Euangeliste the welbeloued disciple of the Lord wrote .iij. Epistles Thre Epistles of Iohn In the first he speaketh moche of charitie and purenesse of liuyng the fruites of true faieth In the seconde and the thirde he setteth out the same charitie and trueth biddyng vs to beware of Heretiques The laste booke written of the same Apostle hath a Greke name Apocalyps It is called Apocalyps or Reuelation In this boke he prophecieth and setteth out as the Lorde had opened vnto him what thinges shoulde happen to the churche of GOD euen to the worldes ende Thou shalt find in it many thinges borowed of Ezechiel Daniel zacharie and other prophetes And thus it hath pleased the goodnesse of God to warne his people in good season of the mischiefes that were to come that thei maie the more wiselie prouide for thē selues and praie to God the more hartelie Canonical bookes Moe bookes are not in the Canon of the new testamēt Neither is it great lie to be cared for that some haue doubted of the Epistle to the Hebrues of the former Epistle of Peter Iude Iames and the Apocalyps For what is it to vs that a fewe corrupted with their owne affections haue doubted of thinges certaine Nota. It is to be beleued these bookes of bothe the Testamentes whiche we haue reconed vp to come of the spirite of God to be written left to the churche by the prophetes and Apostles of the Lord in them to be taught all trueth with thē to be mingled none errour nor lie Of the olde fathers this was called Canonical Scripture because it was geuen to vs of God for a rule of liuyng and a trueth by whiche we ought to trie all thinges and therafter to liue The Hebrues cal their lawe Thora whiche name thei geue generallie to the woorde of God and in dede to all the whole Scripture Thora signifieth a directorie to lead vs foorthe of the whiche the Grecians also dooe seme to haue borowed that woorde of theirs Canon whiche you maie call a lawe or rule There remaineth to speake somewhat of the Ecclesiasticall Bookes Ecclesiasticall bookes of some called Apocrypha the woorde peraduenture not al agreyng to the thing Sainct Hierome in Prologo Galeato after he hadde reconed vp .xxij. Canonicall bookes saieth thus Whatsoeuer is besides these must be put emong Apocrypha Therefore the boke of wisedome whiche commonlie is intituled to Solomon the booke of Iesu the Soonne of Sirach Iudith and Tobie are not in the Canon I haue founde the firste of the Machabees in Hebrue The second is in Greke and that maie be proued euen by the very phrase c. Furthermore Saincte Augustine in the xviij booke De ciuitate dei the .xxxvj. chapter saieth that the bookes of the Machabees be taken of the churche for Canonical And yet he him self estemeth thē not so much as he doeth thē which doubtles be canonical As you maie see in the seconde Booke xxxij Chapter Contra Epistolas Gaudentii and againe in his seconde booke xviij Chapter De doctrina christiana Howbeit sainct Hierome in the Prologue Super Prouerbia Solomonis The churche in dede saieth he readeth the bookes of the Machabees but yet dooeth not receiue them emong the canonical Scriptures And speakyng of Baruch the Prophete and the Epistle of Hieremie that is ioigned vnto it he sheweth that thei are not conteined in the Hebrue Canon but onely in the common edition and in the Prologue that is before Daniel he saieth that neither the historie of Susāna the himne of the .iij. children nor the tales of Bel and the Dragon be founde emong the Hebrues But of the historie of Susanna Origene demed farre otherwise gaue great credite vnto it albeit he denieth not that in the Hebrue it is not founde Hitherto haue I rehearsed what other menne haue thought of the Ecclesiastical bokes Verely I suppose sauyng yet all other mennes iudgementes that thei may right wel be called Hagiographa that yet thei ought not to be takē as good as the canonical bokes nor to be of equal aucthoritie Difference betwixt Apocrypha and Ecclesiasticall bookes And I thinke plainelie that there ought a diuersitie to be made betwixt the bookes Apocrypha and Ecclesiastical This Greke woorde Apocrypto signifieth to hide So then Apocrypha Apocrypto Bookes Apocrypha be hidden or priuie bookes whiche at home in dede or priuatelie to reade it maie be lawful for euery man at his pleasure but in cōmon assembles and speciallie in the holie temples thei ought not to be read openlie nor any man to be charged by aucthoritie of them Of this sort is the Gospel of Nichodemus Thomas and Bartholomew and many other moe of this marke and of them is made rehearsal in the Canonicall decrees the fiftenth distinction Ecclesiastical bookes seme to be called those Bookes Ecclesiastical which although thei be not in the Hebrue Canon yet because thei teache good thinges and are not contrarie to the bookes Canonical the churche dooeth receiue reade in the cōgregatiō of saintes And I am not the first that so thinketh Thesame before me taught Ciprian or Rufine in the Exposition of the Crede whose woordes if any man will haue be these We muste knowe that there be other