they may beleeue or receiue nothing but that is in the scripture Andrad Orthod explic lib. 2 And therfore they neither shame nor fear to charge the word written with insufficiencie Bellarm. li. 4 cap. 4 Gods word not sufficient For so doeth Bellarmine in flat terms And therfore he Melchior Canus the Censure of Collen the rest of them doe out of this principle gather an vnanswerable argument as they imagin for traditions because say they the Scripture spâ— aketh not of many things necessary to bee beleeued Are not these such workmen as the Apostle willeth vs to take heede of Phil. 3.2 Beware of euill workemen yes verily for they are deceitfull workemen 2. Cor. 11.13 if you marke them wel For wheras they shoulde trie their worke by the line and the square they contrariwise trie their rule by their worke And whereas they should reiect all doctrines that are not agreeable to the word of God they make that to bee GODS worde that will alowe of their doctrine so that traditions must needs be Gods word because they maintaine that which the Scripture aloweth not of The argument for traditions and against the sufficiencie of the Scriptures Many things there are necessary to be beleeued that are not expresly set downe in the Scriptures yea many things that are neither plainely neither obscurely in the Scriptures say all the Papists namely Canus in his second and third grounds Lib. 3. cap. 3 Therefore the Scriptures are not sufficient For answere the antecedent or first part of the argument is vntrue For whatsoeuer is to be beleeued is either plainly set downe or necessarily to be gathered out of the Scriptures otherwise our Sauiour Christ should not seeme to haue plainely dealt with the Iewes when hee biddeth them Search the Scriptures making no mention of any traditions and addeth his reason Iohn 5.39 They the scriptures beare witnesse of mee but this is manifest by the places before alleaged Contra lit Pâ—â— il lib. 3. cap. 6 Wherefore S. Augustine doth account him accursed yea he so pronounceth him that will teach any thing either of Christ or of his Church or anie thing else that appertaineth either to faith or to our life besides that which we haue receiued in the Scriptures of the lawe and the Gospel Marke how he saith the Scripture serueth vs for all turnes Therfore the Authour of the vnperfect work vpon Mathew euen in the beginning Hom. 1 compareth the Scripture to a Store-house of some rich man wherein one may find whatsoeuer he wanteth so saith he in this booke euery soule may finde that which is necessarie And Athanasius alluding to the place of S. Paule 2. Contra gentes Tim. 3.16 saith The holy scriptures giuen by inspiration are sufficient to teach vs all trueth It is therefore far better that we with Tertullian should adore the fulnes of the Scriptures Cont. Hermogenem Lib. 3. cap. â— than be partakers with those heretikes of whom Irene complaineth who when by the Scriptures they were conuinced accused the Scriptures themselues as if something were amisse in them and that they are not of authoritie sufficient they are diuerse and the trueth can not in them be found of them that knowe not the traditions for they were deliuered not by writing but by word which are the very words of the church of Rome So that a man can not so aptly paint out our popish heretikes as if he take his patterne by those ancient heretikes For not one Ape is liker to an other than they are The Scripture a sure Rule CHAP. 3 THE PROTESTANTS The scripture a sure rule ANd seeing that God by his prophet Dauid hath testified Psal 19.8 that the Lawe of the Lorde is perfect and hath by the Prophet Esay sent vs to aske councel in doubtfull cases Esay 8.20 To the Lawe and to the Testimony Yea and our Sauiour Christ Luc. 16.17 when Diues mooueth Abraham to send some to his fiue brethren to teach them sendeth them to Moses and to the Prophets to learne of theÌ„ vers 29 and telleth the Saduces That they erre Math. 22.29 because they knowe not the Scriptures Lastly seeing the Apostle S. Paul incourageth Timothie to keepe well that he had learned because saith hee 2. Tim. 3.15 thou hast knowen the holy Scriptures of a childe which are able to make thee wise vnto saluation Wee therfore willingly confes constantly beleeue that we haue a most sure word of the prophets 2. Pet. 1.19 to the which we do wel if we do take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place vntill the day dawne and the day star arise in our hearts And therefore wee doe account this Worde written to bee the most certaine and infallible rule of our faith or conuersation THE PAPISTS BVt the Papists who can get nothing but by the crooked measures of their traditions to bring them into credit with men do highly commend them sometime comparing them to Theseus his thread Screckius prefaâ— whereby he was directed out of the laborinth and vnto the Touch stone whereby all doctrine shoulde be tried Ibidem and make it as great a fault to breake traditions Andrad Orthod explic lib. 5 lib. 3 as if Christ with his owne mouth had spoken them yea somtime greater so make them at the least equall to the written word that is to the vndoubted word of GOD. And on the other side do altogether deface and disgrace the Scriptures calling them Inke-Diuines that sticke to them Eckius de scripturis and comparing them to a Leaden rule Eccl. Hierar so doeth Pighius or a nose of waxe Explic. dial 4 as the Censure of Collen doth most prophanely both the which blasphemous godlesse reproches against the Scriptures are defended by Andradius Li. 2. orthod Explication as catholike and sound sayings because hee thinketh as they doe that they may bee changed and drawen to any interpretation Bellar. lib. 4 de verbo non scripto cap. 4 5 And therfore they teach that the verie Scriptures without traditions are not altogether necessarie And all this is to perswade the simple that the Scriptures are not a certaine Iudge of faith or rule of life Argument The argument whereby they indeuour to seduce men and to drawe them to their opinion is this Whatsoeuer rule of faith or life may be changed and according to mens affections expounded is vncertaine and deceitful but the Scripture is such therefore it is an vncertaine rule Answere Which I answer thus First the maior or former proposition is not simply true but with these additioÌ„s whatsoeuer may aptly or without doing violence to the words be so drawen vnto sundry opinions is an vncertaine râ—â—â— And hereby will soone be gathered the falsenesse of the minor which affirmeth the scripture to be such For although out of one
of them O blasphemie intollerable if this their argument might bee allowed then the church of Rome which falsely challengeth to bee the church Caus 15. Quaest 6. ca. Autoritatem Dâ— st 34. c. sector dist 82. presbyt would soone prooue their abhominable Idolatries and heresies to be true religion And therefore doe they challenge this authoritie and striue for it And the Pope sometimes dispenseth against the Apostle as their Canonists doe note and sometimes a Councell dispenseth against the apostle and all this is to challenge vnto their church this prerogatiue that it may deale with Gods word as it will When Gregorie the thirteenth pope of that name confirmed the order of the fellowship of the blessed virgine Marie a new deuised order and come vp since the order of Iesuites in his Bull hee confirmeth and ratifieth all such priuileges as they haue or shall haue Notwithstanding anie Constitutions or Ordinances Apostolike or whatsoeuer may be against it Did you euer reade or heare any speake more like the beast mentioned in the Apocalips Apoc. 13.5 6 who had a mouth giuen vnto him that spake blasphemies But to be short I will against their argument oppose this Whatsoeuer scriptures are not giuen by inspiration of God spirit and by the godly receiued into the canon of the scripturs those are not the word of God though they haue the approbation of the latter churches but such are the Bookes which wee call Apocrypha which the councell of Trent would make of like authoritie with the canonicall Scriptures therefore those Bookes are not the vndoubted word of God And howe can any body imagine that that which once hath beene not canonicall can by continuaunce of time and confirmation of men become canonicall or that which God hath not vouched woorthy to bee his word in times past that nowe at the last he should acknowledge the same as though hee were nowe chaunged or had repented him of his former opinion Admit once this doctrine of theirs and farewell all certaintie in religion For men will wander from one thing to an other as wee see in the kingdome of darkenesse and Poperie where there is no ende of deuotions deuised and inuentions of men So that that which was good christianitie in the dayes of Christ and of his Apostles is nowe holden to be farre from the perfection of a godly life vnlesse wee doe helpe it with our will-worshippings and by the obeying the preceptes of the church Nay graunt them this and then that worde written that wee haue it shall speake nothing but Romish so that whatsoeuer is the meaning and true sense of the scriptures yet God must be taught to speake as the church of Rome will haue him De verbo dei lib. 4. cap. 11. To this ende tendeth that common axiome receiued of them all and vsed by Bellarmine The true sense of the Scripture hangeth of vnwritten traditions So that beleeue them and they will easily confute any aduersaries For first they alow for scripture what they will Secondly that which they must needes confesse to bee Scripture must bee expounded by their vnwritten Traditions That I say that is written by that which is vnwritten the certaine by the vncertaine Like to Procustes his bed which who so lay in it if he were too long he was cut shorter if he were too short he was stretched out longer So must all be made fit to their traditions Seeing therefore the Canonical Bookes haue so manifest a testimonie not onely of the godly but euen of the aduersaries themselues and the credite of the Apocrypha by so great authorities is suspect I will conclude with belâ— armines words That he is not well in his wit that not regardâ— ng â—â— e Scripture the surest and safest rule wâ— ll refeâ— re hâ— mself to the iudgement of the inward spirâ— t which is often deceitfull and alwayes vncertaine as in truth the Papists do For they will make you beleeue that because they are guided by the holy Ghost they cannot erre in their traditions This rule then of Gods written word in the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament being set downe as a rule most sure to trâ— e all doctrines with let vs now proceed to examine other matters in controuersy among vs when I shal first haue answered a common obiection wherein all the most ignorant sort especially of Papists doe maruellously trust and triumph and doe therewith deceiue others such as them selues are How shal I know the scriptures say they to be the scriptures but by the authoritie of the Church I will not answer although I might very well that absurdly they call that in question whereof there is no doubt among vs. For neither we nor they denie Gods word It is knowne of all it is receiued of vs all Therfore they put case of that there is not neither is likely to be amongs vs. But for their sakes that are ignorant I answer plainely and shortly out of Saint Augustine Coâ— feâ— li. 6. cap. 5. Thou Lord hast perswaded me that they are blame worthie not who haue beleeued thy bookes which thou hast so setled almost in all nations but they that haue not beleeued them And that I should not heare them if perchance any would say to me How knowest thou that those bookes the scripture are giuen to mankinde by the spirite of one very and most true God Yea Saint Augustine there confesseth that when he was but a nouice in religion yet was he perswaded that God would neuer haue made the whole world so to reuerence the Scriptures but that he meant to be beleeued in them and to be sought out by them We see then by saint Augustine that not onely that common account that the whole world not the Church onely maketh of the Scriptures should be sufficient to stop our mouths for asking that question but also that he flatly telleth vs that God would not haue vs to heare such faithles and fruitles obiections But I know they will by and by come vpon me with that place of Augustine Cont. epist 〈◊〉 c. 5. I would not beleeue the Gospel vnlesse the authoritie of the Church should moue me thereto Out of which they will perchance conclude as grosly as you heard Eckius hath done That the Scripture it selfe hath no credite but as the Church will bestow it vpon the same But Melchior Canus a learned Papist doth gather otherwise out of that place and doth in deed truely answere this common obiection for vs out of the said words of S. Augustine concluding thus Therefore it teacheth not Locor Theo lib. 1. cap. â— that beleeuing the Gospel is grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church but onely that there is no sure way whereby either Infidels or Nouices in faith may come to the holy Scriptures but the consent of the Catholike Church Yea he hath taught a little before in that Chapter that although to haue faith
