answere suppose you they coulde make I thynke none other but as I haue made you before That is we knowe it by oure elders or holye prophetes and fathers before vs. Nowe I wyll aske you a questian whiche shall not be impossible nor verie vnlyke If it pleased God to moue the herte of a Iewe whiche wer neither christian nor turke to seke in the worlde here the moste perfecte religion He goeth to the Turkes and cometh to the christians Wherwyth woulde you perswad hym to thys perfect religion Woulde you preache to hym constitutions coūselles and customes of the elders He mought then as well beleue the turkes as you For they haue many thynges in their lawe that seme to be verie godlye And they re authoritie wythout authoritie of scripture is euen as good as yours But I knowe you wyl saye what so euer you thinke that you woulde preache the Gospell vnto hym Then must you nedes graunte that the scripture is of greater efficacie and strength them oure fathers elleders and counsayles If you wyll yet wyth your questians affirme that the fathers whyche descended frome tyme to tyme frome the Apostles hither to haue greater authoritye then the scripture I wyl axe you an other questian The Apostles of Christ forsoke the ceremonies customes and constitutions of theyr elders forefathers and of as holye mother holye churche in the iudgemente of the worlde at that tyme as yours is w t the world at thys houre and of as longe continuaunce of tyme. Yet folowed they Christes doctrine who was named of those holye fathers a sediciouse felowe a newe tidinges bringer and an heretike Answere me nowe what touchstone had they to trye Christes doctrine wyth that they so ernestlye folowed hym and refused theyr forefathers olde holye doctours proceadynge from Moyses to Christ Ther were at that tyme auncient fathers which had great learneing both byshopes and priestes The tradions ordinaunces and ceremonies whiche they vsed receyued they of theyr elders lyke as you woulde haue vs to receiue the constitucions of oure elders Tell me nowe how can you excuse the Apostles They were but pore fisher men and net makers they wer not brought vp in the scholes they hadde not the leisure toturne and tosse those greate volumes to be made doctours of deuinitie nor law And yet within a whyle they toke vpon them to teach the great doctours and what mought those holye fathers haue sayed to these fishers Take hede to your fysheynge What haue you to do wyth the scripture It is not mete for euerie coblarde to be talkeynge of scripture Howe were these men so lyghtlye perswaded What touchestone I saye had they But seynge you woulde so fayne haue the name of the holye fathers and holye churche I axe you thys questian Those Apostles and Disciples of Christe whyche were in hys tyme wyth hym presente whyche preached and wrote the scripture were holy fathers and of the perfecte true churche If the fathers syeth theyr tyme haue dissented frome them in doctryne maners custome lawes or in anye thynge partayneynge to Christes relygion whyche fathers woulde you folowe If you denye that the fathers haue dessented as is a fore sayed I refer the proue of it tyll a tyme of more leasure Partely because I thynke you wyll not denye it but chiefelye because my letter woulde be to longe Wherfore I wyl come to your thyrde question whyche in dede includeth the matter of all the reste whiche is thys If ther aryse anye contention in vnderstandeynge the Scriptures wherein boeth the parties bringe scripture for them whoe shall nowe discusse the matter Where is nowe the toucheston The scriptures can not For boeth bring scripture And the scripture you meane causeth y e cōtrouersye But I aske you whether the scriptures be deuided or no If they be deuided then accordinge to Christes worde they muste be confounded But that is an incōuenience and I knowe well you wyll not graunt that If the scriptures be not deuided but agre in one as they do in deede for one place cannot be repugnaunte to an other thoughe it so seme then haue not boeth parties scripture for them but y e one partie must nedes falsely alledge scripture But you will aske me who shal geue sentence or by whom the cōtrouersye shal be appeased and where is Luthers touchstone In dede at your sermō no man made answer Wherefore you made answere and sayde the holye gooste must be tuchstone As who should saye Luthers answere were not the very same When he sayeth gods worde must be the touchston as you reporte of hym And I praye you maister Chrispyn what difference is betwene gods worde and godes spirite Is not goddes worde the breath of gods mouthe And call you not that the holye goste Howe be it it is easilye perceyued what ye meane Ye put in the holye gost for a cloke to deceiue vs wyth albeit ye meane nothing lesse then the holye gooste If you aske me how I proue it I answer thus I proue it Wythout