Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 2 · Chapter 3
VVhat the Church of God hath euer principally practised for the soules departed, by the vvarraūt of holy Scripture: vvith the defense of the Machabees holy history, against the heretikes of our time. CAP. III.
1 BVt amongest so many meanes of helpe, these hauehave bene euer counted most soueraigne:Gregori. in epist. ad Bonifac. Sacrifice, prayers, almes, and by example of scripture most commended. Though fasting added vntounto any of them, hath singular strength in this case, and euer was ioyned in all earnest sute, made to God for our selues or other. VVe can not better begin to shew the practise hereof, then at that scripture, which sufficiently commendeth at once, all three: written in the second booke of Machabees in these wordes: Iudas hortabatur populum cō seruare se sine peccato, Cap. 12.sub oculis videntes quae facta sunt pro peccatis eorum qui postrati sunt. Et facta collatione, duodecim millia drachmas argenti misit Ierosolymam offerri pro peccatis mortuorum sacrificium, bene & religiose de resurrectione cogitans: (nisi enim eos qui ceciderant resurrecturos speraret, superfluum videretur & vanum orare pro mortuis) & quia considerabat quod hi qui cum pietate dormitionem acceperant, optimam haberent repositam gratiam. Sancta ergo & salubris est cogitatio, pro defunctis exorare, vt a peccatis soluantur. The valiaunt man Iudas, exhorted the people to kepe them selues from sinne, hauing before their eyes, what was fallen for the offensies of them that were slaine. And a common gathering being made, he sent xij thousand peces of siluer to Ierusalem, to offer for the sinnes of those that were departed, a Sacrifice: being well and religiously minded, concerning the resurrection: for except he had suerly trusted, that such as were slaine shoulde arise againe, it might hauehave bene counted vaine and superfluous to praye for the deade. But because he did well consider, that such as in piety receiued their sleepe, had grace and fauour laide vp for them, therefore it is a holy and proffitable meaning to praye for the deade, that they may be assoyled of their sinnes. So farre the Author of the historie speaketh: setting forth most euidently, the notable piety of Iudas in exhorting them to releue the departed, the like liberall almes of the people, the prayers there in the campe, and the sacrifice at Ierusalem celebrated for the same purpose. In all which doing, the scripture much prayseth that worthy zele of Iudas, as a thing both profitable to the departed towardes the remission of their offensies, and no lesse agreeing to that his especiall hope of the resurrection to come: counting it a foly to pray for them, of whose resurrection we are not assured. VVherby, I can not tell whether a man may well gether, that such as deny the fellowship of the liue with the deade, or condemne prayers made for them, steadfastly beleue not the resurrection.Take heede And in deede if we note well, we shall finde that the prayers for the deade hauehave bene euer taken both as an argument to proue, and as a protestation of the faithfull, to shewe their minde and faith, concerning the resurrection. So did Epiphanius that holy father, make confession of the Churches faith for the resurrection, and immortality of the soule, by the praying for the departed, and ioyning them to the partaking of the workes of the liue.In heresi. Aerij. Hi qui decesserunt viuunt (sayth he) & non sunt nulli, sed sunt, & viuunt apud Deum, & spes est orantibus pro fratribus, velut qui in peregrinatione sint. Those which be deceased do yet liue, and are not by their departure hense fallen to be nothing, but they hauehave their being, and yet do lyue before God: and there is great hope to their orators or beadsmen, praying for them: as for such that be in their pilgramage. So sayth Damascen, In oratione pro de funct.that by supplication for the soules, resurrectionis spes solidatur, the hope of resurrection is established. And therefore Dionysius the auncient in his misticall prayer and sa…r…fice for the departed, declareth that there was a minister that did solemnely recite certaine places out of scripture, for to confirme the hope of resurrection.Ecclesiast. Hierrarch. Cap. 7. So that this practise of the faithfull hath not onelyonly bene euer accompted a plaine trueth, but it hath bene a grounde and a principle to confirme the article of resurrection and immortality of the soule. And therefore the facte of Iudas, is with such commendation mentioned in the scripture. For in those dayes the heresie of the Saduces denying the resurrection and the life to come (as Iosephus writeth) began to take greate holde amongest the Iewes, Antiq. li. 1…. Cap. 8.about byshop Ionathas his time: in which tiue of diuersity, that true beleuer thought to make plaine protestation of his faith, by his notable facte.
