God That execrable and accursed praiers sacrifices doe not rather prouoke the wrath of God then his fauour Are not all the wayes of the impious vngodly man abhomination vnto the Lorde And howe shoulde that which God abhorreth dispose a man or how shoulde a man dispose himselfe by that which God abhorreth to bée a méete vessell to receiue the grace and fauour of God Forasmuch then as all men are vngodly or wicked before they bee iustified fréely by the grace of God all their works must needes bée vngodly wicked and vniust For they are only good and righteous workes which came from a righteous man from a man made righteous or iustified through faith by the grace of God according to the spirit of sāctificatiō which is giuen to thē only that are iustified although neither al the works of a iustified mā are good nor any perfectly good because we haue receiued y ◠spirit in measure our sanctificatiō is begunne not perfected in this life therefore our Sauiour Christe praieth that his father would sanctifie his Apostles in his truth of whō he confessed before y t they were holy cleane that is sāctificatiō was begun in thē by his word which they had hearde in which worde of truth he now praieth that they may more more be sanctified made holy Wherefore all Popish preparations vnto sanctificatiō howsoeuer they denounce the denier of thē to bee accursed are in the sight of God no better then abhominable accursed euen by this worde For God only is the authour beginner continuer perfecter of sanctification séeing that our sauiour Christe prayeth for the continuance perfection of sanctification who was alredy begun in his Disciples who were baptised who had receiued the holy Ghoste who were to bee preserued increased in y t holines which they had receiued by this we learne y t we must daily pray for y e increase of sanctification and séeke it at the handes of God alone who hath promised vpon our earnest prayers to graūt his holy spirite by which wée shalbée daily more and more renewed in the inner man to hate sinne and to loue righteousnesse that the fruites of mortification renouation which are the two parts of sanctificatiō may appeare daily in our life cōuersatiō For this grace of continuāce increase in sāctificatiō y e apostle boweth his knées to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ by the example of Christ himselfe for the Ephesians that he would giue vnto them according vnto the riches of his glory to bee strengthened in the inner man by his spirite And therefore as the beginning of sanctification is only frō Gods grace with out all merite or good disposition of ours so is also the continuance increase perfection of the same the frée gift of God giuen vnto vs according to the riches of his glory and not procured either in whole as the Pelagiās say or in part as the Papists teach by the merites and desertes of men Wherby they make not God the whole only authour perfector of sāctificatiō but ascribe vnto mans merites a portion of this his glory while they affirme that by well vsing of the first graces of God wée may and do merite and deserue the second whereas the Lorde God testifieth by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will haue all nations to know that it is hée which sanctifieth Israel vnto whō also our sauiour Christe hath recourse in his prayer when he saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth By this hée declareth y t he desireth true sanctificatiō not coūterfet hypocrisie for fained holines dissembled sanctificatiō is worthily saide to bée double iniquitie The corrupte nature of man without the spirit of God is prone and readie vnto hypocrisie and feigned holinesse but all lying and dissimulation is abhominable vnto God wherefore that his Disciples might please God in true holinesse righteousnesse before him all y e daies of their liues He prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie thē in his trueth So shall they not séeke to mocke God with holinesse pretended and wickednesse intended but studie to serue him with an vpright heart vnfeignedly to seeke his honour walke in his wayes all the dayes of their life Moreouer where hée saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth hée sheweth euidently that as there is but one trueth which is the trueth of God so all other meanes and wayes of sanctification then in his trueth are false wayes and meanes and that no true holinesse is attained vnto by them but false holinesse false sanctification although it be neuer so well intended For true sanctification is only in Gods trueth Sanctifie them in thy trueth And this is the cause that the Gentiles in all their consecrations and blessinges could neuer attaine vnto true sanctification but were more more polluted in them because they presumed to séeke sanctification without the truth of God So that although euery thing which they tooke in hand and did was prophane vnholy yet their Temples their Gods their sacrifices their ceremonies their whole religiō was most of all vnpure vnholy vngodly yea most of all filthy detestable and abhominable and of all Christians to be abhorred forsaken because it was false holinesse sanctification and religion which they held and practised Euē so is it in the false religion holines sanctification of the Popists nothing is more abhominable detestable then