fayeth it is not possible to please God but fayeth cometh by the word of god Ergo wythout the worde of God nothyng can please God But you exclude the word of God from the spirite of God and in stead of that ioyne vnto it fathers counsayles and oure mother holy churche for you saye the worde of God can not be touchston ▪ but onelie beare wytnesse but the holye gooste is the touch stone whoe was and is in the holye fathers that haue alwayes gathered counsayles by whyche all thynges muste be iudged and dermined To proue thys ye alledge these wordes Where so euer two or three be gathered together c. These holye fathers you affirme to be the byshopes and prelates But thus to include the holye gooste into byshopes you exclude y e word of god If this be not to be disceiued sure I am deceyued But it were necessarie for you to proue the chur that you speake of to be the true-holye and catholyke churche before you perswade men so ernestye to belyeue and stycke vnto it But I saye the churche that taketh awaye the authoritye of goddes worde or diminisheth it by anye meanes is not of Christe But you mayster Chrispyne graunte youre selfe to be of thys churche Ergo etc. And in myne opinion you do naught to say that all holy fathers frō Christ to thys time wer of the same opinion that you be of concernynge goddes worde For I dare saye Augustine whome you admytte to be of the verye holye church wyll not hold wyth you in thys matter But if he woulde the authoritye of Christe is greater Whoe is it that wyll not suspecte your churche seynge you set it so high in Lucifers place aboue Christe and separate the hollye goste from Christe where as Christe sayeth I am that I say vnto you What is y t he spake vnto vs Is it not his word He saith moreouer the wordes y t I speake are spirite lyfe I
place After this will I poure out my spirite saieth Ioel vpon all fleshe and your sonnes and daughters shal prophecie your olde mâ—n shal dreame dreames and your yonge men shall se visions Yea in those dayes I wil poure out my spirite vpon maidens and seruauÌ„tes ct Nowe therefore seynge that S Peter affirmeth after the Prophete Esay that al fleshe is grasse and al y e glorye of maÌ„ is as y e floure of grasse the grasse withereth and the flower falleth a waye but the worde of oure God abydeth for euer I woulde exhorte in you ryght worshippefull syr all men frome the hygheste to the loweste to cleaue faste to the word of god For it wyl come to passe that who soeuâ—r calleth vpon the name of the Lorde shall be saued Who eeuer defende you Amen ☞ Your humble and fayethful at your commaundement Phillip Nicolles ¶ Here foloweth the copie of a letter writtyn to master Chrispyn chanone of Excester concernynge thre questians put furth in hys sermon wherby he entended to declare all them heretickes that would Gods word to be the touch stone IT chaunced me worshipful maister Chrispen to be at your sermoÌ„ preached at Marledon the .xxiiii. Daye of marche laste paste at the monethes mynde of maister Otes Gylberd In whiche sermon amonge other thynges I remembre you enuied Luther verie sore onelye because he woulde haue the scripture to be the touch stone or triall of al other doctrines And calling Luther as it were into disputacions wyth al his disciples you put furth three questians whyche be these Fyrst if ther rose any heresies or dissentions before the Gospel was written as ther dyd in dede betwene SimoÌ„ Magus and SimoÌ„ Peter and ouer the circumsicion aske Luther hys disciples whoe nowe shall discusse the matter and whoe shoulde be the touche stone to trie the mattier The Gospell can not for it was not then wrytten The second questian is If one shoulde denye Mathewes Gospel or say Mathewe wrote it not how can it be proued by scripture It can not you say for scripture speaketh not of it The thyrd questiaÌ„ dyd deceiue the ignorante people which haue litle or no knowledge which is If ther be dissension or strife aboute the vnderstandeynge of the scriptures and both alledge scripture as the Areans dyd whoe brought to places of scripture for y e defence of theire errour in suche case you aske whoe shal be iudge or by whoÌ„ shall this be determined Or rather to vse your veri wordes wher is Luthers touch ston The scripture can not be touche stone you saye for boeth bringe forth scripture Wherefore ther must nedes be an other touch stone Where is Luthers now quoth you What answer can be made to these questians For Luthers touch ston wyll not serue Your answer was ther fore that Luther must gyue place and saye wyth you that it is the holye gost that must be touchston Thus you triumphed vpon Luther and hys disciples meaneinge by Luthers disciples suche I suppose as holde thys opinion as though you had ouer come theÌ„ that they coulde answere nothing Thys is easye to do when a maÌ„ hath all the talke hym selfe But for as