pag. 76. Cha. 8. A proofe of the same by the practice of the Primitive Church p. 110. Chap. 9. Three reasons wherefore Tradition is preferred before the Scripture c. pag. 121. Chap. 10. That in this Question by the word Church our Adversaries understand the Pope alone pag. 129. Chap. 11. Of what sort how weake and how uncertaine the Foundations are whereon the Traditions of the Romish Church are built c. pag. 139. Chap. 12. That our Adversaries alledging the Scripture doe contradict themselves and alledge Scripture for Tradition in generall without touching the particulars wherein they finde the Scripture contrary pag. 165. Chap. 13. That our Adversaries to distinguish the good Traditions from bad doe give vs a plea wherein thâ—y wholly convict themselves p. 175. Chap. 14. A proofe of the same by the Traditions which our Adversars â—s doe â—uppose to be the mist ancient and best grounded in Antiquity p. 195. Chap. 15. The seconâ— marke set by our Adversaries to distinguish the good Traditions from the bad viz. Succession p. 205. Chap. 16. That the Pharisees and ancient Hereticks had recourse to Tradition that Clemens Alexandrius suffered himselfe to be too much carried away in the same p. 217. Chap. 17 An examination of the passages of Scripture whereon they found Traditions p. 223. Chap 18. An answere to that which is objeâ—â—ed vnto us that the Church hath bin sometime without the Scripture pag. 231. Chap. 19. That the Church of the old Testament after the Law given by Moses vntill Iesus Christ hath had no unwritten Traditions p. 236. Cha. 20. An answer to our adversaries aâ—â—â—â—ming that we receive many Traditions contained in Scripture p. 254 Chap. 21. A proofe of the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures by the testimony of God himselfe speaking in the Scriptures P. 267. Chap. 22. Whether to ground a Doctrine it be lawfull to use words equivalent to those that are found in the Scripture or to vse consequences and Arguments pag. 298. Chap. 23. Testimonies of the Fathers touching the perfection of the Scripture pag. 322. Cha. 24. How the Texts and passages of the Fathers which our Adversaries alledge for the unwritten Traditions ought to be vnderstood p. 346. Chap. 25. A proofe of that which went before pag. 349. Cha. 26. Three ancient Customes which we are blamed to have forsaken p. 393 Chap. 27. That the Traditions of the Romish Church of this time have nothing in common with the unwritten Traditions mentioned by the Fathers pag. 398. Chap. 28. Of the multitude of Traditions in the Church of Rome p. 403. A LEARNED TREATISE OF TRADITIONS OF THE SACRED Scriptures perfection against the Traditions of the Romish Church CHAP. 1. Concerning the nature of this Controversie OVr Adversaries were accustomed a great while to dispute by way of Scripture but at length perceiving themselues weake in the cause and being much disquieted that the Scripture doth locke them vp into so narrow a roome they spurne against it labouring to make it appeare doubtfull and without authoritie By this meanes our Controversies change their nature for instead of disputing by ground of Scripture we are now led backe to dispute of the Scripture it selfe and to defend the Authoritie and Perfection of it This is now the field wherein our Adversaries doe sport and display the mettall of their conceits They accuse the Scripture of imperfection and insufficiencie of obscuritie and vncapablenesse to determine any difference calling it a dumbe and imperfect rule a nose of wax a rocke of scandall a scabbard that receiveth as well a leaden as a steele blade And though Church of Rome bee partie in the cause yet will it bee Iudge supreame and infallible If the Church bee Iudge shee of Rome will bee Iudge and will haue it appertaine to her to prescribe her taske vnto her selfe and to bee soveraigne Iudge of her owne proper dutie Our Adversaries make the Church of Rome the Iudge infallible of her owne proper infallibilitie and that shee shall bee soveraigne Iudge of the interpretation of the same Lawes wherby God doth judge her sinnes They sticke not to say that the Church of Rome is no way subject to the Scripture that is to say to God speaking by his Prophets and Apostles So on the other side they maintaine that the Scripture is subject to the Church of Rome and ought to be regulated by the Faith of that Church They avow that to bee the singular and onely Church which giueth authoritie to the Scripture and will haue the Scripture inferiour to the Church in Dignity in Stability in Certainty in Antiquitie and in Amplitude Yea so farre they proceed that the Pope may adde to the Creed dispense contrary to the Apostles alter that which God hath ordained in the holy Scriptures and dispose of his Commandements They hold that the sacred Scripture bee therefore entertained and received amongst men because the Pope doth approoue and ordaine it so to be as if the Pope were more to be credited then God speaking in his holy Scriptures or that he were no whit subject to the Law of God contaâ—ned in the Scripture In all this controversie betweene the Scripture and the Church concerning the preheminence by this word Church our adversaries alwayes understand the Romish although there be many other more ancient and more pure namely the Greeke the Syrian the Affrican c. and by the Romish church they understand the Pope alone in whom resideth the soveraigne authoriâ—ie who judgeth all â—hings without possibility to erre yea then especially when hee judgeth alone motu proprio of his owne meere motion and speaking in the Chayre Apostolique and when it is his pleasure to joyne unto him some Prelates for his assistance in Decreeing hee reinvesteth them with infallible knowledge and vnderstanding yea in the poynts which he himselfe understandeth not Whosoeuer will heere open his eyes and not forbid himselfe the use of reason shall easily perceiue that Satan by this proceeding indeavoureth slily to bring in Atheisme and to vndermine the foundations of Christian Religion For by this meanes the Christian Faith is not founded vpon the Word of God contained in the holy Scriptures but vpon humane and uncertaine evidence yea the most uncertaine that can bee conceived they justifying the authoritie of the Church of Rome to be onely established vpon the testimony of the Romish Church making her Iudge witnesse and party in the same cause and endeavouring to make men beleeue that the Church of Rome hath more authoritie then the Scriptures for she her selfe doth say it If it be so that the authoritie of the Scripture bee grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church of Rome why doe they alledge unto us passages of Scripture to support the authoritie of the Church of Rome And when instead of directing the Faith of a Christian by the Word of God speaking in the Scriptures they send him to the Church the simple people are perplexed and
lawfull to adde diminish or change Hereby we intend not absolutely to reject all Tradition for if there bee a Tradition that addeth nothing to the Scripture but serveth onely to maintaine her authoritie and perfection wee imbrace that most willingly Such a Tradition is that the Books of the old and new Testament are sacred and Canonirall This Tradition is so far from adding to the Scripture that on the contrary it sayeth that nothing ought to be added thereunto Neither is it without the compasse of the Scripture seeing that it springeth and results from the perfection of the Scripture it selfe and the credit or testimony that a Church bee it true or false conferreth upon these Bookes is but a probable and humane testimony vntill God giving efficacie to this Scripture to touch and stirre vp devotion imprinteth in it a more effectuall perswasion For it is not the Church that giveth faith but the spirit of God that worketh in our hearts by his powerfull word As a river that passeth through a towne is sufficient to refresh and water it throughout yet notwithstanding is it behoouefull that some Pipe or channell should conduct it from the source into the place so the holy Scripture is sufficient to instruct vs to salvation neverthelesse it must come to vs as it were by the course of successiue Tradition Such a Tradition addeth no more to the Scripture then the channell addeth to the water of the River Also when wee reject unwritten Traditions we intend not to reject all the words that are not found in the Scripture in regard that wee may there finde the matter in substance and equivalent termes and that these words doe add nothing to the doctrine of salvation contained in the Scriptures Such are the termes of Gods providence and of the Immortalitie of the soule Likewise the words of Trinitie Consubstantiall and the Procession of the holy Ghost words profitably imployed by our forefathers to make that perspicuous which is contained in the Scriptures and to shut vp heretikes into a more narrow strait Also wee willingly admit of unwritten Traditions which concern not the doctrine but onely the Ecclesiasticall pollicie and outward order in regard that such Lawes and Customes are not given for absolutely necessary and equalled with the doctrine of salvation as also because they serue not the Pastors use for traffique avarice or ambition and that in this order and outward pollicie there is nothing dishonest and contrary to good morality or that may expose the Christian Religion to ridiculousnesse and lastly because that with these Ceremonies and observations the multitude is not excessiue neither doe they divert the piety by postures of the countenance or the spirituall service by corporall exercise For as the Romans having conquered a Province did amuse the people with Sports and pompous Triumphes feasting them with their spoyles whilst they were then busie in plotting and aggravating the peoples servitude so doth the enemie of our salvation amuse the people by the splendour of Ceremonies whilst hee then inthralleth consciences and tacitely insinuateth idolatry to which the very inclination of the people doth much contribute For a man naturally loveth rather to recreate his sense then to instruct his understanding to behold publike spectacles then heare wholesome doctrines to admire pictures then edifie by good precepts and findeth lesse difficultie to shape stones to the image of man then to unshape or reforme man to the image of God Our confession then rejecteth onely the Traditions that adde something to the doctrine of faith manners contained in the Scripture and which are given forth to supply that which is thought to be wanting in the doctrine of the holy Scriptures The Iesuire Regourd in his booke Pag. 786. 787. intitled Catholike Demonstrations in the sixt Demonstration proposeth salsely our Beliefe Hee alledgeth the wordes of the fift Article of our confession of the faith where hee makes vs say that the Word of God contained in the Bookes received by vs is guided with all veritie and containeth all that is necessary for the service of God and for our owne salvation and that by it all things ought to be examined and squared Antiquity Customes the Multitude humane Wisdome Iudgements Sentences Edicts Decrees Councells Visions Miracles But he changeth the words of our Confession by a most notorious falsification for we say only that these things must not bee opposed against the Scripture Marke our very words It is not lawfull for men nor Angals to adde thereunto nor diminish nor change Whence it followeth that neither Antiquitie nor Customes nor the Multitude c. ought to be opposed against the holy Scripture We condemne not Antiquitie nor Councels as Regourd imposeth upon vs but wee say that hee that would oppose these things against the Scripture ought not to bee beleeved Wee affirme this because our Adversaries say that the Romish Church may change that which God hath commanded in the Scripture dispense Gods word contrary to the Apostle and estaâ—lish new Articles of Faith wherof we haue set downe multitudes of proofes in the forepart of our first Booke and will produce more here following CHAP. IV. The opinion of the Romish Church That our Adversaries with one consent accuse the Scripture of insufficiency and of not containing all the doctrines necessary to salvation WHen our Adversaries dispute against Pagans and compare the holy Scripture with humane wisedome they exalr the sanctitie perfection authoritie perspicuity and divine efficacy of the holy Scripture yea you would imagine they accorded with vs and borrowed our termes But when the question is of comparing the Scripture with the church of Rome then alter they their language debasing the dignitie of the Scripture to the end to magnifie the authoritie of the Pope They vphold that the Scripture is not Iudge that this title appertaines unto the Pope and to the Prelates which he authoriseth then I say they make all authoritie of the Scripture to depend upon the power and testimonie of the Romish Church They accuse the Scripture of incertitude of being depraved of obscuritie of insufsiciencie and imperfection But if one represent vnto them their owne proper words wherein they commend the perfection of the Scripture and acknowledge that it containeth all that is necessary to salvation they haue an evasion ready at hand for they say that the Scripture may bee called â—erfect because she referreth to the â—hurch which supplyeth all her â—efects Wherein they apparantly â—putradict themselues For if the Scriptures send back to the church to learne of her wherein they are de fectiue by the same message and â—â—nding backe they confesle their â—wne imperfection The Merchant that sendeth away his Chapman to another shop to finde that which hee hath not in his owne by this dismission hee confesseth that his owne shop is ill furnished And if it be sufficient for the Scripture to be called perfect when as she sends is to the Church it
of the 7. booke of the Apostles constitutions saith that The Church of Ecclesia Rom na quae Apostolita vtens potestate su gula pro conâ—â—tione temâ—oâ—um in melius mutat Quartae fertae 〈◊〉 quod diu mansit in Ecclesia nunc quod est doleâ—â—uÌ„ at que lugenduÌ„ cum alijs optimis matoruÌ„ institutu in desuetudinem abijt Gregor de Vateâ— Tom 4 disp 6. qa 8. puncto 5. sect 10. Et certè quaedaÌ„ posterioribus temporibus rectiut â—onstituâ—a esse in ecâ—lesia quaÌ„ initio se haberent Id confirmat authoriâ—ate Ambâ—osij Thomae Waldensis Tomo 2. de Sacrament cap. 94. Rome chalenging to her selfe Apostolicall authority can change and alter every thing to better according to the condition of the times yet there complaineth that a custome of the ancient Church to fast on wednesdayes and many other very good Lawes were abolished Gregory of Valence in the fourth Tome of his Commentaries and the sixth Disputation maketh no difficulty to affirme that Many things in these latter times are better ordained in the Church then they were in the beginning that is to say from the Apostles time The sacred Scripture in the 18. and 20. of Leuiticus layeth downe certaine degrees of consanguinity alliance which hinder mariage whereof the most remoued is the mariage of the Vncle with the Neece or the Aunt with the Nephew which are mariages forbidden and declared incestuous by the word of God which permitteth mariages in other degrees De la permission d'espouser les 2. soeurs voyez Almain au li. de la puissance Eccl. larque more remoued But the Pope vsurpeth power to himselfe in giuing liberty to mariages forbidden in the Scripture yea extending so far as to a toleration of marying two sisters as also hee permitteth the Vncle to mary the Neece On the otherside he forbiddeth mariages in more remote degrees and which God permitteth in his holy word as mariages betweene the issues of cosen germanes and betweene cosen germanes remoued Whereupon the Councell of Trent in the 24. Session at the 3. Canon denounceth an Anathema against al those that shall say that the church of Rome cannot forbid mariage in degrees allowed by the word of God and cannot dispense in degrees forbidden Thus runneth the Si quis dixerit cos tantuÌ„ consanguini tâ—tâ—â—t affinitatis gradus qui â—â—uâ—â—ico exprimuâ—tur posse impedire matrimonium contrahendum dirimere contractum nec posse Ecclesiâ— in nonnullu illoruÌ„ dispensare aut censtituere vt plures impediant dirimant Anathema sit Canon If any man saith that there are no more degrees of consanguinity and alliance then what are expressed in Leuiticus that can hinder from contracting of mariage or separate that which is contracted and that the Church cannot dispence in some of these degrees nor ordaine that many other degrees hinder or separate the mariage let him bee an Anathema This Councell curseth those which say that the Church of Rome cannot alter Gods ordinance nor dispense with that which God hath forbidden in his holy Word It is true that in the same Session this Councell giveth an exception in these In secundo gradu â—unquaÌ„ dispensetur nisi inter magnos Prinâ—ipes et ob publiâ—aÌ„â—ausam words Let no dispensation be giuen in the second degree vnlesse betweene great Princes and for publicke cause For the lawes of the Church of Rome open or shut according to the quality and riches of the persons Now it were good to know whether to marry a wiues sister or his â—eece or cosen a dispensation were ever asked of Saint Peter and whether hee gaue dispensation to the rich and sent the poore away According to this power that the Pope arrogateth to himselfe to dispense against Gods commandement contained in the Scriptures â—hee dispenseth with persons concerning their oaths and vowes he dispenseth with subjects and officers of a King for keeping the fidelitie sworne to their Soveraigne Prince Hee separateth marriages lawfully contracted under the shadow of Religion against the Lords commandement speaking of the dissolution of Marriages Math. 19. 6. What God hath joyned together let no man put assunder For the same that Tolet speaketh of the Apostles may bee spoken of Iesus Christ that all that hee hath institutâ—d is not Lib 1. instâ—t Sâ—câ—rd c. 68. Iure divino He exempteth children from obedience to their parents contrary to the Law of God when they are cast into Monastâ—ries against the willes of their fathers and mothers He suffereth whoredome yea in Rome it selfe and there establisheth Brothell-houses against the Law of God He hath forbidden the publike Service in â— knowne tongue appoynted Masses without Communicants and ordained Image-service against the expresse commandements of Iesus Christ and the Apostle Saint Paul and against the practise of the primitiue Church yea against the very Law of God as wee will shew in fit place These things and many more the like doe explaine that the question betweene vs and our adversaries is not alone whether the Apostles haue taught Traditions by mouth which they would not haue to bee set downe in writing and whether besides the Scripture there ought also Apostolicall Traditions to bee received For the principall poynt of difference is touching the Traditions which our Adversaries confesse not to haue beene written nor taught by the mouth of the Apostles and which haue beene long since introduced And touching the Popes power to add to the Creed and to establish new articles of faith Yea especially and above all touching an arrogance without example wherein the Pope and Church of Rome attribute to themselues the power of annulling Gods commandements and of the Apostles contained in holy Scriptures and to alter the institution of our Lord and to judge as Cardinall Perron speaketh that such and such commandements of our Lord are dispensable These kind of Traditions ought to bee called after the Italian word Tradimenti treasons or conspiracies against God CHAP. VII Passages extracted out of the Writings of our adversaries which proue that in the Church of Rome Traditions are without comparison more esteemed and respected then the holy Scripture and the Scripture reviled and charged with iniuries Iesuite Regourds boldnesse to blemish and defame the Scripture THe Councell of Trent in the fourth Session seemeth contented to equall Tradition with the Scripture ordaining that the one and the other be received and honoured with like affection of pietie reverence But this Councell doth now as customarily it doth propose its doctrine in doubtfull termes involving it selfe in darknesse and obsuritie For whosoever is never so little versed in the writings of our adversaries or hath exactly considered the practise and customes of the Romish Church shall easily discover that the holy Scripture is of no comparison with the value and account of Tradition which is exalted with praises and magnificall titles as also most carefully observed whilst the Scripture
quae traditione commendat est claritas perspa 〈◊〉 Nam primuÌ„ Scripturas 〈◊〉 von cognoscit §. Dâ—â—de Scriptura pâ—test ab haeroticu traili ad qd sibi quisque collibuerit § Tertio quia Scriptura dubioruÌ„ quae pullulabâ—◠〈◊〉 essâ— non â—oterat c. â—â— quia 〈◊〉 aâ—f 〈◊〉 est tum quia muta est c. Hâ—nc in 〈◊〉 Testamento ad EcclesiaÌ„ mettitur qui aliquo 〈◊〉 torquetur oâ— coÌ„stat Act. 15. on autem ad â—â— riptaras quâ— sâ— instar nasi ceret ducuntur quo quis vult c. Ideo protervire voleÌ„tes Scripturis noÌ„ possunt refelli vna ergo traditione â—ugulanaâ— sunt § Quod auteÌ„ Qâ—â—â— hâ—c su fiâ—mior inde â—â—nsâ—are potest quia notior est Ecclesia et ApostoloruÌ„ sanctitas quam scripturae cuÌ„ haec per illam cognoscatur Ibidem Scripturae verae probantur quia sunt coÌ„formes traditioni iam factae things necessary to saâ—vation yea highâ—â— then Scripture it selfe And a little after The Scripture rather recommendeth Tradition then Tradition the Scripture and therefore Tradition is more necessary for Scripture is made to recommend Tradition to vs. And there againe Tradition is necâ—ssary because of many doubts that are not contained nor expresly defined in the Scriptures And againe Hee that beleeveth not the Tradition received in the Church but sâ—archeth the Scripture resemblâ—th an ill debtor who refuseth to pay vnlesse he see a quittance or the bond when as to produce fit witnesses would be enough Which is as much to say as the people may pretermit and balke the Scripâ—ure but must cling close to the Testimony and Tradition of the church of Rome He further alledgeth Tradition is more ancient then Scripture whence hee inferreth that it is more excellent then Scripâ—ure and saith a gaine that the same which recommendeth the Traditions abouâ— Scripâ—ure is their clearenesse and evidence for the people haue no knowledg of the Scripture and the Scripture may bee wrested by the Heretiques to whatsoever they will Hee addeth likewise that the Scripture hath not been able to iudge of doubts because it is difficult and dumbe and that hee that is troubled with any doubt in the new Testament is sent to the Church Actes 15. but not to the Scriptures which like a waxen nose are moulded and twisted at pleasure Whereupon saith hee those that will be perverse cannot bee vanquished by the Scriptures their throats then must be cut by Tradition alone And further That Tradition is more firme then scripture it appeareth in this that the Church and the sanctity of the Apostles is more knowne then Scripture because this is knowne by that Wherein hee speaketh against common sense for it is by the Scripture that wee learne the sanctitie of the Apostles and wee know not that God will haue but one Church in the world if he did not teach it vs in the Scriptures Againe hee dareth to say that the Scriptures are true because they are conformable to the Tradition already made Will wee know if the unwritten Word of God in two Tables ought to be received will we know if the doctrine contained in the Psalmes of David in the Prophets and in the Evangelists bee true let us enquire what the Popes opinion is and what Tradition of the Romish Church is and wee shall soone bee satisfied for say our adversaries the Scripture must be examined by the Tradition of the Church of Rome which is the rule of Scripture and is not ruled by the Scripture Truely these things cannot bee read without horror and detestation Of the selfe same stuffe is that Apostoli non scripserunt omnes quasi ex coÌ„muni consensu partito labore sed tantuÌ„ aliqui pro causa particulari et ad conservandam traditionem which he addeth The Apostles haue not written by one common consent but some haue written for particular respects to preserue Tradition When you heare these kinde of people speake you would say that the Scripture is nothing but a letter of credence to giue authoritie to the Church of Rome and her Traditions Wherefore he concludeth that Ibidem Ideo nen receaenduÌ„ est ab Ecclosia viva traditione erudita vel ob scripturaâ— allegatas no man ought to depart from the Church instructed by living Traditions notwithstanding the allegations of Scripture Hee compareth also the amplitude and large extent of Tradition with the narrow limits of the scripture § Quâ—nâ—ò Traditio multo est vniversalio quam Scriptâ—ra quia ad plura tempora ad plura obiecta et ad lura individua sâ— exteâ—ait Tradition saith hee is much more vnâ—versall then Scripture and reacheth to further time to more matter and more persons then the scripture To bee short if these men were to bee beleeved Tradition comprehendeth all the doctrine of faith and maners but many things are wanting in the Scripture Having in this manner dishonored the Scripture and placed it far below Tradition hee makes them fight and plotteth to haue the allegations of Scripture to be repulsed by Tradition To those saith §. Alias Pâ—tenti scripturaÌ„ opponenda est Traditio hee who demand the Scripture Tradition is to be offered in opposition as if hee should tell us You aske me passages of Scripture but content your sâ—lfe that I alleadge vnto you Tradition and the opâ—nion of the Church of Rome For this is the more necessary rule more ancient more firme more easie more vniversall and by which the truth of the Scripture ought to bee examined Thus is the Word of God handled and it is so come to passe that the same Iesuite in his § Quarto cum Cum Scriptura obscura sit valde nec iâ—dex esse quâ—at c. Proprium ergo et diabolicuÌ„ sensum hâ—bent iâ—â—â—rco peius est illu vacare Scripturis quaÌ„ fabulâ— tenth Disputation having said that the Scripture cannot be Iudge addeth that the Heretiques for so he qualifies us haue a diabolicall sense and doe worse to addict themselues to the Scripture then to apply themselues to fables But nothing doth more plainly shew w th what a loud voice our adversaries cry up the traditioÌ„ of the Church of Rome aboue the Scripture then when they say that the church is not subject nor bound to the Scripture but the Scripture is subject to the church that is to say God is subject to men For our adversaries acknowledge that the scripture is the word of God These Lindan Panopâ—â—n indicâ— tituloruÌ„ lib. 5 cap. 5. are the words of Lindanus in hiâ— Panoplia The Church hath not been EcclesiaÌ„ non esse ex voluntate Christi scripturu allegatam obliged to the Scriptures by Christs will and commandement Coster the Iesuite in his 3. chapter of his Manuall Christ was not willing Christus nec EcclesiaÌ„ suaÌ„ à chartaceâ— scriptis pendere nec meÌ„braâ—is mysteria sua committere voluit that his Church should depend vpon
