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A17191	A most godly and learned discourse of the woorthynesse, authoritie, and sufficiencie of the holy scripture also of the cleerenesse, and plainnesse of the same, and of the true vse thereof. Wherin is discussed this famous question: whether the canonical scriptures haue authoritie from the church, or rather the church receiue authoritie from the Scriptures. By occasion wherof are touched the dignities and duties of the church, touching traditions, with aunswere to all obiections. Translated out of Latine into English, by Iohn Tomkys: and dedicated to the right honorable Sir Richarde Pipe, knight, lorde maior of the citie of London.; De scripturae sanctae praestantia. English.	Tomkys, John.; Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.	1579 (1579)	STC 4067; ESTC S112817	96,469	260

counterfeite Epistles as though they had come from Paul and from the other Apostles were obtruded vnto the Churches Paul did note his owne naturall Epistles with a peculiar signe of his owne hande least false Epistles should be put in the place of those which were true For this cause read we in the ende of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle So I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen What say you to this moreouer that Tertullian reporteth that the authentike and originall Epistles of the Apostles that is to say their owne hand writings were kept euen in his time in those Churches to whome they were written And the Epistles of Paul are approued by the expressed testimonie of Peter And Iohn concludeth his Epistle thus These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the Sonne of GOD that you may knowe that you haue eternall life and that you may beleeue 〈◊〉 the name of the Sonne of God. ●●d hee finisheth the Reuelation with ●●is most weightie calling to witnesse ●●estifie vnto euerie man that heareth t●e woordes of the prophecie of this ●●oke if anie man shall adde vnto ●●ese sayings God shall adde vnto him ●●e plagues that are written in this booke And if anie man shall take away from the wordes of the booke of this prophesie God shall take awaye ●is part out of the booke of life and ●ut of the holie Citie and from the ●hings which are writtē in this booke Therefore that is the Gospel of the Ca●●olike Church whiche being put in ●riting God hath sealed for his worde And this is the cause that the Churches ●f all ages haue taken the bookes of the ●ewe Testament for authentike which ●n these dayes we do with reuerence ac●nowledge for authentike and which we doe most constantly affirme ought to he beleeued There is a most euident testimonie touching this matter in Irenaeus The Church sayth he learned the true and liuely faith of the Apostles and distributed it to her children For the Lorde of all gaue the power of the Gospel to his Apostles through whom we haue also knowne the trueth that is to say the doctrine of the sōne of God vnto whom also the Lord said He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me he that despiseth me c. For we haue not knowne the setting in order of our saluation by any other then by them by whom the Gospel came to vs which then they did preach and afterwarde by the will of God deliuered vnto vs in the Scriptures to be the foundation and piller of our fayth Thou hearest by the testimonie of this most ancient and holy Bishop that the Apostles did afterward by the will of God deliuer vnto vs in writing the same Gospell which first they published with liuely voyce that this written Gospell might be the foundation and piller of our fayth And although hee doeth vrge this poynt That all Churches taught and instructed by the Apostles shoulde keepe the vnitie of 〈◊〉 founded in the Scriptures yet doth ●●twithstanding maintaine this also ●●at the Scripture is the schole of per● and absolute wisedome Moreouer although all thinges that ●●ist did be not written nor all the ser●●s which he made bee not set downe writing worde for word least the num●●● of bookes should be infinite yet hath 〈◊〉 holy Ghost chosen forth those things ●e written which might suffise for the ●●●●ruction and confirmation of the faith ●he elect as Augustine plainelie tea●●th forth of the word of Iohn the E●●●gelist For whereas the Lord Iesus ●eth he did manie things all are not ●●itten as euen the selfe same holy E●●ngelist him selfe witnesseth That the ●●rde Christ both did and spake ma●e things which are not written But ●●ose things were chosen foorth and ●ritten which did seeme to be suffici●●t for the faith of the faithful There●●re euen by the witnesse and consent of ●ugustine those things are plentifullie ●ritten which the holy Ghost iudged to 〈◊〉 inough for the obteyning of the true knowledge of Christe and of the blessed life Cyrillus in his 12. booke vpon Iohn doeth agree to Augustine All thinges saith he which the Lorde did are notwritten but the writers thought those thinges which are written sufficient aswell for manners as for doctrine that we shining in right faith good workes may come to the kingdome of heauen through Iesus Christ Thus much hath he Neither doth it followe herevpon