part which the same Apostle speaketh to wit That the Church is builded vppon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles And that which he witnesseth of the holy scriptures 2. Timot. 3.16.17 Moreouer that shall be false to which the same Apostle saith That the Churche is the piller of truth 1. Tim. 3.15 Vnlesse all truth beeing ingrauen in that piller should be manifest Other some more shamelesse suppose there is left vnto these men whom they call the successours of the Apostles I know not what excellent thing and that they doe affirme so assuredly that they hold they can not be deceiued in that matter whose opinion I suppose néedeth not at this time amongst men of sound iudgement any confutation But in the ouerthrow of these two latter and especially of the last point I perceiue that all these men VVhat we ought to think of the vnwritten word are altogether of one opinion against vs. For they vrge I knowe not what vnwritten worde which they call Apostolicall traditions And verely I do not vnwillinglie graunt vnto them that all thinges were not seuerally put downe in wryting according to the circumstances of times place and persons which were obserued either by the Apostles or by their consent in the very forme and order of the seruice of God But who wil graunt that we must thinke the same of the decrees of the verie doctrine it selfe Finally when the aduersaries are bidden to bring forth what these pointes be then that lying spirit bewraieth himselfe because those thinges which they will haue deliuered from hand to hand could neither by word nor writinges haue bene deliuered by the Apostles but they should dissent from themselues But euen al the fathers of sound iudgement haue iudged farre other wise of the most excellent and moste sound perfection of the holy scriptures with whose testimonies being a thousand times alleadged I thought it not good now to fill these leaues There remayneth the question to be handled The interpretation of the vvritten vvord is not else vvhere to be fet then from the vvorde it selfe to wit by comparing of the places one vvith another and out of the analogie or proportion of the articles of our fayth touching the interpretation of the scripture Which truely is so tossed to and fro by these men that they cannot eschew the sinne of blasphemie There be I confesse some places of the scripture partly through the ignorance of tongs partly also throgh other faults of our owne so dark vnto vs euen vntil this day that as yet euen the most learned interpreters and such as be of best cōscience cannot thoroughly agrée what should be the proper natural meaning thereof There be some thinges also in the holy scriptures so profoundly spoken that euery one maye not lawfullye procéede so farre To be short there be some things also written in such terms that as Augustin saith it shold appeare the holy ghost would whet our diligence in the serching and meditating of them And vnlesse the necessarie points of doctrine and Christian religion were so playnely and clearly to be short so familiarly declared in the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles that they may be the holy ghost being presēt amongst them whereby God lightneth all his sayntes manifestly vnderstoode in the Church to what end shoulde the Lorde haue sent his hearers to the scriptures Yea that more is to what ende haue both the Prophets and Christe himselfe also and the Apostles spoken if they would not haue these thinges to be vnderstood which all ought to know I will speake something more boldly which yet I hope I can proue VVe cannot by naturall vnderstanding knovv vvhat the pointes of Christian religion are but by the writinges of the Prophets and Apostles That we may consent vnto the points of Christian religion as vnto true groundes and muche more that wee may applye them vnto our selues it behooueth surely that wee shoulde haue our eares elsewhere opened a fleshly bea rt giuen vs to be short that we should elsewhere be taught tban of flesh and blood because the church is the congregation of them that must be taught of God to whome the arme of the Lord is reuealed Esai 53.1 and that men may vnderstand what the Prophetes and Apostles haue briefly thought and taught concerning euery article of our religion they haue neede not onely of a wit in some measure sharpened but also of the knowledge of tongues and of careful and diligent reading For it is one manner of thing to vnderstande what this or that man sayth then so to vnderstand the things which thou doest perceiue that thou also approue of them Comprehension knowledge and full perswasiō must be distinguished in the holy scriptures of which that to wit comprehension is naturall the other is in deede spiritual but also commō to many reprobates The third is proper to the children of God and not onely that thou vnderstand what the thing is but also wherefore it is and comprehension is another thing than knowledge euen in prophane matters and agayne in matter of diuinity this knowledge is another thing than full perswasion therefore comprehension