A Case for the Spectacles, Chapter 14
Concerning our adversaries their blasphemous exceptions against the Scripture; Spectacles, Chap. 14. à page 447. us{que} ad 463.
THough Catholikes hold for most certaine, that the Scripture is not the sole rule of faith, nor that out of it alone all controversies can be decided, as for example in particular, which bookes be Canonicall Scripture, which not: yet for most things now a dayes in controversie, many Catholikes have offered to trie the matter onelyonly by Scripture.
Though Catholikes ground many points upon tradition and practice of the Church: yet they ground others upon plaine and expresse authority of Scripture, from which, Protestants are faine to flie, running to this or that corner of I know not what figurative, or tropicall interpretation.
Though the Pope question not, much lesse condemne Scriptures of obscurity and insufficiency: yet his Apostles and Evangelists have left some things in writing, of which some are hard even by the judgment of Scripture it selfe, for so saith Saint Peter of the Epistle of Saint Paul, which saith he, the unlearned and unconstant doe abuse as they doe other Scriptures, to their owne perdition.
If any condemne the Scripture of insufficiency, it is St. John in saying, that all things are not written, and St. Paul in willing the Thessalonians to hold the traditions which they had learned, whether by speech or letter.
Whereas the Knight chargeth us with ranking the Bible in the first place of prohibited bookes: wee say it is false; for it is not in the Catalogue of such bookes: onelyonly in the rules which concernes the Index there is mentioned, how the free use of vulgar translations is not to be permitted; but for the Latine vulgar translation there is no manner of restraint, though if there had beene, we might very well have warranted it by the authority of St. Jerome, who did no way admit such free use even of the Latine Bibles.
It is no such crime to forbid the reading of Scripture to some sort of people, as may appeare by the testimony of this holy Father, who in the same place saith moreover, that the beginning of Genesis, and the beginning and end of Ezekiel were not to be read by the Iewes, till they came to thirties yeare of age.
A kinde of forbidding of reading the Scripture is no derogation, but a great commendation of it, for they are forbidden to be read out of reverence and honour due unto them, and in regard of the danger which may come by them, not of themselves, but in regard of the weakenesse of the Reader for want of necessary learning and humility.
For Cornelius Agrippa, it maketh no more matter what he saith, then what the Knight saith, for it is but aske my brother if I be a theefe.
Not to answer the places objected by the Knight, out of Lindan, Lessius, Turrian, and Pighius, I say in generall, that those things are spoken not of the Scripture, as it is in it selfe, that is, consisting of both words and meaning, but of bare words and letters only, which Haeretikes still do, and ever have abused, as the Devill himselfe did to our Saviour; and in this sense it is a wood of theeves.
Our Authors say no more then St. Jerome doth in effect; Marcion, Basilides, and other plagues of Haeretikes have not the Gospell of God,Comment. in 1. ad Gal. because they have not the Holy Ghost, without whom it becommeth the Gospell of man which is taught; nor let us thinke that the Gospell consisteth in the words of Scripture, but in the sense; not in the superficies or barke, but in the pith; not in the leaves of speech, but in the roote of reason: so that if the Knight will say any more of this matter, he must undertake the quarrell against St. Ierome.
Lessius in particular, whom the Knight most obraideth to us, is farre from saying that the Scripture is uncertaine in it selfe; that is, that the doctrine thereof is doubtfull, but onelyonly that our rule will be uncertaine, or rather wee uncertaine of the rule, because wee cannot know the Scripture by it selfe.
It is not all one to say that Scripture alone is no sufficient Rule, and to say it is imperfect. For although the Knight imagineth, that the All-sufficiencie, or containing of all things expressely, is a necessarie point of perfection, hee is deceived; for then would it follow, that the Gospell of Saint Matthew, Saint Marke, and other particular Bookes should be imperfect, and especially that of Saint John, wherein hee saith expressely, that all things are not written.
Were the Scripture perfect in the Knights sense, yet would it not then be a sufficient rule of Faith of it selfe alone; for it would still be a booke or writing, the very nature whereof, doth not suffer it to be the sole rule of Faith, or judge of Controversies; for a Iudge must be able to speake, to heare, and to answer, whereas, the nature of a Booke is, as it were, to leave it selfe to be read, and expounded by men.
