Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 1 · Part 2
The second Chapter to proue that the scriptures be not easie, reciteth certaine harde and obscure places of the olde Testamente.Hesk.
The purpose of this Chapter, as of the next also,Fulk. is al together foolishe and vnreasonable, for who is so mad to denie, but that ther are diuerse places both in the old and newe Testament, which bee obscure and hard to be vnderstode, not onelyonly of the ignorant, but euen of the best learned, yet doeth it not therefore followe, because something is harde, therefore all is so: or because some places in the scripture are harde, therefore there is no profite in reading of all the rest. But let vsus see these places recited. First he nameth all the prophetes, the books of Iob, the book of Psalmes, the Preacher, & the song of Salomon, Al which books in his iudgement are so hard, as they cannot be vnderstoode without an interpreter. Wel, let vsus graunt great difficultie to be in these books, as in diuers other, is all time lost therfore that is spent in reading of them? The harder they be, the more diligently they are to be red, yt they may be vnderstood. The difficultie to good scholers will not dull but whe… …hei… desire to learne▪ to … to … to conferre to se…e … to find Cōcer…ing Genesis he alledgeth out of Hieronyme, the tradition of the vnbel…uing Iewes, that they might not read it before they were 30 yeres olde. But Hieronyme him self wold hauehave yong childrens tender tongs seasoned with sweet Psalmes▪ and exercised in studie of the scriptures and Prophets, which you M. Heskins professe to be so difficult. For he instructing Laeta … she should bring …p her daughter, saith▪ Adhuc tenera lingua, Psalmis dulcibus imbuatur. let her tong when it i… yet but tender be seasoned with sweete Psalmes, & when she groweth to yeares of discretion, Quaerant eam; &c. let them seeke her in the iourney of the worlde, among the flockes and companies of her kinsfolkes, but let them finde her no where else, but in the closet of the scriptures, asking counsell of the Prophets and Apostles of her spirituall marriage. But more agreeing with the title of this Chap. you alledge the 49. Chap. of Gene. & one speciall place of that Chapter, namely the blessing of Iuda. What if this Chapter be harde, and this place especially in the Chapter: is it therefore hard, which Moses writeth in the beginning of this booke. In the beginning God created Heauen and Earth. And shal all the profitable and necessarie doctrine of this booke be vnread for the difficultie of one Chapter?
In Exodus and Leuiticus, although many things require a ripe iudgement, yet are many thinges also very easie and plaine, and the same scripture also teacheth vsus, that all figures were referred to the patterne shewed in the mount, which is Christ. Exod. 25. Acts 7. Heb. 8. But these sayings offendeth M. Heskins, and seemeth to him to hauehave almost no reason in them, where God forbiddeth them to suffer their cattel to gender with a contrarie kinde, or sowe their fielde with mingled seede, Leuit. 19.or to weare a garment of linsiwoolsie. Which positiue lawes me thinkes do plainly teach, that God loueth purenesse, and abhorreth all vnholy mixtures. As likewise, those wordes Deut. 23 of sowing the vineyard with diuers seeds, and plowing with an oxe & an asse. The law Deut. 22. of leauing the old bird when a man taketh her yong out of the nest, was a good rudiment to teach them to abhor either couetousnes, or crueltie, or both. Which law, when the heathen men had by the light of nature, as appeareth in Phocylides, I maruell why it seemeth so straunge to M. Heskins, which would be taken both for a Christian and a Diuine. As for the moosling of the oxe, that treadeth the corne, is yet more plaine, when the Apostle doth gather a strong argument out of that place, from the lesse to the more, that God which would hauehave men to consider bruite beastes, with humanitie, would not hauehave the Ministers of his word neglected at their handes. But ô noble Diuine. Doth the high prouidence of God occupie it selfe in making ordinances for birds nestes? Yea M. Doctour, and in teaching birdes to make their nestes, and in feeding their young birds that cal on him, although these ordinances cōcerning birdes nestes, were not made for birds, but for men. Or doth the wisedome of God ioyne such rewardes of prosperitie and long life to such trifles? O M. Doctour, obedience before God, is better then sacrifice, though it be in neuer so small matters.