the Scripture of adding to the Creed of dispensing against the Apostle and of establishing new Articles of faith aâ— we haue shewed by multitudes of proofes by the practise of the church of Rome So as now wee are not to consider what doctrines haue been taught from the mouth of the Apostles but it is endeavoured to make us receiue all the Traditions which the Popes haue added not onely to the Scriptures but also to the preaching of the Apostles for inviolable lawes and infallible rules Our adversaries then come back to this that the Church of Rome cannot erre in her Traditions for shee cannot erre in this Tradition that shee cannot erre They would haue us beleeue the Tradition of the Romish Church because the Tradition of that Church hath so ordained it So as this third Maxime leadeth vs backe to the second which holdeth that the Pope cannot erre and this Maxime that the Pope cannot erre leadeth us to the first that is to say to the Succession of Saint Peter wherof God ordained nothing from whence they haue made this infallibilitie to spring forth It is lamentable to heare how they speake of the antiquitie of their Traditions yea when they be fresh and moderne They heard their fathers say that they heard from others and they againe from others that the Apostles haue taught these things by mouth onely and did disperse them amongst some few Thus they make a brittle cord which bindeth not the consciences and their beleefe striving to rove backe through fifteene or sixteene ages wherein they see not one jot is lost in the way in stead of beginning at the fountaine to wit at Iesus Christ and his Apostles and to learne in their writings that which they haue taught for a Commandement of the Lord or of the Apostles had in one word freed them from all doubt and difficultie CHAP. XII That our Adversaries alledging the Scripture doe contradict themselues and alledge Scripture for Traditions in generall without touching the particulars wherein they finde the Scripture contrary IT is the propertie of lying to say and unsay involving it selfe in contradictions Our adversaries build the authoritie of the Scripture upon the Tradition of the Church and then contradicting themselues they labour to ground Tradition vpon the testimony of Scripture Their custome is to alledge Scripture not to defend every one of their Traditions in particular but they endeavour to prooue in general that the Scripture speaketh of Traditions approveth them Presupposing without proofe thâ—â— the traditions wherof the Scripture maketh mention are those which in our times are received by the Church of Rome and where of the body of Papistry is compounded And herein they doe wisely For what should they find in the scripture that may be of use to uphold so many new inventions unlessâ— perhaps they would ground the abridgement of the cup upon the words of our Saviour Drinke ye â— Math. 26. 27. of it And upon the words of Sainâ— Paul writing to the people of Coâ—rinth Let a man examine himself 1 Cor. 11. 28. chap. 10. 17. and so let him eat of that Bread an drinke of that Cup. As likewise â— are all partakers of one and the same Bread and one and the same Cup according to the vulgar translation Or they would ground the single life of Priests and Bishops vpon the Apostles Commandement wherein he chargeth a Bishop to bee 1 Tim. 3. ver 2. 4. husband of one wife having his children in subjection with all gravity as also If they cannot containe let them 1 Cor. 7. 9. marry for it is better to marry then to burne Or Invocation of Saints vpon the words of Solomon that God onely 2 Chro. 6. 30 knoweth the hearts of men And vpon those of Saint Paul How shall they Rom. 10. 14 call upon him in whom they haue not beleeved And vpon those words of Iesus Christ When yee pray say Our Father which art in heaven c. Luk. 11. 2. Or private Masses and without Communicants upon this reason that Saint Paul calleth the holy Supper A Communion And upon 1 Cor. 10. 16 this that Iesus Christ giving bread to his disciples hath said Take eat for in their solitary Masses no man assisteth to whom the Priest may say Take Or the power of the Pope to depose Kings and to make them kisse his feet upon these sentences of the Apostles Feare God Honour 1 Pet. 2. 17. the King and vpon this Let every Rom. 13. 1. man bee subiect to superiour powers and vpon the example of Iesus Christ who payed tribute and washed his Apostles feet Or Service and Prayers in a strange language upon that which the Apostle speaketh Except you 1 Cor. 14. 9. 19. vtter by the tongue words easie to bee vnderstood how shall it be knowen what is spoken for yee shall speake into the ayre And I had rather speake in the Church five words with my vnderstanding then ten thousand in an vnknowne tongue Or difference of meates upon that which the Apostle sayth If any of them that beleeve not invite 1 Cor. 10. 27 you to a feast and ye be disposed to goe whatsoever is set before you eate asking no question for conscience sake And upon that which the same Apostle calleth the instructions of those that sayd touch not tast not handle not humane Commandements and doctrines although they were made for devotion and to subdue the flesh as he hath it in the 2 chap. to the Colos 21. 22. 23. Or merite of workes of condignity as they are called or of equivalence and congruity upon the words of our Saviour When you Luk. 17. â—â— shall have done all that is commanded you say we are vnprofitable servants Or workes of supererogation not commanded upon the summe of the Law which inioyneth to love God with all the heart and with all the strength For in these words is commanded all the good that man can doe and upon that where Saint Paul in the 4. to the Phil. 8. chargeth us to addict our selves to all things commendable and vertuous whereupon it followeth that if the works of supererrogation are vertuous and praise worthy they are commanded and vpon this that the perfection of the Angels doth consist in obeying the Commaundement of God Psal 103. 20. and not to doe more then he hath commanded Or borrowed satisfactions upon that which the Apostle testifieth that every man shall carry his owne burthen Galat. 6. 5. and that every man shall receiue his owne proper reward according to his owne labour 1 Cor. 3. 8. Or offerings of Priests in making sacrifices for the living and the dead upon that which Iesus Christ hath sayd Doe this in remembrance of me which is the place for proofe thereof that the Counsell of Trent in the 22. session wil have to be received of every man under paine of an Anathema Or festivall play dayes upon the
were not sufficient of themselves to expiate the sinnes but that they drew their vertue from the death of Iesus Christ and that those which did eate of the Paschall-lambe were to have respect to Iesus Christ and to understand the signification of this Lambe Now say these men they could not learne this from the bookes of Moses nor from the Prophets therefore they learnt it by the unwritten Tradition In speaking thus they falsific the words of the Apostle Saint Peter who at the 10. of the Acts 43. saith that To Iesus Christ all the Prophets give witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sinnes And they contradict Saint Paul who at the 26 of the Acts 22. Saith of himselfe that he speaketh no other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did foretell should come to passe They also abuse themselves to thinke that it was then necessary to every one of the faithfull to have a cleere insight and vnderstanding of the sacrifices of the Law and of the Paschall Lambe for the faithfull are not bound to beleeve of Iesus Christ more then that which God by his Word hath revealed unto them If any one about the time of Moses offering sacrifice according to the Law were not instructed in the doctrine of the death of our Redeemer but only beleeved that God through the meanes which hee knoweth to be most agreeable and convenient will forgiue vs our trespasies it were rashnesse to goe about to exclude such a man from salvation and it is certaine that then the faithfull were not without instruction as touching this point for they were prompted by the Scriptures to expect this seed of the Woman which should crush the head of the Serpent and the seed of Abraham wherein all Nations should be blessed Cardinall Perron is aduised of a third Tradition not written in the old Testament which neuerthelesse if we could beleeue it was necessary to saluation He supposeth that it was necessary for the Iewes to beleeue that the fire of their sacrifices after the captiuity was descended from Heaven and that the same continuall fire which was vpon the Altar was conserved by miracle during the tranfmigration Whereupon I say that 2. Macc. I. this miraculous conseruation of the fire being but a Iudaicall fable the Iewes were not bound Hac de revâ—de Rabbi Shelomo in ea 1 Aggai Talmud Tractatu Tukasin 1. fol. 21. Rabbi Moshe Ren Meâ—mon tractat de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beleeue it The charge of the Sacrificers was to put the fire vpon the Altar as it is sayd Leuit. 1. 7. The sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu did sinne not because they placed strange fire vpon the Altar but in putting into their Censers the fire which they tooke from else-where and not from off the Altar Leuit. 10. 1. Looke vpon the 8. of the Apoc 5. Moreouer put the case this fable were admitted for true yet is it not a rule of Religion nor a doctrine of Faith but only a meere History whereof whosoeuer had bin ignorant had not incurred eternall damnation And admit that vnder the old Testament the Church had vnwritten Traditions it should not therefore follow that it was lawfull for the Church of Rome to forge new ones and to equall them in authority to the writings of the Prophets and Apostles CHAP. XX. An answere to our Adversaries affirming that wee receive many Traditions contained in the Scripture OVr Adversaries upbraid us in that we who reject traditions are neverthelesse constrained to admit of many Ye beleeve say they that these bookes are canonicall ye allow of baptizing such as are Heretikes and the baptisme of little infants yee beleeve the procession of the holy Spirit from the Father and the Sonne and the translation of the Sabbath to the Dominicall day and the perpetuall virginity of Mary the mother of Christ yee beleeve that women ought to sing in the Church yee grant the words of Consubstantiation of Trinity of Person and of Sacrament which are not found in the holy Scripture I have already said that we reject not all unwritten Traditions but only those which adde something to the doctrine of salvation contained in holy Scriptures For answere to their objection that wee receive this unwritten Tradition to wit These bookes are canonicall to say so much of the bookes is not to adde to the canonicall bookes And speaking in that manner we are so farre from adding to Scripture that on the contrary it is a declaration that nothing is to be added thereunto and that it is the perfect rule of our faith Yet to have a complete certainety of the sacrednesse of these bookes there must be a stronger testimony then this Tradition An illiterate man not instructed in the knowledge of God receiveth the testimony of the Church of his owne countrey which telleth him that these books are canonicall as a probable testimony and which hee should not willingly contradict but then hee beginneth to have of it a divine testimony and of soveraigne efficacie when the Spirit of God by the Doctrine contained in this Scripture hath enlightened his spirit and inflamed his heart with a secret vertue whereof it is in vaine to dispute with those that feele it not the which cannot serve for a Law to another but serveth to every one of the faithfull in particular to assure his conscience It is also to bee considered that the testimony of shewing such and such bookes to bee canonicall might proceed as well from an hereticall as from an orthodox Church The Apostles received the holy Scripture from the Pharises and Sacrificers who were enemies to Iesus Christ Whence it appeareth that the testimony which the Church affordeth to the Scriptures is not of supreme authority and indubitable but invalid It is by faith that we beleeve that the contents of the Scripture are the word of God which faith is not given by the Church for it is an effect of the Spirit of God Touching the other points I speake of them in generall that if they bee Doctrines and Rules of the Christian faith not contained in the Scripture we are not bound to beleeve them But when every one of these points shall be examined asunder some will bee found contained in the Scripture others are not Doctrines nor Lawes or Rules of the Christian faith nor things requisite or necessary to salvation I am astonished to behold how our Adversaries dare to insert the Baptisme of little infants amongst the unwritten traditions seeing that their selves disputing against the Anabaptists prove it by many passages of Scripture Bellarmine in his eighth Chapter of the first Booke of Baptisme bringeth these proofes of Scripture that Baptisme succeeded Circumcision which was applied to little infants That Iesus Christ at the ninth of Saint Matthew saith Suffer the little ones tâ— come to me c. That in the sixteenth of the Acts Lydia is baptized by Saint Paul
with all her house And that in the same Chapter the same Apostle baptizeth all the family of the Goaler That Saint Paul baptized the family of Stephanus 1 Cor. 1. 16. If these proofes are bad Why doe they make use of them If they be good in their mouthes Why should they not be good in ours As for holding Baptisme of Heretikes to bee good wee account not this article as necessary to salvation Agrippine a man of holy life and Doctrine and Saint Cyprian Saint Firmilian Saint Denis Alexandrine and Saint Basil have dissented in this point from the Church of Rome yet neverthelesse they are held for Saints by our Adversaries Yea more many Councels approved by the Church of Rome ordaine that some Heretikes should be re-baptized by name the Paulianists the Samosetanians the Montanists the Eunomians the Sabellians the Eucratites c. as is to be seene at the nineteenth Canâ— of the first Councell of Nice At the eighth Canon of the Councell of Laodicea At the seventh Canon of the first Councell of Constantinople And in the Epistle of Saint Basil to Amphilochius at the 47. Canon Yet this question shall be found decided in the Scripture by all probability For Circumcision did still continue among the Israelites of the ten idolatrous races who were no more circumcised when they were converted to the true Religion The custome of circumcising the Samaritans againe that were ranged into Iudaisme wherof Epiphanius speaketh in his booâ— of measures and weights practizeâ— upon Symmâ—chus a Traducer of thâ— Scriptures was invented afterwards The same reason is for Baptisme Concerning the procession of of the holy Spirit from the Father and the Sonne it is to be seene in the Councell of Florence that the Latines defending themselves against the Greekes upon this question doe alledge Scripture but this controversei was devised and is sustained with animosity to strengthen the Schisme and it is an easie matter to accord them therein For those who say that the holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father by the Sonne doe say also that it proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne In a matter that passeth our capacities it is better to say little then too much and rather to be ignorant then to contest The change of the Sabbath and observation of the Lords day are plainely enough collected out of the Scripture The Apostle to the Colos 2. 16. saying Let no man judge you in meat or in drinke or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbath dayes forbiddeth to condemne any man that doth not observe a distinction of meats and keepeth not the new Moones not Sabbaths And by the placing of new Moones and the Sabbaths in the same ranke he sheweth cleerely that as Christians were not obliged to keepe the new Moones so were they no more strictly bound to keepe the Sabbaths At the first Chapter of the Apoc. 10. is mention made of our Lords day Vpon which passage the Iesuite Ribera Ribera in cap. 1. Apocal Videmus hîe etiam tempore Apostolorum Sâ—bbaths solemaitatens muâ—aâ—am esse in Dominicam diem speaketh thus Wee see here that in the time of the Apostles the solemnity of the Sabbath was changed to the Lords day This is the first day of the weeke whereon the Christians made their solemne assemblies to celebrate the holy Supper and to contribute their almes as is to be seene at the 20. of the Acts 7. and in 1 Cor. 16. 2. as Thomas and Lombard have declared in their Commentaries upon this Epistle and Estius Comment in 1. ad Corin. cap. 16. Ecclesia iam ab illo tempore caepit vacare diem Dominicam quod in ea resurrexisset Dominus a morte Sic enim appellatur a lohanne Apostole Adocal 1. vt proinde diet Dominica nomen institutioneÌ„ ad Apostoles referendam esse non sit dubium after them one Estius speaking thus The Church from that time began to call it the Lords day because on that day the Lord was raised from the dead For it is so called by Saint Iohn at the first of the Apocalypse Where fore it is not to be doubted but that the name and institution of the Lords day ought to be fathered upon the Apostles Neverthelesse let us grant that no mention is made of this in the Scripture what availeth it against us who affirme that all the Doctrines of the Christian faith are contained in the Scripture For the observation of our Lords day is not a Doctrine but a Law of Ecclesiasticall government The perpetuall Virginity of the blessed Virgine is beleeved in our Churches by way of decencie though it bee not a Doctrine of faith nor a point necessary to salvation Basil in his Homily of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nativity of Christ saith That if it were otherwise yet would it bee nothing prejudiciall to our salvation Howsoever Helvidius had not his perfect senses about him to move so impertinent a question and call into doubt a matter which were better supposed to be true then argued on either side As for singing of Psalmes in our Churches as well by men as by women it is no Article of the Christian faith but an Ecclesiasticall policie and custome which neither addeth to nor substracteth from the Doctrine of faith And this custome is not practised in all our Churches for there are Churches which doe assemble secretly to avoid persecurion as heretofore did Christians under the Pagan Emperours These poore Churches have not the liberty of singing yet are they not the lesse amiable in the sight of God The Apostle to the Colos 3. 16. commandeth us to exhort one the other by Psalmes Hymnes and Spirituall Songs Hee wrote this to the Colossians without distinction of Sex The same Apostle in 1 Cor. 14. 14. and at 1 Tim. 2. 12. forbiddeth women to teach in the Church but not to sing For seeing they partake of the prayers and preaching why not of the praises and actions of thanksgiving If it be a seemely thing and religious in them to chant forth the glorious commendations of God in their house at home why not also in the house of God The termes of Consubstantion and Trinity are words but no Rules nor Doctrines and these words as they adde nothing to the Scripture so they import nothing that is not contained in the Scripture in othertermes The terme of Person is found in Heb. 1. â— for this word hypostasis in Greeke signifieth person They have but little modestie who blush not to demand a passage of Scripture where the word Sacrament may be found The Apostles writing in Greeke regarded not to provide themselves of a Latine word Surely these men speak as properly as if they enquired whether this very word horse is found in Virgil. In the Latine vulgar translation the word Sacramentum is rehearsed some dozen of times and signifieth a mystery or secret Whence it commeth that the mystery of
sufficere videbantur written so wee reject that which is not written Wee beleeve that God is borne of a Virgine because we reade it but we beleeve not that shee was joyned in marriage after her childe-birth because we reade it not We have the life of Saint Anthony which some attribute to Athanasius speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Scriptures are sufficient for our instruction Saint Augustine in his 49. Treatise upon Saint Iohn The Evangelist testifieth that Iesus Christ both did and said many things that are not written but we have chosen the things esteemed necessary to salvation which have been written Iâ— his second booke De merito Vbi de re obscurissima disputatur non adiuuantibus diuinarum scripturarum certis clarisque do 〈…〉 cohibere se deber humana prasumptiâ— peccatorum remiss Chap. 36. When a matter of greatest obscurity and darknesse is disputed without the assistance of the divine Scriptures evident and most certaine direction humane presumption ought to suppresse it selfe The knowledge that some impute to Saints concerning our cogitations the Limbus for the Fathers and that for little infants are matters very obscure yet concerning these points have we no passage in the word of God In the 142. Epist chap 9. By the Per sol as scripturas potes plenam Dei intelligere 〈◊〉 tem single Scripture alone you may fully know the will of God And if it bee supposed that this Epistle was not written by Saint Augustine but by Pelagius yet it is manifest that Augustine never reprehended him for speaking in this manner Also in his booke of nature and Solu 〈◊〉 eis debeo sâ—â—â— vlla recusatione consensu grace Chap. 61. A Pelagian reciting to him some allegations of the Fathers he answereth I owe my approbation and consent onely to the Canonicall Scriptures without refusall or excuse The same Doctor in his booke of the Vnity of the Church disputeth against the Donatists who affirmed that the true Church was on their side Augustine to know which is the true Church will have the question determined by the Scriptures alone not by the Histories and humane Testimonies whereof the Donatists make their use best advantage These Quid ergo faciuri sumus in verbis nostru eaÌ„ qua situri an in verbis capitis sui Domini nostra Iesu Christi Puto quod in illius potius verbis eaÌ„ quarerâ— debemus qui veritas est are his words in the 2 chap. What shall we doe then shall wee seeke the Church in our wordes or in the words of her head our Lord Iesus Christ I conceiue that we ought rather to seeke it in the words of him who is the truth it selfe Diametrally opposing our adversaries who will have the Scripture notified and receiued by the Testimony of the Church He on the other side will have us take notice and embrace the true Church by the Testimony of the Scripture And in the 3. chapter Sed vt dicere coeperam non andâ—amus hac dico hac dicis sed audiamus Hac dicit Dominui Sunc certi libri dominici quoruÌ„ authoritati vrtique consentimus vtrique credimus vtrique seruimus Ibi quaramus EcclesiaÌ„ ibi discutiamus causà nostrà persuing this discourse But as I began to say let us not heare it spoken I say this thou sayest that but bet vs heare this saith the Lord. There are assuredly bookes of the Lord to whose authority we both subscribe therein we both beleeue to them are we both subject that is the place where wee are to seeke the Church there we debate our cause This pious Doctor spake not as too many doe in these daies that the Scripture is not judge that it is a dumbe Rule that it is ambiguous that it containeth not all things necessary to salvation that the faith of the Church regulates the Scripture and not on the contrary he would have the question of the Church decided by the Scripture alone Wherevpon he 〈◊〉 ergo illa de medio qua aduersus not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex diuiâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed alionde recitaâ—â—â—s addeth Let us despise and cast from â—â— those allegations which we make one against another and are not taken from the divine Canonicall bookes but from else-where For urging further I desire that the Church bee prooved not by humane documents or instructions but by divine Oracles He calleth humane instructions all that is alledged without the Scripture Can our adversaries by this course euer proove that the Church of Rome is onely the true Church rather then the Graecian or the Syrian and that the Pope is Saint Peters successour in the charge of head of the vniversall Church At the last after many passages of Scripture called to mind and uttered in defence of it turning his designe towards the Donatists hee summoneth them to proove their Cap. 6. Legete nobis hoc de Lege de Trophetis de Psalmis de ipso EnaÌ„gelis de Apostolicis literis 〈◊〉 credumus positions by Scripture Read us that in the Law the Prophets the Psalmes the Gospel it selfe or writings of the Apostles and wee shall beleeue Obserue directly how we proceed with our adversaries for we call upon them Reade us invocation of Saints Images of the Trinity adoration of Reliques or succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter in the writings of the Prophets Apostles Evangelists and we will beleeue them But they are so netled at this that following the example of the Donatists they censure this demand to be vnjust remanding us to Tradition which they call the unwritten word taught by the mouth of the Church that is to say the Pope and a few Prelates who dominere by means of these Traditions which are all accommodated to their profit and subdued to their power This holy personage cannot be satisfied with long enough insisting upon this subjâ—ct and if this booke were not to bee found in all Saint Augustines workes or thaâ— it were without a title our adversaries would say that Calvin or Beza had contrived it to their humour Cap. 12. Legat mihi hoc in scripturis sanctis non sit anathema Cap. 15. Legant hoc nobis de scripturis sanctis nos eredenous For he addeth Let Donat read mee that in the holy Scriptures and he shall be no Anathemae Likewise let them read us that in the holy Scriptures and we will beleeue it And a little after rejecting the proofes of the Dotanists who alledged miracles for themselues and the Councells of Cap. 16. Remotis igitur talibus Ecclesiam suam demonstrent si possunt non in sermonibus ruâ—oribus Afrorum noÌ„ in concilijs EpiscoporuÌ„ suorum non literis quoruÌ„ libet disputatorum non in signis prodigijs fallacibus quia etiaÌ„ contra ista verbo Domint praeparati cauti redditi sumus sed in prascripto Legis in Prophetâ— rum praedict it in PsalmoruÌ„ Cantibus
