saith Cassander 3 sorts of traditions for some concerne the doctrine of faith others rites and ceremonies and a third sort things done They that concerne rites and ceremonies are variable according to the different circumstances of times they that are historicall are for the most part vncertaine and are not necessarie to saluation they that are dogmaticall are certaine and perpetuall but by dogmaticall traditions wee vnderstand not any diuine verity not written or any point of doctrine not contained in the Scripture but such points of doctrine as though they are not found in precise termes in holy scripture yet are deduced from the same rightly vnderstood and interpreted as the Apostles did vnderstand and expound them to their hearers and they to such as came after them So that this tradition is nothing else but the explication and interpretation of the Scripture and therefore it may be sayd not vnfitly Scripturam esse implicatam quandam obsignatam traditionem traditionem vero esse Scripturam explicatam resignatam that the Scripture is a kind of tradition inuolued and sealed vp and that tradition is Scripture vnfolded explained and opened This is that which Vincentius Lyrinensis long since deliuered to wit that the Scripture is sufficient and containeth all things necessary to be known of a Christian man for the attaining of saluation but that for the auoiding of the manifold turnings of heretickes peruerting the same to their owne perdition wee must carefully looke to the tradition of the Church deliuering vnto vs the true sense and meaning of it By this which hath beene sayd it appeareth that the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died was in this poynt touching the sufficiencie of the Scripture an orthodoxe and true Protestant Church as it was in the former touching the canon of the Scripture CHAP. 3. Of the originall text of Scripture of the certainety and trueth of the originalls and of the authoritie of the vulgar translation I haue discoursed at large in my fourth booke and the 27. 28. chapters of the same and made it appeare that the principall and best learned divines at since Luthers time taught no otherwise touching these poynts then wee now doe so that I need not insist vpon the proofe hereof CHAP. 4. Of the translating of the Scripture into vulgar languages and of the necessity of hauing the publique liturgie and prayers of the Church in a tongue vnderstood TOuching the translating of the Scriptures it is evident that both aunciently and of late time they haue beene translated into the severall languages of almost all the countries and kingdomes of the whole world where euer Christianity prevailed There is extant a translation of the old new testament in the Armenian tongue which the Armenians now vse put forth as they suppose by Chrysostome of this George the patriarch of Alexandria maketh mention in the life of Chrysostome reporting that when by the Emperours decree hee was sent in banishment into Armenia and stayed at Cucusum hee brought the inhabitants of that region to the faith of Christ and caused the Psalmes of David together with the holy gospells and other histories of the old Testament to bee translated into the Armenian tongue that so the people of that countrey might the sooner and more easily attaine the knowledge of holy Scripture And Theodoret testifieth that the holy Scriptures were translated into the Armenian tongue before his time though hee name not the authour The Slavonians affirme that they haue the Scriptures in their vulgar tongue turned by Saint Hierome and Hierome himselfe in his epistle to Sophronius seemeth to some learned men to intimate so much But yet there is another translation also of the Scriptures into the Slavonian tongue later then that of Hieromes as Scaliger hath obserued written in the Servian character vsed in Rascia Bosina Bulgaria Moldavia Russia Moscovia and other nations of the Slavonian language that celebrate their liturgies after the Greeke ceremonie of which later Methodius the companion of Cyrill is reported to haue beene the authour The former imputed to Hierome is written in the Dalmatian character and is vsed amongst the Liburnians and Dalmatians Istrians Moravians Silesians Bohemians Polonians c. Vulphilas the Goth of whom Socrates maketh mention in his ecclesiasticall historie who liued in the yeare 370 first found out the Gothicke alphabet and first of all deliuered to the Gothes all the diuine Scriptures translated by him out of Greeke into the Gothicke tongue and catholiquely expounded them striving much against the Arrians yet in the end as Theodoret reporteth he declined to the part of Valens the Arrian Emperour moued so to doe by the threates and promises of Eudoxus the Arrian Neither were the Scriptures translated onely into these languages but into the languages of many other nations as Chrysostome and Hierome affirme and in particular into the Aegyptian Persian Indian Scythian and Sarmatian tongues and into the languages of all other nations that receiued the Christian faith as Theodoret telleth vs. As likewise in the times following we read of the like translations of the Scripture into sundry languages of such Nations as were afterwards converted to the Faith or whose languages after altered So Iohn Archbishop of Sivill about the yeare 717 translated it into the Arabique which then was the vulgar speech of that part of Spaine And Beda about the same time some part of it into the Saxon or English Methodius about the yeare 860 into the Slavonique Iacobus de Voragine Archbishop of Genua about the yeare 1290 translated the whole diuine Scripture into the Italian tongue and so did Bruciolus in our age About 200 yeares since the whole Bible was translated into French in the time of Charles the 5th and as the Rhemists tell vs in their preface before the New Testament by them translated into English since Luthers time diuerse learned Catholiques haue published the Bible in the seuerall Languages of almost all the principall provinces of the Latine Church so that the Papists themselues doe not simply condemne the translating of the Scripture into the vulgar tongues But there are some amongst them as Stapleton telleth vs who out of zeale rather then knowledge doe thinke the Lay people should bee wholly restrained from reading the Scriptures in vulgar tongues others more moderate and discreete then these as they would bee thought are of opinion that all are not to bee restrained nor all permitted to reade them but some certaine onely And therefore the Rhemists tell vs that order was taken by the Deputies of the Councell of Trent in this behalfe and confirmed by supreame authority that the holy Scriptures though truely and Catholiquely translated into vulgar tongues yet may not be indifferently readde of all men nor of any other then such as haue expresse licence thereunto by their lawfull ordinaries with good
mâ—…ch with many declamations against priuate interpretations and interpretations of private spirits and make the world beleeue that wee follow no other rule of interpretation but each mans private fancie For answere herevnto we say with Stapleton that interpretations of Scripture may be sayd to be private and the spirits whence they proceede named priuate either Ratione personae modi or finis That is in respect of the person who interpreteth the manner of his proceeding in interpreting or the end of his interpretation A priuate interpretation proceeding from a priuate spirit in the first sense is euery interpretation deliuered by men of priuate condition In the second sense is that which men of what condition soeuer deliuer contemning and neglecting those publike meanes which are knowen to all and are to be vsed by all that desire to finde the trueth In the third sense that which proceeding from men of priuate condition is not so proposed and vrged by them as if they would binde all other to receiue and imbrace it but is intended onely to their owne satisfaction The first kind of interpretation proceeding from a private spirit is not to be disliked if the parties so interpreting neither neglect the common rules meanes of attayning the right sense of that they interpret contemne the judgement of other men nor presumptuously take vpon them to teach others and enforce them to beleeue that which they apprehend for trueth without any authority so to doe But priuate spirits in the second sense that is men of such dispositions as will follow their owne fancies and neglect the common rules of direction as Enthusiasts and trust to their owne sense without conference and due respect to other mens judgements wee accurse This is all we say touching this matter wherein I would faine know what our aduersaries dislike Surely nothing at all as it will appeare to euery one that shall but looke into the place aboue alledged out of Stapleton But say they there must bee some authenticall interpretation of Scripture which euery one must bee bound to stand vnto or else there will be no end of quarrels and contentions The interpretation of Scripture is nothing else but the explication and clearing of the meaning of it This is either true or false The true interpretation of the Scripture is of two sorts For there is an interpretation which deliuereth that which is true and contayned in the Scripture or from thence to bee concluded though not meant in that place which is expounded This is not absolutely and perfectly a true interpretation because though it truely deliuereth such doctrine as is contayned in the Scripture and nothing contrarie to the place interpreted yet it doth not expresse that that is particularly meant in the place expounded There is therefore another kind of true interpretations when not onely that is deliuered which is contayned in the Scripture but that which is meant in the particular places expounded Likewise false interpretations are of two sorts some deliuering that which is vtterly false and contrary to the Scripture some others onely fayling in this that they attaine not the true sense of the particular places expounded An example of the former is that interpretation of that place of Genesis The sonnes of God saw the daughters of men c. which some of the Fathers haue deliuered vnderstanding by the sonnes of God the Angels of Heauen whose fall they suppose proceeded from the loue of women Which errour they confirme by that of the Apostle that women must come vayled into the Church for the Angels that is as they interpret least the Angels should fall in loue with them A false interpretation of the later kind Andradius sheweth some thinke that exposition of the wordes of the Prophet Esaie Quis enarrabit generationem eius Who shall declare his generation deliuered by many of the Fathers vnderstanding thereby the eternall generation of the son of God which no man shall declare Whereas by the name of generation the Prophet meaneth that multitude that shall beleeue in Christ which shall be so great as cannot be expressed An authenticall interpretation is that which is not only true but so clearely and in such sort that euery one is bound to imbrace and to receiue it As before we made 3 kinds of judgment the one of discretion common to all the other of direction common to the Pastors of the Church and a third of jurisdiction proper to them that haue supreame power in the Church so likewise wee make three kindes of interpretation the first private and so euery one may interpret the Scripture that is privately with himselfe conceiue or deliuer to other what hee thinketh the meaning of it to bee the second of publike direction and so the Pastors of the Church may publikely propose what they conceiue of it and the third of jurisdiction and so they that haue supreme power that is the Bishops assembled in a generall Councell may interpret the Scripture and by their authority suppresse all them that shall gainesay such interpretations and subject euery man that shall disobey such determinations as they consent vpon to excommunication and censures of like nature But for authenticall interpretation of Scriptures which every mans conscience is bound to yeeld vnto it is of an higher nature neither doe wee thinke any of these to be such as proceeding from any of those before named specified to whom wee graunt a power of interpretation Touching the interpretations which the Fathers haue deliuered we receiue them as vndoubtedly true in the generall doctrine they consent in and so farre forth esteeme them as authenticall yet doe wee thinke that holding the faith of the Fathers it is lawfull to dissent from that interpretation of some particular places which the greater part of them haue deliuered or perhaps all that haue written of them and to find out some other not mentioned by any of the Auncient CHAP. 17. Of the interpretation of the Fathers and how farre wee are bound to admit it THe Fathers sayth Andradius especially they of the Greeke Church being ignorant of the Hebrew tongue following Origen did rather striue with all their wit and learning to devise Allegories and to frame the manners of men then to cleare the hard places of the law and the Prophets Nay euen Hierome himselfe who more diligently then any of the rest sought out the meaning and sense of the Propheticall and diuine Oracles yet often to avoyde the obscurities of their words betaketh himselfe to Allegories In this sense it is that Cardinall Caietan saith hee will not feare to goe against the torrent of all the Doctors for which saying Andradius sheweth that Canus and others doe vnjustly blame him For though wee may not goe from the faith of the Fathers nor from the maine trueth of doctrine which they deliuer in different interpretations yet may wee interpret some parts of the Scripture otherwise then any
Caluine doth expressely condemne these reseruations which I confessed before but no way goeth about to make good the consequence which I denied to wit that therefore hee thought the sanctified elements so reserued not to bee Sacramentally the Body of Christ. For that which hee hath that Caluine Bucer Melanchthon and almost all Protestants holde the Eucharist to bee no permanent thing but to bee the Sacrament onely when it is receiued hath no more force of proofe then the rest of his frivolous discourses seeing it is most evident that the Protestants named by him haue no such meaning that the sanctified elements in the Holy Eucharist are no Sacrament but precisely in the very receiuing of them for then they should bee no Sacrament in the hand of the Minister and on the Holy Table but onely in the hand or mouth of the communicant but that they are no Sacrament but in reference to the vse to which they were appointed by Almightie God as I haue shewed at large in the place against which this Treatiser quarrelleth §. 5. LEt vs therefore proceed to see what hee hath more to say In my Fourth booke writing of the things required for the attaining of the right vnderstanding of the Scripture I say some things are required as making vs capable of such vnderstanding and other as meanes whereby we attaine vnto it Amongst the things required as making vs capable of the right vnderstanding of Scripture I reckon the illumination of the vnderstanding and a minde free from the thought of other things depending on God as the Fountaine of illumination desirous to finde out the Truth with resolution to embrace it although contrary to the conceipts of naturall men The meanes whereby we attaine to the right vnderstanding of Holy Scripture I make to be of two sorts some disposing and preparing onely as often reading meditating and praying some guiding vs in the search it selfe and these I make to bee fiâ—…e Whereof the first is the knowledge of the rule of faith and the practise of the Saints according to the same The second a due consideration what will follow vpon our interpretation agreeing with or contrary to the things receiued amongst Christians In which consideration the conference of other places of Scripture is necessary The third the consideration of the circumstances of the places interpreted the occasion of the words the things going before and following after The fourth the knowledge of all those histories arts and sciences which may helpe vs. The fifth the knowledge of the originall tongues and the phrases and idiotismes of the same In all these passages as I thinke there is nothing that the Diuell himselfe dareth gaine-say yet as if I had vttered some strange paradoxes and things neuer heard of before the Treatiser sayth my doctrine is commonly singular in so much that hee professeth hee thinketh hee may very well in some sort liken the platforme or order and Faith of a Church sette downe in my bookes of that argument to Sir Thomas Moores Vtopia and that there neither is nor euer was any such Church in the world as I describe and therevpon maketh shew as if hee would confute euery word that I haue in the place cited by him Verily I thinke it will not bee safe for mee to write or say that there is a GOD that GOD made heauen and earth or that hee sent his sonne into the world for he impugneth thinges as cleare as any of these as that an illumination of the mind is necessary to the vnderstanding of the Scripture inspired of God the thinges contained in it seeing the naturall man perceiueth not the thinges of GOD which are spiritually discerned whereas yet wee shall finde that hee canne say nothing against the necessity of such diuine illumination for the vnderstanding of the Scripture but hee might say as much against the necessity of the light of naturall reason for the vnderstanding of things naturally discernable For hee might aske as now hee doth