For discerning therefore of this kinde of most pernicious people and theyr deuilish dealing and least we shoulde be carried awaie wyth euery winde of doctrine by the wilinesse of men God hath ordained in his Church Apostles Doctors Prophets Pastors and Interpreters whom he hath so guided and gouerned from time to tyme with his holy spirit that they haue beene able by the Scriptures to represse and beate downe whatsoeuer errours and heresies haue beene raysed vp by the enemies of Gods trueth contrary to the analogie of fayth and rule of charitie that is to say beside the true sence and meaning of the Canonicall scripture When there rose vp certaine sedious fellowes among the Iewes in the primatiue Church making som contention about their ceremonies as did Simon Magus Nicholaus Cerinthus Ebion and Menander that were heretiques They were refelled and conuinced out of the scriptures by the Apostles and theyr schollers Martialis Dyonisius Areopagita Ignatius Policarpus and others who were no doubt directed guided by the spirite of God Afterward when Basilides Cerdon Marcion Valentinus Tatianus Apelles Montanus and diuers others troubled the Church wyth monstrous heresie they were cōfuted by Iustinius Martyr Dionisius byshop of Corinth Irenaeus Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian their equals who in all theyr controuersies had recourse vnto the scriptures and beeing instructed and ledde by the spirit of trueth preuailed mightily against their aduersaries And so downward from age to age vnto our daies whatsoeuer heresie or different opinion hath sprung vp contrary to the doctrine of Christ and hys Apostles it hath beene checked and controlled by the watchmen spirituall Pastours and Gouernors of the Church who alledged alway the consent of the scriptures for deciding of all doubts and were most graciously guided by the spyrite of God in all their actions And heereof it is that the word of God is called the sworde of the spirit because as it was giuen by inspiration at the first so being expounded by the direction of the same spirit it is most liuely and mightie in operation sharper thē any two edged sword and entering through euen to the deuiding a sunder of the soule and the spirit of the ioynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hart Thys is that spirituall sworde wherwith our Sauiour Christ preuailed against sathan the head Lord maister of all Heretiques who notwithstanding pretended scriptures for his deuillish purposes And the Apostle Paule being furnished wyth thys only weapon disputed against the peruerse ouerthwart Iewes which dwelt at Damascus and confounded them proouing by conference of Scriptures that thys was very Christ. Nowe as it was expedient that the Gospels should be written that we learning the trueth foorth of them should not be deceiued by the lyes of heresies so was it necessary that the same Gospels shoulde be preached for the confirmation of fayth And heereof it is that the Apostle S. Paule Rom. 10. sayth that fayth cōmeth by hearing the word of God because the word preached is the ordinary meanes to beget and increase faith in vs for the which cause also it is called the incorruptible seede whereby we are borne a newe and whereby the Church is sanctified vnto the Lord. Wherefore to conclude thys poynt seeing that the holy scriptures are that most infallible and secure way mentioned by Esay seeing they are the rule leuell both of our fayth and life contayning in them sufficient matter to confute errour and confirme the trueth able to make a man wise vnto saluation perfectly instructed vnto euery good worke this ought to be the duetie of the faithfull that I may vse the words of Basil to be thorowly perswaded in his minde that those thinges are true and effectuall which are vttered in the Scripture and to reiect nothing thereof For if whatsoeuer is not of fayth be sinne as saith the Apostle and if fayth commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God without doubt when anie thing is without the holy scripture which cannot be of faith it must needes be sinne And therefore to speake as S. Augustine speaketh if any I will not say if wee but which S. Paule addeth if an Angell from heauen shall preach eyther of Christ or of his Church or of any other thing which pertaineth to faith or to the leading of our life otherwise then we haue receiued in the holy scriptures of the Law and the Gospel let him be accursed Now if forsaking all