muche as you wyshed Luther there at your sermon or some of his disciples to answere to your questians I thynke verelye you wylbe contented to heare a pore man answere though yet but simplye But I do you to wyt that I am none of Luthers disciples for I knowe not Luther But that I thynke hym to be a man as you be and therefore of hym selfe a lyer But if Luther spake the truth I woulde beleue him as sone as you or any other that speake the truth For the trueth by the whiche I meane gods worde can not be spoken wyth out holye gooste if it be spokeÌ„ to the glorye of God But in dede you or any other maye wyckedlye alledge the scripture of your selfe wythout the spirite to the defaceinge of the glorie of god and hinderaunce of hys worde as the deuyll dyd to Christe Mathe. iiii But I wyl resorte to the questians â–ª wyth thys protestacion that if I haue by any meanes mysse reported your wordes or other wyse vnderstanded them then you ment I hertelye desire you that you wyll charitably infourme me what were your questians what ye ment in them and howe you lyke thys my rude answere In so doinge â–ª I wyll be confirmable to your counsayle or else I wyll shewe you my mynde why I ought not Nowe to your fyrste questian whyche is thys If ther arose any dissention of heresie before the gospell was writen as it happened in dede betwene SimoÌ„ Magus and Simon Peter Also ouer the circumsicion where had ben then the touche stone To this questiaÌ„ by your leaue mayster Chripyne I wyll in this maner answer wyth Luther and say the scripture must be the touch stone If you saye it was not written I answer The worde was in the begyninge You wyl saye that Christe came accordynge to the scripture to finishe a newe testament whiche he coÌ„firmed and sealed wyth his bloude and when the newe was come the olde vanished awaye as Saynte Paule affirmeth to the Hebrues And you wyll saye peraduenture that Luther also meaneth the newe testa mente whiche was not written when the questian of circumsicion was moued wherefore it coulde not be the touche stone To make many wordes about this questian in my coÌ„ceyt wer but losse of time But I aske you Maister Chrispine what difference is betwene scripture written and scripture spoken if boeth be scripture You wyl graunte I am sure that Peter Paul and Iames wordes wer scripture when they preached or taughte the Gospell Then if anie man had asked for scripture it mought haue ben answerd Go to Peter Paul Iohn wyth thother Apostles For theyr preaching and couÌ„sayle was scripture So lacked not at that tyme Luthers tuchestone for the Apostles wryttinges and preachinges agreed and all was scripture Wherefore thys questian is sufficientlye answered to the worthynesse of it To your second questian which is It any man should denye Mathwes Gospell you aske howe it coulde be proued by scripture that Mathew wrote it To this I answere that if it be agreinge to the other scriptures and dissent in nothinge from it what daynger is it to call it Mathewes Gospell who so euer wrote it And though you coulde denye Mathewes Gospell to be Scripture yet there is Scripture For Marke Luke and Iohns Gospell Peter Paule and Iohns Epistles be scripture But I doubt not you wyll grauÌ„t Mathewes Gospel to be scripture But you wil aske me how I know it I answere by the reporte of the elders holye fathers mother holye churche Howe saye you nowe Haue I answered you wel Doth not thys answere please you I thynke yes But if I shoulde are the turkes howe they knowe that Mahomete was an holye prophet whoe deuised and caused to be deuised the Alcaron what
able to defend it that he hadde preached whye shoulde he feare to wryte to the defence of the same Wherfore seinge he hath receyued my letter kepeth it and wyl not write agayne and yet blameth and fyndeth diuers fautes in it why shoulde he be greued wyth me for spreadeynge a broode myne owne doynges to vtter myne owne secretes And where as he was offēded wyth me although I haue not nor wyll laye anye such priuate communicacion to anye mans charge specially of myne owne seekynge yet I saye I muste declare my meaneinge more playnely in those thynges whyche he is so muche offended wythall to thentente that no stublynge stocke be purposely layed in my brothers waye that he shoulde not vnderstande the trueth and prayse God For although I found mayster Chrispyne verye gentle and charitable to talke wythal for y t which thynge I haue and wyll gyue him prayse yet disputeth he subtlelye and especially when he thynketh to haue yonge scholars in handelynge as he dyd wyth me For in thys he put me to my trumpe because I asked him in my letter what difference was betwene scripture wrytten and scripture spoken Nowe truth it is that accordyng to the Etimologie of the word which cometh of Scribo and so to Scriptura it can not be called Scripture vnlesse it be written