touching this illumination how a man knoweth hee hath reason or the vse of reason and is not mad or drunke seeing such men as are soe distempered thinke they haue the vse of reason as well as any other and one kinde of answere will serue for both these doubtes For as men know they haue reason by the discerning of such things as are not discernable by the senses or sensitiue faculties which are organicall soe faithfull and beleeuing men that haue their mindes enlightned knowe they haue receiued such a new illumination in that they discerne thinges which before by the dimme sight of nature they could not and as men that are sober and in their right wittes doe certainely know they are soe though such as are madde or drunke thinke they are when they are not and soe deceiue themselues Soe men that haue true illumination of grace may certainely knowe they haue it though some franticke and braine-sicke men thinke they haue it when they haue it not The weaknesse of this assault it seemeth the Treatiser did perceiue and therefore hee assayleth vs another way and vndertaketh to proue that it is not necessary a man should be spirituall before hee vnderstandeth the Scriptures because then it would be consequent that our faith could not be builded vpon Scriptures as we thinke it is But I doubt hee will haue as bad successe as before For as there must bee a naturall light of reason shining in men before any thing naturally discernable canne euidently appeare vnto them to bee that it is and yet the perswasion men haue touching the beeing of such things buildeth it selfe vppon such euidence soe likewise there must be a light of grace shining in the vnderstanding of men before they can vnderstand the Scripture and yet the perswasion they haue of the trueth of diuine thinges may and doth build it selfe vppon the Scriptures vnderstood through such light Wherefore let vs see what hee hath yet more to say Whereas besides an illumination I require in him that will vnderstand the Scriptures a minde free from the thought of other things depending vpon God as the fountaine of illumination and desirous of trueth with resolution to embrace it though contrary to the conceipt of naturall men besides his former exception already answered he addeth these words I dislike these wordes desirous of truth with resolution to embrace it The like wherevnto I protest I neuer read nor heard to come from any man For is it possible there should any such man be found that should dislike it in vs that wee require in him that will vnderstand the Scripture a minde desirous of trueth with resolution to embrace it Surely it is for we haue met with such an one but he hath taken order by concealing his name that noe man shall make him blush by looking on him This doubtlesse is one of the sons of Belial that haue cast off the yoake that neither feare God nor reuerence men But what
16. Of the errors that are and haue beene touching the vse of the discipline of the Church in punishing offenders 24. Chap. 17. Of the considerations moouing the Church to vse indulgence towards offenders 25. Chap. 18. Of their damnable pride who condemne all those Churches wherein want of due execution of discipline and imperfections of men are found 26. The second Booke is of the notes of the Châ—…h CHAP. 1. OF the nature of notes of difference and their seuerall kindes 29. Chap. 2. Of the diuers kindes of notes whereby the true Church is discerned from other societies of men in the world 30. Chap. 3. Of Bellarmines reasons against the notes of the Church assigned by vs. 32. Chap. 4. Of Stapletons reasons against our notes of the Church 34. Chap. 5. Of their notes of the Church and first of Antiquity 37. Chap. 6. Of succession 39. Chap. 7. Of the third note assigned by them which is Vnity 40. Chap. 8. Of Vniuersality 41. Chap. 9. Of the name and title of Catholike 42. The third Booke sheweth which is the true Church demonstrated by those notes CHAP. 1. OF the diuision of the Christian World into the Westerne or Latine Church and the Orientall or East Church 47. Chap. 2. Of the harsh and vnaduised censure of the Romanists condemning all the Orientall Churches as Schismatic all and hereticall 75. Chap. 3. Of the nature of heresie of the diuerse kindes of things wherein men erre and what pertinacie it is that maketh an hereticke 76. Chap. 4. Of those things which euery one is bound expresly to know and beleeue and wherein no man canne erre without note of heresie 77. Chap. 5. Of the nature of Schisme and the kindes of it and that it no way appeareth that the Churches of Greece c. are hereticall or in damnable Schisme 80. Chap. 6. Of the Latine Church that it continued the true Church of God euen till our time and that the errours we condemne were not the doctrines of that Church 81. Chap. 7. Of the seuerall points of difference betweene vs and our aduersaries wherein some in the Church erred but not the whole Church 83. Chap. 8. Of the true Church which and where it was befâ—… Luthers time 84. Chap. 9. Of an Apostasie of some in the Church 86. Chap. 10. Of their errour who say nothing can be amisse in the Church either in respect of doctrine or discipline 89. Chap. 11. Of the causes of the manifold confusions and euils formerly found in the Church ibid. Chap. 12. Of the desire and expectation of a reformation of the corrupt state of the Church and that the alteration which hath beene is a reformation 91. Chap. 13. Of the first reason brought to prooue that the Church of Rome holdeth the faith first deliuered because the precise time wherein errors began in it cannot be noted 93. Chap. 14. Of diuers particular errours which haue beene in the Church whose first author cannot be named 94. Chap. 15. Of the second reason brought to prooue that they hold the auncient faith because our men dissenting from them confesse they dissent from the Fathers where sundry instances are examined 96. Chap. 16. Of Limbus Patrum concupiscence and satisfaction touching which Caluin is falsely charged to confesse that he dissenteth from the Fathers 99. Chap. 17. Of Prayer for the dead and Merit 101. Chap. 18. Of the Fathers strictnesse in admitting men into the Ministery of single life and of their seuerity in the discipline of repentance 103. Chap. 19. Of the Lent Fast of Lay-mens Baptisme and of the sacrifice of the Masse 106. Chap. 20. Of the inuocation and adoration of Saints touching which the Century writers are wrongfully charged to dissent from the Fathers 109. Chap. 21. Of Martyrdome and the excessiue praises thereof found in the Fathers 114. Chap. 22. Wherein is examined their proofe of the antiquity of their Doctrine taken from a false supposall that our doctrine is nothing else but heresie long since condemned 115. Chap. 23. Of the heresie of Florinus making God the author of sinne falsely imputed to Caluine and others 117. Chap. 24. Of the heresies of Origen touching the Image of God and touching hell falsely imputed to Caluin 133. Chap. 25. Of the heresie of the Peputians making women Priests 134. Chap. 26. Of the supposed heresie of Proclus and the Messalians touching concupiscence in the regenerate 135. Chap. 27. Of the heresies of Nouatus Sabellius and the Manichees 139. Chap. 28. Of the heresies of the Donatists 141. Chap. 29. Of the heresies of Arrius and Aerius 142. Chap. 30. Of the heresies of Iouinian 143. Chap. 31. Of the heresies of Vigilantius 146. Chap. 32. Of the heresie of Pelagius touching originall sinne and the difference of veniall and mortall sinnes 147. Chap. 33. Of the heresie of Nestorius falsely imputed to Beza and others 149. Chap. 34. Of the heresies of certaine touching the Sacrament and how our men deny that to be the body of Christ that is carried about to bee gazed on 150. Chap. 35. Of the heresie of Eutiches falsely imputed to the Diuines of Germany 151. Chap. 36. Of the supposed heresie of Zenaias Persa impugning the adoration of Images 152. Chap. 37. Of the error of the Lampetians touching vowes 153. Chap. 38. Of the heresie of certaine touching the verity of the body and blood of Christ communicated to vs in the Sacrament ibid. Chap. 39. Of succession and the exceptions of the aduersaries against vs in respect of the supposed want of it 154. Chap. 40. Of succession and the proofe of the trueth of their doctrine by it 159. Chap. 41. Of vnity the kinds of it and that communion with the Romane Bishoppe is not alwaies a note of true and Catholike profession 160. Chap. 42. That nothing can be concluded for them or against vs from the note of Vnity or diuision opposite vnto it 164. Chap. 43. Of Vniuersality 169. Chap. 44. Of the Sanctity of doctrine and the supposed absurdities of our profession 170. Chap. 45. Of the Paradoxes and grosse absurdities of Romish religion 172. Chap. 46. Of the efficacie of the Churches doctrine 174. Chap. 47. Of the Protestants pretended confession that the Romane Church is the true Church of God ibid. Chap. 48. Of Miracles confirming the Romane faith 175. Chap. 49. Of Propheticall prediction 177. Chap. 50. Of the felicity of them that professe the trueth 178. Chap. 51. Of the miserable ends of the enemies of the truth ibid. Chap. 52. Of the Sanctitie of the liues of them that are of the Church 179. An Appendix to the third booke wherein it is proued that the Latine Church was and continued a true orthodoxe and protestant Church and that the maintainers of Romish errors were onely a faction in the same at the time of Luthers appearing AN answere to M. Brerelyes obiection concerning the masse publiquely vsed in all Churches at Luthers appearing pag. 185. Chap. 1. Of the canon of the Scriptures 224.
that vpon his bare word wee should beleeue so shamelesse a lye For Augustine which was before this Persian in his booke De moribus Ecclesiae libro primo capite tricesimo quarto hath the same heresie as it pleaseth these heretikes to call it Nolite inquit consectari turbas imperitorum qui in ipsà verâ religione superstitiosi sunt Novi multos esse sepulchrorum picturarum adoratores quos mores Ecclesia condemnat quotidiè corrigere studet And Gregory after the time of this supposed Persian doth condemne the adoration of Images And the Councell of Frankford likewise after his time as appeareth by Hincmarus and others Besides if Nicephorus follow the judgement of the Fathers of the second Nicene Councell hee meaneth nothing else by that adoration of Images which hee approoueth but the embracing kissing and reverent vsing of them like to the honour wee doe the Bookes of holy Scripture not that Religious worshippe which consisteth in spirit and trueth which the Papists yeelde to their Idoles And so there is as great difference of judgement betweene him and Bellarmine as betweene him and vs. That which Bellarmine addeth against Caluine and others touching the time that Images were first brought into the Church if this place did require the examination of it wee should finde him as notable a trifler therein as in all the rest CHAP. 37 Of the errour of the Lampetians touching vowes THe errour of the Lampetians was as Alphonsus à Castro supposeth that it is not lawfull for men to vowe and by vowing to lay a necessity vpon themselues of doing those things which freely and without any such tye might much better bee performed If they disliked simply all vowing wee doe not approue their opinion as may appeare by that which Kemnisius Zanchius and others haue written to this purpose and therefore wee are vniustly said to fauour their errour That which Bellarmine addeth for the strengthening of this his vniust imputation is a meere calumniation For Luther doth not say that a man should vow to do a thing as long as hee shall bee pleased and then to be free againe when hee shall dislike that which before hee resolued on but that all vowes should be made with limitation to bee so farre performed as humane frailty will permitte that it is better after a vow made to breake it to discend to the doing of that which is lawfull good though not carrying so great show of perfection as that which by vowe was promised than under the pretence of keeping it to liue in all dissolute wickednesse as the manner of the Popish votaries is whereupon the Fathers are cleare that marriage after a vow made of single life is lawfull and that it is better to marry than continuing single to liue lewdly and wantonly CHAP. 38. Of the heresie of certaine touching the verity of the body and blood of Christ communicated to vs in the Sacrament THe last heresie might well haue beene omitted For those heretikes condemned by Theodoret Ignatius and others denied the verity of Christs humane nature and thereupon condemned the Sacrament of his body and blood So that it was not the impugning of Popish Transubstantiation as Bellarmine idlely fancieth that was reprooued in them but the denying of the trueth of that body and blood which all true Christians doe know to bee mystically communicated to them in the Sacrament to their vnspeakeable comfort How then can we be charged with the heresie of these men seeing wee neither deny the verity of Christs humane nature nor make the Sacrament to be a naked figure or similitude only but acknowledge that it consisteth of two things the one earthly and the other heauenly and that the body of Christ is truely present in the Sacrament and communicated to vs though neither Capernaitically to be torne with the teeth nor popishly to bee swallowed and carried downe into the stomacke and belly Thus then wee see how fondly this Cardinall heretike hath indeuoured to prooue vs heretikes and to hold the old condemned heresies of those cursed Arch-heretikes whose frensies wee condemne much more than he and his fellowes doe So that he is so farre from demonstrating either our consent with condemned heretikes that were of old or their consent with the auncient Fathers and consequently the antiquity of their profession that contrarily all that are not blinded with partiality may easily see that the whole course of Popish doctrine is nothing but a confused mixture of errours and all that they write against vs nothing but meere calumniation slander CHAP. 39. Of Succession and the exceptions of the aduersaries against vs in respect of the supposed want of it THus then hauing taken a view of whatsoeuer they can or do alleage for proofe of the antiquity of their doctrine which is the first note of the Church assigned by them let vs come vnto the second which is Succession and see if they haue any better successe in it than in the former In what sense Succession may bee granted to bee a note of the true Church I haue shewed already let vs therefore see how and what our aduersaries conclude from thence against vs or for themselues By this note say they it is easie to prooue that the reformed Churches are not the true Churches of God Ecclesia non est quae non habet sacerdotem saith Hierome against the Luciferians It can be no Church that hath no Ministery And Cyprian to the same purpose pronounceth that the Church is nothing els but Plebs episcopo adunata Thus therefore from these authorities they reason Where there is no ministery there is no Church But amongst the Protestants there is no Ministerie therefore no Church The Minor proposition or assumption of this argument wee deny which they endeuour to prooue in this sorte There is no lawfull calling to the worke of the Ministery amongst the Protestants therefore no Ministery The defects they suppose to bee in the calling of our Bishops and Ministers are two fold first for that they that ordained them in the beginning of this alteration of things in the state of the Church had no power so to doe Secondly for that no man may be ordained but into a voide place either wherein there neuer was any Pastour or Bishop before as in Churches in their first foundation or wherein there hauing beene their place is now voide by the death depriuation or voluntary relinquishment of them that possest it before that so they who are newly elected and ordained may succeede into the void roomes of such as went before them and not intrude vpon their charge wherevnto they are still iustly intituled Our Bishops and Pastours were ordayned and placed in the beginning of the reformation of religion where there were Bishops already in actuall possession These being the defects which they suppose to be in the calling of our Bishops Ministers let