No Catholike declineth the triall of Scripture, in regard of imperfection, but onelyonly in regard that it being a written Word; no Heretike can be convinced by it, as I shewed you even now out of Tertullian, who saith, It is lost labour to dispute with an Heretike out of Scripture.
Let any man by the effects, judge who reverence the Scripture most, Catholikes or Protestants: let him compare the labours of the one in translating and expounding Scriptures, with the labour of the other, and hee shall find the truth of this matter.
In admitting any triall with Protestants by Scriptures,De praescript. c. 15. Non esse admittendos haereticos ad ineundam de scripturis provocationem, quos fine scripturis probamus ad scripturas non pertinere. Vos qui estis? quando & unde venistis? quid in meo agitis non mei. Quo denique Marcion jure sylvam meas caedis. wee condescend more to their infirmitie than wee need, or they can of right challenge. For wee acknowledge that saying of Tertullian most true, that Heretikes are not to be admitted to the Scriptures, to whom the Scripture in no wise belongeth; who are you, when, and whence are you come? What do you in my ground, you that are not mine? By what right, ô Marcion, dost thou fell my wood? By what leave, ô Valentine, dost thou turne my fountaines? By what authoritie, ô Apelles, dost thou remove my bounds? &c. This is Tertullians discourse and words, where it is but changing the names of Marcion, Valentine, and Apelles, into Luther, Calvin, and Beza; and it will fit as well, as if it were made for them.
You must first shew your selves owners of the Land, before you can claime the writings and evidences belonging to it, and which make good the Title.
The Hammer.
VVHereas many other things argue, that our Adversaries maintaine a desperate cause: so especially their excepting against the holy Scriptures of God, and refusing to be tried by them in the points of difference betweene us and them. For what was the reason why the Manichees called in question the authoritie of the Gospell of Saint Matthew, Aug. l. 28. cont. Faust. cap. 2.and the Acts of the Apostles? Desperation; because by those writings they were convinced of blasphemous Errour.Irenaeus, l. 8. cap. 26. What was the reason why the Ebionites rejected all Saint Pauls Epistles? Desperation; because by them their heresie was most apparantly confuted.Iren. l. 3. c. 2. Cum ex scripturis arguuntur in accusationem convertuntur ipsarum scripturarum, quasi non recte habeant, nec sint ex authoritate nec possit ex iis inveniri veritas ab his, qui ignorunt traditionem. Tertul. praesc. advers. haret. What was the reason why the Gnosticks and Valentinians disparage the Scriptures, saying, that They were not of authoritie, and the truth could not be found out of them by those who were ignorant of Tradition? Desperation. What was the cause why Papias, and the Millenaries preferred word of mouth before Scriptures, and pretended foreign, unwritten tradition for many of their fables? Desperation. What was the reason why the Heretikes in Tertullians daies refused to examine their Doctrines by the touchstone of the Scriptures, saying, More things were required than the Apostles had left in writing, for that either the Apostles knew not all, or delivered not all to all. In like manner, wee can impu…e it to nothing else but diffidence, and distrust of their cause; that Lyndan, Turrian, Lessius, and Pighius speake so di…gracefully of holy Scriptures as they doe, terming them dead Characters; a dead and killing Letter, a shell without a kirnell, a leaden rule, a boot for any foot, a nose of wax, Sybils Prophesies, Sphinx his riddles, a wood of Thieves, a shop of Heretikes, imperfect, doubtfull, obscure, full of perplexities. If they should bestow the like scandalous Epithets upon the Kings Letters patents, or the Popes Buls or Briefes, they would bee soone put into the Inquisition, or brought into some Court of Judicature, and there have either their tongues or their eares cut, or their fore-heads branded: yet the Iesuit is so farre from condemning these blasphemous speeches in his fellow-Jesuits and Romanists, that hee deviseth excuses for them, and sowes figleaves together, to cover these their Pudenda: which I will plucke off one after another, in my answer to his particular exceptions against the Knight.
