☞ The fyrst chaptre touchynge bryefly, & as it were by the way, the aucthorytie of bysshopes to to make lawes. &c.

ALbeyt that the holye scrypture is perfecte Deut, 32. as all other the wor­kes of god are, good chrysten reader. Yet there be sundrye & dyuers thyn­ges therī, not set furth expressly and namelye, whiche euery chri­sten man is bounde to receyue, as trewe & necessary, beleuynge and obseruinge vnder the peyne of euerlastinge dāpnation, as it shalbe hereafter proued, not one lye by Gods worde, but also by certeyne generall coūcels. The auctoryte of y ^e catholyke church of chryst, and the auncyent doc­tours, expoūdyng the scripture. Wherby it shal appeare many­festlye [Page] howe they are deceyued that wyll byleue nothynge: that is not put forth manyfestlye in the scrypture, euer demaūdynge where that is foūde in the scry­pture: or how can ye proue it by the scrypture / which vngodlye doctrine was brought vp by the waldēses, Iohan wicleph Iohn̄ hulse, and Martyn Luther to no small decay of the fayth, and Chrystes holy religion: whiche euery good catholyke man both seeth, and also lamenteth verye greatelye. But once to begynne this treatyse / I wyll alledge some textes of the scrypture to proue that the holye apostles of Chryste lefte dyuers thynges in chrystes churche to be beleued, & kepte / of the which the scripture maketh no mency on at all: but they be aucthoryzed by traditiō [Page] and custome onely withoute the scrypture. Of the which places this shall be the fyrste of saynte Mathews the .xxiii. Chapiter. Then spake Iesꝰ vnto the mul­titude or assembly of people / & to his discyples. The scrybes & pharysees haue sytten vppon Moyses chayre, seate: or benche. Therfore all that euer they byd you, obserue: & do, but do not af­ter theyr work es: for they say, & do not. Saynte Hylarye, which was aboue .xii. C: yeres past: ex­poūdynge the seconde psalme of y ^e sawter, vnderstādeth by these Quare fre­muerunt gentes. wordes that our sauyoure gaue cōmaūdement to the people and his disciples to obserue the tra­dicyons whiche the scrybes and pharyses shuld teach thē besyde the lawe of God wrytten. Hyla­ries wordes be these in latyne. [Page] Quāuis Moises veteris testamenti verba in literis condidisset, tamen se ꝑatim quedā ex occult is legis se­cretoria mysteria septuaginta seni­oribus, qui doctores deinceps ma­nerent, intimauerat. Cuius doctri­nae etiam dūs in euangeliis memi­nit, dicēs. Super cathedrā Moisi &c Doctrina ergo horū mansit in po­sterû, que ab ipso scriptore legis ac­cepta, in hoc seniorû & numero, et seruitio, cōseruata est. Which wor­des are this moch in englysshe. Though Moyses had writttē y ^e wordes of y ^e olde testamēt, yet he opened seuerally or apart vnto y ^e lxx. elders, which shuld remaine afterward doctours or techers, certayne more secrete mysteries of the hydde thīges of the lawe, of the which doctrine our lorde also made mention sayeng. The Scrybes and Pharyses haue [Page] sytten. &c. Wherfore theyr doc­trine hath remained afterward, or to the world to come, the whi­che beyng receyued of hym whi­che wrote the lawe: is kept both in this nombre & seruyce also of the preestes or elders. Hytherto saynt Hylarye whose wordes do declare sufficyentlye that those thynges / which were then prac­tysed: and had in vse among the faythfull / were not then nor are yet: all wrytten, but euen gyuen frō one to another as by hande, and so are comen to our tyine.

Moreouer saynt Clemēt saynte Paules cōpanyon in preaching Episc. i. A. the gospell, affyrineth that saint Peter the Apostle did teach that men ought to obey the bysshops cōmaūdemētes in all lefull thi­ges though they dyd other wyse lyue, bearynge in remēbraunce [Page] our Lordes precepte sayng. Do ye the thynges / which they saye or bydde you do, but do ye not as they do / for they saye: and do not, Also he sayeth. Our har­tes and bodyes muste be prepa­red vnto the holye obedience of godꝭ cōmaūdementes, & his by­shoppes and preachers / that we may escape the peyne of hel, and come to euerlastynge glorye.

These wordes saynte Clemente testifyeth that he learned of S. Peters mouthe, and shewed thē to saynte James the apostle.

Aboute the ende of that epystle wrytten to saynt James saynte Clement thus sayeth. Hec ergo praecepta nequis credat abs (que) sui pe­riculonegligenda, aut dissimulāda, quia iudicio del ignis aeterni cormē ta sustinebit, qui ecclesiastica decre­ta neglexerit. That is to saye in [Page] our speach Therfore let no man beleue that these cōmaūdeinētes are to be dyspysed, or dissembled without his peryll: because that he shall suffre by gods iudgmēt the paynes or tourmētes of fyre euerlastyng: which shall dispyse the churches decrees: or deter­miniations. Here we se that saint Clemēt affyrmed that he lerned of Saynte Peters owne mouth that the dispysers of y ^e churches ordinaūces shulde be dampned for euer therfore, and Marten luther folowyng other heretykꝭ beyng before his tyine / as Johā wycleph and Johan Husse, was not ashamed to teache that no inennes ordynaūce shuld bynde vs to the obseruynge therof v­pon arye suche payne, and that nothynge was necessarye to be done of vs, excepte it were com­maūded [Page] in the holy scrypture, Whether ought we to beleue of these two / Luther or saynt Cle­ment the apostles Paules cōpa­nyon in preachynge which lear­ned this lesson of saynt Peter? But nowe as touchyng the tert of saynt Mathewe / which is a­fore alledged. Luther and his scolers do vnderstande it onely of those thynges that are wrytē in the scrypture, & that in these thynges onely obedience ought to be gyuen vnto the minysters of the church, and not when they cōmaūde any thyng to be done / whiche is not conteyned in the holye scrypture. To that I an­swere that saynt Hylary: and S clemēt: yea saynt Peter, of whō S. Clement lerned y ^t that texte made for the obseruynge of the churches ordynaūce: dyd better [Page] perceyue what Christe our saui­our mente by those hys wordes, then Luther and hys disciples. Agayne I saye that the wordes immediatlye folowynge in that chapter wyll not suffre that let­ter to be vnderstande onelye of obedience to be giuen to the mi­nisters of the churche preaching goddes lawe. For anone after it foloweth thus. They bynde he­uy, and intollerable burthens, and lay them vpō mēnes shoul­ders. Which wordes do declare that our sauiour commaunded the people & his disciples to ob­serue & do those thīges, whych the scribes and pharisees dyd bynde, & lay vpon mēnes shoul­ders them selues, and not onely those thynges, whyche god hym selfe dyd bynde, and laye vpon Lib. 4. Ad­uersꝰ mar­tionem. mennes shoulders. Also Tertu­lyan [Page] vnderstandeth by those he­uye & intollerable burdēs, mens preceptes, & doctrynes, whiche they taught for theyr owne pro­fyte. Saynte Bernarde testyfy­eth Homili [...]. 66. in c [...]. the same sayenge vpon this texte of. S Mathew. The scry­bes and pharyses, &c. Qui non audierint eis tanquā episcopis, ino­bedientie reifuerunt, etia in ipsum dominū praecipiētē & dicentē Que dicunt, facite. That is to wyt. They whiche haue not obeyed thē as bysshops, haue bene gyl­tye of dysobedyēce, yea againste our lorde hym selfe cōmaūdyng and saynge. Do ye that thynge which they byd you do. Wherof it is manifeste y ^t the scrybes and pharyses: of whō Chryste spake there, though they were very yll men, had auctorite not onely to teach, & instruct the people with [Page] gods holy word, but to cōmaūd also thē to obserue, kepe: and do such thīges y ^t they shulde iudge necessary to edifye y ^e cōgregatiō of christyans, albeit they dyd a­buse y ^t theyr auctorite, of Chryst declared, when he sayed. They bynde heuye & intollerable bur­dēs / and Math. 23. lay thē vpō mens shul­ders. The holy doctour Chryso­stome after this maner doth vn­derstand Cap. 13. this texte of Mathew sayenge vpon these wordes of. s. Paul to the Hebrews obey your rulers, or thē that are cheyfe in offyce: & be ye subiecte to thē. If he that is in auctorite or a ruler be yll / shal we obey him? He an­swereth y ^u yf he be yl in any cause of the fayth, flye frō hym / and a­uoyde him, not onelye yf he be a Gala. 1. mā, but also yf he were an angel cōmīg frō heuē, because. s. Paul [Page] sayeth. If we, or an angell from heuen shuld preach vnto you o­therwise thē that whiche ye haue receyued, let him be seperate frō your cōpany. Also. s. Iohā sayth If any mā do come to you, and bryng not this doctrine, receyue him not. But yf y ^u do call hī wic­ked ī his desire & maners: or if he be called yll, or wycked in his desyre & maners, search not. I saye not this of my selfe but of the scrypture saynge. The scrybes & pharyses haue syttē vpō moises seate, or stole, do ye those thīges that they byd, but do not after theyr workꝭ. For they haue a dignyte or great auctoryte though they be of an vnthryfty lyuyng. But neuertheles loke not vpon theyr maners / but to theyr ser­mons or saynges. Hytherto. s. chrysostome declarynge that yll [Page] bysshops ought to be obeyed in theyr leful cōmaūdemētes, with out regarde had vnto theyre yll lyfe. Is it not as conuenyent, & more, that the people obey theyr bysshops cōmaūdemētꝭ, decrees de [...]minatiōs, & ordināces beyng good and lefull, accordynge, the auctorytie and power giuen thē to edifye, and not to stroye as, s. Paule affyrmethe, then that ser­uauntes [...]. Corin. 13. shuld obey, and fulfyll theyr maysters byddynges in al thynges pertaynynge to theyre offyce, and that chyldren shulde obeye theyr fathers & mothers, synce the bisshops are maysters & parētes of the soule, and these other of the bodye, and is ther­fore as moch dyfferēce betwene those kyndes of maysters and parētes, as is betwene the soule and the bodye? And doth not [Page] Saynte Paule commaunde the seruauntes to obeye theyr may­sters per oīa hollye or in euerye theyr honest & lawfull bydyngꝭ, Eccle. 5. Ephe. 6. Ti. [...] P [...]. and lykewise the sonnes to obey theyr fathers in all theyr cōmaū demētes in domino in our lord? This may not be vnderstand of those thynges onely which god expresly cōmaundeth to be done in the scrypture. Fyrste because Paule sayeth per oīa through al thynges, not onely yf they com­maunde those thynges that the scrypture wylleth to be done.

Secondly because that as tou­chynge thynges set forth by the scrypture the mayster is as well bounde to obeye his seruaunte, as the seruaūte the maister, and the father the sōne, as cōtrarily, not for as moche as they bydde August a [...] casulan [...] that to be obeyed and done, but [Page] because god doth cōmaunde it. Thyrdly who doubtethe that yf the mayster cōmaunde his ser­uaūt to do any thyng appertey­nynge to his duyte, and in lyke maner the father the sonne, but he synneth disobeyng it, though it be a thynge indifferente of it selfe, and not cōmaunded in the scrypture namely? Moreouer cōmaundethe not saynte Paule that we shulde obey our kynges cōmaundementes, lawes, and ordynaūces, nō solū ꝓpter ir [...], sed etiā ꝓpter cōsciām. That is not onely to auoyd his worldly and temporall ponyshement, but al­so to escape gods vengeāce, and Roma. 13. eurrlastyng peynes: as Saynte Ambrose expoūdeth that letter? August. bo­nifacio. Saynte Austen [...]sayeth that he whiche disobeyeth Emperours and rulers cōmaūdemetes get­teth [Page] hym selfe therby greate po­nyshement. Therfore subiectes are bounde to obey and fulfyll the prynces lawes, whiche are not conteyned in godes lawe / beyng not agaynst it, as chrystē people be bounde to obey, & do that, which theyr bysshoppe byd deth theym to do beynge an ho­nest thyng, & making for the set­tynge forth eyther of the faythe, or els of good & vertuous lyuīg though gods lawe make no mē ­cyon therof, & saynt Iohās dys­cyple Ignatiꝰ sayeth. Dignū est et Epistola. 2. vos obedire episcopo vestro et in nullo ei cōtradicere. It is mete y ^t you also obey your byshop, and say against him in nothyng, For it is (sayeth he there) a terryble thyng to say cōtrarye vnto anye such. For a man doth not despise this visyble mā the bysshop, but [Page] he cōtemneth in him god inuisi­ble, which can not be dispysed of any, because he hathe his ꝓmo­tyon not of any man, but of god For god saith vnto Samuel of his dyspysers. They haue not despysed the but me. And Moy­ses sayed vnto the people grut­chynge agaynste hym. For you haue not murmured against me but agaynst the lord God. Hy­therto saint Ignatiꝰ S. Iohan the euangelystes scoler hath set forthe the obedience due vnto a bysshop, whose godly catholyke doctrine ought rather to be be­leued, obeyed, and folowed then Luthers vngodly and erroneus teaching, which is cleane cōtra­ry to it. Hytherto I haue entreated of y ^e auctoryte of byshops in making of lawes & ordynaūces, which the people ought to obey [Page] I did not entend, whē I begāne to make thys treatise, to speake any thyng of byshoppes lawes, but onlye to declare that manye and diuers thinges are to be be­leued, and kepte of vs christen people, which the holy scripture putteth not forth expresselye, by the which it might appeare ma­nifestly, howe vngodly a thinge it is to beleue vtterly, nothynge not set forth playnly and name­lye in the scripture, and to aske where that is founde in goddes worde, or in the bible. Thys I saye was, and is my chiefe, and principall purpose, and therfore I wyll nowe set vpon it, lettyng passe other thynges not apper­teynynge to the same, most har­tely besechyuge the, gentle rea­der, of charitie to accepte and to take ī good worth this myne en­deuour, [Page] labour, & peynes taking onelye (as god well knoweth the searcher of my thoughtes) to a­uaunce, defend, and set forth the truth of our religion to goddes glorie, the honour of our moost dreade soueraygne lorde Kynge Edwarde the syxte, & to the edi­fiyng of this our coūtrey. That therby the ignoraunte maye be taught the truth, the faythful & catholike cōfirmed & made more stedfast in y ^e truth, & they y ^t haue wandered frō the truth of thyn­ges here publyshed & declared, may, (yf they wyl lerne the truth and lyst not styll to abyde in the falsitie to theyr vndoynge both in bodye and soule,) se here the truth openly proued, and there­by recule backe from theyr er­rours and retourne agayne to the embracynge of the truth, to [Page] the great honour of god, & theyr owne soules health. The whych to do yf I may perceyue but one onely man or woman it shall be vnto me a great comforte, glad­nes and ioye, and no lytle cause to thynke this my laboure well spente, thoughe it shal not con­tente and please euery body, no­ther perswade them, whych may be more easelye ouercome, then perswaded, as saynte Hierome maketh mētion that Lucifer cō ­fessed of hys felowes, and disci­ples saying. Vnum tibi confiteor, Lib. aduer­sus lucife­rianos. quia mores meorū apprime noui, facilius eos vinci posse, quā persua­deri. I confesse one thyng to the, for as moche as I knowe chefe­ly the conditions or maners of myne (disciples or scolers) that Suche are al heretike [...] cōmonly as sayeth saint Ch [...]i­sostom vpō Mathew. they maye be more easelye van­quyshed or ouercome then per­suaded [Page] or induced to beleue the truth. But ones to beginne this treatise, I wyll allege a few tex­tes of y ^e scripture, to proue that the holye scripture contayneth not manefestly and namely all the thynges whiche we are bounde to beleue, and to do also, and this in this next Chaptre nowe folowyng.

¶ The seconde Chapter cōtay­nyng in it certeyne places of the Verities vnwrytten. scripture, prouyng that Christe and hys apostles taught & lefte to the churche manye thynges wythout wrytynge, whyche we must both beleue stedfastly, and also fulfyll obedientlye, vnder peyne of damnation euer to en­dure.

OVre sauioure Christ sayed vnto hys apo­stles, I haue yet many thinges to say vnto you, but ye cā not nowe beare them. Whē that the Io. 16. spirite of truthe shall come, he shal teach you al truth, the .xvi. chapter of Iohans gospell. Do not these wordes of Christ shew opēly that he taught not his apostles before the commyng of the holy goost vpon Wytsonday al [Page] the truth, because they were not able before that tyme to beare & perceyue sundrye poyntes per­taynynge vnto the truth of hys religion, which thynges the ho­ly spirite of the truth taught thē afterwarde, and they the church without any wryting, so that the same came frō them to other the faythful from tyme to tyme vn­wrytten, of the whiche the actes of the apostles do make mētion the .xv. chapter sayinge. Paule Act. 15. and Silas walked ouer Syria & Cicilia cōfirmynge the church Act. 16. and cōmaundynge them to kepe the preceptes of the Apostles & the elders. Also the .xvi. chapter we reade that whē saynt Paule & Tymothye had gone ouer the cities, they gaue to the people the determinations, or ordinaū ­ces to kepe, whiche were decreed [Page] of the Apostles and the elders / that were at Hierusalē. Suche ordinaunces are not wrytten in the scripture, but delyuered and taught the churche by mouth, & by the lyuely voice of the tea­chers, which is a strōger instru­mēt to teach both the fayth and good maners also, then is the wryters hande. For (as Quinti­lian sayeth truely. (Viua vox alit plenius, et vehemētius ac acrius af­ficit. That is to saye in englysh. The quycke voice fedeth more fully, and moueth affecion more Paulino de oībꝰ sa­cre scriptu­re libris. myghtely and sharpely. Wyth hym agreeth well saynt Hierom wrytyng thus. Habet nescio quid latentis energiae, viue vocis actus, in aures discipuli de authoris ore transfusa, fortius sonat. That is to saye. The dede of the lyuelye voyce hath, I can not tell what [Page] of a preuye strength, efficacye, or operation, & it powred oute frō the mouth of the maker or au­tour, into y ^e learners eares sou­neth more strongely. But nowe some wyll saye here to me that these decrees, ordinaunces, and determinations of the apostles, and the elders are now written, & set forth in the bible, as Bul­linger sayeth, with diuers other of that secte, but he sayth it one­ly wythout all probation, & that agaynst not onely al the holy, & olde wryters mindes, (with whō he can no better be resembled, & compared / eyther for learnynge or els for vertue, then wyth the swiftnesses of an hare the slowe­nes of a snale) but also against y ^e canōs, or boke of rules let forth by the holy apostles, for y ^e chur­ches erudition, and learnynge [Page] both in the fayth, and honest ly­uynge also, thoughe Bullynger be not ashamed to denye them vtterly, as vnworthy to be iud­ged wrytten by the apostles, in that poynt preferryng his owne opynyon, fantasye, and iudge­ment before saynt Damascenes, which was aboue. M. yeres be­fore Damas. lib, 4. ca. 19, The cenōs of the apo­stles do tōteyne many verities not written in the bible. fore Bullyngers dayes, and al­loweth them as a part of the ho­ly worde and scripture of God, sayinge that they were gathered together, and wrytten by saynte Clemente, whyche was conuer­saunt wyth the apostles, & ther­fore no man oughte to doubte, but he knew well that those ca­nons were made by them. In these canons are diuers thinges set forth whych the church now practyseth, and vseth necessary­lye for the honorynge of God, [Page] and the edifienge of the people, which are not wrytten in the bi­ble, as here after it shall appere at large, by gods grace. These In auten­titis. canons of the apostles were ac­cepted / regarded, and estemed as the holy apostles doinges of the emperour Iustiniā, y ^e which besyde the longe and constaunte opinion of Chrystes catholyke church, the syxt councel also dyd acknowlege to be sette forth by the apostles, whēthey were dou­ted Lap. 25. 40 43. muche of, whether they were the apostles, or not. Therfore Bullyngers iudgemente herein ought to be iudged erroneous, whyche is agaynst so many and so weyghtie wytnesses, whyche I haue nowe recited, and ther­fore those canons must be taken for the apostles doctrine, & tea­chyng by a lyuely voice, and the [Page] mouth onely wythout puttynge them into the bodye of the holye scripture, and we ought as well to beleue, and kepe thē as that whyche is conteyned expresselye in the scripture, for as muche as both of them two commeth from the holy goost, the authour of al truth, whych taught y ^e apostles all truth, accordynge to oure sa­uiours promes made vnto thē. Iohan. 16. But I wyll go forwarde to the rehearsall of other textes, which do proue that the holye apostles taught the churche, or the bele­uynge people then beyng, many and diuers thynges to beleue, & to obserue also onely by mouth wythout leauyng them behynde them in wryttynge. The whyche done men may be ashamed here­after to saye, that they wyll be­leue nothynge / not expressed in [Page] the holye scripture, when they dose the contrarye to that suffi­ciently proued by the scripture, & so amende theyr belefe in that poynt, lest they at the length re­pent it, when it shall not auayle them. The holy apostle saynte [...]. Cor. 2. Paule wryting to the Corinthi­ans, after he had spoken muche of the blessed sacramente of the aulter, conteynyng in it the very natural body, and bloode of our sauiour Iesu Christe, and not a signe of them onelye, as I haue declared of late in a boke sette forth of that same matter, thus streighte writethe concludynge that treatise, and finyshinge that eleuēth chaptre. Caetera aūt cū venero disponâ, that is, but I wyll set other thynges in an or­der, whē I shal come. The greke 1. Cor. 2. letter hathe. Ta de lipa, os an el­tho [Page] diataxomae. Whych may be thus turned into latine. Reliqua vero, cū venero, de cernā. But the thinges remayning, whē I shall come to you, I wyll ordeyne.

These wordes of saynte Paule do shewe manifestlye y ^t he wrote not to the Corīthians the hole maner, & fourme of receyuynge the blessed sacrament of the aul­ter, but lefte some thynges vn­wrytten, whiche he taught them by mouth onelye wythout wry­tynge, when he cam to them, and was present wyth thē, and ther­fore thys texte doth proue that all thynges, whyche a christen man ought to beleue, and kepe, are not set forth in the holy scrip ture, but diuers thinges are co­men to vs by the holye apostle Paules tradition. That saynte Paule thus here mente the holy [Page] doctour saynt Austen sayinge to Ianuary. Epistola .cxix. By these Traditi [...] of the apo­stles per­teynyng to the masse and the blessed sa­crament o [...] the aulter. wordes of saynte Paule / I wyll whē I shal come set other thyn­ges in an ordre, we may vnder­stande, that it was much that he shulde shewe in an epistle that hole ordre of doynge (in recey­uyng the sacramente of the aul­ter,) whyche the whole churche through the world kepeth / to be disposed of hym, that is varyed wyth no diuersitie of maners.

Do not these wordes of saynte Austayne shewe that after hys iudgement (whyche was almost in euery poynt of diuinitie most excellente of al doctours, whych wrote vpon the scripture) saynte Paule dyd not describe, and set forth the whole maner and ordre of receyuynge the sacramente of the aulter in that hys epystle, [Page] nor any other wrytyng, but one­lye by mouth taughte it the Co­rinthians, Tertulian wrytyng to his wife speakyng of a womā maried to a heithen mā sayeth of receyuyng the sacra­mēt of the aulter be­fore other meates fa­styng. Non sciet mari­tꝰ, quid āte oēm cibum gustes? Et­s [...] scierit, non panē illū credit esse, qui di­citur. whiche nowe remay­neth in Christes church as come from hym by tradition. Wyth the whyche agreeth ryghte well that the whyche saynt Austayne writteth in that same epistle say­ing. Though oure lorde Iesus Christe gaue hys blessed bodye & bloude vnto hys apostles af­ter supper, yet the whole church may not be blamed, that the ho­ly sacramēt is euer takē of men yet being fasting. Ex hoc enī pla­cuit spūi sctō, vt ī honorē tātisacra mēti ī os xp̄iani priꝰ corpꝰ domini­cū ītraret, quā exteri, vel ceteri cibi. Nā ideo per vniuersū orbē mos iste seruatur. Thus it is in englyshe For after this tyme (of Christes maundy) it pleased y ^e holy goost, that to the honour of so great a sacramente oure Lordes bodye [Page] shulde entre into a christē mans mouth before outwarde or other meates. For therfore thys cu­stome is kepte through y ^e whole worlde. In these wordes, good christen reader / there are two thynges speciallye to be noted, the one is that saynte Austayne (a manne of suche deape know­ledge in goddes worde as none hathe bene synce the Apostles time) affirmed that it pleased the holye goost the spirite of truthe, that we chrysten people shulde receyue the bodye of Chryste in the sacramente of the aulter be­fore we eate any other meate, & so fastinge. The which thyng is not expressed in the holye scrip­ture, but rather the contrary, for as moch as in it we find y ^t Christ gaue his bodye to his discyples after supper was done, whē they Math. 26. [Page] had eaten the paschal lambe, & so this custome came in to christes church by the tradition of the a­postles, whome the holye gooste taught not this poynt onely for the edifyeng of chrystes church, but all other truthes necessarye therunto, accordyngly as chryst had promysed theym before his deathe. Iohan the euangeliste wytnessynge it in his Gospell playnly, Is not euen this one thynge touchyng the receyuyng of our hosle fastynge, taught by the holy goost without puttyng it in the scrypture, ynoughe and sufficyēt to make vs to beleue y ^t al truth necessarye to be knowē, beleued, and obserued is not ex­pressed ī the scripture, & to leaue vngodlye to aske where that or this thynge is set forth in goddꝭ worde, snpposynge that excepte Iohan. 16. [Page] it can be proued by plaine scrip­ture, we shuld neuer beleue it as truth: nor kepe it as profytable. The seconde poynte worthye to be marked in. S. Austens wor­des aboue recited is y ^t he saieth, it pleased the holy goost that to the honour of so greate a sacra­ment the bodye of our lorde Ie­su Chryste shulde entre in to a chrysten mans mouth before o­ther As doth Luther. meates, whiche is agaynste them, which denye that the bles­sed sacramēt of the aulter shuld be honored of vs chrysten men. Agayne to saynt Austen, whiche thus wryteth in the same epystle Chryst gaue his bodye last after souper to his apostles that ther­by he myght cōmyt vnto theym more strongly the hyghnes of so greate a mysterye / and for that cause he wolde laste fyxe or fastē [Page] that thynge in the hartes, & me­morye of his dyscyples, frō whō he shulde departe to hys passyō Er ideo non precepit quo deinceps ordine sumeretur, vt apostolis, per qnos dispositurus erat ecclesias, ser­uaret hūc locum. That is to saye in englysshe, And therfore christ cōmaūded not after what order the sacrament shulde afterward be receyued, that he might kepe or reserue this place or rometh to hys apostles, by whome he shulde dyspose the churches: or companies of the faythfull peo­ple. Seest thou not here, chrystē reader, that christe dyd not com­maunde how and after what maner the sacrament of the aultare shulde be receiued of vs, that he myghte leaue y ^t to his disciples, whiche afterwarde taughte the churche the fourme, ordre, & ma­ner [Page] howe Chrystes blessed body shuld be receiued of chrystē peo­ple? Is then all truth set forthe in the scrypture, and nothynge by the apostles tradiciō? Where reade we in all the scrypture the maner & order in receyuyng this sacramēt, which ordre christ left to his discyples to make & pub­lysshe? To be shorte saynt Austē recytethe strehghte waye there, saynt paules wordes. Caetera, cū venero, ordinabo. I wyll order o­ther thinges, when I shal come, to proue that the apostles, of the which. s. Paule was one though not of the .xii. dyd set forthe the fassyon / ordre, and maner of re­ceyuynge chrystes blessed bodye in the sacrament. This custome and maner to receyue the bodye of Chryste fastynge was before saynte Austens dayes spoken of [Page] Socrates, whiche was one of y ^e thre, that made the historye cal­led Lib. 9. cap. 38. in latine tripertita historia.