rightly noteth that there is no merit properly so named to bee attributed to mortall miserable men and that though the ecclesiasticall writers vse the word merit and when they speake of holy mens workes call them merits yet they thinke them not to bee properly so but doe so name the good actions of holy men that proceed from faith and the working of the holy Ghost because Almighty God though they bee his gifts and joyned in them by whom they are wrought with defect imperfection yet is so pleased to accept of them out of his goodnesse that he not onely rewardeth the doers of them with ample great rewards in their owne persons but so as to doe good to others for their sakes So God sayd to Abraham if there were but fifty righteous in the city hee would spare the whole city for their sakes Neither onely doth hee good for their sakes whose workes hee thus rewardeth while they liue but euen after they à re dead also And therefore God promiseth that hee will protect Hierusalem for his owne sake and for Dauid his seruant which he must be vnderstood to doe not onely in respect of the promise made vnto him but with respect had to his vertue according to the which we read 1 Reg. 15. 3. that God left a little light in Hierusalem to Abiam the sonne of Roboam King of Iudah for Dauids sake who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. This Dauid saith Chrysostome did not only please God while he was in the body but he is found to haue yeelded great comfort after his death to such as he left behinde him aliue The Prophet Esay commeth to Hezekiah and saith vnto him I will defend this city for mine own sake and for Dauid my seruants sake David is dead but his vertues that pleased God do still liue O strange thing O ineffable clemencie a man long since dead patronizeth him that liueth In this sense then it is that the Church desireth God to be gratious vnto her in graunting her petitions for the merit of those his holiest Ones that she remembreth no way derogating from the merites of Christ but putting a great difference betweene them and those of the Saints for Christs merite is the onely price of our redemption by which onely we are redeemed from sinne eternall death and being reconciled to God are adopted to bee sonnes and heires of eternall life but the merites of the Saints here mentioned are nothing but those imperfect good workes which they did while they liued here which God was pleased so to accept that hee promised not onely to reward them with great and ample rewards in their owne persons but to doe good for their sakes that did them to others also Bucer speaking of the publique prayers of the Church which wee call Collects in which the intercession and merites of Saints are commemorated hath these words Seeing in these prayers whatsoeuer is attributed to the intercession and merites of Saints all that is asked not of the Saints but of our mercifull God through Iesus Christ they that so pray doe thereby professe and testifie that they acknowledge that those things which they aske of God by the intercession and for the merites of the Saints are the free gifts of God c And a little after Wee willingly acknowledge and publiquely professe that GOD doth reward the workes of his Saints not onely in their owne persons but in those also that pertaine vnto them and for whom they intercede for hee hath promised to doe good to a thousand generations to them that loue him and study to keepe his Commaundements hence it was that hee would not heale those of the house of Abimelech till Abraham interceded and intreated for them and hence it was that God graunted and gaue the deliuerance and saluation of all the people to Moses when he intreated for the same These are the wordes of Bucer which not being contradicted by any of our profession it is evident that no part of Romish Religion disliked by vs can bee prooued out of this part of the Canon of the Masse Thus hauing cleared that great objection of Mr Brerelie touching the publique Liturgie vsed in the Church in the dayes of our Fathers and made it appeare that the vsing thereof is no proofe that the Church that then was was not a Protestant Church and hauing made it cleare and evident that both the Liturgie it selfe and the profession of such as vsed it shew plainely that the Church that then was neuer allowed any Romish errour howsoeuer some did in the midst of her it remaineth that I now proceed to shew in the particulars that the outward face of Religion at and before Luthers appearing was not as M ◠Brerelie telleth vs the now professed Romane Religion and that whatsoeuer wee haue done in the reformation of the Church was long before wished for and desired by the best men amongst the guides of the Church CHAP. 1. Of the Canon of the Scriptures THat the Church did not admit the Canon of Scripture which the Romanists now doe nor euer accounted those bookes Canonicall which we thinke to be Apocryphall it will easily appeare in that all the most famous Divines from the beginning of the Christian World euen till the time of Luther did reject those bookes as Apocryphall that wee doe The Church of the Iewes to whom as S. Paul saith the oracles of God were committed admitted but onely 22 Bookes as deliuered to them from God to be the Canon of their faith as Iosephus witnesseth Neither did the Christian Church euer admit any more Melito Bishop of Sardis being desired by Onesimus to send him a catalogue of the bookes of the old and new Testament writeth thus vnto him Hauing diligently sought out the bookes of the old Testament and put them in order I haue sent them vnto you the names whereof are these the 5 bookes of Moses Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie then Iesus the sonne of Naue Iudges Ruth the 4 bookes of Kings two bookes of Chronicles the Psalmes of Dauid the Prouerbes which is also called the Wisdome of Salomon Ecclesiastes the Canticles Iob the Prophets Esay Hieremie one booke of the twelue Prophets Daniel Ezechiel Esdras Some soe translate the words of Melito as if hee reckoned the wisdome of Salomon as a seperate booke and so meant the booke that is commonly called the Wisdome of Salomon and is by vs accounted to be apocryphall but Ruffinus translateth as wee doe and that wee haue rightly expressed the meaning of this worthy Bishoppe and that hee onely added this as a glorious title to the booke of Salomons Prouerbs which as Eusebius saith the auncients vsually called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reader will soone be satisfied if he peruse that which D. Raynolds hath touching this point in his prelections Eusebius she weth that Iosephus according to the auncient
information of manners yet is their authority thought to bee too weake to proue things that are in controversie And writing vpon the first of Esdras 1. c. he saith that though the bookes of Tobias Iudith and the Macchabees bee historicall bookes yet he intendeth to pasle them ouer because they are not in the Canon neither with the Iewes nor with the Christians Tostatus Bishop of Abulen approueth the judgment of Lyra. Ximenius that was made a Cardinall in the time of Leo the 10â— put forth the Bibles called Biblia Complutensia and in the Preface before the same treating of the bookes by vs thought to bee Apocryphall hee sayth they are not in the Canon and that the Church readeth them rather for edification of the people then to confirme any doubtfull points of doctrine and that therefore they are not Canonicall Dionysius Carthusianus in his Prologues before the bookes of Ecclesiasticus and Tobias denyeth them to bee Canonicall as also the booke of Iudith and writing vpon the first Chapter of Macchabees hee denieth it to bee Canonicall Ludovicus Vives treating of History sacred and prophane now come in sayth hee the bookes of Kings and the Chronicles the Apocryphall bookes of Hester Tobias and Iudith Esdras which being divided into foure bookes the two first are accounted Canonicall by the Hebrewes the two latter are Apocryphall And in another place speaking of the History of Susanna and Bell he putteth them amongst the Apocrypha With these accordeth Driedo To these may bee added the Glosses The ordinary Glosse was begun by Alcuinus as Antoninus Florentinus Gaguinus doe thinke or by Strabus Fuldensis as Trithemius Sixtus Senensis thinke but it was afterwards inlarged by diuerse which gathered sundry sentences and sayings out of the writings of the Fathers and put them into it This Glosse grew to bee in great request and vsed in all Churches of the West In the preface thereof are these words There are some bookes canonicall some not canonicall betweene which there is as great difference as there is betweene that which is certaine and that which is doubtfull For the canonicall bookes were composed by the immediate direction and suggestion of the holy spirit they that are not canonicall are very good and profitable but their authoritie is not reputed sufficient to proue the things that are questionable This the authour thinketh so cleere that hee fastneth the note of ignorance vpon all such as thinke otherwise and professeth that therefore he held it necessarie to prefixe this preface because there are many who not giuing themselues much to the study of holy Scripture suppose that all those bookes that are bound vp together in the Bible are to bee in like sorte honoured and esteemed not knowing how to put a difference betweene bookes canonicall and not canonicall which the Hebrewes separate from the canon and the Greekes account apocryphall and so oftentimes make themselues ridiculous to them that are learned Hee citeth the authority of Origen Hierome and Ruffinus rejecting the six bookes questioned and though hee knew the opinion of Augustine yet doth hee not follow it onely hee sayth that amongst the bookes not canonicall they that are reiected by Augustine as Baruch and the third and fourth of Esdras are lesse to bee esteemed then those that hee alloweth And immediately after this preface followeth Hieromes epistle to Paulinus and afterwards his prologus galeatus and his prologue before the bookes of Solomon And the glosse every where inculcateth when it commeth to these six bookes that they are not canonicall Incipit liber Tobiae c. Heere beginnes the booke of Tobias which is not canonicall c. In the edition of the Bibles with the Glosses there is found an exposition of the prologues of Hierome written and composed by Brito more auncient then Lyra for hee is cited by him and honoured with the title of a famous and worthy man who professeth that the bookes questioned are not canonicall Gratian in the decree maketh no mention of the opinion of Gelasius touching the canonicall Scriptures disliking as it seemeth his opinion and yet not willing to oppose against it But the Glosse vpon the next distinction saith there are certaine apocryphall bookes that is without authour as the Wisedome of Solomon the booke of Iesus the sonne of Sirach called Ecclesiasticus the booke of Iudith the booke of Tobias and the bookes of the Macchabees these bookes are sayd to bee apocryphall and yet they are read but happily not generally Driedo citeth this place of the glosse and reprehendeth the authour of it as not giving the true reason why these bookes are called apocryphall but yet thinketh as hee doth that they are apocryphall Sanctes Pagninus in his epitome of historicall bookes that are canonicall prefixed before the Bible translated by him into Latine accounteth all those that Hierome doth to be canonicall the rest hagiographall Bruciolus in the preface of his commentaries vpon the Bible translated by him into Italian saith he hath commented vpon all the bookes of the old testament yet hee hath not commented vpon the six bookes that are questioned In the Bibles put out at Antwerpe by Arias Montanus with the interlineall translation all those bookes are omitted In the edition of the Bible printed at Antwerpe by Birkmannus that very yeare that the councell of Trent was holden to determine this point touching the Canonicall and Apocryphall Scriptures and the like the author suppressing his name prefixeth a preface before the same his edition and in it reiecteth all the bookes now questioned in more peremptory sort then many of the former did Here wee see a cloud of witnesses in all ages and in all parts of the world witnessing to the truth of that wee affirme touching the canon of the Scripture and reiecting those bookes as Apocryphall or not Canonicall which wee reiect euen till and after the time of Luther soe that the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died is found as I sayd to bee in this point a Protestant Church wherefore let vs proceed to other particular points of controversie CHAP. 2. Of the sufficiencie of the Scripture THat the Church formerly did not deny the sufficiencie of the Scripture for the direction of Christian men in matters of faith and religion as the Romanists now doe but acknowledged and taught that it containeth all things necessary to salvation accordingly as wee now professe it appeareth by the testimonies of these diuines Gregorius Ariminensis sometimes Prior generall of the friars Heremites of the order of Saint Augustine writing vpon the sentences hath these words That is properly a theologicall discourse that consisteth of sayings or propositions contained in the holy scripture or of such as are deduced thence or at the least of such as are consequent and to bee deduced from one of these this sayth hee is proued ex communi omnium conceptione nam omnes arbitrantur
testimony from their Curates or Confessours that they are humble discreet and devout persons and like to take much good no harme thereby This was the decree of Pius 4 but Clement the 8th in a later edition of the same Index with new additions saith that this power of permitting Lay-men to haue the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue was taken away by the mandate and practise of the Roman Church and of the generall inquisition so that they may not permit any to haue the whole Bible in the vulgar tongue or any parts of the Olde or New Testament or any summaries or epitomies though historicall of the same Bibles and this hee prescribeth to be inviolably kept Thus doth he condemne the practise of all the Churches of God which had the Scriptures translated into vulgar Languages for to what end should they be translated if no man might vse them and together with them his Predecessour Pius the 4th and all the learned Prelates that concurred with him and falleth into the folly or indiscretion which Stapleton condemneth as wee heard before Thus variable and vncertaine are these Romane Bishoppes who yet would bee taken not onely to bee built vpon the Rocke but to be that Rocke vpon which the Church is builded against which the gates of hell cannot prevaile But as Stapleton telleth vs in the place aboue cited There were certaine Catholique and great men and in the margent hee nameth Sir Thomas More who thought it fit as tending to the honour of God and saluation of the people to deliuer vnto them the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue without any restraint leauing it free to all to read them that will for that so many good and godly Christians who would receiue great comfort and be much edified thereby are not to be depriued of that most excellent benefite which they may haue by reading them in respect of few or many vnlearned or vnstable men who depraue the scripture to the perdition of themselues and others as S. Peter saith in his 2 Epistle cap. 32. No more then it had beene fit that Christ the Lord should haue forborne to come and saue others in respect of such wicked ones to whom his comming is a rock of offence a stone to stūble at or that he that is the true light that lighteneth euery man that cōmeth into the world should therefore haue kept him selfe away or not appeared to the world because men loued darkenes more then light And surely if the vulgar free and ordinary reading of the scripture were to be denied and restrained in respect of the wicked who abuse it the scripture must neuer haue bin in the Hebrew Greeke or Latine tongues for all these tongues were vulgar to the Iewes Grecians and Romans This opinion Stapleton confesseth to be probable and godly and yet he disliketh it And yet it is confirmed by the authority of the Fathers who earnestly exhort the people to the reading of the scripture as a thing necessary to saluation Soe doth Chrysostome in sundry places 2 Homily vpon Mathew 3. Homily vppon Lazarus 3. Homily vpon the second to the Thessalonians 28. Homilie vpon Genesis 9. Homilie vpon the Epistle to the Colossians where he sayth the Apostle commandeth secular men that are married to reade the scripture and whereas St Paul to the Colossians 3. hath these words Let the word of Christ dwell plentifully in you in all wisdome teaching and admonishing your selues in Psalmes hymmes and spirituall songs Chrysostome in his ninth Homily and Hierome in his commentaries vpon the same place collect and inferre that the Scriptures are to be reade of Lay men and that by the precept of the Apostle It is therefore vntrue that Stapleion hath that Chrysostome doth not exhort the people to the reading of the scripture as a thing necessary but as fitte and profitable for them that liued idlely in a rich citty thus to occupy them selues as if it had beene onely to keepe them from doing nothing that they were to reade the booke of God Neither is it any better that he hath in answere hereunto that Chrysostome spake not exactly but as a preacher or oratour as if in the pulpit a Preacher might exhort the people with all earnestnesse to that which is not fitte to be done or as if there were not many now adayes that liue idlely in rich cities From the translating of the Scriptures into vulgar tongues and the peoples priuate reading of the same let vs come to speake of the publike liturgy of the Church and the common praiers in the vulgar tongue Here I will first shew what the practice of the Church hath beene and secondly what the opinion of Iudicious men is and hath beene touching this point That in the Primitiue Church they had the seruice in the vulgar tongue it is euident by the testimonies of the auncient For first Origen writing against Celsus and answering that calumniation of them that said Christians vsed certaine barbarous words and names of God in their prayers supposing vertue to be in them more then in Greeke or Latine words or names telleth them there is no such thing but that they that are true and right Christians in their prayers vse not the names of God found in the Scripture written in Hebrew but the Grecians vse greeke words the Latines latine and all pray and praise God in their own tongue he that is the Lord of all tongues heareth thē in what tongue soeuer they pray and vnderstandeth them speaking in so different languages no lesse then if they all vsed one language Bellarmine saith in the time of the Apostles the whole people was wont to answere Amen in the celebration of diuine seruice and not as now by one appointed in their steed For Iustin Martyr testifieth expressely in his 2 apology that the whole people was wont to answere amen when the Priest ended his prayer or thankesgiuing and it is euident that the same vse was continued a long time after both in the East and West as it appeareth by the liturgy of Chrysostome where the things that were to be sayd by the priest deacon and people are distinctly set downe And by Cyprian in his sermon vpon the Lords prayer where he saith the people doe answere we lift them vp vnto the Lord when the priest willeth them to lift vp their harts and by Hierome praefat lib. 2. in epist. ad Galatas who writeth that in the Churches of the city of Rome the people are heard with so loud a voyce sounding out amen as if it were a thundring from heauen Thus farre Bellarmine in his 2 booke de verbo Dei chap. 16 which argueth that they had their seruice in a knowne tongue for otherwise how could they thus haue answered to the seuerall parts of the diuine seruice as they were appointed to do surely the long answeres of the people to the priest in their praiers
