A Short Sum of the Whole Catechism, Authorities
I Thought good to adde for the better confirmation of this confeſſion, the iudgement of the ancient and Godlye Fathers, concerning the authoritie of the holy ſcriptures, vponupon the which only they grounded their faith and religion, and by the ſame onelyonly confuted and condemned all contrarie doctrine and religion, in their time, as their writings do teſtifie to vsus. And next I laye downe the open and ſhameles blaſphemies of the late Papiſts ſpued out, and written in contempt of the holy ſcriptures, and praiſe of mens traditions aboue the word of God, the which traditions they reuerence equally with the Scriptures, as it ſhall appeare by their owne wordes.
The godly Fathers.
Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 8.
THe Apoſtles hauehave put in writing the things, that were to be the foundation and piller of our faith.
Idem Cap. 11.
The piller and groundworke of the Church, is the Goſpell, and the ſpirite of life.
Origenes, lib. 1. cap. 17. in Epiſt. ad Roman.
Out of the ſcriptures onelyonly our interpretations ſhould be taken.
Idem in prim. Hieremie.
Our iudgements and expoſitions hauehave no credite without the teſtimonie of the ſcriptures.
Idem Homil. 25. in Matth.
For confirmation of all thoſe wordes we ſpeake in our teaching, we ſhould firſt alleadge the iudgement of the Scripture, as a confirmation of that thing we declare vntounto you.
Ciprianus, de Baptiſmo Chriſti.
Out of the ſcriptures muſt come all rule of teaching.
Baſilius, epiſt.
8. The ſcripture is a perfect rule and line, and admitteth no addition.
Idem, ibidem.
Let vsus ſtand to the iudgement of the ſcripture, inſpired by God, & let the ſentence of truth be giuen to them, whoſe doctrine is agreeable to the heauenly oracles.
Cyrillus in Johan. lib.
12. All things, that our Lord did, are not written, but the Apoſtles wrote the things, they iudged to bee ſufficient for our maners and doctrine.
Baſilius, de vera Fide.
It is pride, to reiect any thing the Apoſtles hauehave written, or to adde any thing to their writings, & bring in things not written.
Theophilus, epiſt. 9. cap. vlt.
They that offer any thing, except the doctrine of the Apoſtles, they bring in ſlanders, hereſies, & diſſentions.
Ambroſius.
We iuſtly damne all newe things, which Chriſt did not teach, becauſe Chriſt is the waye to the faithfull.
Idem, primo officiorum.
Thinges that wée finde not in the ſcripture, we may vſe as wee pleaſe.
Hieronimus, Pſal.
86. Take heed what they ſay that were, and not that are now: for whatſoeuer thing is ſpoken without the doctrine of the Apoſtles, let it be put away, and hauehave no authoritie.
Idem in Aggaeum.
The worde is Gods ſworde wherewith all theſe things are cutte off, which without the teſtimonie and authoritie of the Scriptures men of their owne head do inuent and faine, as traditions of the Apoſtles.
Chriſoſtomus, opere imperfecto. Homil.
49. In no way can the true Church of Chriſt be knowne, but by the ſcriptures onelyonly.
Idem, in ſancto & adorando Spiritu.
If anye thing be obtruded without the Goſpell, vnderunder the title of the ſpirite, let vsus not beleeue it.
Idem, opere imperfecto, Homil.
49. Wee ſhould in no caſe giuegive credit to the Church, except they ſpeake and do the things, that are conſonant to the Scriptures.
Auguſtinus, de vnitate Eccleſiae, cap.
2. The Scripture doth ſhew Chriſt in the Church.
Idem in Iohan. tract.
96. When the Lord hath not reuealed theſe thinges, which of vsus can ſay: theſe, or theſe things are: and if any man will affirme this, or that to be, how doth he proue it?
Idem. de Paſtoribus cap.
14. I enquire at the voice of the Paſtour, to reade me it out of the Prophet, reade it out of the Pſalme, recite it out of the law, recite it out of the Goſpel, recite it out of the Apoſtle.
Ibidem, lib. 2. cap. 85. contraliteras Petiliani.
Whether we are Schiſmatikes, or ye, neither I, nor thou ſhall be iudge, but let Chriſt be demaunded, that he may ſhewe his owne Church.
Tertullianus, de praeſcriptione contra haereticos.
The Heretickes deny, that Chriſt and the Apoſtles reuealed all things to all, but ſome thing openly, ſome thing ſecretly.
Athanatius orat. 2. contra haereticos,
Doth teſtifie, that the Arrians glorted in reuelations and in the ſpirite without the word.
Auguſtinus, de natura & gratia.
61. I am bound to giuegive conſent, onelyonly to the canonicall Scriptures, without any excuſe.
Epiphanius. lib. 1. Haereſi.
38. Affirmeth, that Caiani an Heretike, ſaide, that they receaued their errours, by traditions without the Scriptures.
Irenaus, lib. 3. cap.
2. The Heretikes when they are rebuked by the Scriptures, they turne to the accuſation of the Scriptures, as if they were corrupt, or had not authoritie, and that they are ſpoken ſundrie waies, and that the truth cannot be found by them, if we want the traditions.