And so euerye thynge written maye be called scripture And in that sentence we shall fynde no difference betwene the bible and Robyn hod by this name scripture for both maye be called scripture I saye after the verie nature of y e word Lo heare haue you an exāple of sophistri Let yong scholars take hede by me howe they meddell wyth thē For whereas I mente symply after the commone vsage and phrase of ourespeache meaneinge by Scripture written and spokē the prophecie of y e olde and newe testament the doctrine of Christe euen the verie worde of God as well beynge opened by the mouth of the Apostles vnto the heares in those dayes as written wyth theyr owne handes and reade vnto vs nowe in our time he nowe takeinge hys aduauntage at y e nature of y e latine word Scriptura out of whiche this englishe worde scripture is diriued denieth that it maye be called scripture vnlesse it be written What other thynge is thys then a mere sophisticall cauillacion The scribes and pharises in Christes tyme by lyke had not learned their sophistrie or els thei wer not so curiouse as our mē be For if thei had thei mought haue asked Christ whē he bad thē serch the scriptures what scripture he mēt But Paule therfore preuēting such subtile disputīg calleth it holy scriptur geuen by inspiracion Thus you se a mā had nede as the prouerbe goeth to haue a long spone y t shal eate w t y e deuill It is no maruaile though master Chrispin in his lessō not long sēce dyd so much cōmēd distinctions proued thē so necessarie y t we could not be wtout thē For he that shal haue to do w t such sophisters had nede to make diffiniciōs premeditat his words before pretacion For the prophecie was neuer brought in by the wyll of man but y e holy mē of god spake as they were moued of the holye gost Nowe if I shoulde aske S. Peter what he meaneth by scripture here I thynke he woulde say the word of god But it is the word of god writtine would you say yet doth s Peter say it of the same written worde y e the holye men of God spake as they were moued by y e holy goste But trulye I thinke it but a vaine thing and euen a losse of tyme to trifle in suche questians which can no waye edifye especially seynge S. Paule doth so often diswade Timoth frome such foleishe questians exhorteth him to cleaue faste to the word of God If anye man sayth he teache other wyse and agreeth not to the holesome wordes of our lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine of godlinesse he is puffed vp and knoweth no-nothing but wasteth his braines about questians and striueing of words wherof sprīgeth enuie c. After a like maner also he toke me vp how be it more ernestlye for that I sayde the worde was in the beginning and for alledging Christes wordes I am that I say vnto you Or euen y e same thinge that I speake vnto you As thoughe I wente aboute to proue y t Christe was but a voice only or a writtē letter in paper Thus he dalyed w t me was in w t his distīctiōs whether I mēt bi y e word y e voice y e breath or the writtē word with manie double doubtes For mi words he saied as they stode in my letter were heresie But I told him y t I mēt it by y e same word y t the lord Iesus christ taught as Christ hym selfe wittnesseth I am euen the very same thinge y t I speake vnto you He saied that the words were not as I alledged them them For the latyne hath saied he Ego sum qui loquor vobis Now as for the alledgeinge of those wordes I folow the English translatours whose lerneynge I can not correcte If he can amende theyr doinges he shal haue good leaue for me Notwythstanding seinge that he maketh my wordes to dayngerouse I cānot but say more in it although they can not be spokē in my cōceyt more playne to be vnderstād thē they be alredi writtē For. s ▪ Iohn sayeth The worde was in y e beginning the word was w t god and God was the worde Nowe to denye that Christe is the worde of God by whiche all thinges were made I say is anheresie in dead Therfore it must nedes be graūted that Christe was and is the worde of God Thy worde Lorde sayeth the prophete is a lanterne to my fet and a light to my pathes Again he sayeth When thy worde goeth forth it geueth lyght and vnderstandeynge euen to babes Nowe what meaneth he by this worde that geueth thys lyghte Christe sayth I am come a light into y e world that who so euer be leueth in me should not abyd in darknes By these many other it wyll appeare Christe to be the true worde of God But nowe wyll they graunte that Christe is the worde that came from the father the lyghte of the worlde the life of the worlde as Moyses saith set your hertes on y e words that I testifie sayeth he for it is no vayne worde but your lyfe I am sure I say they wyl graūt Christe to be the worde but not the worde wryttyn whyche we reade in the boke In dede to say that Christe maye be written in paper or that the letters whiche be made of incke paper should be Christe were a fonde opinion and suche as I neuer harde of But the wordes written in the boke which we cal the scripture As the prophetes from Moyses to Christ and the