To the first. It is true, that some Roman writers of late have made an assay to prove some of their Popish doctrines out of Scripture: but with no better successe than Horantius had in undertaking to refute Calvin his Institutions, as appeareth by Pilkington his Parallels. If the Scriptures were so firme for our Adversaries, why are not they as firm for them? why doth the Iesuit in the fore-front of this Section, bid, as it were, defiance to them, professing in plaine termes, that The Scripture is not the sole rule of Faith; nor that out of it alone, all Controversies can be decided. Doubtlesse, any indifferent Reader will conceive, that the Scriptures make most for them who stand most for their authoritie, and perfection, as all the reformed Divines doe, not onelyonly affirming, but also confirming, that the Scripture is not only a most perfect, but the only infallible rule of faith:Ep. 112. Si divinarum Scripturarum earum scilicet quae in Ecclesiâ Canonicae nominantur, perspicuâ firmatur authoritate, sine ullâ dubitatione credendum est: aliis verò testibus vel testimoniis quibus aliquid credendum esse suadetur, tibi credere vel non credere liceat, quantum ei momenti ad faciendam fidem vel habere, vel non habere perpenderis. Ep. 97 Solis iis Scripturarum libris qui jam Canonici appellantur, didi…i hunc timorem honoremque deferre, ut nullum earum authorem scribendo aliquid errasse firmissimè credam. lib. de Nat. & Grat c. 61. Me in hujusmodi quorumlibet Scriptis hominum liberum, quia solis Canonicis debeo sine recusatione consensum, l. 11. c. 5. & Ep. 48. every article of divine faith must be grounded upon a certaine and infallible ground to us, but there is no certaine and infallible ground to us of supernaturall truth but Scripture, as is abundantly proved by Saint Austine; If any thing be confirmed by perspicuous authority of Canonicall Scriptures, we must without any doubt or haesitation beleeve it, but to other witnesses or testimonies, we may give credit as we see cause, and in his 97. Epistle to St. Ierome, I have learned to yeeld that honour and reverence onelyonly to the Canonicall Scriptures, that I most firmely beleeve, that no Author of them could erre in any thing he wrot: and in his booke de natura & gratia, I professe my selfe free in all such writings of men, because I owe absolute consent without any demurre or staggering onelyonly to the Canonicall bookes of Scripture. To the same purpose he writeth against Faustus the Manichee l. 11. c. 5. and ep. 48. But what neede I presse St. Austine when the evident letter of Scripture is for this truth, Titus, 1.2. Rom. 3.4. God cannot lie, and let God be true and every man a lier that is subject to error and falsehood. Againe, the Scriptures are sufficient to instruct us in all points necessary to salvation: therefore every article of divine faith is evidently grounded upon Scripture. The Antecedent I thus prove, 2 Tim. 3.15.16. whatsoever is profitable for doctrine, for reproofe, for correction, for instruction in righteousnesse, in such sort that it is able to make a man wise unto salvation, and perfect to every good worke, is sufficient to instruct in all points of salvation: but the Scripture is so profitable, that it is able to make wise unto salvation and perfect to every good worke: Ergo, It is sufficient to instruct in all points necessary to salvation. The major is evident ex terminis: the minor is the letter of the text;L. 3. Advers. haer. c. 1. Non per alios dispositionem salutis nostrae cognovimus quam per eos per quos evangelium ad nos pervenit, quod quidem tunc preconiaverunt, postea per Dei voluntatem nobis in Scripturis tradiderunt fundamentum & columnam fidei nostrae futuram. Aug. l. 3. cont. Lit. Petil. c. 6. Sive de Christo sive de ejus ecclesia, sive de quacunque re quae pertinet ad fidem vitam{que} nostram, non dic…m si nos, nequaquam comparandi ei quid dixit si nos, sed omnino quod seturus adjecit, si Angelus de Coelo vobis annunciaverit praeterquam quod in Scripturis Legatibus & Evangelicis accepistis, anathema sit. and that the adversary may not except that this is my collection onelyonly, I will produce to him impregnable testimonies of the ancient Fathers. Irenaeus, We have not knowne by others, the meanes which God hath appointed for our salvation, then by those by whom the Gospell came unto us, which at the first the Apostles preached by word of mouth, but afterwards by the will of God, delivered in writing to be the foundation and pillar of our faith. The second is Saint Austine, Whether concerning Christ, or concerning his Church, or concerning any thing that pertaineth to our faith and life, I will not say, if we but even as he going forward addeth, if an Angell from Heaven shall preach unto you any thing but what you have received in the Scriptures of the law and the Gospell, accursed be hee. Yea but the Iesuit objecteth against us and these Holy Fathers, that by the Scriptures we cannot prove, which bookes of Scripture are Canonicall, and which are not. I answere: first, our question here, is not of the principles of Divinity, but of Theologicall conclusions. Now that Scripture is the word of God, and that these bookes are Canonicall Scriptures, are principles in Divinity, and therefore