that those thinges which were not written were vaine and to no purpose They were then verie profitable for the confirming and erecting of the Church of Christe Yet notwithstanding the whole Gospel was moste faithfully drawen into that summe which might fully suffise them that should come after The iiii Chapter The place of Ieremie his 31. Chapter is discussed also it is shewed that the Apostles wrote the Gospel by the will of God. ●Ntichrist his garde setteth vpon vs 〈◊〉 in this place wresteth a dart forth 〈◊〉 Ieremie which wee must needes ●e howe weake it is to proue that ●●●ch they goe about Truely they abuse ●oo shamefully the holie oracles of ●●d who by wresting these woordes of 〈◊〉 Prophete vnto a cleane contrarie ●ishe and absurde sense goe about to ●●●re the eyes of the simple and to di●ishe the maiestie of the Scripture ●●d as they which in scholes geue them ●●●ues to shew their fine witts and which ●●ercise themselues in eloquence do fight ●●ainst elequence with the weapons of ●●oquence euen so doe these by the coun●●naunce of Scripture endeuour to o●●rthrowe the authoritie of Scripture ●ut they are cloudes easie to be scatte●●d with a verie smal blast of an answere ●ieremie doeth prophesie that an other ●ouenaunt must bee made in the name ●f God but not so as it was made in time ●ast with the fathers And amongst other ●hinges he saith vnder the person of God ● will plante my lawe in the inwarde partes of them and write it in their heartes and will bee their God and they shal be my people And frō thence foorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother and saye Knowe the Lord but they shall all knowe me from the lowest to the highest saieth the Lorde for I will forgiue their misdeedes and wil neuer remember their sinnes anie more Vnto this prophesie do they ioyne the place of Paul in the second to the Corinthians and third chapter Ye are our Epistle written in our heartes vnderstoode and read of all men For as much as ye are manifestly declared that yee are the Epistle of Christe ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in stonie tables but in fleshlie tables of the heart They would proue forth of these places that the

of the auncient fathers haue done also as of the Greekes Melito Origines and Eusebius Bishop of Caesaria and of the Latines Cyprian Bishop and Martyr and Hierome Priest But long before their iudgement the bookes of holie Scripture had diuine authoritie among christians which they would haue had although Councels had neuer bene celebrated Notwithstanding the holy men of God thought good to giue foorth their sentēce also against thē which were wickedly bēt against the canonical bokes If the Church were able to bring to passe that the Scripture might be receiued certainly she would haue perswaded long before this time Epicures Talmudikes and Mahometistes to haue receiued it For the authoritie of the Gospel doeth not hang on the Church but what authoritie soeuer the Church hath it hangeth wholy on the worde of god And if the authoritie of God his woorde decay the authoritie of the Church must needes decay with it For if thou demaunde of them howe they proue the authoritie of the Church or howe they bee certaine that it erreth not in the vnderstanding of holy Scriptures and in discerning them from others They will say because it is gouerned by the holie Ghost And if thou saye And howe knowe you this They will answere because Christ hath promised that he will bee with the Church vnto the ende of the worlde And because he hath sayde also Where twoo or three are gathered in my name there am I in the middest of them And I will sende the comforter vnto you and hee will leade you into all trueth These are the thinges say they which perswade the authoritie of the Church But whence take you these thinges good men but foorth of holie Scripture Wherefore we must rather conclude that the Churche hath her authoritie from the Scripture Therefore as no man deemeth but the testimonie of the Church is greatlye to bee weyed aboute the woorde of GOD so euerie man well seeth that the authoritie of the Church is of greate renowme therefore because it is sette foorth by the cleare light of God his worde The .xi. Chapter Howe vngodly and wicked it is to preache without the warrant of holie Scripture BY those things which we haue saide of the worthinesse of the scriptures it is manifest that that doctrine whiche the Prophetes and Apostles haue deliuered to vs in writing is the foundation of our faith Wherefore the Ministers of the Churche and Preachers ought to learne hereby what they shoulde preach euen the worde of God onely set forth in the Scripture and not mens traditions although they presume to say they bee God his worde which by no meanes they can proue because they be vncertaine contrarie one to an other sometime abolished and sometime newly deuised which by no meanes can agree to the worde of god Neither be there any Apostolike Churches wherin the traditions of the Apostles be sincerely kept But wee will speake of traditions more at large in place conuenient Moreouer Christ his sheepe are not quiet vntill they heare the certaine voice of