And now I must needes be bolde to tell these enemies of our communion, that in acknowledging them selues to hauehave nothing to do with the soules departed, they are at the next doore by, to denie the immortalitie, and to terme them deade soules as Vigilantius did.Hiero con. vig. VVhome Gods Church very conformably to Christes calling and fittly for the protesting the common faith, nameth, Dormientes in signo pacis, Prayers for the departed agreeth to our faith of the resurrection and immortalitie.Those that sleepe in the signe of peace: and the named Scripture, for the same cause, calleth them men a sleepe in pietie. VVell, if their denial of prayers for the deceased, grow so farre as the vtter impugning of Christian hope for the life euerlasting, and so with purgatory, take away hell and heauen togither, as the Sadduces did, (which God of his might turne from them) but if they doe, because there is such affinitie betwixt both their teachings: and this of theirs, may seeme alwayes to hauehave bene ioyned to that extreme falshoode of the others, then shall Gods Church still protest the faith of her children, by prayers and practise for the deade, both by the example of the fathers in Christes Church vnderunder the Gospell, and by the fact of worthy Iudas in the lawe before.
CAP. III.
1 WE hauehave all this while called for authoritie of the scripture, now we shall hauehave scripture I trowe, or else M. Allen shall misse of his purpose Sacrifice, almes, prayers, commended by scripture, to be meanes to helpe the soules in purgatory. And the scripture is written. 2. Machab. 12. Prothesauro carbones: we hauehave founde coles in the steed of treasure. Is this all the scripture we are like to hauehave? this hath bene aunswered of olde to be no holy nor canonicall scripture, and that by many reasons. First because it conteineth matter contrary to the vndoubted worde of God. I omit this matter in cōtrouersy in the 14. chap. the author of the booke commendeth one Razis for killing him selfe, which is contrary to the word of God. Wherefore M. Allen by authoritie of this booke, & the example of a good man Razis may as well conclude that it is lawfull for men to kill them selues, as by the example of Iudas, that men may offer sacrifice for the dead. Secondly the author of this booke declareth, that he abridgeth the fiue bookes of Iason the Cyrenian, into this one, which is a manifest argument, that he was not the instrument of the holy Ghost. For the holy Ghost maketh no abridgements of others mens writings. Againe the purpose of the author proueth that he was not directed by Gods spirite, for he confesseth that he tooke this matter in hande, that men might hauehave pleasure in it, which could not away with the tedious long stories of Iason. But the spirite of God serueth not such vayne delight of men. Moreouer, he sheweth what labour and sweate it was to him, to make this abridgement, and to be short, he maketh a very prophane preface, ambitiously commending his trauell and shewing the difference betwene a story at large, and an abridgment: all which thinges sauour nothing of that spirite, by which the holy Scriptures of God were written, which as S. Peter sheweth, came not by priuate mens will and ordinance, but the holy men of God spake as they were inspired by the holy Ghost. 2. Pet. 1. where as all this preface sheweth nothing, but a priuate motion & an humane purpose. And yet the man is to be commended for this, that he doth not boast of any more reuelation then he had, but in the end of this booke cōfesseth his infirmity & desireth pardō, which is as farre from the maiesty of gods spirit, as it is agreeable to the weakenes of our deceiuable nature, which are apt to deceiue and be deceiued. If I hauehave wel done (sayth he) and as the story required, it is the thing I desired: but if I hauehave spoken slenderly and barely, it is that I could. For as it is hurtfull to drinke wine alone, and then agayne water, and as wine tempered with water is pleasant and delighteth the tast, so the setting out of the matter delighteth the eares of them that readeth the story, &c. Who is so voyd of the spirite of God, that can not see plainly that this man had neither the purpose to write that which shoulde instruct, much lesse that should bind the consciences of men, neither the gift so to write as in writing he could not erre? But now to come to the text it selfe, first the greeke copy in this place is so mangled and corrupted that no good sense can be gathered of the wordes, by which it appeareth, that the deuils limbes hauehave bene …umbling with this booke, as they hauehave bene with the olde doctors in places where mention is of prayer for the deade. Secondly seeing this facte of Iudas, hath no commaundement in the law, in which not so much as one pinne of the tabernacle, was omitted, lest any thing might be left to the will of man, to deuise in the worship of God, it is so farre of, that it is to be drawne into example, that we may be bold to condemne it for sinne, & disobedience, you