not to be proved (according to the rule of the great Philosopher) in the same science: It is sufficient to make good our Tenet, that the Canonicall Scriptures being presupposed as principles, every conclusion de fide, may be deduced out of them. Secondly, that such bookes of Holy Scriptures are Canonicall, and the rest which are knowne by the name of Apochrypha, are not Canonicall, is proved by arguments and testimonies drawne out of Scripture it selfe, by Whitaker, Disputatione de sacrâ Scripturâ, controversiâ primâ; by Reynolds most copiously in his Censura librorum Apochryphorum. Thirdly, I retorte the Iesuits argument against himselfe, when they teach tradition is part of Gods word, how prove they it to be so? by Scripture, or Tradition? by Scripture they cannot prove, that unwritten traditions are Gods word: if they prove it by Tradition, then they begge the point in question, and prove idem per idem.
To the second. The Romanists ground some doctrines of their faith upon the letter of Scripture, but it is that letter which killeth, as for example; they ground their carnall presence of Christ in the Sacrament, upon those words in the sixt of St. Iohn; unlesse yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of God and drinke his blood, you have no life in you: which words, if you take according to the letter, this letter killeth, saith Origen; but it is the spirit saith our Saviour, that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words which I speake unto you, they are spirit, and they are life, Iohn, 6.63. He that pierceth the barke, and commeth to the sap, runneth not from the tree of life, but rather runneth to it: so doe we when we leave the barke of the letter upon necessary occasions, and pierce into the heart, and draw out the sap of the spirituall meaning. To presse the letter of Scripture against the spirituall meaning and analogie of faith, is not onelyonly Iewish but Haereticall. For example, The Anthropomorphites ground their haeresie upon plaine and expresse words of Scripture: from which to use the Iesuits owne words, All Orthodox Divines are faine to flie to figurative and tropicall interpretations.
To the third. First, Saint Peter saith not, foreign but foreign, not in which Epistles of St. Paul, but in which points and heads of doctrine many things are hard to be understood. Secondly, though some points be hard to be understood in themselves, or are obscurely set downe in Scripture, it followeth not from thence, that all things necessary to salvation are not plainely delivered therein. For, as before I proved out of Saint Austine and Saint Chrysostome, Among those things which are plainly delivered in Scriptures, all such points are found as containe faith and manners, all things that are necessarie are manifest. Thirdly, those things which are obscurely set downe in Saint Pauls Epistles, may be, and are elsewhere in holy Scriptures more perspicuously delivered. Lastly, Saint Peter saith not, that those things are hard to be understood simply, and to all men; but to the ignorant and unstable, who wrest all Scripture to their owne destruction. Among which number, the Iesuit must reckon himselfe and his associates, before they can fit this text to their purpose.
To the fourth. First, this passage out of Saint Iohn hath beene discussed before, and cleered; where I shewed, that it maketh nothing against, but strongly for the sufficiencie of Scripture, to instruct in all points necessarie to salvation. For, though all Christs speeches and actions are not registred by the Evangelist, yet as Saint Austine rightly inferreth out of the words following, (haec scripta sunt ut credatis & credentes vitam aeternam habeat is) electa sunt quae saluti credentium sufficerent: 2 Thess. 2.15.Such things were made choice of to be written, as might suffice for the salvation of all Beleevers. Ver. 2. And Paul as his manner was went unto them of Thessalonica, and three sabbath dayes reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.Neither is that text of Saint Paul any whit derogatorie to the perfection of Scriptures: for whatsoever hee meanes by Tradition (per Sermonem) taught by word of mouth, it is certaine out of the seventeenth of the Acts, that all Saint Pauls speech and discourse to the Thessaloinans, whereunto the words have reference were out of Scripture. Secondly, the words themselves, Tenete traditiones quas dedicistis sive per sermonem, sive per Epistolam; import not that the Apostle delivered divers things to them in writing by an Epistle, and without writing, by word of mouth: but that he preached to them, and taught them the Christian doctrine both wayes, by Letters, and by speech: and that they should have as much care of his writings, as of those things hee spake to them in presence. Thirdly, admit they were different things which hee spake to them, and which hee wrote: all that can be from thence inferred, is but this, that all points of saving Doctrine are not written in this Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians: which may be granted without any prejudice to our Tenet. For those things that are not written in that Epistle, might be, and undoubtedly are written in other of his Epistles, or other bookes of holy Scripture.