their shepheard And the minde desiring to liue to God is not certaine vntill it vnderstande those things which it heareth to bee grounded vppon this firste principle of Diuinitie Thus sayeth the Lorde Christ his spouse can not be quiet in minde vntill she may say I heare the voice of my beloued Nowe his voice according to the common rule of God his disposition towards vs doeth not sounde any where more cer●ainely vnto vs then forth of holie Scrip●ure Well saide Chrysostome If anie ●hing be spoken without Scripture the ●hought of the hearers halteth But whēn the Testimonie of God his voice ●s come forth of the scriptures it con●irmeth both the speache of the speaker and the minde of the hearer And Esaie hauing admonished the people to ●eeke after none but God onelie addeth ●he meanes also saying Get thee to the ●awe and testimonie Wherefore well ●ayde Augustine Let our bookes be ●aken away from among vs and let God his booke be brought foorth among vs Heare Christe telling ●eare the trueth speaking Hee say●th also in an other place Read vs this ●oorth of the lawe foorth of the Prophetes foorth of the Psalmes foorth of the Gospell reade it foorth of the Apostles writings and we will beleeue ●t Againe Vrge them to shewe some manifest testimonies foorth of the Canonicall bookes Remember that this is the saying of the Lorde They haue Moses and the Prophetes let them heare them If an Angel from heauen preach any other Gospel Paul cōmaūdeth that he be accounted accursed Now if the Angels ought also to be in subiection to God his worde to obey it then are they worthely brought into this order that if they doe otherwise They are iudged Deuils And although that cannot come to passe yet such is the maiestie of the Gospel that to sette foorth the dignitie thereof it is not vnlawfull after a sorte to abuse the name dignitie of Angels Wherfore their wicked and cursed rashenesse which presume to preach in the church of GOD beside the Scripture is as it were stoned to death with the most graue sentences of most holy fathers Let vs therefore recite some testimonies of the Fathers Tertullian against Hermogenes sayeth I reuerence the fulnesse of scripture Let Hermogenes his shoppe shewe that it is written If it be not written let him feare the curse pronounced against them which adde and take away from GOD his worde Saint Augustine likewise against Petilian his letters in his thirde booke and sixth Chapter hath these woordes If anie I will not say if wee but which Paule added If an Angel from heauen shall preache either of Christ or of his Churche or of anie other thing whiche pertayneth to faith or to the leading of our life otherwise then you haue receyued in the holie Scriptures of the lawe and of the Gospel Let him bee accursed Wherevnto agreeth that also whiche hee writeth in an other place saying Let him whiche preacheth any other Gospel bee accursed or let him reade it mee in the holie Scriptures and not be accursed He saith also in his treatise of Pastoures Christ hath appointed the moūtaines of Israel the authours of the holie scriptures Feede there that you may feede safely Whatsoeuer you heare thence let that sauour well vnto you whatsoeuer you heare not thence refuse that you wander not in a cloude gather your selues to the meaning of the scripture There be the dainties of your heart There is nothing venemous nothing from the purpose There be onely the most fuitful pastures Also in his boke of the goodnesse of widowehood in the first Chapter he saieth What shoulde I teach thee more then that which we reade in the Apostle For the holy Scripture fashioneth the rule of our doctrine least we shoulde presume to be wiser than wee ought Therefore let it be to

law written is the canon and rule of politike iudgements euen so is the scripture called Canonicall That is to say rule-like because it is the certaine and infallible canon and rule of fayth And the naming of it so is taken forth of the Scripture it selfe In the 19. Psal. Their sound is gone out into all landes Here the Septuaginte interpreted it by the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the Hebrue worde Kau signifieth a corde a rule a line To the Galathians the 6. And as manie as walke according to this rule in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peace be on thē and mercie To the Philippians the 3. Let vs proceede by one rule in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ And wisely doeth Paule warne vs to walke according to this rule for such is the lightnesse and inconstancie of men on the one side and their boldnes and desire of innouation change on the other side that they would oftentimes desire a new forme of religion were it not that they are inclosed within certaine boundes of doctrine as it were within certaine hedges And therefore is the Scripture called Canonicall because the Church maye vse it as a Canon that is to saye as a squire and rule and as a perfecte touchestone whereby euerie kinde of doctrine which is proposed to the Church may bee exactly tried From the which meaning Cyprian doth not dissent whose wordes are these Christian religion hath found that the ●ules of all