adversaries therefore exclude Saint Cyprian and his companions from salvation Or doe they beleeve that hee failed in something necessary to salvation Indeed Saint Augustine in the same chapter of his second booke against the Donatists affirmeth NonduÌ„ nat diligenter illa ptismi astio peractata that This question of Baptisme was not yet well dicussed and explained in Saint Cyprians time But it is not credible that the Christian Church at that time should be unresolved upon any point necessary to salvation This is above all to be confidered ug lib. 1. â— Baptismo â—ntra Doatistas I am â— videar huâ—anis arguâ—entis id aâ—re c. ex â—vangelio â—rofero certa â—ocumenta â—ide et lib. 2 a. 14. Et li. â—ca 7. Et li. â— ca. 4. et 23. â—cripturaris â—anctis testimonijs no soâ—â—â— collâ—giâ—â— sed planè 〈◊〉 that Saint Augustine himselfe who telleth us that the Apostles wrote nothing as touching this matter and that this Custome commeth by Tradition doth not sticke to handle this question by the Scriptures and bringeth many passages from thence which he affirmeth to be certaine and the proofes to be cleere Whence it appeareth that by the things unwritten hee understandeth matters which are not in expresse termes in the Scripture but are deduced from thence by good consequence These things serve for the cleering of a passage in the same Father at chap. 33. of his first booke against Cresconius where speaking of the reâ—baptization of Hereticks hee hath it thus Although there bee no certaine example vouched for this out of the Scriptures yet herein we preserve the authority of the sacred word when wee doe that which pleaseth the Church universal For he speaketh of a point not necessary to salvation and of a Custome but not of a Doctrine of faith The which Custome neverthelesse he groundeth upon the Scripture The same answeres may serve to resolve all other passages produced out of the ancients For by these Traditions whether they understand the holy Scriptures themselves and the Doctrine of the Gospel or whether they understand Doctrines not contained in the Scriptures in expresse terms but drawne from thence by consequence or that they understand Customes Ceremonies and Laws of Ecclesiasticall policie allowed by the universall Church wee willingly embrace all these Traditions For though we place this last sort of Traditions farre below the two first yet no Ceremonie can be brought unto us nor Law of Ecclesiasticall policie which hath beene generally received by the universall Church of the first ages but we also doe approve of them CHAP. XXVI Three ancient Customes which wee are blamed to have forsaken THere are three Customes and ancient observations which are cast upon us for a reproach that we have left them that is to say the signe of the Crosse in the forehead prayer for the dead and Lent Our answere is that these are Customes which have not alwaies been and which the Apostles have not observed and lastly which were diversly practised in divers Churches and in divers ages so as if wee were to chuse what age and what Church we ought to adhere unto we should find our selves much puzled The best is the Church of Rome hath changed these Customes and under a shadow of keeping the words hath wholly perverted the thing it selfe having turned the signe of the Crosse August de verb. Domini Serm. 8. Ne de cruce Christi erubescat in froÌ„te illam figat vbi sedes puderis which was but a marke of the Christian profession into superstition and idolatry into conjuration preservatives and spels to repulse the Devils temptations not onely of men Efficit super ea crucis signaculum vt per crucis virtuteÌ„ omnes comitatus diabolieae malignitatis effugiâ—â—ne contra â—â—â—cerdotem vel sacrificiuÌ„ aliquo modo prevaleat N adiouste que l'encens sert aussi à chasser les diables but of Iesus Christ For In the Masse they make signes of the Crosse by a prescribed number not onely upon the Bread not confecrated but also upon the consecrated Hoste for feare lest the assaults of the Devill should prevaile against it as Pope Innocent the third doth teach in his 2. booke of the mysteries of the Masse chap. 58. It is the same concerning prayer for the dead whereof the first mention is found to be some two hundred yeeres after the birth of our Saviour which was made for the Saints Apostles Prophets Martyrs and for the faithfull to the and they might bee raised at a better houre then the rest or bee the more lightly scalded with the fire â—â— the last judgement and after â—ome refreshment in the sleepe of â—eace they might rise joyfully to â—verlasting Salvation But the Pope â—ath changed these into prayers for â—ormented soules in Purgatory â—king this occasion to eclipse the â—erfection of the benefit of Iesus Christ Whose blood purgeth us â—rom all sinne 1. Iohn 7. and so to â—ake a trade and trafficke whereby â—o heape up riches innumerable The same abuse is crept into â—ent which the Pope maketh use â—f to advance his Empire usuring thereby the power to modeâ—ate the Bellies Kitchens Markets â—nd Tables to give dispensations â—nd to change fasting into a diffeâ—ence of meats and an exercise of â—umility in matter of Merite and of satisfaction as well for him that fasteth as for another And wheras heeretofore this abstinence was free and every man did fast before the Paschal as many dayes as hee thought good and that these reglements were made by ordinances of the Bishops in every Church the Pope hath thereto imposed a precise necessity unlesse a dispensation bee obtained from him or his Ministers And lastly he hath drawne to himselfe a power that hee had not formerly but only in the Bishopricke of Rome which was a particular Church This is our beliefe that the things necessary to salvation ought not to bee abolished by reason of the abuses which are and may bee thrust into them but we must take away the abuse and returne to the fountaine which is the word of God But as for things not necessary nor perpetuall nor observed from the beginning and without which the Christian faith may â—ubsist in its integrity when corruption is infused amongst them and the use is transformed into abuse and idolatry or tyranny or superstition it is prudently done to shave off the occasions of abuse and firmely to shut this gate against the Devill CHAP. XXVII That the Traditions of the Romisâ— Church of this time have nothing in common with the unwritten Traditions mentioned by the Fathers IT appeareth how weake and how little to the purpose all is which our adversaries doe produce in the behalfe of the antiquity of their Traditions For the unwritten Traditions which they have recited are not Doctrines oâ— the Christian faith that adde anything to the Doctrine of salvation contained in the Scriptures as â— have prooved but customes and ceremonies and observations
length as also lest the people should compare the vanity of these Traditions with the sanctity and excellence of the holy Scriptures which our Adversaries hinder to bee read with all their might and diligence Moreover our Adversaries doe say that the Pope and the Church of Rome can adde to the Creed and establish new Articles of faith Wherupon it followeth that if Christian Religion may suffer yet more additions to bee matters essentiall the Fathers did vainly labour to make a perfect body of the Christian Religion seeing that it is as yet imperfect I being moved with these considerations which doe altogether hinder them did designe with my selfe to make a collection of all the Traditions of the Church of Rome and to lend helpe to their negligence But being entred therinto I perceived the labour to bee endlesse and was overwhelmed with the multitude It hath happened to mee as to those that settle themselves in an evening to count the first starres that appeare and whilst they are counting the first others appeare then more so as all their reckoning is interrupted This labour increasing underhand dulleth the edge of a mans desire and so much the rather seeing there is no man but is soone weary of gathering uselesse drosse together If I were disposed to make a perfect Catalogue of the Romish Traditions it would bee necessary for me to decipher and paint forth the infinite diversity of Masses the Services and Suffrages of the dead the Rubriques and Proviso's to supply the defects of the Masse arising either from some defect in the person of him that celebrateth or from the place or from the time or from something in the matter or in the intention It would be needfull for me to insert all the lawes touching the administration of the Seven Sacraments and the disciplines of the Romish Pontificallity that direct the collation of the seven Orders The Consecration of the Bishops the Archiepiscopall garment the benediction of Abbots Abbesses and Nuns the Dedication of the Churches the Consecration of the Altars whether fixed or portative together with the vessell and moveables of the Church and Churchyards the reconciliation of the Churches and Church-yards in case of pollution by effusion of blood or by other dishonest act or by the interrement of an Hereticke the benediction of the Images Crosses Corporalls Reliques Bels and Standards the Consecration of the Chrysme and the Fonts the Admonitions Excommunications and Reconcilements of Penitents on Maundy Thursday the forme of Degradings and Exorcismes the single and double shaving the infinite variety of Monkes and their Orders of the divers priviledges and spirituall graces which the Pope hath granted unto them It would like wise bee needfull for mee to represent the lawes of the booke of holy Ceremonies wherein the forme of the Popes Obsequies and Funerals and of the Election and Coronation of a new one is prescribed The submissions which the Kings owe in the Procession that is made at his Coronation and at the Feast The Coronation of the Emperor by the hand of the Pope with his shamefull homages and submissions to his Holinesse The benediction of the Knight of the Church The benediction of the Rose on our Lords day Laetare and of the sword on Christmas night The Consecration of the Agnus Dei The Creation of Cardinals The power of Apostolike Legats The Order of the Consistory and of the Conclave and of the Councel when the Pope is resident there in person or by his Nuntio's The Papall Masse and how the Pope receiveth the Communion The Popes Habits his Episcopall Miter his Royall Crowne and a thousand the like things whereof the very names doe terrisie us and the Lawes and Disciplines for quantity doe surpasse the Bible in thicknesse It would have beene needfull to adde a thousand villanous and ignominious precepts touching busie and unchaste interrogations which the Confessors make the determinations touching the cases of conscience But modesty hath hath not permitted it and I was loath to staine my booke with such infamous rules which teach vices under the shadow of examining and reprehending them Therefore to put some bounds to this trouble I have contented my selfe to bring traditions which concerne the Doctrine that is to say which in some sort thrust at the Law of God and the Doctrine of the Gospel that concerne the Sacraments and the Orders and the Ecclesiasticall charges with some superstitions where the abuse is most grosse and apparant I have drawne all these Traditions from the publike practice from the Councels approved by the Popes from the text of the Masse it selfe and from the Decrees Decretals and Extravagants of the Popes And from some of the more famous Authors as Lombard and Thomas two Princes of the Schoole Bellarmine Vasquez Gregory of Valence Tolet Emanuel Sa that are Iesuites Navarre the Popes Penitentiary the three later I quote most often because they maintaine their sayings by a multigude of other Doctors so as under the name of one Authour I alledge many All such as have hearts disposed to learne shall here see with admiration mixed with griefe as in a small contracted table the whole massie body of Papisme varied with a hundred thousand colours and shall be able thereby to profit For the simple recitall is enough for refutation and to leade foorth into view the mystery of iniquitie FINIS
hindred from choosing the best Church amongst many contrary How shall they choose Church from the false shall they know it in examining her doctrine by the Scripture that may not be for the Scripture is a Booke that the people are not permitted to reade and our adversaries affirme that the Church is not subject or bound to the Scripture and that the Church may change the same which God commaunded in the Scripture Shall they discerne the true Church by antiquity and succession nor that for the Syrian and Greeke Churches contrary to the Romish are more ancient then that of Rome deriving their succession from the Apostles and punctually to judge in this succession and antiquitie infinite Histories both Greeke and Latine ought to be read wherein the people vnderstand little or nothing And amongst the Clergie it selfe scarce one of an hundred is found that hath but ordinary or competent knowledge therein Hee that but entreth into the view thereof shall discouer the seat of the Romane Pontifies defiled with heresies and enormous crimes yea mangled and rent with Schismes that are decided by stroke of sword and according to the power of Emperours and Kings doeth the scale weigh downe Shall they haue respect to the generalitie and multitude no Iesus Christ calleth his Church a little flocke Luke 12. 32. and signifieth vnto vs that the multitude and broad way leade to perdition Math 7. 13 14. Shal they giue heed to miracles no the Apostle hath foretold us that the sonne of perdition who is Antichrist shall come with signes and miracles 2. Thess 2. 9. And Iesus Christ admonisheth vs that false prophets shall arise and shall make signes wonders to seduce Math. 24. 24. Now seeing that so many false miracles are wrought and the most predominant Courts of Iustice haue made many Decrees against the workers of them how and by what markes shall the poore people distinguish the true miracles from the false seeing there is no knowledge of the true doctrien declaring Gods will that we should discerne the miracles Deut. 13. v. 1 2 3. Briefly it is certaine that the Scriptures authoritie being no more the foundation and direction of the beleeuers faith all Religion vanisheth and turneth into smoke and there remaines nothing but to beleeue at adventure to follow the generalitie and like blind men to lay hands on him that marcheth next before vs. It is answered that in this perplexitie the people are to follow their Doctors and Pastors for they are the men that vndertake with God for the people What must euery man beleeue the Pastors of his owne countrey must they follow the Church wherein they are borne shall man owe his Religion to his birth or the custome of his countrey or the successe of affaires If it bee answered that by the Pastors and Doctors those of the Church of Rome are to be vnderstood therein lies the poynt of difficultie For the question is if those Doctors bee sound and good teachign the true way of health conformably to the Word of God which they conceale from the people in denying them to reade the holy Scriptures then are the people bound to beleeue that these are good Doctors before they know the good doctrine and that this church is the true church before they know or apprehend the truth They are also bound to beleeue what the church of Rome beleeveth not knowing what that Church ought to beleeue But if it be their tenent that every particular person bee assisted with the Spirit of God to bee able to discerne the true Church why hold they not that hee bee assisted with the same spirit to discerne the true doctrine and to examine it by the holy scriptures seeing that the true Church cannot bee distinguished but by the true doctrine for the true faith is first to be knowne before the true faithfull can be distinguished and the true rule is to be well vnderstood before those that follow it can be knowne Christ must first be knowne before there is possibility of knowing undoubtedly what Church is truely his flocke Adde likewise heereunto that the faith of the Romish Doctors dependeth entirely upon the Popes faith neverthelesse they for the greatest part doe beleeue that the Pope may erre and the Popes themselues doe confesse the same as wee haue elsewhere prooved Yea their errors are condemned by those Councels which the Church of Rome did allow And it is hard to beleeue that he cannot erre who boasteth of his authority and power to change that which God hath ordained to dispense with his commandements Add moreover that the greatest â—â—atterers of the Popes that haue written their histories and liues doe lament the corruption of that seat and complaine of the traffique it exerciseth and of the infamous â—â—ving of many Popes and their intolerable pride for what doth the Pope hee is advanced so far as to call himselfe God and the divine Maiestie to cause himselfe to bee adored to reach forth to Emperours a pantable to be kissed to dispose the crownes and liues of Kings and to release soules out of Purgatory insomuch as from a poore Biship of a citie who in the Primitiue time appeared not but in the martyrdomes is by degrees become a great Monarch of the earth that surpasseth in riches and treasure the greatest Kings of the world These things considered may we fix in our minds a just cause to suppose that the Pope is the same man that the Scripture hath foretold to come into the world to * 2 Thess 2. 7 8. Apoes 13. 11 2. Thess 2. â— 4. 9. Apocal. 17. 3. 4. 9. 18. Apocal. 17. 2. Apocal. 13. 15. lift himselfe up into the shrone of Roman Emperours stile himselfe God vaunt of signes and miracles he that should beâ— cloathed in scarlet should possesse his seat in a towne of seven mountaines which is Romes description should seduce Kings wage war against the Church and vanquish it and all this vnder the name of Christian assuming to himselfe the title and authoritie of Iesus Christ For so saith the Spirit of God in the 13 of the Apocalipse Hee shall haue the hornes of a Lambe but shall speake like a dragon These things having beene foretold aboue fifteene hundred yeares past no man since that time hath so swelled himselfe to so high a pitch as to haue these recived things appropriated vnto him but the Pope of Rome Is it by chance or adventure that such preâ—ogatiues haue met in one man Surely these considerations are sufficient to cause a suspition in â—s that this is the man who should haue more authoritie then the Scripture that would haue himselfe beleeved when hee saith that the Scripture is subject vnto him and that he hath power to change it that is to say to contradict it For no man can extoll himselfe aboue the Scripture vnlesse it bee meerely to impugne it Now though man fearing God and touched with the zeale of his
is rejected and made odious to the people as a dangerous booke I. We haue seene in the former Chapter how our adversaries affirme openly that the Pope and Church of Rome can alter the Lords Institution and nullifie his Ordinance the which being granted it necessarily followeth that the tradition of the Church which correcteth the holy Scripture and altereth what is therein ordained bee of greater authoritie then the Scripture II. When our adversaries vnanimously affirme that the Scripture is not Iudge but that the authority of judging belongeth to the Church heereby they withdraw us from the Scriptures judgement to rely vpon the Churches Tradition for by the Tradition of the Church they onely understand the Lawes of the Church of Rome by the which they would haue us judged III. When they say that the Stapleton lik 2. de authoritate Scripturae cap. 11. Dixâ— et dâ—câ— non taÌ„ ipsius fidei regulam in se esse scripturaÌ„ quam ipsam scripturaâ—uÌ„ reguâ—aÌ„ esse 〈◊〉 Ecclesiâ— Scripture is not the rule of our faith but that it is the faith of the Church that ruleth the Scripture they manifestly preferre Tradition of the church before Scripture for the faith of the Church and Tradition of the Church are all one IIII. These goodly Maximes wherewith they dull our eares Charron aâ— 2. chap de lâ— troisieme verite Nous voulous l'eglise avoir pour nostre regard plus d'authorite que l'escriture That the Church ought to haue more authoritie over vs then the Scripture That it is the Church which giveth authoritie to the Scriptures and that the authoritie of the Scripture over vs is founded vpon the authoritie of the Church what are their meaning other then that the Scripture oweth that authoritie she hath to the Tradition of the Church For the Tradition of the Church is nothing else but the voice and judgement of the Church whereby shee pronounceth as being a soveraigne and infallible Iudge that the Scripture ought to be received V. If the Scripture must bee Staplet lib. 1 de authorit Scriptura c. 9 Ipsis Prophâ—tis è medio â—ublatu â—â—ruÌ„ prophetâ—as à Deo esse credeâ—duÌ„ non est nisi id Ecclesia confiâ—met Synodus Romana sub Gregor 7. Quod nullus liber Canonicus habeatur sine authoritate Papa beleeved because the Tradition of the Church so ordained it what followeth but that Tradition of the Church of Rome is more credible then the Scripture VI. The Iesuite Coster in his Enchiridion chap. 1. calleth the doctrine imprinted in the heart of the Church an other species or kind of Scripture and compareth it also with holy Scriptures The excellence Huius Scripturae praestantia â—ulâ—is partibus suâ—erat scripturas quas nobis in membraâ—â— Apostoli reliquerunt PrimuÌ„ quod illa exarata sit digito dei hac calamis ApostoloruÌ„ saith hee of this kind of Scripture surpasseth much the holy Scripures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchment especially because this is witten with the finger of God the other was written with Apostles pens By his leaue I would willingly aske him whether the Apostles pennes were not guided by the spirit of God VII Carranza in the second Controversie The Church is a rule Nos diâ—imus quod prior regula et notior et multo latior est Ecclesia quam Scriptura canonica â—t hac ab illa debet regulari non è contra that is elder and more knowne yea much more ample then the Canonicall Scripture and this ought to be governed by that but not on the contrary â—n saying that the Church is a rule â—t is evident that by the Church â—ee understandeth the Tradition and lawes of the Church for the persons are not the rule VIII Bellarmine in his fourth QuadaÌ„ sunt Traditiones maiores quod ad obligationeÌ„ quaÌ„ quadam Scripturae booke of the Word of God chap. 6. There are Traditions that are greater then some Scriptures in poynt of obligation IX Salmeron in his first Prolegomenon § Nunc de Nam etsi Eccclesiae ac Scripturae authoritas à Deo sit illa tamen Ecclesia antiquior est atque adeo dignior siquideÌ„ Scripturâ— propter EcclesiaÌ„ contexta est Though the authoritie as well of the Church as of the Scripture bee of God yet the authoritie of the Church is more ancient yea and more worthy for the Scripture is made for the Church By the same reason one might say that subjects haue more authoritie then Lawes and Kings for the people are more ancient then Lawes and Kings and Lawes and Kings are made because of the people Now the authoritie of the Church of Rome cannot bee promoted aboue the Scripture but that by the same reason the authoritie of Tradition in the Church of Rome is to be advanced aboue the Scripture for Tradition is the law of the Church of Rome X. Cordubensis To decide contrâ—versies Câ—dub Art â— cap. 80. Catholicae Ecclesiâ— Traditiâ— est certissâ—â—a regula of the Faith Tradition of the Catholique Church is the most certaine Rule XI Wee haue formerly heard Coster and Salmeron the Iesuites speaking that God would not haue Traditions that are taught out of the Apostles mouth to bee written for feare lest holy things should be given to doggs Herein doe they not clearely signifie that the Scriptures are for the dogs but that God would not haue Traditions to bee in such danger as being more sanctified things and worthy of greater respect XII To what end doe these men say that Iesus Christ hath commaunded the Apostles to preach and not to write but that unwritten Tradition might be preferred before the Scripture and haue much more authoritie XIII Did it ever happen that any of our adversaries haue reported the same of Traditions which they haue said of Scripture Haue they ever called the Traditions a dumbe rule a part or parcell of a rule an ambidexter sword a stone of scandall a nose of wax haue they ever accused Traditions of obscurity of ambiguity or of imperfection as they haue the Scripture XIV But the Iesuite Salmeron shall suffice for all for in the third part of his 13 Tome and 8 Disputation hee treateth of this matter punctually and at large and thus compareth Scripture with Tradition Tradition saith he is aboue all § Estiginâ—◠〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 ad salute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ebidem Pâ—â—â—â— ergo Scriptura â—â—mendat traditione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scripturaÌ„ et ob id magis est necessaria quia ad 〈◊〉 come adandaÌ„ est Scriptura-Necessaria ost 〈◊〉 ad 〈◊〉 du bra qua expresse in scri 〈◊〉 â—on contiâ—ent or nec 〈◊〉 §. Postreâ—â— Ibidem â—ui noÌ„ creditura dirâ—om in ecclesia receta 〈◊〉 scriptura malo 〈◊〉 similes est â—â—lâ—â—â— aebitum reddere si non osteÌ„datur syngraâ—ha cum satu sit idoneos produceâ—â— restes §. Secunda Seâ—unda coÌ„ditio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quâ—â— sit Ser. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 〈◊〉 Trtia conditio
Scriptures in paper nor was he pleased to committ his mysteries to parchment Salmeron in his second Prolegomenon In the Church of God understanding §. Septimo Scriptura Addimus in Ecclesia Dei esse Spiritum sanctuÌ„ Scriptura authoreÌ„ Non mirum ergo si Ecclesia Dei quae SpirituÌ„ habet subijciatur alwayes the Romish is the holy spirit which is Authour of the Scripture it is no marvell then if the Scripture bee subiect to the Church that hath the spirit What is not the Pope subject to the Scripture is hee not subiect to the Law of God which God hath given us written in two tables Is hee not obliged to obey the Doctrine of the Gospell written in the New Testament Now if the head of the Church of Rome be subiect to the Scripture how much more the Church of Rome that is subject to the Pope But is it not a transcendent blasphemy to defend that the Scripture is subject to the Church of Rome For is not the holy Scripture the Word of God It must otherwise follow that the word of God is subject to men and that Gods commaundements are subordinate to the Pope to whom the Church of Rome is subject Now tell mee after such abhomination whether these men doe beleeue that there is one God and one Religion Thomas Stapleton an English Doctour in his second Booke of the Authority of the Scripture chap. Dâ— non tâ—â—sius siâ—eâ— reguâ—am in se esse scripturam quaÌ„ ipsaruÌ„ scripturaruÌ„ regulam esse fideÌ„ Ecclesiae 11. I haue said and doe say that the Scripture in it selfe is not the rule of faith but the faith of the Church is the rule of Scripture Now the faith of the Church is nothing but Tradition of the Church His scope then is that the Scripture shall bee regulated and examined by the Tradition of the Romish Church and that it shall bee subiect to that rule whence is to bee concluded that God speaking to us in the holy Scriptures is directed by men and subject to their judgment The Prophets whose writings are extant with vs were extraordinarily stirred up to reprehend the church of that time and to chastise the Priestes the Sacrificers and the Scribes that erred in manners and doctrine Now in reason tell me were the prophesies of these Prophets subject to the authoritie of that Church Was the faith of these Sacrificers a rule by which those divine Prophesies were to be examined and which wee haue kept to this present time Goe to then if the prophecies were not subiect to Priests and Sacrificers that lived about the Prophets time how are they now subiect to the Pope by what occasion are they become subiect to the superintendency of the Church of Romes Tradition Briefly wee are now arriued at an age wherein blasphemy is come to the highest degree men openly professing to pull God with violence from his Throne and most insolently to climbe aboue him Surely the Mahometans do speake of the Scripture with more respect and reuerence What is the scope or purpose of Iesuite Regourds late booke intitled Catholicke demonstrations but to proue that to rest vpon the Scripture is the way to all impiety and atheisme If herein he meant only our French Bibles or the diuersity of latine translations or the sundry interpretations which hee discouereth in some of our Doctours though all this which hee saith are but calumnies and a Fardell of vnprofitable trifles which wee haue refuted in a former treatise yet this were to forge vntruths with Method and scarce to touch vpon the question but he meaneth the originals Hebrew and Greeke wherein hee findeth no certainty Hee discouereth in them manifest contradictions Pag. 440. and errour in the calculation of times Hee sayes that S. Paul Pag. 562. vsed fraud but an honest fraud towards the Corinthians He telleth vs Pag. 128. 131. that many bookes of the Scripture are lost that the Scriptures were burnt in time of persecution and the Copies perished that many deuout Doctours Pag. 131. doe affirme that vnder the captiuity of Babylon all the old Testament was depraued rent in pieces and burnt vntill Esdras did newly re-compose the same Scriptures that the Iewes our Sauiours enemies haue made vowells Pap. 183. in the old Testament and so changed the sense of the scripture and made it doubtfull The same saith he is true of the new Testament the which hauing beene written without accents and without markes and distinctions of words no man can assure himselfe of the true sense seeing that the sense dependeth upon the accents c. And a litle further We haue not therfore any true knowledge of the sense of the Scripture and consequently wee are pointed and referred over to the mercy of the contestations of Grammarians to the litigious craft of criticall spirits to the capritious fancies of Dictionary-makers to the Gallimafries and Chimeraes of scholiasts Now for all these difficulties there is but one single remedy to weet we must repaire to the Church that is to say the Pope and whom it shall bee his pleasure to authorise Whereupon it were good to know when there iâ— a question concerning the exposition of an Hebrew or Greeke passage whether a Pope who vnderstands neither Hebrew nor Greeke shall therein be a good Interpreter whether sitting in the Apostoliâ—ke chaire hee shall giue infallible interpretations of a Text whereof he knoweth not a letter whether hauing called the Doctours to instruct him thereupon hee instantly reinuesteth them with an infallible spirit and enableth them with power not to erre in matters wherein hee himselfe vnderstandeth nothing Whence then proceedeth so great a diuersity and contrariety amongst these Doctouâ—s in the Scriptures interpretation why amongst their writings doe they refute the interpretations of one the other Is it not the Pope and the Church of Rome that by the Councell of Trent hath authorised the vulgar â—atine translation and ordained â—hat it should onely be receiued for â—uthenticall although it bee the worst interpretation of all and stuffed with a thousand errours and absurdities haue not the Popes themselues since the Councell of Trent caused multitudes of faults to bee amended therein doe not the most learned of the Romish Church Pagnin Arias Montanus Isidorus Clarius Andradius Sixtus Senensis complaine of the corruption of this translation wherein the Iesuites themselues are not silent especially Salmeron in his Salm. Proâ— 9. Quinqua l. Can. 5. In nouo Testamento sequenda est editio vulgata ac teâ—enda corrigenda tamen emaculanda prius in his in quibus aut temporum iniuria aut labrariorum incurâ—a vel imperiâ—â—a depraâ—â—ta est ninth Prolegomenon of these things wee haue written at large in our first Treatise of the Iudge of controversies The peruersnes of this Iesuiticall sparke is most of all discouered herein that hauing once displayed as hee supposeth the defaults of the Scripture hee reioyceth that such