shall not doe (sayth the Lord) what seemeth good in your owne eyes, but that which I commaund you, that onelyonly shall you doe, without adding any thinge to it or taking away any thing from it. But M. Allen thinketh he hath a sure post to leane vntounto, because Iudas Machabaeus did by this fast testifie, his hope of the resurrection, as Iasons abridger sayth, and also that prayers for the deade, may be an argument to proue the faith that men hauehave of the resurrection. It is not vnlike that this reason preuayled much with the auncient fathers, as appeareth by their writings, for commonly it hath the best colour of any reason that they bring to allow prayers for the dead. But if it be weighed with good iudgement, it is of no force to proue, that prayers for the dead, are lawful. For as truth may be proued alwayes with true principles, so often tymes it may be concluded out of false affirmations. As for example, Idolatrie proueth that there is a God, but Idolatry is not therefore the true worship of God. Of the heresie of the Pharisies that helde Pythagoras opinion, of the passing of one soule into diuers bodies, may be concluded the immortalitie of the soule, but this doth not iustifie that errour of the Pharisies: by the heresy of Origines which taught that all men should be saued at length, not onelyonly the immortalitie of the soule and the resurrection, but also the infinite mercy of God may be concluded, which all are true articles, yet was not the heresie of Origine true for all this, vnlesse M. Allen hath forgotten that olde sophisme which children can solute: who so euer sayth you are an asse, sayth you are a lyuing creature: but he that sayth you are a liuing creature sayth true: therefore who so euer sayth you are an asse sayth true. And such for all the worlde is M. Allens reason: who so confesseth prayers for the deade confesseth that the deade doe liue and shall rise againe: but he that confesseth that the dead doe liue and shall rise againe doth not erre: therefore he that confesseth prayers for the deade doth not erre.
2 But now their aunswere must be here, that this booke by which I hauehave vrged them so farre, shall be no scripture. And this is the ishue of heresie lo.Heretikes deny scriptures. These men that lightly writh & wreast Gods worde, from all true meaning to the maintenaunce of their matter, being further charged by euidence of the wordes, when other conuenient shifte can not be founde, they are driuen, to refuse vtterly the sacred canonicall scripture of God: for notwithstanding their perpetuall bragges of scripture, yet there can no scripture holde them, but they will either finde a fonde shifte to loose it, or els a shamefull stoutnes vtterly to brast and breake it. They first seeke by suttelty to vnfasten the bonde of Gods trueth, which is eueryevery waye so enwrapped with the testimonies of holy Scripture, then as they can not worke by wiles, they boldely brast the bandes in sonder. Thus when for misconstruing of this plane assertion of the booke of Machabees, they can conuey no fit meaning, they are driuen to harde shiftes and vnsemely, to deny the whole booke to be scripture, and therefore in matters of question, of no authority. In which pointe, the authoritie of the Iewes moueth them more,In prol. mach. Though against a levve or an heretike they coulde not proue any article of faith neither then nor novve, by them. Cap. 48. Cap. 47. Lib. 2. Cap. Cap. 36. in denying the bookes to be in the canon of Gods scripture, then the decree of the holy Church for the approuing of the same to be scripture. But S. Hierome, though he confesse the Iewes not to allowe them, yet is bolde to recken them amongest the bookes of the holy Histories: not measuring their authority by the canon of the Hebrues, but by the rule of Christian councells. The Canons of the Apostles will chalenge them from the Iewes and heretikes, to be scripture still: Innocentius the first, in his rehersall of diuine bookes, numbreth these of the histories of the Machabees also: the Councell of Carthage the third, authorisheth them, S. Augustine in his bookes. De doctrina Christiana, numbring all canonicall scriptures, with the reste reciteth these also. Of which bookes in the xviij, of the Citie of God, he thus further testifieth, Ab hoc tempore apud Iudaeos restituto templo, non reges sed principes fuerunt vsque ad Aristobulum: quorum supputatio temporum, non in scripturis sanctis quae Canonicae appellantur, sed in alijs inuenitur, in quibus sunt & Machabaeorū libri, quos non Iudaei, sed Ecclesia pro canonicis habet. From this time (he meaneth after the history of Esdras) there was no kinges, but chiefe gouernours, after the restitutiō & repaire of the temple, till Aristobulus time: of all which time there is no Chronikle nor coūte, in the scriptures which be Canonicall, but in other that be extant, we finde that supplied: as in the bookes of Machabees: which bookes, although the Iewes do not, yet the Church of God counteth for canonicall scripture.
