Agrippa beleeuest thou the Prophets I know thou dost The questiō is how the bookes of the Prophets came to be credited of king Agrippa For what with him did authorize the Prophets the like with vs doth cause the rest of the scripture of God to be of credit Because we maintain that in scripture we are taught all things necessary vnto saluation hereupon very childishly it is by some demanded what scripture can teach vs the sacred authoritie of the scripture vpō the knowledge wherof our whole faith saluation dependeth As though there were any kind of science in the world which leadeth men into knowledge without presupposing a number of thinges alreadie knowne No science doth make knowne the first principles whereon it buildeth but they are alwaies either taken as plaine and manifest in themselues or as proued and granted already some former knowledge hauing made them euident Scripture teacheth al supernaturally reuealed truth without the knowledge wherof saluatiō cannot be attained The maine principle wherupon our beliefe of al things therin contained dependeth is that the scriptures are the oracles of God himselfe This in it selfe wee cannot say is euident For thē all men that heare it would acknowledge it in hart as they do when they heare that euery whole is more then any part of that whole because this in it selfe is euident The other we know that all do not acknowledge when they heare it There must be therefore some former knowledge presupposed which doth herein assure the hearts of all beleeuers Scripture teacheth vs that sauing truth which God hath discouered vnto the world by reuelation it presumeth vs taught otherwise that it self is diuine sacred The questiō thē being by what meanes we are taught this some answere that to learne it we haue no other way then only traditiō as namely that so we beleeue because both we from our predecessors they from theirs haue so receiued But is this inough That which al mens experience teacheth them may not in any wise be denied And by experience we all know that the first outward motiue leading men so to esteeme of the scripture is the authority of Gods church For whē we know the whole church of God hath that opiniō of the scripture we iudge it euen at the first an impudēt thing for any man bredde and brought vp in the Church to bee of a contrary mind without cause Afterwards the more we bestow our labor in reading or hearing the misteries thereof the more we find that the thing it selfe doth answer our receiued opinion concerning it So that the former inducement preuailing somwhat with vs before doth now much more preuaile when the very thing hath ministred farther reason If Infidels or Atheists chance at any time to call it in question this giueth vs occasion to sift what reason there is whereby the testimony of the church cōcerning scripture our own perswasiō which scripture it selfe hath confirmed may be proued a truth infallible In which case the ancient fathers being often constrained to shew what warrant they had so much to relie vpō the scriptures endeuored still to maintain the authority of the books of God by arguments such as vnbeleeuers thēselues must needs think reasonable if they iudged therof as they shuld Neither is it a thing impossible or greatly hard euen by such kind of proofes so to manifest cleere that point that no mā liuing shal be able to deny it without denying some apparent principle such as al men acknowledge to be true Wherefore if I beleeue the gospell yet is reason of singular vse for that it confirmeth me in this my beleefe the more If I do not as yet beleeue neuertheles to bring me to the number of beleeuers except reasō did somwhat helpe were an instrument which God doth vse vnto such purposes what should it boote to dispute with Infidels or godles persons for their conuersion perswasion in that point Neither can I thinke that when graue learned men do sometime hold that of this principle there is no proofe but by the testimony of the spirit which assureth our harts therin it is their meaning to exclude vtterly all force which any kind of reason may haue in that behalfe but I rather iucline to interpret such their speeches as if they had more expresly set downe that other motiues inducemēts be they neuer so strong consonāt vnto reason are notwithstanding vneffectual of thēselues to worke faith concerning this principle if the special grace of the holy ghost concur not to the inlightning of our minds For otherwise I doubt not but mē of wisdom iudgemēt wil grant that the Church in this point especially is furnished with reason to stop the mouthes of her impious aduersaries and that as it were altogether bootles to alleage against thē what the spirit hath taught vs so likewise that euen to our owne selues it needeth caution and explicatiō how the testimony of the spirit may be discerned by what meanes it may be known least mē think that the spirit of God doth testifie those things which the spirit of error suggesteth The operations of the spirit especially these ordinary which be cōmon vnto all true christian men are as we know things secret vndiscernable euen to the very soule where they are because their nature is of an other an higher kind thē that they cā be by vs perceiued in this life Wherfore albeit the spirit lead vs into all truth direct vs in all goodnes yet because these workings of the spirit in vs are so priuy secret we therfore stand on a plainer ground when we gather by reason frō the quality of things beleeued or done that the spirit of God hath directed vs in both then if we settle our selues to beleeue or to do any certaine particular thing as