1. Leo, Epiſt. 83. ad Paleſt.
Ye are armed with the name of the Church, and therwith do fight againſt the Church.
Cyprianus, de ſimplicitate Prelatorum.
The diuell hath found a new deceit, that vnderunder the title of Chriſtian people, he may deceiue them that are not warie and heedfull.
Auguſtinus de ſermone Domini in monte.
The ſheepe ſhould not caſt away her ſkin, becauſe wolues and todes ſometimes hide them ſelues vnderunder it.
Papiſts acknowledge here your owne words, againſt the Scriptures, agreable to the olde heretikes your fathers.
THis was the doctrine of the Fathers, and Faith of the Church, for the ſpace of 500. yeares, after the aſsenſion of Chriſt. The which doctrine & faith, did piece by piece decaye, as the Romaine Antichriſt did growe to his high eſtimation, where through the true handling of the Scriptures was altogither neglected, and his traditions placed in their roome, & ſo the Pope with his creatures were placed aboue the Scriptures, to make Scriptures lawfull, or vnlawfull, & to be the onelyonly Iudge of all interpretations, & their ſentence to be without all errour, and ſo all men bound to it, without any contradictions, as the hiſtories of the Church do plainly declare, but chiefely the bloud of the Saintes of God ſhed for the defence of this doctrine of the Fathers againſt their errours.
Wherfore I deſire the diligent Reader, to marke theſe blaſphemies following, which the ſlaues of that peſtilent ſeate hauehave ſpued out againſt the ſcriptures of God, the Fathers iudgement, and the confeſsion of the primitine Church.
The ſecond Head, concerning the blaſphemies of the Papiſts, againſt the worde of God.
Cuſanus Cardinal Epiſt. 2. ad Bohemos.
THe ſcriptures muſt follow the church, and not the church the ſcriptures.
Idem. Ibidem.
I ſay, the precepts of Chriſt are of no ſtrength, except the church admitte them for ſuch.
Hoſius Cardinalis, de expreſſo verbo Dei.
It is vaine labour that is ſpent vpō the ſcriptures, we will rather waite for Gods ſentence out of heauen.
Idem, Ibidem.
What the Church doth teach, that is the expreſſe word of god, what is taught againſt the mind and conſent of it, is the expreſſe word of the Deuill.
Idem, Ibidem.
If a man hauehave the interpretation of the Church of Rome, albeit he ſeeth not how it agreeth, or diſagreeth with the text, this man hath the very expreſſe word of God.
Eckius, multis in locis,
The ſcripture is the blacke Goſpell, and diuinitie of Inck.
Herwaeus, de poteſtate Papae,
The Pope is the whole Church in power.
Uerractus,
The determination of the church is called the Goſpell.
Piggius, de caeleſti Hierarchia.
The Church hath power to giuegive to ſome Scriptures a canonicall authoritie, which they neither hauehave of them ſelues, nor yet of their authours.
Idem, Ibidem,
The ſcriptures are like a noſe of waxe, which may be turned in what ſhape and forme thou pleaſe to forme and drawe it.
Idem, Ibidem,
The Apoſtles wrote ſome thinges, not that theſe writings ſhould be ſuperiours to our faith, but rather that our faith ſhould be ſuperiour to them.
NOw let all men iudge, what ſpirite mooued theſe godleſſe writers, to blaſpheme the Scriptures of God ſo ſhamefully. But ſome will ſay, they were priuate men, and not the Pope: nor his Councell. I anſwere: They were gladly heard, authoriſed, and well rewarded by the Pope and his corrupted Synagogue. And Io. Hus, Hiero. de Praga, with ſundrie others of our brethren cruelly were perſecuted with fire and ſword, for ſpeaking againſt their blaſphemies.
It is true, the late Councell of Trent would appeare to iudge more reuerently of the Scriptures, when they hid their venom vnderunder ſome faire and generall termes. But which of them was offended when they heard the Biſhop of Poytiers in his exhortation call the Scriptures, a voyde & dumbe law, &c? And likewiſe, who accuſed the prophane Prieſt of Laterane, which in all their preſence, called the Scriptures dead Luk. &c?
Andradius writing in the defence of that prophane Councell, doth plainlye teſtifie, that they in their mindes did throughly agree with theſe blaſphemies, but yet durſt not ſpeake ſo plainly againſt the Scriptures, leaſt they ſhould hauehave prouoked the common people againſt them.
And therefore to bleare the eies of the people for a time, they ioyne the Scriptures and their vnwritten traditions togither in their Decrees.
But in the meane time, they arme and ſend out certaine vile ſlaues, and godleſſe runnegates to ſpeake and write againſt the written worde, who doe call it a dead Letter, obſcure, vncertaine, inſufficient, the occaſion of all hereſies, written without the commandement of Chriſt, and vnprofitable to the people laboring hereby to bring the conſciences of men from the worde of life to their diuelliſh traditions.
Let all men therefore that louelove the trueth of God, flee farre from this deceitfull and diuelliſh companie, which God in his wrath hath raiſed vp to blind this vnthankeful age, and to trie our faith and patience, vntounto the time of our full victory, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lorde. To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit, be all honour, praiſe, and Maieſty, for euer and euer. So be it.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Craig, A Short Sum of the Whole Catechism (1583)