Reims Against Rome, Propositions · Proposition 5
V. Propoſition. That the Scriptures are not to be allowed to be read of the people, nor heard by them in a knowne tongue:
Confuted by their owne Bible.
1. IT teacheth, that the Scriptures were written to all ſorts: the bookes of Moſes to all Iſrael, Deut. 31. 91 9, 22, 30, 32. So the Prophets, Pſalmes, and Hiſtoricall bookes, and all theſe were commended to the Churches keeping, Rom. 3. 2. Act. 7. 38. We ſee in the new Teſtament, ſome bookes written to noble Perſonages, Luk 1. Act 1. to Ladies, 2. Ioh. ver. 1. to Biſhops and Deacons, Phil. 1. 1. to Paſtors ouer Congregations, Reuel. 1. 11. and 2. & 3. to old men, 1. Ioh. 2. 14. to yong men, 1. Ioh. 2. 13, 14. yea generally to all the Saints, Rom 1. 7. 1. Cor. 1 2. As the generall Epiſtles of Iames, Peter, Iohn, and Iude do witneſſe.
2. It teacheth, that they were written for the benefit and guiding of all ſorts: for kings, Deut. 17 18 19. Ioſh. 1. 8. for Elders, and Magiſtrates of the people, Deut. 31. 9. and for others to make vſe of, Pro. 1. 4.
3. It teacheth, that the reading, ſearching, and attending to them, was commended to all ſorts without any exception, Deut. 30. 10. Ioſh. 23. 6. Ioh. 5 39 2. Pet. 1. 19. Eph. 6. 17. Reuel. 1. 3.
4. It teacheth, that they were commanded to be read vntounto all ſorts, Deut. 31. 11, 12. Ier. 36. 6, 10. Col. 4. 16. 1. Theſſ. 5. 27. and ſo were read to them, Exod. 24. 7. Ioſh. 6. 34, 35. Neh. 8. 2 3. and 2. Chron. 34. 30. Act. 13. 15. and 15. 21.
5. It ſheweth vsus, that they were read of all ſorts, and neuer reproued for any euill in them; as of Ioſias, 2. Chron. 34. 30. of the noble Eunuch, Act. 8. 32. of the noble Bereans, Act. 17. 11. of godly women, as Lois, and Eunice, trayning vp Timothy from his child-hood therein, 2. Tim. 1. 5. with 3. 15. It is cleare therefore by their owne Bible, that all and eueryevery one might reade Scriptures, that could and would reade them, and that without hinderance.
The Papiſts are farre from Moſes ſpirit; who wiſhed from his heart, that all the Lords people could propheſie, Num. 11. 29. But they that do euill, hate therefore the light, and will not permit people to come vntounto it, leſt thereby their deeds be reproued, Ioh. 3. 20.
Contraried by Antiquitie.
S. Augustine, l. 3. c. 1. de doct. Chriſt. A man that feareth God, doth diligently enquire after his will in the Scriptures. And in Serm. 55. it is not ſufficient, that ye heare the Diuine Scriptures in the Church, but alſo in your houſes, either reade them your ſelues, or elſe deſire ſome other to reade them, and giuegive you diligent eare thereto.
The Nicene Synod (ſaith Corn. Agrippa. lib. de van. Scient.) decreed, that no Chriſtian ſhould be without the Bible in his houſe.
Chryſoſt. exhorteth men to get the Bible, the moſt wholeſome remedie for the ſoule, if not all, yet ſome part; to take the holy bookes into their hands, before and after meate at home, and not in the Church onelyonly; Yea, he telleth his hearers, that, to think Gods Word needleſſe, cōmeth of the deuill, & ye it was as an infecting Peſtilence for the people, to thinke that it appertained to men of the Church to reade them, and not to others, whereas he telleth them that it was much more neceſſarie for them, then for the other. See for theſe his ſpeeches at large, Hom. 10. on Gen. & 29. Hom. 1. on Ioh. Hom. 13. on Mat. Hom. 2. on 2. Theſſ. Hom. 3.
S. Ierome, on Col. 3. 16. We ſee heare (ſaith he) that lay people ſhould not hauehave onelyonly knowledge of the Scriptures ſufficiently, but aboundantly, that ſo one might be able to teach another: many of his writings were written to women, as to Paula, Epiſt. 8. 9. 10. 12. 14.Euſtochium, Saluina, Demetria, Furia, Celantia, and others, commending them for their reading and ſtudie of Scriptures:Epiſt. ad Laetam. yea, he inſtructed one Laeta, how ſhe ſhould bring vp her daughter in holy Scriptures, to learne the Pſalter, thē Prouerbs, then Eccleſiaſtes, then Iob, and ſo to go to the Goſpels; after theſe, the Prophets, Moſes, and Hiſtoricall bookes. He herein was then no Papiſt.