belongeth vnto all men that are endued with some iudgement and vnto knowledge there is required also an outwarde lightning of Gods spirite by reason of the blindenes of mans iudgment which gift notwithstanding is common as well to many euil as to many good men But ful perswasion doth seperate the chosen children of God from the castawayes and is the proper riches of the Saintes Therefore we require In what points we doe at this day dissent when the question is demaunded touching the interpretation of Gods word the exposition of the worde of God not onely as profitable but also as necessary yet not for the same cause as these mē thinke neither yet wil wee fet it from the place frō whome these men suppose we wil take it for they think that that worde is so darkly deliuered that as thogh it were some darke thing it should neede light fetcht elsewhere then from it selfe and when we demand of them from whence at the length this light should be fet thē they lay vnto vs the vizard or bare shewe of the Catholique Church vnder which name somtimes they lay before the ignorant these or those of the Fathers sometimes the fragments of particular or general counsels to bee short they lay before them very often long custom for an argument that cannot bee refused to which thinges if a man doe not forthwith consent he is now layde open to the slaughter of the outragious people no knowledge of his cause beeing had before as thogh he were guilty of some haynous crime committed against God or man wheras in times past he was condemned to bee burned vnder some certaine colour of law And in deede this is now their zeale But we that we may in one word declare all thinges which belong to this
assemblye vvhich pretendeth to bee the Church shoulde haue them and yet haue not therevvithal the trueth and sinceritie of God his doctrine it is no vvhit at al the better for all that All these thinges tende to this end that for as much as in trueth there is but one Churche euen as the heade thereof is one and therefore so must the body be or else it shoulde be monstrous notvvithstanding that there bee sundry particular partes and members thereof as vvee see in a mans body all yet making but one and the selfe same body And forasmuche also as vvithout that Church there can be no saluation because vnto it alone is it that the Lord hath made such large and gracious promises as The gates of Hell shall not preuayle agaynste it and that to it onely belongeth the forgiuenesse of sinnes in this life and euerlasting saluation in the life to come And lastly forasmuch as it behoueth euery one euen as he tendeth his ovvne peace of conscience and regardeth the hope of eternall blessednes to be vvatchfull in discrying and knovving this Church and carefull in vniting himselfe vnto the same euerye good man therefore should earnestly labour not onely to knovve it but also stedfastly to ioyne himselfe vnto it in the religious exercises thereof That so in the holye feeling of the communion of Saints he may bee a fruitfull partaker of all those excellent graces that God in great mercie hath bequethed to the same True it is that Satan the common enemy of mankinde vvho in his ovvne person and the personne of his instruments and ministers laboreth to hinder vvhat he maye the vvorke of oure saluation hath in all ages vsed and yet presently doth vse manye subtile and slie shiftes to let vs from the apprehension and vnderstanding of these great graces for somtimes he maketh men vtterly and altogether carelesse of the Churche and of the benefites and blessinges of God promised thereto As vvee maye see in that troup of prophane Atheistes and vvorldly minded men vvho make no more account of the Church and the holy exercises therof than of a vaine tale or vnholy matter no nor so muche neither many times for the one they embrace vvith greedines vvonderfull delight the other they doe either most dispitefullie contemne or most negligently vse vvithout any spirituall profite at all vnto themselues But to beate dovvne these men there is no better VVeapon vvay then to send them to the fearefull iudgementes of Almightie God and to the horrors of hel and eternal condēnation which many times they feele in themselues though thorough the profites and pleasures of this present euil vvorlde they vtterly put them out already prepared for them and in due time to be perfourmed to them Sometimes againe hee discourageth men by setting before them the feareful persecutions and troubles that follovve and take holde of the particular members of the Church for the syncere profession of God his vvorde for the surmounting of vvhich assaulte men muste often meditate vppon those same large comfortable discourses that are put dovvn and conteined in God his vvord for their comfort in that behalfe and to holde them back from the fearful fall of renouncing god his truth hauing their eye fast fixed also vpon the particular deliuerances that God in al ages hath vvroght for his children vvhich are as it vvere so manye seales set vnto the vvriting that he vvill alvvaies deale so graciouslye