doctrines flowe out of this ●cripture and that hence springeth ●ither returneth whatsoeuer Ecclesi●stical discipline conteineth The same Cyprian in the exposition of the Creede ●fter that he had rehearsed the canonicall ●ookes added These are they which the ●athers placed within the canon forth of the whiche they woulde that the ●roofes of our fayth shoulde be made ●nowen Also forth of these fountains of God his word must the cuppes be filled And Irenaeus sayeth that the verie selfe ●ame Gospel which the Apostles deliue●ed vnto vs by the will of God in the Scriptures is the foundation and piller ●f our fayth And Augustine teacheth ●hat the canonicall Scripture is the ●oundation of our fayth when as hee ●ayeth The Citie of GOD hath be●eeued the holie Scriptures the olde ●nd the newe which we cal canonical ●rom the which faith is receiued by the which the iust liueth throgh the which we walke without doubting so long ●s we are pilgrimes from God. Also He euen the sonne of God hauing spoken first by the Prophets then by himselfe afterwarde by the Apostles so much as he iudged sufficient ordeined also the scripture which is called Canonical being of most excellent authoritie which we credite in things wherin we may not be ignorant and yet of our selues are not able to attain the knowledge thereof Again in an other place The Canonicall authoritie of the olde and newe Testament confirmed in the Apostles time by the successions of Bishops and increasing of Churches is placed as it were aloft in a certain seat wherevnto euerie faythfull and godly vnderstanding should submit it selfe Therefore forsomuch as God hath established the Scripture to bee the foundation piller and rule of fayth and hath therefore placed it in a seate of most excellent authoritie and hath aduaunced it as the iudgement of the holie Ghost except we will bee dispitefull against God himselfe we must needes confesse that it is so perfect in euery point that there m●●y neither be added to it nor taken from it without doing of iniury to the holy ghost The rule and the squire saith Basil forsomuch as in them is no want to retaine their name admit no addition For addition agreeth therevnto wherin there is a defect and these thinges which bee vnperfect shall neuer bee rightly called by the name of a squire or rule And Theophilacte also sayeth A rule and a squire can neither abide to haue any thing put vnto them nor taken from them Therefore in the iudgement of Basil and Theophilacte either the Scripture shal be perfect and full or else not to be iudged worthie the name of Canonicall Yea and the scripture is the canon the rule and the squire wherby the holy fathers woulde haue all doctrines proued all questions of faith defined Neither haue they iudged any decrees or writings either of coūcels or of men although learned holy to be receiued by their owne authoritie This honour haue they yeelded to the canonicall scripture only that they iudged al things with the scripture hath set forth vnto vs to be receiued simply without reasoning euē because they are so written haue appointed the decrees and ordinances of all other men to be referred to the Scripture of God forth of it to be discerned as by their owne testimonies wee will forthwith more at large declare Therefore doe wee worthily reuerence the fulnesse and the authoritie of the Scripture whiche is as it were the highest lawe and as the Lawyers in their pleadings tearme it the definitiue sentence wherewith all men must content them selues The .viij. Chapter That the authoritie of the Canonicall Scripture is more excellent than the Councels the Fathers yea then the decrees and ordinances of all men AVgustine against the epistle which they call Fundament sayth Those thinges which are defined in holye scripture are preferred before al other things And that of right because the catholike Church of Christ that is to say the vniuersall Churche doeth acknowledge no booke as her owne wherein ●hee doeth certainely propose vnto the ●onnes of GOD the traditions of Christ ●nd of the Apostles but onely the Ca●onicall Scripture All other writings ●re none otherwise receiued by the Churche of GOD then so farre foorth ●o be of authoritie in the Churches ●nd among all Christians as the au●hours of them shall bee able to per●wade foorth of holie Scripture and ●y probable reasons And those things ●re probable whiche like excellente men and the brightnesse of woorthie ●ames pearseth the vnderstanding that ●hey seeme good but those thinges ●nelie are esteemed certayne and appro●ed in the Churche of Christe which ●re plainely and vndoubtedly conclu●ed foorth of the Scripture The Scrip●ure is as it were the Queene of all Coū●els of all Churches of all writers Nei●her haue the holie Fathers iudged anie ●hing more woorthie credite in the Churche than the Scriptures yea and whomsoeuer they tooke in hande to instructe in religion them did they alwayes sende after the example of Christ himselfe and of the Apostles to the lawe and to the writinges of the Prophetes and of the Apostles And to this meaning serue manie godlie sayinges of the Fathers whereof wee will noate some Augustine in his seconde booke and third Chapter touching Baptisme agaynst the Donatistes saith Who knoweth not that the holy canonicall Scripture as well of the old as the new Testament is contayned within her