bookes after the Canonicall whiche be called of our elders not Canonical but Ecclesiastical as is Sapientia Solomonis and an other Sapientia whiche is counted to be of Iesu the soonne of Sirach and is called emong the Latines by this generall name Ecclesiasticus wherby not the aucthoure of the boke is signified but the qualitie of the writyng Of the same sute is the booke of Tobie and Iudith and the bookes of the Machabees al whiche thei woulde in dede haue to be readde in the churches but the aucthoritie of our faieth not by them to be confirmed Other Scriptures thei called Apocrypha and woulde not haue them redde in the churches Thus moche saieth Ciprian Furthermore of the Ecclesiastical bookes some teache histories and some prophecies we will nowe as we goe touche briefelie the matiers that thei treate of Tobie Emong the histories in a great sorte of exāplers the boke of Tobie stādeth first whiche in my minde teacheth to ordre an housholde moche better then zenophō and Aristotle to For he sheweth all thinges bothe by good preceptes liuelie examples The elder Tobie master of the housholde hath experience bothe of good fortune and badde as wel in his bodie as in his goodes and yet in that chaunge of the worlde dooeth nothing vnmete for a good housekeper to dooe In his greatest pouertie trouble he kepeth still the true worshippyng of God his innocent life and goodnesse he chaūgeth not in no pointe sekyng helpe by fraude and crafte to releue his pouertie yea him selfe being in very great nede yet doeth good to other doing his dutie al that he can helpyng to burie the deade by moste holie
v.c.lxx yeres Genesis The first booke declareth the beginnyng and causes of all thinges speciallie the creation of man how it was frō the beginnyng how he fell and was restored again how all men came of one and being dispersed through the world by enormeous faultes angred God and caused the fludde to come vpon them Againe how thei that were saued in the same gaue the beginnyng to all kingdomes last of Abraham Isaac and Iacob holie Prophetes whiche liued before the lawe written in tables the liues condicions maners religion notable dedes and saiynges be discribed and how thei descended out of the lande of Chanaan into Egipt For these and other good men this first boke of Moses was called of some The booke of iuste men Yet with vs and our elders hath their naming preuailed whiche called it Genesis doubtlesse of the generation and beginnyng of al thinges at which Moses beginneth his booke The seconde boke declareth how the Israelites oppressed in Egipt by Pharao Exodus deliuered by their capitain Moses were ledde into desert through the redde sea how thei fought against the Amalechites were fedde with breade that rained downe from heauen how at the commaundemēt of God thei did create a Magistrate and at the last receiued lawes also describyng settyng out and commaundyng true religion holie maners rites ceremonies and finallie al due and good ordre in the cōmune wealthe Here also is touched a little their shamefull offence that thei did in worshippyng the golden calfe And of their commyng out of Egipte whereof it principallie treateth this booke is called Exodus Leuiticus Vnto this ioigneth Leuiticus so called of the Leuitical ministeries which it teacheth It sheweth sundry kindes of sacrifices vowes pollucions infections general clēsyng of sinnes lawful vnlawful mariages like other It speaketh a little of ciuill Gouernaunce but speciallie of holie rites or customes and as we might saie the bishoppes or canon lawes Here maie we see how vertuous and learned priestes ought to be All the misteries of the gospel the priesthode sacrifice of Christ his vertue power yea and our whole redēptiō couertlie wrapped in figures is here throughlie conteined ¶ The fourth booke is called Numeri peraduēture of this Numeri that in it the people of Israel are nūbred It declareth the actes from the second yere of their going out of Egipt euē vnto the death of Moses In it be many notable exāples of sondrie cōmocions rufflinges emōg rebellious people There is shewed what euill ende sedicious persones come vnto what maruellous chaunces happen to the rulers them selues Moses of all menne moste constant and pacient suffred vntollerable thinges dooen to him bothe by his owne people and other foreins to and yet he him selfe is not fautlesse neither Many thinges are in this boke which perteine to religion and ciuil gouernaūce speciallie this That bishoppes ought not to flie from intermedlyng wyth matiers of the cōmon weale nor a ciuil officer to passe little vpon religion Almost at the ende be described great battailes and certaine lawes are declared at large in the great plaine of Moab The fift and last booke is called Deuteronomium Deuterono or seconde lawe and as you woulde saie The lawe expouned now the second time This is added of Moses vnto the other afore as a briefe of all heauenlie Philosophie In it is conteined all that euer serueth to liue wel and vertuouslie The briefenesse thereof is moche commended and set by and