being moued thereto by the spirit But of this enough To go frō the books of scripture to the sense meaning therof because the sentēces which are by the Apostles recited out of the Psalms to proue the resurrectiō of Iesus Christ did not proue it if so be the prophet Dauid meant thē of himsef this expositiō therfore they plainly disproue shew by manifest reason that of Dauid the words of Dauid could not possibly be meant Exclude the vse of naturall reasoning about the sense of holy scripture concerning the articles of our faith then that the scripture doth concerne the articles of our faith who can assure vs That which by right exposition buildeth vp Christian faith being misconstrued breedeth error between true and false construction the difference reason must shew Can Christian men perform that which Peter requireth at their hands is it possible they should both beleeue be able without the vse of reason to render a reason of their beleefe a reason sound and sufficient to answer them that demaund it be they of the same faith with vs or enemies
requireth of a Christian man I hope we shall not seeme altogether vnnecessarily to doubt of the soundnesse of their opinion who thinke simply that nothing but onely the word of God can giue vs assurance in any thing wee are to doe and resolue vs that we doe well For might not the Iewes haue beene fully perswaded that they did well to thinke if they had so thought that in Christ God the father was although the onely ground of this their faith had beene the wonderfull workes they saw him do Might not yea did not Thomas fully in the end perswade himselfe that he did well to thinke that body which now was raised to bee the same which had bene crucified That which gaue Thomas this assurance was his sense Thomas because thou hast seene thou beleeuest saith our Sauiour What scripture had Tully for his assurance Yet I nothing doubt but that they who alleage him thinke hee did well to set downe in writing a thing so consonant vnto truth Finally wee all beleeue that the Scriptures of God are sacred and that they haue proceeded from God our selues wee assure that wee doe right well in so beleeuing Wee haue for this point a demonstration sound and infallible But it is not the worde of God which doth or possibly can assure vs that wee doe well to thinke it his worde For if any one booke of Scripture did giue testimonie to all yet still that Scripture which giueth credite to the rest would require another Scripture to giue credite vnto it neither could we euer come vnto any pause whereon to rest our assurance this way so that vnlesse besides scripture there were some thing which might assure vs that we do well we could not thinke we do well no not in being assured that scripture is a sacred and holy rule of well doing On which determination we might be contented to stay our selues without further proceeding herein but that we are drawne on into larger speech by reason of their so great earnestnes who beate more and more vpon these last alleaged words as being of all other most pregnant Whereas therefore they still argue that wheresoeuer faith is wanting there is sinne and in euery action not commaunded faith is wanting Ergo in euery action not commaunded there is sinne I would demaund of them first for as much as the nature of things indifferent is neither to be commaunded nor forbidden but left free and arbitrarie how there can be any thing indifferent if for want of faith sinne be committed when any thing not commaunded is done So that of necessitie they must adde somewhat and at leastwise thus set it downe In euery action not commaunded of God or permitted with approbation faith is wanting and for want of faith there is sinne The next thing we are to enquire is what those things be which God permitteth with approbation and how we may know them to be so permitted When there are vnto one ende sundrie meanes as for example for the sustenance of our bodies many kindes of foode many sorts of rayment to cloathe our nakednesse and so in other things of like condition here the end it selfe being necessary but not so any one meane thereunto necessarie that our bodies should be both fed and cloathed howbeit no one kinde of foode or rayment necessary therefore we hold these things free in their owne nature and indifferent The choice is left to our owne discretion except a principall bond of some higher dutie remoue the indifferencie that such thinges haue in themselues Their indifferencie is remoued if eyther wee take away our owne libertie as Anantas did for whome to haue solde or helde his possesions it was indifferent till his solemne vow and promise vnto God had strictly bound him one onely way or if God himselfe haue precisely abridged the same by restraining vs vnto or by barring vs from some one or moe things of many which otherwise were in themselues altogether indifferent Many fashions of Priestly attire there were wherof Aaron and his sonnes might haue had their free choice without sinne but that God expressely tied them vnto one All meates indifferent vnto the Iewe were it not that God by name excepted some as swines flesh Impossible therefore it is we should otherwise thinke then that what thinges God doth neither commaund nor forbid the same he permitteth with approbation either to be done or left vndone All thinges are lawfull vnto mee saith the Apostle speaking as it seemeth in the person of the Christian Gentile for maintenance of libertie in thinges indifferent whereunto his answere is that neuerthelesse All thinges are not expedient in thinges indifferent there is a choice they are not alwayes equally