Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	book_n	holy_a	scripture_n	2,474	5	6.0561	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05223	Dutifull and respective considerations vpon foure seuerall heads of proofe and triall in matters of religion Proposed by the high and mighty prince, Iames King of Great Britayne, France, and Ireland &c. in his late booke of premonition to all christian princes, for clearing his royall person from the imputation of heresy. By a late minister & preacher in England.; Dutifull and respective considerations upon foure severall heads of proofe and triall in matters of religion.	Leech, Humphrey, 1571-1629.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. aut	1609 (1609)	STC 15362.5; ESTC S100271	179,103	260

concurre and conioyne themselues with Caluin and the Caluinists in defence of the Apocalyps 39. And yet I do not perceiue how his Maiesties assertion here about these bookes doth not rather agree with the Lutherans then with the Caluinistes for so much as he holdeth all those bookes for Apocrypha no Canonicall Scripture which are named by Bellarmine to be secundiordinis in which second order as before hath beene declared the Cardinall comprehendeth also these Epistles to wit the Epistles to the Hebrewes that of S. Iames and the Apocalyps and consequently it is necessarily deduced and inferred vpon his Maiestyes wordes and discourse that he houldeth these for no Canonicall Scriptures And this is contrary vnto Caluin and vnto the Church of England and vnto his Maiesty himselfe for he auoucheth them to be Scriptures and so vpon my knowledge doth the present Church of England And lastly his Maiesties so long standing vpon the Apocalyps in this his Premonition doth well shew that he esteemeth it for Scripture and this contradiction also must light vpon him who against knowledge and conscience if he hath eyther wrongfully suggested the place of Bellarmine vnto his Matie 40. But my maine Conclusion of all is this that nothing can be certaine as here it is sufficiently prooued when a man once departeth from the Authority of the Church for this is a certaine rule vnto all such a rule as is authorized by God himselfe for then euery man may make and vnmake Scripture at their pleasure vpon their owne perill But sure I am that he can neyther giue nor take away diuine authority from the Scriptures And if you say that neyther the Church can do this I demaund first who art thou that comparest thy self with the whole Church I graunt it to be true but yet let me tell thee this withall that though the Church cannot giue diuine authority to any writing which from the beginning was not truely Scripture nor take away the same from any part of that which from the very beginning was Scripture yet may the Church declare what bookes were written by Propheticall or Apostolicall men as before hath bene said and consequently by the finger of the holy Ghost and so were Canonicall Scriptures and of infallible truth and this might the Church know partly by tradition others not knowing the same might without suspition of heresy doubt of their authority before the said declaration of the Church and partly also by the euer guiding assistance of the holy Ghost in her Synodes when any such weighty matters for direction of the whole Church were treated in which Councells the said Church after due inquisition made and inuocation of the holy Ghost as her common custome is might no lesse conclude and bind all with Visum est Spiritui Sancto Nobis then did they of the first Councell in the Actes of the Apostles which no priuate man hath authority to do though Luther and Caluin presumed to determine the same The fourth Consideration THE briefe summe of all hitherto treated of in this second Chapter concerning the Scriptures is in effect thus much first euery belieuing appealing vnto Scriptures is not sufficient to proue a man a Christian Catholicke for that ech Sectary doth offer this Secondly that tradition without Scriptures might haue continued as sufficient for instruction if God had so pleased according to that of S. Irenaeus before cited and this is proued for that both the Church vnder the law and vnder the Ghospell were instituted ordayned by tradition without Scriptures as appeareth by the very time of the writing of the Scriptures both of the old and new Testamēt after that the Church was first planted Thirdly the written Scriptures are distinguished discerned what is Scripture and what not what Canonicall and what Apocrypha and that by tradition and this is all about the letter of the Scripture only There resteth yet the greatest point of all and of most importance behind and this is how true Scriptures are to be rightly sensed and interpreted For if that of Tertullian be true in the 17. Chapter of his Prescriptions Tantùm veritati obstrepit adulter sensus quantùm corruptor stylus A false glosse marreth the truth as much as a