did beholde therein the power of God that the Scriptures are come vnto vs euen from the verie mouth of God by the administration of men Therefore the Spouse in the Ballets sayeth with marueilous ioy My beloued sayd vnto me I saye nothing of that which euerie one which is lightned with the light of true fayth must needes finde by experience in himselfe By this experience wrote once Augustine the man of God howe God by a little and a little tempered and disposed his heart with his most meeke and most mercifull hande and at the last thorowly perswaded him so that at the last he knew and beleeued that those bookes were deliuered to mankinde by the spirite and the onely true and most true god Therefore the authoritie of the Scripture doth depend not of the iudgement of the Churche but of the inwarde testifying of the holy Ghost And Iohn witnesseth that Christ sayd thus concerning the spirite If God were your father why do ye not know my speach For it is most certaine that we are adopted to be the sonnes of GOD by the meanes of the holie Ghost Which when we haue obteined Christ witnesseth in this place that wee by the lightning of the same Spirite may so discerne his speache from a strangers that it may be manifest and certaine vnto vs In the which selfe same sense Christ sayth also in another place He that entereth in by the doore is the shepheard of the sheepe To him the porter openeth and the sheepe heare his voyce and he calleth his owne sheepe by name and leadeth them out when he shall put forth his owne shepe he goeth before thē the sheepe follow him for they know his voice A stranger will they in no wise follow but flie from him for they know not the voice of strangers Neither is it to bee doubted that we become Christs sheepe through the power of the holy Ghost that we follow not falshood errours corruptions and heresies which are the voices of strangers but heare the onely voice of Christ that is to say imbrace the true and naturall sence of the Scripture And Paule saith to the Corinthians The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirite of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither cā he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spirituall discerneth all things And in the same place The spirit searcheth the deepe things of God. And Christ also saith The comforter which is the holy ghost shal bring all things to your remēbrance whatsoeuer I haue said vnto you Also Iohn hath these wordes in his Epistle The anointing teacheth you of al things Againe He that knoweth God heareth vs. To be briefe August in the place lately cited saith Therfore when as we were weake to finde foorth the truth by cleare reason and when as we had need of the authoritie of the holy Scriptures for the same purpose I began to beleue forthwith that thou wouldest by no meanes giue ●o excellent authoritie vnto that scripture throughout al lands but that thy will was that thou wouldest be sought by it and wouldest be beleeued by it Behold it is God I say it is God which hath established his holy bookes with so great authoritie in all nations And August addeth the cause why God will be sought through them why he wil be beleued through them I conclude therfore ▪ that the scripture hath not her authoritie chiefly frō the Church For the firmnes strength thereof dependeth of God not of men And the word being both firme sure was before the church For the church was called by the word And seeing the doctrine of the prophets of the apostles is the foundation of the Church it must needes bee that the certaintie of the Church must consist in the said doctrine as in her foundation and ground worke before the said Church can take her beginning For if the Church of Christ were founded in the beginning by the writings of the Prophetes and with the preaching of the Apostles wheresoeuer the saide doctrine bee founde certainely the allowing of the doctrine went before the Church without the which doctrine the Church could neuer haue beene And because the spirit of God wrought in the heartes of them which heard the word of God read it that they might acknowledge that it was not the word of man but of God vndoubtedly the worde of God receiueth authoritie from the spirite and not from the Church The .x. Chapter How the canon of the new Testament was ordeined and that it hath authoritie of it self from the authours thereof that the authoritie of the Church is mainteined thereby THey which reason that we haue receiued manie things to be beleeued ●f necessitie by the authoritie of the Church which are expressed in no part ●f the Scriptures make this as a great ●rgument as they thinke that there are ●ut foure Gospels onely which may not ●e discredited without the perill of losse ●f saluation and that it appeareth by no Scripture that the other Scriptures which we haue are Canonicall wor●hie credite Neither are the titles there●f the titles of the Scripture but put to ●y others Therefore say they if we