defaults are therein found and giueth God thankes for it to the end that men finding no stedinesse or certainty in the Scripture may subiect themselues to the tyrannie of the Church that is to say of the Pope and there to find instruction these are his words The prouidence Demonstr 2. § 5. p. 128. of God to constraine vs yet more powerfully to vndergoe the yoke of the Church with humility and simplicity permitteth that there bee not only some alteration in certaine parcels of the Scripture and in some copie but the more the bookes of the Scripture are dispersed the more they shall alter and perish by tract of time whether they be in originall tongues or translations Without doubt hee that reioyceth at the deprauations which he imagineth to bee in Scripture and at the losse of some bookes and prayseth thererein the prouidence of God would much more solace himselfe and reioyce if all the Scripture were abolished For to what purpose serveth it if Tradition of the Church of Rome bee a perfect rule more certaine and of more authority then the holy Scripture and if the Pope iudge soueraignly and infallibly of all the points of faith for hee hath forbidden the people to reade the Scripture as a booke not onely unnecessary but also dangerous and that which hath made a great breach in the Popedome The same Iesuite pleaseth himselfe with this conceit of his inculcating it with often repetition As in the third Demonstration when he hath said that a man cannot assure himselfe of the sense of the Greeke Testament because it first was written without accents and distinctions whereon depends the sense hee addeth It is a worke of the providence of God to stoope our mindes and inclinations to the soveraigntie of the Church that is to say of the Pope who by consequence hath more authoritie then the Apostle S. Paul speaking to the Corinthians not that wee have dominion over your faith 2. Cor. 1. 24. But may not wee affirme it with more probability to be a worke of Gods providence that hee hath suffered so many schismes and heresies so much simony uncleannesse of life and crueltie to haue infected the seat of Rome whereby to referre us to the Scripture to make vs forsake those wicked guides and to subject us to his holy word and that God by his providence hath permitted that the Popes themselues haue confessed their owne errours And lastly that the Popes sycophants haue recorded unto us their crimes and heresies as I haue proved in my first Booke In short to bee throughly informed with what spirit this Iesuite is lead it is but to reade the same that hee hath written in his third Demonstration pag. 190. They cause them saith he to renounce the Church pretending that it consisteth of men that are faultie and lyers vnder a faire semblance of Scripture and vnder a plausible promise to governe all by the word of God But the truth is they depute a bleare-eyed Leah vnto them in lieu of a faire Rachel and submit faith to the soveraigne command of the will of Ministers who put into their hand a Scripture that is humane erronious mutable subject to correction c. This miserable Iesuite wil one day render an account to God of so damnable a speech wherein hee compareth the holy Scripture to bleare-eyed Leah and the Church of Rome to beautifull Rachel It is very false that wee renounce the Church but yet we maintaine that it ought to be subject to the Scripture and we renounce the doctrine of those who say that the Scripture is subject to the Church of Rome for God cannot be subject to men As for the soveraigne power of the Ministers function that might well bee retorted upon us for a reproach if wee boasted amongst us that they cannot erre that they haue power to change Gods commandements conteined in the holy Scriptures to adde to the Creed and to make new articles of faith or if we should stile our selues Iudges infallible and soveraigne of the poynts of faith Wee leaue these usurpations and proud titles to the Pope by the which hee exalteth himselfe aboue God Onely wee exhort the people to beleeue the Word of God contained in holy Scriptures wherein if wee finde any obscure passages wee take not upon us to bee Iudges of the sense and to determine it with authoritie It is enough that as much as therein is perspicuous and plaine not needing the helpe of an Interpreter is sufficient for our salvation And to contest much about Translations wee busie not our selues for the Translation approved by the Church of Rome fufficeth us discovering clearely therin the very condemnation of Papistry All Translations agree in the matters necessary to salvation and the originall texts both Hebrew and Greeke are at this day familiar and agreeing to our Translation Of these things haue I treated at large in my first Booke of The Iudge of Controversies and haue discussed all the slender objections wherein our Adversaries doe side with Pagans and Infidels and endeavour to extenuate the firmnesse and authoritie of the Scripture which Saint Paul calleth The divine Oracles Rom. 3. 2. and The Scripture diuinely inspired 1. Tim. 3. 16. which I say Iesus Christ himselfe hath uttered holding vp his owne vocation by the testimony of the Prophets and by it hath repelled the temptation of the Deuill Math. 4. Yea S. Paul saith that the Scripture can make a man wise to saluation and is most proper for mans accomplishment in euery good worke without it wee haue not meanes to know that God will haue but one Church in the world And when our aduersaries haue wretchedly reuiled it yet are they afterwards constrained to returne vnto it and to beg of it though with an ill stomacke some clauses of Text to found their Church vpon the Scriptures authority without it Christianity had beene long since abolished The diuine efficacy of it is manifest in this that the Pope hath suppressed it so as the people may not see it yet when God is pleased to lay it open to the peoples view and that it be translated into vulgar tongues Papistry doth immediatly vanish in many Prouinces Yea if Emperours and Kings had not hastened to succour vsing both fire and sword and the rigour of Inquisitions without doubt Papistry had beene vtterly extinguished Wherefore it is no maruell if the Pope by his scouts labour to blemish the Scripture rendring it doubtfull and without authority which vngodly instruments at this day borrow the weapons of Pagans who to restore Paganisme and ruine Christianity haue had no surer course then to difsame the holy Scripture Loe whither Satan strives to leade vs Hee striues to shake the only foundation of Christian religion to the end that the people distasting the Scripture may for their faith and saluation relye vpon the conductors of the Romish church wherein haue liued multitudes of Popes notorious heretickes and so iudged by the
demonstrative they deride and jeere it saying that syllogismes are but humane discourse and an invention of Aristotle unfit to regulate our faith But those of our adversaries who are better stored with knowledg as Thomas Bellarmin Baronius Perron Salmeron Vasques rejecteth this wrangling Philosophy froward reasoning which carpeth at syllables and is made for nothing else but to bring foorth nothing and to brave and swagger in the speed of running away Now what an unjust case it is that those who attribute to the Church of Rome the power not only of adding to the Scripture but also to alter that which God hath ordained in the Scripture and who hold that their Church hath no obligation to the Scripture should use such rigor against us to bind us precisely to the words and syllables of the Scripture though wee change nothing in the substâ—nce It were an easie matter for vs to proceed against them after the same wise replying to the first word they offer us Shew mee what you say in as many words in the word of God written or unwritten for they take both for the rule of their instruction And if they make use of these words therefore and then to tell them these are your reasons and consequences and in stead of giving satisfactory answere to injoyne them that they proove unto us that wee are bound to proove to them what they demand and so to breake off with laughter and insultation this were the way as the proverbe hath it to counterfet the fooles with mad-men If in handling points of the Faith it be not permitted to make use of other wordes besides those that are found in the Scripture it shall not be suffered to preach nor to write commentaries nor to conferre the passages of the Scripture together for this collation cannot bee made without imploying some other words which forme the comparison and shew the resemblance It shall not likewise be suffered to recite the Creed nor to say there are but foure Evangelists in the new Testament for the Scripture speaketh not this in so many words Moreover by this pedanticall cavilation neither Charles nor Anthony nor any particular man shall bee obliged to beleeve in Iesus Christ nor to obey him For the Scripture neither speaketh of Charles nor Anthony But the duty of particular men is drawne by necessary consequence from the generall rules that are in the Scripture So our adversaries beleeve that Pope Vrbane is lawfull successour in the supremacie of Saint Peter which neverthelesse they derive by consequence of this generall Maxime that the Bishops of Rome are lawfull successors in the Primacy of S. Peter If from an imaginary Tradition they draw consequences why should not wee draw them from the holy Scripture When I say that Purgatory and the primacy of the Bishop of Rome are Traditions whereof the Scripture maketh no mention how should I shew this in so many sillables seeing I hold that it is not found therein at all for if there were found a passage that saith there is no such thing as Purgatory the Scripture should make mention of Purgatory These men require the same as when I should say that nothing is spoken of Iesus Christ in Virgils Aeneades some trifling Sophister urgeth mee to shew in the Aeneades a passage affirming that Iesus Christ is not therein mentioned This peevish wrangling no lesse injurious then troublesome taketh from the Christians all meanes of proving to a lew by the Prophets that Iesus is the Christ for the name of Iesus Christ is not found in the Prophets yet certaine it is that the thing it selfe is therein explained in equivalent termes To be short in such jugling Theology it is impossible to prove by Scripture thâ—t an Ape or Cat is not to be adored for this is not found totidem verbis in the Scripture but it is drawne from necessary consequence of passages wherein God alone will be worshipped If I say that the soule is immortall and that God governeth the World by his providence will these venerable Doctors take mee by the throate to shew them this sillabically in so many wordes Indeed it is not found in the same words but in some other equivalent speaking of the life eternall in this manner God maketh all things according to the counsell of his will Ephes 1. 5. And a sparrow falleth not the ground without the will of God Matt. 10. 29. And God himselfe pronounceth My counsell shall stand and I will accomplish all my pleasure Esay 46. 10. If the Scripture saith that God descendeth or runneth or is inflamed with choller or sleepeth shall it not be lawfvll to use plaine and intelligible words in expounding these figures Likewise I find not in the Scripture the word Trinity but I have found the word three Saint Iohn telling us that there are three in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Spirit 1. Iohn 5. 7. I find not in the Scripture tolidem verbis that the soule of the thiefe was not in Limbo But I find that Iesus Christ assured him Thou shalt this day bee with mee in Paradise I find not in the Scripture in the same termes that the Saints know not our hearts but I find there how God alone knoweth the hearts of men 2. Chron. 6. 30. There is no mention made of single life of Prelates in the same words but there it is sayd Let a a Bishop bee husband but of one wife 1. Tim. 3. 2. Furthermore Iesus Christ disputing with the devill Matth. 4. 11. told him It is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Which is a passage of the 6. of Deut. 13. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and shalt serve him and swere by his Name To which passage the Lord joyneth another of the 1. of Sam. chap. 7. 3. Subject your hearts to the eternal God and serue him alone Iesus Christ made no scruple or difficulty to speake the same thing in sundry phrases At the 18. Acts 28. It is related that Apollos a lew demonstrated by the Scriptures of the old Testament that Iesus was the Christ though it bee not therein expressed in so many words And S. Peter at the 10. Acts 43. speaketh thus To Iesus Christ give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall receive remission of sinnes Yet this is not found among the Prophets in expresse words but in equivalent termes and by necessary consequence Shall we then bee rebuked if wee alledge the Scripture after the same wont and forme as Iesus Christ and the Apostles have done The Apostle S. Paul in the 2. to Tim. 1. 13. commanding us to hold fast the forme of sound words doth not bind us to sillables for soundnesse and purity of doctrine may copiously and in full sense dwell under the signification of severall sorts of words as health of body may be clothed vnder another habit It is so taught by Hierome
upon Ne putemus in verbis scripturarum esse Evangelium led in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum folijs sed in radice rationis the 1. chap. to the Galat. Let us not thinke that the Gospel consisteth in the bare words of the Scripture but in the true meaning and signification not in the superficies but in the very marrow not in the leaues decked with words but in the roote of solid reason The Fathers and ancient Councells were ignorant in such kind of importunate and unmannely divinity when they defined by the Scripture in the first Nicene councell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Sonne is consubstantiall with the Father And when the first Councel of Ephesus decreed against Nestorius that the Virgin Mary might and ought to bee called the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deipara Mother of God The Arians pressed Athanasius to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quomodo â—â—cu in Scripturis 〈…〉 Ego de 〈◊〉 Pater vnum sumus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non potest aliquid certü esse certitudine fidei nisi aut immediate contineatur in verbe dei aut ex verbo dei per avidentem coÌ„sequentiam deducatur c. Neque de hoe principio vel Catholici vel haretici dubitant Salmer proleg 9. prima quinquagena Can. 7. Non tantuns diuinam authoritatem habent siâ—â— ea tenenda Sunt qua in Scripturis expresse conâ—â—entur sed etlam ea omnia qua exilla necessaria euidenti consequentia deducuntus qua doctrina a magno ille Theologo Gregorie ad nos deriuat a est Et Paulo post Dupliciter aliquid esse in Scriptura dicitur aut quia est expresse in ea contentum et in sensu literals deinde omne quod virtute in ea coÌ„tentum est necessaria consequentia extractum Atque his duobus modis agere licet in haeretieos Vazq in 1. Partem Thomae Tomo 2. Disp 110. cap. 1. §. Quarto Nihil refere haue vacam non esse in Scriptura fi vox â—â— signifieat quod Scriptura decet shew them this word consubstantiall in the Scripture to whom Athanasius answereth in his booke of the decrees of the Nicene councell Though the very words be not so couched in the Scripture yet they haue the sence and vnderstanding of the Scripture Gregory of Nazianzen at the end of his Sermon touching Cyprian calls the verbalists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hunters after syllables and words And in his 37. Oration which is the fifth concerning Theology he faith that the loue of the letter is to them a shadow or cloake for impiety Ambrose in his booke concerning the Faith written against the Arians chap. 5. How doe you say that consubstantiall is not in the divine Scriptures as if consubstantiall were any thing else but I am issue of the Father and the Father and I are one We learn out of Photius his Bibliotheca that Theodoret composed an expres treaty vpon this subject the inscription whereof is Against these who affirme that wee ought to relye on the words without having regard to the matter signified Touching this point we have the most learned of our adversaries on our side Bellarmine in his 3. booke of justification chap. 8 Nothing can bee sure in certainty of Faith unlesse it bee contained immediatly in the word of God or drawne from the word of God by some evident consequence Salmeron in his 9. Prolegomenon Not onely the matter which is immediatly conteined in the Scriptures hath divine authority and ought to be allowed with faith but also all things that are drawn from thence by necessary euident consequence which doctrine hath bin derived vnto us from Greg. that great Divine And a little after a thing is sayd to be in the Scripture two manner of wayes partly because it is therein contained expressely and in the litter all sence partly because it is contained vertually therein and is drawne from thence by necessary consequence now it i Ì„s lawfull to dispute with Heretickes both these wayes Hee bringeth Purgatory merrits and satiffactions for examples wordes that himselfe confesseth not to be in the Scripture but may be drawn from thence by consequence Iesuite Vasquez It importeth not whether the word be in Scripture or no so as that which it signifieth be in the Scripture Iansenius Bishop of Gant affirmeth the same at the 107. Chapter of his Harmony Our confession is frivolously obiected unto us which saith in the 5. Article that the Scripture is the Rule of all verity containing all that is necessary for the service of God and our salvation to the which it is not lawfull to adde diminish or alter For if these Novice Doctors affoorded themselues the leasure to read the following lines they should there find that wee avow the three Creeds to wit the Apostles the Nicene and the Athanasian Which notwithstanding are not found in the Scripture in such and so many words And in the Article following wee approve of that which hath bin determined by the ancient councels touching three persons in one individuall essence yet the determinations of Councels are not found to bee in the Scripture in the same termes Our confession confineth uâ—â—â— more to the Scripture then the Councell of Trent bindeth our adversaries to the word written and unwritten Yet they would not be interrupted thereupon nor that we should enjoyne them to shew euery word spoken by them to be in so many syllables in the written word or in that which is not written Whereas they suffer us not to bring one passage of Scripture for exposition of another unlesse wee suddenly bring a third that saith this passage expoundeth that By such proceeding they take away and extingnish all meanes of expounding Scripture by Scripture wherein also they contradict the Elders and Doctors of the Church of Rome who grant that Scripture shall bee interpreted by Scripture as we have mentioned in my former booke of the Iudge of Controversies Chap. 4. For the exposition of these words This is my body we allege the passage of the Apost saying This Bread which we breake Is it not the Communion in the body of Christ Likewise When youshall eat of this Bread or drinke of this Cup you shall declare the death of the Lord. Hereupon these youngsters require a passage which saith that these two last passages are the exposition of the first Wee answere that it is not needfull for it is sufficient that these three passages speake of the same thing For to understand the Doctrine of the Euchariâ—â— it is behoovefull to collect together all that the Scripture maketh thereof mention seeing that passages so comparatively united doe manifest and interpret one the other These new Disputants in rejecting all syllogismes and all arguments are obstinate and unexcusable For by what reason can they banish the use of reason from Divinity It were fitter for them to addresse themselves to the Thomists and Scotists
after the Apostles did reject all Traditions not contained in the holy Scriptures much more and with stronger reason it standeth that after so many ages transacted there should be lesse probability of cause to make new additions For when shall there be any cessation of adding Bellarmine in his 3. chapter against Barkley perceiuing that the Popes power to depose Kings is destitute of all Testimony of antiquity Non rectâ— dâ— Ecclesia sentit qui nihil admittit nisi quod exprâ—ssâ— in vetâ—râ— Ecclesia scriptuÌ„ aut factum â—sse legit Quâ—sâ— Ecclesia posterâ—â—ris temporis auâ— desiâ—rit essâ— Eclesia aut facultatâ— non habuerit explicandi declarandi constituendi â—tiam et iubâ—ndâ— quâ— ad fideÌ„ et mores Christianos pertinent saith that hee judgeth not soundly of the Church of Christ who admitteth nothing but what he readeth expressely to haue beene done or sayd in the ancient Church As if the Church of the latter time had either discontinued and left off to be a Church or had not the faculty of explicating or declaring constituting and ordaining matters which concerne the faith and manners of Christians Whence it followeth that the Church of Rome is not yet compleate and finished in her perfection seeing that precepts touching the faith and rule of moralitie may be added thereunto as indeed there are yet many that are hot in the forge and freshly hammered upon the anvile of avarice and ambition But this Cardinall ought to consider that seeing this Tradition touching the Popes power to depose Kings maketh the Pope King of Kings It is not just or reasonable that the Pope should be judge thereof nor that he should bee permitted without rendering accompt to any other person to introduce such Traditions without the word of God whereby to enveagle the temporall wealâ—h and to make himselfe the moâ—arch on earth By this very doctrine the Iesuite equalleth in authority the Romish Church of this time to the Church of the Apostles time Yet it is the Church of the Apostles time which regulateth the succeeding ages And those first Heraulds of grace in Iesus Christ are yet seated vpon the twelue thrones ludging the twelue Tribes of Israel From this source proceeded the Bull Exurge which is at the end of the last Lateran Councell placing this amongst the heresies of Luther when he sayd that It is not in the power of the Pope and Church of Rome to establish Articles of faith Hence also proceeded the remonstrance Syn Flor. Sess vlt. Romana Ecclâ—siâ— nâ—cessitatâ— vrgente iurâ— suo partâ—culâ— illam ex filioque Symbâ—lâ— appâ—nere liâ—u â—ssâ— which the councel of Florence published that the Church of Rome had just power to adde to the Creed CHAP. XXIIII How the Texts and Passages of the Fathers which our adversaries alledge for the unwritten Traditions ought to be understood SEeing that in matter of Christian faith and the points necessary to salvation the Fathers doe unanimiously cleaue to the sole word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures it were a strange thing if after this they should seeke to ground themselues upon Traditions and to surmise in matter of salvation another word unwritten Certainely the Doctors who should destroy that which they have built vp ought not to be beleeved by no meanes should they bee credited who credit not themselues Now for the better purging of Three sorts of good Traditions them from this blame it would be necessary to remember that which wee have formerly spoken to wit that we reiect not all sorts of Traditions for the Scripture it selfe is a Tradition which is one reason A second is because there are Traditions which are not matters of Faith nor necessary to salvation but customes and reglements touching Ecclesiasticall policy which wee willingly approove when wee see that they have beene receiued in the auncient Church by a generall consent And Satan having alienated any one of these customes and turned it to Idolatry or converted it to any other end unpractised before wee doe not beleeue that in deserting such a custome Christian Religion is a whit impaired but it were wisely done to barge up that gate against the devill A third is because there are also Doctrines taught in the Scripture which are there not found in the same termes as the Ancients propose them but are therein found in equivalent words or are deduced from thence by necessary consequence If any man will call these doctrines Traditions wee will not quarrell him thereupon provided that he allow such Traditions to be bottomed with the Scripture and there to be found in substance I say then as often as the Fathers mention and give way to Traditions their meaning is of those three sorts afore recited that is to say either of the Scripture it selfe or of customes and reglements of Ecclesiasticall policy and of matters not necessary to salvation or of occurrences contained in the Scripture yet not there found in the same words as the auncients propose them but in substance and â—y consequence to proove the which wee have employed the Chapter following CHAP. XXV A proofe of that which went before SOme doe object Irenaeus unto us who wrote abou the end of the second age that in his 3. book 4. chap. disputing against Hereticks that gave no admission to the Scriptures laboureth to convince them by Traditions that is to say as he expoundeth himselfe by the succession of the doctrine left from hand to hand in the Churches erected by the Apostles What Quid auseÌ„ si neque Apostoli Scripturas quidem reliquissent nobis nonne oporteret ordinem sequi traditionis quam tradiderant â—â—s quibus coÌ„mittehant Ecclesias saith he If the Apostles had not left us the Scriptures would it not have beene needfull to follow the order of Tradition which they delivered to those unto whose trust they committed the Churches And to good purpose he sayd it for if wee had not the holy Scriptures wee should have been constrayned to have recourse vnto weaker meanes and of lesse certainty And it behooveth that when he speaketh in that manner it bee to such as are refractary and averse from the Scriptures but not to vs who cordially embrace them and set up our last rest upon them Moreover from the time of Irenaeas the succession was but short and the memory of things taught by the mouth of the Apostles fresh of the which the remembrance would bee razed and put out if we had not the writings of the Apostles For the continuation of time and the subversion corruption and schisme of so many Churches which then unamimously concurred and are now at variance boasting of their succession maketh this search and examination impossible to the Christian people and full of uncertainty But at length what are these doctrines which Irenâ—us would have to bee taught and learned by Tradition if we had not the Scripture Is it invocation of Saints service of Images adoration of Relickes the