For he thus wryteth. Aegiptii vero Alexandriae vicini; & thebai­dos habitatores, sabbato quidem collectas agunt, sed non sicut moris est, sacramenta percipiunt, nā post­quā fuerāt: epulari, et cibis oībus ad­impleti, circa vesperam, oblatione facta, cōmunicant. The englysshe may be this. The Egipcyans nygh or neyghbours to Alexan­dria, and the inhabytans of the­bays a coūtrey of Egipt gather collectyōs for y ^e pore: vpō the sa­terday, but they receyue not the sacramētes as the maner or cu­stome is, for after they haue ea­ten at feastes or banketes, and are fylled with all meates, they do take theyre hosle or ryghtes aboute the euentyde, when the [Page] sacrifyce of the masse is done. But to let this passe, who can denye but that it cometh by the a­postles tradicyon that chrysten people do receyue the sacramēt of the aulter onely of the preestꝭ as Tertulyan testyfyed with in C.lxxiii. after Chrystes passyon Tertulia­nꝰ de coro­na militis, sayeng. Eucharistiae sacramētū nec de aliorū quam praesidenti ī manu sumimꝰ. We do receiue (sāith he) the sacramēt of the alter of none other mens hande thē of theyrs; He mea­neth the preestes. that haue auctorytie or rule.

This he wrote entreatīg of tra­dicions; and customes obserued then without scrypture. Also it cometh by the apostles tradicyō without wrytynge that water is myxed with wyne in the chalyce when a preyst sayeth masse. For chryste him selfe toke (as saynte Damascene wytnesseth) the cup [Page] or chalyce mengled withe water and wyne / and gaue it to his a­postles sayng vnto thē, Drynke of this al. Where fynde we this truth, and thynge (that Chryste dyd) in the scrypture: Dyd not chryst teach his apostles to mē ­gle water and wyne together at masse, and they taught the chur­che the same by mouth withoute wrytynge? The blessed martyr S. Cypryā aboue. M. ccc. yeres hath testifyed that thynge thus wrytyng. But brother knowe Lib, 2. eps. 3 that we are admonyshed, that in offeryng the chalyce our lordes tradicyon be kepte, nother an o­ther thynge be done of vs, then that which our lorde dyd before vs. That the chalyce, whyche is offred to his remēbraunce, be offred myxed with wyne. When the water is myngled with the [Page] wyne in the chalyce, the people is ioyned to chryste as one with him, & the multitude of the beleuyng is coupled: & knyt to hī, in whome they haue beleued. The which couplynge, & conyoinyng together of water and wyne is so myxed in our lordes chalyce, that the water and wine so men­gled can not be seperate or disse­uered. Wherof the churche, that is the people set in the churche, faythfullye and stedfastlye con­tynuyng in that whiche it hathe beleued, nothynge can seperate from chryste, that it cleaue not & abyde alwaye in gods loue. In that same Epystle he wrytethe moch more largely of this tradityon, wherby water & wyne are myxed togyther at masse in the chalyce, and what it betokeneth, of the whiche I also haue spokē [Page] more plenteously in my boke of the sacrifyce of the masse, yet I wyl not let passe vntouched this blessed martyrs wordes wryten in his sermō of washyng of fete, where he declareth that Chryst dyd instytute the holy sacramēt of the aulter hī self, and that the apostles inspyred with the holy gooste, dyd adde therunto other dyuers thynges. For thus he sayeth. Ipse sūmus sacerdos sui est sacramēti institutor, et autor, ī cae­reris hoîes spūm sāctū habuere doctoré, & sicut par est spūi sācto et chricto diuinitas, ita in suis institutis aequa est autoritas, et potestas, nec minus rarū est, quod dictāte spū s [...] ­cto Alias [...] ­tum. apostoli tradiderunt, quam ꝙ ipse tradidit, et in sui cōmemora­tionem fieri praecepit. That is to say, The hyghest preest hym self was the ordeyner and the fyrste [Page] maker of hys sacramēt, in other thynges men had the holy goost a teacher, and lyke as the deite or godheade of Christe, and the holy goost are equal, euē so they haue equall auctoritie and po­wer in theyr ordinaunces, and that is as excellente, that the a­postles haue taughte or lefte by traditiōs as y ^t, which he taught, and commaunded to be done in hys remembraunce. These wor­des of saynte Cyprian do shewe that after hys mynde, (whyche was a man both excellently well learned, & vertuous also,) christ dyd institute, and fyrst make the holy sacramēt of the aulter, and the apostles taughte of the holy gooste ordeyned the other thyn­ges belongynge to the comelye and semely consecratynge of his bodye and bloude, and recey­uynge [Page] of it, whyche they lefte to the church of Christ vnwrytten, as it is already proued by saynt Austen. Finally Cyprian sayeth that the apostles traditiōs per­teynynge to thys sacrament are of lyke auctorite, power, and ex­cellency, as Christes owne ordi­naunces are, and therfore they muste nedes be shamefullye de­ceyued, whyche wyll beleue no­thynge excepte it be expressed playnlye in the scripture. Ano­ther traditiō of the apostles be­longyng to this holy sacrament is that the blessed body of Christ is kept, and reserued in the pyxe or boxe at churche, because that custome is & hath bene in Chri­stes churche kepte throughe all the worlde, where good christen men be, and therfore beinge not, as in dede it is not, ordeyned [Page] and inacted by anye councell, it muste nedes come by tradition from the churche after saynte Ianuatio epist. 118. Austens mynd. Of thys custome we reade in the historye of the churche compiled by the aunci­ent wyrter Eusebiꝰ, whyche re­cytynge Lib. 5. cap. 25. certen sentences out of Ireneꝰ the disciple of saint Po­lycarpe saynte Iohan the euan­gelistes scoler sayeth, that the bishop of Rome dyd vse to sende the blessed sacrament solemly to straunge catholyke by shoppes, which came thyther. Now shuld any such costome be so sone after Christes departynge, and the a­postles death, (of the whych S. Iohan the euangelist wrote. IX. yeres and aboue after Christes ascension, after the whiche tyme Ireneꝰ was within lesse then an hundred yeres) excepte the apo­stles [Page] had tanght the church that lesson? Of thys custome to re­serue the bodye of christe in the pyxe, saynte Nierom, and saynte Ambrose wrote, as I haue more largelye declared in my boke of Hiero Ru­stico. etam­brosiꝰ in ora funebri de obitu fratris su [...] satyri, the sacramēt of the aulter. Adde yet to these another tradition of the apostles belongynge vnto the masse, & sacramēte of the aulter, which is y ^t at masse the preest prayeth for the soules departed out of this worlde, which thyng the holy apostles dyd ordeyne to be done, as saynte Damascene Sermon [...] ꝓ de [...]tis. witnesseth saying. The apostles our sauiours disciples haue cō ­maunded or ordeyned, that a re­membraunce shulde be made of thē that were dead, in the dread­ful & lyuely sacramētes. Saynt Chrisostome also affirmeth in diuers places of hys bokes that [Page] the apostles ordeyned that the Ad anto [...]h. pop homi­lia. 69 et in priorē ad corinth, ho. 41. epipha. 3 3. Doinis. de eccle hie­rat. cap. 7. preestes at masse shulde pray for the deade. Epiphanius in lyke wise affirmeth that it is a tradi­tion receyued of the fathers to pray for the dead, & saynte Dio­nise saint Paules scholer testifi­eth that that custome came from y ^e apostles of christ by theyr tra­dition, whyche I haue declared sufficiently in y ^e later ende of my boke of the sacrifice of the masse the .xxx. leafe, & therfore I nede not agayne to reherse y ^e auctori­ties, whych are there set forth at large. It is therfore great fooly of men to deny y ^e holye, godly, & charitable tradition of the apo­stles. Dionise Paules disciple publisheth & putteth forth ma­ny & diuers other ceremonies, & vsages of the masse / whyche no doubt he levned of his maisters [Page] Paul, & Hierotheꝰ, & y ^e holy apo­stles, De eccle. Hierar. ca 3 parie 3. etc. W ^t the which he was often cōuersaūt, but I wyl not recyte thē at this tyme, intending to be shorte in this treatise. Nowe let vs se what yet S. Paule sayeth further for y ^e defence of traditi­ons. He wrytinge to y ^e Corinthi­ans 1 Corin 11. Arbitror a­postolicum esse, etsā nō scriptis tradetionibus inherere. Paulꝰ enī inquit, lau­do vos etc 1. cor 11 basi­liꝰ de spiri­tu sctō ca. 29 her in literas r [...] ­tulit. thus maketh for the furthe­raūce of my purpose in this boke I pray you brethrē, y ^t in al thyn­ges ye remēbre me, & kepe my cō maūdemētes, as I haue deliue­red thē vnto you. Besyde that y ^• paule speketh here of his cōmaū demētes, & not of christꝭ, & saieth he had deliuered, or taughte thē by traditiō vnto y ^e corinthians, which thiges do shew y ^e he spake of certē thiges, which he taught thē him selfe by mouth wythout writing, besides this I say, y ^e holye man Chrisostome thus wry­teth Chrisost. [Page] vpō this text for traditiōs Ergo sine litter is multa tradider at, quod alibi sepe meminit. Ther­fore he delyuered or taught ma­ny thinges without writing, the which thing he ofte remembreth els where. Thophilactus also vpon the same text thus sayeth. Liquet ex eis, cū Paulū, tū apostolos reliquos haudquaquā oī a mādasse, litteris precepta, que populis tradi­disset. It is euidente by these Paules wordes, y ^e partly Paul, & chefely the other apostlꝭ wrote not al the cōmaūdemētes, which they deliuered, or taught the people. Lo these two greate lerned mē, & aūcient good fathers iud­ged y ^e Paule & the other apostles wrote not al the cōmaūdemētes, which they gaue to the people, & Bullinger w ^e diuers other of luthers scholers affirme y ^e cōtrary [Page] w ^eout any good groūd, whether ꝑtie oughte we to beleue, y ^e yon­ger or y ^e elder? y ^e better in liuing or y ^e worse? y ^e better lerned, or the worse? But now to paule agayn which saieth to the philippiās. You oughte to beare in remem­braūce y ^e thinges, which ye haue perceiued, had & sene, & not those thīges onely, which were writtē to you, & to timothy he also saith 2. Timo. 2 Thou, my son timothy, be strōg in y ^e grace that is in christe Ie­su, & cōmit y ^e thīges, which thou hast harde of me by manye wyt­nesses, to faithful men, that shal be apt to teach also other. Who seeth not y ^e here Paule spake of traditiōs not writtē of him, but taught y ^e bishop timothy with­out wrytynge by mouth onely, whyche he so delyuered to other that shulde teach the churche of christe? These places aboue re­cyted [Page] out of s [...] Paule are playne agaynste them that denye tradycyons, and say that euery truth 2. thesso. 2. is expresly put forth in the scrip­ture, but yet this now folowing 2. pe. 1. oīs prophetia i. scripture sacre enara ratio, pro­pria inter­pretatione non fit. Nō enim volū ­tate etc. is most manifestlye agaynst thē, whiche is euen thus wrytten of Paule. Fratres state, et tenete tra­ditiones, quas didicistis, siue per sermonē, siue per epistolam nostram. That is to say. Brethren stande ye fast, and kepe the tradicyons, that ye haue learned, eyther by Luke. 24. apparuit illis sensō etc. our preachyng, or by our epystle Thoughe that this texte be so plain vpō our side, which do de­fende tradiciōs of the apostles, and Chrystes holy churche that it cā not be wrested to any other sence then that saynte Paule cō ­maunded the Thessaloniens, & all other chrystened people in & by theym to obserue not onelye [Page] his tradicions wrytten in his e­pystle, but also other not wrttē, but preached and taught theim without wrytyng by mouth one lye, yet Bullynger Luthers dis­cyple labourethe to wrythe it a­gaynst his nature vnto another meanynge, affyrmynge, but w ^e ­out any proufe, reason, or aucto­rytie If that Bullingers vnderstan­dynge were good. what dyfference shulde there be be­twene a sermon and e­pystle? Had S. Paules epystles no­thynge out of Moyses lawe, & the prophetes? How moch of thē hath the epystle to the ro­mās? How to the He­brews? and how the o­ther? It is therfore a very folysh e [...]asyon to expownde tradiciōs receyued by Paules sermon or spe­ch, doctrine of the gos­pel takē out of Moyses wrytynges and the ꝓ­phetes, and not tradici­ons vnwryten. De Bullin­ge [...]o recte dici potest illud flacci. Et nescire pudēs pra­ [...]: [...]discere ma [...]lt. well taken that Paule mēt by tradicions, which the Thessaloniens learned of hym by his worde or preachyng, thīges wryten in Moyses lawe and the prophetes, whiche afterwarde that he had preached them to the people, the holye euangelystes and apostles did wryte. But yet here I besech the, good reader, Bul­lyngers probacion y ^e Paule mēt nothyng els there to the Thessaloniens but onely hys sermons of y ^e gospell takē out of Moises [Page] lawe & the prophetes after wry­ten by the euangelystes, & other the apostles. For he (sayeth Bullynger) speakyng of his sermōs and preachīges before Agrippa doth wytnesse that he taught nothynge but that which Moyses and the Prophetes had taughte before. Is not this a learned ꝓ­batyon, good reader, Paule be­fore Agryppa sayed, he taughte nothynge ouer and aboue that whiche Moyses and the Pro­phetes had taughte before ergo by hys tradycyons, whiche the Thessaloniens learned of hym by his worde, or preachynge, he ment nothynge els but hys ser­mons made out of Moyses and the Prophetes, whiche the euā ­gelystes / and other the apostles afterward dyd put in wrytyng? Doth not he shewe by this rea­son [Page] his lytle reason, and lesse lernynge? What madde man wyll make thys argument, which is moch lyke vnto his. Paul sayd before Agryppa that he taught nothynge but that which Moi­ses lawe and the prophetes had, ergo he taught vtterly nothyng besyde the contentes of Moises lawe and the Prophetes? Are there no thīges wrytē in Pauls epystles which be not wryten in Moises law and the prophetes? Dothe the fyrste hys epystle to Hare [...] sunt arro­gantes, ac putant ꝙ possint sa­pere et lo­qui abstru­siꝰ quiddā (quam) alii, adorna [...] ver­bo [...] pug­nas C [...]ril Lib. 2. dialo gorū. the Eorinthyans especyally the vii. xi. the xii. &. xiiii. Chapiters of it, comprehende nothynge els but that which was wryten be­fore of Moises and the ꝓphetꝭ? Where do we rede in Moyses lawe the fourme of chosynge a bysshoppe or a preest, and a dea­con, & dyuers other thīges wry­ten [Page] by Paule to the bysshoppes Timothy and Tite? Paule said verely & truelye that he taughte nothynge before the Iewes but Moyses law and the prophetꝭ, which they had receiued as true doctrine, and by whiche he tra­uayled to induce them to beleue in Chryste, and to repente theyr yl life that they might be saued. But wylt thou gather, good re­der, therof that s. Paule taught to the faythfull people, whiche beleued in Christ and were chri­stened, nothynge vtterly besyde thynges conteyned in Moyses law and the Prophetes? Nay I suppose, excepte thou dote, Why then woldest thou gather theru­pon that Paules tradiciōs ler­ned by worde or preachynge of the Thessalonians, were taken out of Moyses law and the ho­ly [Page] prophetes? Agayne Bullyn­ger alledgeth s. Paules wordes Gala. 1. for that is vngodlye purpose, which are these. I make knowē to you brethren that the gospell, whiche I haue preached, is not after man. For I haue not receyued it of man, nor learned it of mā, but by the reuelation of Ie­su Chryste. But the reuelation of Iesu Chryst (sayeth Bullyn­ger wysely) dissenteth not from itselfe, but Mathewe. Marke Luke, and Iohan wrote of that same reuelatiō, wherfore it is necessary that saint Paule delyue­red withe a lyuely voyce in his sermons the same thynges whiche the euangelistes afterwarde dyd wryte, and in wrytynge left to the churche of Chryste, and therfore it is not necessary to vnderstande by the tradycyōs, whiche Paule sayed the Thessalo­nians [Page] had learned by his sermō or word, tradicions not wryten, hytherto bablynge Bullynger, vtterynge his shamefull blynd­nes & ignoraunce, I wyl not say his malyce conceyued agaynste the truth. For must not he be very blynde and ignoraunt in the scrypture, whiche wolde reason thus. Saynt Paule learned the gospell of Iesu chryst by reuelation, the euāgelistes wrote of & by the same reuelation, whiche dyssēteth not from it selfe. ergo it must neades folow that Paul taughte the Thessalonians no­thing by mouth, nor vnderstode any thynge els by his tradiciōs delyuered vnto thē by his word or preachynge, but onelye those thynges, which the euāgelistes dyd wryte? Dyd not the foure e­uāgelistes all wryte by one in­spiration [Page] and reuelation of Ie­su christ, and yet one of thē wrot [...] that, whiche another wrote not? Peter, Iames, Iohan, and Iu­das wrote al by one reuelatiō of Iesu christ and the holy gooste, whych neuer doth ne can dissent from it selfe, ergo they wrote all one thyng, & none of them wrote any thyng, whych y ^e other wrote not. Is thys a wyse argumente, beyng lyke Bullyngers? Ther­fore though saynte Paule recey­ued, and learned the gospell by christes reuelation, by whyche the .iiii. euāgelistes wrote theyr gospelles, yet that proueth not sufficiently that paule wrote no­thynge but y ^t whych they wrote, nor that he preached nothing by mouth onely wythout puttynge it in wrytynge afterwarde, but that alonely, whyche was wryt­ten [Page] in the euangelistes. But let­tynge thys passe, let vs se what saynt Chrysostom and other say vpon the text of saynt Paule a­boue recyted, that therby it may euidently appeare that Bullin­ger & other of that secte do mysse construe and vnderstande that sayed letter for the mayntenaūce of theyr deuelish heresie against traditions. Saynt Damascene thus wrytteth. Quod autem plu­rima Lib 4. ca. 17 sancti apostoli tradiderint si­ne scripto, scribit Paulꝰ gentium a­postolꝰ. Ergo fratres state, et tenete traditiones nostras, quas edocti es­tis, siue per sermonem, siue per epi­stolā nostrā. That is thus muche to saye in oure tonge. But that the holy apostles taughte verye many thinges without writing, Paule the apostle of the gentles wryteth sayinge. Therfore bre­thren [Page] stande ye fast, and kepe ye our etraditions, whyche ye are taught, eyther by oure worde or sermō, or els by our epistle. Thā he allegeth for that purpose this text of saynt paule I prayse you brethren, because in all thynges ye remembre me, and ye do kepe the traditiōs, as I haue taught you them. Chrisostome also hol­deth 1. cor. 11. wyth the same thynge wry­tynge vpon that texte of saynte paule to the thessalonians with these few wordes. Hīc patet quod non omnia per epistolam tradide­rīt, sed multa etiam sine literis. Ea­dem vero fide digna sunt tam illa quam ista. Ita (que) traditionem eccle­sie fide dignam putamus. Traditio est, nihil quaeras amplius. The en­glysh may be thys. From thence it is open, that the apostles dyd not teach all thynges by an epi­stle, [Page] but also many thinges with our wrytynge. But as wel those as these are worthy y ^e same fayth or credence. Therfore we thynke the churches tradition worthye to be beleued. It is a tradition, serch or demaūde nothyng more ouer. What could ye haue writ­ten Marke this wel re­drr. more playnly against the lu­therans, and all the hole rable­ment of them, that denye tradi­tions, and defende that nothing oughte to be beleued but y ^e one­ly, whych is put forth manifest­ly in scrpture? Truely he is not wel aduised, nor godly disposed, that wil not rather gyue credēce to this auncient godly wel lear­ned doctoure then to the luthe­rans, wryters of late, vngodlye and vnlearned. Theophilactus also vpon thys same paules text Basyll cō ­fyrmeth this sayengArbitror a­postolicum esse: etiā nō scriptis traditionibꝰ inherere paulꝰ enim inquit lau­do vos ꝙ mea omnia meministis & quē admo dum tradi­di vobis, traditiones obtinetis, quas acce­pistis siue per sermo­nem siue per epistolā de spiritu s. capi. 29. That is, I do iudge it perteyning to the apo­stles doctrin to cleaue vn to traditi­ons, yea not wryttē. For paule sayeth [...] prayse you that ye haue remē bred al my lessons, & kepte styll the traditi­ons that ye haue re­ceyued ey­ther by speache or an epistle, as I haue delyuered them vnto you, sheweth hym selfe to holde wyth [Page] the doctrine of traditions, say­ing thus. Hic sane perspicuum est plera (que) paulum sine scriptis ser mo­ne duntaxat, hoc est, viua voce, non epistolis solum, his tradidisse. Non enim secus illa at (que) haec fide digna sunt. Ita (que) et ecclesie traditionem dignam existimemus, cui prestan­da sit fides, vt si quid ab ea sit tradi­tum, nihil vltra perquiras. The which wordes may be thus tur­ned in to englyshe. Therof it is verily playne that paule taught them manye thynges by speache onely that is with a liuely voice wythout wrytynge, not onely by epistles. For those are no other wyse worthye of credence then these. Wherfore let vs iudge the churches tradition mete or wor­thy, to whom credence muste be gyuen, so that yf any thynge be taught or deliuered of y ^e church, [Page] thou searche nothynge further. Hitherto Theophilactus. The greake scolies or short expositi­ons set forth vpon thys place of saynte paule do expowne it as saynte Damascene, chrysostom, and Theophilactus do, whose wordes are these into latine, trā ­slated. Eteni et scripta, et nō scrip­ta precepta tradiderunt apostoli, et vtra (que) obseruatione digna. Igitur et ecclesiae quo (que) et non scripta tradi­tio obseruanda est. Thus it is in our speach, because the apostles dyd deliuer, or teach cōmaunde­mentes both wrytten, and also vnwrytten / and both two wor­thy to be obserued, therfore the churches also tradition, yea not wrytten muste be kepte. Are not all these wytnesses sufficient to stoppe theyr mouthes whych do bable without all reason & good [Page] learnynge agaynste traditions? Saynt Basil, whych was nygh Basiliꝰ de spiritu sctō ca 29. twelfe hundred yeres paste, and an excellēt clerke thus writteth. Arbitror autem apostolicū esse etiā 1. Cor. 11. non scrrptis traditionibꝰ inhaerere. Laudo, inquit paulus, vos quod per oīa mei memores estis, et quemad­modū tradidi, vos traditiones obti­netis, 2. Teffa. 2. quas acceptistis siue per epi­stolā, siue per sermonem. That is to say in english. But I iudge it apostolike or perteyninge vnto an apostles doctine to cleaue or sticke to traditiōs also not writ­ten. I prayse you (sayeth paule) that through al thinges ye remē bre me, and do reteyne styll the traditions, as I taughte you, whiche ye receyued eyther by an epistle, or by speach. Seest thou not here, chrystē reader, that S. Basyll affyrmeth not onely that [Page] we ought to stycke fast vnto tra­ditions not written, but he sayth it belōgeth vnto the apostles teachinge, and allegeth two tex­tes of saynte Paule to proue the same? Wherfore I beseche the shulde not we rather giue fayth and credence vnto this holy and greate clerke saynte basyll then to Luther or anye of hys scole? Let this, that is nowe alreadye sayed, & that whych shall be sayd hereafter be to the (gentell rea­der) whych hast any regarde vn­to thy soules health, sufficiente vtterly to abhorre, deteste, and forsake thys pestilente erroure, set vp against traditions, of the whyche manye are verye neces­sarye for the maynteynannce, and encrease of Chrystes religi­on, & mans saluation, as it shall hereafter appeare more at large [Page] by goddꝭ helpe and grace. But now I wyl go to the rehersall of a multitude of thīges obserued and beleued of christen natyons through y ^e hole world, which are bothe necessarye to be beleued, & kepte also, & yet they be not ex­pressly set forth ī y ^e scrypture, but are onely come ī to the church of chryst our blessed sauiour by traditiō of the holy apostles inspi­red & styrred of y ^e spirite of truth to ordeyne thē, & to deliuer them vnto the church by mouth with out wrytyng, which as euer sēce theyr tyme haue bene amōge all catholyke people beleued, & ob­serued, euen so shall they be vntyll the worldes ende, thoughe manye do barke neuer so moche agaynst thē, as they do agaynst dyuers other truthes expres­sed in the scrypture.