To the fift. Saint Ierome is not against the free use of Scripture in the vulgar tongue, for hee himselfe translated the Scriptures into the vulgar tongue of the Dalmatians; hee dedicates his Commentarie upon Scripture to Lay-persons, yea many of them to women: whom he exhorteth,Haec monilia in pectore, haec in auribus hereant. to account them as their chiefe casket of Iewels; let these Iewels hang upon your neckes, and in your eares, Epist. ad Demetriad: wherein hee much commendeth the Husbandmen about Bethlem, for being so perfect in Scriptures, that They had the Psalmes of David by heart, and sang them as they followed the Plow. Arator stivam tenens cantat Davidicum melos: he instructeth Laeta a religious Matron, how to bring up her daughter in the knowledge of the Scriptures, and what method to observe in the reading thereof, Pro gemmis & serico divinos codices amet, In fleed of silks and precious stones, let her handle the books of holy Scripture: let her first learne the Psalter, &c.discat primo Psalterium his se Canticis avoret, & in Proverbiis Salomonis erudiatur ad vitam. In Ecclesiaste consuescat quae mu…di sunt calcare. In Iob virtutis & patientiae exempla sectetur. Ad evangelia transeat nunquam ea positura de manibus, &c. Neither are the words you quote out of him, against the free use of the Scripture, but against the practise of some forward persons, who, Lapwing-like, offer to flye with a piece of the shell on their head, taking upon them to expound holy Scriptures to others, which they understand not themselves, and to teach that which they never learned, docent quod nunquam didicerunt.
To the sixt. This practise of the Iewes concludeth nothing at all, but that those passages of Scripture above mentioned are very difficult, and subject to misconstruction; and therefore require a discreet Reader of ripe yeares, and judgement. Whether this their practise be commendable or no, in restraining all before they arrive to thirty, from reading those passages of Scripture, I dispute not: but this is certaine, that even this custome of theirs which the Iesuit brings against us, makes for us; for they permitted all men before thirty, to reade all other chapters of holy Scriptures, and after thirty, these also.
To the seventh. The honour the Papists doe the Scriptures, in prohibiting them to be read, is like the favour she did her Paramour in the Poet, Quae prae amore exclusit foras, which out of pure love thrust him out of doores. The greatest honour wee can doe Gods holy Oracles, is diligently to reade them, attentively to heare them, humbly to obey them, and daily to search them, as the deeds and evidences of our salvation;Ioh. 5.39. according to the Precept of our blessed Saviour, Search the Scriptures, for in them yee thinke yee have eternall life, and they are they which testifie of mee. As for the Iesuits reason, drawne from the weaknesse of the Readers, it is very weake, and of no force at all.Psal. 19 7. Prov. 1.4. First, because the Scriptures were written to give knowledge to the simple, and wisedome to the unlearned. Secondly, because if this his reason were good, their Church should prohibit all other bookes as well as Scriptures, or rather much more than Scriptures, in regard there are errours in them, but none in Scriptures: and God hath promised a speciall blessing to those, who in obedience to his ordinance, diligently reade and study the holy Scriptures, which hee hath not to those that reade other books.
To the eight. This Proverb might most rightly have beene applied to the Iesuit in the former Section, when he, a Iesuit, produced Oliverius Manerius a Jesuit, against Henry Buxhorne, Deane of Tyelmond, then hee said in effect, Aske my brother Jesuit if I be a thiefe, or rather a slanderer. But it no way fitteth Cornelius Agrippa, and the Knight, the one being a zealous Protestant, the other a professed Papist, though discovering, and ingeniously confessing divers abuses in the Papacie. If hee were as the Iesuit sayes, a Magician, because hee wrote of Art-magicke; what were Pope Hildebrand and Sylvester, who not onelyonly studied, but also practised the black-Art, as Benocardinalis, Platina, and others write.