alleadge M. Bellarmines reasons though not alwayes because he is accounted learned amongest vs and also commeth after others so that he hath seene what others haue and hath taken out of them what he liketh And as in all this treatise my endeuour is to proue I trust with some good effect that the doctrine of the church of Rome is not catholike so that it may the better appeare I haue towards the end set downe an abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis whereby I trust the meanest that seeth it shal be able to iudge how they make an vniust claime to the catholike religion And although I know my own wants and could rather submit my selfe to be a scholer vnto many than a teacher almost of any yet because I know not how my minde giueth me that this manner of writing may do some good especially among the vnlearned that are desirous to be taught I thought my duetie forced me to take this in hand though I want many helpes and meanes that other haue And to whom should this my labour such as it is be due rather than vnto you next after that place where I did sucke as it were my first milke of learning and laid almost the foundation of that knowledge such as it is that God hath indued mee withall By your good liberalitie I confesse my selfe to be the better inabled to do any good be it neuer so little that I can do in the church of God To your Worships therefore I confesse this my trauell to be due as a simple token of my sincere heart which would haue yeelded a better remembrance if my abilitie could haue affoorded it And the rather do I dedicate this Booke vnto your W. Company that you seeing the meaning of bestowing your exhibition which is to bring vp Labourers in Gods haruest teachers in his church to be in some part performed in me who first in Oxford receiued your liberalitie as I doubt not but you haue seene much more plentiful fruit in many other you may the more willingly continue your godly course and not be weary of your wel-doing Accept in good part I pray you this simple gift and if you see in it but my desire to doe good giue glo◠y to God to whose good grace I commit you and yours and my selfe to your good prayers From my house at Ryton in the Bishoprike of Durham Anno 1595. ⧠A necessarie Table of all the principall matters contained in euery chapter of this Booke THAT the Scriptures or word written is onely Gods word and not traditions Chapter 1 That this word is sufficient Chapter 2 The Scripture a sure rule Chapter 3 Scriptures easie Chapter 4 That onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament are this written word or Scriptures Chapter 5 What the catholike church is that in the creede is mentioned Chapter 6 That the catholike church mentioned in the articles of our creede is not visible or to be seene Chapter 7 The church here militant vpon the earth may erre Chapter 8 Of the markes of the church or how we may know the true church Chapter 9 What a sacrament is what is the effect of it or what it worketh how many sacraments there are Chapter 10 Of the sacrament of Baptisme Chapter 11 Of Confirmation Chapter 12 Of the Lords supper and Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ and namely of transubstantiation Chapter 13 That the wicked receiue not in the sacrament Christs body and bloud Chapter 14 That the cup ought not to be denied to the lay people which thing the papists do Chapter 15 Against their sacrifice of the Masse or of the altar as they call it Chapter 16 Of true and christian repentance and of the Popish Sacrament of penance Chapter 17 Of lawfull calling into the ministerie and against the sacrament of Orders as they call it Chapter 18 Of matrimony that it is not a sacrament and that it is lawfull for all Chapter 19 Of anoiling or extreme vnction that it is not a sacrament Chapter 20 Of originall sin what it is and whether concupiscence be sin or not Chapter 21 Of the works of infidels and such as are not regenerate Chapter 22 Of Baptisme whether it doe extinguish and kill in vs originall sinne or not Chapter 23 That we haue not of our selues free wil or power to deliuer our selues from sinne Chapter 24 That by our workes we cannot bee iustified and against the doctrine of merites Chapter 25 Of iustification by faith and what faith is Chapter 26 That good works are necessary duties for all christians to perfourme Chapter 27 Of prayer to whome and how we should pray Chapter 28 Against Images in churches or anie where else for religions cause Chapter 29 What fasting is and of the true vse of fasting Chapter 30 Of Purgatorie Chapter 31 An Abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis with obseruations vpon the said Author Chapter 32 An exhortation to christian magistrates for to defend this truth Chapter 33 FINIS That the Scriptures or written word is onely Gods Word and not traditions CHAP. 1 THE PROTESTANTS The rule of faith life BEcause it is confessed of al that gods worde must bee the rule and square of our faith and life of our religion and conuersation It is very meete that first wee enquire what is this word of God And wee affirme What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament is the very true word of God First bicause we are so often earnestly charged not to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it Secondly this is prooued by the practise of the godlie of all times The Iewes most religiously kept the word written with great sinceritie and made it the Touchstone to try their actions by and by it they reformed such things as were amisse in religion especially As in Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others it may appeare Christ also and his Apostles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other gospell thā that which before was promised by the Prophets Rom. 1.2 And accounted them accursed that shoulde preach any other Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. Lastly the Fathers of the purer times of the Church did not only with open mouth submit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures but also they tried doubts established all trueths and confuted all heresies onely by this word written THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of ROME not suffering herself to be hemmed in within so narow lists Prou. 22.28 hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made and faineth that God who hath hitherto had but one voice now in our dayes shoulde speake with two tongues What is gods word in the Ro. church For they make Gods word to consist of two partes namely of the word written which we
sentence of scripture a man may gather diuerse good lessons and that with good fruit to others and approbation of all men so long as those interpretations are agreeable to the rule of faith yet when any euill thing in faith or life is thereby maintained without all doubt the words are then wrested and it ceaseth to bee Gods word Now this is not the fault of the word but of mans corrupt affections which abuse the same Rom. 7.12 For the Lawe truely is holy and the commandement is holy iust and good And as Epiphanius saieth Heres 70 There is no discord in the Scripture nor one sentence disagreeing from an other And in an other place Heres 76 All things in the holy Scripture are cleane enough to them that with godly consideration will come vnto that diuine word and haue not conceiued in themselues the worke of the Diuell indeuoring to throw themselues into the pit of death Euen as saint Paul saith If our gospell be yet hid 2. Cor. 4 3 4 it is hid in them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds And what is Gods word the worse if the wicked will not know it 2. Pet. 3.16 or the vnlearned or vnstable peruert it to their owne destruction I wil therefore conclude with that golden saying of Iustine the martyre I would wish others to be of that mind Iustin Col. cum Tryphone Iud. that they would not swarue from our Sauiours wordes For they can put religion into them that wander from the right way and refresh with most sweete rest them that are exercised therein The Scriptures easie CHAP 4 THE PROTESTANTS Scripturs easie WE also teach the scripturs to be easie not bicause we thinke nothing to be hard in them or that they are easy to euery one but we affirme with Chrysostome 2. Thess 2 hom 3. All that is necessary is easy in them So that with a mind humbled and crauing of God to be instructed men study them The simple may learn by them their duety towardes God and man and how to behaue them selues in their particular dueties And whereas by the Papistes own confessiō the x commandements are very easie Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 3. cap. 2. no man can deny but that Gods threatnings against sin the promises of mercy and many other things in this writtē word are as easie Yea why were the prophets sent vnto all sorts of men why do the apostles write vnto all but because much if not all that they do write or say might be vnderstoode euen of the simple THE PAPISTS ANd on the contrary the church of Rome fearing least the light of the worde should discouer the darkenes of their blind deuotions doe what they can to discourage the people from being exercised in the Scriptures lest knowing the truth they shuld detest their superstitions and idolatries and for this cause they cry out with opē mouth that the scripture is too hard to bee vnderstoode and too darke for ignorant men to meddle with the same Wherby they haue brought many ignorant and lay men into that foolish and vnchristian conceit that they thinke it a great deale more dangerous for them euen for their soules health to be occupied in reading or hearing some peece of holie Scripture than the wanton and vnchaste Bookes of prophane men which corrupt good manners and breede noysome lustes that fight against the soule But because this is a great stumbling blocke in the way of the ignorant it shall not be amisse somewhat particularly to examine the Arguments that are vsed to prooue the hardnesse of the scriptures Argument The first argument of Bellarmines is this Dauid prayeth thus Giue me vnderstanding and I wil search thy law Open mine eies Lib. 3. cap. 1. de verbi Dei interpr and I will consider the woonderous things of thy lawe shew the light of thy countenance vpon thy seruant teach me thy statutes therefore the Scriptures are hard Answere It is certaine that Dauids prayers were not to haue his naturall or outward man only instructed for who can imagine that the prophet Dauid being so well acquainted in Gods booke could not vnderstand Gods lawe but to haue his mind and inward man lightned and directed and therefore this proueth not the sense of scripture to be hard for the like prayers are to be vsed of them that thinke it to be most easie Secondly euen the lawe which they confesse to be easie hath not only the literall sense but should also be a bridle vnto the affections and thoughts of men Matth. 