But Salomon in his Ecclesiastes pleaseth not M. Heskins, where he saith, that Where much wisedome is, there is also much trauell and disquietnesse &c: herevpon the vnlearned, he saith, might take occasion to contemne wisedome, and much more by that which followeth. cap. 2. If it happen to the foole as to the wiseman, what needeth me to labour any more for wisedome. And herevpon he sweareth, that he heard a man of worship grauitie, wisedome, godly life, competent learning, able to vnderstand, and exercised in the scriptures, earnestly say to him, that it was a naughtie booke. When Salomon doth so exceedingly not onelyonly in his other bookes, but also in that same booke, and place, set foorth the commendation of wisedome, it was a very spiderlike iuyce that your wise Gentleman (M. Doctour) gathered out of that booke, and such as no Bee would sucke out of so-sweete and wholesome flowers. As for The title Inci…ament vntounto vertue, that you suppose to appeare in the ballattes of Salomon, yea rather how vngodly and wanton they seeme to be, rather in the outward face teaching and prouoking wantonnesse, then godlinesse of life, Declareth how reuerently you iudge of the holie scripture And that offence you dreame off (belike not most chastly affected) is most easily auoyded: for what vnlearned man indued with common sense, reading in so many other places of the scriptures, all wantonnesse of life expressely forbidden, will not immediately conceiue, that this is some spirituall and mysticall louelove, which is set forth in these ballats, rather then lewd or wanton songes, prouoking to wickednesse? But then followeth the sonne of Syrach, With his vnseemely wordes describing the wickednesse of an harlot Cap. 62. Which an honest man would be ashamed to speake, and you ashamed to write, if they were not scripture. Like as one that goeth by the way, and is thirstie, so shall she open her mouth, and drinke of eueryevery next water that she may get. By eueryevery hedge shal she fit her downe, & open her quiner to eueryevery arrowe. Then what trifling, resting, and pastime you hauehave seene and heard vponupon the reading, and rehersall of this text, and what vnchast wordes hauehave fallen out vponupon the same. It appeareth you hauehave beene in good company, where you hauehave often heard such wholsome talke. But once againe you sweare, that This text being spoken in the presence of a good vertuous gentlewomā, the book turned & the place read, she exclamed & said, that if the scripture had such bawdie wordes, she would no more beleeue the scripture, for it was naught, with mo such like wordes. To passe ouer the blasphemous nicenes of this your Gentlewoman, and your iudgement of their goodnes and vertue, with their honestie, that troubled her with this place: I pray you maister Heskins, was it the darkenes of the place, that did so much offend her, or else because she thought it to be too plaine a description of suche a matter? You see therefore, or if you do not, all the worlde beside doeth, that while you seeke to bring the reading of scriptures into contempt and hatred, you forget your selfe so much, that you bring examples of one contrarie for another. Although if I may speake of mine experience, as well as you, I do very well remember, that I hearde a sober and chaste matron, of her owne accorde, not prouoked thereto by any meanes, but the only hearing the same place read, affirme, that it was a modest description of so vile manners as an harlot vseth.
To conclude this Chapter, you bring in a long testimonie of Origen. 10. lib. Strom. Who to defend his wicked allegorizing vponupon the scriptures, goeth about to proue by some examples and sentences, that the litteral sense is not profitable, but rather hurtfull. As the incest of Iuda, & the polygamie of the Patriarks, the dronkennesse of Noe, and such like, which are not commended in histories, but reproued. The sacrifices of Leuiticus he imagineth should prouoke men to idolatrie, but without all colour of reason. He addeth the iudgement of God against Babylon and her children in the Psalme. 136. and the iustice that Dauid doeth promise to execute against al the wicked of the land. Psalm. 101. to incourage men to cruelty and contention, but all in vaine: like as his purpose (for which he alledgeth them,) was wicked, namely to ouerthrowe the true and naturall sense of the scripture. But yet the same Origen is directly against maister Heskins, in that cause for which he is alledged, as appeareth plainely in Leuitici cap. 16. Hom. 9. An tu putas qui vix diebus fectis ad Ecclesiam venis, &c. Thinkest thou whiche scarcely commest to the Church vponupon the holy dayes, & giuest no heede to heare the wordes of God, nor takest any paines to fulfill his commandements, that the Lordes lot can come vppon thee? Yet we wish that after you hauehave heard these things you would take paines not only in the Church to heare the wordes of God, but also at home in your houses to be exercised, and to meditate in the Lawe of the Lorde day and night. Go your wayes now and boaste of Origens authoritie, that the scriptures are not to be read of all men, when in a publique Sermon he exhorteth all the people to the diligent reading of them, and sharply reproueth them for their negligence in this behalfe.