doctrine of the apostles which is written we cal it the Gospel we call it the scriptures we cal it y e newe testament and the olde these wordes written in a boke beinge reade vnto the people to enstruction edifying of y e cōgregatiō is the word of god yea Christ y e breade of life which came frō heauē so y e whoso eateth therof shal liue euer The words that Moyses dyd testifie vnto the children of Israell and sayed vnto them it is no vayne word but your life be they not writtē And be they not our life as wel as theyrs But what life cā thei be vnto vs if thei be kept frō vs so that we know thē not Dyd Moyses hyde them away and say they would make mē heretykes But all suche as do euil hate the lyght and come not to it that theyr dedes should not be reproued but he that doeth the trueth cometh to the lyght that his workes maye be knowen for they be done in God Agayne I am the lyghte of the world sayeth Christe Whye shoulde these men refuse goddes word to be their light if they wer of god whie should they feare to saye y e Christes worde is Christe the worde of the father the light that lyghneth al men that come vnto hym Esaye sayth If anye man want light let him loke vpon the lawe and testimonies What meaneth he by the lawe and testimonies meaneth he not the scripture or written word of God shall we not ther fynde the lighte I woulde aske these disputers of the worlde Whether the Gospell be written or no I thyncke they wyll graunte that it is written Well Saynct Paulle sayth he is not a shamed of y e Gospell of Christe for it is the powre of God whiche saueth all that beleue Nowe is this gospel written for our learneing saueth as many as beleue Marke wel the beleuers are not saued because it is writtē but they be saued because they beleue y e which is writē I aske these philosophers whether y e wordes that Christe speake be written or no I trowe the Euangelistes haue written the moste necessarye thynges yea the verie secretes hyd thynges If Christes wordes which he spake be writtē then the word y t is written shal iudge these vnbeleauers in the laste daye For thus sayth Christe He y t refuseth me and receyueth not my wordes hath one alredye y t iudgeth hym The word sayth he that I haue spoken shal iudge him in the last day Vnderstād nowe gentle reader y t these fathers would vnder colours plucke a waye the great authoritie of the scriptures and diminishe thorowe subtyle disputinge y e efficatie and strength of the gospell Whether they do of hatred to gods word or blindnes and ignoraunce in the same or else for lucers sake I can not tell But to far wander they out of the waye But I exhorte the though they be to far on the left hand rune not y u to far on y e rigt hande Enter in at the strayte gate for wyde is the gate and brode is the way that leadeth to destructiō many ther be y e go in ther at But strayte is y e gate and narrowe is the waye that leadeth vnto lyfe and fewe therbe y e fynd it Thys is therfore the sume of thys disputaciō y t Christ is the word and wisedome of the father in whom who so beleueth hath euerlasteinge lyfe Thys same word did he him self preach and sayeth If you abyde in me any my wordes abyde in you ye shall axe what you wyll and it shal be done vnto you Beholde wheras he sayde before If you continue in my wordes nowe he sayeth If you byd in me and my wordes abid in you By this it is euident that Christe is the worde euen that worde whiche was preached frō the beginning is preached nowe and shal be to the ende And although Christe be not as is sayde incke and paper or a worde closed in a boke as thought we mought saye looe here in thys boke is Christe or in that boke is Christe yet was it the wyll of God that thys heauenly doctrine shoulde be written and that it shoulde remaine wyth vs and also that these wordes written beinge reade vnto vs shoulde be vnto vs euē that same worde that Christe spake when he sayed He that is of god heareth gods worde And euen the verie same to them that beleue that he speaketh of sayeing If anye man kepe my worde he shal neuer se death And to them that beleue not the same that he sayeth shall iudge the vnbeleuers in the last daye Now marke well I besech the and consider wyth thy selfe the mischiefe of these subtyle sophisters They make it wounderfull dayngerouse to call the scriptur Christe They be verye carefull to haue the true worship of god preserued and kepte And they feeare leaste we wyll fall to worshipynge of the verie boke wherin the testimonies of Christe be wrytten And therfore do they withdrawe all men from readeinge and heareing it as much as they can But alas why be they not so ware and dayngerous in theyr