Two Treatises Against the Papists, Article rebutted 2
The second article conteyneth 4. demandes.
1 I aske of him what Church it was, which hath induced the Christian people through the whole worlde, to geue most humble credit in all points, to the holy bookes of the Byble?
I Aunswere, it was the Church of Christ, and not the Popish church, which hath commended the bookes of holy Scripture, to be beleued of all true Christians where soeuer they be, although it be the office of the holy Ghost, to open the hartes of men, and to forme them that they may beleue the scripture to be true, like as it is the office of the scripture or worde of God, to trie and examine, whether it be the spirite of God that perswadeth vsus to beleue any thing, so the spirite beareth witnesse to the worde and the worde to the spirite. As for the popish church it coulde not induce the Christian people to geue credit to the scripture in all pointes, because she is contrarie to the scripture in many pointes: and euen in the cheefest pointes of Christian Religion, namely in pointes concerning the glorie of God, and the saluation of mankinde, geuing the glory of God to dead men, and dumbe Images, and denying the mercy of God, pourchased by the onelyonly sacrifice of Christes death, to be the onelyonly cause of mans saluation. Finally seeing it is manifest by the aunswere to the first article, that the popish church did not conuerte all nations, to the profession of the Christian faith, it is euident thereby, that the popish church did not induce all them, that are called Christians, to geue credit to the bookes of the holy Bible, as this chalenger woulde hauehave it to be thought.
2 VVhat Church hath had the discerning & seuering of them from other writinges of all sortes?
THe Church of Christ, hath not an absolute authority to allow or refuse bookes of the scripture, but a iudgment to discerne true writinge from counterfaicts, & the word of God, of infallible verity, from ye writing of men, which might erre, & this iudgement she hath, not of her selfe, but of the holy Ghost: as for the popish Church, it can not be said to hauehave this iudgemēt of discerning the scripture of God from other writings, not only because she is so blind that she can not discerne betwene ye Canonical bookes of the scripture, from the Apocrypha writings, as appereth by receauing the bookes of the Machabees, Ecclesiasticus, &c. to be of equall authoritie with ye bookes of the Law, Psalmes, &c. but also because she is so presumptuous, as to compel men to beleue, that Customes, and traditions, writinges of doctors, decrees of Popes, and Councells, are equall with the authoritie of God his worde, yea are of force, to alter and change the lawe of God, and the institution of Christ, set forth vntounto vsus in ye scripture. And although she boast that she receaueth all the bookes of scripture, yet this proueth no more that she is the Church of Christ, than was the churches of the Arrians, Donatistes, Nouatians, Euthychans, & other heretikes, which receiued the Bible, as well as the Popish church.
3 VVhat Church hath had the custodie of them, and most safely hath preserued them, for the necessary vse of God his people, and from the corruption of aduersaries, as well of Iewes, as heretikes of all sortes?
THe prouidence of God, hath alwayes preserued the Scripture, both from the violence of tyrants, & from the falshoode of heretikes, and hath neuer suffred the true Church, to be destitute of the necessarie vse thereof. But the popish church, hath not kept the scripture for the necessary vse of the people, which hath so kept it in an vnknowen tongue, that the people coulde hauehave no vse, much lesse the necessary vse thereof: wherefore if this be a note of the Catholike Church, to kepe the worde of God for the necessarie vse of God his people, it is plaine that the popish church is not the Catholike Church, which hath kept the scripture so, that God his people coulde hauehave no vse thereof.
And if the only custodie of the scripture from corruption of heretikes, be a sure note of the Church, why is not the Greeke Church, the Catholike Church, which vntounto this day hath kept the scripture as safely as the popish church? why are not other Estern Churches of Asia, which neuer acknowledged the Pope, or popish religion, true Churches, which likewise hauehave preserued the scripture, as we hauehave seen of late, that the newe Testament is printed in the Syrian tongue, at themperours charges, for the encrease of Christian faith among them. And finally, why are not the Iewes, the Catholike Church, which hauehave kept the old Testament in Hebrue, more faithfully than euer the Papistes. And because they boast of safe preseruing of the scriptures, all men, that are learned in the tongues can testifie, in how corrupt a Latin translation they hauehave kept the scriptures, both of the olde and of the new Testament.
4 And let the Protestant declare to me, that their Congregation hath had from time to time, or euer had right herein, or any other Church, sauing the Catholike Church, and I recant.
OVr Congregation, which is the body of Christ, hath euer had, both right and possession of the inestimable treasure of the word of Christ her heade: as appeareth by this, that our Church and Congregation beleueth nothing but that she learneth in it, acknowledgeth that all thinges profitable to saluation, are sufficiently conteined in it, and finally in all thinges submitteth her selfe to the iudgemēt of it. But the popish church, which beleueth many thinges contrarie to the scripture, teacheth many thinges beside the scripture, necessary to saluation, and refuseth to hauehave her faith, doctrine, and ceremonies, to be iudged by the scripture, neither hath, neither euer had, any right to the scripture, though she hauehave neuer so many bookes of them in possession. Wherefore these thinges considered, this chalenger doth recant.