5 as most plainly appeareth in those Commentaries which our Sauiour Christ maketh vppon the sixt seuenth and fourth commandements Rom. 7.14 In which respect also S. Paul doth call it Spirituall although Bellarmine seeme to account the commandements to be but Natural The Precepts saith he of the x. Commandements seeing they are natural may easily be vnderstood Dauid therfore may there pray as all christians ought to doe that he may know by Gods word not only how to rule his actiōs but also his words affections This thē doth not proue the scripturs to be hard concerning such good lessons as out of the literal sense may be learned but he proueth that vnlesse God lighten vs we cannot see the spirituall meaning Psa 119.27 which he calleth the maruellous things of the law Arg. 2 His second argument proueth some parts of Scripture to be hard which we denie not and therefore deserueth no answere Arg. 3 Lib. 2. ca 47 Contra Celsum lib. 7 In Exod. hom 12 His third argument is taken from the Fathers Irene saith in the scriptures I commit many things to God Orig. saith the scripture is darke in many places And in another place that we must pray night and day that the lamb of the Tribe of Iuda will come and that hee will vouchsafe to open the booke that is sealed Answere That many things in the scripture are hard we neuer denied as before I said and that with Reading wee should ioyne Prayer therefore Bellarmine when he took these weapons in hand did but feare his owne shadow That Basil and Gregory Nazianzene did seeke not by their owne presumption but by other mens writings that were before them to attaine to the vnderstanding of this written word Ruffinus doth well to commend them But I am sure that Bellarmine himselfe will not thereof conclude that they vnderstoode nothing of themselues or without teachers or that all the scriptures are hard He bringeth in Chrysostome saying that the deepe things therein cannot be attained vnto without great labour and that Christ would haue the Iewes not to reade onely but to search them also If of this hee conclude therfore al the scriptures are hard his argument is to be denied for that it hath no trueth in it if hee say therefore many things are hard we say
lay people And still there are that in corners seeke to perswade ignorant men and women that there can be almost no greater daunger vnto their soules than to reade the scriptures Wherein they shew themselues to be nothing of the minde of Phillip Acts 8.31 35 who forbade not the Eunuch to reade the scripture but taught him neither like to the fathers of the church some hundreds of yeares after Christ whose care was to exhort and drawe the people to the diligent reading of the same And whosoeuer they are that with diligence humilitie and prayer doe continue in the reading of the scriptures as wee see in sundry by experience shall be able in reasonable manner to auoyde and passe through those sixe impediments that I before alleaged out of Bellarmine and shall haue mindes exercised as the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaketh Cap. 5.14 and that not without great fruit to discerne good and euill And thus wee may see how litle the fathers make for that which the church of Rome teacheth in this point For the fathers say thus The scriptures are hard therefore you must reade them diligently The church of Rome cleane contrary The scriptures are hard therefore you must not reade them Therefore let vs detest as a most pestilent position that daungerous doctrine of the church of Rome knowing that whosoeuer be hee neuer so ignorant with reuerent reading seeketh to finde and with deuout prayer asketh knowledge of God shall finde much knowledge and comfort in his godly and christian exercise For Hieron ps 147. The word of God is most fat and fertile It hath in it all delicates And thus to conclude seeing the scriptures onely are Gods word and they are so sufficient and plentifull that in them the hungry may haue foode the poore treasure the rich direction the sicke physicke the whole diet the sorrowfull comfort the ignorant knowledge and the foolish true wisedome to be short seeing there for all wants we finde a remedy and seeing that rule is so true that it cannot deceiue so straight that it can not be crooked so constant to it selfe that it changeth not lastly seeing it is so easie that by diligence and prayer the godly may not learne onely but grow and increase daily from knowledge to knowledge let vs account them as deadly enemies to our soules who seeke to drawe vs from this sufficient and certaine written word of God to the doctrines or traditions of men what glorious names soeuer they giue them What shall wee then account of the popish crew that are not ashamed to teach the Scriptures to be daungerous because euill men abuse them so doth the drunkard drinke the glutton meate the prowd apparell the couetous riches and the euill men all Gods graces yet all these thinges are good and so is Gods word holy and vndefiled But nowe to the second point That only the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament are this written word or Scriptures CHAP. 5 THE PROTESTANTS SEing that the rule of the Catholike faith must be knowen De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 2. and certaine for if it be not knowen it can not be a rule vnto vs if not certaine it is no rule at all as Bellarmine hath very wel noted only those scriptures which we according to the ancient vse of the Primitiue church and the common consent of those purer times do call Canonicall are that sure rule that can not deceiue for therefore haue they that name because they are for triall of doctrines as the rule or line for triall of workes it is certain that no other word can be that infallible word of God certaine rule of faith and religion but only the Canonical Scriptures These onely haue beene of the godly Fathers accounted to haue beene written by those whom God indued with his spirite for that cause Concil Laodicenum ca. 59. Hieron ad Paulinum prologo Galeato Out of these onlie the Fathers permit matters of controuersie to bee tried And in expounding of these that wee call Canonicall they haue bestowed their godly labours yea and them onely to bee certaine and such as were neuer doubted of among Catholike men De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 4. Bellarmine himselfe confesseth and it is a ground or principle acknowledged of all men THE PAPISTS NOtwithstāding this name Canonicall which the ancient fathers haue giuen to these Scriptures onely to testify that they are only the certaine canon and rule of faith notwithstanding also such preheminence and excellency Bellarm. de verbo Dei li. 1. ca. 2. compared with that cap. 4. as not the Fathers onely but themselues also doe yeelde vnto the Canonicall scriptures to be of all other the most certaine rule and most infallible touchstone in all matters of controuersie the Councel of Trent is not ashamed to commaund and that vnder paine of beeing accursed to receiue these bookes that are contained in the Bible with like reuerence and deuotion and to make them of as good credite as the canonicall Scripture I say euen those Apocryphaes in which are many things absurd and whose very name sheweth them to be vnknown from whence they came who were not found in the Hebrew nor accounted by the Iewes to be Canonicall And so they doe match that word that all men alwayes and euen themselues acknowledge to be lesse certaine with that which they knowe that no good man euer doubted of Argument But lest they should seeme thus to dote without reason they vse in effect these arguments for proofe heereof The first is that these bookes which we call Apocrypha are alledged sometimes of the Fathers in their writings Answers But the answere is easie For the alledging of them doth not prooue that they who alledged them did hold them for canonicall for then should it followe that poets philosophers and such like who are often alledged by the ancient writers should so be But this rule must stand alwayes good which S. Hierome hauing reckoned vp those bookes which now in our Bibles are accounted canonicall and no other ◠rologo in lib. Reg. qui Galeatus dicitur Ruffinus in symbol prolog in Prouerb hath Whatsoeuer is besides these must be put amongst the Apocrypha Yea to be short they do alledge them because they may bee read to the edifying of the people but not to confirme the authoritie of any ecclesiasticall doctrine as saint Hierome saith of Tobie Iudith and the Machabees and Ruffinus also vppon the Creede De doct◠ina christian lib. 2. cap. 8. The second argument is taken out of Augustine because he reckoneth vp the books which we call Canonicall and also the Apocrypha and calleth all Canonicall So doth the third councell holden at Carthage also Cap. 47 with some other ancient writers Answere Admit that this were the meaning of saint Augustine and of those Fathers shall their bare authority without reason be heauy enough to weigh