But what shoulde we stande in this point: the whole Church of God and eueryevery part or prouince thereof, eueryevery learned doctour and vertuous Christian man, hath receiued and allowed them for scripture. the which constant and perpetuall iudgement of the Church of Christ, if any man refuse, let him be esteemed an Ethnike. Or because he defendeth the Iewes authority against the determination of Christes Chur…h, let him be at this time accompted for a Iewe. And yet I thinke he ouer shooteth them herein: for they confesse the history to be true, although not holy Scripture: neither hauehave they found any such errour of doctrine therein conteined, as he doth.
And as for the auncient Christian writers, and famous doctours, they alleage euen that place to proue the lawefull prayer for Christian soules departed, whereby these fellowes take occasion to saie it is no scripture at all. As godly Damascenus, in these wordes. Scitis enim quid dicat scriptura, quomodo Iudas ille Machabaeus, in Syon, Ciuitate regis magni, vt cognouit populum sibi subiectum à Palestinis hostibus occisum, & scrutatione facta, inuenta idola in sinibus corum, statim pro vnoquoque eorum ad dominum qui ad misericordiam facilis & paratus est, In lib. pro defunct.munera propitiatoria obtulit, sane ob summam religionem fraternamque charitatem, in hoc facinore, vt in omnibus alijs, a diuinissima scriptura & magnificus & admirabilis habebatur. You know (sayth he) what the scripture reporteth, how that worthy Iudas Machabeus of Syon, the City of the great kinge, after he vnderstood certeine of his subiectes to hauehave bene slaine of the Palestines his enemies, and search being made, had founde in their lappes, idols, straight wayes offered to God, who is much inclined to mercy, for eueryevery of his souldiars so slaine, propitiatory oblations▪ who suerly, for that act, as proceding of wonderfull religion and brotherly louelove, and in all other affaires, is of the holy writte esteemed mighty and meruelous.
Longe before this writer did S. Augustine vse the same booke and text of Machabees, to proue the prayers & sacrifice,De cura pro mort. agenda. for the departed in peace. In the booke of Machabees (sayth he) we reade that sacrifice was offered for the deade. But if it were in none of the olde scriptures reade at all, yet the authority of the vniuersall Church, which for this point is plaine, were of no small force, whereby it is prouided, that in the prayers, which be made at the altare by the priest, to our Lorde God, the commemoration of the deade shall hauehave their place. Thus by these auncient authors, both the bookes be approued, the text it selfe, for which our aduersaries vnworthely denied the booke, alleaged for the same purpose, and the doctrine so sure, that if no scripture coulde be founde, it would beare out it selfe against all falsehood. But this doctor handleth Pelagius the heretique, denying the booke of VVisdome to be scripture, because there was a sentence out of the fourth Chapter thereof, brought against his wicked doctrine, euen as he shoulde be: and as these wranglers in the like case must be. The place well marked, shal serue our turne when so euer we heare them so impudently reiect scriptures, because they impugne their heresies, which els shoulde be as good scriptures as any booke of the Bible, if they either woulde make with them or by any crafty colouring not plainely make against them. Thus he sayth. Nec ideo liber Sapientiae, qui tanta numerositate annorum legi meruit in ecclesia Christi, pati debet iniuriam, Augustines ansvvere to Pelagius, denying scripture for that it made agaīst his heresie.quoniam resistit eis qui pro meritis hominum falluntur: & rursus: omnibus hic liber tractatoribus anteponendus, quoniam sibi cum anteposuerunt etiam temporibus Apostolorum proximi, egregij tractatores: qui eum testem adhibentes, nihil se adhibere nisi diuinum testimonium crediderūt: in English thus. It is no reason that the booke of VVisdom, which so many worldes together hath bene worthy the reading in the Church of Christ, shoulde nowe receiue such wrong at our handes, because it plainely resisteth these fellowes, that exalt mans merites (aboue Gods grace.) And againe, this booke is of more authority then all the expositours in the worlde: for the noble writers hard by the Apostles time, did much preferre this booke before them selues, who alleaging the testimony of that scripture, doubted not, but they vsed thereby, the witnesse of Gods holy word. Euen so must we tell our maisters, that it were plaine wrong, to discredit the history of the Machabees, which hath bene in our Bible euer sith Christes time for holy Scripture, because it hath an euident testimonie against their false belefe, concerning the state of the soules departed: which booke, is not onelyonly better to be beleued then all Caluins false gloses, but of more authority then all holy expositors. Out of which booke, both S. Augustine & others many, hauehave vsed proofe of their matters, as of the testimonie of Sacred and holy scripture.