bie-pathes of mens inuentions and traditions we wyll search diligently in the scriptures wherein we thinke to haue eternall life wee shall see that they testifie of nothing so much as of the promises of God in Christ Iesus who as he is the ende of the Lawe for righteousnes to euery one that beleeueth so doe they sende vs directly and as it were leade vs by the hande like a careful Schoole-maister vnto him teaching vs to apprehend and lay holde on him with the hand of fayth and to apply hym wyth his gifts and graces vnto our selues and our owne saluation So that faith is made the meanes and as it were the Conduit to conuey Christ himselfe hys death burial and resurrection and all the rest of hys benefits vnto vs which the Apostle witnesseth Collos 2. 12. Yee are buried saith he with him through Baptisme in whom ye are also raised vp together through the fayth of God effectually working who raysed him from the deade Whereof it ensueth that all the faithfull doe not onely obtaine the benefite of Christes death buriall by their Baptisme wherby they die vnto sinne but also do receiue and enioy the fruite and effect of his resurrection by a liuely fayth whereby they are quickned and raysed vp vnto righteousnes in thys life and are assertained of resurrection to glorie in the life to come by hys mightie working that is able to subdue all things vnto himselfe Seeing therefore that the summe substaunce of our whole Religion and of our eternal saluation or damnation consisteth in the knowledge of this one vertue it shalbe worth the labour breefely but yet plainly to describe the forme force nature of this faith whereof we speake Wherein you shall not looke for the diuers significatiōs which that word receiueth in the Scripture nor for any declaration of those vnprofitable faythes whereof S. Iames speaketh which are common to the wicked and to the deuils themselues wherby they beleeue that Iesus is that Christ but heere my purpose is to entreate of that liuely and sauing fayth which is peculier and propper to the elect and chosen children of God whereby they beleeue that Christ is theyr Iesus by whom they are saued from theyr sinnes and from the punishment due vnto them for the same and by whom onely they are restored vnto the fauor of God and
Baltasar King of Babylon in the mydst of hys tryumph and in the hearing of al his peeres the destruction which insued vpon hym the verie same night after I might heere alledge howe the same Daniell in the first yeere of Darius the Median in the beginning of that seconde Monarchie of Medians and Persians foretolde how many Kings should raigne after hym in Persia and howe the last who vvas the fourth after hym and hys name also Darius should fight against the Grecians and be ouercome by a Grecian King which was Alexander and howe that kingdome also of Greece should be deuided torne in peeces after Alexanders death and not passe to hys posterity as Iustine and other Heathen Wryters doe testifie that it was by Antigonus Perdiccas Seleuchus Antiochus Ptolomeus and other Captaynes of Alexander that deuided the same among themselues aboue a hundred yeres after Darius was dead I myght declare also howe the same Daniell fore-sawe and fore-told the four great Monarchies of the world and described the same as distinctly as if he had liued in them all and as by experience wee find since to be true I might alledge the particuler description of the fight betwixt Darius and Alexander set down by Daniell vnder the names of the great Ramme and the fierce Goate wyth one horne which Goate himselfe interpreteth it to be meant of a Grecian King that should conquer the Persians And therfore Alexander as Iosephê°9 reporteth comming to Ierusalem about a hundred yeeres after and hearing thys prophecie of Daniel interpreted vnto him by Iaddus the High Priest assured himselfe that he was the man therein signified and so aâ—â—er long sacrifice doone to the God of Israel of whom he affirmed that hee had appeared vnto him in Macedon had exhorted hym to take this warre in hand and after hee had bestowed much honour and many benefites vpon the high Priest Inhabitants of Ierusalem he went forwarde in hys warre against Darius with great alacritie had that famous victorie which all the world knoweth A hundred such prophecies more which are as plaine as euident and as distinct as thys I might alledge of Elias Elizeus Samuell Dauid Ezechiell the twelue lesser Prophets and of other which I haue