certaine external meanes and helpes are required yet those moue vs nothing without the working of Gods holy spirit And he much misliketh of them that teach that our faith must rest vpon that point That we beleue that the church is true or cannot erre For therevpon he gathereth this absurditie that our faith should be grounded vpon the truth not of God but of man He also plainly affirmeth that if a man should aske how the faithfull do know that God hath reuealed that which they beleeue they cannot answere by the authoritie of the Church but it is by the inward light of Gods spirit that they know the same If now thou aske me how I know the Scriptures to be the Scriptures I answere out of Canus not by the authority of the Church but by the motion of Gods spirit and witnesse thereof If thou vrge that place of Augustine Canus telleth thee that they who are become Christians are not so brought to beleeue the Scriptures but onely Infidels and Nouices in religion So that this place serueth nothing to obiect against vs who professe Christianitie alreadie and beleeue the worde which the Manichies did not of whom and to whom Saint Augustine there writeth But we had neede out of that place to admonish you that in respect of that reuerence which with one consent al that professe Christianitie doe yeeld vnto the scriptures you would be ashamed so to depraue and despise them so to abuse and reiect them at your owne pleasure as you alwayes haue done You make vnlawfull that which God hath mad lawfull as for example It was lawfull in the Apostles time for euerie Priest Dion Carth. 1. Tim. 3. Bishop and Deacon to haue one wife but now by the appointment of the Pope they may not haue a wife sayth a friend of your owne a bird of your owne nest So that not the scripture or the will of God but the worde of the Pope must be the rule of our life so that whereas Augustine for the Church beleeued the scriptures you for your Churches sake controll the scriptures and disobey them And for the establishing of that vndue honour which they would bestow vpon the most happie mother of Christ the virgin Mary Marke the boldnesse of Durand a great piller in the Popish Church Rathon◠di◠li. 4. rub 6. who writeth thus Although it is said in the Scriptures that Christ rising did first appeare to Marie Magdalen yet it is more truly beleeued that first of all he appeared to his mother Is it not plaine how that to establish their foolish toyes he giueth the lie to that word that is onely true O grosse boldnesse Seeing therefore this worde hath not onely testimonie within vs which is the strongest witnesse but also with so great consent is knowne to be Gods worde be ashamed now to call it into question or to put it to the triall of the Church by which the Papists alwaies vnderstand the Romish Church whether it shal be allowed for currant or not For in deede this blasphemous sense which as I haue shewed euen their owne friends can in no wise like of is now the cōmon exposition of those words of S. Aug. I will not beleeue the scriptures vnlesse the Church of Rome do allow the Bookes for Canonicall and expound them as she shall thinke good And thus much to answer this their common obiection What the Catholike Church is that is mentioned in the Creede CHAP. 6 THE PROTESTANTS VVE say with the Apostle Saint Paul that the catholike church which is spoken of in the Creede s. Tim. 3. Is the house of God the pillar and ground of truth And with the fathers that it is the companie of all the faithfull of all times and of all places And with Saint Iohn The Bride of the Lambe Apoc. 21 9. and the bodie of Christ And therefore that the wicked and faithlesse are not of this Church nor can be counted of this companie THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome to get a Catholike Church admit good and bad to be of their Church namely reprobates wicked Bellar. de Eccle. li. 3. cap. 2. and vngodly ones Neither do thinke that they neede any inward vertue to bee of their Church but onely that they professe religion and be vnder the Pope Well may they in some sort seeme to haue a Catholike Church because all is fish that comes into their net but holy apostolike it shal not be nor Catholike as in the Creed is meant Wherein this is worthie to be reproued in them that whereas they crie out in worde and writing The Catholike church of Rome and vnlesse you beleeue the Catholike Church you cannot be saued And for proofe hereof they alledge this article I beleeue the Catholike church yet when they should tell vs what this Catholike church is wherevnto we must so necessarily be subiect they onely paint vnto vs I know not what Romish Church The catholike church in the Creed and the Romish contrary which is no more like the true Catholike church than that church of Israel when it was started aside from the true worship of God was like to the true church of God that remained amongest the people of the Iewes as by these few reasons may appeare The catholike church is One One that is to say one companie and vnited and knit togither by one spirite and the selfe same graces but the reprobate and vngodly who fill vp a place in the Romish catholike church neither are one company with the Saints nor vnited to them by the same spirit and graces to be partakers of the communion of Saints Therefore that catholike and the Romish catholike Church are not all one Secondly that Church is Holy Holy and that not in part but perfectly euen without spot or wrinckle Ephe. 5.26.27 For in our Creed we doe not speake of the church that is but that shal be not that which we see with our eye but by faith not that which is perfected but hoped for which we shall not in deede behold with our eyes Reuel 21 vntill it come downe from heauen as saint Iohn speaketh of the heauenly Ierusalem Apoc. 11 which as witnesseth saint Ambrose doth represent the Church that shall bee after the ende of the world Apoc. 21 Of which minde is also saint Augustine But the Romish catholike church is of omnigatheroms as people goe to faires or markets of all sorts and qualities And although a man haue not one good thing in him not one crum of honestie hee is good enough to make vp a number in the Church of Rome but such a church is not holy and therefore not that that is mentioned in the Creede Thirdly that church is catholike Catholike that is as all the godly haue acknoledged it the mother of all Christians the companie of all the saints both in heauen and vpon earth But the Romish catholike church
also that we should performe to no other but to him those seruices and offices that are due vnto God amongst which inuocation or praier is one Secondly that commandement which more particularly toucheth this point Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee is flatly broken if we doe call vpon any other Thirdly the prophet Dauid doeth seeme to make it a property belonging to God only to heare our praiers Thou that hearest our praiers to thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 And therefore if wee will be heard we must pray to God only Fourthly Cont. Arian Orat. 2. Athanasius proueth Christ to be God because he is praied vnto in distresse Whose argument had not beene good if any other besides God might haue beene praied vnto Fiftly faith only belongeth to this life so that the Saintes haue it not in the life to come De iustif li. 2. cap. 4. 7. as maister Bellarmine himselfe affirmeth very truely but praier without faith auaileth not and How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued Therefore the saints after this life cannot pray for vs or at the least their praiers cannot auaile Sixtly as it is not an office laid vpon the saints to pray for vs in all the scriptures so they regard nothing in the life to come but only Gods glory as may appeare by the exercise of singing praise to God only as in the Apocalips manie times is ascribed vnto them So little care they haue of their owne priuate estate much lesse of our affaires but of those things only that belong to gods glory Thus then we see concerning this first point in controuersie concerning praier that we must not pray vnto any creature but to God only De beatitud Sanct. li. 1. cap. 19. Popish argumentes for inuocation Gen. 48.16 But yet let vs see how M. Bellar. wil proue that we maie praie to the creatures Iacob saith of Iosephs children The angell that deliuered me from all euill blesse the children therefore Iacob praieth vnto the angel That which there he calleth the angel is God as appeareth not only by the words because before he called him God but also Chrysostome expounding this place vers 15. In Genes Hom. 66. Iob. 5.1 not once naming the angell maketh him to aske al these things of God And that which he alleadgeth out of Iob is of like force Call now if any will answere thee and to which of the saints wilt thou turne for many of the Hebrews vnderstand this of the saints that are aliue as if he had said what good man is of thy mind or wil take thy part Some expounde this place of the angels but so as they make Eliphaz to aske this question to whom amongst the angels Iob wil turne scoffingly As if he had said if thou shouldst aske of them it were in vaine they would not answer thee But howsoeuer it is it is certaine that heere is no mention of inuocation or praier vnto the angels Philippus Presbiter in Iob. but rather as it seemeth by Phillippus Presbiter vpon this place a taunting reproofe of Iob if he beleeued not Eliphaz his words But howsoeuer it is expounded heere is no good argument for inuocation or praier vnto angels For the Godly haue often turned themselues vnto the angels but not to pray vnto them As for that that Moses said Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy seruantes Exod. 32.13 respecteth not the merits of these fathers but the promise made to them as in that place appeareth for it followeth To whome thou swarest by thine owne selfe and saidst to them I wil multiply your seede Which words doe plainely burden God with his promise made to them Neither doth that which maister Bellarmine alleadgeth out of Theodoret proue any thing ◠o the contrary For he saith that Moses vsed the helpe or defence of these patriarkes And why not rather in respect of Gods promise which we know hee is able and ready to performe then of their merits Theod. quest 67. in Exod. So that if there were any inuocation or praier to them as there is not it is onlie a request that God will remember them and therefore this place belongeth not to the matter now in question but if there were any praier vnto them we see that it cannot bee concluded out of this place that Moses would haue God to regarde their merites But maister Bellarmine will helpe the matter with a testimonie out of the Psalmes Lord remember Dauid and al his kindnes Psal 131.2 There saith maister Bellarmine Salomon praieth in respect of his father Dauids merits but the word vpon which his whole argument dependeth that heere is translated kindnes may be trāslated Affliction And S. Hierom trāslating the psalms according to the Hebrew doth so translate it And how can he thinke with such vncertaine proofe to make good so bad a cause But I hasten to that argument that coulde neuer yet be answered for so maister Bellarmine saith And it is this We may desire them that are aliue to pray for vs therefore we maie pray to the saints that are departed If maister Bellarmine had not liked so well of this argument I should not haue thought it worth any answere For to praie one for another whilest we are aliue is both warranted and commaunded of God but to praie to them that are gone wee haue neither commaundement nor promise And there is greate difference betweene praiers which the papists woulde make to them that are dead and such requestes as the godlie haue made or we may make to them that are aliue to praie for vs. But maister Bellarmine will strengthen his argument by remoouing the causes that maie hinder this inuocation or rather their intercession for vs. First if wee saie they will not praie for vs hee answereth they haue greater loue than they had and therefore they will But what manner of loue they haue to vs ward is not described in the Scriptures And therefore we cannot of that their loue which is vncertaine gather any certaine argument But sure I am their loue towards God and our sauiour Christ is so great that they will not rob either God of his glory or Christ of his office of mediation And they cannot pray for vs because as before I haue shewed euen out of maister Bellarmine that they want faith And whether they know that we pray or not it is vncertaine As for the wrong that is done vnto God if any but he be praied vnto which maister Bellarmine imagineth to be the fourth let why they cannot pray for vs he answereth that if that be any hinderance to Gods glory Coloss 2.23 it also is against Gods glory that they who are aliue should request other to pray for them Which his answere how foolish it is the very wemen and children maie easily perceiue how the one hath commandement the other must