2 I will not gaine saye, but who so denyeth the authority of the holy Scriptures, thereby bewrayeth him selfe to be an heretike as all Papistes doe, which I will proue afterwarde. But he that admitteth for scripture, that which is not proceded from the spirite of God, and thereby will auouch for trueth, that which is contrary to the vndoubted worde of God, is no lesse heretike then he, for it is all one sinne, to adde to the worde of God and to take from it. But M. Allen pretending to proue the booke of Machabees canonicall by authority of the Church, when he can not by consent that it hath with the scriptures of God, beginneth with the authority of Hieronym. in prol. Mach. But what he meaneth thereby or what place he noteth I know not. But this I knowe, that in his Preface vponupon the booke of kinges he doth not onelyonly omit it in rehersall of the canonicall bookes, but also accompteth it plainely among the Apocryphall. Next he alleageth the canons of the Apostles. Wise canons I promise you: as truely made by the Apostles, as the double canons that lie on the tower hyll of London. In which are rehersed 3. bookes of Machabees two Epistles of Clemens for canonicall scripture, but the Apocalypse of S. Iohn hath no place at all, by which it may appeare, what Apostles they were, that made that canckred canon. Then followeth the prouinciall Councell of Carthage the third, which nameth the 2. bookes of the Machabees amonge the canonicall scriptures euen as it doth the 5. bookes of Salomon, whereas the Church alloweth but 3. namely the Prouerbes, the preacher, and the Canticles: and although you shoulde numbre to these, the booke of Wisdome, yet can you make but 4. in all that we know of. Againe, in what sence they did call those bookes canonicall, appereth by Augustine, that was one of that Councell, namely that they maye be reade, so it be with iudgement. Contra 2. Gaudentij epistolam lib. 2. cap. 23. Et hanc quidem scripturam quae appellatur Machabaeorum non habent Iudaei sicut legem & Prophetas, & Psalmos, quibus dominus testimonium perhibet tanquam testibus suis dicens: oportet impleri omnia quae scripta sunt in lege, & prophetis, & in psalmis de me. Sed recepta est ab ecclesia non inutiliter, si sobriè legatur & audiatur. And this scripture of the Machabees, the Iewes compte not as the lawe and the prophetes and the Psalmes, to whome our Lorde geueth testimony as to his witnesses saying, it behoued that all thinges should be fulfilled, that were written of me, in the lawe, and in the Prophetes, and in the Psalmes. But it is receiued of the Church not vnprofitably, if it be soberly reade and harde. Here you see that Augustine howsoeuer he alloweth those bookes, yet he alloweth them not in full authority, with the lawe, Prophetes and Psalmes, nor with out condition of sobriety in the reader or hearer. But Hieronym sayth plainely the Church receiueth them not as canonicall scriptures: in his preface vponupon the booke of Prouerbes: Sicut ergo Iudith & Tobiae, & Machabaeorum libros, legit quidem ecclesia, sed eos inter canonicas scripturas non recipit: Sic & haec duo volumina legat ad aedificationem plaebis, non ad authoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandam. Therefore euen as the Church readeth in deede the bookes of Iudith, Tobias, and Machabees, but yet receiueth them not among the canonicall scriptures so maye she reade these 2. bookes (videlicet Ecclesiasticus and the booke of Wisdome falsely intitled to Salomon) for the edification of the people, but not to confirme the authority of ecclesiasticall opinions. Thus if Augustine doe simply allowe these bookes, you hauehave Hieronym that doth simply refuse them. If Augustine saye the Church receiueth them for canonicall, Hieronym sayth the Church receiueth them not for canonicall. As for Damascene except you woulde stryue with numbre of witnesses I know not why you alleage him, being one to whose iudgement as but a late writer in comparison, you know we ascribe small credit. I might produce against him Athanasius or at leste wise one of elder time then Damascene vnderunder the name of Athanasius, but that I hauehave alleaged already is sufficient to represse that vaine and vnskilfull insultation, that you vse in so many wastfull wordes against vsus, for refusing the authority of him, that abridged Iason the Cyrenians bookes, for canonicall scriptures.