expedient Now in thinges although not commaunded of God yet lawfull because they are permitted the question is what light shall shewe vs the conueniencie which one hath aboue another For answere their finall determination is that whereas the Heathen did send men for the difference of good euill to the light of reason in such things the Apostle sendeth vs to the schoole of Christ in his word which onely is able through faith to giue vs assurance and resolution in our doings Which word Only is vtterly without possibilitie of euer being proued For what if it were true concerning things indifferent that vnlesse the word of the Lord had determined of the free vse of them there could haue bene no lawfull vse of them at all which notwithstanding is vntrue because it is not the Scriptures setting downe such thinges as indifferent but their not setting downe as necessarie that doth make them to be indifferent yet this to our present purpose serueth nothing at all Wee inquire not now whether any thing be free to be vsed which scripture hath not set downe as free but concerning things knowne and acknowledged to be indifferent whether particularly in choosing any one of them before another we sinne if any thing but scripture direct vs in this our choice When many meates are set before me all are indifferent none vnlawfull I take one as most conuenient If scripture require me so to do then is not the thing indifferent because I must do what scripture requireth They are all indifferent I might take any scripture doth not require of me to make any speciall choice of one I doe notwithstanding make choice of one my discretion teaching me so to doe A hard case that hereupon I should be iustly condemned of sinne Nor let any man thinke that following the iudgement of naturall discretion in such cases we can haue no assurance that we please God For to the author and God of our nature how shall any operation proceeding in naturall sort bee in that respect vnacceptable The nature which himselfe hath giuen to worke by he cannot but be delighted with when wee exercise the same any way withâ—ut commaundement of his to the contrarie My desire is to make this cause so manifest
We may not giue our selues this liberty to bring in any thing of our will nor choose any thing that other men bring in of their will we haue the Apostles themselues for authors which themselues brought nothing of their owne wil but the discipline which they receiued of Christ they deliuered faithfully vnto the people In which place the name of discipline importeth not as they who alleage it would faine haue it construed but as any man who noteth the circumstance of the place and the occasion of vttering the words will easily acknowledge euen the selfe same thing it signifieth which the name of doctrine doth and as well might the one as the other there haue bene vsed To helpe them farther doth not Saint Ierome after the selfe same maner dispute We beleeue it not because we reade it not Yea We ought not so much as to knowe the things which the booke of the Lawe containeth not sayth Saint Hilarie Shall we hereupon then conclude that we may not take knowledge of or giue credit vnto any thing which sense or experience or report or art doth propose vnlesse we find the same in scripture No it is too plaine that so farre to extend their speeches is to wrest them against their true intent and meaning To vrge any thing vpon the Church requiring thereunto that religious assent of Christian beliefe wherewith the words of the holy Prophets are receiued to vrge any thing as part of that supernaturall and Celestially reuealed truth which God hath taught and not to shewe it in Scripture this did the auncient Fathers euermore thinke vnlawfull impious execrable And thus as their speeches were meant so by vs they must be restrained As for those alleaged words of Cyprian The christian religion shall find that out of this scripture rules of all doctrines haue sprâ—ng and that from hence doth spring and hether doth returne whatsoeuer the Ecclesiasticall discipline doth coÌ„teine surely this place would neuer haue bin brought forth in this cause if it had bene but once read ouer in the author himselfe out of whom it is cited For the words are vttered concerning that one principall commaundement of loue in the honour whereof he speaketh after this sort Surely this commaundement containeth the Law and the Prophets and in this one word is the abridgement of al the volumes of scripture This nature and reason and the authority of thy word O Lord doth proclaime this we haue heard out of thy mouth herein the perfection of all religion doth consist This is the first commandement and the last thing being written in the booke of life is as it were an euerlasting lesson both to men and Angels Let Christian religion reade this one word and meditate vpon this commaundement and out of this scripture it shall find the rules of all learning to haue sprung and from hence to haue risen and hither to returne whatsoeuer the Ecclesiasticall discipline containeth and that in all things it is vaine and bootelesse which charity confirmeth not Was this a sentence trow you of so great force to proue that Scripture is the onely rule of all the actions of men Might they not hereby euen as well proue that one commandement of Scripture is the onely rule of all things and so exclude the rest of the Scripture as now they do all meanes besides Scripture But thus it fareth when too much desire of contradiction causeth our speech rather to passe by number then to stay for waight Well but Tertullian doth in this case speake yet more plainely