cal the Scriptures and vnwritten which they call Traditions Traditions And the traditions say they were either deliuered by the Apostles themselues to some special men and therfore are called Apostolike or else are set downe by the Church and for that cause called Traditions of the Church Traditions equall with the word Now traditions are made equall and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures euen by the Councel of Trent Ses 4. decre 1 Preferred before the word the most modest Papists But there are others who in their excesse of impietie preferre the trâ— ditions before the word written and make them of greater force than it as Pighius in his Ecclesiasticall hierarchie Eccl. Hierar lib. 1. cap. 4. Thesi 9. In his preface Wolfgangus Screckius Nay in that he wil by traditions haue all doctrines tried he manifestly subiecteth the pure written woorde of God to the prophane deuises of man BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building let vs see what grounds or foundations for so Melchior Canus a learned Papist termeth them they lay of this their doctrine Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie and Bellarmine in his controuersies lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 〈◊〉 of Gods worde dâ— written and others also set this downe as a most neceâ—â—â—rie principle That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures As in trueth the Church was more than two thousand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes and therefore Bellarmine inferreth That the Scriptures are not simply necessary Answere First this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuersie among vs. For they shoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde so that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect And to proue that they tel vs that it was more than two thousand yeeres before the woord was written Which maketh nothing for them vnlesse they can shew vs that this word which is now written is not that same that before was deliuered by tradition vnto the fathers of that old world For the question betweene vs and the Papists is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word whether it were deliuered by word or by writing but of the matter namely whether Gods word be any thing else than that is written in the old and new testament which we deny but they affirme it because the word was so long time vnwritten yet the church was not then without the word So that because the word was reuealed after an other manner the Papists wil haue it another word Whereas in trueth that same word that was from the beginning Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written is that verie word of God that was so long after the beginning written for the Iewes and is now deliuered vnto vs. Wee must therefore take heede that they deceiue vs not by the double signification of the word Scripture which sometime expresseth the manner of deliuering the word namely by writing and so we confesse the scripture was not so ancient as the church by mo than two thousand yeares but sometime the word Scripture signifieth the word it selfe which is deliuered vnto vs as it is commonly now taken and in this place must so be vnderstoode And so hath the word written beene from the beginning That is to say that the selfe same word which God by word of mouth as we say and by tradition did teach the patriarkes hee afterwards did cause to be written which word wee call the holy scriptures And further also we must remember that one manner of deliuering the word of God Diuerse maners of deliuering the word at diuerse times is fit for one time and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time As may appeare by that which hath beene said how that God hath in his infinite wisedome seene it needefull to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe in an other sort vnder the Lawe and the Gospell although not in like measure in both these latter times So that this argument cannot stand good The scriptures haue not beene written in the first age amongst the patriarkes therefore they are not necessary now amongst vs in these dayes to whom God hath by them reuealed his word Which argument is strongly confuted by Chrysostome that learned and ancient Father In Matth. hom 1. But to these men who are as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time lucifugae scripturarum De resurrect carnis such as shunne the light of the scriptures and flee from it I may say as the same Tertullian speaketh in an other place De prescript Beleeue without the Scriptures that yee may also beleeue against the Scriptures Let them seeke the desert of their owne deuises and follow the trod of their owne traditions to finde out some couert for their superstitions but let vs content our selues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles which are the Scriptures and not goe out of them In Mich. li. 1 as Saint Ierome speaketh For euery word of God is pure Prou. 30.5 6 hee is a shield to those that trust in him Put nothing to his word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar That this VVorde is sufficient CHAP. 2 THE PROTESTANTS This word is sufficient NOw this written word of God because it is sent vs froÌ„ that most gratious God that hath loued vs and chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide Eph. 1.4 that we might be holy with out blame before him and is brought vnto vs by that most excellent Prophet In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss 2.3 and therefore can teach vs Heb. 3.2 who also is faithful and therefore wil deale truely with vs yea who so heartily loueth vs that hee died for vs and therefore doubtlesse will be careful to teach vs what behooueth vs to knowe Seeing also the Apostle saint Paul doeth testifie that he kept nothing backe that was profitable Acts 20.20 27 but shewed them all the councell of God We therefore beleeue the Scriptures to be written Ioh. 20.31 that wee might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life 2. Tim. 3.16 And that the whole scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes that is that the Scripture is so sufficient and perfect that it hath no want it needeth no supply nothing must be added THE PAPISTS BVT the Church of Rome knowing that Tertullian wrote truely De resurrect carnis That Heretikes if they be made to proue that they say by the Scriptures can not stand do find fault that they should be so straitly limited and tethered that
down so many fathers and reasons as partly I haue alleaged to the contrary and might haue alledged many mo But their meaning is plaine enough For although S. Augustine and that Councel of Carthage and others say that all those bookes are canonicall yet wee must vnderstand them according to their meaning They diuided all the scripturs that went in the name of scriptures but into two parts Those which they called Apocrypha De ciuit Dei lib. 15. ca. 23 lâ— b. 3. cap. 25 Euseb had many fables as may appeare by saint Augustine now all the rest they called Canonicall so that they comprehend vnder that name all that Eusebius and others do vnderstand both by such bookes as were without all controuersie receiued of al men and such as were not generally receiued of all but well liked of many And they comprehend all these in one name not only because that in comparison of the other that were fabulous these were good but also because they were read commonly of them although not for establishing of anie doctrine as before I haue shewed yet for reformation of manners And that S. Augustines meaning was not to make like account of all appeareth not onely by that rule which himselfe setteth downe in that very chapter after he hath reckoned vp those Bookes canonicall Those canonicall bookes which are generally saith he receiued by the common consent of all Churches De doctrinâ— christiana li. 2. cap. 8. 30 are to bee preferred before them that are reiected of many but of those whom we call Apocrypha Origen Athanasius Epiphanius Melito Hierome Ruffinus and many other haue doubted but also by his practise For it will appeare how that somtime himself doubteth of some of them which we deny to be canonicall namely of the Machabees hee writeth thus against the second Epistle of Gaudentius the Donatist Lib. 2. cap. 23 This peece of Scripture of the Machabees the Iewes do not so account of as of the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes vnto the which the Lord giueth testimony as vnto his own witnesses saying Al things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes of me but it is receiued of the Church not without profite if it bee read or heard soberly Wherin first I note that the Iewes with whom the word of God was kept before it came to vs did not account it canonicall Secondly note how he magnifieth the witnes of the scriptures which are indeede canonical calling them the Lords owne witnesses And thirdly how coldly hee intertaineth the bookes of Machabees saying the church readeth them and that with profit if they be read soberly by reason of some good examples in them But yet more plainely in his Bookes of the citie of God Lib. 18. c. 36. The reckoning of time from the restoring of the Temple is not found in the holy Scriptures that are called Canonicall but in other writings amongst which are the Bookes of the Machabees which the Iewes reckon not canonicall but the church doth bicause of the extreame strange sufferings of some Martires Wherein wee see how that S. Augustine saith that wee knowe not the story of those times after the temple was built by any canonicall writer but yet by the Machabees wee know it therefore the Machabees are not canonicall And yet the church accounteth them saith he canonicall because of the examples of the Martyres in them As if he would haue saide Although those Bookes be not indeede such as you may build your faith vpon yet they are for some things worth the reading Which two places I stoode vpon the rather because Bellarmine alledgeth them De verbo de lib. 1. cap. 15. especially this latter as a speciall pillar to hold vp those Bookes of Machabees But howe truely let the Reader iudge Arg. 3 Their third and last argument is taken from that authority which they imagine the Church hath to approoue or disprooue Gods word And therefore is it so often repeated by Bellarmine handling this point That the Councell of Trent hath allowed such Bookes De verbo dei lib. 1. De ecclesia So that hee iumpeth right with that which most blasphemously Eckius hath set downe that twice within few lines he liked so well of it That the Scriptures are not authenticall or canonicall without the authoritie of the church And Canus setteth himselfe to make a full discourse against them that say Lib 2. de locis Theol. ca. 6 That the Scripture needeth not the approbation of the church And thus they must reason The church hath allowed those bookes to be canonicall which you call Apocrypha according as did also the ancient fathers therefore they are canonicall Answere That the weakenesse and wickednesse of this argument may appeare let vs first consider who is the Author of the holy scriptures which the Apostle declareth as plainly as can be when he saith 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration from God Therefore the scripture is the word not of man but of God Secondly let vs see how this word came to vs whether by tradition of the church or by special reuelation Which also is plainly answered by saint Peter saying 2. Pet. 1.21 that prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy Ghost What will we then say shall we imagin that God would direct by his holy Spirite the mouthes of his seruants to speake but not their pennes to write God forbid Thirdly the men whome it pleased God to vse as his meanes in setting downe this word were knowen vnto the church of that time wherein they flourished and their calling so confirmed vnto the godly that without all doubt or wauering they receiued those writings as Gods word because they knew the authors thereof to be directed by Gods spirit And this is the difference that the ancient fathers doe make betweene those Bookes of scripture whose authors were knowen and their bookes alwayes receiued and therefore called Canonicall that is such as deliuer rules for life and doctrine that are infallible and those other that are called Apocrypha because either it was not knowen who wrote them or else it was not knowen that they were indued with such a spirite as they could not erre in any thing And therefore their Bookes were not receiued of the church then Is it not then intollerable pride in the church of Rome to commaund silence vnto God himselfe and not to suffer him to speake but when they giue him leaue and to proclame it vnto the world that euen his word is not of credite vnlesse it be by their approbation and allowance of the same And yet thus doe they say when they affirme that the Scriptures are not Canonicall but by the approbation of the Church Yea some make them no better than Esopes Fables if the Church allowe not