S. Baſil regul. contract. q. 95. It is neceſſarie and conſonant to reaſon, that euerie man learne that which is needfull, out of the Scriptures, whoſe Nurſe (one Macrina) taught himſelfe the Scriptures from a child, Baſ. Epiſt. 74.
Theophylact on Eph. 6. Say not (ſaith he) that it belongethLib. 5 de curand. Graec. affect. onelyonly to Religious men to reade the Scriptures: for it is the dutie of eueryevery Chriſtian, and moſt of all, of ſuch as deale in worldly affaires, becauſe they being as it were ſhaken with a tempeſt, hauehave greater need of ſpirituall ſuccour. And Theodoret writeth of his times, that Coblers, Smiths, Webſters, and all kind of Artificers, all the women, not onelyonly ſuch as could reade, butSee alſo, Euſeb. lib. 1 cap. 6. de demonſtrat. Euangel. Semſters, Maidſeruants, and waiting-women, Citizens, Huſbandmen, Ditchers, Neatheards, Woodſetters, vnderſtood the points of faith, and could diſcourſe of them. What can be more cleare then this, that in former ages from the beginning, eueryevery one had libertie to reade the Scriptures? & for their helpeSocrat. lib. 4 cap 33. were they tranſlated into vulgar tongues into all languages. For the truth of this, ſee Aug. de doct. Chri. lib. 2. cap. 5. Theodoret in his forenamed Booke. Beda, Hist. lib. 1. cap. 1. Chryſoſt. Hom. 1. in Iohan. Yea, do we not know, how Lay men, for their diuine Knowledge, were choſen to be Teachers in the Church? Nectarius a Iudge, made Biſhop of Conſtantinople; Ambroſe, a deputie, Biſhop of Millan; with other moe.
Gaineſaid by ſome of themſelues.
The Rhemiſts, though they hold the falſe Tenent, yet in their Preface before their tranſlation, cannot denie the Scriptures to hauehave bene in the vulgar Languages of diuers Nations: as in the Armenian, the Sclauonian, Gothick, Italian, French, Engliſh tongue; yea, in the Languages of almoſt all the principall Prouinces of the Latine Church of later times. The meere Politicke caution and limitation of the Trent Conuenticle was not deuiſed in former ages, that the Scriptures ſhould not be read indifferently of all men, but of ſuch as hauehave licence. Licence to reade holy Scripture, was not thought of in the Primitiue Church, nor many hundred yeeres after. The very tranſlation of the Scriptures aforetimes ſhew, that the godly Tranſlators minded to put Gods Bible into all mens hands, without any Popes licence.
Acoſta li. 2. de Chron. Reu. ca. 2. pa. 65. is enforced to confeſſe, that our gracious God hath maruerlouſly prouided in holy Writ, that the moſt rude, reading in humilitie, may profit thereby: and in chap. 5. ſpeaking by experience, I hauehave ſeene (ſaith he) ſome men vtterly vnlearned, and ſcarce knowing Latine, who hauehave gathered out of Scripture ſuch profound knowledge, that I marueiled at them: but the ſpirituall man iudgeth all things.
Eſpencaeus in 2. Tim. 3. pa. 116. teſtifieth, that the Iewes did vſe to inſtruct their children from fiue yeeres old. A cuſtome continued till this day. So that (ſaith he) many Chriſtians may bee aſhamed of their negligence, which is not onelyonly my complaint (ſaith he,) but alſo of the ancient Fathers; marueiling that that cuſtome ſhould bee iudged now dangerous and peſtiferous, which the Ancient ſo often commended for profitable and wholeſome.
Lorinus on Acts 17. 2. (ſpeaking of the Act of the noble Bereans) ſaith, That it was no more then Chriſt commanded, when he ſaid, Search the Scriptures, that is (ſaith he) as Chryſoſtome and Euthymius expound it) not onelyonly to reade it, but alſo exactly and diligently to diſcuſſe it.
But I neede not ſpeake more of this; for among vsus, we ſee many of them take libertie to reade not onelyonly their owne Tranſlations, but ours too.
Their practice then here with vsus, is againſt their doctrine, and their practice elſe-where: for in other places their doctrine is againſt reading of Scriptures tranſlated: and they alſo doe not ſuffer them to be read. See plentifull teſtimonies cited by Doct. White in his Orthodox Faith, pag. 47. 48. So they diſallow, and allow; ſome of one mind, ſome of another; here with vsus, differing from themſelues in Papiſticall Countries: for all is as the Iuggler playes faſt or looſe, for their grand Maſters aduantage.
Obiected Scriptures anſwered.
Deut. 10. 5. The two Tables were written by God, and put by Moſes into the Arke.
Anſw. What then? Therefore the Scriptures are not to bee common and freely read of all? If the putting of the Tables into the Arke might force ſuch a concluſion, the Scriptures might not onelyonly bee kept from the people, but from the Clergie too: for thoſe put into the Arke, were neither for Prieſt nor people to reade. But I anſwere more particularly:
1. That theſe were not all the Scriptures of God, although all that God himſelf did immediately write with his owne finger.