¶ The thyrde chaptre compre­hendynge A numbre of traditi­ons, that came from the apo­stles in to the churche of christe without wrytynge by mouth onely. the nombre of tra­dicions commynge from the apostles to vs w ^tout writing.

IN the last Chaptre, good reader, I tou­ched bryefly, and by the waye, as we are wonte to saye, foure tradicyōs pertaynyng vnto the sacrament of the aulter, that is to say. Water to be myxed with wyne in y ^e chalyce at masse, whi­che our sauyoure hym selfe dyd, as saynt Cypryan sayth, of whō his apostles taughte the same, lefte it without wrytynge to the church. The seconde to receyue the sacramēt fasting. The third to kepe the sacrament in the pixe or boxe in the tēple. The fourth is to pray for the deade at masse, [Page] which thīge the apostles taught the churche, as I haue proued in my boke of the sacrifice of the masse. Now let vs se what other tradicions there be, whiche are vnwrytten in the scrypture and yet necessary to be beleued, kept, and obserued of all chrysten people, and fyrst of all I wyll recite certayne tradycyons appertey­nyng vnto baptisme, of the whi­che the chyefe is that infantes, or babes that cā not yet speake, are chrystened whē they can not beleue, and baptysme auaylethe thē through the churches fayth to the obtaynynge of remyssyon of originall synne, and the get­tyng of heuen. What scrypture proueth this truth? Is not the scripture rather agaynst it then with it? Do not the heretyckes called in greke anabaptiste, be­cause [Page] they chrysten men agayne, whē they can beleue, which were chrystened beynge infantes, vt­terly denye this veryte for that, that they sawe no scrypture ex­pressly make for it? What wyll or can they here say, that aske & requyre for euery doctrine, that they wyl beleue, manifest scryp­ture? To. 3, Li. 10 in genesi. Saynte Austen thus wry­tethe vpon the chrystenynge of chyldren. Consuetudo matris ecclesiaeī baptizandis paruulis nequa quam spernēda est, ne (que) vllo modo superflua depuranda, nec omnino credenda esset, nisi apostolica esset traditio. That is to saye. The custome of our mother y ^e church in chrystenyng of chyldren is in no wise to be dispysed, nother by any waye to be rekened supen­fluous, nor it oughte vtterlye to be beleued, excepte it had bene Note reder. [Page] the apostles tradicion. Loo. S. Austen sayth that the baptysme or christenyng of chyldren shuld not be beleued except it had ben the tradicion of the apostles, & therfore he founde no scrypture for it. Also in another boke he wryteth thus of y ^e same matter. Lib. 4. cap [...] 24. Aduersꝰ dona [...]istas de baptist. paru [...]lorū. Et si quisquam in hac re autoritatē quaerat diuinam, quamquam quod vniuersa tenet ecclesia, nec conciliīs īstitutum, sed semper retentum est, non nisi autoritate apostolica tra­ditum rectissime creditur, tamē ve­raciter coniicere possumus, quid va leat in paruulis baptismi sacramētū ex circumcisione carnis, quā prior populus accepit. Thus it is in englysshe. Albeit any searche or asketh the auctoritye of God or the scrypture in this matter of chrystenynge chyldren, thoughe that whiche the whole churche [Page] kepeth and it is not ordeined by councels, but euer reteyned, it is beleued of mooste good right or reason, not delyuered or tau­ght but by y ^e apostles auctorite, yet we maye truelye coniecture, what strength the sacrament of baptysme is of in chyldren, by the circumcisyon of the flesshe, which the fyrst people receyued. Lo ones agayne saynte Austen doth confesse that the chrystenīg of chyldren came by the tradiciō of the apostles without expresse worde or cōmaundement of the scrypture. Therfore what mad­nes & blyndnes are they in, that requyre manyfeste scrypture for euery thynge, that shulde be be­leued and kepte of vs chryste­ned people? They do open the dore & gyue an occasion by that theyr fonde opinyon, to the he­resie [Page] of the Pelagiās, Armenes, Albanenses, & the anabaptistes which denye that chyldren shuld be baptysed and chrystened be­fore they can beleue in chryste. Origen also, whiche was with Origines Li. 5. cōmēt in episto. ad romanos. in lesse thē .cc. yeres after chrystꝭ byrth, testifieth that it is a tradicion of the apostles to chrysten chyldren sayeng. Pro hoc et eccle­sia ab apostolis traditionem acce­pit, etiam peruulis baptismū dare. That is to saye. For that origi­nall synne the church also hathe receyued a tradicion of the apo­stles to giue baptisme vnto chil­dren. What can be more playnly wryten: thē this is to proue that it is a playne tradicion of the a­postles to chrysten infantes, or chyldren? But to be shorte, saint Dionise the apostle Paules dis­cyple affyrmeth manyfestly that [Page] it came from the apostles to baptyse Dionisi. de ecclesiastica hierar. ca. 7 [...]artez. tyse chyldren, whose wordes are these. But that y ^e chyldren / whi­can not yet vnderstande godlye thynges are made partakers of the holy baptisme & of y ^e hyghest signes of the halowed cōmuniō, it appearethe to the paynems a thinge reasonable to be scorned, (as thou saidest) yf the bysshops do teach godly thīges to herers not mete, & they teache in vayne the holy tradicions to them that do not vnderstāde, & that which is more to be laught at (as they thynke) other do renoūce or for­sake the deuyl for thē, and do go in to or begyn y ^•, the holye coue­naūtes. Then anon after a fewe wordes thus he saieth. Verum ea de re ista quo (que) dicimus, que sancti praeceptores nostri ex pristina tra­ditione edocti ad nos deriuauerūt. [Page] Aiunt enim, quod est verissimum, infantes, si sctā lege formētur, ad sa­crum prouehendos habitum, omni errore liberos, et vitae exortes īpurae, istud cū piissimis ducibus nostris in mentem venisset, visum est admit­tere infantes hoc modo etc. That is thus much in our tonge. But of thys thynge we also say these thynges, whyche our holy may­sters (saynt paule and Hierothe) instructed of the olde tradition haue brought vnto vs. For they saye (the whyche thynge is most trewe) that the infantes or chyl­dren that can not yet speake, yf they be formed or made in faciō wyth the law of lyfe, must be ad­uan̄ced or promoted vnto an ho­ly state, beynge free from all er­rour, and wythout parte or out of felowshyppe of vncleane life. Whan thys thynge came to the [Page] mynde of oure remembraunce most godly ducers capiteines or leaders (y ^e apostles) it semed to thē to admyt y ^e infātes & chyldrē after thys maner to be christe­ned. Then streyght he declareth howe they are christened, & she­weth that the godfather doth answere for the chylde saying I re­nounce the deuyll / and beleue / promysynge that he wyll teache him to beleue & forsake the deuil when he shall come to vnderstā ­dyng. Which wordes do declare that it came also by the apostles tradition, that godfathers do aunswere for the chylde when he is christend, and not onely that infantes are christened. Ther­fore we do no we se playnly that the baptisme or chrystenynge of chyldren was taught the church by the holy apostles wythout a­ny scripture or wrytynge, and it [Page] oughte to be beleuedand kepte as well as anye other thynge, whyche is manifestly sette forth in the scripture, and therfore as many men as wyll not fal head­lynge in to the damnable heresy of the anabaptistes, whyche de­nye that chyldren shulde be chri­stened, let them leaue demaun­dynge and requirynge in euery poynt of our belefe expresse scip­ture, sence thys necessary thinge hangeth onely vpō the apostles tradition wythout anye scrip­ture, that can proue it sufficient­ly, whyche thynge Luther, Me­lancthon, and other the luthe­rans are compelled to graunte, though they neuer so much crye out scripture, scripture, and saye that nothynge oughte to be be­leued, and kepte necessarylye wythout manifest scripture set­tynge it forth. For when thys [Page] matter of christenynge chyldren is layed to theyr charges, they haue nothynge to aunswere, but are streyght enforced to graunte it to be a tradition of the holy a­postles. But of thys I haue nowe sayed, I suppose, suffici­ently, and therfore I wil reherse yet moo traditions of the apo­stles to the full cōfusion of them that wyll beleue nothynge wyth out an auctoritye of the scrip­ture. Saynte Hierom sayeth, To. 2. [...]0. 50 Pa. 4. (whych thyngethe church doth practyse) that in tyme of necessi­tie laye men and women maye baptyse chyldren, whych thynge cometh by tradition, because it is generally vsed through chri­stendome, and was not fyrste made by anye councell. Also it August. Jann. cometh of the apostles traditi­on that the water in the fonte [Page] stone is halowed before the child be christened in it, for saynt Di­onyse Paules disciple beynge wyth the apostles, and instruc­ted De eccle. Hierar. ca [...] part. 2 of them, as he sayeth ofte hym selfe, thus speaketh of that matter. The byshoppe goynge to the temple, in the whyche is the fonte, eius aquas sancta prece, et inuocatione sanctificans, ita (que) in eas ad crucis effigiem sanctissimum infūdens vnguētum, illas hocmo do perficit. That is to saye. He halowed the fontes water wyth an holye prayer and wyth an in­uocation, & powrynge into them thryse the mooste holye oynte­mente after the fourme of the crosse by thys waye or fassion doth make them perfecte. These saynte Dionyse saynte Paules scolers wordes do shewe playn­lye that then the byshoppe dyd [Page] vse to halowe the water in the The font is halowed v­pon Easter euē because that bap­tisme hath his vertue of christes death. ro. 6 quicū (que) etc and vpon witsonday euen because the vertu of baptime cometh of the holy gooste which came downe at witsonday Math. zille vos bapti­zabit in spi etc Basiliꝰ de spi. s, ca. 27 Ciprianꝰ lib. 1. epist. 12. Quomo do autē mū dare et sā ­crificare a­quā potest, qui ipse im­dꝰ est, et a­pud quē soi s [...]nō est? Lege Augst lib. 6. d [...] bap cōtre dona­tistas trast in Io. 80 et ad Janu­ariū ēpi 118 Clemēs lib. 3 recogni. fonte, and put in to it oyle thryse makynge a crosse therein, whyche no doubte was caughte by the holye Apostles wythout wrytynge, as saynte Basyll, and other auncient doctours do wit­nesse, whose wordes shall be a­none alleged, and therfore men that wolde not y ^t the font shulde be halowed before chyldrē shuld be therin christened, and wyl be­leue nothynge not conteyned in the scripture are farre deceiued, and oughte to forsake that yll, and peryllous opinion, lest they perish at length therby for euer, whyche oure Lorde forbydde. Saynte Basyll also rehersynge certeyn traditions in hys booke of the holye gooste thus wryteth of the halowynge of water in the fonte stone.

Consecramus autem aquam bap­tismatis, et oleum vnctionis. Prae­terea ipsū, qui; baptismum accipit, ex quibus scriptis? Nonne a tacita secreta (que) traditione? The englysh maye be thys. But we do con­secrate, or halowe the water of baptisme, and the oyle of anonyn­tynge, and besyde that hym, that receyueth baptisme, of what wrytynges? Cometh it not of a styll, and a secrete tradition? Moreo­uer y ^e custome is that he, which is to be chrystoned, shulde renoūce or forsake the deuyll eyther by hys owne wordes, or elles hys Dionise godfather for hym, of the whych Dionise pauls disciple speaketh as I haue touched before & also Tertuliā (whyche was very nye De corona militis the apostles tyme) saying. Aquā adituri, ibidē sed et aliquāto prius sub pōtificis manu contestamur nos renūtiare diabolo, et pōpae, et āgelis [Page] [...]iꝰ Whē we wyl go to y ^• waterof baptisme (sayth Tertulian) but, ther also a litle while first we vnder y ^e hand of y ^e byshop do ꝓtest that we do renounce or forsake the deuyll, and hys pompe, and aungels. In lyke maner saynte De spiritu [...]tō. ca. 27. Basyll sayeth of that custom as foloweth. Reliqua item, quae fue­rint in baptismate, velut renūciare satanae, et angelis eius, ex qua scrip­tura habemus? Nōne ex priuata, et arcana hac traditiōe? Nōne ex do­ctrina, quam patres n ostri in silen­tio, quod curiosos, et otiosos sub­mouet, seruarunt? The remenant also (sayeth he) which is done in baptysme, as to renoūce the de­uyll, and his aungels, of what scrypture haue we? Haue we it not of a pryuate, and a preuye tradicion? Haue we not it of the doctrine, which oure fathers, or [Page] elders haue kepte in sylence, the whiche remoueth, or caryeth far of ydle men, and curious? The preest asketh of hī, that is christened, whether he do beleue or not but what scrypture haue we for that? Saynt Hierome speaketh To. 2. Aduersus lucifer [...]a­nos Cipria­nus lib. 1. epist. 12. Ipsa inter rogatio, (quam) fit in bap­tismate, te­stis est veri tatis. Cre­dis in vitā eternam et remissionē peccatorū y sanctam ec­clesiam? of it sayeng. Praeterea cū solemne sit in lauacro post trinitatis cōfessi­onē interrogare. Credis in sanctam ecclesiam? Credis peccatorum re­missionem? Moreouer when it is acustomed in baptysme after confession of the trinite, to aske, Doest thou beleue in the holye churche? beleuest thou remyssyō of synnes? The chylde that is chrystened is thryse dypped in y ^e water by an auncient custome & tradicion withoute scrypture, of the which Basyll thus wryteth. De spiritu sctō. ca. 27. I am ter imergi hominem, vnde est traditū? Nowe a man to be dyp­ped [Page] thryse ī the water, frō whēce it is taught, or delyuered? Mōne ex priuata, et arcana hac traditiōe. Cometh it not of this pryuate & secrete tradicion? Of this spea­keth De corona militis keth Tertulyan sayenge, Dehīcter mergitamur, aliquid ampliꝰ re­spondentes qu [...] dominus in euan­gelio determinauit. That is. If­terwarde we are dypped vnder the water thryse, aunswerynge some what more then oure lorde hath determyned in the gospell. Note well these wordes, god re­der, agaynste them that wyl no­thyng shulde be beleued, & done but y ^• onely which is cōmaūded or set forth in the scrypture. But s. Hierome shall saye his mynde in this matter of baptysme. Thou askeste of me where it is written. I say in the actes of the To. [...] ad­uersꝰ luci­ferianos. apostles. Et si scripturae autoritas [Page] nō subesset, totius orbis in hāc partē consensus instar praecepti obtineret Nam et multa al ia, quae per tradi­tionem in ecclesiis obseruātur, au­toritatem scriptae legis sibi vsur pa­uerūt, velutī lauacro ter caput mer­gitare, die dominico, et per omnem pentecosten nec de geniculis adora re, et ie iunium soluere, multa (que) alia scripta non sunt, que rationabilis sibi obseruatio vindicauit. That is. Although there were no auc­toritye of the scrypture, the con­sente of the whole worlde vpon this parte shulde opteyne lyke a cōmaundemēte. For many other thynges also, whiche are obser­ued in the churches by tradiciō, haue vsurped or by vse taken to thē the auctoryte of a lawe wry­tē, as in y ^• lauatory of baptisme / to dyppe the heade thryse / vpon sonday and al the tyme betwene [Page] Easter and wytsontyde neyther to honour god knelynge, nor to fast: and many other thynges ar Note this. not wrytten, which a reasonable obseruatyon hath chalenged to hyr. This saynt Hierome hath spoken to the great reproch of al those that saye nothynge shulde be beleued, and kept excepte the scrypture made therof some mē ­cyō. Also here we se that it is not a new thynge to aske where it is wrytten in scrypture, and that s. Hierome thought the custome & tradicion of christes church suf­ficyent for the auctorite, and de­fence of sundrye thynges with­out the scrypture. But to saynte Dionise s. Paules disciple, whi­che thus wryteth of this matter. Pontifex ter illū a quis imergit, hac trinaillius mersione, et emersione tres beatitudinis diuinae personas [Page] inclamans. The bysshoppe dyp­peth him thryse vnder the water De ecclesi. hierar. ca. [...]. part. 2. callynge vpon the thre persons of y ^• godly blysse with this thre­folde dyppynge in to the water, and dryngeth hym oute againe. Though the saing of s. Dionise Paulꝭ scoler be sufficiēt to proue that it came frome y ^• apostles by tradicyon that in baptysme the chylde is put vnder the wa­ter, because he was in the apo­stles time, and learned the truth of chrystes religion of thē of S. Paule and Hierotheꝰ his may­sters, yet for a fuller prouffe, I wyll brynge hyther the apostles owne wordꝭ out of theyr canōs, Cap v [...]. whiche are euen these. If anye bysshop, or preest do not vse thre mersions, or dyppynges of one mysterye / but do ones dyppe the chyld in baptisme, which semeth [Page] to be gyuen in our lordes death, let hym be deposed. For our lord sayde not to vs baptyse or chry­sten ye in my death, but you go­ynge teach all people baptysige theym in the name of the father, De eccle Hier ca 2 part 3 and the sonne / & the holy goost. Fynally saynt Dionise Paules scoler declarethe what is signy­fyed by the dyppynge the chylde thryse vnder the water ī the font saynge. Proprie, et cōueniētissime mersio illa, qua totus homo aquis operitur, ad imaginem mortis ac se pulturae informis accipitur. That is to say in englyssh. That dyd­pynge, by the whiche the whole man is couered with water, pro­perly and moste conueniently is receyued to the ymage, or forme of chrystes deathe, and buryall, which was without fourme, or shape. The puttynge of the [Page] chylde, when he is chrystened, thryse vnder the water, betoke­neth chrystes death, & thre dayes buryall, as the takynge of the child out of y ^e water, sygnifyeth to vs chrystes rysyng vp againe Excepte the chylde be very lyk to take death therby, or any [...]a­ble harme. from death. Therfore as chrystꝭ bodye was hydde cleane in his graue or sepulchre, so ought the chylde, when he is chrystened, to be put wholy vnder the water, & couered hole with water (as S. Dionise here affyrmeth) y ^• ther­by Chrystes buriall may be ful­lye represented. The which thīg some gentyll men wyl not suffre to be done vnto theyr chyldren, though it myght ryghte well be done without anye ieoperdye of the chylde. In which thyng they do not well, breakynge the lau­dable custome of the churche co­mynge euen frome the apostles, [Page] and especiallye beynge so reaso­nable, & agreyng with the scrip­ture, and representynge the bu­ryall of Christe very perfectly.

But I wyll go forwarde to the rehersal of mo traditions of the holy Apostles. It is a custome that when the chylde is christe­ned at the font, anon is put vpō hym a whyte cloth called y ^e chry­some, the whyche came from the apostles by tradition, as it shall streight appere by the olde wry­ters wytnesses, of the which one is the historye called in latyne historia tripertita, where we read these wordes. Praeparabatur baptisma, Lib. 11. ca. 14. et vestis conueniens baptiza to. Baptisme was prepared, and a vesture mete for the baptised.

Also Lactantius, whyche was De res. D aboue twelue hundred and forty yeres past, thus wryteth of thys [Page] whyte clothe whyche is put on the chylde christened.

¶ The englyshe of the verses.