shall ●eceiue nothing but that which is in the Scriptures then shall wee not receiue ●he scriptures themselues Nowe that I may disclose the deceitfulnesse of this argumēt the indifferent reader must know ●hat the Canonicall Scripture hath her ●uthoritie chiefly from the holy Ghost ●y whose motion and inspiration it was ●et forth as lately wee did declare And ●fter that from the writers vnto whome God gaue certaine and peculiar testimonies of the truth Wherevnto is added the witnesse of the primitiue Church in whose time those bokes wer published receiued And they which haue the spirit of faith do not dispute peeuishly of the receiuing of the said bookes who receiued them or who reiected them but acknowledge in them the sweete sauouring force of the spirit by whose instinct they were set forth The canon of the new Testament was ordeined by the authoritie of God and receiued by the Church of the Apostles Neither can I sufficiently meruaile at their rashnesse which saye that the authoritie of the church hath giuen canonical authoritie vnto certaine of the scriptures yea and those the chiefest which otherwise neither of themselues neither of their authours they could haue had amongst vs Words Not the authoritie of euery one but of the Apostles is required to make any writing in the new Testament Canonical or giuen by inspiration from God. As well saith Tertul. when as he confuteth the counterfeit gospel of Marcion First we do holde that a true Gospel must haue the Apostles for the authors thereof Iohn sawe the writings of three Euangelists allowed ●hem And by writing his Gospel hee ●ade an ende of writing Gospels And ●herefore saieth hee

therein Therefore if it be eyther commaunded in the Gospel or conteined in the Epistles and Actes of the Apostles let this holy tradition be also obserued Also Basill in his third booke against Eunomius hath Our Baptisme is according to the very tradition of the Lord in the name of the father and of the Sonne of the holy Ghoste And it is a pointe of diligence to marke where the olde Writers vse the woorde Tradition in this sense For wheresoeuer the Papistes finde this woorde they wrest it foorthwith to their traditions with they cannot prooue foorth of the Scripture Secondly the olde writers by this woord Tradition vnderstand the articles of our fayth which are conteined in the Apostles Creede as we haue lately declared more clerely than the light it selfe forth of Irenaeus and Tertullian Which writers propose the saide badge or Creed as a perfect rule of faith whervnto there may nothing be added and from the which there may nothing be takē which remaining whole men may safely inquire of all thinges Thirdly by the woorde Tradition the fathers vnderstand a sentence or meaning not expressed woorde for woorde in the holy Scriptures but gathered by the true interpretation thereof which the Apostles preached with liuely voyce and their auditours and successours deliuered vnto vs and conserued as for example that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a person that there are in the diuine nature three persons and yet one and the selfe same substance that the Sonne is coequall with the Father and of one substance with him that there be two natures in Christ the Lord and yet but one person that the holy Ghost is to be woorshipped and glorified together with the father and the Sonne that the flesh of Christ is of one substance with vs that infantes ought of right to be baptized others of this kinde which although we reade not expressed in the oracular scripture yet haue we learned by the authoritie of the auncient Fathers and most graue Councels that they are to be vnderstode by the meaning and vnderstanding of the Scriptures And this vnderstanding is not to be separated from the scripture it selfe forsomuch as it may be conteined therein either as the definition in the definitiue or as the conclusiō in the premisses And although the tradition of the Church haue shewed vnto vs the scripture and vnderstanding thereof yet hath it not bestowed authoritie vpon it which it hath greffed in it frō god For they frō whō we haue receiued this tradition are onely witnesses of the heauenly doctrine and not authours therof VVhereof we haue reasoned plentifully in the place belonging therevnto Lastly where the olde writers make mention of traditions they doe not entreate of the doctrine of faith to be receiued without and beside the Scripture although it can be prooued by no testimonie of Scripture but they speake of certaine olde rites which for their antiquitie they ascribed to the Apostles Part of the rites seeme to take their beginning from the Apostles and parte of them are vnwoorthie such authours But we haue declared alreadie by what rule such manner of rites are to be prooued and examined Nowe since that this woorde Tradition is so diuersly vsed of the fathers truely it is wicked sophistrie to intermeddle all these thinges without difference that superstitions being deriued partly frō the Iewes partly frō the Ethniks may haue their defence maintenance without the scripture vnder the cloke title of traditions The xxiiii Chapter Of the vncertaintie