laye mens bokes as they cal them whiche al the scripturs crie out vpon euen from the begininge of the olde testament to the later ende of the new By the which bokes or rather abominable Idoles it is open and manifest that muche Idolatrie hath ben cōmitted yea wil be stil so longe as ther is one left standing in the temples The word of god the doctrine of Christe whiche he and his Aposteles so ernestlye taught exhorted cōmaunded to harken vnto to beleaue and folowe almost al the bible is nothing else this I say they cānot suffer any man to haue to do with al. Thei haue burned it frō tyme to tyme they burned the readars of it as al the worlde can testifie It is manifeste that they beare little good wyll to it vnto thys daye But these mahomets puppetes veri Idolles which haue not one word in al scriptur for them but contrarie to the vtter abolishinge of them these they can suffer to be called Christe saynte sauioure saynte Sundaye the holye trinitie oure ladye of Pitye our ladye of grace oure ladye I can not tell wherof Alhallowes wyth a thousād like names Yea they can abyde that the people should worship those stil for they neuer preach agaynste them but rather defende them to kepe the vnlerned in their blindnesse styl Alas to open is your doynge nowe O you catholyke fathers euerye chylde maye perceyue your blinde doctrine Yet wyl not you cease to exalt this false church cōgregaciō of deceyceyuers euē aboue god him selfe For God was the worde and aboue the rule of thys worde sete ye your owne tradicions in the name of Christes church Thus dyd Christe prophecie that you shoulde come that you shoulde dooe miracles and wonders In so
perceyued by the helpe of God nether by oure selues or other c. Suche a one am I in other mens writtinges as I would other men should be in myne If we had no moe sayeinges of the doctours but thys one consideringe the estimacion Augustine is in it were inoughe to ouerthrowe all the confidence that they woulde teach vs to haue in mens writinges besyde gods worde But heare an other He writeth vnto Hierome and sayeth I haue learned to geue this feare and honoure onlye vnto the writters whiche be called canonicall y t I stedfastly beleue that none of them haue erred in writtinge For if I finde anye thinge in those letters y t semeth contrary to the trueth either I thinke the boke not to be true or the translater hath not truelye folowed his copie or else I think verilye I do not vnderstande it But I read al other writers saieth he after this maner that I thinke be they neuer so holy and well learned that it whiche they haue written is not strayte way true because they haue thought so but because they coulde make me beleue it either by those canonical authoures or else by some probable and sure reasone which dissenteth not frō the trueth He writeth agaynste one Cresonius the grāmariā sayinge I am not boūd by the authoritie of this Epistle because I do not cōpt and esteme Ciprians letters as canonicall of lyke authoritie w t the scripturs but I way thē pōder thē by the scripture If I finde any thing in thē agreinge w t the authoritie of holy scripture I receyue it with his praise But if it agre not bi his leaue fauour I refuse for sake it Againe in his treatise of shepherdes He hath ordeined y e hilles of Israel sayth he y e authours of holy scripturs There feade ye that you maye feade salfelye What so euer ye heare of that let it sauoure well wyth you whatsoeuer is besides that spite it out agayne leste ye erre in the clowde Addict youre selues to the meaneynge of the scripture There is the deyntie of y e hert there is no poysen no straynge thynge ther onelye is the moste holesome feadeyng Beholde the mynde of this great doctour named to be one of the greateste clarkes that wrot sence the aposteles tyme. He woulde haue no mans doctryne what soeuer he be to be compared to the holye scriptures In hys owne wryttynges he warneth vs that we shoulde not geue ouer much credence in the thynges sayeth he that you thynke yourselfe suer vnles ye surely vnderstande it beleue it not so stidfastely And writyng to Vincentius he graūteth that he hath wryten some thynges worthye to be blamed and therefore sayth that he hath made a boke of retractacions reuoking and casting agayne that which he had made before that the readers thereby maye learne that al his writinges in al points dyd not please hym Thys diffidence had Augustine in his writynges that in no case he would compare them wyth the scripture And loke what opinion he had of his owne writinges euen the same had he in al other mens besides the canonicall scriptures For he sayth in his boke of retractaciōs I cā not nor ought to denie sayth he but lyke as in myne elders so are many thynges in so many seuerall workes y t I haue made whyche maye be blamed wythout rayshnes with good iudgment If Austen wyl haue no credence