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A06606 A treatise of the iudge of controuersies. Written in Latin, by the R. Father Martinus Becanus of the Society of Iesus, Professour in Diuinity. And Englished by W.W. Gent; De judice controversiarum. English Becanus, Martinus, 1563-1624.; Wright, William, 1563-1639. 1619 (1619) STC 1707; ESTC S101284 69,267 198

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about the sēse or meaning thereof which cannot be knowne but by custome or traditiō that taketh place of which is said in the law For then the best interpreter of the Lawes is Custome and that our Emperour Seuerus hath written how that in doubts Leg. ●7 ff de legibus which proceed from Lawes either custome or the authority of things iudged alwaies in the same manner ought to haue the force of a law Perchance you wil say what if some controuersy occur which neither Ibid. leg 38. can be defined out of the written law nor out of any custome what then shal be the rule that the iudge ought to follow I answere Then the matter must be taken vp according to that equity which doth proceed out of the law of nature But this especially happeneth when some certaine Case doth occur which is vnderstood according to the wordes of the law but not to the meaning of the law-giuer as before was said For then the Iudge is to giue sentence according to that which he thinketh to be iust and right The very same may happen in Controuersies of faith For if any controuersy should arise which cannot manifestly be decided neither by Scripture nor tradition recourse presently were to be made to the help of the holy Ghost who although he assist the Church in al occasions yet in this especially he doth teach her al truth as Christ himselfe hath promised And this remedy also the Apostles haue vsed in that Councel of Hierusalem where they were assembled about circumcision and the obseruation of legall rites and ceremonies Now these be the argumēts by which hitherto hath beene proued that the Scripture cannot be ludge of controuersies in faith but that the Church may Now it remayneth that we diligently weigh and consider the testimonies of Scripture which were propoūded in the beginning and which are obiected and often repeated by our aduersaries against this doctrine but not in that order as they were propounded but as they are placed in the Scripture of the old and new testament one after another And truly by the examining of these as I did before insinuate it wil be manifest that some of them are nothing to the purpose and the rest rather make for vs then for them But to conclude and speake freely as the matter is indeede I affirme that our aduersaries who alwaies so much boast bragge of Scripture vnderstand nothing lesse then the true sense meaning of the Scripture The Testimonies of Scripture brought against vs heere are examined THE I. TESTIMONY YOVV shal not ad to the word that I speake to you And this also VVhat I commaund Deut. 4. 2. Deut. 12. 32. thee that only do to our Lord neither ad any thing nor diminish Out of which the aduersaries generally gather these two poynts First that all Traditions which Catholikes admit ought to be vtterly reiected But what is their reason Because forsooth nothing is to be added to the written word of God Secondly that no humā precepts such as are the commandements of fasting lent abstinence from flesh on Fryday and Saturday of the single life of Priests such like ought to be obserued But wherefore Because say they that only is to be done which Christ hath cōmaunded whatsoeuer men commaund is not to be done Thus they but very foolishly as I wil shew two waies First by disprouing their false interpretation And againe by shewing the true sense and meaning of these places of Scripture Now first that their interpretation is false they themselues cannot deny vnlesse they will altogeather be accoūted foolish and impudent For if all traditions ought to be refused the Apostle himselfe must be reiected who saith Hould the Traditions which you 2. Thes 2. 14. haue learned whether it be by words or by our Epistle Likewise if al human precepts should be contemned and that only should be done which God commaundeth What should we say of the Rechabits who most diligently obserued the precept of their Father Ionadab did they amisse therein This tru●y were to be sayd according to our Aduersaries but it is far otherwise seing that for so doing they are commended by God himselfe If our Aduersaries know not this let them heere Hieremy the Prophet speaking in these words The word that I●e 35. 