repugnancie and varietie of traditions AND their madnesse is to be noted and auoyded which will haue the ●ertaintie of doctrine to depend rather of ●e authority of traditiōs of those things ●hich they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnwritten thā of ●e scriptures this especially cōsidered that ●●ey cānot prooue vnto vs the traditiōs of 〈◊〉 apostles gathered described any where ●se but in the scriptures neither can they ●ooue that the traditions which by this ●tle they commend come frō the Apostles ●●eir authours There be traditions reci●●d by the fathers in diuers places as re●●iued frō the Apostles but those traditi●●s w they gather are partly abolished partly do not wel agree one with an other ●hervpon it commeth to passe that al tra●●tions are not to be esteemed Apostolike ●ither can the faith of christians be hol● vp with so weake feble a foūdation as ●e traditions which faith must stand vn●nquered against al the engines of hell ●here was a tradition in Tertulliās time ●t milke honie should be giuen foorth ●●th them which were baptized where with as he saieth they might bee fedde like infantes It was a tradition in the time of Cyprian and Augustine that the Euchariste and that vnder both kinds shoulde be geuen to infantes and shoulde be so giuen as necessarie to saluation Hierom in his Commentaries vppon Matthewe Chapter 25. sayeth that the tradition of the Apostles remained That in the day of the vigiles of Easter it was not lawfull to let the people goe looking for the comming of Christe before midnight Although these and other like bee read in olde writers vnder the title of the traditions of the Apostles yet are they a bolished are obserued now in no nation so that Tertullian wrote well in his book Of couering virgins There is altogeather one rule of faith onely vnmoueable irreformable to beleeue in one God almightie maker of the worlde and in his Sonne Iesus Christ borne of the Virgin Marie crucified vnder Pontius Pilate raysed againe the thirde day from the dead receiued in heauen sitting now at the right hande of the Father to come to iudge the quicke and the dead euen by the resurrection of the flesh This Lawe of faith remaining al other points of discipline conuersatiō admit the newnesse of correction the grace of God working and profiting euen vnto the ende Thus much hath that flourishing Septimius Tertullian Therfore the onely rule of faith grounded in the Scripture hath runne on euen from the beginning of the Gospell vnchangeable vnmoueable and vnreformeable when as in the meane season rites and traditions be mutable variable and such as may somtimes be taken away and sometimes restored againe The west churches in progresse of time inioyned the Lawe of single life to the ministers of Churches cōtrarily the east Church euen vnto this day will haue mariage to be lawfull for them Wherevpon Stephanus Bishoppe of Rome saith The Tradition of the east Churches is after one sorte and of this holy Church of Rome after an other sorte For their Priestes Deacons and Subdeacons are maried but none of the Priestes of this Church or of the west churches frō the Subdeacon to the Blshop hath licence to marie It was an Apostolical traditiō at Ephesus and in Asia that Easter should be kept after the maner of the Iewes Again the Apostolicall traditiō in

doting and fabulous deuises into the Churche and did not erre himselfe onely from the sinceritie and purenes of the faith but gaue occasion of erring to many woorthie men also For Irenaeus Tertullian Apollinarius Victorinus Lactantius and many other famous and woorthie men as Hierome witnesseth imbraced this doting toy of the thousande yeares as a tradition of the Apostles Good God what men became companions of this errour pretending as Eusebius saieth the antiquitie of the errour of so woorthie a man euen of Papias their guide Beholde whether the authority of traditions not written once receiued may leade vs out of the way O laudable agreement of traditions with the Scripture spoken of by Policarpe an Apostolicall man also whiche kepte him in the kinges highe way Therefore this deceite and guile of vnwrittē traditions stuck in the church which gaue occasion of going out of the right way euen to them which seeme to defende the Churche which may be proued by many examples whereof I will recite one or two which are plaine The fame of Clement of Alexādria is great in all antiquitie And hee was a man which both most diligētly searched forth and greatly reuerenced vnwritten traditions Wherefore he sayeth that the labourer which is sent foorth into the Lordes haruest hath a double husbandrie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnwritten written And hee yeeldeth this reason why hee searched other traditions touching the doctrines of faith beside the Scripture because forsooth the Lorde did not reueale to manie those thinges which did not belong to manie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secretes saieth hee are committed to woorde not to writing Also Mysteries are deliuered mystically And in his fifth booke of Stromates hee disputeth at large that euen as the Philosophers did so