The Safe Way Leading All Christians, Section 14
Sect. 14. Our Aduerſaries conuicted of their defence of a deſperate cauſe, by their blaſphemous exception againſt the Scripture it ſelfe.
VVHen therfore we ſee with the Louanian Doctor, poyſon in their Religion, and tirannie in their commonwealth, when we apparantly diſcerne the Abhomination of deſolation ſtand in the holy place, Mat. 24.let vsus flie (ſaith Chryſoſtome) to the mountaines of the Scriptures. But can any man be perſuaded, that theſe men, after their purging and condemning all ſorts of writers, will at laſt come to the triall of the Scriptures? Are we not all eye witneſſes that Chriſt and his Apoſtles are called in queſtion at the Popes Aſſiſes, and there arraigned and condemned of obſcuritie & inſufficiency in their Goſpel? Is not the ſacred Bible ranked inter libros prohibitos? Cauſabons anſwer to the Ep. of C. Peron. pa. 38.hath it not the firſt place in the Catalogue of books prohibited? doth not their owne Agrippa proclaime it to the ſhame of his own religion, that the Inquiſitors deale moſt cruelly with the Proteſtants concerning their triall by the Scriptures?Agrippa de Ʋanit. Scien. c. …6. For (ſaith hee) If the partie examined ſhall offer to proue his opinion by Scriptures, then with ſwelling and angrie countenance, they tell him that he is not now to deale with ſchollers in their Schooles, but with Iudges before their Tribunall, and therefore hee muſt anſwer directly, whether hee will ſtand to the decrees of the Romane Church or not: If hee refuſe, then they conclude, ſaying, they are not to diſpute with him by arguments and Scriptures, but with fire and faggot. Now can any man imagine, why theſe men ſhould bee ſo angrie with Chriſt and his Apoſtles? can they ſay the word of God is mutable and vncertaine? or can they ſay it is ſubiect vntounto alteration, and neede an Index Expurgatorius? No ſurely theſe are but peccadilioes ſmall faults, which are incident to Fathers & Schoolemen, and the Polemicall Authors of theſe times, but you ſhall heare them ſpeake in their owne ſenſe,aCaracteres mortui.] wherin they abound (for I tremble to ſpeake it:aLindan l. 3 Stroncatum c. 2. &c. 6. bLittera mortua occidens,]) The Scriptures (ſay they) are dead Characters, a dead and killing letter, bIdem Panopl. l. 1. c. 22.without life, cMuta & inanis quae nec ſentit nec intelligit,]which neither knowes nor vnderſtands, a meere ſhell without a kernell, a noſe of waxe, a delphich ſword, cIdē l. 5. c. 4.dMerum putamen ſine nucleo,]a leaden rule, a ſhoe fit for any foot, Sybillas prophecies, dIdem lib. 1. c. 6.Sphinx his riddles, eNaſus cerous,]and matter for contention, a wood of theeues, eCanus li 3. c. 2a ſhop of heretiques, imperfect, doubtfull, obſcure, fGladius delphicus, Regula Leſbia, calceus vtrique pediaptus, folis Sybillae, Sphyngi… aenigmata, materia litis,full of perplexities. And ſaith Pigghius, as one hath truly and merrily ſaid, the Scripture is like a noſe of waxe, fTurrianus aduerſus Sadeclum, pa. 99.gLu…us Praedonum, officina haereticorum,gCharon. de tribus vertitatibus. p. 220.hJmperfecta, dubia, obſcura, ambigua, perplexa,hLeſſius in conſult. que fides ſit capeſcenda Ration. 11. p. 127. & p. 128. Sunt Scripturae vt non minus verè quum feſtiue dixit quidam velut naſus cereus, qui ſe horſū illorſum, & quamcunque volueris partem trabi, retrahi, fingique facile permittit. Piggh. Hierarch. li. 3. cap. 3.that eaſily ſuffereth it ſelfe to bee drawne backward and forward, to bee moulded and faſhioned this way and that way, and howſoeuer yee liſt. What further need hauehave we of witneſſes, behold you hauehave heard their blaſphemy; It is no wonder that Robertus Tuitienſis cryed out before the Pope,Eraſ. de rat. conc. l. 3. Fie vponupon Peter, Fie vponupon Paul, when theſe men dare deliuer ſuch accurſed ſpeeches againſt the whole body of the Scriptures: Certainely the Archangell contending with the diuell, durſt not bring againſt him ſuch railing accuſations, as theſe men contending with vsus, hauehave brought againſt the truth of God and his heauenly word; If wee cite the Fathers, they are ſleighted by them, or reiected as counterfeit: if wee cite Berengarius, the Waldenſes, and the like, they are charged with hereſie, and therefore their teſtimonies are not authenticall; if we produce their owne Doctors and Schoolemen, as Teſtes veritatis, witneſſes of Gods truth in the boſome of a corrupt Church, theſe men (ſay they) are Catholique Authors, but they ſtand not Recti in Curiâ, they are too lauiſh of their tongues, and therefore they muſt be purged. If we cite the Scriptures, they anſwer they are vnperfect, they are a ſubiect of debate and contention, a couert for theeues, and a ſhop for heretiques; GiueGive me leaue therefore to vſe the words of Campian: Camp. Ret. 2.Can I imagine any of you to be ſo ſtuffed in the noſe, that being forewarned cannot quickely ſmell out this ſubtile iugling? Can theſe men challenge ſucceſſion in perſon and doctrine from Chriſt and his Apoſtles? can they vaunt of the generall conſent of all the Fathers? can they glory in the vnitie and vniuerſality of all Romiſh proſelites in their owne Church, & when they come to the tryall of their cauſe, will they decline the Scriptures as vnperfect, the Fathers as counterfeit, the Proteſtants as hereticks, and their owne writers as erronious? If theſe men would maintaine no other Tenet but this alone, The Scripture is vnperfect: they ſhall neuer bee able to prooue their doctrine Apoſtolique, nor their Church Catholique: but to waue the Scriptures, and Fathers, and writers, as vnperfect, and yet to crie out with the father of lyes, All is mine: this is a proper peece of policie to delude the ignorant, and deceiue their owne ſoules. For, the truth is, howſoeuer they pretend that the ſound of their Romane faith goeth throgh the world, (yet the emptieſt veſſels make the greateſt ſound) there ſilencing of Scriptures, and purging of learned writers, argues a diſtruſt in their own cauſe, and a feare leſt the truth ſhould appeare: nay more,Chryſ. in opere imperfecto Homil. 44. S. Chryſoſtome rightly obſerued the like practiſe amongſt the hereticall prieſts in his dayes, and giues a further reaſon why the prieſts led the people by an implicit faith, and ſhut vp the gate of truth:Chryſoſt. in Opere imperfect. Homil. 44. For (ſaith hee) they know that if the Truth be once layed open, their Church ſhall be forſaken, and they from their pontificall dignitie ſhall be brought downe to the baſeneſſe of the people. This reaſon is ſo truly accompliſhed amongſt the Romaniſts in theſe dayes,Scomberg. that their owne Cardinall (as I hauehave ſhewed) withſtood the reformation of knowne errors in the Romane Church, eſpecially for this cauſe, leſt it ſhould endanger the whole ſtate of the Romane Church.