The scripture sayth he denieth what it noteth not which are indeed the words of Tertullian But what the scripture reckoneth vp the Kings of Israell and amongst those Kings Dauid the scripture reckoneth vp the sonnes of Dauid and amongst those sonnes Salomon To proue that amongst the Kings of Israell there was no Dauid but only one no Salomon but one in the sonnes of Dauid Tertullians argument will fitly proue For in as much as the scripture did propose to recken vp all if there were moe it would haue named them In this case the scripture doth deny the thing it noteth not Howbeit I could not but thinke that man to do me some peece of manifest iniury which would hereby fasten vpon me a generall opinion as if I did thinke the scripture to deny the very raigne of King Henry the eight because it no where noteth that any such King did raigne Tertullians speech is probable concerning such matter as he there speaketh of There was saith Tertullian no second Lamech like to him that had two wiues the scripture denieth what it noteth not As therefore it noteth one such to haue bene in that age of the world so had there beene moe it would by likelihood as well haue noted many as one What infer we now hereupon There was no second Lamech the scripture denieth what it noteth not Were it consonant vnto reason to diuorce these two sentences the former of which doth shew how the later is restrained and not marking the former to conclude by the later of them that simply whatsoeuer any man at this day doth thinke true is by the scripture denied vnlesse it be there affirmed to be true I wonder that a cause so weake and feeble hath bene so much persisted in But to come vnto those their sentences wherein matters of action are more apparantly touched the name of Tertullian is as before so here againe pretended who writing vnto his wife two bookes and exhorting her in the one to liue a widdow in case God before her should take him vnto his mercy and in the other if she did marry yet not to ioyne her selfe to an infidel as in those times some widowes Christian had done for the aduancement of their estate in this present world he vrgeth very earnestly Saint Paules words onely in the Lord whereupon he demaundeth of them that thinke they may do the contrary what Scripture they can shew where God hath dispensed and graunted licence to do against that which the blessed Apostle so strictly doth inioyne And because in defence it might perhaps be replied seeing God doth will that couples which are maried when bothe are infidels if either party chaunce to be after conuerted vnto Christianity this should not make separation betweene them as long as the vnconuerted was willing to reteine the other on whom the grace of Christ had shined wherefore then should that let the making of mariage which doth not dissolue mariage being made after great reasons shewed why God doth in Conuerts being maried allow continuance with infidels and yet disallow that the faithfull when they are free should enter into bonds of wedlocke with such concludeth in the end concerning those women that so mary They that please not the Lord do euen thereby offend the Lord they do euen thereby throw themselues into euill that is to say while they please him not by
to Ierusalem the erecting of Pulpets Chaires to teach in the order of buriall the rites of mariage with such like being matters appertaining to the Church yet are not any where prescribed in the law but were by the Churches discretion instituted What then shall we thinke Did they hereby adde to the law and so displeas◠God by that which they did None so hardly perswaded of them Doth their law deliuer vnto thē the self same general rules of the apostle that framing therby their orders they might in that respect cleare thēselues frō doing amisse S. Paule would then of likelihood haue cited them out of the Law which we see he doth not The truth is they are rules and Canons of that law which is written in all men hearts the Church had for euer no lesse then now stood bound to obserue them whether the Apostle had mentioned them or no. Seeing therefore those Canons do bind as they are edicts of nature which the Iewes obseruing as yet vnwritten and thereby framing such Church-orders as in their lawe were not prescribed are notwithstanding in that respect vnculpable it followeth that sundry things may be lawfully done in the Church so as they be not done against the Scripture although no Scripture do commaund them but the Church only following the light of reason iudge them to be in discretion meete Secondly vnto our purpose and for the question in hand whether the commaundements of God in Scripture be generall or speciall it skilleth not For if being particularly applied they haue in regard of such particulars a force constraining vs to take some one certaine thing of many and to leaue the rest whereby it would come to passe that any other particular but that one being established the generall rules themselues in that case would be broken then is it vtterly impossible that God should leaue any thing great or small free for the Church to establish or not Thirdly if so be they shall graunt as they cannot otherwise do that these rules are no such lawes as require any one particular thing to be done but serue rather to direct the Church in all things which she doth so that free and lawfull it is to deuise any Ceremony to receiue any order and to authorize any kind of regiment no speciall commandement being thereby violated and the same being thought such by them to whom the iudgement thereof appertaineth as that it is not scandalous but decent tending