not named And in very trueth the whole Scripture is nothing els but a diuine kinde of bodie replenished throughout wyth the vitall spirit of prophecie and euery day some prophecie or other is fulfilled though we mark it not and shall be vnto the worlds end And the myracle of thys matter is yet more increased if we consider what manner of people they were for the most parte by whom these prophecies of hydden thinges were vttered to wit not such men as coulde gather the fore-sight of thyngs by Astronomie or Astrologie that is by contemplation of the starres as some fond Gentiles did pretend though Ptolomie denie that any such things can be fore-told but onely by inspiration from God neyther yet were they so sharpe witted as to attaine to prophecie by strange imaginations as most vainely Auerroes and his followers holde that some men may nor finally were they so delicatly fedde as by exact diet and rules of Alchimye to com to prophecie as Alchimists dreame that a man may doe and that Appolonius Thyaneus dyd who by styllified meates as they speake came to be stillified hymselfe and so by helpe of hys glasse called Alchimufi to fore-tell some matters and affaires to come Our Prophets I say knewe none of these fantasticall deuises beeing for the most part poore simple and vnlearned men as in particuler was recorded that Dauid was a shepheard and Amos was a keeper of Oxen yea oftentimes they were women as Marie the sister of Aaron called in the Scripture by the name of Prophetesse Debora the wyfe of Lapidoth Hanna the mother of Samuel Elizabeth the mother of Iohn Baptist Anna the daughter of Panuel finally the most holy and blessed Virgine Marie with the daughters of Phillip and many such other both in the olde and newe Testament who prophecied strangely nor could possibly receiue such fore-knowledge of things to com but onely from the spirit of the liuing God and by inspiration of the holy Ghost which is a manifest demonstration of the excellencie of Holie writ and of the certaintie contained therein THE EYGHT PROOFE OF SCRIPTVRES AND nowe albeit thys might seeme sufficient in the iudgment conscience of euery reasonable man as the Iew supposeth to prooue that the Scriptures be onely from God and consequently by them that there is a God yet hath he one reason more to coÌ„firme theyr sinceritie which I will alledge in thys place and therewith make an end Hys reason is that although these holy writings which proceede of Gods spirite doe not take theyr testimonie or confirmation from man yet for more euidencie of the trueth GOD hath so prouided that al the principall most strange and wonderfull things recounted in scripture shold be reported also and confirmed by Infidels Pagans Gentiles and Heathen writers themselues albeit in some points they differ from the Scripture in the manner of theyr narration for that they adioyne superstitions therunto Which maketh the more for approbation of the things for that heereby it appeareth they tooke not their stories directlie from the Bible but by tradition and most auncient antiquities of theyr owne The creation of the worlde FIrst then he sheweth that the creation of the worlde which is the meruaile of all meruailes wyth the infusion of mans soule froÌ„ God is both graunted and agreed vpon by all those Heathen Phylosophers which I haue cited before albeit the particularities be not so sette downe by them as they are in Scriptures and by all other that doe see in reason that of necessitie there must be yeelded some Creator of these things The floude of Noe. NExt to thys the floude of Noe is mentioned by diuers most auncient heathen writers as by Baerosus Chaldeus Ieronimê° Egyptius Nicholaus Damascenus Abydenus and others according as both Iosephus and Eusebius doe prooue And in Bresile and other Countries dyscouered in our age wher neuer teachers were knowne to bee before they talk of a certain drowning of the world which in time past happened and doe saie that thys was left vnto theÌ„ by tradition from tyme out of minde by the first inhabitants of those places The long life of the first Fathers OF the long life of the first Patriarches according as the Scripture reporteth it not onelie the former Authors but also Manethus that gathered the Hystorie of the Egyptians Molus Hestiaeus that wrote the acts of the Phaenicians Hesiodus Hecateus Abderida Helanicus Acusilaus and Ephorus doe testifie that these first inhabitants of the worlde liued commonly a thousande yeeres a-peece and they alledge the reason thereof to be both for the multiplication of people