y e which hath most of their false consecration and is accompted of them most holy as their holie water their holie bread their holie Candles Crosses and such like and especially their holie Masse wherof they make greatest account and their holie Father whom they name affirme not only to be most holy but to be holinesse it selfe But they will defend their coniured water and other their Popeholy ceremonies not to be false holinesse or vntrue consecrations for that they are sanctified in the trueth of God which is his worde for all the creatures of God are sanctified by the worde of God and prayer Thus doth Bristow take vpon him to defende their exorcising or coniuring water salt and suche lyke creatures that they may serue to bee vnto saluation both of bodie and soule Although I might easily answere that it is one thing to consecrate another thing to coniure yet who woulde beléeue they should be driuen to such impudent shifts and malicious wrestings of the scripture if they them selues did not professe it For the sense of the Apostles wordes in that place where he saith that al the creatures of God are good and none to be reiected being receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer the sense I say is manifest to be vttered of all y e creatures of God which are sanctified vnto Christians by Gods woorde and by prayer in the ordinarie lawfull vse of them and especially of meates forbiddē
his father would sanctifie them in y e truth shal wée therfore say it was not possible for them to erre in any matter The Papistes will not so reason of all the Apostles for then the like would follow of all their successours And yet Christ obtained the effect of his prayer that all his Apostles were sanctified in Gods truth Yea hée prayeth not this for his Apostles and other Disciples of that time only but for all them that should beléeue in him through their preaching for all true Christians are sanctified in Gods truth that they should not erre finally frō the way of saluation But hereof it cannot be gathered that all true Christians no not after their calling to the knowledge of truth cānot erre or be deceiued in matters of faith and doctrine although they cannot continue in errour of any thing that is necessarie for thē rightly to know vnto eternall saluation Christ promiseth to sende the comforter euē the spirit of truth vnto all his Apostles to his whole church to supply y e want of his bodily presēce which should lead thē into al truth yet it were no good conclusion to gather y t none of the Church of Christ might erre in any thing as it is a sure argument that they cannot finally erre in any point necessarie to saluation Peter him selfe whose faith was specially prayed for as there was speciall cause for his greatest perill after his conuerson after he had long time exercised his Apostleship was ignorant of ignorance erred cōcerning the admission of the Gentiles into the fellowship of the gospel vntill hée was reformed by the heauenly vision Yea long after this Peter did erre in seperating him selfe from the Gentiles by dissimulation for feare of them of y e circumcision when I saw that they did not walke aright saith S. Paul according to the truth of the Gospel I said to Peter before them all I know the Papists wil say this was an error of conuersation and of fact only not an error in faith doctrine But this is a vaine deuise to escape For Peter erred not in 〈◊〉 only but in a matter of doctrine and faith also against the truth of the Gospell For he counterfaited before the Iewes for no worldly respect but because hée thought it was his duetie before God to so doe rather then to offend the Iewes And where as some of them say the Pope cannot induce any other men into error although he erre him self let thē cōsider this example of Peter who not only erred himselfe but also brought yea cōpelled others to Iudaize with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried with them into the same dissimulation wherefore although Christ prayed for Peters faith that it might not faile yet Peter both erred induced other into error with him although being admonished by Paul he did willingly reforme his error Wherfore this matter is cleare that the establishing of Peters faith from fayling was not to priuiledge him from erring but from dispairing therfore can not extend to his successours in as much as it is but a personal benefit obtained for Peter except you wil say by analogie of the scripture that the like praier is made for euery one of gods elect which in this sence I cōfesse to be true but yet it followeth not that they are discharged of the frayletie of man in falling into error much lesse any one order of men which should be Peters successours And if wée should graunt that this priuiledge was giuen to Peter that hée shoulde not erre and so should be deriued vnto all his successours many other intricate questions and in extricable doubtes woulde grow before wee could be resolued who were Peters successours For séeing all Bishops be successours of the Apostles as Cyprian saith all Bishoppes are successours also of Peter for if you should say that none were successors of the Apostles but suche as bee ordained in those places where y e Apostles did teach it could not be truely said of Cyprian that all Bishops be successors of the Apostles