vnto edification and setting forth the glory of God that is to say agreeable vnto the generall rules of holy Scripture this doth them no good in the world for the furtherance of their purpose That which should make for them must proue that men ought not to make lawes for Church regiment but onely keepe those lawes which in Scripture they find made The plaine intent of the booke of Ecclesiasticall discipline is to shew that men may not deuise lawes of Church gouernment but are bound for euer to vse and to execute only those which God himselfe hath already deuised and deliuered in the Scripture The selfe same drift the Admonitioners also had in vrging that nothing ought to be done in the Church according vnto any lawe of mans deuising but all according to that which God in his word hath commanded Which not remembring they gather out of Scripture generall rules to bee followed in making lawes and so in effect they plainely graunt that we our selues may lawfully make lawes for the Church and are not bound out of Scripture onely to take lawes already made as they meant who first alleaged that principle whereof we speake One particular platforme it is which they respected and which they labored thereby to force vpon all Churches whereas these generall rules do not let but that there may well enough be sundrie It is the particular order established in the Church of England which thereby they did intend to alter as being not commanded of God whereas vnto those generall rules they know we do not defend that we may hold any thing vncomfortable Obscure it is not what meaning they had who first gaue out that graund axiome and according vnto that meaning it doth preuaile farre and wide with the fauourers of that part Demaund of them wherefore they conforme not themselues vnto the order of our Church and in euery particular their answer for the most part is We find no such thing commaunded in the word Whereby they plainely require some speciall commaundement for that which is exacted at their hands neither are they content to haue matters of the Church examined by generall rules and Canons As therefore in controuersies betweene vs and the Church of Rome that which they practise is many times euen according to the very grosnesse of that which the vulgar sort conceiueth when that which they teach to maintaine it is so nice and subtle that hold can very hardly be taken thereupon in which cases we should do the Church of God small benefite by disputing with them according vnto the finest points of their darke conueyances and suffering that sense of their doctrine to go vncontrolled wherein by the common sort it is ordinarily receiued and practised So considering what disturbance hath growne in the Church amongst our selues and how the authors thereof do commonly build altogether on this as a sure foundation Nothing ought to be established in the Church which in the word of God is not commanded were it reason that we should suffer the same to passe without controulement in that currant meaning whereby euery where it preuaileth and still till some strange construction were made thereof which no man would lightly haue thought on but being driuen thereunto for a shift 8 The last refuge in maintaining this position is thus to conster it Nothing ought to be established in the Church but that which is commaunded in the word of God that is to say All Church-orders must be grounded vpon the word of God in such sort grounded vpon the word not that being found out by some starre or light of reason or learning or other helpe they may be receiued so they be not against the word of God but according at least wise vnto the generall rules of Scripture they must bee made VVhich is in effect as much as to say We knowe not what to say well in defence of this position and therefore least we should say it is false there is no remedie but to say that in some sense or other it may be true if we could tell howe First that Scholie had neede of a very fauourable Reader and a tractable that should thinke it plaine construction when to be commaunded in the word and grounded vpon the word are made all one If when a man may liue in the state of Matrimonie seeking that good thereby which nature principally desireth he make rather choyce of a contrarie life in regard of Saint Paules iudgement that which hee doth is manifestly grounded
nature Words must be taken according to the matter wherof they are vttered The Apostles commaund to abstaine from bloud Conster this according to the lawe of nature and it will seeme that Homicide only is forbidden But conster it in reference to the law of the Iewes about which the question was and it shall easily appeare to haue a cleane other sense and in any mans iudgement a truer when we expound it of eating and not of sheading bloud So if we speake of fornication he that knoweth no lawe but only the lawe of nature must needes make thereof a narrower construction then he which measureth the same by a lawe wherein sundry kindes euen of coniugall copulation are prohibited as impure vncleane vnhonest Saint Paule himselfe doth terme incestuous marriage fornication If any do rather think that the Christian Gentiles themselues through the loose and corrupt custome of those times tooke simple fornication for no sinne and were in that respect offensiue vnto beleeuing Iewes which by the law had bene better taught our proposing of an other coniecture is vnto theirs no preiudice Some thinges therefore we see there were wherein the Gentiles were forbidden to be like vnto the Iewes some things wherin they were commanded not to be vnlike Againe some things also