found in sundry liturgies are a demnostration that it was so August de chatechizandis rudibus hath these words Let them know that there is no other voyce that entreth into the eares of God but the affection of the minde and then they will not deride the prelates and ministers of the Church if happily they discerne any of them to vse barbarismes or solecismes in the inuocation of God or not to vnderstand the words they pronounce nor aptly and distinctly to vtter them not as if these faults were not to be amended that so the people might answere amen to that which plainely and distinctly they vnderstand but that they should learne louingly to beare with these defects hauing learned vt sono in foro sic voto in ecclesiâ benedici and that forensis illa nonnunquam fortè bona dictio nunquam tamen benedictio dici potest The Aethiopians or Habassines anciently had and still haue the common praiers whole liturgie in their own vulgar tongue into which language Sabellicus reporteth that both the old and newe Testament were translated out of the Chalde The Armenians haue their diuine seruice in the Armenian tongue as Iacobus à vitriaco Brocardus Michouius Breitenbachius and many others partly out of their own knowledge and partly from certaine relation haue recorded The Moscouites and Russians haue their seruice in their vulgar language which is a kind of Slauonian intermingling sometimes certaine greeke hymnes the epistle and gospell that the people may the better heare and vnderstand are read with a loud voyce without the quier in the middle of the Church Neither haue those Russians only their seruice in the vulgar that are subiect to the great Duke of Mosco but they also that are subiect to the King of Polonia The Nestorians haue their seruice in a degenerate Chalde or Syriack and so haue the Indians from which their vulgar differeth very little The Iacobites of Mesopotamia Babylon Palestine Syria and Cyprus haue their liturgie in the Syriaque tongue and it is that which is called anaphora Basilii as it is thought which though it be not well vnderstood by their common people their vulgar as now it is differing something from it yet that it was commonly vnderstood when that liturgie was first ordained it appeareth by the long answers of the people to the priest in their prayers which wee find in it The Maronites likewise haue their seruice in the Syriaque their vulgar being the Arabique As also the Aegyptians haue their seruice in the same bastard Chaldee or Syriaque their vulgar being the Arabique but these first reade the Gospell in Chalde afterwards in Arabique Marianus Victorius Reatinus saith that as the Chalde tongue dependeth of the Hebrew and groweth out of it so the Syriaque Arabique and Aethiopian tongues haue dependance on the Chalde and are growne out of it so that they also haue the name of the Chalde and these fiue tongues haue such agreement amongst themselues and are soe like that hee that perfectly vnderstandeth one may in a great part vnderstand the other And therefore it is not to bee maruailled if all these Churches last mentioned haue their seruice in the Chaldee or Syriaque for it is in a sort their mother tongue and noe doubt was perfectly vnderstood by them when their liturgies were first devised The Georgians Circassians and Mengrellians are sayd to haue their seruice in Greeke and so are the Syrians or Melchites but if that Liturgie which Andraeas Masius translated out of the Syriaque and which is found in the 6 Tome of Biblioth Patrum and is named Anaphora Basilii bee theirs then surely they celebrate not in Greeke But to leaue these Easterne Churches and to come to those that are nearer to vs wee may diuide all the Churches of this part of the world into three sorts For some of them aunciently vnderstood and spake Latine as they did in Augustine's time in those parts of Africa wherein he liued and therefore it is not to be marvailed at if they had their Liturgie in the Latine tongue for they vnderstood it better then the Punique so that hee preached vnto them in Latine That generally they vnderstood and spake Latine it is evident by that which Augustine saith of himselfe Latina didici sine ullo metu atque cruciatu inter etiam blandimenta nutricum ioca arridentium laetitias alludentium That is I learned Latine without any feare or vexation whiles the nurses sought to please me while men sported and played with mee In another place hee hath these wordes Proverbium notum est Punicum quod quidem Latinè vobis dicam quia Punica non omnes nostis That is The Punique Proverbe is knowne which I will vtter vnto you in Latine because you doe not all vnderstand the Punique tongue whereby it appeareth that the Latine tongue was better vnderstood in some parts of Africa then the Punique The Latine tongue was also vulgar in Italy in France and Spaine for when they receiued the Romane Lawes they learned the tongue also and beganne to speake Latine though their owne tongue were not presently extinct So that it is not improbable but that they had their seruice in Latine but whether they had or not it is evident they had it in a tongue they vnderstood For touching France Severus Sulpitius writeth in the life of Martin that when there was no little difference about his election the Lector whose course it was to reade that day inclosed in the multitudes was kept out from the place and could not performe that duety whereupon the Ministers being troubled while hee came not that was looked for one of them that stood by tooke the Psalter and reade that verse that hee first found and the Psalme was this Our of the mouthes of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained praise that thou mayst destroy the enemy defensorem and the defender which when the people heard they made a great shout and that part that was opposite to Martin was confounded for the principall man that opposed him was named Defensor and the people thought that it was by Gods speciall direction that this Psalme was reade to put downe the faction that opposed against Martin By this it appeareth that the Scripture was reade in Latine and yet in a tongue vnderstood by the people for otherwise how could they haue beene thus affected And that it was so read in auncient times as to bee vnderstood it is cleare by the forme of blessing vsed in the constituting of Lectors which was this as it appeareth by an olde manuscript cited by Cassander Benedicere dignare hos famulos tuos in officium lectorum ut assiduitate lectionis sint apti pronunciare verba vitae mentis ac vocis distinctione populo monstrare intelligibilia That is Vouchsafe to blesse these thy servaunts designed and appointed
songs concerning the creation of the world and the beginning of mankinde the whole historie of Genesis Israels going out of Aegypt and entring into the land of promise and sundry other histories of holy Scripture of the incarnation passion resurrection and ascension of Christ into heaven of the comming of the holy Ghost the doctrine of the Apostles the terrour of the future iudgement the feare of hell punishment and the happinesse of the kingdome of heauen and sundry other benefits and iudgments of God In all which hee sought to draw men from delighting in things that are euill to the loue and practise of that which is good Which poems no doubt were written if they knew how to write at that time Thus were they willing in those dayes to take all occasion to make the Scripture knowen to the people as farre forth as possibly they might And therefore it is not to bee doubted but that when they had the Scripture onely in Latine yet it was interpreted to the people that they might vnderstand it according to that of Iohn Billet in summâ de diuinis officijs In the primitiue Church no man was permitted to speake in a tongue not vnderstood vnlesse there were one to interpret for to what purpose were it for a man to speake not to be vnderstood truely to none at all Hence grew that laudable custome in some parts of the Church that so soone as the gospell should bee read in the Latine it should presently be expounded to the people in the vulgar And this which hee sayth is confirmed by the authoritie and testimony of Epiphanius who describing all the severall orders in the Church amongst others hee reckoneth them that were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Interpreters that expressed in one tongue that which was vttered in another aswell when the lessons were read as when the preacher spake to the people By all that which hath beene said it appeareth that the desire of Gods Church was ever to communicate the Scriptures and bookes of God to all people in the tongue they vnderstood That the most part of the Christian Churches had the booke of God in their owne tongue And that if any had not it was either because they could not tell how to write any thing in their barbarous tongues or because the tongue wherein they first receiued them altering they were not vnderstood then as formerly they had been of their ancestours to whom they were first deliuered in the same So in Italy France Spaine aunciently they generally vnderstood and spake Latine and therefore had the Scriptures deliuered vnto them in that tongue but in time the Latine which they spake was so corrupted and so degenerated into barbarisme that the people of those parts vnderstood very little of that which was written in the purer Latine formerly vnderstood and therefore in processe of time they were forced to haue the Scriptures newly translated into this new dialect or rather corruption of the Latine So had they the Bible translated into Italian French and Spanish as before I shewed Their prayers and liturgies indeede were not altered yet was there never any iudicious man that thought it fittest to haue the service of God performed without vnderstanding but all the best most pious in every age thought it necessary by all good and possible meanes to prouide that the people might haue their seruice of God in a tongue they vnderstood Wee haue heard already Iohn Billet peremptorily affirming that in the primitiue Church no man was permitted to speake in a tongue not vnderstood vnlesse there were one to interpret and that it was the custome of some Churches so soone as the gospell was read in the Latine to expound the same in the vulgar tongue but saith he What shall wee say of our times wherein scarce or not at all either he that readeth or heareth vnderstandeth what hee heareth or readeth So that wee may say truely as the Prophet sometime complayned The priest shall bee as one of the people Videtur ergo tacendum potius esse quam psallendum it seemeth therefore it were better to keepe silence then to sing Haymo a worthy and learned Bishop writing vpon the 1 Epist. to the Cor. hath these wordes If hee that vnderstandeth onely that tongue wherein he was borne and bred stand by thee when thou solemnly celebratest the mysterie of the masse or makest a sermon or powrest forth the wordes of blessing how shall hee answere amen to thy blessing not knowing what thou sayest that is how shall he answere that confirmatory word amen when he vnderstanding onely his owne tongue knoweth not what thou sayest in that barbarous tongue And least any man should take advantage and vrge as the Papists are wont to doe that because he speaketh of a barbarous tongue his words are not to bee vnderstood of him that speaketh in one of the three learned tongues hee sheweth that he that speaketh in the Hebrew tongue to him that vnderstandeth nothing but Greeke or in the Greeke to him that vnderstandeth nothing but Latine or in Latine to him that vnderstandeth nothing but Greeke is a barbarian Yea if a Roman and such a one as is not a Grecian pronounce the symbol or creed in Greeke hee is a barbarian to him that vnderstandeth nothing but Latine though hee bee of the same nation and people Thomas Aquinas mentioneth this but giueth another interpretation of the word but not so fit making them to bee barbarians that excell in strength of body but are defectiue in strength of reason which how farre wide it is from the scope of the Apostle a blinde man may see But in the same place proposing the question how hee that vnderstandeth no other tongue but that of the country wherein he was borne can conforme himselfe and say amen to the prayers he vnderstandeth not his answere is that hee may comforme himselfe in a generality but not in particular seeing hee knoweth not in particular what it is that the minister sayeth though in generall hee know that hee prayeth or blesseth And farther asking why the prayers and blessings are not in the vulgar that more fully particularly the ignorant might conforme themselues vnto the same his answere is that happily it was so in the primitiue Church but now that the faithfull are instructed and knowe what it is they heare in the service of the Church the blessings are in Latin How weake an answere this is to proceed from such a man who seeth not for when hee sayth they know what they heare either hee meaneth in particular and then hee contrarieth his former wordes or onely in generall and then they can giue no consent but in generall and so the question is not answered why the prayers and blessings are not in the vulgar that so being distinctly vnderstood there might bee a distinct conforming to the same Lyra writing vpon the same place hath these
we should haue no greater certainty of things Diuine and revealed then such as humane meanes and causes can yeeld And so seeing wee can neuer bee so well perswaded of any man or multitude of men but that we may justly feare either they are deceiued or will deceiue if our faith depend vpon such grounds we cannot firmely vndoubtedly beleeue Nay it is consequent vpon this absurd opinion that the Children of the Church and they of the houshold of faith haue no infused or Diuine faith at all for that whatsoeuer is revealed by the God of truth is true the Heathens make no doubt but doubt whether any thing were so revealed and that any thing was so revealed if these men say true we haue no assurance but by humane meanes and causes But the absurdity hereof the same Canus out of Calvin doth very learnedly demonstrate reasoning in this sort If all they that haue beene our teachers nay if all the Angels in Heauen shall teach vs any other or contrary doctrine to that we haue receiued we must holde them accursed and not suffer our faith to bee shaken by them as the Apostle chargeth vs in the Epistle to the Galatians therefore our faith doth not rely vpon humane causes or grounds of assurance Ne mens nostra vacillet altius petenda quà m ab hominum vel ratione vel auctoritate scripturae authoritas Besides our faith and that of the Apostles and Prophets being the same it must needes haue the same object the same ground and stay to rest vpon in both but they builded themselues vpon the sure and vnmooueable rocke of Diuine truth and authority therefore we must doe so likewise If any man desire farther satisfaction herein let him reade Canus and Calvin to whom in these things Canus is much beholding Others therefore to avoide this absurdity run into that other before mentioned that we beleeue the things that are diuine by the meere and absolute command of our will not finding any sufficient motiues reasons of perswasion hereupon they define faith in this sort Fides est assensus firmus ineuideÌ„s that is faith is a firme certaine ful assent of the mind beleeuing those things the truth whereof no way appeareth vnto vs. For father explication and better clearing of this definition of faith they make two kindes of certainty for there is as they say certitudo evidentiae and certitudo adhaerentiae that is there is a certainty of evidence which is of those things the truth whereof appeareth vnto vs and another of adherence and firme cleauing to that the trueth whereof appeareth not vnto vs. This later they suppose to bee the certainty that is found in fayth and there vpon they hold that a man may beleeue a thing meerely because hee will without any motiues or reason of perswasion at all the contrary whereof when Picus Mirandula proposed among other his conclusions to bee disputed in Rome hee was charged with heresie for it But hee sufficiently cleared himselfe from all such imputation and improued their fantasie that so thinke by vnanswerable reasons which I haue thought good to lay downe in this place It is not sayth hee in the power of a man to thinke a thing to bee or not to bee meerely