sinne to fast upon the Lords day and to pray that day kneeling and the custome when they trample and walke abroad in putting on their shooes to marke themselves in the forehead with the signe of the Crosse HaruÌ„ et cateraruÌ„ eiusmodi disciplinaruÌ„ si legem expostules ScripturaruÌ„ nullam invenies Traditio tibi prateÌ„ditur austrix consuetudâ— confirmatrix et fides observatrix summing all vp with this saying If thou expostulate the legall condition of these disciplines and others the like thou shalt not find it Tradition is pretended to thee which increaseth them custome which confirmeth them and faith which observeth them Our Adversaries doe shrowd themselves in the protection of this last passage to establish their Traditions Yet can there not bee a more proper passage alledged to confirme the same which I have said concerning the Traditions which the Fathers have handled that they are not Doctrines of faith nor matters necessary to salvation but onely Ceremonies and Customes and Lawes of Ecclesiasticall policie which the Church of Rome hath forsaken for the most part and regardeth them no more For all the Traditions of Tertullian are but Customes and Ceremonies whereupon hee calleth them Disciplines and there is nothing therein which concerneth the Doctrine of faith or is necessary to salvation And concerning the question which he discusseth in this booke whether a Christian souldier at a day of muster when all the souldiers were crowned with a Lawrell did better in chusing rather to suffer martyrdome then to put the crowne upon his head contenting himselfe to hold it in his hand I say it is not a point of faith but an opinion wherein Tertullian had but a few to second him For the other Christians accused this souldier of temerity and to have drawne persecution upon his companions in a thing indifferent saying That there was nothing in the Scripture that obliged him to it But Tertullian defendeth the action of this souldier by Tradition When we alledge some passages of Tertullian expresse against invocation of Saints and against Transubstantiation our Adversaries on the other side alledge the words of Hierome against Helvidius I have nothing more to say of Tertullian but that he was not a man of the Church that is to say he was an Hereticke Whilst hee was Orthodoxall hee condemned Traditions as it hath formerly appeared unto us But being turned Montanist he falleth into much admiration of Traditions vouching the words of our Saviour I have yet many things to deliver to you but you cannot for the present beare them away Which is the ordinary language of ouâ— Adversaries Now it doth noâ— import us whether he hath written the booke of the souldiers crowne being an Hereticke or being yet Orthodoxall seeing the Traditions which he bundleth together touch not the Christian faith Neverthelesse it is certaine that he was then an Hereticke For in this booke he maliced and repined at the Catholikes because they taught that it was lawfull for any man to save his owne life without exposing it to martyrdome and because they rejected the prophecies of Montanus who stiled himselfe the holy Ghost Hereunto those words of Tertullian at the second chapter seeme to Planâ— superest vt etiam Martyria recusare moditentur qui prophetias eiusdeÌ„ Spirttus sancti respuerunt c. Novâ— pastores eoru in pace leones in praelio cervos have relation It remaines that they who have rejected the prophecies of the holy Ghost doe intend to decline and refuse martyrdomes Also I know their Pastours who are Lions in peace and Harts in battle The same hath likewise beene observed by Pamelius So then these Gamesters have little reason but lesse honesty to borrow the weapons of an Hereticke There are found some other passages of Tertullian wherein by Tradition hee understandeth the Doctrine of the Gospel contained in the holy Scriptures But we willingly imbrace this Tradition To this passage of Tertullian we may compare another of Basil much alike in Chap. 27. of his booke De Spiritu Sancto where hee makes a long recapitulation of unwritten Traditions Hearken to his words Some of the precepts and lessons which the Church observeth and are preached unto us we have by written instruction some others we doe receive by way of mystery having beene conveighed unto us by the Tradition of the Apostles Both of them have like force in matter of piety and no man that hath insight be it never so lâ—ttle in the Ecclesiasticall Lawes will contradict it For if we will reject the unâ—ritten Customes as having but little vertue we shall endammage the Gospel at unawares especially in matters that are commodious and proper or rather we shall reduce preaching to a simple and bare name As for example that I may make mention of the first and most common What writing hath taught us to marke those with the signe of the Crosse who have put their trust in the name of Iesus Christ What Scripture hath taught us to turne towards the East in prayer Which is he of the Saints that hath left unto us by writing the words of the invocatioÌ„ wheÌ„ the Bread of the Eucharist and Cup of benediâ—tion are shewed For wee content not our selves with that whereof the Apostle or the Gospel maketh mâ—ntion but wee adde other things before and after as having great vertue in the mystery which we were taught by unwritten instruction But by what Scripture doe wee blesse the water of Baptisme and the oile used in the Vâ—ction especially that wherewith we baptize Is not this a Tacite and mysticall Tradition Hee addeth the triple plunging in Baptisme and the renouncing of the devill and his angels Also the custome of standing at prayer the first day of the week and from the Paschall unto Pentecost to shew that wee are raised up againe with Christ and doe seeke the things that are above and because seven times seven dayes signifieth the eternity And to make short he inserts the beleefe in God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost amongst the Traditions saying That these unwritten things are of semblâ—ble authority with the written and maâ—ch them iâ— vertue and that the Fathâ—rs have covered them with silence as the more high and more venerable of pâ—rpose to keepe men in more awfull observance by the obscurity and that it is of these as of a most sacred place wherein onely the chiefe sacrificing Priest did enter This passage indeed doth ill accord with those excellent ones of Basil in the which he hath formerly acquainted us that all which is not of faith is sinne and that faith is by hearing of the word of God that whatsoever is without the verge of the Scripâ—ure divinely inspired is not of faith and consequently is sinne and that to shew a forwardnesse in adding to the holy Scripture is a flat revolt from the faith By reason of this contrariety Beilarmine supposeth that these questions which make a part of his Aschetickes
oâ— Ecclesiasticall policy Now thâ— Traditions of our adversaries arâ— of another nature They put fore most the Popes succession in thâ— Apostleship and supremacy of Sâ— Peter over the universall Church vpon which Tradition they make all religion to depend Yea they maintaine that the Church is founded not only vpon Saint Peter but also vpon the Popes that are his pretended successors They stuffe our eares with Invocation of Saints with religious service to Images and with adoration of Reliques which are Traditions that shake and totter the service and religious adoration due to God alone and doe establish articles of the Christian faith to weet that the Saints doe know our hearts and that wee must imploy them for mediators and that they can heare our prayers effectually So likewise doth the Church of Rome tell us of superaboundant satisfactions of the Saints which the Pope gathereth into the Treasure of the Church and distributeth them amongst others by his Indulgences This Tradition ushereth in three new articles of faith The first is that man by his punishments and afflictions can satisfie God more then his sinnes doe merite The second is that God receiveth the satisfactions of another for payment of our sinnes The third is that God hath established the Pope to bee distributor of the satisfactions of another and commandeth him to gather them together into the treasure of the Church What is all this but a new Gospell Certainely if these Traditions be true the holy Scripture is a booke very imperfect in the principall materialls of Christian faith For what is there more important then the remission of sinnes Also the Tradition of Monasticke vowes layeth downe this Doctrine which is a new article of faith to weet that man can performe workes of supererrogation that is to say more good workes and more perfect then those which God hath commanded in his Word I say as much of the Communion under one kind wherein is impleaded the abridgment of the moity of the Sacrament instituted by the Sonne of God Not to speake of so many other Traditions which are not only additions to the Scripture but meerely diametrall contradictions to it This also is worthy of consideration that when the Fathers doe rehearse some examples of unwritten Traditions they doe not mention those of the Romish Church at this time but others that the Church of Rome hath disestemed and observeth not as prayer towards the East The prohibition of fasting on the Lords day The custome to pray standing on the same day and from the Paschall to Pentecost The custome of tasting the milke and hony after Baptisme and not to bee washed seven dayes after The prayer for the deceased Saints to the end they may be raysed at a happyer houre and in their sleep of rest they may find refreshment with such like matters which the Church of Rome hath pretermitted because they served not the Popes turne but hath invented others that are more gainefull and better accommodated to the profit and exaltation of the Pope and all the Roman Clergy CHAP. XXVIII of the multitude of Traditions in the Church of Rome THe saying of Cornelius Tacitus Ann lib. 3. In corruptissima republtca plurima leges is very true that the worst and most corrupted Republiques are those which have most lawes For in the same proportion that vices waxe strong the lawes also are multiplyed especially when the Lawes themselves become vices and mischieses are applyed for remedies If this bee true in humane affaires much more in Divine and in the Doctrine of salvation It is certaine that in civill affaires posterity instructed by experience hath often redressed the occurrences changing them into better and hath cured old evills with new lawes But as for the Doctrine of salvation delivered by God himselfe this will admit of no alteration without infinite impiety It is not for Subjects to adde to the lawes of their Soveraigne nor for Men to presume to bee wiser then God It will be found that all the Traditions which men have added to the Scripture are so many infringements of the Law of God which under the colour of adding thereunto doe overturne that which God hath established and are so many artificiall meanes through a glorious pompe to dazell the eyes of the People and to amuse them whilst they are seduced and lastly to enrich and exalt the Clergie For the Prelates of the Church of Rome carnestly bent to their profit have taken sufficient notice that the Gospell in its simplicity could not serve to build up their Empire And although this numberlesse rhapsody of Traditions should not bee woven by a fraudeulent workemanship yet the confounding multitude of new ordinances smothereth the old and causeth that things necessary cannot bee discerned from superfluous and that Iesus Christ is scarce knowne among the Saints and the absurdity of many new inventions by their addition doe call the ancient Doctrines into suspicion and weaken their certainety Especially when they make the true knowledge of Divine doctrine to depend upon the authority of humane Tradition and God to bee beleeved because men have so ordained it as it is now practised in the Church of Rome Adde to this the inclination of man to worship his owne proper inventions and to till and improve that most industriously which hee himselfe hath planted For as the earth nourisheth nettles which her selfe hath produced much better then good plants that are strange and brought from farre so the spirit of man is restlesse in taking care that the lawes be observed which he of himselfe hath invented much more then those which Iesus Christ hath brought from heaven especially when these new Doctrines are gainefull to the projectors and a prop to their dominion Hence it commeth to passe that in the Church of Rome the doctrine of the Gospel which consisteth of rules few easie is a clasped book to the people and the commandements of God are of little moment but the Traditions though toilesome and almost innumerable are most religiously observed and with marvellous obedience Amongst all the Religions that ever were in the world the Romish in multitude of Lawes and Traditions beareth the Bell away the number of them being so great as scarce an age will suffice to learne them And it had beene very requisite that when the Councell of Trent did establish Commissaries to attend the censure of prohibited bookes it should have established other Officers immediatly to collect together the unwritten Traditions and to put them in order for seeing that by the authority of this Councell the Romish Traditions were declared to be of equall authority with the Scripture it was convenient that these Traditions being digested into a body should have beene annexed to the Scripture to the end to have the body of Christian Religion entirely together But they gave their minds to be neglectfull in this point for feare of affrighting the people with many myriads of Traditions of prodigious
A LEARNED TREATISE OF TRADITIONS LATELY SET FORTH in French by PETER DU MOULIN And faithfully done into English by G. C. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 5. 34. Si aut Evangelio praecipitur aut in Apostolorum Epistolis aut Actibus continetur c. Observetur divina haec sancta Traditio Cypr. Epist 74. ad Pomp. LONDON Printed by Aug. Mathewes for Humphrey Robinson at the signe of the three Pigeons in Pauls Church-yard 1631. TO THE RIGHT Honorable my singular good Lord ROBERT Earle of Lindsey Baron of Willough by Bâ—akâ— Ershy Lord great Chamberlaine of England and Lord high Constable for this time being Lord Lieutenant of Lincolne-Shire and Vice-Admiâ—aâ—â— for the Coasts of that County Lord Worden of the Forest of Waltham Knight of the most noble Order of the 〈◊〉 and of his Majesties most Honorable privie Counsell My most honoured LORD IT is well knowne that your Lord ship can as readily interpret my Author in his owne language iaiome as being thus changed into our native and most familiar tongue Neverthelesse I have adventured asking pardon if my boldnesse give distaste to style your Lordship the Maecenas of this my handiworke My weakenesse and want of skill in every respect together with my forwardnesse and presumption to intermeddle out of my element have prompted me to flye to the sanctuary of your Lordships protection Such as expect that I should rather dedicate some Tacticks or booke of Chevalry to your Lordship may take this for satisfaction that I have well observed your true devotion to Religion which is the best ornament and addition to your Honour and great is the happinesse when Religion and Military profession are met in so Heroique a Center The variety arising from this copious subject of Traditions will invite your Lordship to read DU MOULIN with delight but their modern incrochment I meane the Romish upon the Church their presumptuous comparison with the sacred Scripture will force your Lordship to reject them with scorne and greatest loathing Cast your eye upon this little volume and vouchla e it your favourable opinion such countenance will giv it life receive it into your Lordships pat oâ—age for to that end I have presented it and in that security I humbly leave it recommending your Lordship to Gods holy safeguard Your Lordships most humble and faithfull Servant G. C. To the Reader COurteous Reader When you set apart some houres for serious studies imploy a few to the reading of this short Enchiridium a most exact survey of Romish Traditions You will finde them here arraigned by divine testimonies of Scripture by solid interpretations of the Fathers by effectuall perswasions of reason by the ridiculous impossibilities of their owne sufficiency and by the selfe-contradictions and confessions of all Projectors and Founders of them The Frontispice doth shew my Authour to bee French and I have copied out his sense into our mother Tongue as neere to life as my running pen would give mee leave If any man objâ—ct Whaâ— need of 〈◊〉 amidit so many unparallei'd Original composed by the 〈◊〉 of our Church at home I answer wiâ—h a quâ—st Is it not pity â—o learned a booke amoâ—st us refoâ—mâ—d Christian should be guilty of that Anâ—â—christian Traditiâ—n cast upon the Scripture Not to be published in a knowne tâ—ngue 〈◊〉 let me not wade over deepe into the commendation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 left a consure of Tractet fabrilia or some 〈◊〉 c. recoile upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man ought to guide himselfe by the measure of â—is owne ability It is true that I was never worâ—hy to make this holy Knowledge my Profession vet my zâ—ale to it is such hat if I may nor act he part of an Encomiasles in the merit of DU MOULIN and hi Work I must take leave to gaze on him with silent admirat on and passing over particularities with this briefe Character onely to point at him For generall and profound schese ship hee is Extra invidtae aleam doctus What can bee said more Let it suffice that I have named him Qui cognoist son nom assez entend son renom His meere name is the individuall cognizance of his same Pardon me if I yet stretch a nore higher in praise of him it is his due it cannot bee omitted without a nationall ingratitude And what should it be but his ingenuous perseverance to this very day in vindicating the sacred honour of his late Majestie the learned King IAMES of most happy and immortall memory from the unjust redargution of Cardinall Perron in a booke which hee hath written against the said late King as by those often quotations in this Treatise expresly made may plainely appeare In the last place my friendly Reader if you afford mee a favourable construction of this my undertaking and connive at such errours as you meet with you have done to my wishes and in requitall I passe my word that whatsoever is lame and defective or verbally mistaken at the Presse in this translated forme you shall finde supplied in the reall goodnesse of the Authors matter Reade and profit G. C. Errata Page 136. line 14. themselves never appeare reade themselves appeare not p. 183. l. 1. as r us p. 194. l. 11. word r. world p. 195. l. 13. containe r. continne p. 196. l. 3. in eist r. insist p. 221. l. 13. stromatae r. stromata l. 20. book of history r. of his history p. 239. l. 3. asleepe r a sleepe p. 245. l. â—â— as for that r. for example that p. 294. l 2. contractions â— contradictions p. 298. l. 4. aâ—guments r. arguments p. 312 l. 19 hath determed r. hath beene determined l. 22. ceterminations r. determinations p. 314 l. 4. passe r. passage p. 319. l. 11. non plus to r. non plus is to l. 22 touch r couch p. 320. l. 12. for used r. for be used p. 336. l. 9. Dotanists r. Donatists p. 348. l. 4. barge r. barre A Table of the Chapters in this Treatise of TRADITION Chap. 1. COncerning the nature of this Controversie p. 1. Chap. 2. Of the word Tradition p. 22. Chap. 3. The beliefe of our Churches The Calumny of Regourd p. 24. Chap. 4 The opinion of the Romish Church That our Adversaries with one consent accuse the Scripture of insufficiency c. pag. 31. Chap. 5. That our adversaries say there are Doctrines and Articles of Christian Faith yea in the very essentiall things which the Apostles have neither taught by mouth nor writing pag. 45. Chap. 6. A proofe of the same because our Adversaries doe affirme that the Pope and the Church of Rome may change that which God commandeth in the Scriptures and infringe the Apostles Commandements p. 60. Chap. 7. Passages extracted one of the writings of our Adversaries which prove that in the Church of Rome Traditions are without comparison more esteemed then the holy Scripture and the Scripture charged with Injuries Regourds boldnesse to defame the same
is most cerâ—aine that instead of all the Scripâ—ure one sole line might suffice spcaking thus Goe but to the Church of Rome and shee will teach you all things infallibly Now to vnderstand what is the imperfection where of our adversaries accuse the Scripture let vâ—â— obserue what they discourse vpon the same The Councell of Trent in the fourth Session pronounceth that the Church shall receâ—ue and honour the vnwritten Traditions with equall affection of piety and reverence as the holy Scripture The hallowed Synod say these Fathers Omnes libros tam veterus quam novi Testamenta nec non Traditiones ipsas tum ad fiaem tum ad mores pertinentes tanguam vel ore tenus à Christo vel à Christo vel à spiritu sancto dictatas pari pietatis affectu ac reve reÌ„tia suscipit ac veneratur receaues and honoureth with like affection of godlinesse and reverence all Bookes as well of the Old as the New Testament and the Traditions appertaining to faith and manners as dictated onely by the mouth of Christ or by his holy spirit Yea by this decree the commandements of the Church of Rome are equall to the Law of God and the doctrine of the Gospell contained in the New Testament By this rule the Invocation of Saints commanded by Tradition ought to bee done with like pietie and reverence as the Invocation of God commaunded in the holy Scripture By the authoritie of this Councell Catechismus ad pa ochos ex Decrete Conâ—tly arid Py 4. Pont. Max. iussis editus Omnis aoctrinae ratio quae fidelibus trâ—aeda sit quod in Scripturam traditionésque distributum est a Catechisme was framed which in the very entry and be ginning placeth this Maxime that all doctrine which ought to be given to the faithfull is contained in the Word of God which is divided into Scripture and Traditions whence grew vp the distinction of the word written and unwritten Gregory de Valentia the Iesuite in the fift Booke of his Analysis and Scripturans non esse sufficientem fides regulaÌ„ quta non continet omnia Title of the third Chap. The Scripture is not a sufficient rule of faith for it containeth not all things Cardinall Bellarmine a Iesuite in his Booke of the Vnwritten word Scripturas sine Traditioniâ—us nec fuisse fimpliciter necessarias nec sâ—fficientes Chap. 4. The Scriptures without Traditions are not simply necessary nor sufficient And there againe he calleth the Scripture regulam non totalem sed partialem a rule not entire but a piece or parcell of a rule The Iesuite Baile in the 9 question of his Catechisme I will make you poynt it with your finger that the Scripture is not sufficient Peter Charren in the fourth Chap. of his third Verity saith that to require all to bee proued by Scripture is an vniust demand And not much after The Scripture is nothing but a little par cell of truth revealed Part. 3. disp 8 § 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stultum est omnia ab Apostolus scripta putare vol omnia abâ—â—is tradita 〈◊〉 Etin iniurtam vergerat agentis râ—velantis Spiritus Et insuave esset natura nostre quae omnia simul non capit Salm ron the Iesuite in his 13. Tome of the first Booke of his Commentaries vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul It is a sottishnesse to thinke that the Apostle haue written all things or haue given all by Tradition that would turne to an injury against the holy Ghost operating and revealing and it would bee a thing repugnant to our nature that comprehenaeth not all things at a clap Of which vn written Traditions that haue been started since the Apostles time he fercheth some examples to wit the Ecclesiasticall § Quint. opus Hierarchy that is to ay the Papall Monarchy with the subordinate degrees the service of Images and §. Postremo the suffrages of the dead the Masse and manner of sacrificing and the §. Porro Tradition that Iesus Christ hath made a sacrifice in bread and wine that he then made the Chrisme c. Hee rendreth the reason why these things should not be written to the end that the Commandement §. Quint. opus Haec literis coÌ„signari minimè debuerisnt â—â— soruaretu praecepiuÌ„ Christi Nolite dare sanctum canibus of Iesus Christ bee kept who chargeth in this manner Giue not to dogs that which is holy Vpon this Iesuites reckoning the doctrine of the birth and death of our Saviour was given to dogs when it was digested in writing And God gaue his Law to dogs when he wrote it in two Tables But as for the Papall Hierarchy Image-service Romish Indulgences Invocation of Saints c. God would not haue such holy things to be cast to dogs nor hath he permitted them to be written And there againe Waxing insolent § Tertio Protervire voientes scriptuâ—â— refelli non possunt idea una tradiâ—â—one lugulandi sunt and froward they cannot bee vanquished by the Scriptures therfore must their throats be cut with one Tradition alone Coster a Iesuite in the Preface of Pâ—aefat Enchiâ—â—d Nostri toporis haretici ad solas Sâ—ipturas tanquam ad laxum adharescunt Idem cap de sacra script In membranis tam nâ—vi guae veteris Test aÌ„ multa desiderantur In ea tamen oâ— nta non contineri valde impudeÌ„ter affirmare non verentur A Christe videtur cautum ne omniâ— fider dogmata scriptu coÌ„mendarmtur dum ait Nolite dare sanctum canibus his Manuell The Heretiques of our time doe sticke to the Scriptures as to a rock That displeaseth the Doctor for saith hee In the Parchments as well of the Old as New testament many things are wanting And further they feare not to affirme with great impudence that all things are contained in the Scripture And a little after It seemes that Iesus Christ forbad all the doctrines of Faith to be couched in writing when hee sayd Giue not to â—ggs that which is holy As if the Scripture were made for the dogs And who may these dogs bee but the Christian people Now seeing that Iesus Christ hath given the Scripture to these dogs that is to say to the people wherefore doth the Pope take from them that which Iesus Christ hath given unto them in debarring them of the reading Reason would require that our Adversaries specifie vnto vs what are the Doctrines that are wanting in the Scripture and that they make us a catalogue of their Traditions But they haue not dared to doe it hitherto fearing to affright the people with the multitude of doctrines which they haue patched to the word of God We learne by the History of the Hist del Concilio Trident. lib. 2. Ann. 1546. Councell of Trent that besides the publike Sessions of the Councell they caused Congregations to be made of Prelates and Doctors to make draughts of the Decree which should bee