1. was made to Ieremy from our Lord in the daies of Ioakim the Sonne of Iosias the King of Iuda saying Go to the house of the Rechabits speake to them and thou shalt bring them into the howse of our Lord into one chamber of the treasuries and thou shalt giue them wyne to drinke And I tooke ●ezonias the sonne of Ieremias the Sonne of Habsamias and his brethren and all his sonnes and the whole howse of the Rechabites And I brought them into the howse of our Lord c. And I set before the sonnes of the howse of the Rechabits gobletts full of wyne and cuppes and I said to them drinke wyne who answered we will not drinke wyne because Ionadab the sonne of Recab our Father commaunded vs saying you shall not drinke wyne you and your Children for euer And yow shall not build howses you shall not sow seede and you shall not plant vineyards nor haue any but yow shall dwell in tabernacles al your dayes that yow may liue many dayes vpon the face of the land wherein yow are strangers we therfore haue obeyed the voice of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our Father in all things that he commaunded vs so that we drinke not any wine all our dayes we and our wiues our sonnes and our Daughters And we builde not howses to inhabit and vineyard and seild and seede wee haue not had but we haue dwelt in tabernacles and we haue beene obedient according to all things that Ionadab our Father commaunded vs c. And the word of our Lord was to Ieremy saying Thus sayth the Lord of Hosts the God of Israell go and say to the men of Iuda and to the inhabitants of Hierusalem VVhy will you not receaue discipline to obey my words sayth our Lord The words of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab haue preuailed which he commaunded his sonnes not to drinke wyne and they haue not drunke vntill this day because they haue obeyed the commaundement of their Father but I haue spoken to you early rising and speaking and you haue not obeyed me And I haue sent to you all my seruants the Prophets rising earely and sending and saying Returne ye euery one from his most wicked way and make your studies good c. And you haue not enclined your eare nor heard me The Children therefore of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab haue firmely kept the precepts of their Father which he commaunded them But this people haue not obeyed me Therefore thus sayth the Lord of hosts the God of Israell behould I will bring vpon Iuda and vpon all the inhabitants of Hierusalem all the affliction which I haue
waies Some of them thus All scripture is profitable to teach and to argue Therefore traditions are superfluous which is much like vnto this All meat is profitable to nourish Luc. 11. 41. Dan. 4. 24. Therefore drinke is needlesse or els thus All alsmedeedes are profitable to Saluation therefore prayer is needlesse and the Sacraments are needlesse Alas who will not pitty such follies Or thus All scripture is profitable that is sufficient therefore traditions are needlesse But what an exposition is this Is it the same to be profitable and to be sufficient if it be so one may also interpret that place of S. Paul in the 1. Tim. 4. 8. same place Piety is profitable to all things that is Piety is sufficient for all things therefore all other things are needlesse And likewise that Take 2. Tim. 4. ●1 Marke and bring him with thee for he is profitable to me for the ministery that is sufficient Therefore Timothy Titus and Onesimus and all the rest were needlesse But who doth not now euidently perceaue that if this licence of interpreting the Scripture were once permitted how easy it were to corrupt it all But that the matter may appeare more plainly the text of the Apostles is well to be considered For the Apostle in the cited Chapter doth exhort Timothy the Bishop that he should instruct his subiects in fayth and good workes and that he should reprehend his aduersaries who being corrupted in mynd and reprobate concerning fayth 1. Tim. 3. 16. did resist the truth And that he might shew that he was able to performe it he addeth But thou continue in those things which Ibid. paulo post thou hast learned and are commtted to thee knowing of whome thou hast learned And because from thine infancy thou hast knowne the holy Scriptures which can instruct thee to Saluation by the fayth that is in Christ Iesus For all Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach c. Where by the holy Scripturs which he sayth Timothy to haue knowne he meaneth the Scripture of the old Testament For at that tyme when Timothy was a Child the Scripture of the new Testament was not extant Therefore the Apostle in that text thus doth argue All Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach subiects reprehend aduersaries But the Scripture of the old Testament which thou hast knowne from thy infancy is inspired of God Therefore it is profitable to teach thy subiects and to reprehend thy aduersaries And when thou art well instructed with the knowledg of that Scripture thou wilt obtaine great