geuen to mens writinges whether they be byshops or what so euer they be onlesse they bringe the authorite of scripture w t thē as he writteth to Vincentius We must make a differēce sayth he betwene mens wryttinges He nameth Hilarie Ciprian and Agrippie which be lyke were byshopes and the canonicall scriptures For they ought not so to be reade sayth he as though we might geuefurth suche testimonies of them that it shoulde not be lawefull to thinke other wyse then they affirme For peraduenture they vnderstande it otherwyse thē y e truth requireth He y t lusteth to searche Austēs workes shal find many thinges cōtrarie to their proud doctrine kycking against y e scriptures yea cōtrarie almost to al theyr blind erroures In so muche that I haue meruayled that they haue had him so longe in such estimacion and had not rather condemned hym for an heretike As for the authoritie of mens doctrine besyde the scripture he can not abyd But in all thynges he wylleth vs to haue respect to the scripture euē in prayseing god sayeth he let it be done as he hath appoynted lest in steppinge a syde we offend him that we would prayse And agaynste fanstus be writeth euē the same we must not tourne either to the right hand neither to y e lifte no not in y e prayse that we geue to god But euen the same praises sayeth he must we frame according to y e wil of y e scriptur And in y e xvi Cha. he sayth that they which would teach y e people any other thing thē y e canonical scriptures are not only false prophets but theaues robbars euē of our sauioure How cā our olde catholike fathers abyde thys felowe He calleth thē false prophetes theaues and robbars It is tyme the popes excommunication were out for hym He writeth agaynste the Maniches and sayeth Dispise you the scriptures whiche are commaunded and established with so great authoritye You do no miracles whiche if you dyd yet we would be ware of them in you because the Lorde teacheth vs to beware of suche saynge Ther shall aryse many false Christes etc. Many mo places maye there be founde in this mans workes which thei maye be a shamed to heare if it were nedfull But because they shall not conceyue al ther malise against Austen and parauēture haue hym in examinacion for slanderinge these holye fathers ye shal heare what Hierome sayeth He declareth y t Christ speaketh in Peter in Paule and that of the people and princes y e scripture is to be vnderstanded of the doctrine of the Apostls Of those sayeth he which were in it not of those which we beholde nowe And marke what he sayeth Those that were and not those that be that ye moughte vnderstande that what so euer shal be sayed after the Apostles tyme let it be cut a way sayth he for it hath none authoritie afterward Therfore if ther be any S. after the Apostles tyme he hath none authorite for thei come to late to be alowed quia nō fuerūt in ea sayeth he If y e saints must geue place to the holie scripture and haue none authoritye besydes that than what are they that make articles of our fayth or at least condemne thē for heretikes that wyl not receyue that doctrine that hath none authoritie of y e scripture but rather against the scripture The same Ierome vpon Ieremie sayth And they haue gone after straing gods as theyr fathers taught them
etc. Therefore sayeth he neither of our forefathers nor of our elders is the erroure to be folowed but the authoritie of the scripture and the cōmaundemente of God which teacheth vs. The same Ierome vpon Ezechiel sayth also y t we maye sinne as muche whē we think in our owne opinion y t we do wel as whē we willinglye do naught He writeth vpon y e prophet Nahum sayth y t against the cōing of Christ y e people shall fle to the scripture their studie shal be allowed because they shal not find anye to teach them and the slouthfulnesse of their teachchars shal be rebuked Marcke wel thys propheci for suerelye it byteth He writeth vpon Math. and sayth Anye thing that hath not authoritie of y e scriptur may as sone be reiected despiced as approued and alowed Againe to Ctesiphō he sayth What soeuer we affirme we must do it by the testimonies of holie scripture What soeuer is done without these bokes is in nowyse to be receyued Do these doctours set so little by the authoritie of goddes worde as oure men woulde perswade vs Do they not rather attribute al together to the scripture Ambrose also in the boke of paradise vpon this that Eue added to the wordes of the Lorde Neythere shall ye touche the trye We do learne by this present lessone sayeth he that wee ought to ad nothynge to the worde of God no thoughe wee do of it good intent or warines For if thou either ad any thing or take ought frome it thou semeste to be a trangressour of the commaundemente Heare haue you Ambrose also which can not in any wyse suffer the wysdome of man to be equale with y e scripture but that in