vvith his children as shall make most for his ovvne glorie and their eternall comfort Sometimes he deceiueth other somme and that no small some by the bare name and vizor of the Churche alone as vve may see in that miserable sect of seduced Papists vniustly called and claiming vnto themselues the name of Catholiques vvhoe vvillingly embrace vnder the title of the Churche euery fabulous falshood corruptiō vvhatsoeuer not only not looking vpon the things giuen or offred vvhich euery vvise man vvill doo least he receiue poyson in steede of vvholsom and nourishing foode but also not considering the personne of the giuer neither yet vvhat right and authoritie he hath to bestovv the thinges giuen vvhich blockishnesse of the aduersaries is rather to be lamented because it is altogether voide of common sense and reason than largely or learnedly confuted And yet vve see that manye good men haue not spared to take great paines in that behalfe both by preaching vvriting to vvinne seduced souls vnto Cod. Somtimes hee setteth before other some either the hardnesse that there is to discrie the true Church from the false Church by remember I pray you that vvhen I giue the name Church to corrupted and counterfaited assemblies I do it by abusion as they say or else layeth out the great iarres and dissentions that many times are in the same that so he may discourage them from ioyning themselues to that holy societie And indeede by this assault he specially preuaileth against them that are in some forvvardnes to encline to the truth And yet by reason of some certaine vveakenesse in them are easely turned the one vvay or the other but these men for the better staie of themselues are to knovv that there must be heresies euen among the godly that they vvhich are approued among them might be knovvne 1 Cor. 11.19 and to be exhorted that they labour to abounde in al holy knovvledge of God his vvil reuealed in his vvord For therefore they erre and are so vnstable in their opinions because they knovv not the Scriptures nor the povver of God Novve therefore necessarie is it that these stumbling blocks cast by Satan his seruants in our vvaies to hinder vs in the race and course of Godlines should be remoued that so vvee maye the more cheerefully and readily goe forevvard vvith faith patience and constancie euen to the goal that is set before vs. In vvhich respect that excellent instrument of God in his Churche M. Theodor Beza hah notably trauailed by publishing in the Latine tongue a most learned Treatie of the visible Notes of the visible Church And I for the same consideration haue according to my small measure faithfully turned the same into our vulger speech offring these my poore trauailes vnto you right vvorshipfull and in you to the vvhole Church of God in this land as a sure testimonie of that vnfained good vvill vvhich in the Lorde I haue carried and vvill carry tovvards you all the dayes of my life I hope I shall not neede to spend many vvords eyther in commending the vvorke it self or in declaring the resons that haue moued me to attempt this matter for if either the man vvho is the author therof or the matter vvhich is propounded or the maner that he vseth in laying out of the thing may add cōmendation vnto it it shal not vvant any grace that may bring it into loue and lyking vvith the Godly for as touching the man himselfe hee is euen the miror of the
matter say that the Church of Christe is a schoole in which the worde of the Lorde is not onely barely to be read as out of the letter written but also to bee taught that it maye bee rightly vnderstoode and so to be taught that exhortations corrections and consolations both openly and priuately maye bee vsed which in Paul is vnderstoode by the name of Prophecying Rom. 12.6 Moreouer this also wee adde which thing ought here chiefly to bee marked that the interpretation of those scriptures are to be set no where else then out of the scriptures themselues not onely because the word of God is able to giue credite to it selfe but also because that trueth is reuealed vnto vs no where els then in the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles For that saying of Austen is well knowen and is most true That the scripture is to be expounded by the scripture Neither shall it irke me heere to put downe that nonotable place out of the 49. Homelie of the imperfect worke vpon Mathew because it agreeth altogeather with our times He that will know saith he which is the true Church of Christ let him not know it but onely by the scriptures And by and by after Christians therefore beeing willing to receiue the certainetie of true fayth let them flie to nothing but to the scriptures otherwise if they shall haue respect to other thinges they shall stumble perish not vnderstanding which is the true Church and by this meanes they shall fall into the abhomintaion of desolation which standeth in the holy places of the Church But to whom shall belong will these men say the interpretation of scriptures Verily all be not Prophetes all be not teachers But againe Esay Esay as crieth that