‘BEholde O holy kinge a great parte of the victo­ry sendeth forth beames lyke the sunne. When the holye lauatoryes do make happye the soules cleane. The white hooste goeth forth of y ^• bryght waters, [Page] And purgeth y ^• olde vyce in the newe ryuer. The whyte apparel also signifieth the shynyng sou­les, & the shepeherde hath ioyes of the whyte flocke.’ Thys Lac­tātiꝰ declarynge the custome to put vppon the person baptised a whyte garmēt, & that it sheweth as a tokē that the soule is made whyte frō the filthines of synne Ambrosius de [...]s, qui mysteriis initiantur lib. 1. ca, 7. Idē habet. in baptisme. That whyte clothe also maye signify the manumis­siō, or the deliueraūce of y ^e soule frō the bondage of the deuyll to the fredome of christe, whiche is gottē in baptisme. For Tertuliā in his boke, recytyng in an ordre De res. car­nis. the tokēs of manumissiō or ma­king a mā fre of a bonde mā, re­herseth a whyte vesture amonge thē. They that were baptised at Easter dyd vse to weare all the easter weeke y ^t white vestures & [Page] vpō y ^• sōday next folowing they dyd put thē of, & for y ^• cause that weke & sonday were called of the olde fathers. Septimana et dominicai albis, y ^• weke & sōday in al­bis. That this vsage & custome to cloth y ^e childe christened wyth a white vesture came by tradi­tiō frō y ^e apostles, Dionise pau­les scholer declareth makynge mētiō of it w ^t these wordes. Assumētes baptizatū sacerdotes, īduūt Dionisi. de ecclesie hierar, cum veste mūdiciae cōgrua. That [...]s. The preestꝭ taking to thē the party baptised do put on hym a De ecclesie hierar ca. [...] par. 3. vesture agreable w ^t cleanes. A­gayne he sayeth. Deinceps ita initiatū candē tes induūt vestes. After ward theyputon him, so instruc­ted in thinges concerninge reli­gion, whyte vestures. Where shuld this paules disciple lerne this but of him, & the other apo­stles, [Page] whō he oft called duces suo [...] his leaders? Is it to be suppo­sed, I beseche the good reader, y ^• this custom receiued of y ^• church in the apostles tyme, came frō a­ny other teachers then the apo­stles? Therfore embrace, & glad­ly receiue this & other as y ^e apo­stles traditions, and ceasse for shame y ^• vngodly bablyng / that nothing is to be beleued, & done excepte it be set forth & expressed in the scripture. This auncient doctoure Dionise speaketh also of cōsecratyng & halowing oyle & creame, & of the anoyntynge of Cap. 3. ꝑ. 3. et ca. 4. ꝑte. 3. lib. 1. aduersꝰ Mar. thē y ^t are christened w ^e it, & Ter­tulia also sayinge, god wassheth his w ^t water, & anoynteth thē w ^t oyle. Dionise thus hath of that De ecclesie hierar ca. 4 par. 3 oyle. Vnde, vt opinor, i [...] [...]ta sacra­tiorē sēsū traditione diuina, sancti nostrae sacerdotalis fūctionis duces, [Page] honestissimū illud vnguēti cōsecran di munꝰ teletē ab effectu rei, quae in eo perficitur nomināt. That is to say Wherof (as I suppose.) the holy leaders of our preestꝭ offyce after a more holy sense by gods traditiō or teaching do call that most honest office of cōsecrating oyntmēt a perfection or making a thing perfect, of y ^e effecte of the thing, which in it is made ꝑfect. Lo here Dionise playnly affyr­meth y ^• the apostles gaue a name vnto y ^• preestes office, by y ^• which he doth halow y ^• oyle, & therfore it must nedes folow y ^• that thing was in vse, & brought vp by thē through christes instructiō or y ^e De spi. [...] cap. 27. holy gooste. Basil speaketh also of y ^e anoyntynge thē y ^• are bapti­sed saying. We do halow y ^• oyle of anoynting. Nōne a tacita secre ta (que) traditione? Do we not of a [Page] styl, & a secrete traditiō? Ipsam porro olei īūctionē, quis sermo scri pto proditꝰ docuit? That is. Fur­ther, what speache put forth by wrytyng hath taught y ^• innoyn­ting lib. 1. epi, 12. of oyle? Cipriā in like faciō writeth of y ^• anoyntinge of thē y ^• are baptised, saying. Vngi quo (que) necesse est eū, qui baptizandꝰ sit, vt accepto chrysm ate, id est, vnctione esse vnctꝰ dei, et habere in se christi gratiam possit. It is also ( [...]ayeth he) necessary y ^• he, which must be baptized, be anoynted, y ^• anoyn­ting being taken, he may be the anoynted of god, & haue in hym the grace of christe. As yf he had sayed, excepte he be anoynted w ^t oyle whē he is christened, he can not be the anoynted of god, nor haue in him the grace of christe, wherby he declared how necessary a thing it is to be anointed w ^t [Page] oile in baptisme receiuing, & yet there is no scripture setting any such thyng further, y ^u seest ther­fore, good reader, yet ones a­gayn some thyng necessary to be both of vs beleued, & kept, of the which scripture speketh nothing at al. Moreouer there are yet di­uers other thinges not expressed in the scripture, whyche we are bound both to beleue, & also to kepe, of the whiche thys is one y ^• the bishop haloweth the aulters before masse be sayed vpō them, of the whiche Dionise maketh mētiō saying. Diuiui altatis conse cracionē sanctissimorū mysteriorū lex, sanctissimi vnguēti castissimis infusionibꝰ perficit. That is. The lawe of the holyest mysteryes, doth make perfecte y ^• halowing De ecclesie hierar ca. 4 par. 3. of gods aulter wyth most chast powrynges on it of moost holye [Page] oyle, manye men can not abyde that hymnes and psalmes shuld be songe in the churche vnto the honour of god, & the styrryng of the herers vnto greater deuoti­on, when at the begynnynge of christes churche in the apostles tymes christen people dyd vse to synge songes vnto the honoure of god, & to encorage thē selues to be the better disposed, as we may reade in one Pliny, whych Plenius secundus in epist. ad traianum. was not chrystened, and yet he spake of that thyng saying. Af­firmabant autem hanc fuisse sūmā vel culpae suae, velerroris, quod es­sent soliti stato die ante lucem con­uenire, carmen (que) christo, quasi deo dicere secū inuicem. Thys in en­glysh. But they affyrmed that thys was the chyef poynte ey­ther of theyr faut, or of theyr er­roure, that they were wounte to [Page] assemble and come togyther be­fore day vpō a daye appoynted, and saye with theym selues one to another a verse or a metre vn to chryste as to God. And to cō ­fyrme this matter more surelye, I wyll brynge forth the wytnes of one Phylo which was a iew [...] borne and tourned to Chrystes fayth. He beyng in chrystꝭ tyme, and his apostles thus testifyeth of chrysten mennes songes, and hympnes, sayde and songe vn­to god, as Eusebious hath wry­ten Euse [...] secūdo [...]. 17: Agathense consilium, cap. 30. aboute twelfe hūdred yeres passed. Vnus ex iībus in medio cō surgens, psalmum honestis modulis concinebat, et praecinēti vnū versicu lūomnis multitudo respondebat That is. One of them al rysing vp ī y ^e middes dyd syng a psalme or a song with semely measures & all the multitude dyd answere [Page] hym syngyng before or fyrst one verse as a chaū [...] doth in a qurie. Hyther Philo settynge forth the begynnyng of chrystēdome / the ordynaunces of the church whē it fyrst begon, and dyscrybed the begynnynge of the apostles tra dicions, and therfore the custom of syngyng verses, psalmes, hi­nes, and other songes is not to be set at naught hauynge theyr begynnynge of the apostles by tradicion. Adde to these verytes vnwrytten this also y ^• the preest at masse vseth certayne prayers to cōsecrate the hoost, & to turne it through the almyghty power of god, and the workynge of the holy goost in to Chrystes verye bodye, which wordes are not in the scrypture, but came vp by the apostles tradicion, and tea­chynge De spi. s. cap. 27. by mouth onely. They [Page] are thought of saynte Basyll to come (as I sayde) by tradicyon, Lib. 2. ca. 19 whose wordes are these. Inuoca­tionis verba, quū ostenditur panis eucharistiae, et poculum benedictio nis, quis sanctorū nobis in scripto reliquit: Nec enim his contenti su­mus, quae cōmemorat apostolus, aut euangelium, verum alia quo or et ante et post dicimꝰ, tāquam mul­tum habentia momētiad myste­rium, quae ex traditione citra scrip­tum accipimus. The wordes (sayth Basyll) of inuocation or callyng for helpe, whē the bread or fode of the sacramente of the aulter is shewed (ouer y ^• preestes head to the people at masse) and the cuppe or chalyce of blessyng who of the holye menne hathe lefte vs in wrytynge? For we (preestes) be not contented with those wordes, whiche the apostle [Page] saynte Paule dothe remēbre or the gospell, but we do saye other also both before the (cōsecratiō) and after, as hauynge moche pythe or bcynge of great effecte to the mysterye or sacramente, which wordes we haue receyued of tradicyon without wrytyng Hytherunto S. Basyll playnly disprouyng theyr opinion, whi­che say y ^t all thyng, which we are boūd to beleue or do, is cōteined in the holy scrypture. Of y ^e wor­des De ettle. hierar. ca. 7 patte. 3. of consecracyō the holy Dio nise saynt paules dyscyple thus wryteth. At vero efficientes conse­crationis preces fas non est scripto interpretari, neq ipsarū arcanum, siue illas, quae ex deo fuerint virtu­tes, ēsecreto in publicum efferre. Sedsicut nostra habet sacro sancta traditio, vbi eas sacratioribus in­structionibus hauseris, at q ad sacra [Page] tiorē habitum, capatiorē q intelligentiam diuino a more, sacris q actionibus cōsummatus euaseris, ad su premā ipsarum sciam subueheris, di uina lu ce radiatus. That is this moch to saye in englysshe, But it is not lefull before god, to ex­powne or translate by wrytynge the prayers which made the con secratyon, nother to publyshe or vtter openly the pryupte of thē, either y ^e vertues which ar done, Eherfore the masie eughte not to be in the engiysshe tongae. but lyke as oure holy tradicyon hath, after that a man hath ler­ned them with very holy or ha­lowed institutiōs, & being made perfecte is comen vnto a holyer state, and an vnderstādige more apte to perceyue throughe or by the loue of god, and holy dedes, he shall be caryed vp, or promo­ted to the hyghest knowledge of them, when he hathe bene made [Page] bryght or shynyng lyke y ^e sunne beames w ^t Gods lyghte. Doest not thou here se playnlye, good reader, that the prayers vsed of the preest whê he doth cōsecrate the host of breade at masse came of the holy tradicion of chrystes apostles, & y ^t it standeth not w ^t gods law to vtter abrode amōg the lay people the prpuyre of thē by expownynge or translatynge theym with wrytynge? Saynte Dionise dyscyple testifyeth that the holy apostles vsed certayne sygnes and cere­mones in the celebracyon of the blyssed sacrament, of the which scrypture speaketh not, these are his word; trāstated out of greke in to latine, Ne in ipsa quidē sctīs­simorū sacramētorum celebratione sancti illi nostrae ceu legalis traditio his magistri, diumis at q honestissi [Page] mis abstinuere signis. That is to say. Chose mayiters of our tra­diction belongynge to the lawe dyd absteyne frome godlye and moost honeste sygnes no not in celebratynge of the moost holye sacramentes. Vpon the whiche texte of saynte Dionise Pachy­meres, whiche was aboue. M. yeres sence, thus hath. Theolo­giam quae per figuras diuinis oracu lis ttadita est Telesticē asserit di onisius vt quae per sacerdotum institu­tionē ceremonias tradat sacramen­torū, cōprehensas, signorū involu­cris dionise: He affirmeth that di­uinite which is expressed by to­kens, or taught in the holy scrip ture by figures, tobe figuratiue because it teacheth or deliuereth ceremonies of the sacramentes by the preestes institution, whi­che ceremonies are cōprehēded [Page] or conteyned in couerynges of sygnes. The heades of the aul­ters are set towarde the easte & we do praye tournynge our fa­ces towarde the easte, the which thynge comethe by the apostles tradicyon, as dyuers autours do wytnes, of the whiche saynte Damascene is one sayenge. We do praye towarde the easte, not by chaunce but because god is lyght that may be vnderstande and the sunne of ryghteousnes, & christ is called in the scripture oriēs y ^e east, the east must be ap­poynted [...]a [...]ha. 6. or dedicate to hym for prayer or worshyppyng of hym. Anone after damascene sheweth another reason and cause, why y ^e we pray toward the east / sayng. Because God made Paradyse towarde the easte, in to the whi­che he brought Adā, the whiche [Page] offending he banished out ther­of and made hym dwell in the west contrary to the easte. An­tiquam igitur patriam requirentes, et ad ipsam suspirantes, deum ado­ramus scz ad orientem. Therfore we requyryng the olde countrey (Paradyse of heauen signifyed by the earthlye paradise a place of much pleasure,) and feruent­ly desyrynge to come vnto it, do worshyppe god, or pray to hi to­warde the easte. After certeyne tokens of the excellencye of the easte taken out of the scripture rehersed in the ende of that chap tre, Damascene thus hath. Nō ē aūt scripta haec apostolorū traditio, nam multa sine scripto nobis tradi­ta sunt. That is to saye. But this y ^e apostles traditiō is not wryt­ten, for manye thynges are dely­uered to vs, or taught vs wythout [Page] writing. Are not these playn wordes of thys auncient doc­tour to the cōfusion of all them, that are not ashamed to speake agaynst traditions, and affirme that nothynge ought to be bele­ued and kept, that is not expres­sed in the holy scrypture? Heare nowe what saynte Basyl sayeth De spi. s. cap. 27. of thys matter? Vt ad orientē versi precemur, quae nos docuit scriptu­ra? That is. what scripture hath taughte vs to praye turned to­ward y ^e easte? Athanasiꝰ like wise which was aboue. M. CC. yere synce, affyrmeth that the holy a­postles dyd teache christen men to praye towarde the east. These are hys wordes. Why do we christen people pray towarde the easte, and the Iewes toward the south? He answereth thus. We muste defende this thinge other wyse to the Iewes, and other [Page] wise expowne it to the Gentiles. To the Iewes we saye, that we pray toward y ^e easte, because the holy goost so taughte vs by the prophete Dauid sayinge. Ado­remus ad locum, vbi steterunt pe­des tui domine. That is. Let vs O Lorde worshyppe the or pray to the towarde that place, where psai. thy fete stode. And the prophete zachary sayeth. And oure lordes fete shall stande in the mounte or hyll of olyuete agaynste Hie­rusalen (whyche is in the easte.) Thys maye be a shorte answere (sayeth he) to the Iewes. But to the gentiles we saye that we do praye towarde the easte not that god is closed in there, or is one­lye there, but forasmuche as he is named lyghte, for that cause we hauing a respecte to the ligi [...] of the sunne created, do nowe [Page] worshyppe not that same lyghte created, but the maker of it by the lokynge towarde it. Thys is the annswere to the gentiles, but lette the faythfull people of Chryst learne y ^t. Hac de causa be­atissimi apostoli fecerunt Christia­norum ecelesias intendere versus o­rientem, vt ad Paradisum respici­entes, vnde cecidimꝰ, scilicet ad ve­terem patriam, et regionem nostrā, petamus deum, et dominum nostrā reducere nos illuc, vnde eiecti exu­lamꝰ. The englysh may be thys. The mooste blessed apostles for this cause haue made y ^e churches of chrystē people to bêde or loke to warde the Caste, that we lo­kynge towarde Paradyse, from whense we fell, verily shulde de­syre God, and oure Lorde to brynge vs thyther againe, to the olde countrey and oure region, [Page] from when [...]e we caste are bany­shed. Lo thys holye and blessed auncyent wryter Athanasius, a man of excellent vertue and ler­nynge, affyrmeth that the apo­stles taughte christen people to praye towarde the Caste, and sheweth the reason, why we so do, as saynte Damascene hath done. Saynte Basyll moreouer De spi. t. cap. 29. sayeth. Ipsam fidei professionem, qua credimus in patrem, et filium, et spiritum sanctum, c quibus ha­bemus scriptis? That is Of what scripture haue we the profession of the fayth, by whyche we be­leue in the father, and the sonne, and the holy gooste? He conclu­deth that it cometh by tradition onely. I passe ouer manye tra­ditions of the Apostles nowe vsed ī the masse, as that y ^e preest senseth wyth frankenceuse the [Page] aulter washeth hys handes at masse, sayeth confite or, sheweth the bodye and bloude of Christe ouer hys heade to the people, of the whyche Dyonyse speaketh, that was saynt Paules scholer. De ecciesie hierar ta.; par.. 2 Also that the people seynge the bodye and bloude of Christ she­wed them, do worshyp the same. Saynt Dyonyse also wryteth. Lap.3. qte 3. de spi.s. cap.27. Another tradition yet! is reher­sed of saynte Basyll sayinge. Vt signo crucis eos, qui spem collo­carunt in Christum, signemus, quis scripto docuit? That we do marke wyth the signe of y ^e crosse them, that haue put theyr truste in Christe, who hath taughte by wrytynge? Tertulyan wryteth also of thys affyrmynge that it is a tradition, and not wrytyng in the scripture. Whose wordes De corona militis. are these. Ad omnem progressum [Page] at q promotum, ad omnem aditū, et exitum, ad vestitum, et calceatū, ad lauacra, ad mensas, et lumina, ad cubilia, etsedilia, quacun q nos conuersatio exercet, frontem crucis signa culo terimus. That is to say in englyshe. At euerye goynge forth, and aduancynge, profy­tynge or mouynge forth, at eue­rye accesse, comynge to or entry, and goynge out, at apparelyng, and showyng or puttynge on of showes, at bathes or baynes, at the tables, and lyghtes, at the entrynge in to the chambers, and seates, or places to syt on, what so euer cōuersation setteth vs on warke, we make a signe of the crosse in oure forheade. Saynt Athanasius sayeth that Lib. 2. de incat. ver. Saynt Athanasius sayeth that by the signe of y ^t crosse al witch­crafte, or sorcerye, and the acte or crafte of poysonynge is put [Page] awaye, yf it be vsed in fayth and Lib quest quest. 38. deuoutely. Also he sayeth. Legem Mosis videntes daemones, non timent ne (que) tremunt, quod ea non sit operata salutem. Crucem autem videntes, saepe tremunt, fu­giunt, euanescunt. That is to saye in englyshe. The deuylles se­ynge Moses lawe feare not, nor tremble not, because it hath not wrought mannes health, but se­yng the crosse they ofte quake, flee, vanysh away. Of the which it fyrste came that meat / drynke, and other dyuers thynges are blessed wyth a signe or a figure of the crosse. Damascene also Lib. 4 ca. 22 sayth. The crosse is gyuen to vs upon our forhead, and that it is a shelde, a buckler, and a cote of armure agaynste the deuyll.

Adorandum igitur est hoc signum, Of the signe of the crosse. therfore thys sygne (sayeth he) [Page] muste be worshypped of vs gy­uynge to god the reuerence, and y ^e deuoute honoryng. Qui hāc ad­orāt, participes sīt christi crucifixi They that do worshyp this fy­gure of the crosse, let them be (O lorde) partakers of chryst cruci­fyed. Hytherto saynt damasene. Let men, that despise the fygure and sygne of the crosse, & shame not to call it an ydoll abhorrīge it almost as moche as the deuel doth, reade olde and auncyente histories, and they shall fynde straunge and wonderfull thin­ges wrought by it of god. So­zomenus Lib 2. ca. 19 one of y ^e thre that made y ^e storye called tripertita historia, tellethe that a deade māne was reised vp agayn by the touching of the crosse, and that one of the sybilles, which were hethen we­men hauynge the gyfte of pro­phesyng, [Page] sayed no doubt styrred of the holy goost. O ter beatum lignum, in quo deus extensus est. That is to say. O thryse happie woode, in the whiche God was stretched forth Also he reherseth there, that when saynte Helene had founde thre crosses, and not mē douted which of thē was chrystꝭ crosse, & whiche the theues, that were crucifyed wyth hym, Ma­caryꝰ then beynge bysshoppe of Hierusalē thus dyd put away y ^e doubt. He broughte one of those thre crosses vnto a noble womā, which was longe sicke, & praing deuoutly he perceyued y ^e myght of our sauyour. For by and by after that the crossehad touched the woman, it dryue awaye the passyon of that moste sharpe di­sease, and restored healthe vnto the woman. Eusebiꝰ moreouer [Page] telleth that ī Alexandria al brest plates of serapis the god of the Egiptians, which stode in euery houses walles, entryes, postes, & wyndowes, were so cut awaye that no prynte nor the name ey­ther of hym, or els of anye other deuell remayned, and euery bo­dye set vp in stede of thē y ^e sygne of our lordes crosse ī the postes, entrynges in to theyr houses, the walles, windowes, & pillers The which thyng when the pai­noms, that were left, did se, they were reported to haue comen vn to the remēbraunce of a greate thynge by a tradicyon to theym selues of olde commytted. The Egypcyans haue a sygne of our lordes crosse amonge theyre al­phabete letters, and say it signi­eth the lyfe to come. Wherfore they (sayeth Eusebiꝰ) whiche by [Page] the wonderynge at the thynges which were done, were tourned to the fayth, sayed that it was so of olde taught or lefte to theim. that these thynges, whiche are nowe worshypped, shuld so lōge stande, as longe as they shulde se that signe to haue come, in the which life was. When in Hieru­salem the iewes nyghe all were slayne of God wyth a bowle or thynge of fyre very rounde, and the rest were with feare of death enforced and constrayned to cō ­fesse chryste Iesu to be god, least that thynge shulde haue bene thoughte to haue happened by chaunce, the nyghte folowynge the sygne of the crosse dyd so e­uidently appeare ī all theyr gar­mentes, that he, whiche for hys vnfaythfulnes wolde haue takē it awaye coulde not in no wyse. [Page] Therfore lette men beware that do dispise the pycture of y ^e crosse or y ^e crucifyx of chryste, lest lyke vēgeaūce of god do lyght vpon them. The good, and godly Emperour cōstantyne, when he was Histo. tri [...] lib. 1. ca. 5. tourned to Chrystes fayth, and hard moch preaching of y ^e crosse, when he was in warfare he cō ­maūded kūnyng men to chaūge his signe, or bainer that he had, ī to a baner of the crosse made of gold, & precious stones. Hoc enī signū bellicum inter alia preciosius erat, eo ꝙ īꝑatorē precederet, et ad­orari id a militibꝰ moris esset. For this signe of warre was among other more p̄cyous, or estemed better, because it wēt before the Emperour, & the custome was it to be worshypped of y ^• souldiers [...]herof chyefly I suppose con­stantyne the noblest honoure of [Page] ymperye of Rome to haue chaū ­ged it in to the sygne of y ^e crosse, that his subiectes by oft seynge it and regargynge it myghte be dysused, or broughte oute of cu­stome frome the fyrste maner of belefe in honouryng ydols, and iudge hym onely god, whom the Emperour dyd worship, or whō as a captaine, & an aider he vsed agaynste his enemyes, This fy­gure of the crosse was caryed v­pon mennes shoulders through the whole hoost: and when the bearer of it through great feare of the enemyes delyuered it to another & fledde awaye, he was slayne sodeynly, and he that ca­ryed the crosse amonge manye sharpe weapons, quarelles, and dartes escaped harmeles, all the dartes wonderfully by goddes power, stucke in the sygne of the [Page] crosse and dyd all flee from hym that bare the standerde or baner in the felde. It is more reported (sayeth Eusebiꝰ) that none the bearer of that standard was ey­ther woūded or taken prysoner in batell. Hytherto Eusebiꝰ de­claringe the great vertue of the sygne of the crosse, how it ayded constantynes souldiers, & howe moche the godly Emperour cō ­stantyne dyd esteme it. We chri­sten men for a greate nombre of vs are very farre gone from the olde regardynge of the fygure, or ymage of Chryste crucyfyed for vs, so y ^t we be not ashamed to call it an ydoll. The Emperour constantyne after many and dy­uers notable victories optained of his enemyes accustomynge his souldiers to honour god as he dyd hym selfe he made theyr [Page] armur to haue the sygne of the crosse. Maximā culturā sacratissi­mae Tri [...]. histo lib. 1. ca. 9. crucis habebat. He dyd moost honoure the holye crosse, as the historye sayth, both for the good lucke / which he hadde in warre by the helpe of it, & for the sygne, whiche god shewed therby. So­zomenꝰ wrote this aboue twelfe Li [...] [...]sto tri [...]. ca. 4. hundred yeres paste, the whiche telleth also that when this Em­perour constātyne was in great care and thought, how he shuld optayne vyctorye agaynste hys enemyes, he saw in a dreame the fygure of the crosse brightly ap­pearynge in the fyrmament, and the angels stādīg by hym wōde­rynge at the sygne sayeng to hī, O Constantine in hoc vince.

That is to saye. O Constā ­tyne vanquyshe / or ouercome in this or by this signe of the crosse [Page] It is also (saith the story) repor­ted that chryste appeared vnto hym and shewed hym a sygne of the crosse, commaundynge hym to make a lyke fygure, and take this helpe in battell, wherby he might get the victory of his enemies. Eusebiꝰ Pāphily sayth y ^t he harde the Emperour him self tellynge it with an othe that a­boute the myddꝭ of the day whē the sunne dyd go lower, a sygne of the crosse made of the bryght­nes appered and the wrytynge whiche was in it, sayenge to him In hoc vince. Wynne the victorye by this sygne of the crosse, This Emperoure also caused y ^• figure of the crosse to be made in the coine and ymages. To be Histo trip. lib. 7. ca [...]. 34. shorte, Theodoritꝰ tellethe that it was the maner to put on thē that were chrystened, the sygne [Page] of the crosse, so moch did men at that season esteme and regarde that holye signe, the whyche is nowe mooste abhorred o [...] vs, in that poynte muche lyke vnto the infideles, and the deuels, whych can not abyde it. Vnto whose greate confusion it shal appeare at the day of iudgemēt, as saynt Mathewe testifyeth sayinge. Math. 24.

Tunc parebit signum filii hominis in caelo. Then at the day of dome the signe of the sōne of man shal appeare in the fyrmamente, that is to saye, the crosse of Christe, sayeth Teophilactꝰ, glisteryng, and shynynge muche aboue the sunne, to the reproche and con­demnation of the Iewes.

Is cōcernyng the worshyppyng of the crosse, I haue alleged al­ready saynte Damascenes wor­des, & nowe wyl saint Hieroms, [Page] Austens, and Chrisostoms that therby men may se theyr blynd­nes and errour, whyche can not abyde y ^t picture to be honoured of christen people, & seinge theyr fooly may forsake it in time, ere it be to late. Thys sayeth saynte Hierom vpō these wordꝭ of Da­uid. Adorate scabellū pedū eiꝰ, quo niam sanctū est. Honour the lowe Psal. 9 [...]. settle or fote stole of hys fete, for as much as it is holy. There are many opiniōs of thys fote stole. For some referre it vnto christes humanitie, or manhode, vpō the whyche the godheades maiestie stode, & this humanitie the apo­stles dyd worshyppe. Ad crucem dominicam, et ad animā sanctā haec referenda sunt. These wordes of saynte Dauyd muste be refer­red (sayth Hierom) to our lordes crosse, and his holye soule. And [Page] therfore after Hieroms mynde, y ^e holy goost by Dauids mouth cōmaūded christen men & womē to honour the crosse, though we very vngodlye do dishonoure it neuer so muche. Saynt Austen sayeth. Quid seruat fideli suo, qui Tract. in Joā. 36. talē honorem dedit supplicio suo? Deni (que) modo in paenis reorum non est apud Romanos. Vbi enim crux domini honorata est, putatū ē quod reus honoraretur. That is to say, What doth god reserue for hys faythful, whych hath gyuē such honour to the crosse, vpō whych he suffrred death? To conclude nowe the crosse is not amonge peynes of the gyltie at Rome.

For after the crosse of our lorde was honoured, it was thoughte that the giltie was honoured.

Thys saynt Austen full godlye Lib. 6. ad­uersus Iu­lianum. touched y ^e honorynge of christes [Page] crosse. Cirillꝰ also makinge an­swere to Iulian, whych mocked christen people for worshypping the crosse, sayed vnto hym after he had rehearsed the greate, and sundrye benefites that came to vs, by the crosse. Haec oīa recor­dari nos facit salutare lignū, et sua­det, vt cogitemꝰ, quod sicut dicit di­uus Paulꝰ. Vnus pro oībus mortuus est, et resurr exer it. The holsome wood maketh vs remembre all these thinges, and moueth vs to thynke that (as s. Paule sayeth) one is deade for all, and hathe rysen vp agayne. Thys auncy­ent doctoure saynte Cyril wrote against the apostata Iuliā scor­nyng christen people for honou­ryng the crosse, and not agaynst hym onely, but agaynst al other in lyke maner derydynge & moc­kyng men for the same worship­pynge. [Page] But of thys matter I mynde (god wylling) to entreate more largelye in a boke of wor­shyppyng ymages, of the whych in thys boke I thoughte to saye nothynge at all, & therfore nowe I wil passe ouer it to the rehear­sal of other the apostles vnwrit­ten traditions, of the whych the obseruyng of the sonday is one. For though saynt Iohan in the Apocal. cap. 10. apocalypsis maketh mention of it, yet there is no cōmaūdemēt in The obseruyng of the sonday cōmeth by the apo­stles tradi­tion. the scripture to kepe y ^e day holye day, more then al other dayes of the weke. Of this dayes honou­rynge before other spake saynte Damascene aboue a thousande yeres paste, saying. We do cele­brate holy y ^e perfect rest of mans nature, I saye the daye of Chry­stes lib. 4. ca. 24 Crip. hist. cap. 9. resurrection. The valeant, and noble Emperoure constan­tyne [Page] made a lawe that vpon our lordes daye the sondaye all men shulde ceasse frō gyuyng iudge­mentes, and from the doynge of other matters of the worlde, Ambros. ser. 6. de pē tecoste do­minica est venerabi­lis at (que) Colēnis, quia eo die chri­tus resur­rexit. and to be occupied that day one­ly in prayer. Honorabat autem di­em dominicum, qnia in eo Christꝰ resurrexisset a mortuis, alium vero scz veneris, quia in eo fuerit crucifix us. That is to saye. But the em­peroure Constantyne honoured the lordes day, (sonday) because Christe rose agayne vppon that daye from death to lyfe, and he honoured the frydaye because christe on that was crucifyed.

Hytherto the storye Ignaiius saynte Iohans disciple wryteth of this holy daye, saying. Christ Epist. 1. [...] vpon the sondaye rose frō death to lyfe. Pro sabati zatione celebret omnis christianus diem festum do­minic [...] [Page] resurrectionem, regalem et eminentissimum omnium dierum. That is in englyshe thus much to say. Let euery christē mā kepe holy y ^e feast day of the resurrection of our lorde in stede of the sa­terday, a royal, or a kinges day, and most excellent of al dayes. Wolde oure lorde that all men, whiche do thynke euery daye of y ^e weke lyke, & none rather to be obserued holy day thā another, wolde loke well on these holye martyrs wordes, whyche was saynte Iohan the euange listes disciple / taught the truth of and by whych, whom christ him selfe scholed in the truth. Thys same holye father commaunded the people to kepe holye dayes de­uoutely sayinge to them. Dies fe­stos Episto. 4. nolite inhonorare. Do ye not dishonoure the holye dayes.