any man but in trueth shall hée bring forth iudgement He shall not be sorrowfull nor turbulent c. And finally in the forty nine Chapter he alleageth the words of God the Father vnto Christ touching hys commission in this sort It is too-little that thou be to me a seruaunt to raise vp the Trybes of Iacob and to conuert vnto me the drâ—gs of Israell Beholde I haue appointed thee also â—or a light vnto the Gentiles that thou be my saluation vnto the vttermost parts of the earth DANIELS PROPHECIE OF CHRIST AND to conclude thys matter without alleaging more prophecies for the same which in trueth are infinite throughout the Bible Daniell that liued in the ende of the captiuitie of Babylon a little before Aggaeus Zacharias and Malachias who were the last Prophets that euer florished among the Iewes almost fiue hundred yeeres before the natiuitie of Christ thys Daniell I say reporteth of himselfe that beeing in Babylon and hauing fasted worne sacke-cloth and prayed long vnto God there came the Angel Gabriell vnto him at the time of euening sacrifice and fore-told him not onely of the deliuerance of the people of Israell from the captiuitie of Babylon out of hande for that the seauentie yeres of their punishment fore-told by Ieremie were now expired but also he tolde him further that the time of the vniuersall deliueraunce of man-kind from the bondage and captiuitie of sinne was nowe shortenedâ— and that after seuentie Hebdomades which as shall be shewed after make vppe iust the tyme that passed from the rebuilding of the Temple of Ierusalem after theyr deliueraunce from Babylon vnto the byrth of Christ there should be borne the Sauiour of the world and be put to death for the redemption of man-kinde The Angels words are these I am come to shewe vnto thee O Daniell for that thou art a man of good desires And therefore doe thou marke my speeche and vnderstande thys vision The seauentie hebdomades are shortened vppon thy people and vpon thy holy Cittie to the end preuarication may be consumed and sin receiue an end to the ende iniquitie may be blotted out and eternall iustice brought in her place and to the ende visions and prophecies may be fulfilled and the SAINT OF SAINTS annoynted Knowe thou therefore and marke that from the end of the speech for rebuilding of Ierusalem vnto Christ the CAPTAINE there shall be hebdomades seuen and hebdomades sixtie two and after sixtie two hebdomades Christ shal be put to death and the people which shall denie him shall not be his people I might passe on further to other Prophets and make no ende if I would alleage what might be sayde in thys behalfe for that the whole Scripture runneth all to this one point to fore-tell and manifest Christ by signes figures parables prophecies and for thys cause was it principally written But that which is already spoken shall be sufficient for our first consideration whereby is seene that among the Iewes from age to age Christ was prophecied and fore-tolde together with the eternitie of hys kingdom that shoulde be spirituall The second consideration NOwe followeth there a second consideration of the qualitie of Christes person of no lesse importaunce then the former and wherein the later Iewes doe more dyscent from vs that is of the God-head of the Messias promised I say the later Iewes or Rabines are different heerein from vs as also they are in many other poynts and articles wherein theyr auncestors that were no Christians did fully agree Euen as all Heretiques are wont to doe that first breake in one point and then in another from the true Catholique fayth of Christ to followe mens traditions and so doe runne on from one to one making themselues in all thinges as dislike as they can for hatred of that vnitie whereunto theyr pryde wyll not suffer them to returne So is it in the generation of this reprobate people who first agreed wyth vs in all or most pointes touching Christ to come and denyed onely the fulfilling or applycation thereof in Iesus our Sauiour but afterward theyr vngracious of-spring beeing not able to stand in that issue against vs deuised a newe plea and betooke themselues to a far higher degree of impietie affirming that wee attribute many thinges vnto Iesus that were not fore-tolde of the Messias to come and among other that he shoulde be God and the sonne of God and the second person in Trinitiâ— c. But