Answer to Campian the Jesuit, Reasons · Reason 1
The firſt reaſon, which is holy Scriptures.
WHereas there are many things. which euidently open the Aduerſaries mistruſt in the cauſe, yet nothing ſo much, as the maiestie of Gods bookes, by them most filthilie*It is falſe: for we hauehave corrupted no part of the Bible. corrupted. For they, who after that they hauehave reiected the voyces and testimonies of all other witneſſes, and are neuertheleſſe, driuen to ſo narrow ſhifts, that they cannot defend their cauſe to be good, except they lay violent hands vponupon the holy Scriptures alſo, aſſuredly ſhew themſelues to be in great distreſſe, and all other helps failing and fainting, must now trie the last and vttermost ſhift. What cauſe had the Manachies to cancelaAug. lib. 28. contra Fauſt. cap. 2 & de vtilit. cre. c. 3. S. Matthewes Goſpell, and the Acts of the Apostles? Desperation: for they were tormented with theſe bookes, both becauſe they had denied Christ to bebMatth. 1. borne of a Ʋirgin, and alſo had falſely affirmed, that then the holycAct. 2. Ghost came first downe from heauen amongst Christians, when theirdManes. Paraclete, that most wicked Perſian leapt out. What made theeJren. lib. 1. cap. 26. Ebionits to abandon all S. Paules Epistles? De…peration: for ſo long as theſe kept their authoritie, Circumciſion is aboliſhed, which they had brought backe againe. What enforcedfPraefat in Epiſt. Iac. vide etiam lib. de capt. Babyl. & centur. 2. Luther that moſt wicked Apostata, to call the Epistle of S. Iames, *This is moſt falſe, for Luther greatly approueth of this Epiſtle, neither euer did he call it a contentious, ſwelling, barren, or ſtrawne Epiſtle.contentious, proud, barren, ruſhy, and iudge it to be vnworthy an Apoſtolike ſpirit? Desperation:gIaco. ca. 2. For by this Epistle that miſerable caitife affirming our iuſtification to be by faith*This is falſe: for the place maketh nothing at all againſt Iuſtification by faith only. only, is vtterly confuted & cōfounded what incenſedhBibl. Geneu. Luthers whelpes, on a ſuddaine to put out of the*It is falſe, th…ſe bookes were neuer accounted part of the true Canon. true Canon of Scripture, Tobias, Eccleſiaſticus, & the two bookes of the Macchabees; & in deſpight of them many otheriOf the old Teſtament. bookes, vntounto which they picked the like quarrell? Desperation: for by theſe heauenlykTob. 12. Eccleſ. 15. 1. Macha. 12 1. Machab. 15. Oracles they be expreſly conuinced, as often as they dispute against the defence of Angels, as often as they dispute againſt Free-will, as often as they diſpute againſt praying for the dead, as often as they diſpute againſt praying to Saints. Is it ſo indeed? Is there ſuch frowardnes, is there ſuch preſumption amongſt mē? when they had trodden vnderunder foot the authority of the Churches, Coūcels * Seas, Fathers, Martyrs, Emperours, People, Lawes, Ʋniuerſities, Hiſtories, all Monuments of Antiquitie & holines; & had openly proclamed, that they would hauehave all controuerſies decided by the written word of God only; would they then hauehave diſmembred the very ſame word, which only remained, by cutting out of the whole body, ſo many, ſo good, and ſo excellent partes therof. For the Caluiniſts hauehave cut out of the old TeſtamentlBaruch. Tob. Iudith. Sapient. Eccleſ. Macha. d…o. ſeauen whole bookes, beſides certaine other ſmall peeces, which I let paſſe vnſpoken of The Lutherans likewiſe hauehave cut off S. Iames Epiſt & for ſpight of it,mEpistol. ad Hebr. Epiſt Jud. Epiſt. 