we derogate anie thing herein from the power of the spirit whose direction if we could follow we should neuer do amisse but impute it to our owne weaknes ignorance corruption whereby it commeth to passe that euen the godly many times grieue Gods spirit and suffer him not to haue his perfect worke Other arguments also they haue but they haue scarce any shew of truth and therefore I thinke them not worthie answering for their places out of the fathers doe commend the faith of Rome that then was and their constancie in the same but what is that to this degenerate church of Rome that now is of the church whereof we may say as one saith of their citie that a man will seeke Rome in the midst of Rome So a man will seeke the church euen in the midst of their most shewe of religion and yet not finde it Of the markes of the Church or how wee may know the true Church CHAP. 9. THE PROTESTANTS WE must iudge of the tree of the church by the fruits that she bringeth foorth that is by the faith or religion that shee teacheth the confession or profession of the same that she maketh the exercise of the same that she vseth but we cānot iudge truely of these her fruits but only by the scriptures as in the fiue first chapters hath beene shewed therfore the true and infallible tokens or markes of the true church are to be had out of the word of God or the Scriptures THE PAPISTS NOwe the Papistes will haue their church to bee the true church because shee hath by vniust claime a good name to bee called Catholike Name catholike Antiquity Continuance Greatnesse Succession because shee is ancient and hath lasted long she is great and hath alwayes borne fruit such as it was for these are the first fiue notes reckoned vp by Bellarmine Lib. 4. de notis eccles and indeede their chiefest which especially they rest vppon And may not an euill tree haue all these properties Yes verely And as for the rest of his marks in the iudgement of an indifferent Reader they will neuer be accounted true markes of the Church excepting those notes wherein he seemeth to consent with vs to try the church by the word namely by holinesse of doctrine Because I haue in another treatise shewed I trust sufficiently that those markes of the church which they make greatest account of neither are any true markes and that we may make as good claime to them as they can it shall now be sufficient briefly to passe ouer this point and with one or two arguments to answer this question The scripture the true note of the true church Those markes of the church whereby wee may truely know the church and not be deceiued those I say onely are the true markes of the church But the scriptures onely are such Therefore they onely are the infallible markes The maior or first proposition no man will deny And that the Scriptures are such may appeare by infinite testimonies De pec merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 22. Saint Augustine saith it can not deceiue nor be deceiued And against the Donatists de bapt lib. 2. cap. 6. calleth the Scriptures the holy wey-scales or ballances Cap. 1. And in his booke de bono viduitatis he saith that the holy scripture doth set him his rule how to teach And to be short writing vpon saint Iohns Epistle he saith that Against deceitfull errours In Ioh. epist tractatu 2. God would set a strength or stay in the scriptures And Chrysostome saith vpon Genesis Hom. 12. in Genes that the Scripture wil not suffer him to erre or go astray that heareth it And therefore Gregory Nazianzene sometimes calleth the Scriptures The Kings high way Matth. 24. And our sauior Christ although he foretold the danger of error a litle before he suffered yet doeth hee not giue the Disciples any such markes whereby they should know the true Christ or true church as the Papistes speake of but he earnestly commendeth his word vnto them Ioh. 14.15 23. 15.7 And feruently prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie them with his trueth Ioh. 17.3 17 namely with his word for he knew that to be the way to keepe them from errour By all which it appeareth that the scriptures onely are accounted that perfect rule not only by the iudgement of the fathers but also by the practise of our sauiour Christ But most plainly S. Chrysost saith Opere imperf hom 49 That the true Church can be knowen only by the Scriptures I know that Bellarmine answereth this place in his 4. booke de verbo Dei ca. 11. after two sorts First that the booke sauoureth somwhat of Arianisme But in these words what Arianisme can Bellarmine finde Yea Bellarmine himselfe doth in other places alleage this booke But his second answer I confesse is very forcible For he telleth vs that in a booke printed of late that place is left out Haue they not thinke you answered the place strongly when they haue thrust it quite out of the booke If they had vsed Chrysostome onely in this sort yet were it too bad dealing but it may appeare by Franciscus Iunius his preface before the booke called Index Expurgatorius that they haue left few of the Fathers vncorrupted I would to God therefore that this and such other gelding and falsifying of the fathers by that deceiuing church of Rome which seekes to make them al say as she doth could stir vp the christiā princes that professe religion in a godly care to prouide for the safetie and maintenaunce of religion and the trueth thereof in time to come Which in my iudgement can not well be perfourmed except that to preuent the credite of those falsified copies which within short time are almost onely like to remaine because the ancient which are the truest wil be worne out the godly Princes by common consent woulde take some speedy order for printing of al the fathers according to the ancientest and most pure copies that might be found The second argument is this Whatsoeuer notes do not teach it to be euidently true that the church whereof they are the notes is the true church of God may deceiue and therefore are not certaine notes of the true church But such are the notes that the Papists would haue vs to beleeue therefore they are but deceitfull notes De verbo de◠lib. 1. cap. 2. The maior or first proposition is most true and may well bee prooued out of that axiome or rule that Bellarmine setteth downe saying De notis eccles li. 3. ca. 3. That the rule of the catholike faith must bee sure or certaine The minor or second proposition is Bellarmines owne confession euen in the selfe same words that I haue set downe Therefore it followeth necessarily that we must not trust the notes of the catholike church set downe by them CHAP. 10. Before I beginne
thing yet master Bellarmine wil not thinke it sufficient that a bishop should be chaste because he knoweth that Saint Augustine and other of the fathers affirme that there is chastity in mariage but he will doubtles spie some greater vertue in continency then in chastity and therefore he will haue a bishop not chast only but also continent But if we must seeke for a difference betweene these two wordes I take this to be it that continencie is of shorter continuance that is to say but an abstinence for a time and chastitie is a vertue that indureth And the examples brought by master Bellarmine himselfe approue this difference But Chrisostome and Theophilact doe take continencie to be an abstinence not from lusts only but from al vice so that as Theophilact saith he must rule his tongue his handes and his eies Hierom vpon these wordes saith plainelie that the Apostle neuer speaketh of continencie or incontinencie but in respect of wanton lustes but yet he taketh continencie to be such a vertue as may be in maried folke And therefore the Apostle saith he hauing spoken of a bishop that hee may haue one wife least he should seeme to permit incontinencie to them addeth this and with Hierom agreeth Primasius So that they make continent and chaste all one 1. Cor. 7.3.4.5 For although married folke must performe the duties of mariage one to another yet so as they passe not the boundes of chastitie or continencie This reason then is not good Priests must by Saint Paules rule bee continent therefore they must haue no wiues But on the contrarie Saint Paul in that verie place where he requireth in a bishop continencie doth permit at the least that he shoulde be the husband of one wife therefore in mariage there may be continencie Tit. 1.6 As for that which hee alleadgeth out of Councels popes fathers and reason because they proue not that which hee hath vndertaken to proue Chap. 19. it is not worth an answere For the title of that Chapter is That single life by the Apostolicke law is verie well tyed to the holie orders And when hee hath snatched at one poore worde and findeth no greate helpe in it hee seeketh to prooue by Councels popes fathers and reason that single life hath beene commended of some commaunded of others But that the Apostles commaunded it hee prooueth not and that hee tooke in hande But on the contrarie the Canons that are called the Apostles haue this Canon Can. 6 Let not a bishop or Priest put awaie his wife vnder pretence of religion If hee doe it let him bee excommunicated if hee stande in it let him bee reiected But what saith master Bellarmine to this He answereth out of one Humbert a Cardinall that to put away his wife de cler li. ◠cap. 2◠is to haue no care of his wife But if we marke the fiftieth Canon of the Apostles wherein there is a prouiso that none shoulde abstaine from mariage because hee thinketh it to bee euill it will easilie appeare that the sixt Canon was made to ouerthwart the foolish opinion of them that condemned mariage as a thing more vncleane then that it should be fit for priestes or bishops And thus much to proue that mariage of priestes is not euill of it selfe or vnlawfull in respect of any commandement in Gods word Now that it is also lawfull I am perswaded by these reasons First because of the vncertainety of the contrarie doctrine for some say that sole life is commanded by God others denie