What saiest thou Luther, or lu­theran, are all dayes equall, and after lyke sorte to be honoured, obserued, and kepte holy daye? Is thy îudgement more to be regarded thē this blessed martyrs saynt Iohans scholers? Saynt Austen make the mention of the sonday to Ianuary, and sayeth christen men kepeth it holy daye Episto. 118. Dies d [...]icꝰ (inquit au­gust) nō iu­deis. sed christianis resurrectio­ne d [...]i de­claratꝰ est. et er illo su­am: festiui­ta [...] habere cepit rursꝰ ad casula­nū epist. 86. preponitur dies dn̄icus sabbato, fi­de resurrec tionis. Hieronimꝰ epist. 53. idē in the honoure of chrystes resurrectyon. To be bryefe could this feaste come otherwyse in to the church of chryste then by the a­postles tradicyon, and teachyng by mouth, synce saynte Iohā in the apocalipse the fyrste chaptre speaketh of it? I graunt to Bul lynger that the sonday is men­cyoned in the holye scrypture, but y ^e pueth not it to be set forth by cōmaūdemēt ī the scrypture, as nowe it is, & hathe bene sence [Page] the apostles tyme Ignatiꝰ bea­ring wytnes. Thefore y ^e sōdaies feaste came vp by the Apostles tradicyō. It cometh also by tra­dicion that we do not fast vpō y ^e sonday, of the which thyng saite Ignatiꝰ wryteth sayng. Quicū (que) Epist. 4. dominicā ieiunauerir, ipse est inter fector christi. That is. Who soe­uer shal fast vpō y ^e sonday, he is y ^e murderer of Christ. Frō whēse came this custome / yf it came not by mouth frō the apostles? Of whom shuld this S. Iohn̄s discyple lerne this poynt but of his mayster saynt Iohan? Ter­tulyan, whiche was with in lytle more then. C. xx. after chrystes death affyrmethe playnlye that this cnstome came by tradicyon without scrypture. For he recy­tynge certeyne tradicyons thus wryteth. Die dominico ieiunium [Page] nefas ducimus. That is. We do thynke or suppose fastynge vpō the lordes daye sonday to be vn­lefull before god. Also Hierom Aduersꝰ lu ciferianos. hath the very same his wordes. It is therfore not lefull nor stādynge with gods law to fast the sonday, excepte a man fast many dayes togither. as Moyses, He. lias, & christ dyd in y ^e which this is included, & yet it is aganyste no law of god wrytten, wherfore it must neades folowe that it is agaynste gods lawe vnwrytten, cōmynge by the holye apostles tradicyon vnto chrystes church. Which taught the chrysten people to forbeare fastynge on that daye in honoure of Chrystes re­surrectyon, whiche brought vn­speakable toyes of gladnes in to the vorlde, and therfore it is mete that chrysten mē y ^t day ab­stayne [Page] frome fastynge, whiche is a kide of mourning as chryst sayed. Mathewe, ix. But of this I haue sayed, I suppose y­noughe, the learned men maye reade of this matter more in S. Austens booke, and in other of of the old doctours: Moreouer that Easter day is kepte, it is a tradicion of the apostles. For Socrates thus wrytethe in the Histo trip, lib. 9. ca. 38. historie called in latyn tripertita historia Nec apostolꝰ, nec euāgelia accedentibus ad predicationem iu­gum seruitutis imponūt, sed festiui tatē paschae et alias celebritates ho­norandas esse dixerūt. That is to say. Neither the apostle, nor the gospelles do laye the yocke of bondage vpon theym that come vnto the preachynge of the gos­pel, but they haue sayed that the feaste of Easter and other so­lemne [Page] dayes are to be honoured Anone after he concludynge the treatyse of y ^e matter thus sayth. Mens nam (que) fuit apostolorū non de diebus sancire festiuitatū, sed cōuer sationem rectā, et dei predicare cul­turam. Mihi ergo videtur, quod si­cut multa alia per prouincias ad cō ­suetu dinem venerant, sic & paschae festiuitas tradita sit, eo quod nullus apostolorum hīc aliquid sanxisset. That is. For the apostles mynd was not to make any lawe con­cernynge feastes, but to preache good cōuersaryon, and the wor­shyppynge of god. Therfore it appeareth to me, that as manye other thynges throughe the prouinces, countreys, or realmes came vnto a custome, so also the feaste of easter is taughte, or de­lyuered by traditiō, because non of y ^e apostles dyd inact, or make [Page] any law therof. But the canons of y ^e apostles thē selues declare that this feast of Easter was of theyr ordynaunce, thoughe they wrote no lawe and dyd cōstitute none ordynaūce of it in theyr e­pistiꝭ. For these are theyr wordꝭ Si quis episcopus, presbiter, aut dia­conus Canone. 8. sanctū paschae diē ante aequi­noctium vernale cū iudae is celebra­uerit, abiiciatur. That is to say in our tongue. If any bysshoppe, preest, or deacon do kepe holy w ^e the iewes the feaste of easter be­fore the daye be as longe as the nyght in the sprynge tyme, let hi be caste away, despysed, or renū ­ced. Do not these wordes mani­festly shew that y ^e apostles assy­gned what season of y ^e yere Ea­ster day shulde be kepte, yt must neades herof folowe y ^e they in­structed by the holy goost, or els [Page] of our sauyour chryst hym selfe ordeyned that feaste to be obser­ued of vs chrysten people, and they lefte the same by tradicyon vnto the church without puttīg it into y ^e scrypture. Of this feast Ianuario episto. 118. and certayne other speaketh S. Austen sayeng. Quae non scripta, sed tradita custodimꝰ, quae quidem toto terrarū orbe obsernantur, dā ­tur intelligi vel ab ipsis apostolis, vel a plenariis cōciliis, quorū est in ecclesiis saluberrima autoritas, cō ­mendata, at (que) statuta retineri, sicuti quod domini passio, resurrectio, et ascensio in caelū, et aduentus spiritꝰ sācti de celo, anniuersaria solemni­tate celebrantur per vniuersū orbē. In the englysh this it is. Those thynges whiche we do kepe not wryten, but delyuered or taught by mouth, the whyche sothelye are obserued thorowe the whole [Page] worlde they be to be vnderstand that they beyng commytted and decreed, or ordeyned eyther of y ^e apostles, or of the full and gene­ral councels, the autoryte of the which is in y ^e church moost hol­some, as that our lordes passyō, his resurrection, and ascensyon, and the commynge of the holye goost from heauen, are kept ho­ly daye yerelye throughe all the world. Here it appeareth playn lye by saynt Austen that these holy dayes, whiche then were, and yet are obserued and kepte tho­rowe all chrysten nations, were ordeyned eyther by the holye a­postles, or els by generall coun­sayls, whose aucthoryte is most holsome in chrystes churches, or cōgregatyons of the faythfull, though we now set very lytle by them, because they plucke oure [Page] heresies by the rootes, but these feastes were not set vp fyrste by anye generall councell, as it ap­peareth in the coūcels, and espi­cyally Easter daye, when christe rose, of the whyche the apostles before al councels not wryttē in y ^e scripture, spake, as I haue de­clared alreadye, & therfore they muste nedes by saynte Austens rule aboue mentioned come of the apostles traditiō. Wyth the whyche that agreeth ryght well that saynt Iohans scholer Ig­natiꝰ cōmaunded the people not to sette naughte by theyr holye daies, sayinge. Dies festos no lite ihonotare. Do ye not dishonour Epist. 4. the holye dayes, meanynge no doubte the dayes chiefelye afore here recyted, apperteynynge to christes death, resurrectiō, ascē ­tion and the cōmyng of the holy [Page] gooste vpō whytsonday, of the which saint Gregory Naziāzene Sermone de penceco­ste. S. Hieroms mayster thus wry­teth. Honoremus diem in aduentu spiritus sancti. That is to say. Let vs hononr the day in y ^e cōymng of the holy goost. Also saynt Ci­pryan sayeth. Celebramus tā nos, Sermone de spi sciō. quam iudaei quinquagesimū diem, sed illi in typo, nos autē in veritate, non tam significamꝰ, quam agimꝰ. Pentecostē igitur celebrantes com­memorauimus, que olim sub Mose in veteri testamēto sunt acta, et quae sub Christo facta sunt, post cuius assensionē in caelos spiritꝰ sāctus vi­sibiliter super apostolos in linguis igneis aparuit. That is. As well we christē people as y ^e Iewes do kepe solemne the fyfty day after Easter, but they ī a figure, we ī y ^e truth, do not so much signify, as do it in dede. Therfore we ke­pynge [Page] whytsondaye holye haue remembred the thynges / whych were, ones long sēce done vnder Moses in the olde testamēt, and also the thynges, whyche were done vnder Christe, after whose ascension in to the heauens, the holye gooste appeared visiblye vpon the apostles in fyry tōges. Finallye saynte Hierom expow­nyng the epistle of saynt Paule to the Galathians thus wryteth Cap. 4. after he hath declared y ^t Paule cōmaunded the Galathians not to kepe the Iewysses feastes or holy dayes. Dicat aliquis. Si dies obseruare, et menses, et tempora, et annos, non licet, nos quo (que) simile crimē incurrimus, quartum sabba­ti obseruantes, et parascheuen, et dic̄ dominicam, et ieiunium quadrage­simae, et paschae festiuitatem, et pen­tecostes laeticiam, er pro varietate [Page] regionum, diuersa in honore martyrum tempora constituta. The en­glysh may be thys. Some man may say. If it be not leful to ob­serue dayes, and monythes, and tymes, and yeres, we christē men do runne in to lyke faulte, ob­seruyng the wensday of y ^e weke, and the frydaye, and the sonday, and the fast of the lent & the feast of Easter, & the myrth of whyt­sondaye, and after the diuersy­tye of regions dyuers tymes cō ­stitute or ordeined in the honour of martyrs. To that he answe­reth, sayinge. To the whyche he that wyl playnly make answere, shall say that the Iewes feastes are not the same that oures are. For we do not kepe holy the Ea­ster or pasouer of swete breade, but the Easter of the resurrecti­on, and the crosse. Nec septem [Page] iuxta morem Israel numeramꝰ eb­domadas in pentecoste, sed spiritus sancti veneramur aduentum. No­ther we do numbre seuen wekes in whytsontyde after the maner of the chrldren of Israel, but we honoure the holye goostes com­ming. Hitherto the holy and an­cient doctoure saynt Hierom de­clarynge playnly that albeit all dayes in the weke be lyke, and equal by theyr natures, yet some of thē are appoynted before the other to serue god vpon, & ceasse from worldly busines, and ther­fore they that do beleue the con­trary, are deceyued shamefully / but of this sufficient, now I wil go forwarde on mine enterprise, and rehearse yet mo traditions. It is a tradition of the apostles not wryttē in the holy scripture, that he, whyche was baptised or [Page] christened of an heretyke or a schismatike deuided frō y ^e church of christe shulde not be baptised agayne afterwarde, because the baptime of an heretike, or a schismatike is effectuall, & of strēgth as y ^• is, whiche the catholiques, beyng not separate frō y ^e church do mynistre & gyue, of the which thynge saynte Austeyne a clerke most excellent of christes church Lib. 2. ca. 7. con [...]ta [...] ­ [...]tistas. thus speaketh. Saluberrimā tenet ecclesia consuerudinem in his schis­maticis, et haereticis, corrigere, quod prauū erat, nō iterare quod da tum fuit, sanare quod vulneratū est, non curare quod sanum. Quam cō ­suetudinem credo ex apostolica traditione venientem, sicut multa non inu [...]niuntur in literis [...]orum, ne (que) in conciliis posteriorum, et tamen quia per vnsuersā custodiuntur ec­clesiam, non nisi ab ipsis tradita, et [Page] commendata creduntur. That is. The churche kepeth a custome moost holsome in these schisma­tickes, and heretickes, (that is to saye, in theyr christenynge or baptising) to amēd y ^t which was yll, not to gyue againe y ^t, which was gyuen, to heale that, which was wounded, not to cure the thing hole or sound. The which custome I beleue came of y ^• apo­stlꝭ traditiō, lyke as many other thynges are not founde in theyr wrytynges, nor in the coūcels of thē that came after, & yet for as much as they are kepte through the hole churche, they are not thought or beleued to be cōmit­ted, and deliuered or taught but of them. Are not these wordes ynough to stop al bablers mou­thes, that say they cā not tel well what, against traditiōs, vtterly [Page] refusing to giue any fayth & cre­dence to thyngꝭ not expressed in y ^• scripture. Wil they be so folish to beleue Luther before Austen? The holy apostles dyd cōdemne thē y ^t wold be baptised, or christe­ned of heretikꝭ, & yet they cōmaūded y ^e he, which was baptised or christened w ^t the baptisme of the church shulde not be baptised or christened agayne, as it apereth in their canōs. Wherfore Austē Cap. 46. [...]. 47. iudged right wel y ^t it is a tradi­tiō of y ^e holy apostles not wryttē in y ^t scripture, y ^t who soeuer was ones baptised of an heretique or schismatike shulde not be bapti­sed againe, but onely y ^t amēded / which Eusebius lib. 7. ca. 8, was yl done of thē. Thys knew well the olde byshop of A­lexandria called Dionyse, which in his fyfth boke of baptisme tellethe that a chrysten man came [Page] vnto him, and sayed that he had receyued baptysme of heretykes otherwyse thē he saw it gyuen to other by y ^• catholyke minysters, and that he durste not lyfte vp his eyes to god for that faulte, & therfore he desyred to be made cleane w ^t baptisme of y ^e churche, wherby he might receiue y ^e grace of y ^e holy goost. But the holy mā Lege aug. lib. 1. ca. 33. Aduersus cresconium grāmaticū. sayed he durst not baptyse hym agayne in any wyse, knowynge that the apostles tradityon and constitucyon was agaynste that thynge to be done. Another tra­dicyon of the holy apostles is to haue pyctures and ymages in our tēples, as saynte damascene hath witnessed aboue. M. yeres before oure dayes, whiche thus Lib. 4. ca. 7 wryteth of them. Because (sayth he) some mē do ymbrayde or lay to vs in reproche that we do ho­noure [Page] & worshyp oure sauyours ymage and our queene his mo­thers, and moreouer the images of other sayntes, and Chrystes seruauntes, let them heare that god made man at the begynnīg after his ymage. Therfore for what cause do we honoure one another, but in as moche as we be made vnto gods ymage? For as the godlye and greate Basyl sayeth. Imaginis honor ad exem­plaris transfertur honorem. That is. The honoure of the ymage is referred, or caryed ouer from the ymage vnto the honoure of the sample. A lytle afterwarde when he had saide that in y ^e time of the olde testament there were but few ymages, because chryst was not then incarnate, but af­ter his incarnatyon, death & re­surrectyon, for as moche as all [Page] men know not lerning nor gyue them selues to readyng he sayth That our fathers dyd agre and consent to represent the incarnatyon, death, and resurrectyon by ymages as certayne tokens of vyctorye for y ^e readye remēbrāce of chrystes benefytes. For ofte we thynke not on chrystes passi­on through neklygēce, seyng the ymage of chryste strykē through we come agayne vnto the remē ­braunce of chrystes deathe, & we fallynge downe do worshyp not y ^e matter of the crosse, but chryst represented by the ymage. Lyke wise our lady chrystꝭ blessed mo­ther, sayeth he, is honored by her pycture, and that her honour is referred vnto Chryste her sonne borne of her. For as we haue sayde lyke as the honoure gyuē to chrystes good and kynde ser­uaūtes [Page] sheweth a token of good wyll towarde all mens lorde, sic et imaginis honor, ad prototypū, ex emplar, imaginis (que) veritatem trās­fertur That is to say, euen so the honour of the ymage is caryed from the ymage vnto the fyrste example or paterne, sample, and truth of the ymage, Est autē haec traditio non scripta. But this is a tradicyō not wryttē. Anone he addeth that the apostles taught and delyuered many thynges w ^t out wrytynge, and to proue that he allegeth .ii. textes of .s. Paule the one. ii. Thess .ii. state. &c: stāde ye faste, and kepe ye the tradici­ons, which ye haue lerned either by our speache, or by our epistle, the other Corin .xi. Brethren I prayse you, that ye do remembre me in all thynges and do kepe y ^• tradicyons, as I haue taughte [Page] them to you. All this hath that olde wryter Damascene to de­clare that y ^e settynge of ymages ī y ^• churches came by y ^• apostles, and howe they ought to be vsed and what profyte cometh of thē yf they be well vsed. In the whiche same place he dothe recyte a very straunge historye, which is this. It is sayde in a storye that Abagarꝰ kyng of the Edesenes sent a paīter to paynt an ymage This kyng wrote vnto out sauy­our, & oure sauyoure vnto hym agayne as Eusebiꝰ hath. lib. 1. ca. 15. lyke to our lorde, the which whē he could not do for y ^e bryghtnes of his face shynynge, oure lorde hym selfe puttinge a cloth to his godlye, and lyuelye face whype of in the cloth his owne ymage and so sent it the kyng Abagarꝰ desyrynge it. This historye she­weth manifestlye that ymages do please chryste, & not displease hym, though many mē do cal thē [Page] ydols. The seuenth general coū cell kepte at Nicaea bithiniae recytynge many anncyent doctouis sentenses touchinge images, al­legeth these wordes of S. Ba­syll. I do honoure the holy apo­stles, Nicenum consilium. marty [...]s, and confessours, which do humblye praye for me vnto god, that by theyr medya­cyon oure moste beoūteous god may be mercyfull, & frelye gyue to me remission of my synnes.

Quā ob causam, et historias imaginū illorū honoro, et palam adoro: hoc enī nobis a sanctis apostolis traditum, non est prohibendum, sed in oībus ecclesiis nostris eorum histo­rias erigimus. That is in english thus moche to say. For the whi­che cause I do honoure, and o­penly worshippe also the stories of theyr ymages, for that delyuered to vs of the holye apostles, [Page] is not to be forbydde, or prohy­bited, but we do set vp y ^e storyes of thē in all our churches. Here we se that after s. Basils mynde, the holy apostles taught & lefte by tradicyon the settynge vp of ymages in the temples of chry­stē people, & therfore this is also a veryte not wrytten in the holy scrypture. And to the intent mē may se theyr blynd errour, whi­che rayle agaynste the image of chryste, his blessed mother a virgyn most honorable, of the holy apostles & other sayntes: I wyll recyte here certayne storyes cō ­cernynge ymages both auncyēt Lib. 7. capi. 14. and profytable also to the godly disposed people. The auncyente wryter of the churches storyes, Eusebiꝰ tellethy ^t the womā, whō our sauyour healed of a bluddy flyxe, as Mathew doth wytnesse Capi. 9. [Page] dwelled in a Citie called caesare [...] philippi, and that in hys tyme, whiche was about .ccc. yeres af­ter christes byrth, her house was sene there & before y ^e dores of her house a pyller was shewed set in a very hye place, ī the which the same womans ymage grauen in brasse appeared as it were kne­lyng vpon her knees and hūbly holdynge vp her palmes of her handes. There stode also ano­ther ymage graued ī brasse, lyke a man apparayled clenly with a robe or alonge garmente, rea­chynge forth the ryght hande to the womā. At the fote of this y­mage out of y ^e pyller dyd grow a certayne herbe of a newe kynde. The which when it was sprōge forth, was wonte to growe oute styll to the hemme or skyrtes of that robe the brasen clothynge. [Page] The whiche hemme or skyrte of that brasen garmente, when the herbe growyng vp had touched wyth the hyhgest toppe, it gotte strength therof to put awaye all diseases, & fayntnes or faylynge of strēgth, in so much, that what so euer the sickenes of the bodye it were by a lytle draught of the ioyce of y ^t holsome herbe it was put awaye, hauinge no strength at all, yf it were broken of before it had touched by growynge the highest part of that brasen hem. They sayed that thys picture was made lyke to Iesus coun­tenaunce, whyche remayned vn­tyll oure tyme, as we sawe wyth our owne eyes. And no marueile yf they, which had beleued of the gentiles dyd seme to offre suche thynges as a gyfte, for the bene­fytes, whiche they had obteyned [Page] of oure sauiour, synce we se also now y ^e apostles Peter, & Pauls, and our sauiours ymages to be drawen, and paynted in tables. But we also haue sene their olde ymages kepte of certeyne men. Hytherto Eusebiꝭ in hys storye, by the whyche men maye se, yf they be not all blynde, that it is no new nor late inuented thynge to haue ymages in the temples, and what god hath wrought by them. But of thys sufficient for [...]ny purpose, whych is to declare onely that many thynges come by tradition of the apostles and other the eldest fahers, wythout anye expresse worde of the holye scripture. Thys not wythstan­dynge it shall be a thynge both worth my labour, & also the rea­ders or hearers, to recyte here a wonderfull myracle done by the [Page] ymage of Christe, of the whyche Athanasiꝰ maketh mētion, say­ing. Lib. [...]e pas­sione ima­ginis do vel exhortatio ad mona. vt quidā co dices habē [...] ca. 1. 23. It chaūced that the ymage of christe was founde of the Ie­wes in a citye called syria in the tyme of constantyne the elder.

The whyche they caste downe to the grounde, and sayed one to a­nother. We haue harde that our fathers dyd mocke & scorne Ie­sus of Nazareth manye wayes, let vs do so to thys ymage. Thā they began to spyt in the face of oure lordes ymage, & they stroke it wyth buffettes, sayinge. How great thynges our fathers haue done to the Iesu of Galile, so bygge let vs do to thys picture of hym. Then they crucified our lordes ymage, naylyng the han­des, and fete of it wyth sharppe nayles, puttynge vnto the yma­ges mouth vinagre, and gal, as [Page] they had done to Iesu thrist him selfe hāgyng vpō y ^• crosse. After y ^• they put a crowne of thornes on the ymages heade, strekynge theron w ^t a staffe, & mockynge it spite fullye. And at the lēgth, (as they had learned y ^e theyr elders had done to christe vpō y ^e crosse) they do streke the syde of the y­mage w ^t a speare. Whē this ab­homynable malycyus acte was done, there ensued streyght a wō derful myracle. For the syde of y ^• our sauiour Iesu christꝭ ymage sodēly began to runne w ^t water & bloud, and the other myracles then were done, which chaunced whē chrîste was crucified vpō y ^• crosse. Then the Iewes caused a greate vessell to be set vnder the place of the wounde, & anone it was ful of bloud & water. Ther vpō they sayed that they wolde [Page] proue whether anye myracles shuld be wrought therby, for as much as christes frēdes sayed y ^• manye myracles were done by him. They broughte the water & bloud to their synagoge, & cau­sed sicke folke to be washed w ^t it, amonge the whyche there was a verye aged man, whiche had the palsey or the losyng of his mem­bres euē frō y ^e tyme of his birth. He as sone as he was washed w ^t y ^• water & bloud was streight hole, & rose out of his bed, & wēt home. Thē y ^• people brought thither al diseased & sicke persons, y ^e blind, y ^e halt, y ^e lame, y ^e deafe, y ^e dome, y ^e lepers, w ^t all other, & as sone as they were washed with y ^e water & bloud, they were forth w ^t deliue­red frō their diseases The which whē y ^• people sawe, they beleued in our sauiour iesu, and praysed [Page] him highly, After this A thanasi: which wrote aboue. M. cc. yeres passed, telleth y ^• a christē mā had this ymage of christ, & leftit tho­row negligēce behind him in sy­ria, whē he departed thence, whē he was examined of the of the Metro­politaine of y ^• citie, he cōfessed y ^e Nicodemꝰ, which came to iesu by night, made it with his owne hā ­des, & gaue it to gamaliel pauls schole scholemaister, whē he died, & ga­maliel when he sawe y ^• his death approched & drew nighe, gaue it to Iames, Iames to symeon, sy­meon to zacheꝰ, & so frō tyme to time it continued in Hierusalem nigh vntil y ^• citie was destroied, whyche was the .xliii. yere after christes ascēsion in to heuē. For about ii. yeres before y ^e destruc­tiō came by Titꝰ & Vaspasianus the faythful, and disciples of christe [Page] were aduertised by y ^• holy gooste to depart frō Hierusalē in to the kyngdome of kynge Agrippa, & so they did carying with them al the thinges, that did belong vn­to christes religion, amonge the whiche was that christes ymage which remayned in syria til this day, & when my father & mother dyed, I receyued it by the ryght of an heire, and do now possessee the same. Hytherto I haue recy­ted saynte Athanasius wordes, entreatyng of thys marueylous storye, whyche I haue rehearsed here y ^e mē may se both that yma­ges haue bene longe in Christes churche, & y ^e God hath wrought by them great and straunge my­racles to the greate comforte of christen people, and finally that men shulde be wyse that they do not mysuse the ymage of christe, [Page] and hys sayntes, leste they feele gods vengeaunce therby. Now to go forwarde, I wyl recyte yet a fewe thynges moo that are re­ceyued and vsed by tradition in christes church without writing, of the which thys is one, that we The lentes fastynge. do faste the lente. For albeit it hath authoritie (as saint Austen Aug. Ianu. epist. 118, affirmeth) of Moses and Helias fasting in the olde law, & also of christes in the new, which fasted fortye dayes, yet it cometh to the churche by the apostles traditi­on, y ^• it is cōmaunded to be kept, and obserued fastyng. For saynt In epist. ad Marcellam Hierom this wryteth. Nos vnam quadragesimā secūdū traditionē a­postolorū, toto āno tēpore nobis cō gruo ieiunamꝰ. That is. We do fast one lēt accordīg to y ^e apostlꝭ tradition, in a time mooste mete for vs of al y ^e hole yere. Lo hierō [Page] saieth y ^e the holy apostles dyd or dayne and institute the faste of the lent, and we folowynge Lu­thers blyndnes saye that the a­postles taught nothynge which they wrote not afterwarde, and do dyspyse this faste vtterlye, preferrynge herin our owne carnall iudgementes, and flesshely, yea bestly lustes before the auc­toryte & iudgemēt of s. Hierom, whiche as he sayde hym selfe fa­sted wonderfullye moch, euen so he sayth the apostles taught the feaste of lent by tradicyon. Of y ^e which one theophilꝰ wrote thus before S. Hierome, whose boke Lib. [...]. he translated out of greake in to latyn. Nequaquā diebus quadrage simae, sicut luxuriosi diuites solent, vini poculū suspiremus, ne (que) in procinctu, et prelio, vbi labor, et sudor est necessarius, carniū edulio delec­temur. [Page] Qui autē legū precepta cu­stodiunt, vini vsum repudiant, et e­sum carniū. That is in oure lan­guage. Let vs not syght for, or greatly desyre wyne in the lente dayes, as ryot ous rych men are wont, neyther let vs delyte ī ea­ting of fleshe ī y ^e state of an army when they be ready to gyue bat­tayle, and in battayle, where la­boure and sweate is necessarye. They that do kepe the commaū ­dementes of lawes, do refuse or forsake the vse of wyne, and the eatynge of flesshe. This we se that lente was aboue twelfe hū ­dred yeres synce fasted, and that deuote mē dyd absteyne both frō drynkyng of wyne, & also frō ea­tyng of flessh in it. How wel this is nowe kept of chrysten people it neadeth not me to tell, but ra­ther to lamente, and bewaile the [Page] greate and exceadyng ryote and gluttonye whiche is nowe vsed bothe in eatynge of flesshe, and dryukynge of wyne, of the whi­che I haue spoken more largely in my boke of fastyng. But that lente fastynge came from the holy apostles saynt Iohan the euā gelistes Epist. 4. dyscyple Ignatiꝰ maye wytnesse sayenge. Quadragesimā nolite pro nihilo habere, imitatio­nem enī continet dei cōuersationis That is to say. Esteme not lente for naught, for it conteyneth the folowyng of gods conuersatiō. Where or of whom learned Ig­natiꝰ saynte Iohans scoler this cōmaundement of the lentꝭ fast, yf he learned it not of his may­ster saynt Iohan, or of the other apostles? This blyssed martyr saynt Iohans discyple byddeth or cōmaūdeth vs to faste y ^e lent, [Page] Luther and his scholers lyke be lye gods, or whose bely is theyr god, and ryotous epycures, do teache vs to breake it, whether partye ought chrysten people to beleue, and folowe? Saynt Ig­natiꝰ cōmaūdeth vs also to tast the wensday and fryday sayng. Quarta vero, & sexta feria ieiunate, reliquias pauperibus porrigentes. Faste ye the wensday & the fry­daye, gyuyng the remenaunt or scrappes to y ^e poore. Seest thou not, good chrysten reader, that the frydaye oughte to be fasted and the wensdaye after the apo­stles doctryne, which this saynt Iohans discyple wrote? Why therfore sayest y ^u, that y ^e apostles taught nothynge, but that only which they wrote afterwarde in the holy scrypture? Ceasse for shame that fōde bablīg. Leaue [Page] of that vngodly doctrine, which poysoneth the soule, & bryngeth it to vtter confusyon, yf it be not forsaken in tyme. Theophylꝰ sayeth. Habemus quadragesimam ab apostolis institutam, et ordinatā We haue the lent institute, & or­deyned of the apostles. Wher­fore oughtest not thou rather to beleue hym then lewde lyenge Luther? was not he both godly and excellently learned, as saint Hierome was whiche testifyeth the same, & that tyme when this matter was nothynge deubted of? were not these doctours ne­rer y ^e apostles tyme by more thē M. c. yeres, then Luther was, that therby they myghte better knowe, then he coulde, what the apostles dyd teach the church of chryste by mouth onely without wrytynge? But I wyll procede [Page] in this treatyse, and rehearse yet certayne moo tradicyons.