hide certayne secretes touching their doctrines that they shoulde not bee knowen to all men so doeth the Apostle also reteining that auncient conceyling say Wee speake wisedome among them that ●re perfect Hee citeth also foorth of a ●ertaine Apocriphall Gospell this pre●ept of the Lorde My mysterie is mine owne and the Sonnes of mine house But if it may please you to compare the one with the other you ●hall finde that these are the very selfe same thinges whiche in Irenaeus and Tertullian the Valentinians Carpocratians and other Heretikes alledge for the defence and confirmation of their doctrines Therefore although this iudgement in Heretikes were then grauely repressed by Irenaeus and Tertullian yet Clement his talke doeth shewe that the infection stucke in the Churche to the posteritie And Clement doeth extoll in many woordes a certayne kinde of Gnostikes whom in these woordes hee describeth That is the knowledge which maketh a true Gnostike which commeth deliuered without writing by succession to a few from the Apostles This description of Clement is to be noted For although the heresie of the Gnostikes were condemned in the Church yet certaine seedes of this plague remained in the Churche and that in greate men Therefore Clement doeth magnifie vnwritten traditions and doeth not onely make them equall with the Scriptures but see whither this rule of traditions doeth lead him out of the way yea casteth him downe headlong I wil report of manie thinges a fewe whereby it shall appeare howe perilous a thing it is to followe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinges vnwritten He intermedleth the Gospel with the decrees of Philosophie and maketh it equal with the lawe of god For saith he as the law was an instruction for the Iewes to Christ so was philosophie for the Greekes also And he attributeth power to iustifie to both as well to the lawe as to Philosophie which is most manifestly against the doctrine of Paule He ●enieth that men committing sinne after ●aptism ought to be receiued into grace ●hich also is contrary to the doctrine of ●e Gospel and the consent of the Catho●●ke Churche Hee yeeldeth place to re●entance after this life in his sixth booke ●e contendeth in manie wordes that the ●reekes were saued through Philoso●hie which iudgement if we do imbrace 〈◊〉 not Christ dead in vaine according to ●e doctrine of Paule Is not Christ be●●me vnto vs of none effect and doe wee ●t fal from grace to make short he reue●ceth many doting toyes as traditions 〈◊〉 the Apostles Loe whither they fall ●hich wil be wise beyond the scripture Origen his witte than the which ●here was skant any other among the fa●hers of the Church either more fine or ●ore excellēt was depraued by this Clement who had vnwritten traditions in so ●reat admiratiō For he hath stuffed full his bookes euerie where with straunge ●octrines which hee had receiued from Clement vnder the title of the traditions of the Apostles wherevppon he is so often noted reprooued and nipped both of the olde writers and of the newe Hierom calleth Origen his doctrines impoysoned But from whence supped he his poyson but from the instruction of Clement And by whom was Clement deceiued but by the admiration studie and reuerence of suche traditions In deede the Apocriphall booke of Hormas the Pastour doeth teache that in the interpretation o● Scripture wee must departe from the letter and searche foorth the allegorie Clement receiued this as a tradition of the Apostles and deliuered it to Origen vnder the same title Herevppon was kindled an incredible desire in this man to transforme the Scriptures into allegories with the infection of the which disease it is woonderfull howe hee corrupted afterwarde the mindes of all doctours For after they had once tasted the sweetnesse of allegories as of a more loftie vnderstanding they vaunted themselues immoderately and brought euery thing to allegories so that euerie one thought that he might lawfully say what he woulde herein And this euill did not stay it selfe within the East but inuaded Afrike Italie France and Spayne also So by a little and a little the purenesse of Christian Theologie was transformed into a certaine Philosophie And wee may thanke suche traditions for this fruite And Epiphanius was a great boaster of such traditions who sometime alledgeth thinges vnder this title which are taken foorth of Apocriphall writers What neede many woordes Whosoeuer haue beene bewitched with the admiration of suche like traditions they haue all turned from the purenes of the Apostles doctrine vnto strange opinions vnsauorie follies So that these traditions seme vnto me to be like the meteorologicall fire which will burne nothing which naturall Philosophers call leaping goates For as that fire appeareth in the night ouer moist fēnie places leadeth trauellers in the night out of their way if they meruayle at it and bee afrayde to beholde it vppon the which fraude it is called in Duitche Droechliecht deceitfull lighte euen so the Ghost or phantasticall appearance of Tradition leadeth them which haue it in admiration out of the way from trueth and throweth thē into errours And this