3 But our aduersary learned not this practise of Pelagius onelyonly, for it is an older sore, and a common sicknesse to all deuisers of deuilish doctrine: as the skillfull in the Churchies affaires may acknowledge. For some there were, that otherwise coulde not vpholde heresy, but by the vtter deniall of all the olde Testament: as Carpocrates, Ceuerus, Manicheus. But Marcion and Cerdon reiect all together:August. de haeresib. 24. haeres. T…rtul. de praescrip. Iren. cap. 26 libr. 1. Euseb. eccles. histor. lib. 4. De haeresi. ad quod vult deum 30. haeresi. sauyng Lukes Gospel. Now Cerinthus, and Ebion, make counte of none of all the Euangelicall histories, but the Gospell of Matthewe. Cerinthus againe and Seuerus, woulde hauehave robbed the Church of the actes of the Apostles. A sect called Alogiani, do refuse the Gospell of S. Iohn, with the Apocalypse Martine, illiricus, Caluine, and their companions, that no man, being but an heretique, shoulde euer out pricke them, will shoulder with the proudest, and lifte out of our Bibles the bookes of Machabees, with S. Iames Epistle, and more when more nede requireth. The which Epistle, as also the Epistles of Iohn and Iudas, were once doubted of, not as conteining any matter, wherof, the trueth was vncertaine, but as bookes not knowen to be of like force as canonicall scripture in the impugning of heresies, or confirming articles of belefe: as all workes be, till Gods Church hauehave published their authority, and declared all thinges in them conteined to be of the same credit that the spirite of God is, and of Gospell like trueth.The Churches vse in confirmation or publishing of the canonicall Scripture. And by that authority of the Church what booke so euer be allowed, though it was not so taken before, yet now we must needes accept it, sicut vere est verbum Dei, as the very word of God. And so be these canonicall Epistles, and bookes of Machabees, as before is declared. Here nowe eueryevery man may learne, that it is a very daungerous matter to geue lesse credit to any of these bookes, or wauer in any point of faith written in them, for such fellowes iudgements, that nowe amongest them, hauehave lefte vsus neither olde nor newe Testament. Such stubborne boldenesse, had these willfull men in mainteinaunce of mischeuous doctrine. VVhose open impudencie, was counted handsome conueiaunce of their scholers and adherents, which were very many, notwithstanding the Catholike Christian men in all ages both meruailed, and lamented their blindnesse. And yet doubtlesse it is not much to be wondered at, to see that man flatly forsake the scripture of God, who is not abashed, to refuse and condemne that sense and vnderstanding of the Scripture, which the whole Church with all her learned men hauehave euer allowed, and counted most holy. VVell by the strength of this piller we hauehave chalenged and saued hitherto, for all the barking of bandogges, the Scripture of God, with the knowne meaning thereof. And so I trust we shall doe still, from the new aduersaries, by the assured promise of thassistance of Gods holy spirite, which shall leade vsus not onelyonly to the true canonicall Scriptures, with the sense of the same: but also guide vsus in all truth, necessary for our saluation.