because hee will therefore much lesse firmely to beleeue it The trueth of the antecedent wee finde by experience and it evidently appeareth vnto vs because if a doubtfull proposition bee proposed concerning which the vnderstanding and minde of man resolueth nothing seeing no reason to leade to resolue one way or other the minde thus doubtfull cannot incline any way till there bee some inducement either of reason sight of the eye or testimony or authority of them wee are well conceipted of to settle our perswasion Secondly a man cannot assent to any thing or judge it to bee true vnlesse it so appeare vnto him but the sole acte of a mans will cannot make a thing to appeare and seeme true or false but either the euidence of the thing or the testimony and authority of some one of whose judgement he is well perswaded Thirdly though the action of vnderstanding quoad exercitium as to consider of a thing and thinke vpon it or to turne away such consideration from it depend on the will yet not quoad specificationem as to assent or dissent for these opposite and contrary kinds of the vnderstandings actions are from the contrary and different appearing of things vnto vs. Fourthly the sole command of the will cannot make a man to beleeue that which being demanded why hee beleeueth he giueth reasons and alledgeth inducements but so it is that in matters of our Christian faith we alledge sundry reasons mouing vs to beleeue as Christians doe as appeareth by the course of all Diuines who lay downe eight principall reasons moouing men to beleeue the Gospell namely the light of propheticall prediction the harmony and agreement of the Scriptures the diligence of them that receiued them carefully seeking to discerne betweene truth and errour the authority grauitie of the writers the reasonablenesse of the things written the vnreasonablenes of all contrary errours the stability of the Church and the miracles that haue beene done for the confirmation of the faith it professeth Fiftly if there be two whereof one beleeueth precisely because he will and another onely because hee will not beleeue refuseth to beleeue the same thing the acte of neither of these is more reasonable then the other being like vnto the will of a Tyrant that is not guided at all by reason but makes his owne liking the rule of his actions Now who is so impious to say The Christians that beleeue the Gospell haue no more reason to leade them so to doe then the Infidels that refuse to beleeue With Picus in the confutation of this senselesse conceipt wee may joyne Cardinall Cameracensis who farther sheweth that as a man cannot perswade himselfe of a thing meerely because hee will without any reason at all so hauing reason hee cannot perswade himselfe more strongly and assuredly of it then the reason hee hath will afforde for if hee doe it is so farre an vnreasonable acte like that of a Tyrant before mentioned Durandus likewise is of the same opinion Assentiri nullus potest nisi ei quod apparet verum igitur oportâ—…t quèd illud quòd creditur appareat rationi verum vel in se vel ratione mâ—…dij per quod assentitur si non in se sed tantùm ratione medij illud medium apparebit verum vel in se vel per aliud medium si non est processus in infinitum oportet quòd deueniatur ad primum quod apparet rationi esse verum in se secundum se That is No man can yeeld assent to any thing but that which appeareth to him to be true therefore whatsoeuer a man beleeueth must seeme and appeare vnto him to bee
that are already wise and exercised in things that are diuine and therfore they must begin with authority Hugo de Sancto Victore maketh three sorts of beleeuers for there are sayth he qui solâ pietate credere eligunt qui vtrùm credendum sit vel non credendum ratione non comprehendunt alii ratione approbant quod fide credunt alii puritate cordis mundâ conscientiâ interius iam gustare incipiunt quod fide crediderunt The first are moued to beleeue out of piety finding the Maiesty of God to present it selfe vnto them in the word of truth and happy communion of the people professing the same challenging their attention and readinesse to bee taught by him In the second the light of diuine reason causeth approbation of that they belieue In the third sort the purity of diuine vnderstanding apprehendeth most certainely the things belieued and causeth a foretasting of those things that hereafter more fully shall be enjoied They that are thus established in the faith do now already begin to foretast that which they long in heaueÌ„ distinctly to know and enjoy and begin already to haue God present with them by force of diuine contemplation so that if all the world should be turned into miracles they could not remoue them from the certainety of their perswasion Hence it is that Pycus sayth in his Conclusions that as faith which is but a bare credulity is in degree of perfection lesse then Science soe true faith is greater and more certaine then any science gotten by demonstration Thus then we may easily discerue what is the formall reason of our faith or inducing vs to beleeue In things that are therefore belieued because knowne as in the principles conclusions of naturall knowledge the euidence of things appearing to vs is the formall reason of our beleefe and perswasion In things first belieued and afterwards known the euidence of the things appearing vnto vs being inlightned by the light of grace In things only belieued and not knowne the authority of God himselfe whom wee do most certainly discerne to speake in the worde of Faith which is preached vnto vs. Si puros oculos integros sensus illuc afferamus sayth Caluin statim occurret Dei majestas quae subactâ reclamandi audaciâ nos sibi parere cogat If we bring pure eyes and perfect senses the Majesty of God presently presenteth it selfe vnto us in the diuine Scripture and beating down al thoughts of contradicting or doubting of things so heauenly forceth vs to obey For Non dubium vim numinis illic vigere spirare sentimus quâ ad parendum scientes quidem ac volentes viuidiùs tamen efficaciùs quà m pro humana aut voluntate aut scientia trahimur ac accendimur We find a greater light of vnderstanding shining vnto vs in this doctrine of faith then is found within the compasse of nature a satisfaction touching many things in which humane reason could not satisfie vs in a joy exultation of the heart such and so great as groweth not out of nature This maketh vs assure our selues the doctrine which thus affecteth vs is reuealed from God that they are the only people of God and haue the meanes of happinesse where this treasure of heauenly wisdome is found that those bookes are the richest jewell that the world possesseth and ought to be the Canon of our faith which this people deliuereth unto vs as receiued from them to whom these things were first of all made knowne and reuealed So then that God speaketh in the Scripture and is the Author of it we know more certainely than any thing that is knowne by naturall light of reason and thereupon wee beleeue all things therein contained though many of them are such as can neuer be knowne of vs as those that are historicall and other such as are not knowne at first though after we haue belieued we begin to vnderstand and know them Herevnto agree the best learned and most deuout and religious amongst the Schoole-men For the greater part of them were giuen to curious disputes but voyd of all deuotion as Gerson complaineth Alexander of Hales sayth there is a certainty of speculation and a certainetie of experience a certainty in respect of the vnderstanding and a certainetie in respect of the affection a certainty in respect of the spirituall man and a certainety in respect of the naturall man and pronounceth that the things apprehended by vs in diuine knowledge are more certainely discerned by such as are spirituall in the certainty of experience in the certainety which is in respect of affection and by way of spirituall taste and feeling than anie thing is discerned in the light of naturall vnderstanding Quà m dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua sayth the Prophet Dauid How sweete are thy wordes O Lord vnto my mouth They are sweeter than the hony and the hony combe And again I haue knowne long since that thou hast established them for euer Thus then it is true that the authority of Gods Church prepareth vs vnto the faith and serueth as an introduction to bring vs to the discerning and perfect apprehension of diuine things but is not the ground of our faith and reason of beleeuing And that doubtlesse is the meaning of those wordes of Augustine that hee would not beleeue the Gospell if the authority of the Church did not moue him thereunto CHAP. 9. Of the meaning of those wordes of Augustine that he would not beleeue thâ—… Gospell if the authority of the Church did not moue him THe Diuines giue two explications of these wordes of Augustine For Occam and some others say the Church whereof hee speaketh is not the multitude of beleeuers that now are in the World but the whole number of them that are and haue beene since Christ appeared in the flesh so including the Apostles in which sense they confesse the Church comprehending in it the Apostles and writers of the whole Scripture of the new Testament is of greater authority then the bookes of the Gospell written by them and deliuered to posterities Others taking the name of the Church to signifie onely the beleeuers that now presently are in the world say the meaning of Augustine is that he had neuer beleeued the Gospell if the authoritie of the Church had not beene an introduction vnto him Not that his faith rested vpon it as a finall stay but that it caused him so farre to respect the word of the Gospell to listen vnto it and with a kinde of acquisite and humane faith to beleeue it that hee was thereby fitted to a better illumination by force whereof hee might more certainely know and beleeue it to be of God To which purpose Waldensis out of Thomas Aquinas obserueth that as the Samaritans beleeued that Christ was the promised Sauiour vpon the report of the woman that talked with him made vnto them but afterwardes hauing
seene him and talked with him they professed that they beleeved not for her saying any longer for themselues had heard him speake and did know that hee was the Saviour of the world indeed So men at the first beginne to beleeue moued so to doe by the authority of the Church but rest not in it but in the infallible assurance of diuine trueth Vpon the mistaking of this saying of S. Augustine and an erroneous conceit that our faith stayeth wholly vpon the authority and testimony of the Church hath growne that opinion that the authority of the Church is greater than the authority of the Scriptures CHAP. 10. Of the Papistes preferring the Churches authority before the Scripture TOuching which odious comparison I find some shew of difference amongst the Papistes but none indeede Some affirme that the authorities of the Church and of the Scripture being in divers kindes may in diverse sorts and respects either of them be sayd to be greater then the other to wit the one in nature of an euidence the other of a Iudge and that therefore the comparing of them in authority is vnfit and superfluous Others say that the Church is greater then Scriptures The Rhemists seeme to be of the first sort seeking to conceale that which indeede they thinke because they would not incurre the dislike and ill opinion of men naturally abhorring from so odious a comparison Yet in the same place they doe make the comparison and preferre the Church before the Scriptures 1. In respect of antiquity in that it was before them 2. In excellencie of nature in that the Church is the spouse of Christ the Temple of God the proper subject of God and his graces for which the Scriptures were and not the Church for the Scriptures 3. In power of judging of doubts and controversies the Church hauing judiciall power the Scripture not being capable of it 4. In euidence the definition of the Church being more cleare and evident then those of the Scriptures Stapleton sayth the comparison may be made and the Church preferred before the Scriptures foure wayes 1. So as if the Church might define contrary to the Scriptures as shee may contrary to the writings of particular men how great soeuer In this sense they of the Church of Rome make not the comparison neither doe we charge them with any such thing though Stapleton be pleased to say so of vs. 2. So as the Church may define though not contrary to yet beside the Scripture or written Word of God This comparison is not made properly touching the preheminence of one aboue another in authority but the extent of one beyond the other as Stapleton rightly noteth In this sense the Romanists make the Church greater in authority than the Scriptures that is the extent of the Churches authority larger than of the Scriptures to bring in their traditions but this wee deny and will in due place improue their errour herein Thirdly in the obedience they both challenge of vs where they all say that we are bound with as great affection of piety to obey and submit our selues vnto the determinations of the Church as of the Scriptures both being infallible of diuine and heauenly authority against which no man may resist and that it is a matter of faith so to thinke Yea some of them as Stapleton in the same place are not ashamed to say that wee are bound with greater certaintie of faith to subscribe vnto the determinations of the Church than of the Scriptures and that it is the authority of the Church that maketh vs accept embrace and beleeue the Scriptures Fourthly in the nature of the things themselues in which respect they preferre the Church before the Scriptures as being in it selfe more excellent then the Scriptures as the subject by which the spirit worketh is more excellent then the thing hee worketh by it CHAP. 11. Of the refutation of their errour who preferre the authority of the Church before the Scripture THat wee may the better discerne what is to bee resolued touching these two latter comparisons betweene the Church and the Scriptures wee must remember that which I haue before noted touching them both For first the name of the Church sometimes comprehendeth onely the beleeuers that now presently are liuing in the world Sometimes not onely these but all them also that haue beene since the Apostles times Sometimes all that are and haue beene since Christ appeared in the flesh If the comparison bee made betweene the Church consisting onely of the faithfull that now are and the Scripture wee absolutely deny the equality of their authority and say it is impiety to thinke that both may challenge an equall degree of obedience and faith to bee yeelded to them for it cannot bee proued that the Church thus taken is free from errour nay themselues with one consent confesse that generall Councels representing this Church may erre though not in matters of substance which they purposely meete to determine yet in other passages and in the reasons and motiues leading to such determinations and consequently the whole Church may erre in the same things the one in their opinion being no more infallible than the other Yea some of them feare not to pronounce that Popes and generall Councells may erre damnably and that the Church itselfe may erre in matters not fundamentall though without pertinacy as Picus in his theoremes and Waldensis who freeth only the vniuersall Church consisting of the faithfull that are and haue beene from errour and not the present Church as I shewed before We are so farre then from preferring the Church thus taken as Stapleton in the place aboue mentioned professeth he taketh it in authority before the Scripture that we thinke it impiety to imagine it to be equall That the authority of the Church maketh vs to beleeue with an humane and acquisite faith we deny not but that it maketh vs to beleeue with a diuine faith we deny as before If the comparison be made between the Church consisting of all the faithfull that haue bin since besides the Apostles writers of the holy Scriptures though we think the Church thus taken to be free from any error yet dare we not make it equall to the Scripture For that the Scripture is infallibly true as inspired immediatly frō the spirit of truth securing the writers of it from errour The Church not in respect of the condition of the men of whom it consisteth or the manner of the guiding of the spirit each particular man being subject vnto errour but in respect of the generality and vniversality of it in euery part whereof in every time no errour could possibly be found And for that whatsoeuer is vniuersally deliuered by it is thereby prooued to be from the Apostles of whose faith wee are secure Thus then the whole Church thus taken is subiect to the Scripture in all her parts and hath her infallibility from it and therefore in her