naughty text Or that of S. Hierome Nec putemus in verbis Scripturarum esse Euangelium sedin sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum foliis sed in radice rationis Neither let vs thinke that the Ghospell resteth in the wordes of the Scriptures not in the sense of the Scriptures not in the rind or barky letter of the wordes but in the marrow of the meaning not in the wordy leaues but in the root of reason by a right vnderstanding thereof Or that of S. Augustine to the same effect Si in Scripturis fanctis profunda sunt mysteria quae ad hoc absconduntur ne vilescant ad hoc quaeruntur vt exerceant ad hoc aperiuntur vt pas●ant if there be profound mysteries in holy writ which are therefore hid that they become not vile therefore sought after that men may be exercised and set on worke therefore disclosed that they may feed Lastly Si mare sit diuina scriptura habens in se sensus prosundos altitudinem Propheticorum aenigmatum as S. Ambrose auerreth If diuine Scripture be a sea contayning in it bottomles depth of profound senses that is the depth of propheticall riddles questions and predictions c. Si machera c. as the same author hath it If it be a sword with a sharpe and cutting edge oh then how warily ought we to walke in this way of sensing Scriptures Quae nihil aliud est nisi Epistola quaedam omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam as S. Gregory speaketh which is nothing else but a certaine Epistle of the omnipotent God vnto his owne creature 42. If a subiect should eyther maliciously or negligently misinterprete the letter of his Prince and that in a matter of some great moment should he escape seuere punishment And shall the treacherous hereticke who wilfully and maliciously vpon his owne peruerse choice depraueth corrupteth and misinterpreteth the Scriptures the letter Epistle and proper hand-writing of his God escape deserued condemnation Grande periculum est in Ecclesia loqui ne fortè interpretatione peruersa de Euangelio Christi hominis fiat Euangelium aut quod peius est Diaboli So S. Hierome It is no small hazard to speake in the Church least happily the Ghospell of Christ become the Ghospell of man or that which is worse the Ghospell of the Diuell and all by a peruerse and naughty interpretation Is the Scripture a bottomlesse sea and is there no daunger of drowning nay damning in hell if men be to busy with it to abuse it Is the Scripture a sword as S. Ambrose resembleth it or a two-edged sword for so S.

children and after the said law was written also euery man and woman was not remitted promiscuously hand ouer head to the reading of those bookes but he was sent to take his instruction and institution from the ordinary Superiours Doctors Gouernors of that Church and these were to expound the law vnto him For which direction and tradition we find this warrant and commaunding yea prescribing authority Aske thy Fathers and they will tell thee thy elders and they will declare vnto thee Againe The lipes of the Priest preserue knowledge And yet in a third place I know that Abraham will demaund and teach his sonnes and househould that they walke in my wayes c. 17. And now to come from the law to the Ghospell from Moyses vnto Christ and so to proceed orderly with the history of the Church as God is no changling but euer like himselfe euen so the beginning proceeding establishing of the new Christian faith and Church was not much vnlike if not altogeather resembling the former For first this Church was planted by our Sauiour at Hierusalem and speedily by the industrious ministery of the holy Apostles assisted by the instinct of the holy Ghost spread ouer the face of the earth and yet neyther the Church nor the Apostles the principall pillars of the Church had as at this time any written instruction or methodicall institution deliuered vnto them concerning their teaching preaching or beleeuing except only the articles of the Creed deliuered by tradition in the Church as will appeare in the subsequent Considerations Secondly the institution that they had they receyued it by instruction from our Sauiour his mouth and from the immediate instinct suggestion and inspiration of the holy Ghost who was promised by Christ himselfe who could not lie nor deceaue to assist the Church continually vnto the worldes end and by this institution and inspiration alone they taught and conuerted both Iewes and Gentils instituted Churches establishing lawes and orders of life by word of mouth and tradition only from hand to hand before any thing of the new testament was committed to writing And this was the condition of the Church for some yeares and that in the infancy and purity of Christian Religion as the Protestant must perforce confesse Thirdly when the Wisdome of heauen thought it expedient that somthing should be written the first thing cōmitted vnto writing in the new Testamēt was the Ghospell of S. Matthew and this was collected and