it as you haue heard Againe there are and those papists too that say the lawe of abstaining from mariage Fab. Tract 4. in Luth. de mat clear for the clergie was first made by pope Siricius who liued almost four hundred yeares after Christ although Iohn Faber report that Calixtus forbad it somewhat before But Bellarmine and others thinke in no wise that it may be suffered that this their doctrine shoulde bee thought so farre shorte of the times of Christ and his Apostles Some holde it a necessarie lawe Bellarm. li. 1. de clericis cap. 18. others but conuenient And such diuersitie of doctrine in these and such like pointes is if not an inuincible yet a verie probable proofe that their doctrine hath no sure grounde in Gods word no great consent of antiquitie and that is the cause that there is no certaine doctrine of it amongest themselues and such is their agreement also concerning that other point whether matrimony be a sacrament or not Secondly the weakenes of their proofe doth euen proclaime vnto the world the weakenes of their cause For the most and best learned of them doe confesse that God hath not commanded it And the proofes that they bring out of the Apostle for it as it seemeth haue so little waight in them that Bellarmine is ashamed to alleadge them As for that small holde that he could get out of the Apostles words Tit. 1.8 That a bishop should be continent how little it can helpe his cause you haue heard before Seeing therfore that either they bring nothing worth hearing out of Gods word or apply vnto the clergy only that which the Apostle speaketh to all men and weomen indifferently such is all that they alleadge out of the 7. Chapter of S. Paules first epistle to the Corinthes we are the lesse bound to beleeue whatsoeuer they out of the fathers shall teach vs concerning this matter Who themselues doe charge vs to examine by the scriptures their writings and not to beleeue any thing that they shall teach vnlesse they teach such things as are agreeable vnto Gods word Yea since their arguments are so weake that euen Panormitane and other papists whom Iohn Faber in some respects spareth to name because they saw no necessary consequence in them although they liued in daies of greater darckenes than wee do God be praised for our light indeuoured to obtain that mariage might be lawful for the clergy as Faber reporteth yea and pope Pius the second Cont. Luth. Tract 4. was so little moued by those arguments that he had wont to say that there was great cause that priests should be forbiddē to marry Pla◠in the life of Pius 2. but greater that mariage should be permitted vnto them and the Ambassadours of catholicke princes were earnest suiters in the names of their princes to the councell of Trent that mariage might be free for the clergy Since these arguments I say were not able to persuade these men so deuoted to their doctrines as it is knowen they were how much more may we reiect this their lawe as hurtfull to Gods church and iniurious to our wise Law-maker and suspect it not to rest vpon good ground Thirdly the most blasphemous commendation that they giue vnto this estate of life and the efficacie and vertue that impudently and vntruely they do ascribe vnto the same maketh me thinke it is but a bird of their
Gods spirit to deliuer to vs such trifling toyes thereby to comfort the afflicted conscience And thus I trust it appeareth that this their sacrament of anoyling is but a deuise of their owne braine hauing neither institution from Christ neither any commaundement from his apostles or example in the scriptures especiallie as it is now vsed in the church of Rome either for the matter whereof it must consist or the manner how it must bee done or the end vnto which they especially haue regard in that ceremony I had thought here to haue ended both this treatise of the sacraments and this chapter but before I go anie farther I would haue the christian reader to marke the euill dealing of the popish church who with their tongues and pennes proclaime as lowd as they can that our doctrine is not catholicke it is new is lately deuised And yet we appeale to the scriptures haue testimony for vs also the cōsent of the fathers of the purer times And on the cōtrary the church of Rome crieth stil they are the catholick church they haue the catholicke religion yea all that is with them is catholicke But if by the rules of catholicke which Vincentius Lyrinensis giueth Commonitorio adversus haereses with whose authority they seek often to stoppe our mouthes we examine their doctrines we shall finde them as farre from the catholicke religion as the priests and rulers amongst the Iews were from the truth For whereas he accounteth no doctrine catholicke but that which hath beene taught at all times in all places and by all men or at the least by the most and the best learned and godliest men wee might by this rule reiect manie of their doctrines which they deliuer to vs as catholicke and necessarie so that without beleeuing them there is no saluation For shortnesse sake let vs looke into this that last I handled They will haue it a catholicke doctrine to teach that anoyling is a true and proper Sacrament yea and the councell of Trent curseth them that saie the contrarie And yet maister Bellarmine who saith as much in effect as they all can saie in this point how catholickely doth hee proue it He with much adoe wresteth for it one place out of Saint Iames and hath not one mo in all the Scripture for him Then leapeth hee more then foure hundreth yeares after Christ and picketh out one pope Innocent who saith it is a kinde of Sacrament If he had proued it to be a Sacrament properly so called yet had he beene but one witnesse in foure hundred yeares Then about 1200. years after Christ he hath gotten another witnes and he is a pope also Innocent the third Then he telleth vs of the 69. canon of the councell of Nice which had in al but twenty canons Al aboue twenty were fetched out of Arabia but are neither mētioned in the Nicene councel set forth by thēselues Li. 1. cap. 6. neither yet of Ruffinus in his ecclesiastical history where he setteth downe the canōs of that councel who although he make 22. in nūber Yet is the matter no other than is set downe in the 1. booke of the coūcels in those 20. chapters Besides there are many other strong reasons pregnant presumptions to proue those 50. canons for they haue 70. to be falsly added to the councel therfore they deserue no credit He also alledgeth some particular councels which he commendeth for their antiquitie and yet the ancientest of them is about 800. yeares after Christ And about that time also are the most ancient fathers that seeme to say any thing for him Then if thou knowest the sunne to shine at noone day thou maist also know that this is not a catholicke doctrine neither can be so accompted It hath not beene taught at all times not in al places not by al or the most of the learned No it hath had scarce one sufficient witnes in 1200. yeares But for the substance of religion which we teach if we haue not a vniuersal consent of the scriptures and also the testimony of the fathers of the church in her most pure times we craue no credit we aske no hearing Therefore that which wee teach is the only catholicke faith because it hath the vniuersall consent of the purer times that which for the most part they teach is but new not warranted by the word not known or not taught amongst the godly fathers at the least for 400. or 500. yeares Which I thought good vpon this occasion thus offered to note vnto the christian reader that I might pull away from the faces of those counterfeites the visard of catholicke vniuersality antiquity and consent that their religion may appeare indeede as it is new not old particular not catholicke false not true because it is the deuise of man whose wisedom is folly whose words are lies and not the wil of God which is the infallible rule and of whose word not one title shall perish And thus I trust it appeareth that they who brag most of the name of catholicke church are the greatest enemies to true catholicke religion teaching that which is nothing lesse then catholicke Of originall sinne what it is And whether Concupiscence be sinne or not CHAP. 21 THE PROTESTANTS THat all mankind which is conceiued of vnclean seede is also infected with original sinne no man denieth but the question is what this original sinne is which we confes to bee in vs. Originall sinne We therefore say It is a generall corruption of our whole nature which corruption as an inheritance we receiue from Adam In our minde is ignorance where was light knowledge In our heart is vnaptnesse and vnreadinesse to any thing that is good in steade of an earnest forwardnes to serue God sincerely whereby it commeth to passe that by concupiscence and lust wee are inticed to sinne Which concupiscence because the Apostle to the Romanes doeth often call ◠in we also say it is sinne not only because it proceedeth from sin and also proceedeth from it but also because it is a thing in it selfe contrary to Gods Lawe THE PAPISTS BVT the Papistes although they can not deny but that wee all haue originall sinne yet woulde they haue the force therof as litle knowen as may bee And therefore some of them haue taught that it is nothing else but the imputation of Adams sinne vnto vs and not any corruption in our selues as Ambrose Catharinus Andrad Orthod expli l◠b. 3. de axiom 3. Cens Colon. dialog 2. Pighius two notable papists And others find fault that we do so amplify the corruption of the nature of man by original sin as though nothing that is good could come from it As for cōcupiscence they wil not grant that it is sin in the regenerat And yet the Apostle S. Paul being a man regenerate confesseth it to be sin in himselfe very often as may appeare Rom. 7. The reasons which moue vs thus