The churche of chryste vseth to make holye water, & to spryncle it abrode vpon y ^e people in a re­mēbraūce of our baptyme, & the water y ^e flowed oute of Christes blessed syde persed with a speare in tyme of his bytter passyon, & to put vs in remembraunce also of our death, whiche lyke water (as the seconde boke of y ^e kiges witnesseth) do slyde into the erth 2. Reg. 14. vndoubtedly. This custome is neyther brought vp of late nor yet worthy to be (as of manye it nowe is the more pitie) despysed lib. 9. ca. 34. [...]rip. hist. and nought regarded. For we do reade in a storye made aboue M. cc. yeres passed, that there was at apamia y ^e citie a notable and a stronge temple of iubiter, which was worshipped then for [Page] a god. When the good byshop Marcellus with another man beinge a head officer cōmaūded it to be throwen downe w ^t fyre cast in to it, there appeared a certeyne blacke deuyll lettynge the flames of the fyre to burne. The whiche when the bysshop Mar­cellus harde, he ranne thyther speadely, and cōman̄ded a vessel of water to be broughte to hym, the whiche sette vnder the alter, he lyenge downe vpon the pauyment made humblye peticion to our lorde, that he wolde not su­ffer that deuyl to vse any lenger his tyrānye, and a sygne of the crosse made ī the water, he gaue the water to one Equitiꝰ deacō armed with fayth, and A zele cō ­maundynge hym to runne haste lye, and put the fyre vnder and spryncle the water aboute there. [Page] Quod cū fuisset factū, daemon effu­git, nō ferens aquae virtutem. The whiche when it was done, the deuyll fledde awaye not sufferyng the vertue or strength of the water. This water feading the fyre lyke oyle, the whole temple was burnte cleane. Doth not this storye declare that halowed water hath power to dryue awaye frō vs wycked spirites? Why shuld not the holy water vsed in chry­stes church amonge all chrysten natyons, that be catholyke, be of the vertue, power, and myghte, that this water was of, sīce it is consecrated and halowed with many mo prayers, and makyng of crosses ouer it, then this holy bysshoppe Marcellꝰ vsed in ha­lowynge that water, wherby the deuyll was chased awaye out of Tomo. 2. cō tea hereses the temple? Epiphaniꝰ also bys­shop [Page] of Cypers telleth thys sto­rye of a certen iewe conuerted to christes fayth, whose name was Ioseph. Thys iewe beynge a christen man, receyued letters, & aucthoritye of the emperour cō ­stantine, went to tyberias a citie in Galilea, and hauyng letters to take al thynges necessarye of the kynges coste, he beganne to buylde in tyberias. He had nede of lime and other stuffe to build, and therfore he cōmaunded ma­ny chymneys, or fournayses to be made wythout the citie. But the crafty iewes begā to bynde y ^e fyre, & to scatter it abrode wyth certen charmes. Wherfore Io­seph meued, troubled, or angry, & streken with a zele toward our lorde, ranne out of the citie, and after y ^• he had cōmaūded water to be brought to hym in a vessel, [Page] the vessel of water beynge taken before all men (for there was a greate multitude of iewes, that came to see that syghte) he made wyth hys fynger a signe of the crosse ouer y ^e vessel with a great voyce, & the name of Iesus cal­led vpon for helpe, so he sayed.

Be made in iesꝰ of Nazarethes name, vertue or strength in this water to y ^e reprouffe or puttyng away of all charmyng, & wytch­crafte, whyche these iewes haue made, & to make also the fyer to haue power to worke, to ꝑforme oure lordes house the tēple, & so he toke the water in to hys hand & spryncled wyth it all the four­nayses, & the charmes were dis­solued, or destroyed, & the fyre braste out before all men. Hy­therto that aūcient great clerke Epiphaniꝰ. Whose wordes do [Page] playnlye make (as the other sto­ry dyd before recyted) for the cu­stome to make holye water or to halow it with signes of the holy crosse, and good prayers, that it maye therby haue strength, ver­tue, & myght against yl spirites, & worke agaynste charmes, and wytchcraft. Thys also declareth that the custome to blesse meate, drynke, and other creatures, is godly and good. Especially sith Paule affirmeth that euery cre­ature of god is halowed by gods worde and praier. But that this 1. Tom. 4. custō to make holye water came vp by the holy apostles. It may appeare therby / that the godlye martyr Alexander, whyche was wythin lesse thē an hūdred yeres after Chrystes death, and alyue before saynt Iohan the euange­liste departed by dyuers yeres, holy wate [...] [Page] thus maketh mētion of holy wa­ter. A quam sale cōspersam benedi­cimꝰ populis, vt ea cūcti aspersi san­ctificētut, ac purificētur, quod et oī ­bꝰ sacerdotibꝰ faciēdū esse mādamꝰ. That is to say. We do blesse water spryncled with salte vnto the people, that all sprincled wyth it maye be halowed, or made holye & cleane, the whych we cōmaund to be done of all preestes.

Anone he saieth, she wing a good cause why thys shulde be done. For yf the asshes of an heffer spiyncled wyth bloude, dyd san­ctify or halowe y ^e people, & make them cleane, moch rather water sprincled wyth salte, & halowed with godly prayers, doth halow & make cleane the people. And by salt sprincled of Heliseus the prophet, y ^• barraines of y ^• water is cured, howe much more it ha­lowed [Page] wyth godlye prayers ta­keth away y ^e barraines of thyn­ges belōgyng to mā, & sāctifieth the defyled, maketh pure, & pur­geth, and encreaseth other good thynges, & putteth away the de­uilles wiles or craftes to intrap a man, & defendeth frō the wyly­nesses or craftes of mennes phā ­sye. For we dout not but y ^• by the touchyng of the skyrte or hem of our sauiours garment the sycke haue bene healed, howe muche rather are the elemētes, (as wa­ter & other lyke) halowed of god by y ^• vertue of hys holy wordes, by the whiche elemētes, mannes weaknes receyueth helth of bo­dy, & soule? All this that blessed martyr wrote of holye water a­boue M cccc. yeres, & xx. passed, & therfore no mā cā iustly doute, but this thinge (as I haue saied [Page] afore (by the holy apostles tradi­tion in to christes church, & ther­fore it oughte not to be despised of vs, nor left vndone, as a thīg of no value. But let this go by, as spoken of sufficiently. The a­postles lefte to y ^• churche also by tradition, y ^• preestes shulde not Cap. 27. mary wyues, as it appeareth by their wordes, in theyr canons, which are these. Innuptis aūt, qui ad clerū ꝓuecti sūt, p̄cipimꝰ, vt si vo luerīt, vxores accipiāt, sed lectores, cantores (que), tātūmodo. That is to say. We christes apostles do cō ­maūde, y ^• they which being sēgle are ꝓmoted to y ^e clergie, do take wiues, if they wyl, but onely the readers, & singers. Which were two degrees in y ^• church among y ^• clergie at y ^• season, whō onely y ^• apostles cōmaūded to mary yf they wolde, excluding cleane frō [Page] marrying, preestes, deacons and subdeacons. Also they ordeyned Cap. 20. & cōmaunded y ^t none of y ^e clergy shulde be warrāters, or suerties saying. Clericꝰ fide iussionibꝰ īseruiens, abiiciatur. That is. Let the cap. 17. et ca 18. clerke, which is a suerty, be caste away. Likewise they taught the church y ^t he, whiche had maryed 1. Tomo. 3. two wiues, a widow, an outcast, or a cōmē womā shulde not be ꝓmoted amonge y ^• clergy to holye orders, though the apostle paule saying, a bishop or preeste muste Tertul. ad vrorē Apo­stolꝰ non sinit diga­mos p̄side­re. haue one wife, mēt, (as tertuliā sayth) y ^• bigamꝰ shuld not be chosen a preest. Of theyr traditiō it came also y ^t one bishop shuld not giue holy orders to clerkes of a­nothers diocesis. Likewise y ^• or­ders, & offices of y ^e church shuld Cap. 36. not be obteined by money, that a clerke, or a lay mā cōtynuyng in Cap. 30. [Page] playinge at dice, or hasarde, and a lay man puttyng hys wife frō hym shulde not be suffered to re­ceyue the blessed sacramente of the aultare. But to be briefe I wyll speake no more of them at this tyme, but wyll recyte yet a fewe traditions, of the whiche thys is one, that we beleue that our blessed lady christ our saui­ours The cōty­nuall virginite of our lady. deare mother was cōtinu­ally a virgin til her deth, which Eluidius denyed, & y ^e because he could fynd no scripture to proue it, but rather (as he supposed falsely) y ^e scrypture was agaynst it, and therfore saynte Hierom in hys boke made agaynste hym called hym an heretyke, though it can not be sufficyently proued by the scrypture, that she was a vyrgen vntyll hyr departynge out of thys worlde.

The which thyng ought to stop theyr mouthes that affyrme all thiges to be expressed in y ^e scrypture, whiche we are boūde to be­leue vnder payne of damnatyō. I am verye sure that no man is able to proue this veryte by any texte of the holye scrypture, and yet he that beleueth it not is, yf he stande stoburnly in de­fence therof, an heretyke, & ther­fore saynte Hierome (as I haue sayde already) called Eluidius an heretyke, which maynteined that our lady had other chyldrē besyde chryst, whom she concey­ned withoute man by the holye goost. What wyll or can they now here say, that requyre scrypture for euery thynge, and euer aske where is that or this wryt­ten The which they neuer can do ler­nedly. in the scrypture? Let theym answere to this one poynt, or to [Page] the chrystenynge of chyldren, as to diuers other put forth in this treatyse before. Bullynger, one of Luthers scholers, laboureth to proue by scrypture that oure ladye chrystes most honourable mother was a contynual virgē, lest he shuld be enforsed, & cōpelled to confesse that all truth whiche we must beleue is not expre­ssed in the holy scrypture, but he laboureth al in vayne, as anone hereafter it shall playnly apere. For he abuseth these wordes of the prophete Ezechiell to that purpose. Porta haec clausa erit, et non aperietur, et vir non pertransi­bit per eam. &c. That is in eng­lysshe this moch to saye. This Ezech. 44. gate shall be shytte, & shall not be opened, and a man shall not passe throughe by it. Loo (sayth Bulliger) hath not the prophete [Page] discrybed here aptelye ynoughe the holye wombe of the virgyn Mary Chrystes mother of whō y ^e sonne of ryghteousnes is born to vs? This Bullinger wresteth this prophettes sentence frō the litteral sence vnto an allygory, (whiche al lerned men, do cōfesse not mete to proue any doctryne beynge in controuersye,) for the defence of his deuyllyshe heresy Proclus the bisshop of Cizicene (sayeth he) doth none otherwyse expowne this y ^e prophetes texte. What then? he doth vnderstāde yt mystycally & by an allegorye. Is that sufficyent to proue any kynd of doctrine, or to perswade any thynge in questyon, and cō ­trouersye? Agayne S. Hierome doth otherwyse expowne it, y ^t is to wyt, of the gate of the lawe, & the prophettes. For he thus wryteth. [Page] What gate is this that is alwayes shytte, & onely the lord god of israel entreth by it? Tru­lye that of the which oure sauy­our speaketh in the gospel. Wo to you scrybes, & pharysees hy­pocrytes, & wo to you doctours of the lawe, which do take away the key of eunnyug, ye entre not in youre selues, and thē that are about to go in, ye prohibite. Of this gate (sayeth Hyerome) the prophet writeth vnder the name of a booke. Erunt verba libri istiꝰ, sicut verba libri signati. &c. The wordes of this booke shal be as the wordes of a booke sygned or sealed & so forth. No mā coulde Apoca. 5. [...] open and louse the seales of this booke, but he of whome Iohan speaketh in y ^e apocalypse sayng Beholde a lyon of Iudas trybe hath optayned y ^e victorie, which [Page] openeth the boke, and louseth y ^e seales of it. For before Chryste came the gate of y ^e lawe, and the prophettes, and all knowledge of the scrypture was shytte, pa­radise was also shytte, which by chrystes death were opened, the vele of the tēple brake, the vele In 2 [...]. 2. Cor. 3. taken away, al thynges were o­pen, and manifeste. Hitherto S. Hierome / whose wordes declare that this texte ought otherwyse to be expowned then Bullynger vnderstandeth it, to defende his naughty and damnable heresie. Notwithstādyng saynt Hierōs exposition is mystycal, or alle­gorical, and not litteral in dede. For to y ^e letter, by y ^t gate or dore is mente a certayne gate or dore of the temple, that was shytte and no man but the prynce, whi­che was gods vycar, myght en­ter [Page] into the temple at it, to offre sacrifices vnto god, & therfore y ^e prophete sayed. Vir non pertran­sibit per eam. A comen man, or a­ny other then the chyef or prynce shall not passe through it. This is the true meanynge of the let­ter, as it shall easelye apeare to hym, that wyll wey and examyn dily gently the texte wythout all affection, and corrupted iudge­mente, and therfore this place of the prophet cā not proue Bullyngers purpose, that our ladye chryst our sauyours blessed mo­ther was a continuall virgyn, thoughe it be very trew that she so was, and Heluidiꝰ was iustly estemed of saynt Hierom an he­retyke for the denyenge that she cōtinued a vyrgyntyl her deth. Moreouer saynt Ciprian expo­wnyng the apostles crede sayth [Page] that the prophet Ezechyell dyd set forth the wonderfull maner of our ladyes bryngynge forthe chryste, and that he called our ladye blessed saynt marye chrystes mother a gate by a fygure. In y ^e whiche place the sayde Cipryan affyrmeth that our ladye was a perpetuall virgyn. To be shorte in this matter Saynt Hierome in his hole boke compyled, and publyshed of, and vpō this matter agaynste Heluidiꝰ, alledged not one texte of the scrypture to proue this truth, but onely dyd make answere to the auctorities that Heluidiꝰ mysse toke for his purpose, the which he did (as E­rasmus In argumē to episto [...]e illius. sayeth truely) because y ^e scrypture spake nothyng of that thynge, but it was set forth, and lefte to the church by the holy a­postles tradicion. Certaynlye yf [Page] the prophet Ezechiels texte alle­ged before of Bullynger coulde haue proued that our blessed la­dye was a virgyn to the ende of her lyfe, saynte Hierome wolde haue alledged it to that purpose synce he expowned that whole pphet, and therfore for as moche as he dyd not recyte it to y ^• ende, it may appere that he sawe that it made nothynge at al to proue that thyng. But this of this ve­ryte vnwrytten delyuered from the apostles to vs by mouth w ^t ­out any expresse worde of scryp­ture, speakynge therof. Further we beleue (as ī dede we are boūd The crede of the apo­stles. to do) that the holy .xii. apostles made a certayne crede called in latyn symbolū apostolorū (as S. Cypriā affirmeth expowning it) because euery one of them made an artycle therof, and yet it can not [Page] be proued by the scrypture that they made any suche. Rufi­nus aquiliensis, saynte Austen, In expos [...] illiꝰ. August sermo. 10. de penteco. &c. in ramis palmarum Lyprianus in symbo apost ait. Tenet fidel traditio sā ­ctā ecclesiā. & diuers other do wytnesse, that the apostles wrote that crede, & thys article. I beleue the holye church catholyke, whyche is cōteined in it, can not be proued by any texte of the scrypture. If we shulde beleue nothynge, that is, not expressely & namely set forth in the holye scrypture, then we shulde not beleue that christ the sonne of god is equall wyth hys father, of the same nature, sub­stance & power, for Ariꝰ denyed it because he saw nothyng in the scrypture namely to proue it, as saynte Athanasius wrytynge a­gaynst hym, affyrmeth playnly. Lib 2 disp [...] in arianos Where fynde ye (sayed Arius) thys worde, homousios, that be­tokeneth one that is of lyke, or [Page] the same substāce, in al the scrip­ture: Dasillꝰ cp. 78. Si ve­ro quis dixerit exaite­ta essentia et substātia esse filiū, eū reprobat as detestatur catholica, et apostoli­ca ecclesia. O. did est satis ad il­lius herese­os explosi­onem. was he not as foolyshe, as many nowe are, & many now as then he was / which do euer aske where fyndeste thou that in the scrypture? Saynt Athanasius, and the great councel holden at Nicea, wyth as manye as haue written against y ^• heresie, which holdeth y ^• the sonne is not equal wyth hys father, haue made an­sweare vnto the arryans, that albeit this worde or name homou­sios signifiynge that christe the sonne is of one nature and sub­staunce wyth hys father, is not put forth expressely in gods ho­ly worde, yet the scrypture allo­weth, and proueth the thynge it selfe in dyuers places, the which they iudged to be sufficyent, as in dede it is, not in thys matter one [...], but in sundrye other, as [Page] that there be three persons in the trinitie, though it be not expres­sed in the scripture, and therfore Sabelliꝰ denyed it, yet y ^• scryp­ture doth fully and plenteouslye set the thynge it selfe forth. Also that the holye gooste procedeth from the father, and the sonne is not namely expressed in the scripture, and for that cause the gre­cians, and the Armenes denyed it, and yet the scrypture proueth that thynge sufficiently, as it is expowned of the holy doctours. Wherfore it is peryllous to de­maunde for the beliefe of euerye thynge receyued of vs, where it is wrytten in the scrypture, or howe can it be proued by the ho­ly scrypture, syth it is ynoughe that the scripture is not against it, beynge receyued of the catho­lique churche, or that the scryp­turs [Page] dothe sette it forth, as it is vnderstande, and expowned of Tertulianꝰ de corona militis. the holye churche, and her doc­tours catholike, In this matter concernyng the askyng of scrypture for y ^e proufe of euery thing, I wolde that euerye man wolde marke wel what the eldest latine doctour of christes church Ter­tulyan sayth therin, whose wor­des are these. Cum quaeritur, cur quid obseruetur, obseruari interim constat, ergo nec nullum, nec incer­tum videri potest delictū, quod cō ­mittitur in obseruationem suo no­mine vindicandam, et satis autora­tam consensus patrocinio. That is to say. When it is asked, why­any thynge shulde be obserued, it is euydente, in the meane sea­son, y ^e it is obserued. Therfore it may seme some faulte, & a certen synne, that is cōmitted agaynste [Page] an obseruation, whyche is to be defended by hyr name, & is suf­ficyentlye authorysed by the de­fence of consente. These wordes do rubbe some men of thys oure tyme vpon the gall, as also do Tertulian­de corona militis. those whyche now folow in thys olde authoure. Quale est autem, vt quis tūc in questionē prouocet obseruationem, cum ab ea excidit? et tunc requirat vnde habuerit obser­uationē, cū ab ea desiit? But what thynge is it (sayeth he) that anye man shulde then cal in to questi­on, or doubte an obseruation, when he is fallen from it? And then requyre frō whēse or wher­of he had the obseruation, when he hath lefte it? Do not dyuers men euen after thys sort now a­mong vs chrystē people? For we do forsake fastynge, and dyuers other thynges longe kepte of al [Page] chrysten nations before we were borne / and then we call them in doubte / and aske what autoritie they be of, and how they may be proued by scripture. It is an ea­sy thing to aske where is it writ­ten, that we shulde faste the lent, obserue any feastes, & kepe ma­ny other thynges, not playnly, & namely set out in scrypture, but we maye aske of them where is it wrytten that these thynges oughte not to be obserued?

Expostulātesenim scripturae patro­cinium So reaso­neth Tertulian. in parte diuersa, praeiudicāt suae quo (que) parti, scripturae patroci­nium adesse debere. That is. For they / askyng a defēce, or an eayd of scrypture in the cōtrary part, do iudge before, that the scryp­tures defence oughte to helpe theyr parte. Habemus obseruatio­nem inueteratam, quae praeuenien­do [Page] statum fecit. Hanc si nulla scrip­tura determinauit, certe cōsuetudo corroborauit, quae sine dubio ma­nauit detraditione. Quomodo enim vsurpari quid potest, si tradi­tum non sit priꝰ? Tthus maye be the englyshe. We haue an olde obseruation, whych cōmyng be­fore, hath made a state, or a cer­tayntie in it. Thoughe no scryp­ture hath determyned thys ob­seruation, yet at lest the custome hath strēghthened it, or made it stronge, whyche doubtles came of tradition. For how maye any thynge be obserued, or kepte, yf it be not fyrste taught, or delyue­red by tradition? Hitherto Ter­tulyan, whyche was aboue. M. ccc. yeres, &. xl. before our dayes, whose sayeng maketh much for traditiōs, & for thynges vsed in the church of christ without ma­nifeste [Page] scripture for them. Nowe where some lerned mē haue sup­posed As Iohan ceciꝰ, Būde riꝰ, and o­ther certen. and set also forth in theyr bokes, that the goinge downe of our sauiours blessed soule with his godhead in to y ^e place, where y ^e olde fathers soules remayned before christes death, called libꝰ patrū, to cōfort thē, to shewe y ^e he was come in to the world by his birth, & had dyed for thē, & to de­liuer theym thense, is not expres­sed in y ^e scripture, I thynke that therein they were greatly decey­ued, as no man is cleare from all erroure, especiallye they that write vpon goddes holy worde, which onely is without al lyes, and errours, as the wryters of August ad hieroni. it onelye were in that theyr dede not deceyued in any one poynte, (I say y ^e they, whyche affyrmed) that descensus Christi ad inferna, [Page] the descendynge downe of christ to hell, is a truth not wrytten in the scrypture, were playnlye de­ceyued therein, because manye textes of the scrypture do proue that thing euydently, of the whiche these are the chyefe. Dauyd sayeth in the parson of our sauyour Psal. 19. chryste. Non derelinques ani­mam meam in inferno. O father thou wylt not leaue my soule in hell. Howe could this haue bene truely sayed of chryst to god his father excepte his soule coupled with his godhead had descēded in to hell or the place where the fathers were before chrystes cō ­mynge and death? Also we rede these wordes in the sawtre. Ab­straxisti Psal. 29. de inferno animam meā. Thou hast (O father) taken my soule oute of hell, I let passe o­ther Act. 2. Ephe. 4. auctorites, puing the same, [Page] because these two are sufficyent for to proue this purpose, which is that the scrypture maketh mē tion that christ defeēded or went downe in to y ^e place where the fathers soules remayned abidyng and lokyng for his comyng thi­ther to them after his death, whē his body laye in the sepulchre.