digested in that very order as it is now presented to the Church and that some eight yeares after the ascension of our Sauiour then the Ghospell of S. Marke some fiue yeares after that then that of S. Luke written twelue yeares after the former wherin diuers thinges omitted in the other Ghospell of are recorded And last of all was written the Ghospell of S. Iohn conteyning in it many great and important matters which are not found in any of the rest and this was not written of 66. yeares after the first visible Christian Church was planted and established by the comming of the holy Ghost 18. And now as all the rest were written vpon particuler occasions so especially was this famous Ghospell of S. Iohn which is the very key opening the dore vnto the vnderstanding of all the rest and particulerly vpon the occasion of Ebion and Cerinthus their heresy which impugned the Diuinity of the Sonne of God Whereupon I do inferre that for that which concerneth the new Testament the Church was for diuers yeares without any Scriptures at all and for 66. yeares which is the age of a man the points related by S. Iohn more then were vttered in the other Ghospells which are many and most important were receiued and belieued in the Church by tradition onely And now for Conclusion of all I would demaund but one thing of the Protestants that make such shew of appealing vnto Scriptures and the Primitiue Apostolicall Church this was demāded aboue 1400. yeares agoe by S. Irenaus before cyted who liued in the very next age after the Apostles vpon the very like occasion Sineque Apostoli Scripturas reliquissent nobis c. If the Apostles had left vnto vs no Scriptures at all yet ought not we to follow that order of tradition which they left to those to whom they committed their Churches So that holy Bishop and Martyr especially ought we not to follow that order of tradition since the true worship of God and the sauing doctrine of the Ghospell of Christ cōtinued for 2000. yeares in the time of the law and for many other yeares in the dayes of the Ghospell and that in the brest of the Church to be deliuered by tradition only without the help of any word written 19. Wherby we cannot but discerne and must acknowledge that Scriptures or the written word of God were not so absolute necessary for the reuealing of God his will vnto man kind and the continuing of man in that sauing knowledge of him but that his Diuine Maiesty might haue propagated and preserued his doctrine and man in the truth by tradition only of word of mouth without any Scriptures at all if it had so pleased him as he did for many ages and generations togeather both before the first great diluge by water in the dayes of our first Patriarkes vntill Abrabā his time whome he chose for the head of his people as also afterwardes when he directed the same people by like tradition as well in Egipt where they remayned in most cruell bondage for 400. yeares as else where before Moyses wrote his forenamed bookes And the like he might haue done with Christiās to the worlds great generall consummation last inundation by a flood of fire according to S. Irenaeus his sentence if he had listed as hauing instituted a more orderly exact and authorized Church yea and hauing indued it with greater priuiledges according to the perfection of the new law aboue the old then he had done vnto the former of the Iewes Whereupon it must needes follow by force of necessary consequence that the tradition of this Church and pure authority therof both in propounding Scriptures vnto vs and discerning the same which are truly Scriptures and which are not as also for deliuering vnto vs the true sense and meaning therof in their interpretation and exposition is much more to be respected by vs then was that of the Iewes Forasmuch as Christ our Sauiour promised the continuall assistance of his spirit vnto this Church and that in such measure as that it should alone be able to withstand all the infernall power of Sathan and the gates of hell idest the very entrance of all kynd of errour or herely into it whatsoeuer 20. These then that neuer so solemnely and neuer so confidently professe that they for their partes do belieue and follow the Scriptures without due reference or respect to the Church forsomuch as all Sectaries and Heretikcs that