2. Pet. Ep. 2 & 3. Iohannis. it a cenſent Luth. in praefat. Mag. Cent. 1. lib. 2. cap 4. Kem. in exam. con. Tri. Seſ. 4. De doct. chr. lib. 2. cap. 8. Seſ. 4. vide Mel. Can. lib. 2. de Loc. Theol. cap. 9.10.11. de praedest. Sanct. cap. 14. fiue others, which ſome where els alſo were once called in queſtiō. To theſe alſo, do the late Geneuans adde the booke of Heſter, & a great part of the third chapter, & al the two last chapters of Daniel, which the Anabaptiſts their ſchool-fellowes had a little before cōdemned, & laughed to ſcorne; But how much more modeſt lie delt S. Auſtine, who making a Catologue of the books of holy Scriptures, tooke for his rule neither the Hebrew Alphabet, as the Iewes do, nor yet his owne priuate ſpirit, as Heretikes vſe to do; but that ſpirit wherewith Christ quickneth the whole body of his Church, which Church being not Lady (as Heretickes do cauil) but only keeper of this gage, hath by old*This is falſe, for the Laodicene Councel doth ſo number the bookes of the Scriptures as we do, and not as the Councell of Trent doth. auncient Councels, openly challenged this whole and entire treaſure of the bookes of Scripture, which the late Coūcell of Trent alſo hath embraced? The ſelf-ſame S. Auguſtine, intreating particularly of one parcell of Scripture, could not perſwade himſelfe, that the booke of Wiſdome, ſhould by any mans raſhnes, or ſecret falſe ſuggeſtion, be thruſt out of the Canon of Scripture, which euen in his time, by iudgement of the Church, proceſſe of time, teſtimonie af auncient writers, and inſtruction of faithfull men, had kept his authoritie, as a ſound and Canonicall booke; what would he ſay if he were now liuing vponupon the earth againe, and ſhould ſee the Lutherans and Caluiniſts to be Bible makers, who with their ſine and ſmooth ſtile, hauehave raced both the old and new Teſtament, and put out of the Canon of holy Scriptures, not only the booke of Wiſdome, but many bookes more alſo? ſo that, that which ſhall not be vttered out of their ſhops, must by their brain-ſicke decree be reiected as a thing moſt rude and loath ſome. They that are driuen to this horrible and deteſtable ſhift, though their Armes be blazed neuer ſo farre abroad, by their owne diſciples, though they buy and ſel… benefices, though in their Sermons, they cry out againſt Catholikes, though they procure them the ſword, racke. and gallowes, yet are they ouercome, naught ſet by, horrible in mens ſight, and quite ouerthrowne. For as much as the taking vponupon them the authoritie of Cenſorors and ſitting as honorable Iudges, do daſh out at their pleaſure ſuch holy Scriptures, as they found would not ſerue their turne; is there any body though neuer ſo ſimple, which can feare theſe ſub…tle ſleights of the Aduerſaries, who, aſſoone as they ſhould enter within your aſſemiblie that are learned men, and flie vntounto ſuch their vſuall ſnifts, as it were vntounto their familiar ſpirit, ſhould, though not with reproach full words, yet at the leaſt with trampling of your feet be thruſt out of your ſchooles? I would demaund of them, (for example ſake) b… what authoritie they mayme and robbe the corpes of the Bible? They anſwere they doe not cut out any true Canonicall Scriptures but cull out only ſuch as are not Canonicall, that hauehave been forſted into the Bible, and are indeed but counterfeits. Who ſhall be iudge? the*Campian refuſeth the holy Ghoſt as Iudge. holy Ghoſt; for this very anſwere dotho1. Lib. Inst. cap. 7. Caluin giuegive, thereby to eſcape the iudgement of the Church, by whoſe authoritie all ſpirits are tried; why then do ſome of you cut off certaine bookes, and others of your crew, allow the ſame, ſeeing you all vaunt of the ſelf-ſame ſpirit? The Caeluiniſts ſpirit alloweth of ſix Epiſtles, which the Lutheran ſpirit doth d…ſallow, and yet both of you (as you ſay) hauehave the holie ſpirit. ThepXistus Sen. lib. 7. Anabaptiſts doe call the hiſtorie of Iob a fable interlaced with tragicall and Comicall meeters: how know they that? by the ſpirit that inſtructeth them.qPraefat. in Cant. Caſtalio, that lecherous varlet made no more account of that myſticall booke of Salomon, commonly called Cantica canticorum (which the Catholikes do as highly eſteeme as a Paradiſe of the ſoul, as that heauenly food Manna, which was laid vp and kept in the tabernacle, and as delicate dainties in Chriſt) then he did of a*This is falſoe for Caſtalio in his preface hath no ſuch word. baudie ſong, and ribaudous ta…be of a Courtly wayting mayd with her louer; where had he this? of the ſpirit? In the Apocalyps ofrEpist. ad Paul. S. Iohn, eueryevery little title whereof S. Hierome affirmeth to containe ſome high and notable myſterie; yet neuertheles, theſeſPraef. in Apoc. ſeuere Iudges, Luther, Brentius and Kemnitius find I know not what lacking ſhooting all at this marke, that the booke might be defaced, and be of no authoritie: whom did they aske? the ſpirit.