To the ninth. The Iesuit will not stand answering every one severally, because hee dare not keepe that station for feare of Gun-shot. For the answer hee giveth in generall, it is false and absurd, if not impious: false, because it is certaine, that those similitudes cannot be applied to the letter onelyonly, without the meaning; nor doe the Heretikes now a dayes, nor did the Devill himselfe alleage onelyonly the letter and syllables of Scripture, but the meaning also,2 Pet. 4.16. though perverting and wresting it to an evill end, and drawing false conclusions from it. Hee that calleth the Scriptures Sybils Prophecies blasphemously carpeth at the obscuritie of the meaning: and Pighius, who compared it to a nose of wax, impiously taxeth the diversitie of senses, and interpretations which the Scripture is subject unto in it selfe. Lastly, the Iesuit taketh himselfe by the nose, in saying, Heretikes in all Controversies run to the letter of the Scriptures, leaving the true sense, and spirituall meaning: for so doe the Romanists apparantly, namely, in the Controversie of Supremacie, Ecce duo gladii; Loe here two swords: therefore the Pope hath the temporall and spirituall Sword at command. Peter, rise up, kill and eate: therefore the Pope hath power to put Princes to death. In the question about the number of Sacraments, they alleage the letter of that text in the vulgar translation, Hoc est magnum Sacramentum, to prove marriage a Sacrament; whereas the Apostle in the same place saith, that hee speaketh not of corporall marriage of a man and his wife: but of the spirituall marriage of Christ and his Church. Likewise in the Controversie about the reall presence, they run to the letter, Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man, and drinke his blood: though Christ in the same place expounding himselfe, saith, The words which I have spoken unto you, are spirit and life: the like may be observed in other Controversies. For answer to all which texts, wee tell him out of Saint Ierome, whom himselfe quoteth in the next Paragraph; That the Gospell consisteth not in the words of Scripture, but in the sense: not in the superficies or barke, but in the pith: not in the leaves of speech, but in the root of reason.
To the tenth. How neere neighbours the Romanists are to Marcion, who denied, or by consequence, overthrew the truth of Christs humaine nature; as the Papists doe in the Sacrament, vailing him under the outside, or accidents of a round wafer; and what affinitie the Iesuit hath with the rest of the ancient Heretikes, the Knight shewed him before in his seventh Section: and if hee desire to know more of his pedegree from them, I referre him to an Appendix to Whitakers answer to Sanders his Demonstration, page 801. As for the aspersion of old Heresies, which hee casts upon us, they are washed away by Bishop Morton, and Doctor Field, in their Treatises of the Church, Ad notam sextam. But why hee denies that wee have the Spirit, arrogating it onelyonly to himselfe, I see no reason but the pride of his owne spirit, together with the malice of the evill spirit, who suggested unto him this uncharitable censure of us.
To the eleventh. The Scripture is a Light, Psal. 119. and the nature of a light is, first to discover it selfe, and then all things else: therefore Calvin to his fond question, how know you Scripture to be Scripture? answereth acutely by retortion, how know you the Sun to be the Sun? If hee say, by his bright lustre and beames; wee say the same of holy Scripture, that it is discerned by its owne light. Which, if the Papists see not, the fault ought not to be laid upon the Sun-beames, but upon their Owles eyes.
To the twelfth. That rule which needeth any thing to be added to it, is imperfect: but all Papists teach, that to the written Word unwritten Traditions must bee added to make a compleat and perfect rule of Faith: all Papists therefore teach, the Scripture alone to be an imperfect Rule. We on the contrary stand for the perfection of Scripture, and constantly and unanimously defend that not onelyonly the whole Scripture is perfect, but that every part also hath its owne perfection, but not the perfection of the whole. Because the eyes have not the perfection of the whole head; or the head, the perfection of the whole body; a man cannot conclude, that the eye, or the head is imperfect: no more can the Iesuit conclude that the Gospell of Saint Matthew, Saint Marke, or Saint Iohn are therefore imperfect, because they containe not in them all doctrines in particular necessary to salvation. It is sufficient that they together with the rest, perfectly instruct us in all points of faith: by themselves they perfectly informe us so farre as the Holy Ghost intendeth, that we should be informed by each of them in particular, and this is their perfection, that they have no defect in matter or forme, and that they concurre with the rest of the bookes of Scripture, to the maine end of the Holy Ghost in committing the word of God in writing, for the infallible and perfect instruction of the Church, and every faithfull soule in all Doctrines needfull to salvation.