great doubt that then arose in the Church to wit whether the obseruation of the ould law of Moyses should be ioyned necessary with the new law of Christ and because they would leaue a patterne for all succeeding ages to follow they determined the matter and thēselues I meane the Apostles and Prelates of that first age decided the doubt by those high wordes of authority taken from the foresaid commission of our Sauiour Visum est spiritui Sāto Nobis it seemeth good vnto the holy Ghost and vs for the Church and the true spirit of the holy Ghost go inseparably togeather in regard of Christ his promise made vnto the Church so that the holy Ghost euer keepeth his residence in her guideth her gouerneth her directeth her and sitteth as President in all her consultations and assēblyes and therefore this vmpiring and determining forme of speach hath euer since beene vsed in the lawfull succession of the said visible Church vntill our daies will be frequented still especially in generall Councels euen vnto the worlds end to put a firme period and full conclusion vnto all controuersies that come in question And the reason is for that the same authority and assistance of the holy Ghost which that first Church had for directing of mens soules vnto their saluation the very self same and none other hath the visible Catholicke Church of our age and hath had in all ages and shall haue in all to come Verum enim non variat It is an ancient prescription and no more ancient then true Gods giftes and graces conferred vpon his Church are without repētance the holy Ghost is euer one and the selfe same spirit of truth in Patriarkes Prophets Apostles Martyrs and other succeding Pastours and Doctors and Christ his promise was not for one age only he shed not his pretious bloud for those of his age alone but for all all were alike neere vnto him all were alike deare vnto him he tooke our nature in generall to saue mankind in generall and therfore the care he had for one age of the Church the same he had for all succeeding ages of the same as well for the last as for the first and this care of his continueth so long as the sunne and the moone endureth 60. This remittance then and reference vnto the Authority of the Church originally proceeded from the Apostles themselues was continually perpetuated by all succeeding ages of the Catholicke Church and therfore as S. Paul in a controuersy of lesser importance writing to the Corinthians about women being veyled in the Church saith to shut vp the dore to all further cōtention that If any man will seeme to be contentious we haue no such custome nor yet the Church of God repressing the contentious man as you see with the Authority and Custome of the Church so did all subsequent Fathers of the orthodox Church whether it were in the priuat writings or in the worlds grand Parlament in Generall Councells in all their conflicts with Hereticks they euer vsed to repell and represse them by one and the selfe same meanes and that was with the authority of the knowne Catholicke Church And looke what sentence they pronounced against thē for their contumacy see what censure they inflicted vpon them for their heresy it remayned good against them and irreuocable it was ratyfied as the law of the Medes and Persians which could not be altered their authority was grounded immediatly vpon those wordes of Verity VVhat soeuer you bynd on earth shall be bound in heauen and the Tribunall of heauen confirmed the authority of the Church vpon earth nay standeth expecting what is done by it vpon earth such is the mysticall dependency betwixt the one and the other such is the mutuall correspondency betwixt the head and his members Christ and his Church Dare then any man hereafter oppose his priuate spirit against the authority of this Church Or will he impudently presume to preferre his owne conceipt and opinion before her publicke tradition 61. Ancient S. Irenaeus who was in manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostolorum for he liued in the very next age after them writing against the heresies of his dayes and hauing first declared how the primitiue Church was visibly planted by Christ and his Apostles and how it was continued to his time doth then pourtraict out vnto vs discourse at large of the authority sufficiency treasury tradition and absolute perfection of this Church for the repelling of all heresy and deliuering of all truth his wordes are these Tantae igitur ostensiones cùm haec sint c. Wheras these thinges which I haue said are so great demonstrations of the truth we must not yet seeke the truth from others which is easely taken from the Church wheras the Apostles did most fully lay vp in her all thinges belonging to the truth as in a certaine rich treasure-house so as euery man that will may take from thence the liquor or sustenance of life for that is the intrance vnto life euerlasting to belieue the Church all others that flie this way are theeues and murtherers and therfore we must auoid them that are such but with great diligence we must affect those things that are of the Church and from her take the tradition of truth And truly if our contention were but about some small question in Religion yet ought not we to haue recourse vnto the most ancient Churches wherin the Apostles had once bene conuersant and so take from them that which is certaine and cleere for deciding of the question And what if the Apostles had left vnto vs no Scriptures at all had it not bene needfull notwithstanding to follow the order of tradition which they haue left vnto