But admit that they be only Peters successours that sit in Peters seat séeing the stories affirme that Peter had two seats at Antioche and at Rome why should not his successours at Antioch enioy this prerogatiue as wel as his successors at Rome That Peter was at Antioch wée finde in the scripture that hée was at Rome wée finde not but least of all that he bequeathed this priuiledge to Rome and not to Antioch Well let that also be admitted that the bishops of Rome are the only successours of Peter howe is it verified of them that their faith neuer fayled The Papistes them selues doe confesse and the stories are to many to denye that there haue beene no wickeder men on the earth then many Popes haue béen in all kind of sin and vngodlines Yea what for all y ◠say they their maners failed frō gods law but their faith neuer failed from his truth I think in déed y t many of their faithes did neuer faile for they neuer had any y t it might faile who brought foorth no fruites but of infidelitie and corruption For of such wicked persons the scripture saith y t they haue denied y ◠faith are worse thē infidels y t they which cōmit such things shall not inherit y e kingdō of Christ God Tush they say you mistake the matter we deny not but y ◠they might and did faile from the faith which worketh by loue and by which a man is iustified for many of them are damned spirites in hell Uerie well then I perceiue y t you take not faith in this palce for a sure trust in the mercyes of God by which a man is iustified and assured of eternall life but for a bare knowledge of the truth such as the Deuilles haue and tremble suche as Saint Iames calleth a dead faith which is voide of good works And did our Sauiour Christ pray that a dead fruitlesse barren and Deuils faith might cōtinue in Peters successors was this y e effect of our sauiour Christes prayer A goodly priuiledge of the Bishops of Rome that they shuld haue knowledge of the truth yet goe vnto the Deuill I know you will reply that although they through their owne defalt take no benefit by this priuiledge yet it is very necessary for the whole Church to kéepe it in vnitie of faith But that our sauiour Christ praied not for the continuance of such a fruitlesse faith it is plaine by this reason y t although Peters successours shoulde be admitted vnto the participation of this benefite yet Peter him selfe might not be excluded But what a miserable comforte was this for Peter if after his maister had shewed him in what daunger he all his fellows stood through the malice of satan which desired them to winnow or sift thē as wheat is scattered abroad in winnowing insomuch that
is not thereby prooued that it is sufficient for our learning No sir but mark the end of this learning that wée may heare by the scripture this that we may haue hope And know you not that hope maketh not ashamed That by hope we are saued Séeing then wee may haue sufficient learning by the scripture to haue hope by hope wée may haue saluatiō is it not manifest y t by holy scriptures we may be abundantly instructed vnto saluatiō And what neede we any far fetched arguments when the Apostle saith in expresse words the scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto saluatiō They are the very wordes of the holy Ghost vttered by S. Paul vnto Timothie when he cōmendeth y t from his infancie he had learned y e holy scriptures which are able saith he to make thée wise vnto saluatiō through the faith of Iesus Christ◠Would any mā think after so manifest a testimonie of y e holy scriptures brought foorth for the sufficiēcie of y e holy scriptures that the papists durst for worldly shame although they be void of the feare of god to cōtinue in their impudēt paradoxe y t all truth is not taught in the holy scriptures That the holy Scriptures doe not containe the whole truth of gods word in such perfectiō but that wée must receiue some parte of the worde of God out of some other testimonie which cannot bée proued out of the holy scriptures There is none so blind as the obstinate that will not sée But who so hath a care of eternall saluation will séeke it in none other word then that which is comprehended in the holy Scriptures séeing by witnesse of Gods spirite they are able to make vs wise vnto saluation which coulde not bée truely saide if there were any trueth necessarie to saluation which were not to bée found and sufficiently proued by the onely authoritie of the holy Scriptures Finally the same Apostle saith in the same place All the scripture is inspired of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may bée absolute being made perfect vnto euery good work Coulde any thing be said more fully to expresse the perfection of the holy scriptures or to proue that all true doctrine is contained in them Tush say the Papistes this is nothing to prooue that the word of God or all true doctrine is perfectly contained in the Scriptures Hée saith the Scripture is profitable to teach hée saith not it is sufficient to teach Many thinges are profitable and good helpes which yet bée neither necessary nor sufficient and suche a thing is the scripture without the which the Church hath cōtinued néere two thousande yéeres and so might haue continued still but that God hath added the aide of the Scriptures as profitable to teache to improoue to correct and