there were wherein no lawe of God did let but that they might be either like or vnlike as occasion should require And vnto this purpose Leo sayth Apostolicall ordinance beloued knowing that our Lord Iesus Christ came not into this world to vndo the law hath in such sort distinguished the mysteries of the old testament that certaine of them it hath chosen out to benefit euangelicall knowledge withall and for that purpose appointed that those things which before were Iewish might now be Christian customes The cause why the Apostles did thus conforme the Christians as much as might be according to the patterne of the Iewes was to reine them in by this meane the more and to make them cleaue the better The Church of Christ hath had in no one thing so many and so contrary occasions of dealing as about Iudaisme some hauing thought the whole Iewish lawe wicked and damnable in it selfe some not condemning it as the former sort absolutely haue notwithstanding iudged it either sooner necessary to be abrogated or further vnlawful to be obserued then truth can beare some of scrupulous simplicitie vrging perpetuall and vniuersall obseruation of the law of Moses necessary as the Christian Iewes at the first in the Apostles times some as Heretiques holding the same no lesse euen after the contrary determination set downe by consent of the Church at Ierusalem finally some being herein resolute through meere infidelitie and with open profest enmitie against Christ as vnbeleeuing Iewes To cōtrowle slaunderers of the law and Prophets such as Marcionites and Manichees were the Church in her liturgies hath intermingled with readings out of the new Testament lessons taken out of the lawe and Prophets whereunto Tertullian alluding saith of the Church of Christ It intermingleth with euangelicall and apostolicall writings the law and the Prophets and from thence it drinketh in that faith which with water it sealeth clotheth with the spirit nourisheth with the Eucharist with martirdom setteth forward They would haue wondered in those times to heare that any man being not a fauourer of heresie should terme this by way of disdaine mangling of the Gospels Epistles They which honor the law as an image of the wisdome of God himselfe are notwithstanding to know that the same had an end in Christ. But what was the lawe so abolished with Christ that after his ascention the office of Priests became immediatly wicked the very name hatefull as importing the exercise of an vngodly function No as long as the glory of the temple continued and till the time of that finall desolation was accomplished the very Christian Iewes did continue with their sacrifices and other parts of legall seruice That very lawe therefore which our Sauiour was to abolish did not so soone become vnlawfull to be obserued as some imagine nor was it afterwards vnlawful so far that the very name of Aultar of Priest of Sacrifice it selfe should be banished out of the world For thogh God do now hate sacrifice whether it be Heathenish or Iewish so that we cannot haue the same things which they had but with impietie yet vnlesse there be some greater let then the onely euacuation of the law of Moses the names thēselues may I hope be retained without sin in respect of that proportion which things established by our Sauiour haue vnto them which by him are abrogated And so throughout all the writings of the auncient fathers we see that the words which were do continue the onely difference is that whereas before they had a literall they now haue a metaphoricall vse and are as so many notes of remembrance vnto vs that what they did signifie in the letter is accomplished in the truth And as no man can depriue the Church of this libertie to vse names whereunto the lawe was accustomed so neither are wee generally forbidden the vse of things which the lawe hath though it neither commaund vs any particularitie as it did the Iewes a number and the waightiest which it did commaund them are vnto vs in the Gospell prohibited Touching such as through simplicitie of error did vrge vniuersall and perpetuall obseruation of the lawe of Moses at the first we haue spoken already Against Iewish heretikes and false Apostles teaching afterwards the selfe same Saint Paul in euery Epistle commonly either disputeth or giueth warning Iewes that were zealous for the lawe but withall infidels in respect of Christianitie and to the name of Iesus Christ most spitefull enemies did while they flourished no lesse persecute the Church then Heathens After their estate was ouerthrowne they were not that way so much to be feared Howbeit because they had their Synagogues in euery famous Citie almost throughout the world and by that meanes great opportunitie to withdraw from the Christian faith which to doe they spared no labor this gaue the Church occasion to make sundry lawes against them As in the Councell of Laodicea The festiuall presents which Iewes or Heretikes vse to send must not be receiued nor Holy dayes solemnized in their company Againe From the Iewes men ought not to receiue their vnleauened nor to communicate with their impieties Which Councell was afterwardes indeede confirmed by the sixt generall Councell But what was the true sense or meaning both of the one and the other Were Christians here forbidden to communicate in vnleauened bread because the Iewes did so being enemies of the Church Hee which attentiuely shall waigh the wordes will suspect that they rather forbid communion with Iewes thē imitation of them much more if with these two decrees be compared a third in the Councell of Cōstantinople Let no man either of the Clergie