vs to whome they to wit the Apostles had committed those Churches 62. Thus farre S. Irenaeus which I haue of purpose chosen to cite more at large for that it is sufficient alone to disclose his iudgement and the Iudgment of that first age next after the Apostles how farre the authority of the visible vniuersall Church then stretched and was esteemed for especially for clearing soluing and deciding of all doubtes that possibly could arise in religion And the reason there rendred by the same Father is this She is the store-house wherein Christs merits and the Churches treasure is laid vp She is the way of life whereby we may come to eternall life and escape euerlasting death that all are theeues yea murtherers of soules that doe impugne her or seeke other wayes of tryall then her and her tradition from hand to hand That this tradition is sufficient though there were no Scripture That from her and her alone the truth is to be taken and not els where That by her and her authority alone all doubts and questions are to be so ued and decided Can any thing be spoken more effectuall then this Or is there any more playne easy euident

all ancient rules and Canons of the Church fayle not is first to admit and reuerence that for Scripture which the vniuersall Catholicke Church hath by lineall descent of tradition deliuered and commended vnto vs for Scripture and that after all doubts and controuersies discussed about the same and not that which Luther or Caluin who could make vnmake Scripture at their pleasure or our owne priuate spirit shall conceipt to be Scripture and secondly for the sense and true meaning of the Scripture if we haue any care of that or imagine that it doth import vs at all we are no lesse to stand to the iudgement of the sayd Church for the exposition and interpretation therof then we did before for the deliuering of Scripture vnto vs. And so much for this Chapter THE THIRD CHAPTER CONCERNING THE SECOND POYNT OR GENERALL HEAD PROFESSED BY HIS MAIESTY Concerning his belieuing of the three Creeds receiued by the CHVRCH AS the former offer so constantly auerred by his Matie of England concerning the belieuing of all Canonicall Scriptures was a signe and liberall token of a Religious inclination Zealous affection and Pious disposition as before hath beene intimated and related euen so no lesse Religious Zealous and Pious is this assertion also here so cōfidently asseuered by his Highnes touching the acceptance and admittance of the Three ancient Creeds and that in the very same sense as the ancient Fathers Councells that made them did vnderstand them For these are his Maties very words which I haue thought good heere to relate wishing them to remaine vpon an euerlasting and time-out-wearing Record And that for these two principall reasons first that I may not vnduti●ully forget to deferre and bring the iust descrued honour and the most highly respected commendation vnto my Soueraigne Lord the King most due to his Grace for this his Confession which also out of a true Subiects loue and loyalty towards his Prince I could sincerely wish might neuer by any the least cloud of errour in his Royall vnderstanding be eclipsed or obscured and secondly for that I trust my former brethren of the Protestanticall Church of England will eyther now at last stand to their grounds of Creeds Councells Fathers Scriptures voluntarily chosen by the Lord and Head of their Church that hitherto vpon my knowledg would neuer be confined within the lists and limyts of any euen tryall or els that my Lord the King will easily out of the depth of his iudicious Vnderstanding vnmaske and discouer these men for such as they be euen wolues in sheeps cloathing false Ghospellers Antichrists deceauers seducers impostors And now to come to the words thēselues as they are substantially couched together in his Maties Booke of Premonition they are laid downe as followeth 2. And now for the point of Heretick I will neuer saith he be ashamed to render an accompt of my profession and that hope that is in me as the Apostle prescribeth I am such a CATHOLICK CHRISTIAN as belieueth the three Creedes that of the Apostles that of the Councell of Nyce and that of Athanasius the two later being Paraphrases to the former and I belieue them in that sense as the Ancient-Fathers and Councells that made them did vnderstand them To which three Creedes all the Ministers of England do subscribe at their Ordination And I also acknowledge for Orthodoxall those other formes of Creeds that eyther were deuised by Councels or Particuler Fathers against such particuler Heresies as most raigned in their times Hitherto extend the wordes of his Maiesty And can any thing be spoken more honorably then this This forme of Confession punctually and so substantially deliuered by his Highnes I can neuer sufficiently cōmend for that this is so farre from sauouring of any spice of Heresy as that here is nothing els but true