The True Catholic, Tract · Section 1
THE TRVE CATHOLIQVES Alphabet, or A. B. C. taken out of Saint Ierom.
OOR Sauiour Chriſt in the goſpel,Mat. 10.1.11.1. Luke, 6.13. often cals all thoſe which followed him, Diſciples; that is, Schollers: now the firſt thing that a ſcholler muſt learne, is his Alphabet. And that Chriſtians might hauehave as it were an Alphabet to learne, the holy ghoſt hath put downe that alſo in manie places of the ſcriptures. Firſt in the 119. Pſalme: Of which Pſalme, euerie part begins in the Hebrew with a letter, as they are placed in order in the Alphabet:Gra. lib. 1. Deuot. cap. 5. nay that Pſalme containes in it (as ſome hauehave noted) the word Lawe or Teſtimonie, almoſt in eueryevery verſe: To the ende no doubt, that euerie Chriſtian ſhould be a ſcholler, and learne that Pſalme. It is verie eaſie, it is euen milke for children. The Prouerbs of Salomon alſo end with an Alphabet: they are alſo ſhort and fit leſſons, for yoong beginners in the Lords ſchoole to learne. The Lamentations of Ieremy hauehave foure Alphabets in them: as Ierom notes in the preface of the Lamentations. And he expounds euerie letter of the Hebrew Alphabet verie excellently in that place, to euerie Chriſtians comfort and edification; teaching therein which is the true Church, and which teacheth her children the true Alphabet: which I hauehave ſet downe here as thy Alphabet (good Chriſtian Reader) if thou wilt be Chriſts and S. Ieroms ſcholler.
Euen as (ſaith he) in our writings we cannot come to reade and ſpell the words, vnleſſe wee begin at the elements or letters: Ieron. in praef. Lam. 1.ſo in the Scriptures we cannot know the greater matters, vnleſſe we beginne at the morall precepts contained in them. According as the Prophet ſaith, By thy commandements I get vnderſtanding: that is, after his good workes he got the vnderſtanding of ſecrets. But now I muſt fulfill your requeſt (ſaith he) to Euſebius, that I may expound eueryevery letter and the meaning thereof.
Aleph, ſignifies learning; Beth, a houſe; Gimel, fulneſſe or plentie; Daleth, a Gallerie or boards; *Iſta or …aec.He, thoſe; Vau, and Zain, theſe; Ceth, life; Teth, goodneſſe: Iod, a beginning; Caph, a hand; Lamed, of learning, or of the heart; Mem, of them; Nun, euerlaſting; Samech, helpe; Gnain, a fountaine or eie; Pe, a mouth, and not a bone; Tſadi, of righteouſneſſe; Koph, a vocation; Reſh, of the head; Shin, of the teeth; Tau, ſignes. And here marke well, leaſt thou be deceiued with the ambiguity of the letters (for there are many of them, one very like another.)
After the expoſition of the letters, now the order of the vnderſtanding and meaning of them is to be ſhewed. The firſt connexion of them is, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, that is, doctrine, a houſe, fulneſſe, of boards. Becauſe the doctrine of the Church which is the houſe of God, is fully and plentifully found, in the fulneſſe and plentie of the holie ſcriptures. The ſecond connexion is of, He, Ʋau, Zain, Ceth, that is, thoſe and theſe be life: for what life can there be elſe, without the knowledge of the ſcriptures, by which Chriſt himſelfe is knowen, who is the life of the faithfull? The third connexion hath, Teth and Iod, that is, a good beginning, becauſe that although now we know all things which are written; yet we know but in part; … now we ſée, as it were thorough a glaſſe darkely: but when as …e ſhall be accompted worthy to be with Chriſt, & ſhal be like the Angels; then we ſhall néede bookes no more. The fourth connexion hath Caph, Lamed, that is, the hand, of the heart, or of diſcipline. The hand is meant in working, the heart and diſcipline, is meant in vnderſtanding; becauſe we can doe nothing, vnleſſe we firſt know what we muſt doe. The fift connexion hath, Mem, Nun, Samech, that is of theſe we hauehave an euerlaſting helpe. This néedes no expoſition, but is clearer then the ſunne: that by the ſcriptures, euerlaſting helps are miniſtred to the faithfull. The ſixt connexion hath Gnain, Pe, Tſadi: that is, the fountaine or the eye, of the mouth, of righteouſneſſe: agreeing with that we hauehave expounded in the third number. The ſeuenth connexion, which is the laſt (that there maie be alſo a ſecret meaning or myſterie in the number of ſeuen) hath, Koph, Reſh, Shin, Tau, that is, the calling, of the head, the ſignes and the téeth. By the teeth, a diſtinct voice is formed; and by theſe ſignes we go to the head of all, which is Chriſt: by whom we come to the kingdome of heauen. Now hauehave we added theſe things (ſaith Ierom) that we might inſtruct the Reader, that theſe things were not in vaine ſet downe of the Prophet, according to the lawes and order of the letters, but all things which are written doe belong to the myſteries of Chriſt and his Church.
If this be the true meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet, by Saint Ieroms iudgement, and as it were alſo an Alphabet of Chriſtian Religion, which belongs to Chriſt & his church; and that ſhe is the true church, which teacheth her children the ſame: then ſurely the church of Rome, is not the true church, which doth not teach her children this Alphabet: nay which teacheth doctrine quite contrarie to this; that the fulneſſe of Chriſtian doctrine is not contained in the ſcriptures; that lay men maie hauehave life without the knowledge of the ſcriptures, and that they maie doe ſuch good workes, as pleaſe God, without the knowledge of them; that they are not helpers but hinderers of their ſaluation, and the verie fountaines of hereſies.
But the ſcriptures are, by Saint Ieroms iudgement, the very beginning and firſt ſteppe to Chriſtianitie, and that in heauen we ſhall not néede them: but here we doe; and that no man can doe anie thing well, vnleſſe he know firſt what he muſt doe. And no doubt his meaning is, that he ought to hauehave this knowledge out of the ſcriptures, and that they are not authors of hereſies, but euerlaſting helpers to our ſaluation, and containe in them plentifully all the doctrine which is neceſſarie for the Church.
Surely it appeares by this, that the Church of Rome teacheth not her children, the verie firſt ſteppe to heauen and this good beginning: and therefore ſhee is Antichriſts Synagogue, and the mother of perdition, by Ieroms iudgement; and that without Gods great merciemercy ſhée endangereth the ſaluation of her children. Maiſter Bellarmine in his Hebrew Grammar yéeldes the meaning of euerie Hebrew letter, and alſo makes mention of Saint Ieroms expoſition here declared: but belike it pleaſed him not, he puts downe another of his owne.