all thynges we should leane to that For though our meaneing be neuer so good yet muste we not truste oure owne wyttes Thus he writeth vpon these wordes of the Epistle to the Romaynes be ye all of one mynde thys may be by God sayeth he but by mans wysdome can it neuer be And vpon the beginnynge of the fyrste Epistle to the Corhinthyans he sayth that the philosophers whē they first began to preach Christ they preached hym by the wysdome of the worlde and reiected the lawe and prophetes And agayne writing to Gratianus Augustus he sayeth that y e Arrians gate all the colour of theyr wyckednesse out of philosopheie Yet woulde oure diuines perswade vs that they gote it by readyng of scripture and expoundeinge it after theyr owne sence And therefore ther was no remedy to ouer come them but wyth some other learneinge for they were perfecte in the scriptures Notwithstandinge Gregorie wryttynge vpon Iob sayeth This canonicall scripture passeth all science all doctrine wythout comparisone Thys onely preacheth the trueth calleth to the heauen lye contrey it entiseth the herte of y e reader frō earthly desires to heauenly thinges Beholde gentle reader they boast them selues of the old holy doctours frō Christes tyme hythereto and yet the doctoures thē selues make cleane agaynste them Originne wryttinge vpon the prophet Ieremy sayeth It is nedfull necessary for vs to cal y e holy scriptures to witnes For our sēses our expositions sayth he wtout these witnesses are not to beleued After this sorte also he expoūdeth this saying vnder .ii. or iii. witnesses vnder .ii y t is the newe old testamēt vnder thre y t is y e gospel the prophetes apostles Againe vpon y e Ro. he sayth Paul gaue the doctours an ensāple to speake no thyng but they could proue it by the scripture For if he beinge so great such an apostle did not beleue his sayinges sufficiently except he taught it to be writtē in the law prophetes y t he speake how much more ought we which be far inferiours to him to obseue these thinges y t we do not bringe forth our owne doctrine whē we preache sayth he but y e sētence of y e holy gost Here haue you also the mind of Origen agreat clark whō they alledge verie oftē Cypriā writeth to one Cecilius noting vpon these wordes of Christ If ye do y t I cōmaūd you thē are ye my frēdes And y e Christ onely ought to be harde y e father witnesseth frō heauē saying This is my welbeloued son in whō I am wel pleased heare him Wherfor if onely Christ must be heard we ought not take hed what ani mā hath thought good to be done before vs but what christ hath first done which was before al mē Neither ought we to folow y e custom of mā but y e truth of god Seing god spaketh bi his prophet Esa sayth Thei worship me in vaine teaching y e cōmaūdemētes preceptes of mē And againe in the gospel Ye cast away y e cōmaūdementes of god y t ye mought establishe your owne tradiciōs And therfore deare brother If any of our fathers other by ignoraūce or simplicitie haue not obserued this kept y t y e lord hath taught vs to do by his example and gouernaunce pardone and forgeuenesse thorowe the goodnesse of the Lorde maye be graunted to theyr simplisitie But vnto vs it can not be so graunted which be admonished and enstructed of the Lorde c. He that lusteth to se more of thys let hym loke the place and reade farther and he shall fynde lyke wordes in hys thyrde treatise of the simplicitie of prelates And whereas men be so muche addycte to theyr customes y e same Ciprian sayth Nether y e custome whiche hath crept in among some ought to be a let whereby the trueth shoulde not preuayle and ouercome For the custome wythout the truth is an old errour Therfore let vs leaue the erroure and folow the truth All the doctours agree wholelye in thys that the scripture is the touchstone a recoursse for al christen men to seke vnto to be sure of theyr fayeth and to haue quietnes of cōscience And what exhortacions Chrisostom geueth to all men for the studye of holye scriptures appeareth in hys thred sermon De Lazaro And vpon Iohn the .xvi. Homelye in the end Also vpon Iohn the .iii. Homelie and .iiii. Chapi and in diuers other places Nothinge doeth he so ernestlye beate into oure heades as the study of scripture And I thynke there is no doctoure that writeth vpon the scripture that doeth not lykewise and geueth it euen suche a rowme and preheminence that all other doctrines muste geue place Ireneus sayeth To go about wyth y e diuine scriptures whiche is the vndoubted trueth is to build an house vpon a strōg rocke but all other doctryne what so euer it be is to builde a weake house vpon an vncertaine place of quicke sand which wil be lightli ouer throwē Now if these authorities be not sufficient to stope theyr mouthes I thynke they wyll neuer be answered For where as the scripture is so hard to be vnderstand and therefore loke vpon the