manner of hauing the truth is inferiour vnto it neither are we bound to receiue her doctrines as the sacred Scriptures Besides though the Church taken in this sort be free from errour yet not from ignorance of many things wherein we may be instructed by the scripture So that it is possible for a man to vnderstand the naturall literall sense of some parts of Scripture and from thence some things that were not in such sort knowne and deliuered by any that went before as Andradius and Caietanus do proue at large If the comparison be made betweene the Church consisting of all the belieuers that are and haue beene since Christ appeared in the flesh so including the Apostles and their blessed assistants the Euangelists we deny not but that the Church is of greater authority antiquity and excellencie than the Scripture of the new Testament as the witnesse is better then his testimonie and the Lawgiuer greater then the Lawes made by him as Stapleton alleageth But he is to proue the present Church greater in authority than the Scripture which hee vndertaketh but performeth not His reason that the Scripture was giuen for the good of the Church and that therefore the Church is better than the Scripture proueth not the thing intended For as the people are more excellent in degree of being and nature of things than the lawes that be made for their good yet are the lawes of more authority and must ouer-rule and direct the people so though the Scriptures being but significations declarations and manifestations of diuine truth be not better in degree of things than the Church yet in power of prescribing directing and ouer-ruling our faith they are incomparably greater That which the Rhemists adde to shew the greatnesse of the Church aboue the Scripture because the Church hath judiciall power to determine doubts and controuersies whereof as they suppose the Scripture is not capable I will examine in the next part when I come to speake of the power of judging which the Church hath This errour of the Romanists imagining the authority of the Church to bee greater than the Scripture all the best learned in the Church of Rome euer resisted as Waldensis Occam Gerson and sundry others CHAP. 12. Of their errour who thinke the Church may make new articles of faith VNto this errour is joyned and out of this hath growne another not vnlike that the Church may make new articles of faith which though Stapleton and some other of our time seeme to disclaime yet do they indeede fall into it For the better vnderstanding whereof we must obserue as Occam fitly noteth that an Article of faith is sometimes strictly taken onely for one of those diuine verities which are contained in the creede of the Apostles sometimes generally for any Catholike verity This question is not meant of articles of faith in the first sense but in the second and so the meaning of the question is whether the Church that now is may by her approbation make those assertions and propositions to be Catholike verities that were not before or those hereticall that were not A Catholike vetity is a diuine truth which euery Christian is bound to beleeue The things which Christian men are bound to beleeue are of two sorts and consequently there are two sorts of Catholike verities to wit some so neerely touching the matter of eternall saluation that a man cannot be saued vnlesse hee expressely knowe and beleeue them others farther remooued which if a man beleeue implicitè and in praeparatione animi it sufficeth These must bee beleeued expressely and distinctly if their coherence with or dependance on the former do appeare vnto vs so that the manifest deduction of them from the former will make them such as must be expressely beleeued Our aduersaries confesse that the approbation and determination of the Church cannot make that a truth which was not nor that a Diuine or Catholike truth that was not so before but they thinke that the Church by her bare and sole determination may make that verity to be in such sort Catholike that euery one vnderstanding of such determination must expressely beleeue it that was not so and in such degree Catholike before But wee thinke that it is not the authority of the Church but the cleare deduction from the things which we are bound expressely to beleeue that maketh things of that sort that they must be particularly and distinctly known beleeued that were not necessarily so to bee beleeued before and therefore before and without such determination men seeing cleerely the deduction of things of this nature from the former and refusing to beleeue them are condemned of hereticall pertinacy and men not seeing that deduction after the decree of a Councell hath passed vpon them may still doubt and refuse to beleeue without hereticall pertinacy We cannot therefore condemne the Grecians as heretickes as the Romanists doe because wee cannot perswade our selues of them generally that they see that which they deny touching the proceeding of the holy Ghost deduced from the indubitate principles of our Christian faith or that they impiously neglect the search of the trueth What is it then will some men say that the decree of a Councell doth effect Surely nothing else but the rejecting of such as are otherwise minded from the societies of those men and Churches with whom the decree of the Councell doth prevaile and with all wise men the more wary and fearefull pronouncing any thing of those matters concerning which so graue authority hath passed her sentence The Papists proceed further and thinke it hereticall pertinacie to gainsay the decrees of a Councell though they finde the reasons by which they of the Councell were mooued so to thinke and determine to bee too weake and not to conclude the thing intended as in the matter of Transubstantiation they thinke it heresie to gainesay the decrees of those Councels that haue defined it and yet many of them judge all the reasons alleaged to proue it too weake to proue it In deed if it were certaine as they suppose that a generall Councell could not erre this were a sufficient deduction These things are decreede in a generall Councell Therefore ture because it is consequent that that is true which is affirmed by him that cannot erre Thus wee see what it is to bee thought touching this question whether the Church may make new Articles of faith onely one thing must be added for the further clearing hereof The Papistes thinke that the Church may adde to the Canon of the Scripture bookes not yet admitted as the bookes of Hermas the Scholler of Paul intituled Pastor and the constitutions of Clement which if it should doe we were to receiue them with no lesse respect then the Epistle of Iames and other bookes of the New Testament This we thinke to be a most grosse heresie and contrrry to their owne principles who making the number
Diuine Reuelation Origen in his Preface before the Gospell of Iohn sayth that Iohn the sonne of Zebedee saw in the Reuelation an Angell flying thorow the middest of heauen hauing the eternall Gospell The Councell of Ancyra pronounceth it to bee sacred and that Iohn was the author of it Thus then I hope it doth appeare that there is not so much reason to doubt of the bookes of the newe Testament called sometimes in question as of those of the old seeing the former were neuer doubted of but by some fewe vpon reasons friuolous the weakenesse whereof being discouered all Catholike Christians with one consent receiued them accounting them no better than Heretickes which either doubted of them or denied them whereas the later were rejected by the whole Church of the Iewes by all antiquity and the whole current of Gods Church some fewe onely excepted being ignorant of the tongues and not exactly looking into the monuments of antiquity and diuided amongst themselues some admitting more and some not all those which our aduersaries now receiue Wherefore as wee cannot but condemne the inconsiderate rashnesse of such either of the Romish or reformed Churches as in our time make question of any of the bookes of the newe Testament that are and haue beene long read in the Churches of GOD as Canonicall throughout the whole world so likewise wee thinke their boldnesse inexcusable who in these last ages make those bookes Canonicall which neuer were so esteemed by Gods Church before and goe about to binde all mens consciences soe to receiue them against the current of antiquity and the iudgement of the best learned in euery age euen to our times CHAP 25. Of the diuers editions of the Scripture and in what tongue it was originally written THus hauing shewed that the Scripture containeth a perfect rule of our faith and hauing likewise made it appeare what bookes they are which are canonicall and containe this rule of our Christian faith and Religion it remaineth that wee search out what editions there are of these Scriptures and which are authenticall and of indubitate authority and credit The whole Scripture of the old Testament was written in Hebrewe saue that some fewe things were translated into the bookes of Esdras and Daniel out of the publike recordes and monuments of the Chaldees in that tongue as the copies of letters and publike actes and proceedings all things which the spirit of God did absolutely deliuer being expressed vnto vs in the same bookes in Hebrewe The opinion of some hath beene that the whole Scripture of the old Testament perished and was lost in the time of the captiuity of Babylon and that it was newly composed by Esdras To which purpose they alleage the authority of Basil who seemeth to say some such thing and likewise the testimony of the author of the fourth booke of Esdras where it is sayd that the bookes of the lawe being burnt God sent the holy Ghost into Esdras separated him from the people for the space of fortie daies caused him to prouide boxe tables and men writing swiftly and that in forty dayes they wrote twoe hundred and foure bookes but this booke being Apochryphall full of Cabalisticall vanity doth rather weaken then strengthen this opinion That which is alledged out of the second of Esdras and the eight doth not proue that Esdras did newely compose the bookes of Scripture but only that he brought them forth which implyeth that they were not vtterly lost nor did wholly perish Neither indeed is it likely though that Scripture which was kept in the Temple was burnt that Ezechiell Daniell Ieremie Haggai Zacharie Mardocheus and Esdras himselfe were so negligent as not to preserue the bookes of the Scripture So that all that Esdras did was nothing else but the bringing together and putting into order the scattered partes of this scripture and the correcting of such faults as in time by the negligence of the writers were crept into the seuerall Copies of it This point is handled at large by Bellarmine and excellently cleared by him and therefore it is needlesse to insist vpon it longer So then the same scripture which Moses and the Prophets deliuered Esdras sought out and religiously commended vnto the people Onely Hierome is of opinion that hee found out newe Hebrewe letters and left the old to the Samaritans which Bellarmine out of Hierome confirmeth because the last letter of the Hebrewe Alphabet was like the Greeke T and had a similitude of the Crosse as that of the Samaritanes now hath but that now hath no similitude with it Picus Mirandula professeth that hauing conferred with sundry Iewes about this matter they all constantly denyed this alteration of letters And to what purpose should Esdras alter the forme of letters which MOSES and the Prophets had vsed Neither doth Hierome in the place cited by Bellarmine speake of the Greeke T but sayth onely that the last of the auncient Hebrew letters had a similitude of the Crosse as now that of the Samaritans hath But this being a matter of no great moment let euery man judge as he thinketh best This then we constantly hold that as the whole Scripture of the Olde Testament was written in Hebrew so the same neuer perished wholly in any of the captiuities of the Iewes but was religiously preserued euen the same which Moses and the Prophets deliuered to the people of God After the returne of the people from Babylon their tongue language was mixed of the Hebrew Chaldee and named the Syriacke tongue from the Region or Countrey vvhere it was vsed in which Christ made all his Sermons to the people as being best vnderstood of them Yet were not the bookes of the New Testament written in this Language but in Greeke because they were to be made common to the Churches of the Gentiles among which the Greeke tongue was most generally vnderstood There are three tongues most famous in the world as Hugo de Sancto Victore noteth the Latine Greeke and Hebrew propter regnum sapientiam legem the first because of the Monarchy of the Romanes who as they subjected the people which they did conquere to their lawes customes so they did force them to learne their language the second because in it the great Philosophers and Wise men of the world left the monuments of their wisedome learning to posterities the third because in it God deliuered his Law the interpretation of it by Moses and the Prophets to the people of Israell his chosen Amongst all these the Greeke was most generally vnderstood by the learned of all Nations because in it all the renowned wise men of the world had written all that were studious learned it that they might vnderstand their writings Hence it came that the books of the New testament were written in Greek because God would not honour one Nation of the world more then another nor
we were captiues and that spirituall Egypt wherein we were formerly holden in miserable bondage But as there were some of the children of the captiuity that after long continuance abroad forgat Hierusalem and preferred Babylon before Sion neuer desiring to returne into their owne country any more And as many of the Israelites brought out of the house of Pharoahs bondage by God himselfe and conducted by Moses and Aaron to take possession of Canaan the land of promise a land that flowed with milke and honey in their hearts returned backe so are there many that would neuer be induced to come out of the spirituall Babylon and other that are easily perswaded to looke backe and in their hearts to returne into Egypt againe For the winning and gaining of the former and the staying of the latter I haue indeauoured by the true discription of them out of the Scripture the authenticall recordsof antiquity to make it appeare how farre Canaan exceedeth Egypt and Sion Babylon how different the gouernement of Christ is from that of Antichrist how happy the people are that liue vnder the one and how miserable their condition is that are subiect to the other Beseeching God for his mercies sake to enlighten them that sit in darkenes to bring backe them that are gone astray to raise vp them that are fallen to strengthen them that stand to confirme them that are doubtfull to rebuke Sathan to put an end to the manyfold vnhappy contentions of these times to make vp the breaches of Sion to build the walles of Hierusalem and to loue it still R. F. THE FIFT BOOKE OF THE DIVERSE DEGREES ORDERS AND CALLINGS OF THOSE men to vvhom the gouernement of the Church is committed CHAP. 1. Of the Primitiue and first Church of God in the house of Adam the Father of all the liuing and the gouernement of the same ALMIGHTIE GOD the fountaine of all being who to manifest the glory of his power and the riches of his goodnesse made all things of nothing disposed and sorted the things hee made into three seuerall rankes For to some hee gaue being without any apprehension or discerning of it Others hee made to feele and sensibly discerne that particular good hee was pleased to doe vnto them And to a third sort of a more eminent degree and qualitie made after his owne image hee gaue generality of knowledge of all things and extent of desire answerable thereunto causing them without all restraint or limitation to take view of all the variety of things that are in the world and neuer to rest satisfied till they come to see inioy and possesse him that made them all These hee seperated from the rest of his creatures causing them to approach and drawe neere vnto himselfe and to compasse about his sacred throne and called them forth to be a joyfull company of blessed ones praising and worshiping him in the glorious Temple of the world to bee vnto him an holy Church in the midst whereof his greatnesse should be knowne and his name called vpon These are of twoe sorts Angells dwelling in heauenly palaces and Men made out of the earth dwelling in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust The Angels are immortall immateriall and spirituall substances made all at once and immediately after their creation soe many as turned not from God their Creator corfirmed in grace and perfectly established in the full possession of their vttermest good soe that they neede noe guide to leade them to the attaining of the same howsoeuer in the degrees of their naturall or supernaturall perfections and in the actions of their ministery wherein GOD employeth them they are more great and excellent one then another and are not without their order and gouernement But concerning men made out of the earth and compounded of body and spirit it is farre otherwise For God did not create them all at one time but made onely one man and one woman immediatly with his owne hands appointing that the rest should descend and come of them by naturall generation Whereupon wee shall finde that as in the Creation the tree was first and then the seede but in the naturall propagation of things the seed is first and then the tree So the first man whom God made out of the earth and the first woman whom he made of man were perfect at the first as well in stature of body as in qualities of the minde both because whatsoeuer is immediatly from God is perfect as also for that the first things whence all other haue their being must be perfect but afterwards the beginnings of all the sonnes of men are weake and they grow by degrees to perfection of body and minde hauing need to receiue nourishment support guidance and direction from them from whom they receiue their being So that nothing is more naturall then for children to expect these things from their parents nor for parents then to nourish guide and direct their children This care pertaineth as well to the mother that bare them in whose wombe they were conceiued as to the father that begate them and out of whose loynes they came Yet because the man was not of the woman but the woman of the man the man was not created for the woman but the woman for the man the originall disposition and soveraigne direction of all doth naturally rest in the man who is the glory of God the womans head and euery way fittest to be chiefe commaunder in the whole Family and houshold Heereupon Adam the father of all the liuing was appointed by that God that made him to instruct guide and direct those that should come of him euen in the state of natures integritie though without any forcing with terrours or recalling with punishments while there was yet no pronenesse to euill nor difficultie to doe good And when he had broken the Law of his Creator was called to an account made know his sinne and recomforted with the promise that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpents head he was to teach his children the same things sanctified to be both a King to rule in the litle World of his owne Family and a Priest as well to manifest the will of God to them of the same as to present their desires vowes and sacrifices vnto him then which course what could be devised more fitting For when there were no more in the World but the first man whom GOD made out of the earth the first woman that was made of man and the children which GOD had giuen them who could bee fitter to rule and direct then the man for whose sake the woman was created and out of whose loynes the children came CHAP. 2. Of the dignity of the first-borne amongst the sonnes of Adam and their Kingly and Priestly direction of the rest AND seeing nothing is more naturall then that as the Father is to instruct direct and set forward the children that GOD hath giuen