Catholicke Diuinity For what can be more required for more full supplement of a Catholicke Christian mans Confession then to belieue the three Creedes in the very selfe same sense as the holy Apostles ancient Fathers and generall Councells did vnderstand them And now if the Ministers of England that do subscribe vnto them in their Ordination would keepe and confine themselues within that sense which the ancient Christian Church did both constantly and religiously hold and would not of their owne fancy presume to add any other new glosse or priuate interpretatiō of their own brayne the world should neuer haue seene and heard such breaches and tumultes such vproares and out-cryes such inundations and innouations and all about Religion as now there are 3. But the truth is as S. Augustine affirmeth Quòd fieri potest vt integra quis teneat verba Symboli tamen non rectè credat de omnibus Symboli articulis A man may hold and professe all the wordes of the Creed he meaneth the Apostles Creed and yet not haue a true beliefe of all the articles of the said Creed Nay S. Augustine in his booke de fide Symbolo goeth yet further saying Sub ipsis paucis verbis in Symbolo constitutis plerique haeretici venena sua occultare conati sunt Most part of Heretickes haue gone about and endeauoured vnder these few wordes of the Apostolicall Creed to couer their poysoned heresies So as the belieuing of these Creeds in generall they conteyning but Capita credendorum Vniuersall heades of thinges to be belieued is not sufficient to make a man a Christian Catholick except also we giue our firme assēt vnto all the particulers that necessarily may be reduced or deduced from those generall heades For better explication wherof I haue thought it conuenient in this place to addresse certayne Considerations that heere ensue The first Consideration AS the skilfull and carefull Phisitian imployeth noe lesse industry sparing neither Counsaile in phisicke nor prescription in dyet for the conseruing and continuing of the bodily health of his patient vntill he haue brought him to former health and full strength then he did bestow paines and trauaile in recouering him of his infirmity and raising him from the bed of his malady euen so the Apostles as so many soueraigne soules best phisitians most painefully and diligently watched ouer the soules of men their sick patients to vphould and continue them in Christian piety and Catholicke verity as well as they had cured them of their spirituall leprosy and raysed their soules which had long laine sick vpon the bed of heathenish infidelity and all that they might recouer full strength in sauing and belieuing faith and grow to be perfect and whole men in Christ Iesus And here you haue the occasion motiue drift reason intention of Christs holy Apostles in compiling the perfect platform of wholsome faith and Christian beliefe I meane this methodicall and Apostolicall forme of Creed which inuolueth in it eyther explicite or implicite in plaine wordes or necessary supply whatsoeuer belongeth to the obiect of our faith And therfore saith S.

Further I find that the Iesuits were neuer so strict with the Fathers as to restraine their credit and authority to the first foure or fiue hundred yeares only and consequently to accept some reiect others and all at their proper pleasure as the Protestants do but that they thinke the same spirit of truth and the same assistance of the holy Ghost descended also to the Fathers of the succeeding ages and shall do vnto the end of the world 8. Nor do I find them any where to affirme that euery one of the Fathers do vsually contradict others Nor yet were they euer of this erroneous and dangerous opinion that it is lawfull for ech particuler man to arrogate that liberty and authority ouer the Fathers as where he findeth them to agree with the Scripturs there to belieue them where otherwise in his opinion there with their reuerence to reiect them for that this would come to the same issue before mentioned to wit that euery mans priuate iudgment should be his owne rule and then would it consequently follow that quot homines tot sententiae wee should haue as many cōtrouersies touching the exposition of the Fathers as we haue already about the interpretation of the Scriptures And who seeth not wherunto this secretly tendeth euen to leaue nothing sound stable and certaine in religion which must be needes at last the ouerthrow of all religion 9. And now if it be lawfull for euery priuate spirit and particuler man to iudge when Fathers do alleage Scriptures whether they do alleage them rightly to the purpose or no then ariseth another question interminable whether in all liklihood of reason it be probable that that priuate man should vnderstand the Scriptures better then that Father or ancient Doctor 10. And as for the rule of S. Augustine suggested vnto his Matie by our English Ministers for patronizing of this point and reducing