Nowe to make ones an ende of this treatyse, I wyll breyfely declare that y ^e certayne knowledge of the holy scrypture cōmeth by tradicyon without any other auctorytye then of the catholyke churches, & the fathers of christꝭ relygyon, that lerned of the apostles, which were the very trewe scryptures wrytten by the inspiracion and styrynge of the holy goost, & which were not, though they were putforth in y ^e euange­lystes, or apostꝭ names. Saynt [Page] Austen in dyuers places of his The euan­gels and o­ther the ho­ly scripturs are not assuredly kno­wen to be gods worde but by the churche of chryst bea­rynge wyt­nesse there vnto. workes, and namely ī these, that nowe do here folowe, affyrmeth y ^e the auctoryte of the holye scry­ptures dependeth, and hangeth vpon the iudgement of the vni­uersal or catholike church. Fyrst this hath he, lib .vii. cōfess.

Scripturas sāctas ecclesiae catholi­cae cōmendat autoritas. That is to saye. The auctoryte of the ca­tholyke churche setteth forth the To. 6. epist. cōtra fūda. Mani. holy scryptures. Agayne more playnly this he wryteth. Quid faceres dicenti, non credo euangelio? Ego vero non crederē euangelio, ni Hiero con­tra vigilantium. Quid necesse est in manus sumere, ꝙ ecclesia non recipit. si me catholicae ecclesiae authoritas cōmoueret That is to say. What woldest thou do to hym, y ^t saith, I beleue not y ^e gospel? I trewly wold not beleue y ^e gospel, except the auctorytie of the catholyke churche shulde moue me. It fo­lowethe anone there. I muste [Page] neades beleue the boke of the a­postles actes, yf I do beleue the gospell, because the catholyke churches autorytie cōmendethe to me of like sort both those scri­ptures. Tertuliā also affyrmeth Tertilianꝰ. prescript. the same thus wrytynge. Quid apostoli predicauerint, id est, quid illis christus reuelauit, et hīc praes­cribam, non aliter probari debere, quā per easdē ecclesias, quas ipsi a­postoli condiderunt, eis predicādo tam viua, (quod aiunt) voce, quam per epistolas postea. That is. What y ^e apostles haue preched that is, what chryste hath reuei­led, or opened to thē, I wyl note or determyne also hence or ther­of that it ought not otherwise to be proued then by the same churches, or sayth full companyes, whiche the apostles them selues buylded, preachinge to them, as [Page] well w ^t a lyuely voyce, (as they say cōmenly) as afterwarde by epystles. Besyde this in another boke he wryteth after this ma­ner. Tertilianꝰ lib 4. aduer sus martia nem. Habemus et Iohannis alūnas ecclesias. Nā et si apocalipsin Mar­cion respuit, or do tamen episcopo­rum ad originē recensitus in Iohan nem stabit autorē. Sic et caeterarum generositas recognoscitur. Dico a­pud illas, nec solas a postolicas, sed apud vniuersas, quae illis sacramēti societate confaederantur, id euāge­lium lucae ab initio aeditionis stare, quod cum maxime tuemur. Eadem autoritas apostolicarū ecclesiarum caeteris quo (que) patrocinatur euange­liis, quae proinde per illas, et secun­dū illas. habemꝰ, Iohānis dico, Ma­thaei, et Marci. Thus may be the englyshe of these wordes. We haue also churches of. s. Iohās scholynge, or bryngynge vp in learnynge of the gospell. For [Page] though marcion doth refuse the reuelation, or apocalipse, yet the ordre of bysshoppes nombred or rekenyd to the begynnynge shal hold with Iohan, that he is the autour or maker of it. So also the nobilite, or strength of the o­ther scryptures is knowen per­fectly. I say y ^• that gospell hath stande for Lukes from the ma­kynge or puttynge forth of it at these churches, nother onelye w ^t them that were the apostles, but at or with all them holly, which are confedered, or ioyned to thē with feloshyppe of a sacrament, othe, or sygne of a holye thynge, the whiche thinge we do chyefly defende. The same autorytie of the apostles churches defendeth also y ^e other gospels frō iniurye, the whiche therfore, and after or by them we haue, I say, Iohas, [Page] Mathewes, and Markes. Hi­therte the auncyent wryter Tertulian, whose wordes declare, y ^• the apostles tradicyon teacheth vs / whiche are the gospelles of chryste and the trew scryptures, where there is no scryptures, to proue them by, and therfore he y ^t wyll beleue nothynge withoute scrypture, let hym tel me why he Mark this reader. beleueth any one boke of y ^• scripture to be true scrypture syth no texte of y ^e scrypture can testifye, that it is scrypture in dede?

Wrote not I praye the, reader, Bartylmewe a gospell, and Ny­chodemꝰ another, (as storyes do tell) whiche are not receyued for anye parte of the scrypture? By what auctorytye is this done? wherfore doest thou rather giue credence vnto Lukes gospell whiche neuer sawe chryste: then [Page] to saynte Bartylmewes, whiche was one of the twelfe apostles? Eusebiꝰ testifyeth that an euā ­gel Lib. 3. ca. 3. or gospel was iuged to haue bene wryttē by saynt Peter, and a boke of actes with a reuelatiō, which are not alowed to be scripture. Enoch wrote a boke, of the which Iudas ī his epystle spake and also Tertulian. Manye dy­uers De habitu muli [...]bri. other bokes were ascrybed vnto the apostles, and euange­lystes beynge put forth in theyr names, and bearynge theyr ty­tles, whiche in dede eyther they neuer wrote, or els y ^e holy gooste moued not them to make them, or thought it not good nor nece­ssary to haue them receyued and vsed amonge chrysten people, which thing he opened & taught the holy apostles, and other the beleuynge people, of and frome [Page] whom the certeyne knowledge, whych is the holy scripture, and whych is not, doth come, as S. Cypryan sayeth, thus wrytyng. In enarr [...] symbo. ap [...] Quae sunt noui, ac veteris instrumē ti volumina, quae secundum maio­rum traditionem per ipsum spiritū sanctum inspirata creduntur, etec­clesiis tradita, competens videtur in hoc loco euidenti numero, sicut expatrum monumentis accepimꝰ, de­signare. That is to wyt. Whiche are the bookes of the newe, and olde testament, that accordynge to the elders tradition are bele­ued to be inspired by the holye gooste, and delyuered vnto the churches, it semeth mete to as­signe or note in thys place by an euidente nōbre, lyke as we haue learned of the fathers recordes, or bookes. Then streyght he re­cyteth the numbre of the bokes, [Page] whyche are reckened to be ho­ly scrypture. Wherby it appea­reth yet ones agayne that we knowe not what bookes be to be iudged, & estemed gods worde but by tradition of the apostles, and oure auncetours, or elders, whom the holye gooste (sayeth saint Cyprian that blessed mar­tyr) taught that thinge by inspi­ratiō. It foloweth therfore that yf thou wylte beleue nothynge wythout wytnesse of the scryp­ture, that thou causte beleue no­thynge of the gospell to be scrip­ture nor no other parte called scrypture, and so all the fayth wholly muste neades at ones by that one deuellish opiniō cleane peryshe. Wherfore cease asking where it is wrytten in the scryp­ture, in thinges at the lest recey­ued generally of Christen nati­ons, [Page] and gyue credence vnto the catholyque churche, whose au­thoritie, as it is moost cer­teyne and sure, so it is verye longe, and greate, as this chaptre shall proue to the by goddes grace sufficient­lye.

¶ The auctoritie of christes ca­tholike churcch of and vpon the Apostles traditions and very­ties not written in the scripture.

AS touching the au­thorite of christes catholyke, or vniuersal church, I entende at thys tyme to be very briefe, and shorte. The olde and auncyent wryter saynt Ireneus I [...]eneus lib. 5. cap. 4 whyche was scholer to one Po­lycarpe saynt Iohan the euan­gelystes disciple, thus wryteth of the churches auctoritye. We ought not to seke yet the truth at other, the which it is easy to take of the churche, seyng that the a­postles haue brought al thinges belōgyng to the truth in it most plēteously, as it were into a rich treasure house, or store house, so that euery man that wyll, maye [Page] receyue of it water of lyfe. Here thys holye martyr sendeth vs to the catholyke churche, to learne the truthe, & sayeth we maye not seake it but there onelye. Thys churche neyther doth approue any thynge agaynste the fayth & good lyuynge, nor suffereth any thing agayust eyther of thē to be Tomo, [...]. Epist. 119. kept, as s. Austen testifyeth. If thys churche through the whole worlde do teache anye thynge, Epist. 118. quī ita faciēdū sit, disputare (inquit August.) insolētissime īsaniae est, y ^• is, but that it must so be done, to reasō or dispute, it is most proud T [...]en was Luther madde, as many other are that folowe him nowe. madnes, Thys sayeng of saynte Austen declareth many mē both to be proud and very madde al­so, whyche do reason stubborne­ly, and spytefullye agaynste dy­uers thynges obserued, & kepte through the whole church, these [Page] many hundred yeres. Oure Lorde make theym meke, humble, and wyse, that they maye acknow­ledge the hygh, and certeyne au­thoritye of Chrystes catholyke churche, agaynst the whyche no Aug. de tri­nita. lib. 4. cap. 6. quiete man hath, or wyl, (as S. Austeyne testifyeth,) iudge saint Austen intreating of the christe­nyng agayne of them, that were baptysed or christened of an he­retyke thus wryteth. Thoughe there were no exāple of this matter taken out of the holye scryp­ture, yet the veritie of the same [...]ib. 1 cap. 33. contra [...]resconium grāmaticū. scriptures is holdē of vs in this thynge, when we do that whyche hath pleased the whole churche, whē the same scriptures autho­ritie commēdeth, & setteth forth, so y ^t foras much as the holy scripture can not deceyue vs, who so euer feareth to be deceyued by [Page] the darkenes of thys questyon (whether one baptysed of an he­retyke sh [...]l [...]e be chrystened a­gayne or not) let hym aske coun­cel of the same catholike church, whom wythout al doubt the ho­ly scrypture cōmendeth. Hyther­to this great clerke saynt Austē whyche wylleth vs to aske coū ­saile of christes catholike church in thys doubtefull question of baptyme, of the which the scrip­ture speaketh not, and therfore al thynges can not be proued by the scrypture, whyche we muste both beleue / & do also, thoughe many men vngodly / and falsely saye they may. The same Austē / which sayed he wolde not beleue the gospel / except the authoritie of the catholyke churche shulde moue hym / in another place de­fineth / & declareth / what is the [Page] catholike churche, sayeng. I be­leue Tomo. 10. sermonē de tēpore. 131. the holy churche catholike, that is to saye, whyche is spred, and dyspersed throughe all the worlde, because the churches of dyuers heresyes, for y ^t cause are not called catholyke, that they what chur­che is called the catho­like church. are conteyned in theyr places, and countreyes. Hec vero a solis ortu us (que) ad occasum us (que) vnius fi­dei splēdore diffunditur. That is. Thys the catholyke churche is scattered abrode wyth the shy­nynge of our faythe from the sunnes rysyng vntyll the goyng done. The donatystes, whyche were a certē kynde of heretykes in Numidia aboute the yere of oure Lorde, thre hundred fyftye & thre, affyrmed that the church, or congregation of christen peo­ple was no where but with them as Luther, and hys scholers are [Page] not asshamed to booste of theyr flockes, which is agaynst the nature, and name of the catholyke churche, of the whiche Vincētiꝰ lirynensis, which was aboue a­leuen hundred yeres before this Vincētius lirinensis gallus. tyme, wryteth after this sorte. I haue often with great studye as­ked of very many men both wel learned, and godly also, by what rule, or sygne I myght discerne the truth of the catholyke fayth from the falsite. And I had al­moste euer this aunsweare, that whether I, or els anye other wolde espye out the gyles, or de­ceytes of heretykes, and auoyde theyr snares, and abyde sownde, and hole in a sownde faythe, he oughte two wayes by goddes ayde to arme and defende hys fayth. Primo scilicet diuinae scrip­turae autoritate, tū deinde ecclesiae [Page] catholicae traditione. That is to saye. Fyrste or chyeslye with the auctoryte of the holy scrypture, then further more with the tra­dicyon of the catholyke church. Anone after he addeth these wordes. But in the same catholyke church, after whose rule y ^• scrip­tures muste be expownded, we Here it ap­peareth what is called catho. muste see, that we kepe y ^• thyng, the whiche hath bene beleued e­uery where, of all nations, and alway, for that is verely catho­lyke, as the strēgth of the worde declareth. But that at the lēgth Ille est get manus christianus, qui quicquid ecclesiam ca­tholicā vniuersaliter antiquitus tenuisse co­gnorit, id solum sibi tenendum Credēdū [...] decernit Vincētins li [...]mensis gallus. is done onely. Si sequamur vniuersitatem, antiquitatem, et cōsentio­nem, that is. If we folowe the generalitie, all or the hole, y ^• aū ­cyentie or oldnes, and the cōsent or agreyng of the faithfull peo­ple. The fyrste of these three shall be done yf we do confesse y ^• [Page] to be a true faith, which y ^e whole churche through the worlde cō ­fesseth. The seconde shall be, yf we go not from the fathers sen­ces, vnderstāders of the scryp­ture, or iudgement. The thyrde also then shal be done, If in the auncyente we folowe al, or nigh all, the preestes and maisters, or teachers determinations, & sen­tences this liryndsis. Then a­none afterwarde he rehersynge howe moch, and howe great yll, and myschyef came into y ^e world by the arrians heresie, the sub­uersyon, ouerthrowyng, and de­struction of all good thynges, & godlymen, thus he wryteth.

At (que) haec o [...]a nūquid aliam ob cau­sam, nisi vti (que) dum procaele sti do­gmate A notable sayenge of this olde wryter. humanae superstitiones in­troducuntur, dū bene fundata anti­quitas scelesta nouitate subruitur, [Page] dum superiorum instituta violan­tur, dū rescindūtur scita patrū, dum conuelluntur definita maiorū dum sese intrasacratae, at (que) incorruptae vetustatis castissīos limitis profanae ac nouellae curiositatis libido nō cō tinet. This is a very notable sa­ynge of this auncyent doctour, and the englysshe of it maye be this. Do al these euyls chaunce for any other cause, but truelye whyles that mans superstitiōs, Supstition is superfluous or vain religion. are brought in for heuenly doc­trine, whyles the auncyent well groūded, or hauing a good foū ­dation is ouerthrowen, or caste downe with an vngracious, or myscheuous noueltye, or new­nes, whyles the superyours or­dinaunces, are broken, whyles the fathers decrees, or statutes are takē away, or repelled, why­les the determynatiōs of the el­ders, [Page] or auncetours are shaken out of theyr places, whyles the luste, or sensualytie of the pro­phane, vngodly or vnlearned, & new curiosite holdeth not it selfe within the most pure or honeste boūdes of the halowed and vn­corrupted auncyentye, or age. These wordes of this olde wry­ter / and excellent clerke declare verye well that of heresye newe Newe doctrine is cause of al myschete. doctryne, contempte, and breach of the elders tradiciōs, decres / and ordynaūces cometh al mys­chefe, & vngratiousnes: whiche thing how true it is diuers coū ­treys of chrystendome haue and yet do / and contynually shal vntyll amēdement be, feale lamēt, and bewayle remedyles. Oure lorde wyll remedy it whē he shal se tyme, whom we must instātly, deuoutly, & contynnallye desyre [Page] with oure prayers so to do, euer remembrynge and cleauyng vnto chrystes churches determynation, and fayth, and then in and amonge al these sharpe, & rough stormes of blusterynge heresies we shall sauely sayle through y ^e seas of this whretched worlde, and ariue, and come at the lēgth vnto the hauen of quyetnesse: full of all ioyfulnes in heauen. God (sayth saynte Austen) hathe In psa. 47 De symbo­lo ad cate­che. cap. 5. buylded this churche euer to endure: why therfore doest y ^• feare lest the foundacyon of it shulde fall? The catholyke church fighteth agaynst all heresies, she yet can not be ouercome: or vanquyshed, hell gates agaynst her can not preuaile. Eusebiꝰ sayth that Lib. 4. ca. 7 et. 8. the deuyll the continuall enemy of all goodnes: of the truth, and of mans helth by his minysters [Page] the heretykes assayeth all waies to deceyue gods church, but the truth vanquyssheth: and suffe­reth not the church to be corrup­ted with the falsitie, beynge dy­uers men well learned: whiche shuld dysclose heretykes vngodly gloses: reproue them: and opē moreouer the fayth in the catholyke church of chryste: saynge w ^t the bisshoppe alexander (of whō Theodoritꝰ speakethe. The churche can not be ouercome Histo tri [...]. lib. 1. ca. 14. though all the worlde be agaīst it. She vanquyssheth al vngod lynes, our sauyour assuryng vs therof, when he sayth. Be ye of good trust, I haue ouercome the worlde. Haec docemus, haec predi­camus, haec sunt apostololicae eccle­siae dogmata, pro quibus etiam morimur, et destruere ea volentes nul­latenꝰ formidamus. We do teache [Page] (sayth Alexander) these thynges we also preache these / these are determinations of the apostles church, for the which yea we dye A godly bisshoppes sa­ynge. and we ī no wyse do feare thiem, whiche wyll destroye them. Also saynt Chrysostom sayth thus of To. 2. homilia. 12. the churche. Nō cessat impugnari ecclesia, nō cessat insidiaspati, sed ī nomine christi, semper superat, sem per vincit. Et quantum alii insidiā ­tur, tantum illa dilatatur. Sermo e­nim dei est īmobilis, quia portae in­feri non praeualebunt aduersus eam qui impugnat, seipsum dissoluit, et fatigat, ecclesiam aūt fortiorem o­stendit. That is in our tongue thus moche to say. The churche ceasseth not to be stryuen agaīst or assaulted, it ceasseth not to su­ffre wiles, to intrap her or she beware, but in the name of chryste she euer vāquyssheth, euer ouer [Page] cometh. And as muche as other beseige hyr, or worke crafte a­gaynste hyr, so muche she is en­larged. For goddes worde is vnmoueable, whych is, y ^t the gates of hel shal not preuayle agaynst hyr, he that fighteth against hir, doth louse or destroye hym selfe, and make him selfe wery, but he sheweth the churche to be stron­ger. How trewe thys sayeng is, the storyes, & cronacles of thyn­ges passed do so manifestely de­clare, y ^t I nede to speke no more thereof. Thys churche was so much estemed, & the auctorite of it so greatlye regarded of sayn e Lib. 2. Gregory Iieroms maister, that he saied, teaching that god hath no body. Ex his, qui diuino mune­re afflati fuere, nemo hactenꝰ sētētiā vel ꝓnūciāt, vel ꝓnūtiatū apꝓbauit & abhorret hinc nostrae ecclesiae doctrinae. [Page] That is. Of these, which were inspired wyth y ^e holy goost [...]mora do­ctrine chri­tiane. none hytherto eyther hath pro­noūced this sētence, or approued it pronounced, & the doctrine of our church discordeth frō thēse. Thys great learned mā & holye father thoughte it ynough for y ^• improuffe of an heresye y ^t none of the aūcient doctours had ey­ther set it forth, or allowed it set forth by other, & that it shuld be contrary to the doctrine of chyr­stes church, and we, such is our pryde and want of grace, do de­spise the iudgemente both of the godlye fathers, and of the hole catholyke churche, which is, (as saynte Chrysostom wytnesseth) the mother of the beleuyng peo­ple. Here nowe what Tertulian [...]ermonē. 76 de [...] hath sayed of the church in these fewe wordes. Non alia agnoscēda [Page] ē apostolorū traditio, quā quae hodie apud ipsorum ecclesias aeditur. Ex­hibe ergo aliquem ex tuis apostoli­ci Lib. [...]. ad­uersꝰ Mattionē habet euāgelium marcionis ecclesias, sed suas, tā posteras (quam) adulte­ras, quarū si c [...]sum re­quitas factitus a­postaticum inuenias, (quam) apostolicā lib. 4. aduersus mart. [...]. cēsus, et obduxeris. None other tradition is to be recognysed, or knwledged the apostles, then y ^t whiche is published, or set forth at theyr churches. Therfor shew forth some man of thyne of the apostles estimation, numbre or iudgemēt, and thou shalt ouer­come or obteyne the victorye.) Agayne thus he hath. In summa si constat id verius, ꝙ prius, id pri­us ꝙ ab initio, id ab initio quod ab apostolis, pariter vti (que) constabit id esse ab apostolis traditum, quod a­pud ceclesias apostolorum fuerit sa­crosanctum. That is to say brief­lye. If it be playne that to be trewer, that is fyrste, that to be fyrste, or before that was frō the begynnynge, whyche was of the [Page] apostles, it shall in lykewyse be verily euident that to be taught of the apostles, whyche hathe bene much estemed, as a thynge halowed, or that ought not to be touched but reuerentlye, at or wyth the apostles churches.

Furthermore the councell kepte In registro lib. 1. ca. 23 at Nicea, whych was one of the four general coūcels, that s. Gregorye sayed he no lesse thē y ^• four gospels beleued, declareth how muche the churches autoritie & determinations shulde be regarded: sayeng. Si cathari venerint ad Cap. [...]. [...]. ecclesiā catholicam, prae omnibus eos scriptis conuenit profiteri, ꝙ ca tholice et apostolice ecclesie dogmata suscipiant, et sequātur. That is. If the heretykes (whyche called them selues cathoros for y ^• clea­nes of lyuing, which they proudlye challynge to them) shal come [Page] to the catholyke churche, it is mete that they fyrste or before all thynges do by wrytyng promise openlye or confesse, that they do receiue and folow the doctrines or determinations of the catho­lyke & apostles churche. Againe Cap. 9. the councell sayeth. Quod irre­prehensibile est catholica tenet ec­clesia. The catholyke churche holdeth that thynge, whiche can not be reproued. If we wolde marke well thys sayenge, which as I sayed, saynt Gregorye este­med it as the gospel, & folowe it, we shuld not so shamefully ere, & go out of the waye as we nowe Lib. de ver [...] sapien. daylye do. For (as Lactantius witnesseth.) Sola catholica ecclesia est, quae verum cultum retinet. Hic est fons veritatis, hoc est domicili­um fidei, hoc templum dei, quo si quis, nō intrauerit, vel a quo si quis [Page] exiuerit, a spe vitae et salutis aeternae alienus. That is to saye. The ca­tholyke churche onelye is, that holdeth styll the trewe worshyp­pynge of God. Thys is the well of truth, thys the house or man­syō of fayth, thys y ^e tēple of god, whither yf any man shal not en­tre, or out of whyche yf any man goo, he is wythout hope of lyfe, and euerlastynge saluation.

These are both trewe wordes, & also dreadful, and therfore lette men beware that forsake the ca­tholyke churche, and folow any particular churches opynyons, as they do, whyche leane to Lu­thers. And that we maye knowe the catholyke churche from the heretycall, he addeth sayenge.

But yet because euery cōpanye of heretikes do iudge thē selues chyefly chrystē people, and theyr [Page] church to be y ^e catholike church, we muste knowe that that is the trewe churche of Chryste, in the whyche is religion, confession, and penaunce. By confession he vnderstode aurycular cōfession of synnes / whyche is made to a preeste / for confession to god is refused of no church / be it neuer so hereticall / & therfore he ment that where aurycular confession was not regarded / & vsed / there was not y ^e trew churche of christ Lib. 4. Epi­stola. [...]. But Cypryan shall speake hys mynde in this matter with these wordes. Quisquis ille est, et qualis cū (que) est, christianꝰ non est, si in chri­sti ecclesia nō est, quae vna est per to­tum mundum in multa membra di­uisa. Who so euer he be / and what so euer he be / he is not a chrysten mā / yf he be not in chri­stes churche, the whyche is one [Page] dyuyded through all the worlde in to many members. Nestorius an arrogant heretike, as al such be / sayed that all the hole num­ber of doctours & wryters, that were before hym, were deceyued and the whole churche erred frō the truth, and he onelye founde out the truth and folowed it.

Dyd not euen so saye, and boost Marten Luther folowinge him therein, the Donatians, Noua­tians, Ruthenes, Armenos, and all other heretykes affyrmynge that the churche of Chryste was wyth them onelye? Beware of them, good chrysten reader, and stedfastlye folowe the catholyke & vniuersal churche, whyche the apostles buylded, & set vp wyth preachynge the gospell to them. This is not in one place, cytie, corner, nor coūtrey, but euerye [Page] where where true beleuyng folk be. It can not erre the holy gost rulynge, guydynge, and gouer­nynge it from tyme to tyme vn­tyll Io. 14. 16. the worldes ende, accordingly as christ promysed to it. This is the pyller of the truth (as S. Paule affyrmethe) and therfore leane vnto it fast, and thou shalt neuer fall from thy fayth, but a­byde therin to thy greate cōfort, and soules health. But nowe to the nexte chaptre, which reciteth the anncient doctours sentences pronounced, and publysshed in theyr bokes vpon this matter of verytes vnwrytten, and y ^e chur­ches tradicions. Saynt Ireneꝰ policarpes saynte Iohan the e­uangelystes dyscyples scholer sheweth what doctours we shuld folowe in learnyng the truth of our fayth sayenge. We must be­leue [Page] those preestes, which are in the church hauynge successyō of Lib. 4ca. 43 et. 45. the apostles, and all other, that come frome that the pryncypall successyon, in what place soeuer they are gathered togyther or els to be suspected eythera s he­tykes, and of an euyl iudgemēt, Cap. 44. or deuidyng the church againe. Adhaerere oportet his, qui a postolorum doctrinam custo­diunt, et ab eis discere verit atem, apud quos est illa, quae est ab aposto lis ecclesie successio.