goe amongst the wil-worshippings especially if wee consider the practise of inuocation in the popish church For although now to make some faire shewe of their doctrine they will teach vs De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17. that the saints Are not the immediate intercessours vnto God for vs but obtaine our requestes of God through Christ as maister Bellarmine teacheth yet it cannot be denied that men and women haue had confidence in the saint it selfe haue vowed and performed their vowes vnto the same for their deliuerance haue praied vnto the same for helpe Act. Mon. pag. 1117. 1443. And these men haue not beene reproued no they were thought to haue a good deuotion and to merit thereby but some haue beene accused of heresie for not praying in their trauell to the virgin Mary Yea they haue published a blasphemous thing called the Psalter of the Virgin compiled by Bonauenture in which whatsoeuer in the Psalmes and some other scripture is spoken of the Lord is most wickedly by them applied vnto the Virgin Mary whom they call lady Yea to be short it is almost as full of blasphemies as of words An infinite number of their owne prayers might bee brought against them out of their owne bookes to testifie against themselues of that superstitious confidence which they haue had in the creature and yet would they now perswade the world that they neuer meant they should make intercession to God for vs but by Christ but in trueth they made them rather gods than mediators As when the virgin Mary is willed to command her Sonne and to shew her to be his mother Or when vnto her they pray thus In al our trouble and distresse help vs most holy virgin Mary And thus haue I thought good briefly to examine their proofes out of the scripture and to take away that shew of reasons that they made out of Gods word I might haue brought their owne fellowes to testifie against them that whilest they will seeme to alleadge scriptures they doe but wrest them In Enchirid. cap. 15. De Theol. loci li. 3. cap. 3 For Eckius a stowt Papist doeth frankely confesse that the inuocation of saints is not expresly commanded or taught either in the olde or new Testament But Melchior Canus better learned than hee doeth say that neither plainely nor yet couertly it is contained in the Scriptures And therefore we see that they doe alleadge Gods word but to blinde mens eies as though they had some warrant out of it not because they thinke their arguments pâ— ooue that which they teach Seeing therefore their doctrine is so quite voide of all warrant out of Gods word and that which they do seeme to bring is so weake and wrested as may appeare I trust I may conclude with Tertullian that this commaundement De praescrip aduersus haer aske and yee shall receiue agreeth to him that knoweth of whome to aske euen of him of whome somewhat was promised that is of the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Now for the second point which is Christ our onely mediatour that Christ Iesus is this only mediator between God and man to offer vp our prayers vnto God Wherein our aduersaries do not deny but he is the mediator but they had wont to tell vs Eckius in Ench. cap. 15 that he is the onely mediator of redemption and yet they rob him also of that office by the Popes pardons and such baggage but there may be many mediators of intercession say they But master Bellarmine hath found out another shift namely that they are but intercessours by Christ as before I haue shewed But howe doeth master Bellarmine prooue that the saints make intercession by Christ for vs. Hee hath not so much as one word out of scripture for it neither yet out of any ancient father His onelie proofe is out of saint Bernard who liued eleuen hundred yeeres and more after Christ Is this a doctrine to be receiued now as catholike that hath so long beene buried in silence and will not yet perchance be very well liked of Indeede that Christ is our mediatour he prooueth well but that which he would especially haue vs to beleeue is left without witnesse as I haue shewed De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17 Well then I will take it as a thing granted by master Bellarmine that Christ is onely our immediate mediatour to God and no saint no angel or any other creature which thing the scriptures prooue plentifully And I will by Gods grace shew also that they may not be mediators by or to Christ for vs. First there is no warrant for it in the word and therefore it must not be receiued of vs whose rule for life and religion the word â—â— st be Secondly I haue shewed that the saints departed haue not faith and therefore they can not pray Thirdly to ioyne them with Christ in the office of Mediation doeth shewe that they feare that either hee can not by himselfe perfourme that office which God hath laide vppon him and that is blasphemous Or that hee will not at our request do it vnlesse hee be intreated by others Seeing hee hath died for my sinnes shall I doubt whether hee will heare mee if I doe pray If hee bid mee aske seeke knocke and promiseth thou that I shall haue finde and to open will hee not bee as good as his worde Hebr. 2.17 In all thinges it became him to bee made like vnto his brethren that hee might bee mercifull 18 and a faithfull high priest in thinges concerning God Ebr. 4.15 that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted 16 hee is able to succour them that are teÌ„pted Our high priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that we may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need Let vs I saie our owne selues come vnto him in this assurance that he will not faile to heare and helpe vs. For he calleth Come vnto me all yee that are weary and laden and I wil ease you Matt. 11.28 Shall we be afraid to draw nigh vnto him that calleth vs so louingly Or shall wee thinke that wee shall neede to sende mediatours to intreate him that sendeth his embassadours to vs to intreate vs Nowe we are embassadours for Christ saith saint Paul as though God did beseech you through vs 2. Cor. 5.20 wee pray you in Christes steede that you bee reconciled to God Let vs therefore saie with S. Augustine or whosoeuer it was that writ those bookes that goe in his name Lib. 2. cap. 1. Of the visitation of the sicke I speake more safely and sweetely to my Iesus than to any of the holie spirites of God Yea this grosse and absurd persuasion Saint Chrysostome in many places seeketh to remoue as they that do read his
how to iudge betweene truth and falshode in the holie Scriptures Interpreting scripture euen by interpreting the same according to the traditions of the vniuersall church and the rules of the catholike doctrine and the consent that hath beene at all times and in all places amongst the teachers And yet not euery question must be thus decided This way is to be vsed onely in the greatest matters but only matters of faith such as the very foundation of catholike doctrine resteth vpon for so he saith after fol. 50. neither are al heresies thus to be confuted and at al times but only new heresies euen at their first beginning And lately sprung vp heresies Before they haue falsified the rules of the ancient faith and the writings of the fathers But old heresies which haue had long time to steale away the truth must be coÌ„uinced if need be Stealing the truth such thenâ—â— are the papistes as their coorupting the fathers proueth When the fathers must be heard by the only authority of scripture or must be shuÌ„ned as being condeÌ„ned in the old councels As for heresies newly sprung vp they by the iudgements of the fathers are to be reiected of those fathers I say that continued in the faith so that al or most of them haue set it down in one and the self same meaning plainly often continuing in it as it were in a councell of such masters agreeing in one And such a ful consent must not be despised Then he maketh a recapitulation of that which he hath said in these two caueats and induceth the example of the councel of Ephesus wherein the iudgement of the ancient fathers being examined Nestorius was found to be against the catholike old faith and Cyril to agree with holy antiquitie And to make the matter more plaine he setteth downe the names of those holy fathers by whose vniforme consent and iudgement both the testimonies of Gods lawe were expounded and also the rule of the holy doctrine was established And so reckoneth vp sundry of the Greeke church then also of the Latine and west churches wherein he maketh mention of certaine leters written vnto some from Foelix and Iulius two bishops of Rome And Bellarm. de Roman pontif lib. 2. cap. 16. endeuoureth by this testimonie to prooue the Pope to be head of the church But consider I pray you how negligeÌ„tly he performeth it Vincentius saith that the city of Rome was the head of the world and we confesse whilest the empire flourished it was so called as by the stories appeareth Now he proueth by this that the pope is head of the church by a strange Metamorphosis changing the citie into the Pope and the world into the church contrary to the Author his words or meaning that not only The head of the worlde but the sides also might yeelde their testimonie to that iudgement Cyprian and Ambrose consented thervnto And lastly he confirmeth this by the iudgment of Capreolus bishop of Carthage who endeuoured to ouerthrow newnes and to defend antiquitie Which was also approued by Cyrils testimonie who would haue the doctrines of the ancient faith confirmed New doctrine condemned and that which is new and superfluously inuented and wickedly published to be reiected and condemned wherunto the whole councell agreed And though there were many in that Councell The councell of Ephesus â—â— rst deuise no new doctrine men of singular great learning in such sort gathered togither which might haue imboldned theÌ„ to decree somwhat of their owne yet would they alter nothing but tooke all heede possible that they deliuered nothing to their posteritie but that they had receyued of their predecessours leauing also to them that example Ancient faith the onely good faith He inueigheth against the pride of Nestorius in defence of antiquitie alledging that of Xistus bishop of Rome Let not newnesse doe any thing because it is not fit any thing should bee added vnto antiquitie And that of Caelestinus who would not haue Newnesse to trouble antiquitie Whose meaning is not that antiquitie should cease to ouerthrow newnesse but that newnesse should cease to molest antiquitie Which thing whosoeuer will not yeeld vnto he must despise the authoritie of Celestinus Xistus Cyril Capreolus the councell of Ephesus who all had learned of God to decree that not any thing should bee deliuered to their posteritie but that onely that sacred antiquitie of the holie fathers and agreing with it selfe in Christ did holde yea not to yeeld vnto this is to iustifie Nestorius by them condemned and to despise the whole Church of Christ The praise of the church to keepe the faith deliuâ— red to her not to inuent a new and the teachers therein the Apostles and Prophets but especially the Apostle saint Paul The Church of Christ I say that neuer yet departed from a religious reuerencing and adorning of the faith deliuered to her by saint Paul who said O Timothie keepe that which was committed to thee auoyding newnesse of wordes And Ifanie preach to you any other thing than that you haue heard let him be accursed And if neither the lawes of the apostles nor decrees of the church are to be broken according to which heretikes are worthily condemned it behoueth all men that will bee accounted the true children of their mother the church to sticke euen to the death True children of holy church vnto the sacred faith of their holy fathers and to hate that that is newe Thus haue I set downe I trust truly and faithfully the summe of this whole treatise of Vincentius Lyrmensis especially whatsouer may be thought pertinent to the matter for which the Papists so triumphingly alledge him And as I endeuoured to be short yet so that I omit not any materiall poynt by him touched so that his meaning may the better appeare I haue as neare as I could kept his owne wordes yea I haue set downe euen his most materiall sentences that his whole minde and intent may the better bee knowne vnto the Reader Iudge nowe I pray thee Christian Reader what Catholike and auncient faith it is that the Church of Rome so much braggeth of Compare it with this that Vincentius commendeth If they bee any thing like I desire no credite I will but giue thee a taste hereof euen out of one of their chiefe poyntes of their Religion Cap. 2. I haue shewed before euen by their owne confession that traditions must needes bee admitted or else the Church of Rome must needes faile in proofe in many articles of their Religion Their Religion therefore in such poynts cannot be Catholike It cannot be that which was Committed to Timothie which was Once deliuered as Vincentius speaketh often whose growing is without change whose perfection is without addition so that their doctrine of traditions is a strong argument to proue that their faith is not Catholike according to Vincentius rules Then also we see how plainly he