of all both Scriptures and Fathers vnto the examine of a priuate spirit I haue diligently pervsed the place as it lieth in his second booke against Cresconius Cap. 31. and 32. and vpon an exact suruey of the place I find that S. Augustine giueth no such generall rule or warrant for particuler men to iudge of the Fathers writings and citations of Scriptures vsed by them but only in the case and cause of S. Cyprian that had held contrary vnto the whole Church viz. that men comming from heresy were to be rebaptized whose Epistles also were vrged by Cresconius the Donatist against S. Augustine tamquam firmamenta Canonicae veritatis as grounds of Canonicall truth to vse S. Augustine his words I say vpon these premises the said Father answereth thus vnto the authority of S. Cyprian obiected that in a manifest point of heresy for so was the opinion and yet S. Cyprian was no heretik since he neuer defended it with obstinacy against the Church but in all his opinions submitted himselfe to the iudgment of the Church Nos nullam Cypriano sacimus iniuriam cùm eius quaslibet literas à Canonica diuinarum Scripturarum auctoritate distinguimus We do no iniury vnto Cyprian when we do distinguish any of his Epistles from the Canonicall authority of diuine Scriptures 11. And afterwards againe hauing named the Epistles which Cresconius vrged he proceeded thus Ego huius Epistolae auctoritate non teneor c. I am not bound to admit the authority of this Epistle for that I do not hould the Epistles of Cyprian as Canonicall but do consider them by the Scriptures which are Canonicall c. Finally after a long praise of S. Cyprian of his wit eloquence charity and martyrdome S. Augustine concludeth that notwithstanding all this yet for that in this point he dissented from the residue of the doctors and Pastors of the Church he refused to follow him his wordes are these Hoc quòd aliter sapuit non acipio non accipio inquam quòd de baptizandis Schismaticis Beatus Cyprianus sensit quòd hoc Ecclesia non accepit pro quae Beatus Cyprianus sanguinem sudit This that S. Cyprian held differently from others though not obstinately I do not admit I do not admit I say that which blessed Cyprian did hold about the rebaptizing of heretickes and Schismatickes and I do not admit it for that the Church doth not admit it for which Church blessed S. Cyprian did shed his bloud 12. So then we see that this which S. Augustine here instanceth and speaketh of comparing and trying S. Cyprian his Epistles by the Scriptures is no generall case nor common rule nor warrant that euery particler man may do the same to the writers of euery particuler Doctor For first S. Augustine himselfe that made this examine of Scriptures was a great and learned Doctor yea one of the greatest that euer the Church of God had and consequently was personally inuested with some more Ecclesiasticall authority then euery ordinary protestant Minister Secondly he perceaued right well that the opinion of S. Cyprian was much like the religion of the Protestants at this day to wit new and dissonant from Scriptures and different from the vniforme consent of Doctors expounding those Scriptures not receaued by the Catholicke Church nay and that which is aboue all condemned by the Church Thirdly S. Augustine did not presume vpon his owne authority to condemne S. Cyprians opinion as dissonant from the Scriptures for that in this case the Authority of S. Cyprian might seeme to haue bene as good as the authorty of S. Augustine especially hauing sealed the Ghospell with his bloud which the other though a great Saint had not done nor was put vnto But S. Augustine found S. Cyprian his opiniō dissenting from the true Scriptures exposition as it was carried along by the most holy tradition of Catholicke Church and so is S. Augustine to be vnderstood for Scripture and Church euer go togeather in the ancient Fathers and they neuer vnderstand the one without the other All which circumstances are of exceeding waight and importance in this case about which notwithstanding I haue thought it conuenient as before so heere to lay forth some further and particuler Considerations The first Consideration FIRST then touching the different esteeme which Roman Catholicks and professing Protestants doe hould of vnanime consent of Ancient Fathers in matters of Religion which is the first poynt here touched therfore of vs in the first place to be discussed I considered yet further what I had read in S. Augustine concerning this point which holy Saint and great Doctor though as now in part we haue shewed he doth alwayes postpone what authority of ancient Fathers soeuer to the Canonicall Scriptures all particuler opiniōs of some one or few vnto the consent of the greater part but especially vnto the iudgmēt of the Church yet was the same Father so respectiue in all his writinges to conserue the reuerence and iust deserued reputation of these great Saints and seruants