Councels which the Church of Rome hath approued and by the Popes favorites themselues Wherein also you may perceiue to the number of three and twentie Schismes and many contrary Popes at the same time mutualy entitling themselues Antichrists Yea wherein haue liued many infamous Popes Necromancers Adulterers Murtherers aduanced to the Popedome by whores by Simony and by violence Such as take vpon them the title of God causing themselues to bee adored and Kings to kisse their feete and the Scripture to bee prostrate before them when they enter into the Councels such as vante they cannot erre that they can make another Creed can change Gods ordinances can transport soules out of Purgatory into Paradise and ranke whom they please in the Catalogue of Saints by canonizing them vnder colour whereof they exercise an abhominable commerce and trafficke by Dispensations Absolutions Indulgences Annates Licences and Benefices So as from a poore Bishop of a Citie who was no way eminent but in martyrdomes the Pope is become a puissant temporall Monarch surpassing in riches the greatest Monarchs of the earth To effect so great an alteration it was needfull that Religion should bee changed for the purity and plainnesse of christianity regulated by the Scriptures could not serue to build vp so great an Empire These things haue I amply handled in my first Booke wherein I maintaine the Authoritie of the Scripture Which work went then forth almost the very day that lesuite Regourds Booke against the Authoritie and Perfection of the Scripture was published These two Bookes if any man will compare together shall finde that I answere all that hee pleadeth against the authoritie of the Scripture and that Regourds Booke satisfieth nothing of all that I propose in mine Before that he published his book a Challenge was brought to the Pastors of this Church of Sedan to enter into conference dispute with some Doctors amongst whoÌ„ was Iesuite Regourd wherein they threatned us Wee accepted the Conference the place and day were assigned with all accommodations that after so many Defiances every mans honour should oblige him not to recant Neverthelesse hee durst not appeare and for two severall times failed at the day appoynted But his humour serving him at last to dispute and being thirstie of reputation hee went some where else to discharge his choler and in Conference seiseth upon Monsieur Mestrezat where he received all sort of disgrace so farre forth as his friends were faine to make use of superiour power to draw him from the combate and to hinder the Conference from Printing for it could not be seene but to his dishonour and that in a place where all things were favourable unto him and where the language of Truth is very new and strange And so retired this wittie Doctor as well contented as satisfied being not so wisely advised but to make trophies and signes of victory considering there were so many witnesses CHAP. VIII A Proofe of the same by the practise of the Primitiue Church WEe haue proved by many passages of our Adversaries that in the Church of Rome Traditions are much more esteemed and of greater authority then the Scripture which they so much under-value and charge with a thousand reproaches and that by injustice and most fraudulently the Councell of Trent seemes to make them equall Now are we to proue the same by the practise and maximes of the Church of Rome I. In the first place when our adversaries ground the authority of the Scripture upon tradition of the Church and would haue the Scripture received and beleeved because the Church doth so ordaine it It is evident that they preferre Tradition before Scripture for they make Scripture to depend upon Tradition esteeme Tradition of the Church more worthy of belife then Scripture and beleeue not the Scripture but because the Church of Rome hath so commanded it II. Let vs looke vpon experience and wee shall informe our selues that in the Church of Rome the people is a thousand fold more carefully instructed in Tradition then in the doctrine of salvation contained in holy Scriptures The most ignorant know the meaning of Lent and the foure Seasons they are instructed in the difference of meats they are skilled in Festivall dayes and Eues they goe in Pilgrimage visite the Reliques gaine Pardons purchase Masses Obits and Suffrages for the dead speake of Purgatory mumble over their Chaplet or Beads and their Rosary or our Ladies Psalter and discourse of the Popes succession in Saint Peters Chaire but they are ignorant in the holy Scripture accounting it modestie and humility not to enquire much after it Aske them upon the doctrine of our Redemption in Iesus Christ upon Iustification by faith vpon our free Adoption upon the correspondencie betweene the Law and the Gospell upon the difference between the old and new Testament upon the causes wherefore it was necessary that our Redeemer should bee God and man in the vnitie of person vpon the ends of their Resurrection and Ascension upon the Doctrine of faith and good works which are the poynts wherein consisteth the essence of Christian Religion and you shall finde them as mute as fishes and altogether uninstructed III. Baptisme is a divine Institution but Confirmation such as is practised in the Church of Rome and confection of the Crisome are humane Inventions Yet are they much more honoured then Baptisme for in the Church of Rome a woman yea a Pagan and Iew may baptize and giue that which they haue not and Confirmation is not administred nor Crisome consecrated but by the Bishop with great solemnitie IV. God hath commanded St. Peter and the other Apoâ—â—les to preach the Gospell but gaue them no command to giue Indulgences nor to canonize Saints nor to release soules out of Purgatory nor to consecrate their Agnus Dei and their blessed Beads The first poynt is a commandement of God the other things are humane Traditions which the Pope doth performe with preparation and solemnitie but hee preacheth not the Gospell esteeming the labour of preaching as a thing vnworthy of his greatnesse Insomuch as the Popes are industrious observers of their owne Traditions and adore their owne proper Inventions but dispense with the Lords commandements V. Hence commeth it to passe that the sinnes committed against Gods Law are held to be light in comparison of those committed against the Traditions Decrees and Canons of the Pontifies The inferiour Priests giue absolution of thest of lying and of whoredome which are sinnes against the Law of God but there are cases reserved wherein no man in France can giue absolution but at the poynt of death and they are specified in the Bull De Coena Domini which the Pope thundereth euery yeere on Maunday Thursday before the Paschall The sinnes that are most enormous and whereof no man but the Pope maketh absolution are not murther parricide incest sodomy and perjury but to appeale from the Pope to a future Councell to withdraw Tythes from
universall Councels most ancient of greatest authority and which Pope Gregory the first equalleth to the foure Evangelists Pope Gelasius speakes the same for in his Tome of the Bond of an Anathema disputing against one of the foure first Councells to wit against that of Chalcedon where there were sixe hundred and thirty Bishops he urgeth thus The Apostolicall Seat alone dissanulleth that which a Synodall Assembly Quod refutauit sedes Apostolica habere non potuit firmitatem sola rescindâ— qd prater ordineÌ„ congregatio Synodica pisâ— taverit vsurpandum though to haue vsurped against order The subject of his choler against this so famous and honourable assembly was for that in this Councell is framed a Canon ordaining that the Bishop of Constantinople should be equall to the Bishop of Rome in all things and that hee should haue the same preheminences CHAP. XI Of what sort how weake and how vncertaine the foundations are wheron Traditions of the Romish Church are built and of the three maximes that serue for their defence and prop. THe Traditions of the Church of Rome are of so great a number that a meere Catalogue of them would furnish out a large volume The whole rabble of them hath these three maximes for their foundation 1. That the Pope is Successor to St. Peter in the charge of Head of the universall Church 2. Secondly that the Pope cannot erre in the faith 3. That the Apostles haue not set downe in writing all that they did teach by word of mouth Hee that will comprehend the nature of these maximes shall know that they evert the Christian faith and consume all Religion into smoke for if the Maximes wheron all Papistry is founded and all the body of Romish Traditions bee imaginary maximes and purely humane not to giue a worse phrase it is impossible that the Religion which is built thereupon can haue the least tittle of assurance 1. The first maxime that layeth downe the Pope to bee Saint Peters Successor in the charge of Head of the vniversall Church is destitute of all testimony of Gods Word and our Adversaries to vphold it produce nothing but humane testimonies Whence it followeth that it is not an Article of the Christian Faith and that it cannot be beleeved for a certaintie of faith for the Christian faith is grounded upon the Word of God Faith commeth by â—earing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. But the Church of Rome giveth his maxime not onely for an Arâ—cle of Faith but also for a founâ—ation of all the other Articles of â—aith and of the whole Religion For in the Church of Rome the Popes authoritie is planted to be a Foundation of the Church and of all the doctrine of salvation to the very subjecting of the Scripture that is to say the word of God to his authoritie and to cause that the authoritie of the Scripture depend vpon the opinion of the Church of Rome and all this by vertue of that pretended Succession to St. Peter Briefly our Adversaries make all Christian Religion to hang vpon this poynt as Bellarmine acknowledgeth at the entrance of the Preface in his Books of the Pope speaking thus To say in a word when mention is made of the Etenim de qua re agitur cum de primatu Pontificis agitur breutssime dicam de summa rei christianae â—â— entâ— quaeritur aebeatne Ecelesia diutius consistere an vero dissolui concidere Observ andic est tertia licet force no sit de â—ure diuno RomanisÌ„ PontificeÌ„ ut Romanum Pentificem Petro succecere tamen â—â— ad fidem Catholicam pertinere NoÌ„ enim est idem alsquid esse de fide et esse de ture divine Nec enim de oure divine fuit â—â— Paulus hâ—beret penulaÌ„ est tamen â—â—â— ipsum de fide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 penulam Etsi autem Romanum Pontificem sucâ—edere Petro noÌ„ habeatur expresse in scripturis c. Popes supremacy the summe of all Christianitie is at stake for the question is whether the Church ought to subsist any longer or whether it must bee dissolved and fall Thereunto doe all the Controversies referre and all the Traditions ayme at the profit and greatnesse of the Pope yet the same Cardinall at the 12. chap. of the second Booke of the Pope acknowledgeth that the Scripture maketh no mention of the Popes succession in the place of Saint Peter and that this poyut is not jure divino Neverthelesse hee affiemeth that this succession though it bee not jure divino leaueth not to appertaine to the Catholick faith In the same manner as the Catholicke faith beleeueth that Saint Paul had a Friers weed though that were not jure divine and that God had not commanded any thing to that purpose Hence it is manifest that all the diuine doctrine is founded vpon a plaine humane Tradition to weet a Tradition vnwritten That God hath ordained the Pope of Rome for Successour in the Primacy of Saint Peter Thus you see Tradition grounded vpon tradition that is vpon it selfe and this infinite Masse of traditions is founded vpon a Traditions that is no more jure diuino then Saint Pauls weed whereof never was any diuine Testimony extant I will not at this time enter into proofes of the falsity of this matter which wee haue handled in diuers places especially in my booke that went before and shewed the vntruths by aboundance of reason and authority drawne from antiquity I say but this that the ancient Bishops of Rome were called Successours of Saint Peter in the Bishopricke only of the Citie of Rome but not in the Apostleship nor in the goverment of the vniuersall Church Iust as the Bishops of Ierusalem were called Successors of Saint Iames and those of Antioch of Saint Peter and those of Ephesus of Saint Paul and of Saint Iohn not in the Apostl ship but in the Bishopricke of thâ— townes wherein these Apostles had planted the Church Our adversaries produce not any example or passage of the ancient Church whereby it may appeare that ever the Bishops of Rome attributed any authority to themselues over the Churches that are out of the Romane Empire I say also that when the Bishop of Rome was heretofoâ—e Successor to Saint Peter in place of head of the Church so it was that the heresies which infected this seat as our adversaries themselues doe confesse and the Popes complaine of it and the Schismes which haue rent it there hauing beene two Popes at once sometimes three at the same instant prosecuting one the other to extremity and calling one the other Antichrist did long since breake the chaine of this succession In which Schismes ordinarily the most vicious and most cunning caried it and hee excluded his adversary who had the favour of those Emperours and Kings on whom the fortune of warre did smile This continued straine of succession not being possibly knowen but by the multitude of Histories and Authors both
Greeke and Latine who very often jarre among themselues so far as not to agree vpon the next Successours to Saint Peter it is impossible that the people should know any thing in this succession oâ— should haue any assurance hereof but by the Testimony of those who brag of it and liue by it Moreover our adversaries doe confesse that the Pope and church of Rome may erre in the question de facto Now these questions to weet whetheâ— Saint Peter hath left the Bishop of Rome Successour of his Apostleship or of his Supremacy and whether this succession hath not beene interrupted by Schismes and heresies are questions de facto and consequently of the nature of those wherein our adversaries hold that the Church of Rome may erre And the proofes which our adversaries bring forth are drawne from books which theirselues conuince of falsity and from such fragments as for the most part are supposititious I forbeare to censure any further the certainty of Romish traditions seeing they are all founded vpon one Maxime which is a Tradition humane not vpheld by any Ordinance of God a Tradition which is not an Article of the Christian faith yet at this time is put downe for the ground of Faith a Tradition which is of the nature of those wherein our adversaries confesse that the Church may erre a Tradition whereof the people can haue no certainty nor knowledge but by bookes both Greeke and Latine of infinite length wherein they vnderstand nothing and by the Testimony of those especially who propose it that is to say the Popes who receiuing not the Scripture for Iudge cal themselues supreme Iudges and infallible in all controuersies more especially in that wherein is pleaded their succession and their owne proper authority and infallibility Now it is an easie matter to guesse at what the proceedings of the Enemy of our saluation doe levell Their butt scope is to distill as it were all Religion into a vapour and to make it depend vpon presuppositions not only vaine and vncertaine but also false and imaginary as he that should beare vp an obeliske vpon a smal feskue When some demand Wherefore is it behouefull to receive Traditions the answere is because the Pope hath ordained it Againe if it be demanded whence commeth this authority of the Pope it is answered Because Saint Peter dying hath left the Bishop of Rome Successour of his Supremacy over the Church of the whole world Moreouer when it is asked Can you produce any Ordinance of God for this succession for this point being estated by you for the foundation of the Church and of all the Christian faith it is not credible that God hath ordained nothing of it there they stand caught by the nose not vttering one syllable of the word of God and doe confesse that this succession is not lure diuino nor by the Ordinance of God Only the Popes will bee therein beleeued and call themselues supreme and absolute in a case wherein they are so much interessed and wherein it is disputed of their succession and authority Thus you may see all the Ius diuinum founded vpon a point which is not Iure diuino and all the divine doctrine founded vpon humane Tradition yea vpon humane Testimony the most vncertaine of all for the certainty of the Popes succession is founded vpon the Testimony and authority of the Pope himselfe who is party in this cause and who by this Tradition ruleth and vpholdeth his Empire Nay they doe worse they make not onely these Traditions but the very authority of the holy Scripture to depend vpon this Tradition Let it bee demanded wherefore ought we to beleeue that God hath created man after his owne Image that he hath giuen his Law to Moses in two Tables and that the Sonne of God hath taken flesh in the wombe of the blessed Virgine and is dead for vs It is answered that this is to be beleeued because it is written in the holy Scripture that God hath inspired his Prophets and Apostles Againe let it bee asked wherefore ought the holy Scriptures to bee beleeued and why are wee obliged to put our faith therein The answere Basiliensis ConcilyÌ„ appeÌ„dice Ecclesia Romana sic lequitur Qued autem verum feret Christi EvaÌ„ge leum quâ—mâ—de scire possetu nisi illud vobis patefeeissem Audistu noÌ„nullos ex Apostolu scripsisse Evangelia Sed quoâ—iam quatuer duntaxat approbavi â— Ra vt Evangelia venerantur alia respuuntur is Because the Church of Rome hath so ordained it which hath this authority by vertue of her succession in Supremacy of Saint Peter But vpon this question haue you any commandement from God they answere the holy Scripture indeed speaks nothing of it but the church of Rome is supreme Iudge and hath more authority over vs then the Scripture Neverthelesse in this point it is disputed of the authority of the Church of Rome wherein it is no reasonable thing that shee should bee Iudge much lesse to assigne her selfe Iudge aboue the Scripture Doe but obserue what becommeth of all Christian Religion in the account of these Merchants Their will is that God should bee beleeued because men ordained it and that the diuine truth should haue no other foundation then the evidence and authority of lying men yea such as will bee Iudges in their owne cause and who hauing invented a thousand Traditions all tendiâ—g to their profit hold them all vp by one Tradition alone which hath no other foundation then their owne authority There is no such pernicious stratageme to pervert the Christian Religion as to confound the things that are certaine by vncertaine proofes to plead humane Tradition for their highest and concluding principle and to order that the Christian faith should haue a Maxime that is no Articie of faith and is vpheld by no other authority then of those that publish it and such as by this Maxime enrich themselues and build them vp an Empire on the earth yea all the Churches in the world except the Romish doe reject this Maxime and laugh at this succession as a story contradicted by all antiquity and especially by al the Bishops of Rome who whilst the Romane Empire was in florishing estate never intermedled in any affaire beyond the limits of that Empire as I haue proued at large in my first Treatise The second Maxime is of the same nature and dependeth vpon the first Our adversaries to maintaine all their Traditions say that the Pope cannot erre in the Faith and that likewise by vertue of the same succession For they will haue the Pope Successour not only of the power of Saint Peter but also of his infallibility Now if the Pope should be Successour of the Supremacy of Saint Peter it followeth not thereupon that the Pope cannot erre for hee that is Successour of the charge of another is not therefore Successor of his vertue The Doctors that haue succeeded in the chaire of Moses haue
should approach and teach them the come that is to say the future â—â— vents of things foretold in the Epistles written by the Apostles as for example that there should arise 1. Tim 4 false Doctors teaching to abstaine from mariage and victual and that the son of perdition should name 2. Thâ—ss 2. himselfe God and should practise with signes miracles to seduce and that the great Whore clothed Apoc. 17. in scarlet sitting in a Towne of seven mountaines should intoxicate Kings and glut her selfe with the blood of the faithfull c. As also the estate and condition of the Christian Church and of the spiriâ—uall kingdome of Iesus Christ which the Apostles did not as then fully comprehend Aboue all they presse the 15. verse of the second chapter of the second to the Thessalonians Therefoâ—e brethren stand fast and hold the traditions which ye haue bâ—ene taught whether by word or our Epistle The word Tradition which the 〈◊〉 Apostle maketh use of doth purport and signifie all instruction In Au I. ch de ceste controverse this sense the Scripture it selfe is a Tradition as wee haue already proved As touching this passage our aduersaries doe inferre that besides the Epistle which S. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians hee had vttered vnto them many things by word of mouth vnto which I shall willingly condescend for wee would not maintaine that the first Epistle to the Thessalonians contained all the doctrine of salvation our dispute is not whether a little Epistle of Saint Paul but whether the old and new Testament containe all that is necessary to salvation therefore this passage is not to purpose Moreouer when the same Apostle did say Hold the traditions which you haue learned by our word or by the holy Scriptures it must not bee thereupon concluded that the mysteries which hee had tolde them were others then those that are written for the same thing may be taught by divers meanes And when the precepts delivered by the Apostles mouth had some disparitie with those that are written wee could say that such things flowing from the Apostles mouth over and aboue that which is found in the Scriptures were not poynts of Faith but Ordinances touching Ecclesiasticall policie Yea when wee shall haue yeelded to our adversaries all that they wish and long for yet is all fruitlesse and nothing done by them unlesse they proue that these Traditions which they say were given to the Thessalonians by mouth are the poynts whereof consisteth our controversie to wit the Popes Supremacie over the Church of the whole world Romish Indulgences single life of Priests the Communion under one kind borrowed Satisfactions a restraint of reading the Scripture Masses without Communicants Prayers wherein the Petitioner understandeth nothing the power of the Pope to release soules out of Purgatory and to depose Kings c. which are Traditions of a new impression and which the Church of the Thessalonians yet subsisting and hath so continued since the Apostle Saint Paul did never beleeue nor as yet alloweth of their validitie but defieth them with all loathing and detestation Saint Ambrose in his Commentarie vpon this place by the Tradition whereof the Apostle speaketh vnderstands the doctrine of the Gospell which our Adversaries would not deny to bee contalâ—nd Ve prasciantia Dei maneat in salute illorum ideirco in traditione Evangelij standuÌ„ ac perseverandum monet in the New Testament To the â—d saith he that the foreknowledge â—f God should remaine in their saluaâ—ion hee admonisheth them to stand â—ast and perseuere in the tradition of â—he Gospell I am of opinion I shall preuent â—ur Adversaries from interrupting â—ee more in the passages which â—hey alleadge Saint Paul saith â—Ve speake wisedome among those that â—re perfect 1. Cor. 2. 6. And againe â—aue before thine eyes and hold fast the â—atterne or forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me 2. Tim. 1. 13. In a third place now I praise â—ou that you remember mee in all â—hings and keepe my Ordinances as I deliuered them vnto you 1. Cor. 11. â— Ergo for so they conclude the things which are preached are difâ—ering from those that are written And what are the things Invocation of Saints seruice to Imageâ— c. In all this what a defect then is of common sense The jaw-bone of Sampsons Asse or Tobiâ— dog might be as well imployed Concerning the words in the 16. of the Acts at the 4. That Paul and Silas passing through the Cities instructed them to keepe the Ordinances decreed by the Apostles and by the Elders of Ierusalem In these Ordinances are vnderstood the restraints of eating blood strangled creatures whereof mention is made in Acts the 15. for in this voyage Paul and Silas were bearers of this Ordinance and Paul waâ— expresly sent to performe thâ— same Now this Ordinance iâ— written as also the alteration waâ— made since the Apostles time anâ— it is but a Ceremony ordained foâ— a time and not a doctrine necessary to salvation and when somâ— Ordinances should be here vnderstood how shall it be proued vnto â—s that these Ordinances are others then those that are written how shall it bee proued vnto vs that these ordinances were invocation of Saints adoration of Reâ—iques the Popes Supremacie â— This will never bee proued CHAP. XVIII An answere to that which is objected unto us that the Church hath beene sometime without the Scripture TO undervalue the authority of the Scripture and to make it annecessary it is objected unto us that the Church from the creation untill Moses for the space of 2454 yeeres hath beene without the Scripture And that as Irenaeus is witnesse from the time of the Apostles and their Disciples â—â—â— nations whercunto the wrirings of the Apostles were not yet at that time come have not omitted conserve the purity of the Gospel To which wee answere that when God speaketh from heaven or sendeth Angels to instruct men concerning his will the Scripture might easily be neglected if at this day God spake from heaven and published his Oracles from above as hee spake heretofore to the Fathers and Patriarchs before Mases we should not seeke for any other instruction But this is no more and God having fully imparted his will unto us by the writings of his Prophets and Apostles we are obliged to follow the meanes wherewith his goodnesse hath furnished us and it is necessary to bee bound and compelled thereunto I say the same of the Church in the Apostles time whil'st it was cleerely illuminated by the preaching and miracles of so renowned instruments of the holy Spirit who were instructed by God in all verity those people which were taught by their mouth made no great esteeme of their writings but God having inspired them to leave in writing the effect of his will wherein he had well tutered them and they having not left behinde them one person of like authority and knowledge
hee shall call the heauen from aboue and the earth that hee may judge his people saying Gather my Saints together vnto me c. At the 102. Psal 26. The heauens shall perish but thou shalt enaure The Prophet Daniel at the 12. 2 Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life some to shame and euerlasting contempt At the 26. of Esay 19. Thy dead men shall liue together with my dead body shall they arise awake and fing yee that dwell in the dust At the 65. chap. verse 17. Behold I create new heauens and new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde Iob aâ— the 19. the 25. 26. 27. Speaketh amply of the comming of his redeemer vpon the earth and of his resurrection after his body shall bâ— deuoured with wormes and of thâ— assurance hee hath to see God one day with his eyes The Prophet Esay at the 66. pronounceth this of reprobates Their worme neuer dieth and their fire shall neuer bee extinguished Baalam desiring to dye the death of the iust At the 23 of Num. 10. Accompreth the death of the wicked to bee wretched and wofull These passages as I conceiue are expresse and punctuall concerning Paradise the resurrection the torment of the damned and the eternall judgement They offer yet more that in the Booke of the old Testament no mention is made of the Creation nor of degrees of Angels nor of the Creation and essence or being of deuils which neuerthelesse are points clearely found to bee therein as in Iob the 2. the 1. And at the 38. 7. The Angels are called the sonnes of God whereupon it followeth that God is their Father that he hath formed them and when the Scripture saith Let the Angels doe worship to him Psalme the 97. 7. And let them execute his commandement and obey his word Psa the 103. 20. It presupposeth that God created them for if God had not created them injustice would have beene layd to his charge for vsurping an Imperiall Dominion ouer the workemanship of another power Yea this alone where in the Scripture affirmeth that there are Angels is sufficient to proue that God created them for it is impossible that they should create themselues As for the degrees of Angels it is a meere vanity for any man to distill and consume the braine therein It concerneth neither faith nor morallitie And for the essence of deuils the olde Testament sufficiently doth determine it in saying that there are deuils Hee that confesseth there is a Sunne presupposeth that the Sunne hath a beeing and there is no necessiity that wee should bee skilled in the knowledge of their nature As for their fall seeing God hath made nothing but what is very good the 1. of Genes 31. It followeth that these evill spirits in the beginning were good and consequently that they are lapsed from their integrity how and by what occasions or by what degrees they are fallen are matters which God hath not reuealed for they are not reputed necessary to saluation Du Perron an livre cótre le Roy de la grand ' Bretagne pag. 776. 2. Tim. 3. 8. They also report many Histories which they say are not found written in the old testament As for that The Magicians which withstood Moses were called Iannes and Iam. Hebr. 12. 21 bres That Moses being at the foot of the mountaine spake I exceedingly feare and tremble The placing Hebr 9. 4. of the Censer in the Arke of the Covenant and the combat of Michael the Archangell with Satan for Iude 9. the body of Moses Which are not rules either of good beliefe or good life but only histories of things happened wherein consiâ—teth not the substance of our salvation As much may be sayd of some Ceremonies practised in Israel once or oftner but not ordinary or indifferent customes in their nature as washing of the feete before they went to eate of the Paschal-Lambe which was a custome that the Iewes ordinarily observed before the repast And the mixture of water with blood for the purification of the People as the Apostle intimateth to the Hebrews at the 10. chap. which was not a law in the ancient Church but a Ceremony practised once by Moses They also object unto us some depraved and lewd customes as the pardon of a capitall malefactour at the feast of Easter though he be a murtherer a custome contrary to the law of God Nu. 35 31. and some other scrupulous and vaine observations as was that custome of not journeying above two miles on the Sabboth grounded Iosh 3. 4. upon an act of Ioshua passing over Iordane when hee kept the people at distance from the Arke of the Covenant being remooved from thence about two thousand cubits by measure Wee are well contented that our adversaries uphold their Traditions with such poore and vnworthy examples Some of them thinking to bee more subâ—ile object unto us that in the bookes of the old Testament three things are wanting which are necessary to salvation There is not found say they a remedy in the old Testament that God hath provided to purge and clense the feminine sexe from originall sinne for none are circumcised but the Males I answere that Vide Thomam par 3. q 70. in eaÌ„ Vasquez de Valentia our adversaries themselves doe not beleeve that originall sinne was taken away by vertue of circumcision but by the faith of the Parents applyed to the children by forme of impetration and by the merit of him that circumciseth For they hold that circumcision did not justifie nor conferre grace but only that it was a signe of grace and not necessary to salvation The Iesuite Vasques speaking of Children that under the law of Moses dyed without being circumcised Vasquez in Thom. partem 3. Disp 163. cap. 2. Nequâ— incoÌ„moduâ—â—liquod â—rat pueruÌ„ fine Sacramento decâ—aerâ— cuâ— iâ—â—ud ad â—alutem non â—sset necessarâ—um saith If a Child died without any Sacrament there was no hurt therin for it was not conducible and necessary to salvation It is certaine that remission of originall siâ—ne is necessary to salvation Wherefore I say that origiâ—all sinne was remitted and forgiven aswell to the Male as to the Female people of Israel by vertue of the alliance which God had contracted with Abraham saying I shall be thy God and to thy posterity after thee Ge. 17. 7. for women were also fo the posterity of Abraham The Circumcision of the Males was sufficient to signifie that all the people were taken into confederation with God to discerne Gods people from the other nations And for this there needed no such particular signe or token in the Women The Iewes writing of their Traditions speake nothing of such a signe or Sacrament nor have our adversaries produced any They say in the second place that the Israelites to be saved were to beleeve that the sacrifices