state But when Herod swaied the Scepter flue all those that he found to be of the bloud royall of Iudah and tooke away all power and authority that the Sanedrim formerly had then the Scepter departed from Iudah and the Law-giuer from betweene his feete so that then was the time for the Shiloh to come CHAP. 11. Of the manifestation of God in the flesh the causes thereof and the reason why the second Person in the Trinitie rather tooke flesh then either of the other GOd therefore in that fulnesse of time sent his Sonne in our flesh to sit vpon the throne of Dauid and to bee both a King and Priest ouer his house for euer concerning whom three things are to bee considered First his humiliation abasing himselfe to take our nature and become man Secondly the gifts and graces he bestowed on the nature of man when he assumed it into the vnitie of his Person Thirdly the things hee did and suffered in it for our good In the Incarnation of the Sonne of God we consider first the necessity that God should become man secondly the fitnesse and conuenience that the second Person rather then any other Thirdly the manner how this strange thing was wrought brought to passe Touching the necessity that God should become man there are two opinions in the Romane schooles For some thinke that though Adam had neuer sinned yet it had beene necessary for the exaltation of humane nature that God should haue sent his Sonne to become man but others are of opinion that had it not beene for the deliuering of man out of sinne and misery the Sonne of God had neuer appeared in our flesh Both these opinions sayth Bonauentura are Catholique and defended by Catholiques whereof the former seemeth more consonant to reason but the later to the piety of faith because neither Scripture nor Fathers doe euer mention the Incarnation but when they speake of the redemption of mankind soe that seeing nothing is to be beleeued but what is proued out of these it sorteth better with the nature of right beliefe to thinke the Sonne of God had neuer become the Sonne of man if man had not sinned then to thinke the contrary Venit filius hominis sayth Augustine saluum facere quod perierat Si homo non perijsset filius hominis non venisset nulla causa fuit Christo veniendi nisi peccatores saluos facere Tolle morbos tolle vuluera nulla est medicinae causa that is The Sonne of man came to saue that which was lost If man had not perished the sonne of man had not come there was no other cause of Christs comming but the saluation of sinners Take away diseases wounds and hurts and what neede is there of the Phisition or Surgeon Wherefore resoluing with the Scriptures and Fathers that there was no other cause of the incarnation of the Sonne of God but mans redemption let vs see whether so great an abasing of the sonne of God were necessary for the effecting hereof Surely there is no doubt but that Almighty God whose wisdome is incomprehensible and power infinite could haue effected this worke by other meanes but not soe well beseeming his truth and justice whereupon the Diuines doe shew that in many respects it was fit and necessary for this purpose that God should become man First ad fidem firmandam to settle men in a certaine and vndoubted perswasion of the truth of such things as are necessary to be beleeued vt homo fidentiùs ambularet ad veritatem sayth Augustine ipsa veritas Dei filius homine assumpto constituit fundauit fidem that is That man might more assuredly and without danger of erring approach vnto the presence of sacred truth it selfe the sonne of God assuming the nature of man setled and founded the faith and shewed what things are to be beleeued Secondly ad rectam operationem to direct mens actions for whereas man that might be seene might not safely be followed and God that was to bee imitated and followed could not be seene it was necessary that God should become man that hee whom man was to follow might shew himselfe vnto man and be seene of him Thirdly ad ostendendam dignitatem humanae Naturae to shew the dignitie and excellencie of humane nature that no man should any more soe much forget himselfe as to defile the same with finfull impurities Demonstrauit nobis Deus sayth Augustine quà m excelsum locum inter creaturas habeat humana natura in hoc quòd hominibus in vero homine apparuit that is God shewed vs how high a place the nature of man hath amongst his creatures in that he appeared vnto men in the nature and true being of a man Agnosce sayth Leo O Christiane dignitatem tuam diuinae consors factus naturae noli in veterem vilitatem degeneri conuersatione redire that is Take knowledge ô Christian man of thine owne worth and dignity and being made partaker of the diuine nature returne not to thy former basenesse by an vnfitting kind of life conuersation Lastly it was necessary the Sonne of God should become man ad liberandum hominem à seruitute peccati to deliuer man from the slauery and bondage of sinne For the performance whereof two things were to be done For first the justice of God displeased with sinne committed against him was to bee satisfied and secondly the breach was to be made vp that was made vpon the whole nature of man by the same neither of which things could possibly be perforned by man or Angell or by any creature For touching the first the wrath of God displeased with sinne and the punishments which in iustice he was to inflict vpon sinners for the same were both infinite because the offence was infinite and therefore none but a person of infinite worth value and vertue was able to endure the one and satisfie the other If any man shall say it was possible for a meere man stayed by diuine power and assistance to feele smart and paine in proportion answering to the pleasure of sin which is but finite and to indure for a time the losse of all that infinite comfort solace that is to be found in God answering to that aversion from God that is in sinne which is infinite and so to satisfie his justice he considereth not that though such a man might satisfie for his owne sinne yet not for the sinnes of all other who are in number infinite vnlesse his owne person were eminently as good as all theirs and vertually infinite Secondly that though he might satisfie for his owne actuall sin yet he could not for his originall sin which being the sin of nature cannot be satisfied for but by him in whom the whole nature of man in some principall sort is found Thirdly he considereth not that it is impossible that any sinner should of himselfe euer cease from sinning and that therefore seeing
downe the reasons brought on both sides and first that it was the true Samuel hee sheweth that these reasons are commonly brought First because the Scripture speaketh of him as of his very person not of any counterfeit likenes of him calling him not once but often by the name of Samuel Secondly for that it had bin a great dishonour irreuerence offered to Samuel if so often the Diuell should haue beene called by his name in holy Scripture Lastly for that it is said in Ecclesiasticus in the praise of Samuel the Prophet of God that he prophesied after his death that he afterwards slept againe and that he made known to King Saul his end the ouerthrow of his armies which prediction is not to bee imputed to a lying Spirit seeing hee so certainely foretold what was to come to passe On the other side he produceth these proofes First the Glosse vpon the 29 of Esay sayth the Pythonisse did not raise Samuel but euocated called out the Diuell in his likenesse Secondly it is not likely that God who would not answere Saul by liuing Prophets would send any from the dead to aduise or direct him Thirdly he that appeared vnto Saul sayd vnto him To morrow thou shalt be with me but Saul as a wicked man was to be in Hell the place of torments therefore he that appeared was so Fourthly he that appeared suffered Saul to worship him which true Samuel would not haue done seeing God onely is to be worshipped Fiftly if it were true Samuel that appeared either hee was raised by diuine power or by the power of magicall incantations if by diuine power God should very much haue fauoured magicall arts if at the inuocation of this Pythonisse hee had wrought such a miracle if by the power of Magicke then was he raised by the Diuell and that either with his consent and then he had done euill which he could not doe or without his consent which could not be seeing the Diuell hath no power to force the Saints of God after their death and departure hence Lastly he alleageth the authority of Augustine who bringing the reasons on both sides in the end inclineth rather to this later opinion and that in the Decrees Cap. Nec mirum c. adding that if that decree taken out of Augustine bee the decree of the Church noe man may thinke otherwise but if it be not as he thinketh it is not because Augustine out of whom it was taken disputeth the matter doubtfully and many of the Diuines since the compiling of that decree are of another opinion which they ought not to be if it were the decree of the Church he rather thinketh it was true Samuel that appeared then any counterfeit in his likenesse If any man desire to see the different opinions of the Fathers touching this point let him reade Tertullian in his booke de Animâ the 33 Chapter the annotations vpon the same place of Tertullian But howsoeuer whether it were true Samuel that appeared vnto Saul or a counterfeit in his likenesse I hope it is cleare and euident out of that which hath beene sayd that this apparition no way proueth the imagined Limbus of the Papistes There remaine yet two other places of Scripture to be examined that are brought for confirmation of the same but yealding as litle proofe as this The one is in the prophesies of Zacharie the other in the Epistle of S. Peter The words in the former place according to the Vulgar translation are these Thou in the blood of thy testament hast deliuered thy prisoners out of the Lake wherein there is no water But in the Originall the words are otherwise and Arias Montanus translateth the place otherwise in this sort And thou to wit Ierusalem in the blood of thy testament that is sprinkled with the blood â—…f thy testament reioyce and be glad I haue dismissed thy prisoners out of the lake wherein there is no water So that these words Thou in the blood of thy testament are not appliable vnto Christ but to Hierusalem and the other touching the dismissing of the prisoners out of the lake wherein is no water vnto God the Father who speaketh in this place to HierusaleÌ„ coÌ„cerning Christ her King coÌ„forteth her saying Rejoyce o Daughter of Sion be glad ô Daughter of Hierusalem for behold thy King commeth vnto thee meeke riding on an Asse vsed to the yoke and the fole of an Asse I will destroy the Charriot froÌ„ Ephraim and the Horse from Hierusalem He shall destroy the bowes of the fighters and the multitude and publish peace to the nations He shall rule from Sea to Sea and from the riuer to the end of the Land And thou to wit Hierusalem in the blood of thy testament that is sprinkled with the blood of thy testament reioyce and be glad I haue dismissed thy Prisoners out of the lake wherein there is no water Thus wee see this place according to the Originall verity and the translation of Arias Montanus maketh nothing for the confirmation of that for proofe whereof it is brought Yea though we should follow the Vulgar Translation and take the words to be spoken by Almighty God to Christ his Sonne yet could not our aduersaries proue Limbus out of this place For the Author of the Glosse and many other following the Vulgar Translation vnderstand these words of the deliuerance of the people of God out of the captiuity of Babylon which was as a deepe pit hauing in it no water but mire wherein their feete stucke fast And Hierome himselfe though he vnderstand the words of Christs descending into hel yet mentioneth the other interpretation also in the same place not much disliking it Neither doth his interpretation of Christs descending into Hell proue Limbus For hee speaketh of the prison of Hell where is no mercie calleth it a cruell or fearefull Hell not of Limbus patrum or Abrahams bosome Bellarmine cunningly after his manner to discredite our interpretation of deliuerance out of Babylonicall captivitie maketh as if Caluine onely had expounded the wordes of the holy Prophet in that sort whereas yet many excellent Diuines long before Caluine was borne interpreted them in the very same sort as we doe But if the challenge of novelty faile he betaketh himselfe to another of absurditie improbabilitie pronouncing that our Interpretation hath no probabilitie first because in the wordes immediatly going before there is a prophesie concerning Christ vttered vnto Hierusalem in these words Reioyce O daughter of Sion for behold thy King commeth c. Which the Evangelists expound of Christs comming into Hierusalem and then secondly an Apostrophe to Christ in the words questioned But first heerein he is deceiued for the speech of Almighty God to his Church begun in the former words is still continued in these shewing what fauours for Christs fake he had still meant to bestow on her whereas
Catholicarum quam plurimum scripturarum solertissimus indagator authoritatem sequatur inter quas fanè illae sunt quas Apostolica sedes habere ab eâ alij meruerunt accipere epistolas So that whereas Saint Augustine saith that in reckoning the Canonicall bookes of Scripture a man must follow the authority of the greater number of Catholique Churches and among them especially such as either had Apostolicall seates as Hierusalem and the like or receiued Epistles from some of the Apostles as did the Churches of Corinth and Galatia Gratian maketh him say that the Epistles which the Apostolicall See receiued or other receiued of it are to be reckoned among Canonicall Scriptures This ouersight of Gratian Picus Mirandula long since obserued and after him Alfonsus a Castro whereby wee may see how easie it was for men in former times to runne into most grosse errors before the reuiuing of learning in these latter times while the blinde did lead the blinde For Gratian was the man out of whom the greatest Diuines of former times tooke all their authorities of Fathers and Councles as appeareth by their marginall quotations And how ignorantly and negligently he mistooke them mis-alleaged thē this one example is proof sufficient But whatsoeuer we think of Gratian we shall find that not only our Diuines but the best learned among our aduersaries also put a greatdifference between the sacred scriptures of the holy Canon and the Decrees of Councels For first they say the Scripture is the word of God reuealed immediately and written in a sort from his owne mouth according to that of S. Peter the holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holie Ghost And that of S. Paul All Scripture is by diuine inspiration which is not so to be vnderstood as if alwaies the holy Writers had had new reuelations and had alwayes written that which before they were ignorant of for it is certaine that the Euangelists Mathew and Iohn wrote those things which they saw and Marke and Luke those things they heard from others as Luke himselfe confesseth in the beginning of his Gospel But the holy writers are therefore said to haue had immediate reuelation and to haue written the words of God himselfe because either some new things and not knowne before were reuealed to them by God or because God immediately inspired and moued the Writers to write those things which they had seene and heard and directed them that they should not any way erre in writing whereas Councels neither haue nor write immediate reuelations or words of God but only declare which is that word of God vttered formerly to the Prophets and Apostles how it is to bee vnderstood and what conclusions may bee deduced from it by