Reims Against Rome, Propositions · Proposition 6
VI. Propoſition. That the common libertie for all to reade the Scriptures, doth breed hereſies:
Confuted by their owne Bible.
1. IT teacheth, that the ignorance of the Scripture, is the cauſe of error, Mat. 22. 29. Yee doe erre, not knowing the Scriptures. Error then is from ignorance of the Scriptures. The Apoſtles doubting of Chriſts reſurrection, a maine point of Faith, without which all is vaine, 1. Cor. 15. is aſcribed to their ignorance of the Scriptures: for as yet (ſaith their Bible) they knew not the Scriptures. The Iſraelites erring in heart ſo continually, is aſcribed to the want of knowledge in Gods wayes, Pſal. 94 10, 11. Theſe alwaies erre in heart, and theſe hauehave not knowne my Pſal. 95.wayes.
Secondly, it telleth vsus whence otherwiſe errors proceed, from Philoſophy, vaine fallacie, Col. 2. 9. from humane traditions,Whence proceed errors. Mark. 7. 8. from pretended Apoſtolicall traditions, Acts 15. 24. from pretended reuelations of the Spirit, a feigned word, and forged writings, 2. Theſ. 2. 2. from Satans ſtrange deluſions in the Man of ſinne and his followers, 2. Theſ. 2. from lying ſignes and wonders, ſeducing people, Reuel. 13. 13, 14. 2. Theſ. 2. 9. from doctrines and commandements of men, Col. 2. 22. from vnlearnedneſſe and vnſtableneſſe of mens owne ſelues, 2. Pet. 2. 16. from falſe Teachers, Act. 20. 29. Iude, verſ. 4. 2. Pet. 2. 2. Tim. 3. 6. from mens giuing heed to Seducers, 1. Tim. 4. 1. and ſuch like meanes, God giuing men ouer to beleeue lyes, becauſe ſuch hauehave not a louelove of the truth, 2. Theſ. 2.
3. Their Bible cleareth Scriptures from being cauſe of error: for it telleth vsus, that no lie is of the truth, 1. Ioh. 2. 21. Now, error in diuine matters is a lye: the Scriptures are Gods Word inſpired by the holy Ghoſt, 2. Tim. 3. 16. Gods Word is truth, Ioh. 17. 17. and therefore no error can ariſe from it; and to reaſon from abuſe, to hinder the vſe, is abſurd.
4. It telleth vsus, that the holy Scriptures are the Rule of faith and life, as before is prooued, and therefore cannot be the cauſe of error.
5. It pronounceth the Readers bleſſed, Reu. 3. 3. How can this be, if it breed errors in men?
6. It telleth vsus, that by Scripture Chriſt confuted Satan, the falſe doctrine of Scribes and Phariſes, the hereſie of the Sadduces: ſo did the Apoſtles the Iewes, Act. 17. 2. and 18. 28. Therefore hereſies are ouerthrowne by Scripture, and get no ground at all from Scripture.
Contraried by Antiquitie.
Chryſoſt. Hom. de Lazar. The ignorance of the Scriptures hath bred hereſies: In Hom. 58. on Iohn. The Scriptures doe leade vsus to God, doe driue away heretickes, and doe not ſuffer vsus to goe out of the way.
Tertullian. de reſurr. telleth vsus, that heretickes flie the light of the Scriptures. Surely hereby its cleere then, that this Father did not beleeue, that the Scriptures would make heretikes
S. Ierome in Eſay c. 8. willeth vsus in things doubtfull to hauehave recourſe vntounto the Scriptures to know the truth; otherwiſe, ſaith he, ye ſhall not hauehave the light of truth, but remaine euer in darkneſſe of error. Therefore Scriptures expell the miſt of errors, and doe not breed them in the iudgement of Saint Ierome. It is witneſſed before by Auguſtine, Chryſoſtome, Tertullian, Baſil, Ierome, Gregory-Nyſſen: that the Scriptures are the ſound Rule of Faith; therefore cannot they be any ground for error.
Gaineſaid by ſome of their owne.
Petrus de Aliaco ſaith, The new Teſtament is the hammer that killeth all hereſies, the Lanterne that lighteneth vsus.
Gerſon in tract. de diſtinct. The ſacred Scriptures are the ſhop wherein is laid vp the royall ſtampe of ſpirituall coine: if a penny differs from the ſtampe neuer ſo little, vndoubtedly its counterfeit. It is alſo witneſſed before by Gregory, Gerſon, Clemangis, Aliacus, Durand, Mirandula, Aquinas, Ferus, Villa-Vincentius, the Canon law, and by Bellarmine, that the Scriptures are the Rule of Faith: how can they then breed error?
Our Aduerſaries hauehave here no Scripture againſt vsus: for indeed the Scripture ſpeaketh for it ſelfe, and not againſt it ſelfe. But Papiſts will here ſay, they meane, that the Scriptures breed hereſies, when they are miſunderſtood or abuſed, or not rightly interpreted.
Anſw. If thus they meane in good ſooth, 1. why blame they the Scriptures, when the fault is in men, and not in them?
2. Why doe not they likewiſe ſo accuſe all mens writings whoſe ſoeuer? are not they ſubiect to be miſ-conceiued, miſunderſtood and peruerted?
3. Why doe they, in this reſpect, feare the Scriptures to breed hereſies more in the people, then in the Prieſts? WereArius, a Presbyter; Macedonius, a B. Pelag. a Monke, and Eutyches, an Abbat. they of the Lay-people onelyonly, which were the Authors of former hereſies, or of the Clergie? Was Arius, was Macedonius, was Eutyches, Pelagius, and other damnable firſt-broachers of hereſies, Lay-men? No man, ſaith Ierome, can frame an hereſie, but he that is of excellent gifts. Gerſon and Aeneas Syluius doeDe defect viror. Eccleſ 48 Hiſt. Auſtr. 8 52. alleage the ſame ſaying of Saint Ierome, That there neuer happened any notorious euill in the Church, but Prieſts were the cauſe thereof.
Laſtly, by thus reaſoning from the abuſe, either through ignorance, or wilfulneſſe in any thing, we ſhould diſallow euerie thing; we ſhould not eate, becauſe ſome gluttonize at meate; nor drinke wine nor ſtrong drinke, becauſe ſome thereby become drunke; nor weare coſtly apparell, as men of place may, becauſe ſome grow thereby proud; nor vſe the Arte of Rhetorick, becauſe ſome men abuſe it, ſetting their tongues to ſale; nor Logick, for that ſome peruert it from the right end, to iangling Sophiſtrie. Ieſus Chriſt ſaw how Satan abuſed Scripture, yet he did vſe it, and exhorted other to ſearch the Scriptures. This point of Poperie Chriſt then knew not, nor any of his Apoſtles.