Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 1
That the Scriptures, or written word, is onelyonly Gods Word, and not traditions. CHAP. 1
THE PROTESTANTS
The rule of faith & life.BEcauſe it is confeſſed of al, that gods worde muſt bee the rule and ſquare of our faith and life, of our religion and conuerſation: It is very meete, that firſt wee enquire, what is this word of God? And wee affirme,What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Teſtament, is the very true word of God. Firſt, bicauſe we are ſo often & earneſtly charged not to adde any thing to it, or to take any thing from it. Secondly, this is prooued by the practiſe of the godlie of all times. The Iewes moſt religiouſly kept the word written with great ſinceritie, and made it the Touchſtone to try their actions by, and by it, they reformed ſuch things as were amiſſe, in religion eſpecially. As in Iehoſaphat, Ezechias, Ioſias, and others it may appeare. Chriſt alſo and his Apoſtles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures: yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other goſpell thā that which before was promiſed by the Prophets. Rom. 1.2.And accounted them accurſed that ſhoulde preach any other. Gal. 1.6, 7, 8, 9.Laſtly, the Fathers of the purer times of the Church, did not only with open mouth ſubmit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures, but alſo they tried doubts, eſtabliſhed all trueths, and confuted all hereſies, onelyonly by this word written.
THE PAPISTS
B Ʋt the Church of ROME not ſuffering herſelf to be hemmed in within ſo narow liſts,Prou. 22.28. hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made, and faineth, that God (who hath hitherto had but one voice) now in our dayes ſhoulde ſpeake with two tongues.What is gods word in the Ro. church. For they make Gods word to conſist of two partes, namely, of the word written, which we cal the Scriptures, and vnwritten, which they call Traditions.Traditions. And the traditions (ſay they) were either deliuered by the Apostles themſelues to ſome ſpecial men, and therfore are called Apostolike, or elſe are ſet downe by the Church, and for that cauſe called Traditions of the Church.Traditions equall with the word. Now traditions are made equall, and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures, euen by the Councel of Trent,Seſ. 4. decre. 1 Preferred before the word. & the moſt modeſt Papiſts But there are others, who in their exceſſe of impietie, preferre the tr… ditions before the word written, and make them of greater force than it, as Pighius in his Eccleſiasticall hierarchie,Eccl. Hierar. lib. 1. cap. 4. Theſi. 9. In his preface. & Wolfgangus Screckius. Nay, in that he wil by traditions hauehave all doctrines tried he manifestly ſubiecteth the pure written woorde of God, to the prophane deuiſes of man.
BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building, let vsus ſee what grounds or foundations (for ſo Melchior Canus a learned Papiſt termeth them) they lay, of this their doctrine.
Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie, and Bellarmine in his controuerſies, lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 …of Gods worde d… written, and others alſo, ſet this downe as a moſt nece…rie principle, That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures. As in trueth the Church was more than two thouſand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes, and therefore Bellarmine inferreth, That the Scriptures are not ſimply neceſſary.
Anſwere. Firſt, this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuerſie among vsus. For they ſhoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde, ſo that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect. And to proue that, they tel vsus, that it was more than two thouſand yeeres before the woord was written. Which maketh nothing for them, vnleſſe they can ſhew vsus, that this word which is now written, is not that ſame that before was deliuered by tradition vntounto the fathers of that old world. For the queſtion betweene vsus and the Papiſts, is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word, whether it were deliuered by word or by writing: but of the matter, namely, whether Gods word be any thing elſe, than that is written in the old and new teſtament, which we deny, but they affirme it, becauſe the word was ſo long time vnwritten, & yet the church was not then without the word. So that becauſe the word was reuealed after an other manner, the Papiſts wil hauehave it another word. Whereas in trueth that ſame word that was from the beginning, Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written.is that verie word of God, that was ſo long after the beginning written for the Iewes, and is now deliuered vntounto vsus. Wee muſt therefore take heede that they deceiue vsus not by the double ſignification of the word Scripture, which ſometime expreſſeth the manner of deliuering the word, namely, by writing, and ſo we confeſſe, the ſcripture was not ſo ancient as the church by mo than two thouſand yeares, but ſometime the word Scripture ſignifieth the word it ſelfe which is deliuered vntounto vsus, as it is commonly now taken, and in this place muſt ſo be vnderſtoode. And ſo hath the word written beene from the beginning. That is to ſay, that the ſelfe ſame word, which God, by word of mouth (as we ſay) and by tradition did teach the patriarkes, hee afterwards did cauſe to be written, which word wee call the holy ſcriptures. And further alſo we muſt remember, that one manner of deliuering the word of God,Diuerſe maners of deliuering the word at diuerſe times. is fit for one time, and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time. As may appeare by that which hath beene ſaid, how that God hath in his infinite wiſedome ſeene it needefull, to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe, in an other ſort vnderunder the Lawe, and the Goſpell, although not in like meaſure in both theſe latter times. So that this argument cannot ſtand good: The ſcriptures hauehave not beene written in the firſt age amongſt the patriarkes, therefore they are not neceſſary now amongſt vsus in theſe dayes, to whom God hath by them reuealed his word. Which argument is ſtrongly confuted by Chryſoſtome that learned and ancient Father.In Matth. hom. 1. But to theſe men, who are (as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time) lucifugae ſcripturarum, De reſurrect. carnis.ſuch as ſhunne the light of the ſcriptures, and flee from it, I may ſay as the ſame Tertullian ſpeaketh in an other place,De preſcript. Beleeue without the Scriptures, that yee may alſo beleeue againſt the Scriptures. Let them ſeeke the deſert of their owne deuiſes, and follow the trod of their owne traditions, to finde out ſome couert for their ſuperſtitions, but let vsus content our ſelues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe, the Prophets, the Goſpel, and the Apoſtles which are the Scriptures, and not goe out of them, In Mich. li. 1as Saint Ierome ſpeaketh, For eueryevery word of God is pure, Prou. 30.5, 6hee is a ſhield to thoſe that truſt in him. Put nothing to his word, leſt he reprooue thee, and thou be found a liar.