instruct and yet it followeth not that the Scriptures alone are sufficient and able to instructe a Christian man in all thinges that it is néedefull for him to knowe But there bée other testimonies of Gods worde whereby many thinges are taught which are taught in the scriptures and yet bée as necessary to bée knowne practised of Christians as any taught in the Scriptures What things are these I pray you They will answere the misterie of the blessed Trinitie the sacraments of the Church the baptisme of infants the perpetual virginitie of Mary and such like Concerning the inysterie of the blessed euerlasting Trinitie if it were not plainely taught inuincibly prooued by the holy scriptures the Church in old time labored in vaine to prooue it and defend it out of the Scriptures against so many heresies as Satan raised vp against it But they wil vrge vs to shew where we finde the Trinitie once named in the scriptures A perillous question wee finde thrée persons of the Godhead plainly and perfectly distinguished by the holy Scriptures then what vnreasonable beast is hee that will contend of the name whē the thing is certain Likewise I say of the name of sacramēts although it be not applied in the Scripture vnto baptisme the Lords Supper yet that which is the definition of a sacrament is cléerely in the scripture aduouched of these misticall actions The name of Sacrament is borrowed of the Latine spéech in which no part of y e scripture was first writtē As for y e baptism of infāts I shal haue occasiō to speak of it héereafter In y e meane time I say the papists are very fauourable vnto y e Anabaptists which affirme y e baptisme of infants cannot be prooued out of the holy scriptures so strengthen them in their heresie Touching the perpetuall virginitie of Mary if it be néedful to saluatiō that it should be knowne of euery Christian it is vndoubtedly taught in the scriptures if it bee not taught in the scriptures it is nothing necessary to euerlasting saluation For to stop the mouth of this impudent and arrogant cauiller against the sufficiencie of the holy scriptures the holy Ghoste had immediatly before prouided where the Apostle shewing what vtilitie he spake of namely that which is both necessarie and sufficient said that the scripture was able to make a man wise vnto saluation Therefore the Scripture is so profitable that it is also necessary to giue knowledge of saluation And it is so profitable y t it is also sufficient able to minister abundance of heauenly wisedome to the attainment of eternall saluation O blinde shamelesse cauillers y t cannot or will not sée y t is written in the verse immediatly going before able to put y e whole matter out of cōtrouersie But let vs yet cōsider more of their shameles shifts Admit the papists see not these wordes going before shoulde not bee vrged with them Doth not this very text in w t the apostle cōmendeth y e vtilitie of y e holy scriptures set foorth also the sufficiencie of the same Doth not the Apostle say the Scripture is so profitable that the man of God therby may bée perfect and throughly instructed vnto euery good worke Who woulde require greater perspicuitie or plainnes if hee meane to set his beleefe and not to maintaine his error Yet see what Cobwebs the spider weaueth to couer y e light of this text from the eyes of the ignorant and such as wilfully bée obstinate The man of God saith hée in this place is not taken generally for euery godly man but specially for the Minister of the Churche the Minister of God Therefore although the Minister of God may bée made perfect by the doctrine of the Scriptures it followeth not that euery man may bée so likewise Albeit the Minister hath his whole duetie taught by the holy Scriptures yet hath not euery one of the people his dutie throughly taught in the Scriptures that hée may bée made perfect and prepared to euery good worke For euery good worke in that place
doeth signifie the whole worke or office of the minister only and not of the people also What can wée answere to this First I am content to vnderstande the man of God in this text specially for the minister of God as the quarreller saith and what haue wée lost therby The scripture is sufficient to make the minister of god perfect which hath y e charge of all the people to make them perfect and therefore yea much rather it is sufficient to make euery one of the people perfect and throughly instructed to euery good worke For what is the office of the minister of God is it not to teach to improoue to correct to instruct in righteousnesse The scripture is profitable for al these purposes euen vnto the perfection of the man of God therefore there wanteth nothing of sufficiencie in the holy Scriptures For what shall hée teach but true doctrine and howe is the Scripture profitable to make him perfect vnto doctrine except it bee able to teache him all true doctrine What shall hée reproue but errours heresies if the Scripture bee not able to conuince all heresies and false opnions touching religion how is it able to make him perfect to that part of his office which cōsisteth in reproouing and conuincing of errors and Heretikes Againe what shall hée correct but vices and sinnes that are commmitted against Gods commandements But howe shoulde hée bée able to correct them by the Scriptures if whatsoeuer is