aide thereby to performe that which I haue tould thee And from the same head one may conclud in this manner All Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach and argue And whosoeuer is instructed with the knowledg of this Scripture shall obtaine great aide thereby to performe them both Now out of both these arguments it followeth that these three propositions are true according to the Apostle 1. All Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach and argue 2. That the Scripture of the old Testament is profitable to teach and to argue 3. That the Scripture of the new testament is profitable to teach and to argue As therefore it doth not follow the Scripture of the old Testament is profitable therefore the Scripture of the new Testament is needlesse superfluous Nor the contrary The Scripture of the New Testament is profitable therefore the Scripture of the old Testament is superfluous So also it doth not follow that tradition is superfluous because the old and the new Testament are profitable THE VIII TESTIMONY FOR I testify to euery one hearing the words ●po 22. 18. of the Prophecy of this booke If any man shall add to these things God shall add vpon him the plagues written in this booke And if any man shall diminish of the word of the booke of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the booke of life Heereby our aduersaries conclude in this manner If any man shall add to the words of this Apocalypticall Prophecy he shal be punished of God But the Catholikes add traditions Therefore the Catholikes shal be punished of God They may also conclude in this manner If any man shall add to the words of this Apocalipticall prophecy he shal be punished of God But the Caluinists add Ghospells Epistles of the Apostles the institutions of Caluin the Cathechisme of Hidelberge Athanasius Creed and also the first foure generall Councells Therefore the Caluinists shal be punished of God Or in this manner If any man shall diminish of the words of this Apocalipticall prophecy he shal be taken out of the booke of life But the Lutherans do not only diminish of the words of this Apocalipticall prophesy but also bring it into question whether it be true or no and not acknowledging it to be diuine and Canonicall tell vs in plaine termes that it is counterfait Apocalipticall Therefore they shal be taken out of the booke of life But now to the purpose S. Iohn forbiddeth nothing els but onely that the words of the Apocryphall prophecy be not corrupted of any Which he insinuateth to be done two wayes first by addition as if one should add any thing to the Apocalipticall prophecy to be as a part of it which is not Secondly by diminishing as if one should take something from it although it did not belong to it which certainly doth The Catholikes do neither But with an example I will declare it better S. Iohn foretelleth that in a certaine tyme two Prophets shall come clothed with sackcloath who shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty dayes and shall haue power to shut heauen that it raine not in the dayes of their prophesy and to turne the water into bloud c. To which prophecy the catholikes ad nothing at all which doth not belong vnto it nor take any thing away which is added therto but leaue it whole as it was prophesied of S. Iohn But our aduersaries do the contrary especially those who say that Luther and Caluin were the two Prophets For these who say this must of necessity diminish of the words of this prophecy seing that it is certaine that Luther and Caluin were not cloathed in sackcloathes nor had any power of shutting heauen nor also had those properties which follow The Conclusion of all that is contained in this Booke TWo things I haue hitherto endeauoured to performe The one is to shew that the Scriptures cannot be the iudge of Controuersies but the Church And this I haue declared six wayes First by the office of the iudge which is not fitting for the Scripture because the Scripture cānot pronounce sentence in that manner betweene two at variance so that the one party may see it is for him and the other perceaue it is against him Secondly out of the scripture it selfe in the which two things are to be considered the