the great Whore the signification of the seuen stars and the Sense or exposition of the dreames are called Sacraments Apoc. 3. 1. and 17. 7. Dan. 2. 18. Touching the Holy Supper which wee call Sacrament herein wee follow the custome and by the word we vnderstand no other thing but that which Iesus Christ calleth a memoriall or commemoration saying Doe this in remembrance of me CHAP. XXI A proofe of the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures by the Testimony of God himselfe speaking in the Scriptures WEe haue offered to your vnderstandings both the novelty and falshood of Romish Traditions and have proued that they are neither Diuine nor Apostolicall It is therefore to be concluded that we ought entirely to adhere to the word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures for in two wayes when the one is blocked vp there remaineth but the other that is passable Our aduersaries themselues aide vs in this point The Popes hauing made so many decrees and decretals and extravagants yet they dare not call these decrees the word of God Yea they produce no other booke then the Scripture that beareth this title of the word of God or of the Testament or Couenant of God This single proose may suffice vnlesse we would embrace the word of men for a rule of faith Our aduersaries againe tell vs that the Holy Scripture cannot testifie of it selfe and when it is â—aile ' Iesuite 〈◊〉 1. traittâ— de son Catechisme Bellarm. lib. 4 de Verbo Dei cap. 4. § Quartâ— called Holy and Divine It is â— more to be credited then Titus Livius or Mahumets Alcoran But let them know that this is Gods true Prerogative to be Iudge and witnesse in her cause who being the party offended will not forget at the last day to be Iudge of those that have offended him Hearken to that of Iesus Christ speaking at the 8. of S. Iohn 14. Though I beare record of my selfe yet my record is true and worthy to be beleeued For God is not therefore to bee the lesse beleued because there are so many incredulous and vnbeleeuing and the perversity of man shall neuer despoile God of his right It is a non sequitur and an vnjust inference that because of the malice and depravednes of man the dominion of God should suffer dimunition Therefore wee will not feare to alledge the Scripture for proofe of the perfection of the Scripture Wee know that the authenticke Testimony which God giueth to his word can be no way taxed or iustly suspected The Apostle Saint Paul in the 2. to Tim 3. 15. speaketh thus to his disciple Timothy From thine in fancie thou hast knowne the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise vnto saluation through faith which is in Christ Iesus Now what need we seeke any further then to bee so instructed as that wee may be able to attaine vnto saluation by our beleefe in Iesus Christ To shifâ— off this passage of Saint Paul to Timothy our aduersaries tell vs that Saint Paul speaketh not in that place but onely of the bookes of the old Testament and yet at that time the greatest part of the new was written But I am contented to grâ—â—t what they say for it maketh against them being assured that if the sole bookes of the old Testament can make a man wise to saluation much more and with stronger râ—ason shall the old and the new coupled together make vs wise to saluation The Holy Scripture neuer saith that vnwritten Traditions can make vs wise to saluation The Apostle had neuer sayd that the Scripture can make vs wise to salvation if it instructed vs but by halfes and if it were needfull for vs to seeke the other part of our instruction in another word that is vnwritten Where they say that Timothy could not learne out of the olde Testament the immortality of the soule nor Paradise nor the resurrection c. It hath bin formerly confuted Of the resurrection of Iesus Christ and of his death the Prophets speakâ— most clearely and all the sacrifices lead thereunto And when these things were lesse plainely and expressely set downe yet God required not of our forefathers before the comming of Christ a greater knowledge then that which was reuealed vnto them There are those who play the Sophisters vpon this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed by the Apostle and doe render it to instruct and not to make wise Wherein their owne Bible â—â—sâ— lâ— 18. an Grâ—c Phanâ—â—â—ni lâ—xâ—con 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teacheth the contrary for at the 19. Psal 7. There is in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the vulgar translation Sapientiam praestans parvâ—lis that is to say giuing wisedome to the simple And at the 119. Psal 98. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where Pagnin rendreth it tu me sâ—pientiâ—rem reddidisti inimicis meis Thou hast made mee wiser then minâ— enemies But vpon the point it commeth all to one for it sufficeth vs to bee instructed to saluation Saint Paul speaketh not of any curtal'd or halfe instrâ—ction Hee is instructed to salvation who hath sufficient instruction to bee saved and whosoever is not wise to salvation is not instructed to salvation so are they one and the same thing But if the Scripture could make Timothy wise to salvation why should it not be as well sufficient to make others wise to salvation For if any man profit therein lessen then Timothy the reason is not because it is more perfect for one then for another but because one bringeth to it more light of spirit more affection and more attention then another and because God conferreth his knowledge more abundantly upon those that feare him and humbly crave the gist of understanding 2. The Apostle Saint Paul at 1 Cor. 4. 6. limiting the power of the Pastors of the Church saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no man thinke above that which is written there it is above that which is written and not above that which I have written And whosoever imputeth to Beza that he translated it above that which I Iehan Iaubert pa. 306. have written is a detracting Calumniator 3. The same Apostle at Act. 26. 22. protesteth Hee never taught any thing save onely such things as the Prophets and Moses had foretold should come to passe He then confined his preaching to the Scriptures And he shall be a good Minister of Christ who after the example of Saint Paul shall bee able to say that hee never taught any thing except those things which Moses and the Prophets and Apostles disciples of the Prophets have taught If it be moreover objected that Saint Paul being restrained to the writings of the Prophets it shall follow that the writings of the Apostles who have written since the Prophets are unprofitable I will answere that the Apostles have written the same things that the Prophets have written for as much as concerneth the substance of salvation but they have
Adversaries translation admitteth not this exposition Chrysostome in his Commentary upon Gal. 1. understandeth it the same way saying The Apostle saith not if they declare things contrary or if they pervert all but if they preach never so little other then we have preached or if they have altered any thing be it never so little And Theophilact after him The Apostle hath not said if they preach onely things contrary but if they preach other then that which wee have preached that is to say if they adde never so little more thereunto Tertullian in his booke of Prescriptions at the eight Chapter speaking of the Scripture In the first place wee beleeve that wee ought not to beleeve other then this And at Chap. 14. To know no other then this is to know all And at Chap. 29. If an Angel from heaven preach other then c. And truly the reason is plaine for if our Adversaries confesse that Saint Paul hath preached all that is necessary to salvation as well by mouth as by writing it followeth that hee not onely forbiddeth here to teach contrary to that which he hath taught but also that he forbiddeth to adde thereunto It is objected that Paul himselfe hath added to that which hee did preach when he wrote more Epistles after that to the Galathians and that Saint Iohn after him wrote the Apocalypse and are not therefore accused The vanity of this objection answereth it selfe for nothing can appeare wherein Saint Paul in his last Epistles or Saint Iohn in the Apocalypse have added to the Doctrine of salvation which Saint Paul had preached by mouth and digested into writing and which was already contained in the bookes of the Apostles and Evangelists written before this Epistle In summe what availeth it to dispute whether the Apostle condemneth those that preach other then or contrary to that which St. Paul had preached seeing that whatsoever is other then the Doctrine of the Gospel concerning our salvation is also contrary in as much as God forbiddeth to adde thereunto It is an unnâ—cessary worke to rehearse the passages of the Fathers who affirme that the Apostle condemneth those who taught contrary to that which he himselfe hath taught no man denieth it for whosoever preacheth contrary to that which Saint Paul taught preacheth also other then the Doctrine of the Apostle and addeth contrary things thereunto contractions being also additions to the Scripture Our Adversaries being repulsed from this refuge or starting hole finde out another and say that Saint Paul condemneth those who taught other then or contrary to that which hee had taught concerning the Doctrine of the Gospel but Saint Paul himselfe hath not set downe all in writing which hee hath taught this is that which they say without proofe or reason For who told them that Saint Paul was tender and forbare to booke downe all the Doctrine of the Gospell in writing Did hee it in spleene or was it of forgetfulnesse or fearing lest the people might become too expert in the Doctrine of the Gospel Surely they that speake thus are bound to open unto us some particular points that make a part of the doctrine of the Gospell which Saint Paul would not set downe in writing Is it invocation of Saints or papall Indulgences adoration of reliques succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter religious sâ—rvice of Images single life of Priests prayer in a tongue which the supplicant understaÌ„deth not or Masses to free soules out of Purgatory no Christian will beleeve it of these unlesse it bee such a one as hath a mind to bee deceived And this inconsiderate presupposition must be countenanced by some other proofe besides the testimony of our adversaries Saint Augustine gave no credit to August lib. 3 contralueâ—as Petiliani cap. 6. Si quis siue do Christo sive de eius Ecclesia sivâ— de quacunque alia re qua pertinet ad fideÌ„ vitamque nostrâ—m non dâ—â—am si nos sed quod Paulus adiecit si Ange us â—e coelo vobis annuntiaverit praâ—erguam quod in scripturu legalibus et Evangelicis accepistu anathema sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it for he expoundeth this passage unto us by way of paraphrase If any man whether it concerneth Christ or his Church or any other thing appertaining to faith or government of life I speake not if any of us but that which Paul hath suggested if an Angell from heaven declare unto you other then you have received in the Scriptures concerning the Law and the Gospell let him be an Anathema And Chrysostome in his exposition upon the 1. chap. to the Galathians Saint Paul prefeâ—reth the Scriptures before Angels descending from heaven and that most justly And a little after Wherefore he denounceth that if any man preach unto you other then I have preached unto you c. To conclude how should those poynts before recited have beene preached by Saint Paul considering that in his Epistles there is found a flat condemnation of their doctrines If beside the holy Scripture there be some other word of God it were fit our adversaries should lay them in view fairely above board for the better avoidance of ail strife and controversie arising from them But they cannot Only they would have the Church of Rome to be beleeved and especially the Pope who is circumspect enough not to pronounce his owne condemnation nor to abolish the Traditions that are so beneficiall unto him Yea our adversaries themselves refute this when they say that the Apostles have not taught by mouth nor composed in writing all that is essentiall to Christian Religion CHAP. XXII Whether to ground a Doctrine it be lawfull to use words equivalent to those that are found in the Scripture or to vse consequences and Anguments SOme smattering and unquieâ— Iesuites perceiving themselves weake in the combate by the pressure of the evidence of truth have thought vpon a cavilling and impertinent course whereby to entangle the disputation at the very entrance and to prevent ever comming to the true scanning or examination of the doctrine Their cunning sleight is alwayes to question and interrogate insteed of keeping themselves to a regular and methodicall argumentation and as soone as wee open our mouthes they call to us Shew me that which you say word by word in the Scripture Now if there want but a syllable or if it happen that we use these words that is say or by consequent they fall into laughter and say that a Coach drawne by Horses is a consequent and so breake off alledging they have reduced us to consequences If we quote some passage of Saint Matthew or of Esay they aske whether the booke bee Canonicall if wee answer yea they require a passage of the Scripture that saith Saint Matthew is Canonicall If wee expound one passage by another they say shew mee a passage that alloweth this passage to bee expounded by that If we make an argument though it be
who are full of Schoole brambles and doe subject Saint Paul to the positions of Aristotle and clothe Divinity with a Philosophicall habite Yet these very menwho forbid us to dispute doe make arguments after their manner to the which it is impossible to give answere by the sole words of the Scripture For we are constrained to say I deny the major or the minor which are words not so much as touched in the Scripture What man but a senslesse is ignorant that when two Propositions are soddered together as they should bee the conclusion or inference must necessarily follow And this is not an invention of Aristotle but a worke of God and a naturall impression for peasants make good arguments though il accommodated If of two propositions in an argument one bee drawne from the Scripture the other be knowne by the sense and allowed by the Adversary the conclusion shall follow of necessity As for example speake according to Scripture that every man is a lyer To this proposition Iadde another well knowne by the sense and confessed by the Adversary Philip is a man whereupon the conclusion that followeth therefore Philip is a lier cannot bee denied but by some witlesse Idiot and such a one as will not sticke to contradict himselfe in denying that which necessarily followeth upon the proposition which he hath confessed And to the end it may not bee thought that this Conclusion hath no certainty but by vertue of the two propositions I say that without a formall syllogisme this conclusion Philip is a lyer is contained in that proposition every man is a lyer just as one crowne is contained in ten though there bee no man to say it Thomas ought to have instructed Quaest 1. art 8. Theologiam esse argumeÌ„tatiuam ex articulas fidei procedâ— re ad aliquâ— aliud oâ—â—endendum Sâ— cut Apostolus 1. Cor 1â— a resurrect one Christi argumentaâ— ad 〈◊〉 rosurrectionem probâ—â—dam them hereupon who in the first part of his Summe Quest 1. sheweth that Theologie is disputative and that by the Articles of faith it proceedeth to shew some other thing as when the Apostle in I Cor. 15. disputeth of the resurrection of Iesus Christ to prove the resurrection to bee common Vpon which place Vasquez in the 12. Disputation Chap. 2. maintaineth that in Theologie if one proposition be taken out of a passage of Scripture and the other known by naturall light a conclusion may bee drawne from thence which may serve for a definitive position in the faith It is true say these men that humane reason may be deceived and they say true The same may bee said of the sight and of the hearing But would they dig out their owne eyes under colour that their eyes doe sometimes deceive them Vnder the pretext that reason is sometimes abused shall they withhold us from the use of reason Are there no good consequences and necessary Because some are evill shall they reject those that are good If they will have it so when the Doctors reade to us some passage of Scripture May not we tell them Perhaps it is not there as you reade it you must not beleeve your eyes for the sight of a man may often be deluded and mistaken Therefore the manner of making arguments where reason is not deceived and whence the conclusion cannot bee denied is that which I have said by joyning to a proposition drawne from the Scripture a second that is knowne by the sense or by a naturall light and is allowed by the Adversary The way to put these Disputants of our age to a non plus to stave them off from interrogations and keepe them to a syllogisticall method for then they shall make an argument wherein the second propositon shall bee thus in substance You are obliged by your owne confession to say nothing but what is in the Scripture totidem verbis the which ought to bee denied them It would be easie for vs to touch our Beliefe in termes extracted word by word out of the Scripture fastning one passage to another without knot or connexion The language indeed would ill cohere having neither the word for nor then nor wherefore nor all that serveth to dispose its discourse into parts and to shew the prosecution of the reason Buâ— in doing this we should close up the mouthes of these harebrained spirits who take it in indignity and are offended if a word for used which is not in the Scripture In one thing they speake reasonably But If say they Ye be permitted to make use of consequences why shall it not bee lawfull for us to doe the same This cannot bee contradicted but on condition that they obtrude not unto us non seqâ—itâ—rs for consequences drawing all things out of all things like so many Chymists You may see some paterns of theâ— consequences Christ hath sayd I have to tell you many things but you cannot for the present beare them away Therefore Christ hath taught that Saints ought to be invoked images to bee served and the Trinity to be painted Christ hath sayd doe this therfore the Priest sacrificeth the body of Iesus Christ in the Masse Christ hath sayd tell it to the Church therfore the Churcâ— of Rome cannot erre Christ hath sayd All that you shall loos◠〈◊〉 shall bee loosed in heaven therefore the Pope can let loose vnder ground and release soules out of Pugatory God hath made man after his owne image therfore images ought to be adored Likewise Sin against the holy Ghoast is neither pardoned in this world nor in the world to come therefore there is a fire of Purgatory to purge the soules Consequences that would provoke laughter were it not that thereby the word of God is troden under foot and the service of our Lord vtterly depraved CHAP. XXIII Testimonies of the Fathers touching the perfection of the Scripture AS the authority of the word of God contained in the holy Scriptures is not supported by the authority of men so also its perfection hath no want of their restimony Iesus Christ spake at the 5. of Iohn â—4 I seeke not testimony from men To beleeve that the word of God is perfect because men affirme it is to kindle a lampe to light the noone day for God is not to be therefore trusted because men say the word it must bee so The word of God is as forcible alone as in company yea being alone it better guardeth its owne authority How grosse then and absurd our adversaries should shew themselves in attempting to prove the insufficiency of the Scripture out of the Fathers seeing that to defend her sufficiency by warrant of the Fathers is to derogate from her authority But before we listen to the ancient Doctors in this question give us leave to protest that we alledge them not to defend the Scripture but by way of their justification for they are made the advocates of error contrary to their owne intentioÌ„ They are alledged to
prove the insufficiency of the Scripture whose actuall perfection and absolute sufficiency they exalt above all upon all occurrences and tracts concerning the doctrine of salvation Clemens Alexandrinus in the sixt booke of his Stromata Wee say nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the Scriptures Tertullian in his booke against Hermogenes wrote before hee became Scriptum esse doceat Hermogenis officina Si non est scriptum timeat vae illud adijcientibus auâ— detrahentibus destinaetum a Montanist Hereticke in his 22. chap. The shop of Hermogenes declareth to us that it is written but in case it be not written let that woe denounced against those which adde or diminish be a terrour vnto them But when hee afterwards slid away into heresie he betooke himselfe to maintaine his doctrine by vnwritten Traditions For in his booke of Monogamy which he compiled being an Hereticke at the 2. chap. hee transmitteth vs to Tradition alledging these words of our Lord I have many things to tell you but you cannot carry them away at this time which is the passage that our adversaries ordinarily produce for Hippol. tome 3. Biblioth PatruÌ„ pag. 20 21. Edit Col. Vnus Deuâ— est quem non altunde agnâ—scimus quam ex S. 〈◊〉 Qutadmodum n. si que vellet sapientiam huius saculi exercere non aliter hoc coÌ„sequt poterit nisi dogmata Philosophorura legat sie quicunque volumus pietateÌ„ in Deum exercere non aliunde discemus quam in Scripturis divinis Athan. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ambros Quae in scripturis sanctis non reperimus ca queÌ„admodum â— surpare possemus Hillar Te admiror fideÌ„ tantum secuÌ„dum ea qua scripta sunt desideranteÌ„ Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Hier. Catech. 4 c. de Spir. S. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cvrillus Alexandr Gla. Phyr Dist 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Traditions Saint Hippolytus There is but one God whom wee know not by other meanes but by the sacred Scriptures Even as he that would exercise the wisedome of this age cannot seeke and obtaine it but by reading the opinions and precepts of Philosophers so all of us that would practise true Piety towards God can learne and comprehend it no way else but by the holy Scriptures Saint Athanasius in the beginning of his oration against the Gentiles The holy and devinely inspired Scriptures are sufficient to cause the truth to bee vnderstood And in his booke of our Saviours Incarnation Are you so inordinatly desperate as to relate things that are not written and to keepe your vnderstanding at such distance from true piety Ambrose in his first booke de officijs cha 23. How can wee alledge things not found to be in holy Scriptures Saint Hilary in his second booke against Constantius I doe admire thee O Emperour Constantius shewing thy desire that men should beleeve according as it is written Basile is excellent heereupon towards the end of his Ethicks which are among his Ascheticks If saith hee all that is not of Faith be sinne as the Apostle speaketh and faith commeth by hearing and hearing from the word of God all that is without or beside the holy Scripture devinely inspired not being of faith is sinne And againe in his Treatise concerning Faith It is a manifest revolt from the faith and a capitall crime of pride and presumption to reject any thing that is written or to bring in any thing unwritten See also the same Father amongst his more compendious rules in the 95. definition Saint Cyrill of Ierusalem is no lesse expresse This good man in his fourth Catechisme instructeth people in this manner Touching the divine and sacred misteries of the faith the least matter is not to bee taught without the holy Scriptures nor suffered to be brought in after any sort whatsoever either through probability or through words fitly disposed Yea put no confidence in mee that speake unto you these things unlesse I give you proofe of that which I preach unto you out of the holy Scriptures for the integrity of our faith consisteth not in designes or conferences artificially invented but in proofe drawne from the divine Scrptures And Cyril of Alexandria in the 2. booke upon Genesis How can we admit of that which the holy Scripture hath not said or range it amongst absolute verities And in his seventh booke against Iulian The holy Scripture is sufficient to make those wise most approved and of able understanding who are therewith educated and instructed Theodoret in his first Dialogue Theod. Dialog 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et Dial. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et in Psa 95 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bellar. dâ— verbo dâ—i lib. 4. cap. 11. intituled De Immutab Bring not humane reasons to me for I beleeve not in any thing but the holy Scriptures And in his second Dialogue I am not so rash as to affirme any thing wherein the sacred Scripture is silent Chrysostome upon the second Epistle to the Thessalonians the second Chapter All things that are in the divine Scriptures are cleere and sincere every thing that is necessary is therein plaine And upon Psalm 95. When any thing is spoken without the Scripture the very cogitations of the hearers are lame The same Father in his third Homily upon the second to the Corinthians calleth the Scripture an exact ballance the rule and square of all things He saith not as Bellarmine falsifying this passage doth make him that the Scripture is the most exact rule of all but that it is the ballance square and rule of all things Saint Hierome upon the first Chapter of the Prophet Aggay Hieron Sed alia qua absque authoritate testimonie scripturarum quasi traditione Apostolica sponte reperiunt percutit gladius Det. Ecclesia Christi c. non est ogressa de finibus suts id est de Scripturis sanctis The things which they invent and forge of themselves as by an Apostolicall Tradition without the authoritie and testimony of the holy Scriptures are stroken and dashed by the very sword of God And upon the Prophet Micah l. c. 1. The Church of Christ is not strayed out of its limits that is to say from the holy Scriptures So as to bring any thing from without the Scripture in the Doctrine of salvation is to wander out of the bounds that God hath prefixed to the Church The same Father against Helvidius As wee deny not that which is Hiero in Heluid Vt hac quae scripta hunt non negaâ—us ita ea â—ua non sunt script a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deum esse de â—â—gane credimus quia legimus Maria â—â—â—â—â—sse post portum non eredimus quia non legimus August Evangalista tastatur multa Dominum ChristuÌ„ it dixisse et secisse qua non scripta sunt electa sunt autem qua scriberantur qua salutâ— cradentium