Let eueryevery man therefore here take heede, how he doubteth of the knowne and certayne sense, that the Church of Christ, by decree of councell or consent of doctors, applyeth to any Scripture: least by mistrusting the sayd sense, he goe forward vnaduisedly from open deniall of the common, to found a priuate meaning of his owne: in the stubborne defense whereof,A necessary vvarning. when he shall against the truth malipertly stand, he goeth vnluckely forward, & at the end blasphemously reiecteth the blessed word, & sacred Scripture of God: as we hauehave proued the auncient enemies of truth, to hauehave done: and as in these new sect maisters we may to our great dolour, see. Yet loe, euen these are they that in all ages, as Vincentius sayth, flye in their talke and teaching, ouer the law, the prophets, the Psalmes, the Gospell. That cry out of pottes & pulpits, nothing but Gods word, the booke of the Lorde, the testament of Iesus, Christ, Paule, scripture, as it may be supposed, and as in thende it is proued, to driue out of doores, Paule, Scripture, Testament, and Christ too: and not to bring into the peoples heades or heartes, the feare and louelove of God, the holsom precepts of Paules heauenly preaching, nor the true meaning of any Scripture. VVho being vrged, will rather credit a minstrells ballat, then the Machabeis, or best booke in the Bible.
But now you may see, that whiles these men thought to saue their credits, by miscrediting the Scripture, they hauehave wrought so wisely, that they hauehave lost their owne credits, both in this poynt, and in all other for euer. And as they hoped by deniall of Scripture, to cloke their errour, they hauehave wonne to them selues the property of an heretike, by open shew of their owne folly.
3 And euen as vaine & friuolous is this discourse that followeth to shew what bookes of scripture were in olde time refused, by what heretikes. But you thinke to match vsus with them, for denying the Machabees, where vntounto you adde the Epistle of S. Iames. If Martine and Illyricus hauehave some times doubted of that Epistle, they are not the first that doubted of it, Eusebius sayth plainely it is a counterfect Epistle. lib. 2. cap. 23. And yet he was not accompted an heretike, I saye not this to excuse them that doubt of it, for I am perswaded they are more curious then wise in so doing, but whereas you ioine Caluine with them it is because you can not leaue to lye with out shame, while you are an instrument to defend diuelish errors with out shewe of trueth. For Caluine receiueth it, defendeth it, expoundeth it, and in all his writings allegeth it as canonical! scripture. Therefore if he were as ill as you compt him, yet it were shame to lye on the deuill. But we shall not nede to …ake among the olde heresies to finde what bookes of holy Scripture you Papistes refuse, when it is an easy matter to take your owne confessions and bolde assertions, by which it is manifest that you doe not as those heretikes which you name reiect some one or two bookes but the whole authority of all the canonicall scriptures. For when you affi…me that no booke of holy Scripture is canonicall, but so farre forth, as your Church will allow it, who seeth not that you doe abrogate all maiestie and authoritie from the word of God submitting it to the iudgements of men? Moreouer when you will not admit any sence of the scripture, but such as your Church wil allow, although the same be contrary to the plaine wordes thereof, what authority doe you leaue to the worde of God: which you make to be but a dead lettre vntil you geue it such a sence as it pleaseth you. Finally where you make decrees of men either priuate or common, customes, traditions, vnwritten verities, in which is no certainety at all, not onelyonly equiualent, but also oftentimes superior to the auctority of holy scriptures, what certainety, credit or estimation doe you leaue to the scriptures of God aboue other writinges? nay all other writinges are in better case then the scriptures are with you. For other writings may be compted the workes of their authors, with out your censure the holy Scripture may not be compted the worde of God, except you list so to allow it: which may as well refuse that which is Gods worde in deede as you receiue and obtrude, that which is not the worde of God at all. Other writings hauehave such sence, as the authors hauehave expressed them selues in their workes, and maye be gathered by their wordes. The holy Scripture may not hauehave any allowed sence, approued to be the meaning of God the author thereof, by consideration of the wordes, nor conference of one place with an other, but it must nedes hauehave such sence, as your Church will fayne vntounto it. Finally other writinges are of credit according to the authoritie of the writers: The holy Scriptures with you, hauehave not credit according to the authoritie of God the author of them, but according to your determination, that maye conferre or perferre vntounto them what you list, whereby it is manifest, that you Antichristian Papistes receiue onelyonly the names of the canonicall scriptures, and the metaphysicall wordes abstract from all sence, but the authoritie, meaning and credit, you vtterly deny to be in them, submitting them altogether to your owne selues and your most corrupt & peruerse iudgement. The rest of your tedious rayling vntounto the ende of the chapter, I know not why I should aunswere further, except it were to waste incke and paper. For the stocke of your fructlesse tree being digged vp by the rootes, the proude toppes and braue braunches therof must nedes fal downe and wither away with it.