which may be declared with two similitudes the one is taken from the proportion of a mans body For if you should aske whether all the members which are in a mans body haue vitall and sensible spiritts in them by the which life in them is preserued I answeare that indeed all haue but with a certaine kynd of dependance from the head and the hart for these spirits are deriued from the head and the hart as from a double origen spring or fountaine into the other members From whence it comes that if those pores and passages be stopped intercepted through the which that distribution of spirits is made it followeth also that the other members are destitute of their spirits and cannot exercise their office at all but if they be patent and open all is well Euen so in the Church all the faythfull who are as members of the Church haue the assistance and direction of the holy Ghost but which a certaine kynd of dependance of the Pope who is as the head of the Church and from the Councells which are as the hart of the Church As long therefore as they remaine vnited to the doctrine of the Pope Coūcells they are pertakers of the assist●nce and gouernement of the holy Ghost cannot erre in fayth But if they once depart by obstinacy and stubbornesse then they begin to shut vp all their passages that the diuine assistance and direction cānot be distributed vnto them And so they begin to swarue from the truth and become subiect to errour which happened to Arius Nestorius Macedonius Pelagius and six hundred others And truly least the same happen vnto vs let vs heare the Counsell of the Apostle who in euery place doth exhort vs to the agreement and vnity of doctrine As when he writeth thus to the Romains And I desire you brethren saith he Rom. 16. 17. to marke them that make dissentions scandalls contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and auoyd them And to the Corinthians I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord 1. Cor. 1. 10. Iesus Christ that you all say one thing and that there be no schisme among you And to the Ephesians Becarefull to vse the spirit of truth in the bond of peace One body and one spirit as Eph. 4. 3. you are called in one hope of your Saluation One Lord one fayth one Baptisme And likewise to the Hebrewes VVith variances strang Heb. 13. 9. doctrines be not led away Another similitude may be borrowed from a flock of sheepe which very well doth represent the Church For as a whole flock being gathered together in one fould or one place hath the continuall assistance of their sheepheard who doth defend them all with his hooke his dogge from the cruelty of wolues eue● so the whole Church of the faythfull being collected in one fayth and in one spirit hath the perpetuall assistāce of that diuine sheepheard Ioan. 10. 14. Matth. 28. 20. who sayd I am the good Pastour and I know my sheepe And againe Behould I am with you all dayes euen to the consūmatiō of the world Also euen as the sheep as long as they remayne togeather with the flock and their Pastour they are safe from the biting of wolues euen so all Christians as long as they remaine vnited with the Church that is agreeing with the doctrine of the Church they are safe and secure from all dangers of errour and infidelity And finally as sheepe which stray from the flock are destitute of the protection of their Pastour and so subiect to be deuoured of the rauening wolues euen so Christians who disagree from the common sense and doctrine of the Church are quite destitute of the assistāce of the holy Ghost and so in danger to fall certainly into pestiferous damnable errours From the which Christ free vs all FINIS THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOKE OF the Iudge of Controuersies the Preface Pag. 1. The Scripture alone is not the Iudge of Controuersies concerning matters of Faith and Religion I. ARGVMENT Drawne from the Office of a Iudge Pag. 6. II. ARGVMENT Drawne out of the Scripture it selfe Pag. 9. That the Scripture according to the sense and meaning thereof cannot be Iudge Pag. 19. That the Scripture often tymes according vnto the sense is obscure and hard to be vnderstood Pag. 20. What are the causes why the Scripture is obscure Pag. 33. Wherefore is it Gods will that the Scripture should be obscure Pag. 58. It followes necessarily out of the obscurity of the Scripture that many Controuersies arise amongst Christians Pag. 64. The Scripture cannot be the Iudge of these and the like Controuersies Pag. 71. THE III. ARGVMENT Which is drawne out of the Cōtrouersies themselues Pag. 81. THE IIII. ARGVMENT Which is taken out of the vse and practise of the old Testament where not the Scripture but the Bishop was acknowledged for the Iudge Pag. 91. THE V. ARGVMENT Drawne from the custome vse and practise of the new Testamēt Pag. 106. THE VI. ARGVMENT Drawne from the Analogy and proportion of the Ciuill Iudge concerning matters belonging to the common Wealth Pag. 118. The Testimonies of Scripture brought against vs heere are examined THE I. TESTIMONY Pag. 125. THE II. TESTIMONY Pag. 134. THE III. TESTIMONY Pag. 136. THE IIII. TESTIMONY Pag. 145. THE V. TESTIMONY Pag. 149. THE VI. TESTIMONY Pag. 151. THE VII TESTIMONY Pag. 153. THE VIII TESTIMONY Pag. 157. The Conclusion of all that is contained in this Booke Pag. 160. An Obiectiō of the vulgar people against all that hath beene hitherto sayd Pag. 162. FINIS