sinne may not be reprehended and condemned by the authoritie of the scriptures Finally howe shall hée instruct in righteousnesse to the perfect discharge of his office by the proper ablenesse of the scriptures if there bee any works of righteousnes acceptable vnto God which are not commanded or cōmended in the holye Scriptures Thus you sée the myst easily driuen away the cléere light of the truth gloriously shining to the shame confusion of al the enimies of the holy scriptures among whom the papists are not the lest which in no sauce can abide that the holy scriptures inspired of god should bée sufficient to testifie so much of Gods worde vnto vs as should be necessary to saluation of our soules but being thus shamefully ouerthrowne put to flight will they giue ouer and yéelde to the truth No they are frozen in the dregges of their error They will not cease to quarrell vntil they leaue to liue For what other starting hole haue they now trow you to auoide the force of the truth inforcing the sufficiencie of the scriptures by this testimonie of the holy Ghost For sooth they say that Saint Paules wordes are not to bée vnderstood of all the whole Scripture but of euery booke yea of euery text and sentence of the Scripture which is profitable to teach to improoue to correct to instruct but all true doctrine is not taught in euery booke or sentence of the Scripture therefore the sufficiencie of the scripture is not taught by this text I maruell they say not that Saint Paule speaketh of euery worde sillable or letter y t is written in the Bible in which is some profite to teach to improoue to correct and instruct but not to teache all thinges needefull to bee knowne They might as well say that Saint Paule speaketh of euery singular worde as of euery particular booke seuerall sentence of the scripture But howe can it bée prooued that he speaketh not of euery booke or sentence seuered from the rest but of the whole body of Scripture Nay what is more easie to prooue then that When hée speaketh of the Scripture so as it is able to make the man of God absolute and perfectly instructed vnto euery good worke or vnto the whole good worke of his ministerie Euery seueral booke and much lesse euery sentence of the scripture is not able to make the man of God perfect in all partes of his office nor throughly prepared vnto euery good worke therefore it is most euident that the Apostle speaketh not of euery seuer all booke or sentence but of the whole body of the holy Scriptures in which Timothy was instructed and which he said before was able to make him wise vnto saluatiō For neither euery sentence nor euery booke of the holy scripture doth containe sufficient wisedome vnto eternall saluation but the whole body of scriptures is able to make any man wise vnto saluation through faith in Iesus Christe Therefore it is certaine that this text is to bée vnderstood of the whole Scripture and that worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is so to bée translated the whole scripture or all the scripture and not euerie scripture But yet blinde malice cannot cease to rayse a dust to blemishe the glorie of Gods truth perfectly expressed in his holy scriptures This text saieth the Papist was written by S. Paule before the new Testament was put in writing and receiued in the Church Therefore it must néedes be vnderstood of the scripture of the olde Testament only Wherefore it is not like that Saint Paul would affirme the olde Testament sufficiently to cōtain the worde of God For then the addition of so many bookes of the newe Testament were altogether superfluous which absurditie that wée may auoide wée must néedes say that Saint Paules meaning was to teache vs that euerie scripture is profitable but not that the whole scripture as it was at that time was sufficient So that there is no text to prooue that the whole scripture as it is now containing both the old and new Testament is sufficient for a Christian mans perfect instruction but that hee must receiue the worde of God from the Churches mouth although it be not registred in the old Testament or the newe This argument being of a late inuention pieaseth the Papistes out of measure insomuch that they clappe their handes at it and thinke them selues clearly discharged of that Terte But howe vayne howe foolishe howe ridiculous it is and vnworthie of any mans estimation I will plainly open vnto you First it is not denyed but Saint Paule in this texte speaketh especially of the scripture of the olde Testament not only because all bookes of the newe Testament were not then written although many were but also because the apostle speaketh of that scripture in knowledge wherein Timothie had béen brought vp from his infancy which should be none other but the lawe and the Prophets the scriptures of the olde Testament But if it may bée prooued that the scripture of the olde Testament did sufficiently containe the worde of God as it hath béene prooued alreadie to make men wise vnto saluation then much more abundantly the scripture both of the olde and new Testament containeth the whole counsell of God a perfect truth euen that worde of God which our Sauiour Christ in this his prayer affirmeth to be the truth For of all the reasons that euer I heard this that nowe pleaseth them so much is most worthie to be laughed at and