2. Theſe commandements in the Tables were alſo written out by Moſes in Exod. 20. and in Deut. 5. which Bookes after were alſo copied out, and ſo were in the hands of the Prieſts, Princes and people.
3. The putting them into the Arke, was not that thence man ſhould learne not to meddle with holy Scriptures, which none euer dreamed of, but theſe Romiſts. For God commanded to teach them to his people, Deut. 6. 1. and they were to inſtruct their children therein, Deut. 6. 7. but they were put into the Arke for other ends:
1. To keepe them ſafe there, as a teſtimony againſt Iſrael.
2. To learne to keepe them in their heart, as they were kept in the Arke.
3 Becauſe the Arke was a type of Chriſt, in whom this Law of commandements was written, and in whom the Lords people ſhould be accounted obſeruers of the ſame.
Deut. 31. 9, 26. There was but one copie of the Law, and it was committed to the Prieſts of the Leuites to keepe, and was hid for a long time, till it was found in Ioſias dayes, 2. King. 22. 8.
Therefore the Scriptures were not common to all.
Anſw. Its true, that there was but one originall that was kept: but other copies were commanded to bee written out, Deut. 17. 18. and the ſame to be read diligently, verſ. 19. Ioſhua had a copie of it, Ioſh. 8. 34. Eſdras had ſo, Neh. 8. 2. In Iehoſaphats See the Dowaies on Neh. 8. 2. for Copies.time a copie was carried vp and downe, 2. Chron. 17. 9. Daniel had bookes, Dan. 9. 2. Chriſt telleth vsus in the Parable, Luk. 15. 29. that they had Moſes and the Prophets. The Law and Prophets were read in their Synagogues from old time, Act. 13. 15. and 15. 21. How alſo could the Bereans ſearch the Scriptures, if they had not had them? Act. 17. 11. And S. Paul ſaith, that to the Iewes were committed the Oracles of God, Rom. 3. 2. The booke of the Law was written, to be read and heard of the people, Deut. 31. 11, 12. So were alſo the Prophets writings, Ier. 36. 6, 10, 14, 15. and free for any to reade them, that could get copies of them, as wee may ſee in the Eunuch, Act. 8. 28. By all which it is cleare, that the Scriptures were common for all.
Nehem. 8. Here they would gather, that the Scriptures were read in Hebrew, and yet the people vnderſtood not the language: ſo by certaine words in the Euangeliſts, not Hebrew, which were then ſpoken of the people, as Golgotha, Mat. 27. 33. Talitha cumi, Mark 5. 41. Acheldama, in Act. 1. 19.
Anſw. That the Scriptures of the old Teſtament were in the Hebrew tongue, is true: but that the people vnderſtood not that tongue, is as falſe as the other true: for its ſaid, as their own Bible hath it, Neh. 8. 3. that Eſdras read plainely in the preſence of the men and women, and of thoſe that vnderſtood, and the eares of all the people were attent to the Booke, verſ. 8. and they vnderſtood when it was read. And though they were 70. yeeres in Captiuitie, yet had they not loſt the knowledge of the Hebrew tongue: for many thouſands, and not a few, of note and place, which went into captiuitie, liued to returne againe, Eſdras 2. 1, 2, 3, 42, 65. and 3. 12. And ſhall we thinke, that theſe had loſt their natiue tongue? After their returne, they had ſome ſtrange words mixed with the Hebrew; but yet they generally ſpake the Iewes language, Neh. 13. 24. and the Prophets Haggai, Zacharie, and Malachi, wrote in the Hebrew: and the people hundreds of yeres after vnderſtood the Hebrew tongue when it was ſpoken, Act. 21. 40. and 22. 2. and could reade it written, Ioh. 19. 20. yea, it was ſo common, that Chriſt ſpake Hebrew, and in no other Language to Paul from Heauen, Act. 26. 14. And as for the words of Chriſt on the Croſſe, Matth. 27. 46. which ſome hearing, ſaid, He calleth for Eliah: if they were ſpoken of the Iewes, they did it in mockage. If of the Romane ſouldiers, they being ſtrangers, and not vnderſtanding him, it maketh nothing to the purpoſe, or point in queſtion.
Ioh. 7. 49. The people which knoweth not the Law, are curſed. Hence they would gather, that the Iewes vnderſtood not the Hebrew language, in which the Law was written.
Anſw. 1. The Phariſes arrogated knowledge to themſelues, and contemned the people for want of knowledge, to wit, of the ſenſe and meaning of the Law, but not of the letters, words and language, wherein it was written.
2. Neither is it true, that the people knew not the Law, becauſe theſe enemies of Chriſt ſaid ſo; no more then that they were curſed, becauſe they ſo ſaid of them, in hatred againſt them for following Chriſt.