is a plaine commentarie of the ten commaundementes This Booke the Lorde woulde haue still in the handes of his people wherin he hath so ordred all matiers as to all degrees and ages thei maie be moste mete and conuenient Iosue The booke of Iosue declareth principallie the trueth of Goddes promise How after the death of Moses the people of Israel by the leadyng of Iosue of whom the booke hath his name as of the chiefe persone were brought into the lande of promise the princes and people of the Cananites vainquished destroied in punishment for their great sinnes It hath a goodlie description of the holie Lande and sheweth vnto vs an example of a verie good Prince and obedient people It conteineth the historie of .xxvi. yeres or therabout Iudges The Booke of Iudges taketh his name of the Iudges of Israel whose actes and gouernaunce it declareth And countyng Iosue him selfe there were emong the people thirtene Iudges not as Kinges and Monarches but pastours presidentes and consuls of free people Here is set out a fre state with many chaunges victories slaughters Oppressions Deliueries iudgementes and commocions Also the mutabilitie of the commons alwaies ready to the worst diuerse heauie chaūces the fight betwixt religion and supersticion is here declared It is a mirrour of that weale publique where is no head officer but euerie man foloweth what liketh him best it sheweth what euil end that to moche libertie cometh vnto Thē ensueth ciuill battail and destruction within theim selues The historie is of .cccxxxvi. yeares accountyng hereunto the time of Iosue and .xxiiij. yeres out of the ministration of Helie Ruthe The little booke of Ruth toke the name of the chiefe person It treateth of no high matier but sheweth how after harde happes and greuous tēptations cometh a merie ende and that vertue is rewarded if we cōtinue stil in goodnesse and refuse not honest labour It hath a rehearsall of Dauids or rather of Messias kinred very profitable for that that foloweth and the vnderstandyng of the promise of God This historie perteineth to the times of the Iudges After this folowe .ij. bokes of Samuel Samuel and Kinges and .ii. bookes of kinges a woorke of many and sondrie matiers very profitable and full of learnyng By moste notable examples in them be declared and confirmed the lawes and promises of GOD. Out of theim also are made the Psalmes and homelies of the Prophetes To be shorte emong the best goodliest cunningest and moste necessarie bookes of the Scripture these be not the laste The booke of Iudges sheweth a state of gouernaunce where the people or rather the chiefe emong them dooe beare rule The Historie of Samuel of the Kinges setteth out in his colours a Monarchie or one highe gouernour describing not onely what a King is but the facions also of al his Courte and Kingdome bee it good or eiuell Here maie you finde how lawes be chaunged religion kept or neglected notable examples also of Vertue and vice of trueth falshod prudence iustice of princes and priestes bothe good and badde But who is hable in fewe woordes to comprehēde the great varietie profite of matiers in these bokes The first chieflie describeth the gouernaunce of Samuel and Saul The seconde of Dauid the third painteth out the glorie of Solomō how mightie kingdomes decaie except thei be mainteined by feruent loue of Godlinesse religiō vertue and concorde So in the
An exposition touching al the bokes of holie Scripture and their excellencie THE wisedome of God crieth in the wiseste of mortalle menne Solomō in the Prouerbes vnto al men of all degrees and Ages saiyng Geue eare for I will speake of principall matiers Prouer. viii and the opening of my lippes shal be to shewe out thinges that bee right Depely dooe I muse vpon the trueth and vngodlinesse to my lippes is moste abominable In Righteousnesse are all the woordes of my mouthe cursednesse nor frowardnesse in theim is none Readie and easie thei are to them that list to lerne and to theim that will finde knowelege right and plaine With me is counsaile and preseruatione With me is strength and vnderstanding Kinges through me dooe reigne and Counsailours decree that is good and iuste When these thinges be so I meruail what eiuil spirite driueth those menne whiche disdeine the most sacred Bibles the onely founteine the most plentifull and richest treasaurie of true wisedom be madde vpon false and countrefaict wisedome For a man maie finde at this daie emong great studentes not a fewe whiche wholie geuen al their whole life to the colours deceiptes of Philosophie bothe dooe lothe the name of the Bibles and when thei heare them spoken of be readie to fal into an horrible quaking and shiuering I wys thei saie there wanteth Learning and eloquence in theim and that thei hate the rude and foule barbaritie The Bibles Eloquēce And yeat forsothe merueil it is that thei shoulde sette vp Eloquence before theim as a rule to liue by and a marke wherunto thei woulde directe all their whole minde and studie In deede that wise menne oughte to loke for an other thing in this