*This is moſt falſe: reade the anſwere to it. Luther vponupon a prepoſtorous zeale caſteth a bone amongſt thegPraefat. in nouum Test. foure Euangeliſts, and preferring S. Paules Epiſtles farre before the three former Gospels, in the end concludeth, that the one only Gospell of S. Iohn is from henceforth to be taken, for the gay, for the true, and the principall Goſpell; as one that aſmuch as in him lay would gladly hauehave made the Apoſtles alſo partakers of his brawling in religious matters: who was his Tutor? the ſpirit. Beſides this, that peeuiſhuSer. de Phariſ & Publican. Fryer was ſo malapert, as to endeuor to make*This is falſe: for Luther neuer ſpake ſaucily of S. Luke. S. Lukes Gospell to be ſuspected to be written in a wanton ſtyle, becauſe therein good workes are often commended vntounto vsus: whom hath he conſulted with? the ſpirit. Theodorus Beza was ſo bold as to reprehend that myſticall word taken out of the 22. ChapterxLuc. C. 22. foreign. of S. Luke, Hic eſt Calix nouum Teſtamentum in ſanguine meo, qui (calix) pro vobis fundetur: This is the Cup of the new Teſtament in my blood, which (Cup) ſhall be ſh…dde for you: as very corrupt and euilly placed there; becauſe this ſentence cannot admit any interpretation, but of the*This is falſe: for by no meanes can he endure thi… expoſition. wine of the Cup changed into the very true blood of Chriſt: where learned he that? of the ſpirit. Finally, when eueryevery man committeth eueryevery thing to his priuate ſpirit, they belie the name of the holy Ghoſt moſt blasphemouſly. Do not theſe fellowes which deale thus, bewray themſelues, and ſhew what they are? are they not eaſily confuted? are they not in the aſſemblie of ſuch men, as you of both the Vniuerſities be, quickly perceiued, and ſoone repreſt: Ought I to feare disputations with theſe in defence of the Catholike faith, who with much falſhood hauehave handled the very word not of man, but of God himſelfe? Here I paſſe ouer ſuch things, as they hauehave depraued in their falſe tranſlations, though there be intolerable matters wherewith I may well charge them. I am very loath to take away any part of the matter, either from my old Colledge fellow Maſter Gregory Martin, a man of excellent great knowledge in the three tongues,yLatin Greeke and Hebrew. which will handle this matter farre more learnedly and copiouſly then I can; or from ſome others, which (as I vnderſtand) hauehave already vndertaken this matter. The matter that I now write of, is farre more heynous and horrible. There were lately diſcouered certaine pettie Doctors, that vponupon a drunken pange laid violent hands vponupon the diuine Scriptures, and hauehave condemned them, as corrupted, as maymed, as falſified, as craftily foiſted in, in ſundrie places; ſome parts thereof they hauehave corrected, ſome they hauehave raced, and ſome they hauehave quite pulled out. And laſtly they hauehave changed, as the fortreſſe of this authenticall writing of Gods owne hand, wherewith before it was fenced, vntounto certaine Lutherane ſpirits, as though it were into vaine bulwarkes of their owne imaginations, or into bare painted walles, leaſt peraduenture they ſhould hauehave bin mum for want of matter, when they ſhould ſtumble at ſuch places of Scripture, as are plaine againſt their hereſies. Of which neuertheleſſe, they could no ſooner ſhift their hands, then ſuppe vp hot coales or eate hard ſtones. Then this firſt reaſon ſeemed to me vrgent and iuſt, which when it had euidently laid before mine eyes, that the Aduerſaries ſide was but counterfeited and feeble, truely it incouraged me much, being both a Chriſtian, and alſo ſomewhat beaten in this kind of ſtudie, in defence of the euerlaſting Kings Charter, to encounter with the remnaunts of theſe diſcomfited enemies.