught as necessarie to saluation if it be besides the scripture must be condemned as well as that which is contrarie to the Scriptures The reason is because the Scriptures conteyne all thinges which Ministers are to teach as necessary to saluation And therefore Paul told Timothie 2. Tim. 3.15.10.17 that they were able to make him wise vnto saluation And were profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse Two of which respect mens mindes what they are to know and â—â—â—eeue as the trueth and what they are to reiect as errors Two of them respect their maners what sinnes they are to auoyde what dutâ—es they are to performe Is there any things needfull to bee taught the people but these things And because the Cardinall answereth that the Scriptures are profitable for all these things but not sufficient Consider the wordes of the Apostle following where hee declareth the end of this profitablenes namely Verse 17 that the man of God may be absolute bâ—ing made perfect to all good works By the man of God he meaneth the Minister of the Gospell That tytle had he in his former Epistle giuen vnto Timothie 1. Tim. 6.11 And Lyra saith 1. Tim. 6.11 Homo dei 1. ad diuinum officium ordinatus qualis estu Lyra in 2. Tim. 3. the man of God was one ordeyned to the diuine office such a one as Timothie was If then the Scripture being profitable for those foure vses will thereby make a Minister of the Gospell absolute and perfect for each good worke belonging vnto him he is not to teach any things ouer and besides the Scripture Theophylact thus writeth on the former place In Gal. 1. Hee doth not inferre if they onely preach contrary things but if they preach that which is beside that which we haue preached that is if they shall adde any thing that is but a very little more they are subiect to the curse And indeed it may seeme strange that the Papists are so earnest to haue vnwritteÌ„ traditions as wel preached as written truthes seeing the things written are more cettaine more excellent and necessary and require a long time to bee all taught and learned They are more certaine because all men are more certainely assured that the Scriptures the doctrines conteyned in them bee the word of God then that vnwritten traditions be his worde De verbo Dei lib 1. cap. 2. Bellarmine confesseth that nothing is better knowne nothing more certaine then the sacred Scriptures which bee conteyned in the writings of the Prophets Apostles that he must needes be most foolish who denyeth that they are to be beleeued And produceth 5. inuincible and infallible proofes that they are the very word of God De verbo Dei noÌ„script lib. 4. cap. 5. WheÌ„ he commeth to speake of traditions he alleadgeth no such proofes but onely goeth about to prooue by 4. places of Scripture which haue bene long agoe answered that there are some traditions though neyther he nor any of his fellowes can tell what they are nor can make a perfit Catalogue of them so vncertain are they Indeede hee deliuereth fine rules De vero Dei noâ— srâ—pt liâ— 4. cap. 9. Ibib. lib. 4. cap. 2. whereby true traditions may bee discerned from false and counterfait traditions yet those rules are grounded on the authoritie of men and do not infallibly proue them to bee the word of God Yea he teacheth that al traditions haue not the like authoritie some haue diuine authoritie some haue Apostolical some ecclesiastical And therfore all of them cannot haue the same authority with the written word which himselfe before proued to haue diuine authoritie And how do they know any thing to bee a tradition but by humane writings and histories which as the Cardinall confesseth De effect suram lib. 2. cap. 25. sine can breede but humane beleefe wherein may be falshood Neither are they so necessarie and profitable as the Scripture It is able â—o make a man wife to saluation It iâ—â— the seede of regeneration It is the foode of our soules It is the sword of the spirit to defend vs from the Diâ—â—ell In bringeth vs to faith and saluation as before I proued Can such profite bee reaped from traditions Did eueâ— any approued authour ascribe such â—â—â—tue and efficacy to them Did â—uer any Christian obteyne these benefites by them Moreouer the thinges taught in the Scripture are not easily learned Augustine wrote that the profunditie of the Scripture is so great Epâ—st 3. that hee might hee might dayly prosâ—â—â—e in them if from the beginning of his childhood to his crooked old age be should with greatest leisure chiâ—fesâ— studie and better wit endeuour himself to learne them onely The Papists will not gain-say this seeing they hold the Scripture to be very obscure Pambo confessed that in 19. Socrat. hist. lib. 4. c. 18. yeeres hee had not learned to practise one lesson taught him out of Psal 39. to refraine his tongue from euill How many yeeres then may our people requiâ—e to learne the meaning and the practise of al things written in the Olde and New Testament I would therefore wish our Popish Priestes and people first to learne how to vnderstand and practise all thinges that bee written and when they haue learned all those then to begin with traditions It is no wisedome to contend much and busie themselues greatly about traditions before they haue learned and practised all things written which be farre more certaine more necessarie and profitable If they would take this course I am assured that there is not any one of them though he liued to be as old as Methuselah that would euer trouble eyther himselfe or vs with traditions Si rusticus â—redat suo epiâ—copo