To the thirteenth. Although many Protestants have written de Scripturâ judice, and they have warrant out of Scripture so to stile it; (the words which I have spoken they shall judge you) yet in propriety of speech, which especially ought to be used in stating questions, the Scripture is rather to be termed a rule and law, or sentence of the judge, then the judge himselfe: the supreame and infallible judge of all controversies, we teach to be the Holy Ghost, speaking to us out of Scriptures, and the subordinate or inferior Judge the consencient authority of the Catholique Church.
To the fourteenth. The Iesuit shewed no such thing, nor can shew out of Tertullian, De praescrip. advers. haeret. c. 17.who convinced the greater part of Haeretikes in his time by Scripture, as appeareth in his writings. In the place which the Iesuit quoteth, he hath no such words as he alleageth out of him: viz. that there is no good to be done with Haeretikes by Scriptures. He saith indeede in that place, that it was but in vaine to conferre with a certaine kinde of Haeretikes by Scriptures alone, quia ista haeresis non recipit quasdam Scripturas, et si recipit, non recipit integras et si aliquatenus integras praestat, &c. That is, This haeresie admits not of certaine Scriptures, or not intire, or if in some sort intire, it perverts them by divising divers interpretations. In which words he no way disparageth the holy Scriptures, or derogateth from their perfection: but discovereth the wicked practise of Haeretikes, and their evasions and tergiversations, when they are most evidently convinced by Scriptures. Will you say that if a Bedlam or willfull malefactor either by puffing out the Candle, or shutting his eyes, or looking another way, will not reade or see the evidence that is brought against him, that therfore the evidence is not able to convince him?
To the fifteenth. Though it were granted the Iesuit, that the Papists have written more upon the Scriptures then Protestants, it will not from thence follow, that they more reverence or honour the Scripture: sithence in their very Commentaries upon Scripture, they derrogate from the authority, sufficiency, and perfection of them, by refusing to referre all points of faith in controversie to their decision: by resolving their faith last of all not into them, but into the Church: by teaching, that they are obscure even in points necessary to salvation; and that unwritten Traditions are equally to be reverenced with them. Secondly, compare men with men, and oportunities with oportunities; it may easily be proved that the Protestants in their preaching, and writings upon Scripture, have beene farre more laborious then the Papists. Name me one Papist who Preached so often, and wrote so accurately upon the Holy Scriptures, as Calvin. I grant their bookes exceede in bulke and number, because they have a hundred to one, and they abound with leisure, and meanes, having many thousands maintained in their monasteries, who are not charged as our Divines are, with care of soules, and perpetuall labours in their Pastorall function.
To the sixteenth. If it were sufficient to bandy sentences without proofe, and words without reasons, how easily could we say, mutato nomine de te fabula narratur. It is but changing the names of Marcion, Valentine and Apelles, into Bellarmine Valentia and Lessius, or if you will, into Iohn Flood, and it will fit as well as if it were made for him. How proves he that Papists are in the Church, and Protestants out of it? He shall never prove but that we have as good title, and much better, to the Holy Scriptures, the deedes and evidences of our salvation then they.
To the seventeenth. Possession of a land, proveth not necessarily a right to the writings, and evidences belonging unto it. For possession may be got by violent usurpation, or intrusion; but on the contrary, the writings and evidences left by the disposer and bequeather of the land, being examined, will shew who hath the true title to the land, that is, the Church. By these deedes and evidences, we offer to be tried, but they refuse the triall, pretending I know not what nuncupatory will by word of mouth, and disparaging these writings, and evidences as uncertaine, ambiguus and unperfect, as the Knight hath made good against him in this Section.