An Answer to Six Reasons of Thomas Pound, Part 7
¶Now to your Reaſons.
YOur firſt Reaſon is groūded vponupon a falſe principle: for you imagine our church to be without a Miniſterie, to teach and open the Scriptures, which is not ſo, yea rather your Préeſtes are mute, and not onelyonly that, but ye cloſe vp the booke of God, & will not let it be read, to make the Scriptures wholy mute, leaſt they might bewray your corruptions. But God be thanked, God hath opened the mouthes of many by the Scriptures, to witnes agaynſt your errors, and ſo iudge you by the ſame wordes, if you amend not.
Your ſecond Reaſon pretendeth that the Scripture is verie full of hard & déepe myſteries: ſurely I confeſſe that the Scripture hath his harde Miſteries and hard places, but hath it not alſo his eaſie familyar doctrines? Is there not meate for all Eſtates, Milke for babes, and ſtrong meate for good ſtomacks. But I dare be bolde to auouch, that it was Sathans policie, to robbe the people of the whole vſe of the Scriptures, vnderunder pretence of ambiguitie, as though the whole Scriptures were nothing elſe, but Rydles. As for the tryall of harde places, the learned hauehave ſet downe two excellent rules, which I meruaile you can reiect: the one is conference of Scripture with Scripture, the other is begging of wiſedome of God, who giueth it to the Babes & lyttle ones, and hydeth it from the wiſe in their owne conceyte, who ſtumble at playne places, not being dyrected by Gods ſpirite. But howſoeuer they labour to trie the ſpirites, or whatſoeuer knowledge they doo attaine, they leaue the ſuueraigntie of the iudgement to the word.
Your thyrde Reaſon, grounded on Saint Peters teſtimony▪ 2. Peter. 1. Erreth, in not conſidering what the Apoſtle meaneth, by priuate or not priuate, you ſéeme to place it in the multytude of perſonnes, that giuegive the interpretation: but the Apoſtle placeth it in the authoritie of the Author of the word. Therefore, one Prophete ſpeaking in the Lordes name, being truely ſent from the Lorde, is more to be beléeued, then the whole packe of Préeſtes, reſiſting of mallice, or ignorance, and they being many, are priuate, and one Prophete, being but one, is not priuate.
Secondly, you pretende that euerie man may interprete the Scriptures as he lyſteth, which is a falſe charge. But we deſyre them, and allowe them to reade the Scriptures, and to ſée whether thoſe thinges which we teache them, be ſo or no, according to the example of the faithfull. Acts. 17. And as they are commaunded by Chriſte, and the Apoſtle. 1. Iohn. 4.
In your fowrth Reaſon, whyle you went about to temper our pride, as you ſay, it ſéemeth you diſtēpered your own wits, in putting downe, ſo many things in ye name of vnwritten verities, which notwithſtāding are written: you aſke of the matter when I ſuppoſe ye meane ye termes, brought in by the Fathers to expreſſe the doctrine more plainlie. As the word Trinity, perſon, and other, to make plaine the doctrine againſt the Arrians. Héere you were foully ouerſéen. And you would make as beléeue, that the Church hath authoritie to poynt vsus new… Articles of faith, without warrant of ſcripture: ſhe was wont to challenge ſome liberty in Ceremonies, & indifferent things, but you giuegive her power in Articles of faith.
Your fift Reaſon ſtumbleth on the falſe principle, whereon you grounded your firſt Reaſon, where you iudge no gouernment to be in our Church, becauſe we giuegive the higheſt rule to the worde, & gouerne thereby, as by a moſt perfect lawe: after which no newe Parliament néede to be called, to adde or diminiſhe from it, but all men of all eſtates ought to put to theyr hands to ſée it executed and kept: for the which cauſe (if they at any tyme aſſemble) the worde written is theyr direction.
Againſt your ſixt Reaſon, I auouch that he that appealeth to the iudgement of the written worde, dooth yéelde a moſt waighty Reaſon, to ratifie the ſending of the holy Ghoſt to his Church, and that it is the ſpirite of trueth. For … the Apoſtles were ſo mightely endewed with the ſpirite, that they bothe taught, and left in writing, the whole Coūcels of God, enough to make the man of God perfect. &c: Then the Church that challengeth the promiſe of that ſpirite, wherewith they were endewed, muſt ſubſcribe to that trueth which they hauehave lefte written: for whatſoeuer is not agreeabl… thereto, commeth from an other ſpirit, oppoſing it ſelfe againſt the ſpirit of God, which is neuer contrarie to it ſelfe.
Thus I hauehave bréeflie layde down … which I could hauehave done more at large: but Ma…ſter Crowley hath giuen you matter enough, and yet more then eyther he or I can wryte, is ſet downe by Chemnicius and others, whoſe Treatiſes you might doo well, eyther to reade for your learning, or to impugne if you be able.
¶Your well wyller. H. T.
FINIS.
End of the text · Robert Crowley, An Answer to Six Reasons of Thomas Pound (1581)