heerein no doubt these obstinate and gracelesse men doe shewe themselues both ignoraunt of theyr own Scriptures and disagreeing from the wrytings of theyr own fore-fathers For as for scriptures it is â—uident by all or most of the Prophets allâ—â—ged before that Christ or the Messias must be GOD and the sonne of God indued wyth mans nature that is both man and God So in Genesis where he is called the sâ—ede of the woman it is apparent that he shall be man and in the same place when hee is promised to crush the deuill and breake his heade vvho can do thys but onely God Likewise when he is called Germen Iehouae the seede of our Lord God his God-head is signified as is hys man-heade also when in the same place he is named the fâ—uite of the earth Who can interprete these speeches That his kingdom shall be euerlasting That he shall endure vntil the Moone be taken away after That God begate him before Lucifer was created That no man can tell or recounte his generation That all Nations and Angels must adore him That he must sitte at the right hande of God and many other such speeches pronounced directly and expresly of the Messias who I say can vnderstand or interprete them but of God seeing that in man they cannot be verified And as for the last of these testimonies concerning Christes sitting at hys Fathers right hande three of our Euangelists doe report that Iesus did blanck diuers of the learnedest Pharisies with alleaging onelie these words of Dauid The Lord said to my Lord sitte at my right-hande vntill I put thine enemies as thy foote-stoole For saide Iesus yf Christ be Dauids sonne howe did Dauid call hym hys Lord signifying heereby that albeit the Messias was to be Dauids Sonne according to his man-head yet was he to be Dauids Lorde according to his God-heade And so doe both Rabbi Ionathan and the publique Commentaries of the Hebrues interprete the place Micheas is plaine And thou Bethleem out of thee shall proceede a RVLER in Israel and his going soorth is from the beginning and from the dayes of eternitie This cannot be vnderstoode of any mortall man that euer was or shall be But yet Esay goeth further when he sayth A little child is borne vnto vs and a young sonne is giuen vnto vs and his principalitie is vpon his owne shoulder and his name shall be GOD the
meant heere by Daniell in all the prophecie Fyrst then when the Angell came to comfort hym and to open vnto him secrets for the time to come he sayde these words Marke my speeche and vnderstande the vision The seauentie hebdomades or weâ—kes are shortned or hastened vppon thy people and vppon thy holy Cittie to the â—nd all preuarication and sinne may take an ende and iniquitie be blotted out and euerlasting iustice be brought in place thereof to the ende that visions and prophecies may be fulfilled the HOLY OF HOLIES may be annointed In which words it seemeth that the Angell did allude by naming seauentie vnto the seauentie yeeres of captiuitie prophecied by Ieremie after which ended the people shoulde be deliuered from theyr temporall bondage in Babylon And therefore Daniell nowe beeing in that place and perceiuing the same time to be expired prayed to GOD with great instance to fulfill hys promise made by Ieremie Whereto the Angel aunswered that it should be doone And as after the expiration of seauentie yeeres God was nowe to deliuer them from the bodily captiuitie of Babylon so was he also after seauentie Hebdomades more to deliuer them from bondage of sinne and preuarication and that by the annoynted MESSIAS which is indeede the Holie of all Holies Thys I say may be the reason of naming seauentie Hebdomades thereby to allude to the number of the seauentie yeres of that Babylonicall seruitude For that immediatly after the Angell appointeth the whole exact number to be threescore nyne Hebdomades that is seauen to the building of the Cittie and Temple and sixtie-two from that to the death of Christ in these words Know thou marke that from the end of this speech to the time that Ierusalem shall be builded and vnto Christ the Captaine there shall bee hebdomades seauen and hebdomades sixtie two and the streetes and walles of Ierusalem shall bee builded againe though with much difficultie of the times and after sixtie and two Hebdomades Christ shall be slaine And the people that shal denie him shal not be his c. And then vnto consummation end shal perseuer desolation Nowe then if we put these yeeres together which are heere mentioned