life euen their very owne Philosophiers themselues dooe testifie Marcus Cicero the prince of Eloquence of a Philosopher doeth not require Eloquence For in his firste booke De finibus bonorum malorum speaking of Epicure The talke of this Philosopher saith he displeaseth me not for he can vtter in woordes whatsoeuer he will and speaketh plainly to vnderstande And yeat a Philosopher if he bring Eloquence I will not despise it If he bring none I will not greatly craue it Why now be these mē more hard vnto vs then Cicero Dooe thei not know that in our Bibles the heauenly philosophy is taught euen after the capacitie of the common people And Cicero proueth plainlie that Eloquence without wisedome is very hurtful It behoueth then to couet wisedome rather then Eloquēce namely whē these If same Cicero in a booke called Partitiones oratoriae dooth define Eloquence to be nothing els thē wisedō speking plētifully wherfore whosoeuer is destitute of wisedom though he haue a faire a redie toūg to talke gaily yeat shal he be called but a talker not eloquent For as to speake and speake wisely is not all one no more is all one talking and Eloquence Menne vnaduised and not wel in their wittes poure out many woordes many times withoute reason nothing to the purpose and cleane contrarie to al conuenience True eloquēce and comelinesse But a wise eloquēt man is no waster of wordes but speaketh soche as doe profite serue to that ende whereunto thei be appoincted and he so speaketh theim as he ought to dooe whether it be with many or with fewe with learned or vnlearned with his matche with his worse or with his better the comelinesse of time and place alwaies obserued And within these limites haue the heathen masters of eloquēce thēselfes boūded in true eloquēce But sithens no writers haue been lesse wasters of woordes then the holy aucthours whiche minded onely thinges profitable to a certeine ende that is al to obteine blessednesse to liue quietlie iustlie and honestlie and haue also set foorth those thinges in a plaine clere fashion of speaking I dare saie boldlie and trulie that onely the writers of the Bibles haue vsed true eloquence whiche thing the vaine louers of deceiptfull philosophy shal not be able to proue false except thei cā before ouerthrowe the descriptiō of eloquence whiche we haue brought out euē of their owne auctours or els cā manifestly shew that our writers be not soche as we saie for which as by good argumētes thei shal neuer proue so assone as thei shal be willing to dooe it thei shal rūne in daungier of blasphemie sacrilege and high treason to God S. Augustine also in his .iii. booke vi Cha. De doctrina Christiana I dare saie saieth he that al whiche well vnderstande what the holie writers theimselues doe speake doe therewith vnderstande also that thei ought not any otherwise to speake For there is some Eloquence whiche better becommeth young menne and some that better becommeth olde and is not then woorthie to bee called Eloquence if it agree not to the persō that speaketh So is there other that besemeth men of high aucthoritie and that be in dede most diuine and excellente AND with this Eloquence spake thei whiche wrote the Bible neither doeth any other Eloquence become thē nor this any other but it is mete euen for them alone and the lower it semeth to some somoche the higher it riseth not in proude and loftie wordes but in soundnesse of graue substācial matier But the Hebruish maners of speaking greue the tender eares of these learned men Hebruish phrases in the Bible and seme vnto the latines that is to deintie and delicate persones very harde rude and in no wise to bee abiden yea I wis because a fine softe stile falling and sounding swetely in euery poinct and delighting vs with pleasaūt Harmonie is that highest good thing whiche all menne oughte to desire and especiallie regarde without the whiche yea the best thinges must be counted woorst forworne and naught Lo here our parcialitie and malice sheweth it self most of all For not onely the Hebrue toung hath her facions of speaking but the Grekes and Latines haue theirs also whiche hetherto no man hath discommended nor disbeautified Moreouer many haue written and that largelie of the constructions and propreties of Speache vsed bothe in the Greke and Latine toungue many haue writtē of Schemes and tropes In thē to bee occupied thē to lerne and conne without booke and with theim to enbrowder our oration is compted a very goodly thing In these tongues no man cōplaineth of the facions of speche that thei be veri rare seldomely vsed Only the lāguage of god for her owne maners of speaking for her owne figures straunge to our hearing semeth fowle ouglie lothesome and wote you why Verely euen for that vnto the olde Adam al is counted vile whatsoeuer is pure heauenlie what is ferrefet vncleane and filthie that pleaseth rightwel is wel allowed Plato is trāslated into the latine toūg Aristotle is translated so is Lucian Plutarche Isocrates and a great many of Greke Epigrammes In thē what was rugged is made smothe what was harde