both Priestes and Prophetes haue erred in their vision neither would Christ haue admonished Math. 16.6 Math. 23.2 That the leauen of the Pharises should be auoyded if we shoulde without exception haue consented vnto them That sit in Moses chayre Neither should the false Prophetes be eschued if all the Prophetes did speake the truth neither would Caiphas and the whole Synode of the Priestes haue condemned Christ if the holy Ghost had beene tried without exception to those that sit in Aarons seat What then Antiquitye or noueltye maketh nothing at all to instruct men to discerne the true interpretation of scripture from the false Let these men therefore heare at length that which we haue so often times cryed out vnto deafe men to wit that we do not simply reiect neither the old nor the new counsels whether they be particular or generall vnlesse they be plainly theeuish that we do not simply refuse neither old nor new writers vnles they be manifestly either superstitious or ridiculous or by cōmon consent abrogated That we doe not simply cast from vs the writings neither of auncient nor new writers whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Laicall as these men call them for God is no accepter of persons and often times euen by the basest sorte he confoundeth the pride of the most wise vnlesse they be plainly wicked superstitious or foolishe But this onely we require which the most learned and euery the most religious of the old writers monish carefully to be don to wit that all these thinges should be diligently examined according to the rule of the written word of God For antiquitie and authoritie of those that wryte may in deed set some collour of truth vpon falshood but that it shoulde be true which disagreeth neuer so little from the writings of the Prophets and Apostles that truely it can neuer bring to passe Furthermore The Creeds of the ancient Synodes the iudgement of the fathers against heretiques are at no hand reiected by vs yea rather they are strongly defended against aduersaries although not as yeelding credite themselues experience it self more than sufficiently declareth that there haue beene long time since builded vpon the foundation layd by the Apostles not onely bay and stubble but also yron and rust to be short lies vppon trueth All which thinges muste at the length be consumed by the light and fire of Gods word Now least these men shoulde agayne complaine that what soeuer hath bene established by counsell after consell in the auncient Churche shoulde by this meanes be called into doubt we confes that we doe acknowledge the Créedes which were alwayes approoued by the common consent of the whole Church to wit the Creed of the Apostles Nice Athanasius his creed the creed of Constantinople Chalcedon togeather with the curses pronounced in the second counsel of Ephesus againste Nestorius And that we both with mouth and hart detest al heresies which either by open or secret consent of the whole Church were out of the word of God condemned in those 4. councels and also ouer throwen in the fifth and sixth councels of Constantinople And all other heresies whatsoeuer which afterwarde eyther newlye sprong vp or are newly polished not that the truth hangeth vpon any Synods or Creedes but because we acknowledge that the thinges which are prescribed and established in them The conclusion of the disputation of the true Christ who is the only true perpetual and absolute necessary note of the true Church may be rightly iudged by the writings of the prophets and Apostles so far of is it that we take away the authority of the church or dispise the consent of the godly either ancient or new writers which thing our aduersaries falsly shamlesly obiect vnto vs. Now the summe of al these things is this that Christ is the true perpetual necessary to be short the onely marke of the Church yea I say the true Christ that is suche a one as he from the beginning hath most perfectly touching the matter and maner of saluation reuealed him selfe both in the writings of the prophets and of the Apostles Mat. 12.13 For that saying standeth sure He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad and that saying 1. Pet. 2.7 that christ is that corner stone of the foundation vppon whome the whole building riseth vp And that onely head which ministreth vnto his body that is vnto the true catholique Church al féeling and mouing To be short Iohn 10.7 Iohn 14.6 Iohn 11.25 he is the dore the way the resurrection and the lyfe Therfore whersoeuer that word is heard as it ought to be there in deed Christe raigneth and where Christe raigneth there in deed we iudge the Catholique visible Churche to be neither tied to any certaine place nor vnto the multitude for where that dead carkas is Mat. 24.28 to wit Christe crucified there be those Egles there is saluation Act. 4.12 where that onely name is in which we must be saued there be the children of light where that sonne shineth there be the true sheepe Where the voyce of that sheepeheard is heard Mat. 18.20 although two or three onely throughout all the world