by Daniell that is first the seauen Hebdomadesâ— which make fortie and nyne yeeres and then the threescore and two from the restauration of Ierusalem which make foure hundred thirty and foure more wee shall finde the whole number to be foure hundred and eyghtie three yeeres Which beeing begunne from the first yeere of Cyrusâ— as some wil for that he first determined the Iewes reduction or from the second yeeres of Darius as others wyll for that he confirmed put the same in execution or from the twentie yeere of the sayde Darius for that then hee made a newe Edict in the fauour of Nehemias and sent hym into Iurie euery way they wil end in the raigne of Herod and Augustus vnder whom Christ was borne or in the raigne of Tyberius Caesar vnder whom hee suffered And by no interpretation in the worlde can it be auoyded but that thys time appointed by Daniell is nowe out aboue a thousande and fiue hundred yeeres past whyle yet the Temple stood and was not put to desolation And therefore of necessitie Christ must be come about that tyme and neuer more heereafter to be looked for The traditions and obseruations of the olde Iewes themselues doe meruailouslie confirme thys beliefe of ours for that they all dyd runne to thys one poynt that about the tyme of Augustus hys raigne wherein Iesus was borne the Messias shold appeare It is often repeated in the Thalmud that one Elyas left thys tradition that the worlde should endure sixe thousand yeeres that is two thousand before the Law of Moses two thousande vnder the same Lawe and two thousande after that vnder the Messias Which last two thousand yeeres by al computation could not beginne much from the birth of Iesus And the Rabines a great while agone complained in theyr Thalmud that there seemed to them in those daies seauen hundred and foure-teene yeeres past since Christ by the Scriptures should haue appeared and therefore they doe meruaile vvhy God so long deferreth the same An other obseruation they haue vppon the words of Esay Paruulus natus est nobis a litle child is borne vnto vs. In which words for that they finde the Hebrue Letter Mem to be shut in the midst of a word which is strange in that tongue for that Mem is wont to be open in the middest of words and shut onely in the end they gather many secrets And among other that seeing Mem signifieth sixe hundred yeeres so long it shoulde be after Esay vntil the time of Christ. Which account of theyrs falleth out so iust that if you reckon the yeeres from Achaz King of Iuda in whose time Esay spake these words vntill the tyme of King Herod vnder whom Christ was borne you shall perceiue the number to fayle in little or nothing A much like obseruation hath Rabbi Moses the sonne of Maimon whom the Iewes doe holde in extreame great reuerence calling him the Doctor of iustice in hys Epistle to hys Countrimen of Affrica concerning the tyme of Christes appearaunce Which he thinketh to be past according to the Scriptures aboue a thousande yeeres in his dayes he liued about the yere of Christ one thousand one hundred and fortie but that GOD deferreth hys manifestation for theyr sinnes To which purpose also appertaineth the tradition of one Elias as Rabbi Iosue reporteth it in the Thalmud that the Messias was to be borne indeed according to the Scripture before the destruction of the seconde Temple for that Esay sayth of the Sinagogue Before she was with child she brought forth and before the greefe of trauaile came she was deliuered of a man child That is saith he before the Sinagogue was afflicted and put to desolation by the Romaines shee brought forth the Messias But yet saith he thys Messias for our sinnes doth hyde hymselfe for a time in the Sea and other desert places vntil we be worthie of hys comming To the lyke effect is the obseruation of the Thalmud it selfe of diuers Rabbines therein concerning the wicked manners of men that should be at Christes appearance vppon earth of whom they doe pronounce these words The wise men in Israell shall be extinguished the learning of our Scribes and Pharisies shall bee putrified the schooles of Diuinitie shall bee stewes at that time Which thing Iosephus that lyued in the same age with Christ affirmeth to be fulfilled in the tyme of Herod in so much that if the Romains had not destroyed theÌ„ without doubt saith he eyther the earth woulde haue opened and swallowed them downe or els fyre from heauen would haue consumed them All then runneth to thys ende both by