in ipsius pastoris vocibus in Euangelistarum praedictionibus loboribus hoc est in 〈◊〉 Caenoniâ— is sanctorum librerum authoritatibus their Bishops and the beleefe of the people saith Such like matters being layd aside let them demonstrate and proue their Church if they be able not in discourses and rumors of Africans not by the Councells of their Bishops nor by the writings of such and such disputants nor by cheating signes and miracles for against those devices we are armed and prepared with the word of God but by the ordinances of the Law by the predictions of the Prophets by the Canticles of the Psalmes by the words of the Sheepheard himselfe by the preachings and paines taking of the Evangelists that is to say by all the Canonicall authorities of the holy Bookes But as concerning another difficulty proposed to wit that there was obscurity in the Scripture and that there was difference and disagreement touching the sense of the passages which were alledged hee doth not in manner of our adversaries who striue to make the Church infallible interpreter for in so doing one of the parties should be judge and the Church should not bee subject to any judgment but he averreth that leaving the obscure passages every one may make use of those that are plaine presupposing that what is said obscurely in one passage is cleerly manifested in others Assuring withall that there is no other way to avoyd doubtfulnesse and Cap. 4. Hoc etiam praedico atque propono vt quaeque aperta manifesta deliga mus quae si in S. Scripturis non inuentreÌ„tur nullo modo essent vnde aperireÌ„tur clauso illustraereÌ„tur obscura Lib. 2. de doct Chri. cap. 9. In his quae aperté posita sunt in Scriptura inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fideÌ„ moresque vivendi difficulty I propose this saith he to the end we may chuse the passages that are most cleere and manifest the which being not found in the holy Scriptures there should be no further meanes to open things that are shut up and explaine the obscure For as he speaketh in another place In matters that are plainely set downe in the holy Scriptures are found all things that concerne the faith and good manners As Basil hath it in his Breviores Regulae at the 267. Answere The matter that seemeth to bee obscurely mentioned in some passages of the Scripture divinely inspired are interpreted by that which is more cleerly set downe in other places Hee in his third booke against Maximine Chap. 14. disputeth thus Sed nunc â—nec ego Nicanum nec tu debes Ariminensa tanquaÌ„ pâ—aiudicaturus proferre Concilium Nec ego huius authoritatate nec tu illius detineris ScripturaruÌ„ authoritatibus non quoruÌ„cimquo propijs sed vtrique communibus testibus res cuÌ„ re causa cum causa ratio cuÌ„ ratione concertet against an Hereticke Now I ought not alledge the Nicene Councell nor thou the Ariminensian by way of prejudging I am not bound to the authority of that nor thou to the authority of this Let one thing be opposed to another one cause to another and one reason to another reason and this by authorities of the Scriptures which are not particular to such and such but are common witnesses to one and the other party Origen in his Homily upon Ieremie It is necessary that we bring the Necesse nobis est sanctas Scripturas in testimonium vocare SeÌ„sus quippe nostri enarrationes sine his testibus non habent fideÌ„ Bell. lib. de verbo Dei noÌ„ scripto cap. 11. sect 2. holy Scriptures to witnesse for without them our opinions and reports are not worthy to be beleeved Bellarmine answereth that Origen speaketh only of obscure questions concerning which he thinketh it behoovefull that they be taught by the Scripture But besides that the whole proceeding of Origen in this passage maketh the contrary to appeare the Cardinall deceiveth himselfe if hee thinke that the things easie to bee understood as that God hath created the world and that Iesus Christ is dead for us have not as much need of the authority of the Scripture as those that are obscure but on the contrary it is not necessary to penetrate into the knowledge of many obscure things and God hath not deemed it requisite to satisfie curiosity therein Moreover Bellarmine speaking in that manner condemneth a great number of Traditions in the Romish Church which are most obscure as the Tradition of Limbus for the Fathers and that for little infants The Tradition that the Saints know our thoughts and behold all things in Gods face The Tradition of accidents without subject in the Eucharist The Tradition that the Virgine Mary is crowned Queene of heaven which are things wherein mans understanding is benummed all being full of uncertaine presumptions And it were most needfull to have the Scripture testifying for them if it bee so that in obscure things wee ought to bee taught by the holy Scripture Theod. lib. 1. Histor ca. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will adde the opinion of the Emperour Constantine the great for a close who was the man in this world after the Apostles that did most good to the Christian Church Of him Theodoret reporteth that at the overture of the great Nicene Councell exhorting the 318. Bishops assembled to determine controversies hee speaketh in this manner The Evangelicall and Apostolicke bookes and the Oracles of the ancient Prophets instruct us plainely in our Beleefe concerning divine matters Wherefore all unfriendly contention being throwne to the ground let us draw the solving of doubts from the words divinely inspired This holy discourse displeaseth Bell lib. de verb. Dei nâ— scripto cap. 11. §. tertio Eâ—at ConstaÌ„tinus magnus Imperator sed non magnus Ecclesiâ— Doctor And rad lib. 2. Defens Fidei Trid. initio Non advertuÌ„t imprudentes hoâ—ines tantuÌ„ Arianis qui Sâ—leuciâ— convenerunt ist aÌ„ Constanâ—ini â—rationâ—â— arrisâ—ssâ— Bellarmine for he saith That Constantine was a great Emperour but no great Doctor of the Church and that he understood not the secrets of religion And Andradius affirmeth that these words of Constantine pleased none but the hereticall Arians But who was he among the Ancients that ever blamed this Emperour for speaking so Yea doe not all the Historians magnifie his prudence and sage management of affaires in this Councell And verily this Councell hath followed his counsell and refuted not the Arians by other strength of Argument then by the holy Scripture It is evident by this passage that Constantine untill then had allowed no other instruction but by the holy Scriptures and that no man taught after the fashion of the Romish Church at this time wherein men begin with Tradition in saying that the authority of the Scripture is founded vpon the Tardition of the Church If then in matters necessary to salvation these Doctors for three or foure ages
often corrupted the Law of Moses and haue caused the people to depart out of the way and to stumble at the Law Malach. 2. 8. And the Scribes and Pharisees that were in the Chaire of Moses taught that Iesus Christ was a Seducer And wee haue formerly seene diuers Popes condemned for heresie and impiety by the Councels and many Popes complaining of their Predecessours heresies And seeing that our adversaries confesse that there haue beene multitudes of profane Popes and of infamous life it is hard to beleeue that hee which is not Successour of the good life and of the vertues of Saint Peter can be Successour infallible of his purity in the Faith For if the wicked doctrine of the Leaders of the Church bring in errours their vngodly life bringeth in profanenesse and Atheisme and as the Canon Si Papa hath it in the 40. distinction it casteth headlong innumerable troopes of people into hell it exposeth the Christian Religion vnto Scandall and bringeth errours into the very Faith It being the custome of lewd Pastors to change the doctrine for the better accommodation of their vices and to make it serue their avarice and ambition Let Saint Peter preaching the Gospell bee compared with the Pope that preacheth not at all Saint Peter going on bare foot with the Pope carried vpon Princes shoulders Saint Peter not suffering Cornelius to worship him Act. 10. with the Pope expecting himselfe to bee adored and that Kings should kisse his feet Saint Lib. Sacram. ceremon sect 5. c. 1. 3. Peter reprehending Simon Magus for holding the gift of God purchasable with money Act. 8. 20. With the Pope drayning so much money to himselfe by Absolutions Dispensations Indulgences Annates Archiepiscopall roabes c. Saint Peter recommending chastity to women 1. Pet. 3. With the Pope suffering whoredome and establishing brothell houses publickly at Rome Saint Peter that was married Marke 1. 30. With the Pope forbidding the Clergy to liue in state of matrimony S. Peter who in his second Epistle Chap. 1. Exhoreth the faithfull to bee attentiue to the word of the Prophets With the Pope not allowing the reading of Scripture Saint Peter writing to all the faithfull and commanding them to obey their Kings 1 Pet. 2. 3. and 14. With the Pope exempting the Clergy from subjection to their Kings Saint Peter making no mention in his Epistles of invocation of Saints of adoration of Images of Reliques of Purgatory of Indulgences of the Treasure of the Church of Limbus of the Service in an unknowne tongue of his Supremacie nor usurping any title to himselfe that was not common to the other Apostles with the Pope who teacheth all these things and in his Bulls attributeth to himselfe such titles as Saint Peter never admitted of in his Epistles then may it easily be conjectured what little modicum of assurance there is that the Pope cannot degenerate from the puritie of Saint Peter nor be alienated from his doctrine And note that although Saint Peter was exempted from errour by the continuall assistance of the Spirit of God which Iesus Christ had promised to the Apostles neverthelesse neither hee nor any Apostle vsed this arrogant language vaunting of their impossibilitie to erre As the Pope is the onely Christian Prelate which maketh himselfe to be called God so is he the onely creature which qualifieth himselfe with Infallibilitie to the end to make him resemble God Imitating heerein the false Doctors who taught the Iewes to say The Law shall not perish from the Iere. 18. 18. Priest nor the Counsell from the Wise nor the Word from the Prophet It is not requisite to prooue this Maxime any further That the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in the Faith to bee false and contradicted in the experience of so many ages by so many holy Doctors who haue so often condemned the Bishops of Rome by so many Councels damning the Romish Church and the Bishop of Rome for error and heresie by the testimony of numbers of our adversaries who reject this Maxime and by the confession of the Popes themselues This hath beene amply prooved in my first Treatise Vpon which so false a Maxime are grounded all Traditions of the church of Rome as a multitude of flies sitting vpon a floating planke or a number of Chymera's hanging at a spiders thread which breaketh at a blast It is their plaister for all evill They make new Articles of faith most gainfull to his Holinesse Idolatry Merchandise tyranny corruption of the benefit and nature of Iesus Christ is established And in conclusion they pay us with this maxime that the Church cannot erre and by the Church they understand the Romish and by the Romish Church the Pope of Rome Thus the Romish Church forbiddeth all sorts of errours by an errour in saying I cannot erre supplying with presumption that which is wanting in reason Shee is exempted from giving reason of her doctrine for shee her selfe judgeth that she hath reason Such an errour is the worst of all for by this meanes a man becommeth Iudge of the Word of God and maketh Religion to depend upon his will And hee that saith I cannot erre will never reforme his errour nor subiect himselfe to any rule for he beleeveth himselfe to be the Rule How shall he be raised vp who beleeveth hee cannot fall The third Maxime whereon our adversaries ground their Traditions hath no more certaintie then the other two precedent They presuppose without proofe that Iesus Christ and the Apostles haue spoken many things which they did not commit to writing Vpon this presupposition they build another the most inconsiderate and unreasonable that can bee For they would haue it beleeved that those things which the Apostles did not set downe in writing are the Traditions of the Romish Church at this time and therefore conclude that when Iesus Christ spake severally and apart to his Disciples he conferred with them about the service of Images and adoration of Reliques about Indulgences and superaboundant satisfactions of the Saints which the Pope ought to locke up in his Treasury about Invocation of Saints about the crowning of his Mother in the dignitie of Queene of heaven and of the Angels about private Masses the Communion vnder one kind blessed Beades Agnus Dei c. This is a daring conjecture whereon if the faith of the faithfull bee founded all Religion shall consist of supposition and the Pope shall haue good recreation to invent Traditions which shal turne to his profit for such conjectures are taken for Oracles and layd downe for a foundation of the Christian faith But they are ashamed of this and * contradict themselues for knowing that these Traditions are new Inventions they speake freely that neither Christ nor the Apostles haue taught all either by mouth or by writing and that the Popes from time to time haue added many doctrines essentiall and necessary reserving to themselues the power of altering that which God hath comanded in
added thereunto much more cleerenesse and light 4. Yet the same Apostle at Act. 20. 27. speaketh to the Ephesians I have not shunded to declare unto you all the counsell of God Whereupon it followeth that the essentiall things of faith which Salmeron formerly told us were added since the Apostles time and not taught of them either by mouth or by writing are not of the counsell of God Of which additions in matters of religion of the greatest importance we have already vouched many examples especially out of the confession of our Adversaries themselves It would bee impertinent to reply that by the same reason it should bee said that the Gospel of Saint Iohn and the Apocalypse are not of the counsell of God because they were noâ— then written when Saint Paul said he had declared all the counsell of God For these two bookes containe not any doctrine which is not found in the other bookes of the new Testament and which the Apostles have not taught by mouth and by writing 5. At Deut. 4. 2. and 12. 3. God speaketh thus Ye shall not adde to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Hee doth not say you shall not change or alter any part or you shall not teach any thing to the contrary but you shall adde nothing and diminish nothing As to diminish defalse something from the Law of god is not to foist in a contrary câ—mandement so also to adde doth not signifie to impugne Put the case it were not forbidden to adde and that it should bee spoken thus You shall change nothing of my word yet the Pope would still be culpable of having infringed this restraint by attributing to himselfe the power of changing the Lawes and Ordinances of God and of dispensing against the Apostle In the bookes of the hourely prayers of our Lady according to the custome of Rome the ten Commandements of God are placed in the entrance The third is couched in these termes Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath and festivall dayes Can any thing bee more plainely added to the Commandement of God Therefore if it were prohibited to adde to the Law of Moses without which was then no Doctrine of salvation there is no colour or appearance that at this time the Law of Moses the Prophets the Evangelists and Apostles are not sufficient and that it is lawfull to adde unwritten Traditions thereunto And let it not seeme strange that the bookes of Moses alone were then sufficient unto salvation for whosoever will examine the books of Ioshua of the Iudges of the Prophets who did set forth their writings afterwards shall finde that they adde nothing to the Doctrine of salvation which is contained in the bookes of Moses onely they adde some confirmatory examples of the promises and menaces of God some histories of the chastisements judgements and deliverances of the Chuâ—ch some Prophecies and future events some particular expositions of that which the law of Moses spake in generall and some commaundements made to some particular one which were not generall Lawes nor perpetuall in the Church As for the Oracles which God gave amongst the Cherubins they were not Doctrines nor Canons of Religion but answeres upon future successes or upon the estate of the present affaires of peace or warre It is true that Iesus Christ and the Apostles have since given a more ample instruction but I say that whilst the Church had no other divine bookes but those of Moses they were sufficient to salvation for the Church ought to be contented with that measure of knowledge which God hath revealed But in succeeding ages if God revealeth something more then he had done before and pâ—esenteth himselfe more obviously to humane understandings this falleth out necessary for those unto whom Gods pleasure is to have himselfe manifested That Noses hath not distributed unwritten Traditions to the people see his owne testimony at Deut. 31. 24. in these words And it came to passe when Moses had made an end of writing the words of the Law in a booke untill they were finished that he commanded the Levites which bare the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord saying Take this booke of the Law and put it in the side of the Arke c. 6. After the death of Mâ—ses God gave to Ioshua no other precept or document â—hen this very booke as hee himselfe speaketh to Ioshua in the first Chapter Be strong and courageous that thou mayest observe to doe according to all the Law which Moses my servant commanded thee turne not from it to the right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest This booke of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night Surely God in this Law of Moses commandeth to obey the Soueraigne sacrificing Priest as also the Leuites and the Iudges not when they should adde to the Law of God but when they should teach this Law as it is said at the 17. of Deut. 9. and 11. Where also the Kings are commanded to haue the booke of the Law of God alwayes before their eyes and to read therein all the dayes of their life verse the 18. and the 19. 7. None of our adversaries durst yet deny that the doctrine of the Gospell is sufficient to salvation or gaine-fay that the Gospell is found whole and entire in the new Testament Otherwise the title were false and we should be forced to change the inscription and set it downe part of the Gospel untill the Pope doth publish the second part or else bee compelled to seeke the other part of the Gospel in the unwritten word which is not to bee found For our aduersaries would never suffer it to bee compiled and reduced into one body nor doe they divulge any booke which is called the word of God except the Holy Scripture Some answere that the bookes Iehan Iaubert p. 308. of the Gospell which are in the new Testament doe containe all the Gospel but implicitely that is to say after an involued and imbroyled manner the force of conscience hath extorted those words from them for if the service of Images adoration of Reliques Pardons of one hundred thousand yeeres single life of Priests succession of the Pope in the Apostleship of Saint Peter restraint of reading the Scripture c. are contained in the bookes of the new Testament they must bee lurking after an inveloped and obscure manner for no man could euer descry them to bee therein Those that extract oyles and salts out of the stones would idly imploy their knowledge therein For to speake in generall without any specification that the Scripture approoueth Traditions is but a mockery under this vaile or shaddow there is neither tyranny nor idolatry nor bartering traffique but may abound and bee practised in the Church presupposing without proofe that these are the Traditions which the Scripture meaneth for the Pope so
iudgeth of them who cannot erre in the Faith though all these Traditions tend onely to his profit 8. I affirme the same of the title of the whole Bible being called the Testament or Covenant of God which Title must bee changed if the Scripture be but a part of Gods Testament It were deluding of the World to call contract of marriage a parchment that containeth but the moyetie of the clavses of the contract or to call Testament that which is but a part of the disposall of the last will 9. Towards the conclusion of the Apocalips the Lord Iesus speaks as followeth I testifie vnto euery man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this booke If any man shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke Vpon which passage the Councell of Friuly speaketh thus Concilium Porojuliense Nam in Apocalypsi Iohannes Apostolus sub vnius libri appellatione de tota vtriusque Testamenti se is contestatus est dicens Si quis apposuerit ad hac apponet Deus omnes plagas scriptas in libro hoc In the Apocalips Iohn the Apostle vnder the name of one booke hath protested concerning the whole series or prosecvâ—ion of both Testaments saying If any man adde to these things God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this booke 10. The Apostle Saint Iohn at the 20. Chapter of his Gospell 31. saith These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ and that beleuing yee might haue life through his Name Vpon which passage Cyrill of Alexandria Cyrill lib. 12. in IohaÌ„ cap. ultimo Non igitur omnia qua fecit Dominus coÌ„scripta sunt sed qua scribentes taÌ„ ad mores quaÌ„ ad dogmata putaverunt sufficere vt recta fide operibus as virtute rutil aÌ„tes ad regnum coelorum pervâ—niamus speaketh in this maner All things which our Lord hath done are not written but those things onely which they that did write them haâ—e beleeued to be suffâ—cient to the end that shining in true faith workes and vertue wee may attaine to the Kingdome of heauen 11. Our Lord Iesus at the 15. of Mat. 3. spake to the Pharisees Why doe ye transgresse the commandement of God by your Tradition Observe here that hee saith not yee contradict but ye transgresse the commandement of God by your Tradition Foâ— indeed the Pharisaicall Traditionâ— were for the most part simple aditions to the Law of God having appearance of devotion thingâ— no otherwise forbidden but aâ— God forbiddeth to adde to hiâ— word as to fast twise in a weeke to lengthen out their fringes anâ— Phylacteries of their garments tâ— wash themselues at returne froâ— market scrupulously to cleane thâ— pots and to accompt their pacâ— vpon the Sabbath 12. The Apostle to the Coloâ— chap. 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoâ— you through Philosophy and vaine â—â—ceit after the Tradition of men Aâ— that our aduersaries may not comâ— here to distinguish humane Trâ—ditions from those which â—â— Church of Rome will have to â—â— imbraced for divine and Apostolicall the Apostle specifieth and chiefely condemneth certaine traditions found to be amongst those that are taught by the Church of Rome to wit service of Angels observation of Feasts and the ordinance of those who vsing a distinction of meats did say eate not touch not tast not And this not because they thought the meates to be hurtfull or polluted in their nature but as the Apostle saith teaching these doctrines through voluntary deuotion and humblenesse of spirit in that they no way spare the body nor haue they respect to the fulnesse of the flesh 13. The same Apostle to the Ephesians 2. chap. 20. groundeth our faith upon the Prophets and the Apostles Being built saith he vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles If our faith be grounded upon the unwritten word it is behouefull there be another foundation then the Prophets Apostes For if our adversaries say that S. Paul understandeth the Church to be grounded upon the word of the Apostles aswell written as unwriten they oblige themselues to say the same of the doctrine of the Prophets and also to forge unto us Prophetical Traditions unwritten which were never mentioned or spoken of about Saint Pauls time morâ—ouer we have formerly heard our adversaries maintaining that there are more things essentiall in Religion then the Apostles have taught by mouth or writing 14. At the 16. chapter of Saint Luke 26. the wicked rich man being in hell requesteth Abraham that one amongst the dead should be sent to his brethren to give them advertisement and warne them of their duties least that they should tumble into the like torment to whom Abraham maketh answere They haue Moses and the Prophets let them hearken to them Which is cleerely to say that they ought to content themselves with the Doctrine of Moses and the Prophets which was read in the Synagogues every Sabbath without expecting other revelation For Iesus Christ speaketh of â—he unhappie rich man as of a man that had lived under the old Testament during the time that the Church had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other Doctrine but that of the bookes of Moses and the Prophets Chrysostome doth so understand it in his Commentary upon Galat. 1. Abraham being required to send Lazarus answereth they have Moses and the Prophets if they hearken not to them nâ—ither will they beleeve the dead raised up to life Now Iesus Christ bringeth in Abraham speaking thus to declare that hee would have more faith ascribed to the Scriptures then if the dead were called backe to life 15. At Gal. 1. 8. Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which wee have preached unto you let him be accursed The vulgar translation of our Adversaries interpreteth this passage as we doe Licet nos aut Angelus de coelo evangelizet vobis praeterquam quod evangelizavimus vobis anathema sit Consider now that this translation which the Councell of Trent declareth to be onely authenticall rendereth it praeterquam not contra that is to say other then but not contrary For though this word praeter sometime signifieth contra yet praeterquam cannot be so taken and praeterquam quod can import nothing else but other then that So though the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in Ep. ad Gal. Nâ—que enim si contraria soluÌ„ praedicaverint intulit sed si Evangelisaverint praeter id quod ipsi evaengeli savimus hoe est fi plusculum quippiam ipsi adiecerint Tertull. de praescr ca. 8 Hoc â—rius credimus non esse quod vltra credere debeamus Et cap. 14. Nihil vltra scire omma scire est Et cap. 29. Etsi Angelus de coelo aliter evangelisaverit vltra quaÌ„ nos anathema sit signifieth sometimes contra yet our