discourse of reason Secondly the holy Writers performed that which they did without any further labour or trauell then that in writing and calling to minde what they had seene and heard but in Councels the Bishoppes and Fathers with great paine and trauell seeke out the trueth by discourse conference reading and deepe meditation and therefore the holy Writers are wont to attribute all to God onely and the Prophets were wont often to repeate The Lord sayth Thirdly in the Scriptures not onethe whole sentences but euery word pertaineth to Faith for no word is therein vaine or ill placed But in Councels there are many disputations going before resolution many reasons brought for confirmation of things resolued on many things added for explication and illustration many things vttered obiter and in passage that men are not bound to admitte as true and right nay many things are defined in Councels that men are not bound to stand vnto For it is the manner of Councels sometimes to define a thing as certainely and vndoubtedly true pronouncing them Heretiques that thinke otherwise and subiecting them to curse Anathema and sometimes as probable onely and not certaine as the Councell of Vienna decreed that it is more probable that both grace and vertues accompanying grace are infused into Infants when they are baptized then that they are not and yet is this no matter faith in the Church of Rome Fourthly in the scripture all things as well concerning particular persons as in generality are vndoubtedly true For it is as certaine that Peter and Paul had the spirit of God as that no man can be saued without the illumination and sanctification of the spirit but in the determinations and decrees of Bishoppes assembled in a generall councell it is not so for they may erre in iudging of the persons of men and therefore there is no absolute certainty in the canonization of Saints as both Thomas and Canus do confesse Fiftly in Scriptures there are no precepts touching manners either concerning the whole church or any part of it that are not right equall and just But councels may erre if not in prescribing things euill in stead of good yet in prescribing things not fitting nor expedient if not to the whole church yet to some particular part of it as not knowing the cōdition of things therein Yea some there are that think it not hereticall to beleeue that generall councels may prescribe some lawes to the whole church that are not right profitable and iust as to honour such a one for a Saint who indeed is no Saint to admit such orders of Religious men as are not profitable to receiue the communion onely in one kinde and the like And there are many that confidently pronounce that generall councells may decree such things as may breed inconuenience and may sauour of too great seuerity and austerity which the guides of the church in the execution of the same must bee forced to qualifie and temper So that the onely question is whether a generall councell may certainely define any thing to bee true in matter of faith that is false or command the doing of any act as good and an act of vertue that indeed and in trueth is an act of sinne Touching this point there are that say that all interpretations of holy Scriptures agreed on in generall councels and all resolutions of doubtes concerning things therein contained proceed from the same Spirit from which the holy Scriptures were inspired and that therefore generall councels cannot erre either in the interpretation of Scriptures or resoluing of things doubtfull concerning the faith But these men should know that though the interpretations and resolutions of Bishops in generall councels proceed from the same Sperit from which the Scriptures were inspired yet not in the same sort nor with like assurance of beeing free from mixture of errour For the Fathers assembled in generall councels doe not rely vppon immediate reuelation in all their particular resolutions and determinations as the Writers of the Bookes of holy Scripture did but on their owne meditation search and study the generall assistance of Diuine grace concurring with them That the Fathers
without partiality and Iudge betweene vs as God shall direct thee THE FIRST PART Contayning a discouery of the vanitie of such silly exceptions as haue beene taken against the former foure Bookes by one Theophilus Higgons §. 1. THE first exception Master Higgons is pleased to take against me is that in all my foure Bookes I haue not graced any Father with the glorious title of Saint his words are these I am bold to intreat D Feildes leaue to honour Augustine with the name of Saint howsoeuer hee hath not once vouchsafed in his foure Books to grace him or any Father with this glorious title It is strange that such a novice as he is should dare to begin in so scornfull a manner with so shamelesse an vntruth as if hee had been anold practitioner in the faculty of lying but his desire it seemeth was to giue as good proofe at first as possibly hee might of the good seruice hee is like to do if his new Masters wil be pleased to make vse of him imploy him as they do others For otherwise he could not but know he might easily be convinced of a lye for I haue giuen the title of Saint to Augustine that worthy and renowned Father more then once twice or thrice I call Leo blessed Leo so giue him a title aequivalent to that of Saint more often found in the writings of the Ancient If happily it offend him that euery time I name any Father I giue him not the title of Saint let him take the paines to peruse the writings of Alexander of Hales Tho. Aquinas Scotus Durandus Waldensis Sixtus Senensis and other of that sort I doubt not but hee will soone perceiue his folly cease to be angry with me any longer vnlesse he be resolued to condemne them also This surely is a childish and a bad beginning and may make vs justly feare he will performe little in that which followeth §. 2. THat which he hath in the next place that D Humphrey and I admit try all by the Fathers is true but to no purpose for he and his consorts know right well that the Fathers make nothing for them and therefore they are soone weary of this course of tryall as often as they are brought to it as it appeared by Hardinges writing against Bishoppe Iewell For whereas the challenge was made by that worthie Bishoppe to try the matter of difference betweene the Romanists and vs not onely by discourse of reason or testimonies of Scripture wherein all the world knâ—…w our Adversaries to be too weake but by authorities of the Auncient wherein they were thought to haue more strength And whereas to that purpose hee brought out against them all the renowned Fathers and Bishoppes that lined in auncient times the decrees of Councels then holden and the report of Historians Harding could finde none to speake for him but Martialis Abdias Amphilochius such branded counterfeits nor no other proofes of his cause but the fayned Epistles of the auncient Popes and shamelesse forgeries vnder the honourable names of holy Fathers with other-like base stuffe The thing that offendeth Master Higgons in Doctor Humphrey is that he saith the Romanistes are like Thrasilaus who in a madde humour tooke all the shippes in the Atticke hauen to bee his owne though he possessed not one vessell or rather maketh the degree of their phrensie greater because they see and yet seeing dissemble that they are destitute of all defence from the Fathers Which saying of the worthy and renowned Doctor is most true and shall bee defended against a farre better man then Theophilus Higgons though childishly hee charge him with Notable and vast vntruth in this behalfe Neither shall hee nor any of his great Masters euer proue that I haue vntruely alleadged the cause why Luther Zuinglius and other at the first seemed to decline the tryall by the Fathers for the true cause was indeede as I haue alleadged the feare of the corruptions of the Fathers workes and writings and not any imagination that the Fathers generally from the beginning were in errour which is so barbarous a conceit that it cannot enter into the heart of any reasonable man Neither was it any folly in them as this wise man is pleased to censure the matter to decline the tryall by the Fathers in those times after barbarisme superstition and tyrannie had so long prevayled and almost layd waste all learning religion and liberty of the Church seeing Vincentius Lyrinensis prescribeth that after Heresies haue long preuailed growne inueterate wee shoulde flie to the Scriptures alone SECT 3. IN the third place he saith Hee was desirous to vnderstand why amongst other particulars I should esteeme it a folly and inconstancy in the Romanistes to say that Purgatory is holden by Tradition and yet proued by Scripture Which argueth that the man is either very weake in vnderstanding or else maketh himselfe more simple then indeed he is For hauing shewed that the name of Tradition sometime signifieth euery part of Christian Doctrine deliuered from one to another either by liuely voyce only or by writing sometimes such partes there of onely as were not written by them to whom they were first deliuered and that our Aduersaries so vnderstand the word in the controuersies betweene them and vs. I note it as a contradiction amongst Papistes that some of them say Purgatory is holden by Tradition in that latter sence other that it is proued by Scripture as likewise that some of them alledge for proofe of vnwritten Traditions the article of the consubstantiality of the Sonne of God with the Father and the proceeding of the holy Ghost from them both and others constantly affirme that those Articles may bee proued out of Scripture Now if to bee written and not to bee written to be holden by vnwritten Tradition or Tradition opposite to writing and to bee proued out of Scripture bee not contradictory in Master Higgons his apprehension it is no great matter of what side he be § 4. IN the Fourth place he saith I accept the rule of Saint Augustine that whatsoeuer is frequented by the vniuersall Church and was not instituted by Councels but was alwayes holden that is beleeued most rightly to be an Apostolicall tradition And that liberally I adde that whatsoeuer all or the most famous and renowned in all ages or at the least is diuers ages haue constantly deliuered as receiued from them that went before them no man doubting or contradicting it may be thought to be an Apostolical tradition Whence hee thinketh hee may conclude ineuitably by my allowance that prayer for the dead may bee thought to be an Apostolicall tradition many famous and renowned Fathers in diuers ages mentioning prayer for the dead and none disliking or reprouing it For answere whereunto I say that prayer for the resurrection publike acquittall in the day of Iudgement and perfit consummation and blisse of them that
all traditions as he vntruly affirmeth but onely the false imagined and vaine traditions of Papists and other heretickes Wee therefore to silence this trifler doe professe that the forme of Christian doctrine is not to bee sought in the Romane church alone or the other Christian churches that now presently are in the world but in the consenting voyce of Pastours and people succeeding one another they that went before euer reporting deliuering to them that came after them the things they had learned of their elders that so what doctrine the Apostles first deliuered might by their after-commers be deliuered to all posterities Of these posterities we professe our selues to be receiuing without any doubt or questioning whatsoeuer we find to haue beene deliuered in all places at all times by all Christian men not noted for heresie or singularitie and reiecting those things that haue no testimony of antiquity as the Popes not erring his vniuersalitie of iurisdiction his power and right to dispose the kingdomes of the world priuate Masses halfe communions Papall indulgences and all such things as any way carry the marke of noveltie and singularitie But saith he D. Field in the fourth and fifth kindes of traditions speaketh of them in the plurall number and yet giueth no example of the fourth but the baptisme of infants nor of the fifth and last but the obseruation of Lent and Sunday or the Lords day therefore hee must seeke for more then hee remembreth and consequently in all equall iudgement as many articles of Catholique religion as wee claime by tradition The answer hereunto is easie for touching the fourth kinde of tradition I define it to be the continued practise of such things as are neither contained in Scripture expressely nor the example of such practise there clearely and expressely deliuered though the grounds reasons and causes of the necessitie of such practise be there contained and the benefite or good that followeth of it The onely example I giue of this kinde of tradition is the baptisme of infants yet may I speake in the plurall number as I doe because not onely the baptisme of infants is of this sort but many very materiall things belonging thereunto as that in time of danger of death they are to bee baptized with all possible speede lest we seeme to contemne or neglect the Sacrament that this may be done in priuate houses either by dipping or sprinkling as well before as after the eighth day If this Author can tell vs of any more examples of things of this kinde the necessitie whereof may bee proued out of Scripture though the practise of them be not there expressed wee will admit them but they will make nothing for the confirmation of Popish vnwritten traditions seeing such things are written in respect of the causes and grounds of the necessity of obseruing them though not by way of expresse precept or report of practise and therefore it will not follow from any thing that I haue saide in the iudgment of any man though not indifferent nor equall that I must admit so many Articles of Religion as Papists shall bee pleased to claime by tradition Of the fifth and last kind of traditions which he diuideth into two though I make but one I giue but only one example which is the obseruation of the Lords day which yet appeareth by Scripture to haue beene in vse euen in the Apostles times For touching the Lent Fast I do not giue it for an example as hee vntruly reporteth but onely hauing described the fifth kind of traditions say that some thinke the Lent Fast the Fast of the fourth and sixth dayes of the weeke to be of this kinde The next thing which he vrgeth in his reflexion vpon my doctrine as he tearmeth it is that if the traditions of the last kinde bee confounded with Ecclesiasticall constitutions as I say they are that we might the more reverence the constitutions of the Church wee must at last recant our contempt and dislike against them For answere hereunto I will first shew that the traditions of the last sort are so confounded with Ecclesiasticall constitutions that it can hardly bee certainely knowne which they are Secondly that wee neuer disliked the auncient constitutions of the primitiue and first Church and therefore need not recant any such dislike That Apostolicall traditions of the last kinde are confounded with Ecclesiasticall constitutions it is most cleare euident in that some reckon one thing and some another and our Aduersaries dare not peremptorily say which amongst those traditions diuersely and differently mentioned by the Fathers are Apostolicall and which not Tertullian accounteth all these following to bee Apostolicall traditions thrice dipping of them that are baptized the interrogatories respondes and words of sacred stipulation vsed in Baptisme the renouncing of the Diuell his Angels and the pompe of the world when we come to the water of Baptisme and before in the presence of the Bishop the fore-tasting of milke and honey and the abstaining from bathing and washing a whole weeke after the taking or receiuing of the holy Sacrament in the time of ordinary repast oblations for the dead and for their birth-dayes euery yeare the same day they dyed standing at prayers on the Lords day and from Easter to Whitsontide and the signing of mens fore-heads with the signe of the crosse Harum saith he aliarum ciusmodi disciplinarum si legem expostules Scripturarum nullam inuenies traditio tibi praetendetur auctrix consuetudo confirmatrix fides obseruatrix that is Of these and the like obseruations if thou seeke for any written law or precept thou shalt finde none Tradition will be alleaged vnto thee as authour of them custome as the confirmer and faith as the obseruer Hereunto some adde praying towards the East baptising at Easter and Whitsontide onely Hierome accounteth the Lent-fast amongst traditions of this sort His words are Nos vnam quadragesimam secundum traditionem Apostolorum toto anno tempore nobis congruo ieiunamus Wee fast one Lent according to the tradition of the Apostles in the whole yeare at a fitte and seasonable time to whom Iansenius agreeth saying that the obseruation of the Lent-fast seemeth to haue proceeded from the tradition of the Apostles which though perhaps it did not binde all by any expresse precept from the beginning yet being kept in all ages and in all parts of the world had the strength and force of a law I thinke there is no Papist will say certainely that all these were Apostolicall traditions but whether they doe or not it is most certaine they thinke themselues no more bound to keepe them then meere Ecclesiasticall constitutions which are established by the authority of the church and may be the same be abrogated and reuersed againe in that the most part of all these are out of vse in the Romane Church For they thinke not thrice dipping necessary following therein the