☞ The auncyent doctours sen­tences wrytten and set forth vpon traditions of the apostles, & chry­stes holye church.

NOwe for as moch as Saynt Basyll proueth a truth con­cernyng the holy goost to be godby saynte Lle­mente, Ire­ueꝰ, Dioni­sius, Alerā ­drinus, Eusebiꝰ pale­stinꝰ, origin Affricanus, historicus Gregori Naziāzane saynte Paule, good chrysten reader / wytnesseth that Chryste sente some doctours for the edifyeng of the churche, not onelye by preachyuge of the scrypture to the people, but also by the true and godly openynge and expowning the same, I wyl alledge certayne of the eldeste, & best learned of theym, that men maye perceyue the more clerely and perfectlye that all thynges whiche we muste beleue, and do are not expressed, and publyshed in and by the byble, & scrypture, [Page] but that dyuers thynges, which ought to be beleued and kept of vs do come, and defende also of and vpon the blessed apostles of chryst, & the churches tradicyon without any texte of y ^e scripture speakynge of them. I haue alre dye rehearsed some sentences of saynte Basyll, Chrysostom, Damascene, & Theophilactꝰ, which therfore I neade not now again to recyte except it be ī other wor­des, then they be alredy rehear­sed, as nowe I wyll allege here saynt Basyll godly and notable saiges, which he hath in a boke of the holy goost thus wrytyng. Basilius de spe. s. ca. 27. Dogmata, quae in etclesia predican tut, quaedam habemus e doctrina scripto predita, quedam rursꝰ ex a­postolorum traditione, in mysterio id est, in occulta tradita recepim us Quorū vtra (que), parē vim habentlad [Page] pietatē, nec his quisquā contradicit quisquis sane vel tenuiter expartus est, quae sint iura ecclesiastica. Nam si cōsuetudines, quae scripto prodi­tae nō sunt, tanquā haud multum ha bentes momenti, conemur reiicere imprudentes, et ea daminabimus, que in euangelio necessaria ad salu­tem habētut, imo potiꝰ ipsam fidei predicationem ad nudum nomē cō trahemus. These wordes may be turned in to englysshe after this maner. The lawes, ordinaūces, decrees, statutes, or cōmaunde­mentes (for all these the greake word (dogmata) signifieth) whi­che are preached, or publysshed in the churche, we haue certayne of doctrine set furth in wrytyng eftsones or agayne we haue re­ceyued certayne by the apostles tradicyon in a mysterie, that is, in secrete deliuered. Of y ^e which [Page] two bothe haue lyke strēgth, po­wer or vertue, to the knowledge the honour, deuote worshyppīg or loue of god, nother anye man cōtrary to them, truely who soe­uer hathe proued, or learned by experience yea barely or poorely which are the lawes, power, auctorite, or ryght of y ^e church. For yf we shuld endeuour, or labour to caste away the customes, whiche are not put forth in wrytyng lyke as not hauyng moch pyth, or not beynge of moche value, we shall also vnwards condemne those thynges, whiche are in the gospell had necessary to saluaty on, yea we shall also abridge, or Vnum est crimen ꝙ nunc vehe­menter dā ­natur, ac punitur, di ligens ob­seruatiotra di [...]yon [...] pa trum basili­us Episto. 70. drawe togyther the same prea­chynge or publishyng of y ^• fayth vnto a bare, or a naked name.

This saynte Basyll rehearsyng streight many thynges set forth [Page] withoute scrypture by the apo­stles tradition, of the whiche I haue spokē before. Thou maest note here, good reader, dyuers lessons agaynste the lutherans, bearynge vs in hande that all thynges are wrytē in scrypture, which we must neades beleue, & kepe, but pryncypally that this blessed doctoure affyrmeth that those thynges, whiche the apo­stles lefte without scripture, or vnwryten, haue lyke efficacye, & vertue to the honorynge, and lo uynge of god: as haue those thi­ges whiche are wryten in scryp­ture: and that because bothe of them cometh by the inspiracyon of the holy goost: which styrred both the apostles: and the euan­gelistes also to write that: which is wrytten: and the apostles in lyke maner to leaue certen thin­ges [Page] vnwrytten by tradition vn­to the church: y ^e which was done (as. S. Basyll wytnesseth) that such thīges shulde remayne hyd or secrete, lest they shulde be knowen of the rude, and vngodlye folke, and therby myght be des­pysed vtterly. But this shall be ynough of saynt Basyl, though he wrote in this mattier moche more. Saynt Hierome thus writeth Adiluciniā. of traditions to luciniꝰ de­maundyng of hym whether men ought to faste the saterday, and dayly receyue the sacramente of the aulrer, Sed ergo breuiter te ad­monendum puto, traditiones ecclesiasticas (praesertim quae fidei non officiant,) ita obseruandas, vt a maioribus traditae sunt [...]. Nec aliorum cōsuetudinē aliorū more contrario subuerti. Vnaquae (que) prouincia suo sensu abunder, et praecepta maiorū Roma. 19. [Page] leges apostolicas arbitretur. That is to wytte. But I thynke thou Roma. 14. must be warned bryefly, that the traditions of the churche (pryn­rypally those whych cā not hurt y ^e fayth.) So are to be obserued as they are taught or delyuered of the elders, or aūcient fathers. Nother other mennes custome ought to be subuerted or turned vp so downe by the contrary cu­stome of other. Let euerye coun­trey haue hys owne iudgement, and iudge the auncetours, or el­ders cōmaundementes the apo­stles lawes. I passeouer manye Lege enim in ecclese­astē ca. 10 et in Mat. cap. 21. like sentences of saynt Hieroms whyche he wrote in thys matter, left my boke shuld be ouer lōge. Austen hath very much of thys matter in sūdry of hys bokes, of the which some is alleged before out of his epistle wrytten to Ia­nuarye, [Page] where he sayeth those thynges whyche are oblerued through the hole world without wrytynge, came eyther from the apostles, or els frō the generall coūcels, whose autoritie is most holsome in christes church. Al [...]o to one Casulane he thus hath, intreating of y ^e saterdayes fast. In his rebꝰ, de quibꝰ nihil certi sta­tuit scriptura di [...]ina, mos populi dei, vel instituta ma [...]orū ꝓlege tenē da sūt. That is to saye. In these thynges, of the whyche the holy scipture hath ordeined or stabli­shed nothyng certē / the custome of gods people, or the elders or­dinaunces are to be kepte for a lawe. Luther and hys disciples teache n [...]ē to breake the fathers ordinaūces, preceptes & lawes, & saye that w ^tout manifest wyt­nes of the scrppture we shuld be [Page] bounde to beleue & do nothyng, Austen here affyrmeth the clene Lib 2. T [...]. cōtrary, whether ptye wylt y ^• be­leue, good christē man? Epipha­niꝰ also, which was aboute. M. cc. yeres sēce, cōfirmeth my pur­pose sayeng. Oportet aūt et tradi­tione vti. Nō enī oīa a diuina scrip­tura accipi possūt, qua ppter aliqua sacris seripturis, aliqu a traditione fācti apostoli nobis cōmēdauerunt, quēadmodū dicit sāctꝰ apostolꝰ. Si­cut tradidi vobis. Et alibi. Sic doceo et sic tradidi in ecclesiis etc. That is. But we must of necessitie vse tradition. For al thinges cā not be taken of the holye scripture / wherfore y ^e holye apostles cōmit­ted to vs some thinges by y ^e holye scripture, some by traditiō, lyke as paule sayth. As I haue lefte vnto you by tradition. And in 1. Lor. 11. another place. I teach so and so [Page] haue deliuered by tradition in y ^• churches. Lo thys olde doctour doth not onely affirme y ^t al thin­ges are not wryttē in y ^e scripture but y ^e apostles left sūdry thīges vnto the churche by tradition, & he also doth allege paule in two places for his purpose. Origen Hom [...]. 5. in Numeros. agreeth w ^t thys (whiche was a­boue. M. ccc. yeres passed) say­eng. In ecclesiasticis obseruationi­bꝰ sūt nōnulla eiusmodi, quae oībus quidē facere necesseē, nectamē ratio corū oībꝰ patet. That is. There be some thīges in y ^e churches, ob seruatiōs of y ^t same sort, y ^t which al mē must nedes surely do, & yet y ^t reasō, or cause of thē is not opē to al mē. For exāples he putteth y ^t we do knele when we do pray, whiche Basyll also affirmeth to Despi. [...]a. ca. 27. haue come of the apostles tradi­tion, & sayeth y ^• as oftē as we do [Page] knele downe, & rise vp againe in our prayers, by that dede we do shew y ^t we fel downe for syn vpō the earth, & y ^t by hys humanitie which made vs, we are called a­gayne in to heuē. Also Origē re­cyteth y ^e custome to pray, our fa­ces being turned towarde y ^e east part, affirming y ^t the cause ther­of is not easely knowen of euery mā, though I haue already de­clared by Basyll & Damascene, why it is done. Origē further­more reciteth y ^• maner, or fascion to cōsecrate, & to receiue the bles­sed sacramēt of the aulter, & the wordes / gestures, orders, or de­maūdes, & āsweares, y ^t are made in baptisme, which he sayeth cannot lyghtly be expowned. Et ta­men haec oīa operta, et velata portamꝰ super humeros nostros, cum ita implemꝰ ea, et exequimur, vt a mag [Page] no pōtifice, at (que) eiꝰ filiis tradita, et cōmēdata suscepimꝰ. Which thus in englyshe sowneth. And yet we do beare all these thynges vpon our shulders couered, & hydde, when we do so fulfyll them, & do them, as we haue receyued them delyuered by tradition, & cōmit­ted of the great byshop, (christ) & hys chyldren (the apostles.) Se we not here that after Origens mynde christe the great byshop, & hys sonnes the holye apostles taught the church those thinges aboue tecited of hym, & yet there is no scripture makyng any mē ­tion of them at al? doth not thys proue that some thynges necessary to be done are left to vs by the apostles traditiō without scrip­ture? But I wyll go forth to­warde an ende. Ciril writeth ve­rye playnlye in thys behalfe a­gaynst [Page] the lutherans sayeng. Fidei De tec [...]a [...]i de ad theo­dosium sāctissimū traditionē, quae ab ip sis sāctis apostolis ad nos ꝑuenit, in dignū ē īmodica ratiocinatione in­quirere, quae humanā mētē excedūt sed ne (que) in mediū ꝓferre, sicut quidā periculose definiunt, et dicūt, quod haec quidē recte se habeant, haec aūt aliter. That is to saye. It is vn­mete to search out with to much reasoning, the moost holy tradi­tion of the fayth, that came from the holy apostles to vs, y ^e which thynges do excede mans wytte, but it is nother cōuenient to cō ­mune of them opēly, or to cal thē in to question, lyke as certen mē determyne perillouslye, & saye, y ^t these thynges are well, but these other wise. Our lorde wold that thys sētēce touched not y ^e quicke of many mē thys tyme, & rubbed them not on the gal to make thē [Page] to kycke / & wynse. Well let thys passe. Tertulian, which was ve­ry nygh the apostles tyme wry­teth De carona militi [...]. thus plainly of traditions, sayenge after he had recyted dy­uers thinges kepte by tradition onely. Harū, et aliarū eiusmodi dis­ciplinarū si legē expostules scripturarū, nullā inuenies, traditio tibi prae tendetur autrix, cōsuetudo cōfirma trix, et fides obseruatrix. Rationem traditioni, cōsuetudini, fidei, patro cīnaturā, aut ipse perspicies, aut ab aliquo, qui perspexerit, disces. Inte­rim nonnullam esse credes, cui de­beatur obsequium. That is to say. If thou doest requyre a lawe of the scryptures of these, and such other learnynges, thou shalte fynde none, the tradition shall be alleged to the fyrste inuentoure or maker, the custome a custo­mer / and fayth the keper.

Eyther thou thy selfe shalte per­ceyue, or els shalt learne of him, that hath perceyued, that reasō shall defende y ^e traditiō, custom and fayth. In meane season be­leue thou some reason to be, to y ^e whiche obediēce is due. Againe a lytle after hewriteth after this maner. His igitur exēplis renuncia tum erit, posse etiā non scriptā tra­ditionem in obseruatione defendi, cōfirmatam consuetudine idonea teste, probatae tūc traditionis ex per seuerantia obseruationis. That is. Therfore by these examples it shall be openly shewed, or repor­ted, that a tradicion not wrytten may be defended in the obseruīg of it cōfirmed by custome, a mete wytnesse of the tradicyon then tryed or approued by the cōtinuance of the obseruynge. I spake not of many other suche godlye, [Page] and notable sētēces, whiche this auncyente doctoure hath in his bookes, lest I shulde be tedious to the reader. Saynt Ireneus, Ireneꝰ lib. 3. the scholer of polycarpe saynte Iohan the euāgelystes disciple, thus speaketh of traditions.

Quid si de modica aliqua quaestio­ne disceptatio esset, nōne opor [...]ebat in antiquissimas incurrere ecclesias in quibus apostoli cōuersati sunt, et ab eis de praesenti questione sumere quod certum, et reliquidissimū est? Quid autem si ne (que) apostoli quid [...] scripturas reliquissent nobis, nonne oportebat ordinem sequi traditio­nis, quam tradiderunt his, quibus cōmittebant ecclesias? Cui ordina­tioni assentiunt multi gentis barba rorum, eorū, qui in christum credūt sine charactere, vel atramēto, scrip­tum habentes per spirit um in cordibꝰ eorum salutem, et veterū traditi­onem diligenter custodientes.

That is. What yf there shulde be reasonīg of a litle, or a meane questiō, ought not men to runne in to the eldeste churches / in the whiche the apostles were cōuer­saunte, and to take of them, as touchyng the questyon present, y ^t whyche is certen and most manifest. But what yf the apostles had not lefte to vs anye scryp­tures, muste not we neades fo­lowe the ordre of traditiō, which the apostoles taughte them, to whome they cōmytted the chur­ches? Vnto the whiche ordynāce many do consente of the barba­rous people, of them, whiche do beleue in chryste, hauyng the saluatyon wrytten in theyr hartes by the holye gooste without let­ters, or ynke, and diligently ke­pynge the elders tradition. A­gayne he sayeth this. Cum autē [Page] ad eam iterum traditione, quae est ab apostol is, at (que) per successiones presbiterorum in ecciesiis custodi­tur, prouocamus eos, qui aduersan­tur traditioni. Dicent se nō solū pre­sbiteris, sed etiam apostolis exi [...]tē ­tes sapientiores, synceram inuenisse veritatem. Euenit it a (que) ne (que) scripturis, ne (que) traditioni consentire eos.

But whan we do stere or exhort them / which are agaynst y ^e truth agayne to that tradition, which is of the apostles, and is kept in the churches by successyon of y ^e preestes, they wyll say, that they beynge wyser not onely then the preestes, but also thē y ^e apostles y ^• haue foūde out the pure truth, It hath therfore happended that they do consente neyther to the scryptures, nor the tradityons.

Seest y ^• not reader here a playn difference betwene tradicions, & [Page] y ^• scryptures: he cōcludeth thus Traditionem ita (que) apostolorū per totum mundum manifestatā in ec­clesia adest oībus perspicere, qui ve­ra audire velint. That is to saye. Wherfore all men, whiche wyll see the truth, maye perceyue the apostles tradicion declared in y ^e churche throughe all the whole world. But of saint Ireneꝰ this may be sufficiēt for my purpose. Nowe let vs see what saynt Clement Paules cōpanion in prea­chynge the gospell, hath wryttē in this poynt, which is nowe in­trauerse and questyon betwene me, and the lutherans. Eusebyꝰ the olde wryter of the churches Lib. 5. [...]. 6 storye thus wytnesseth of hym.

Clemens scripsit epistolam ad cori­thios, exprimēs in ea apostolorum traditionem, quam nuper ab eis ipse susceperat. Clement wrote (sayeth [Page] he) to the corinthians an epystle expressyng in it the apostles tra­dicion, whiche he of late had re­ceyued of them. Also another clemens bysshppe alerandrya, which was, as he sayth him selfe (Eusebtꝰ wytnessynge) shortlye after the apostles, thus wrote of the apostles. In libello quem scripsit Eusebiꝰ lib. 6. ca. 11. de pascha (inquit eusebiꝰ) confitetur extorqueri sibi a frarribꝰ, vt ea, quae a presbyteris, et successoribus a postolorum voce sibi sola traditasunt, describeret in libris, et posteris traderet. In his boke (sayeth Eusebiꝰ) of eastur clement cōfesseth that his brethren gat of hym by force or with greate difficultie, y ^t he wolde wryte in bokes, and de lyuer to his successours, or them that shuld come after hym, those thynges whiche were taught hi by voyce onely of the preestes, & [Page] successours of the apostles. Loo this bysshop beynge very nygh to the apostles tyme cōfesseth y ^t he learned by voyce onely certē thynges of the preestes, and successours of y ^• apostles, and lefte them written to them that shuld come after hym, and luther, bul­lynger, with a greate rablement of an yll heare, Do saye the con­trary, whether wylt thou beleue Epistal [...]. Ignatiꝰ also saynte Iohan the euagelystes discyple holdeth w ^t me in this matter, saynge. Stude [...]e cōfirmari in dogmatibus domi­ni et apostolorū. That is. Applye your myndes to be cōfyrmed in the ordynaunces of our lorde, & the apostles. That he ment here ordyuannces of the apostles vn wryttē it appeareth fyrst by that that saynte Basyll sayeth, dog­mata silentur, decrees or ordyna­ces [Page] called in greake dogmata a [...] not spoken of in wrytynge. Se­condly B asniꝰ de spū Cancto cap. 27. it appeareth that igna­tiꝰ saynte Iohan euangelystes scholer, wolde men to endeuour them selues to obserue the apo­stles tradityons vnwrytten, by that y ^t he wrote hym selfe a boke of the apostles tradicions, as eusebiꝰ witnesseth sayenge. Ignatiꝰ [...]. 3. [...]. 36 edocebat populos, vt diligentius, ettenacius apostolorum traditionibꝰ inhererēt, quas traditiones cautelae gratia, et nequid apud posteros re­maneret incerti, etiam scriptas a se asserit reliquisse. Thus moch it is turned into englyshe. Ignatius Mark this well reader saynte Iohans disciple taughte the people that they wolde more dilygently, and fastlyc cleaue to the apostles tradityons, the whiche traditions he affyrmeth that he lefte yea wrytten to make mē [Page] ware, and leste any vncerteyntie shulde remayne to them, y ^t shuld come after. Here we se that thys holye Martyr exhorted men to sticke vnto the apostles tradyti­ons very dilygētly, and fastely / whych he left behynde him writ­ten, that they whiche shulde suc­cede, or come after him shulde be cyrcumspecte, leste they were de­ceiued of heretikes, which might teache some thynge contrarye to the verities vnwrytten, that chryste taught his apostles, and they other wythout wrytynge. Therefore is it not many fest by thys wytnesse that Luther and Bulliger do erre, whyche not so ernestly, as vnlearnedly, & vn­godlye defende that the apo­stles wryte all thynges necessa­rye, that they hadde preached to the people? Saynte Ignatius [Page] saynte Iohans scholer, whyche was muche conuersaunte wyth the apostles, and was made bys­shoppe of Antiochia nexte after saynt Peter, wytnesseth that the apostles lefte sundrye thynges not wrytten, necessary to be kno­wen, and beleued, and Bullyn­ger sayth the contrary, whether of them two is more worthye to be receyued, and belyued?

Now shall saynt Deonise the a­postle Paules disciple make an ende of thys chaptre, whiche as he was taughte of Paule & Hie­rotheus, & learned manye thyn­ges of the other apostles, whych thynge he him selfe affyrmeth in dyuers places of hys booke De ecclesiae hierarchia, euē so he wrote playnlye of the apostles traditi­ons lefte by them to the churche w ^tout writing. For thus hehath.

Substantia accrdotii nostri sacra scriptura est diuinitꝰ nobis tradita. Diou [...]. d [...] eccle. hiera [...] cap. 1. Porro huiusmodi plena veneratio­nis eloquia dicimus, quae a beatissi­mis nostris patribus (a quibꝰ sacris mysteriis ībuti sumꝰ,) in sanctis ac theologicis cōmēdata sunt libris.

Ac pretaerea quae (que) ab iisdē sanctissi mis viris sacratiore, purgatiore et ꝓpīqua quodā modo caelesti hierar chiae doctrina sancti duces, ac prae­ceptores nostri didicerūt, et ex ani­mo in animū (medio intercurrente verbo, corporali quidē, sed quod car nis excedat sēsū,) sine literis transsu sa sunt. That is to say. The holy scrypture gyuē, or taught vs of God, is the substaunce of oure preesthode. Moreouer we call suche sayenges full of worshyp, honour, or reuerence, which are wrytten in the holye and diuine bokes of oure mooste blessed fa­thers, of whom we were instruc­ted [Page] or taughte the holy secretes, or pryuities. And furthermore al those thynges which our holy leaders (the apostles) and oure maisters haue learned of y ^e same moost holye men by doctryne, or teachynge more holy, more pur­ged, and nigh after a certen ma­ner to the heauenly holy gouer­naunce, or principalitie, & which are powred frō minde to minde, or harte to hart, (the worde run­nynge a meane betwene, sothlye corporall, but such as exceadeth the flesshes perceyuynge, or fea­lyng. Saynt Dionyse here put­teth manifeste difference betwne the holy scrypture, & other thyn­ges conteyned in bokes of dy­uynytie, set forth by holy men, & affyrmeth that manye thynges came by harte from one to ano­ther wythout wrytynge, whyche [Page] are worthy to be had in honoure and reuerence, thoughe the Lu­therans despise al such thynges both to theyr owne cōfusion and other mennes also, oure lorde a­mende thys in tyme. But euery good chrysten man wyll beleue thys saynte Paules scholer ra­ther thā a thousande lutherans. Thys holy Dionise yet wryteth more playnlye of verities not wrytten, & of traditions of the apostles sayeng. Primi illi nostri sacerdotalis muneris duces (aposto los intelligit) sūma illa, et supersub­stantialia, parti scriptis, partim non scriptis īstitutionibus nobis tradi­derunt. That is to wytte. They the fyrste leaders or capitaynes (y ^e apostles he meaneth,) of oure preestes office, delyuered to vs, or taught vs by tradition those [Page] highest thynges (whose substāce exceadeth other thingꝭ substāce) by instructiōs of doctryne part­ly wrytten, partly not wrytten. What coulde haue bene spoken of anye man more playnlye then this is for the furtheraūce of my purpose? Who, that hath anye sparcle of wysdome & careth for hys soules health, wyl not gyue credēce to thys blessed doctoure Paules disciple, rather then to Histo. eccl. lib. 9. ca. 19. Luther, or any of hys scholers? Sequendi sunt doctores, qui ante di­uisionē fuerunt. Those doctours Dsligēter obseru [...]dū est, vt lex dei, cū legi­tur, nō secū dum yprii ingenii in­telligenci­am legatur vel docea­tur. Suni e [...]im mul­ta verba in scripturis diuinis, que possunt [...]rahi ad eū sensum, quem sibi vnusquis (que) sponte pre­sumpsit. Sed id fie­ri non opor tet, non eni sensum, quem attu­leris extrin secus alie­num, et ex­traneum de bes querere Et ideo o­portet ex eo intelligen­tiam disce­re scriptu­rarum, qui eam a ma­ioribꝰ secū ­dum veri­tatem sibi traditam seruauit. Clemens ep istola. 4. ad ecclesiā hieroso. are to be folowed (sayth Eusebi­us) whych were before the diuy­sion, & such I haue alleged here for to make mē beleue the truth of thys controuersye, and ther­fore men oughte to folowe them rather thē Luther or any other, be he neuer so wel lerned, whych [Page] hath bene sence the diuisyon be­gon. Saynte Hierom commen­ded greatlye Nepotian because he, wyllynge to auoyde the glo­ry of learning, was wont to say. Thys is the sayeng of Tertuli­an, this of Cypryan, that of Lactātiꝰ, thys of Hylaries, so spake Munutius felix, thus victori­nus, & after thys fascion Arno­bius, wherby we maye learne to folowe the auncyent doctoures iudgemente in al controuersies rysē vpon matters of our fayth, & therfore syth I here haue al­leged the greatest part of all the eldest, and best learned wryters to proue traditions, and to de­clare that the holy apostles lefte manye thynges to vs not wryt­ten, men oughte to gyue credēce to it, and to ceasse askyng where [Page] it is wrytten in the scrypture. Salomon counsaylleth vs that we shulde not truste ouer much vnto our owne wyttes, and iud­gement / and thynke oure selues wyse, sayenge thus. Ne sis sapiens apud teipsum, be thou not wyse in thyne owne eye, vpon whyche texte saynte Hierome thus wry­teeth. Est autem sapiens in semetip­so, qui in illis, que ex patrum magi­sterio recte potuit cognoscere, sese prae caeteris quasi doctor extollit. That is to saye in oure tonge, But he is wyse in hym selfe, or in hys owne conceyte, whyche extolleth hym selfe before other as more cunnynge in those thin­ges, whyche he moughte haue knowen well ynough, of a ryght fashion, or trewly of the fathers or elders maysters office.

God gyue vs grace to do other­wyse then do al heretykes, whi­che So do all the luthe­rans to theyr owne confusion, and manye others. Vt qui cor nicum ocu­los cōfig [...] et conātur reseindere, que ātiqui­tas magno approba­uit cōsēsu. Esaie. 5. despyse al the holy doctours iudgementes and folowe theyr owne fonde fantasye, which causeth them to be so blynde as they are, & to erre in so many weygh­tye poyntes of our fayth as they do, beynge cursed by the holy ꝓ­phet Esaie saynge. Vae vobis, qui sapientes estis in oculis vestris. Wo be to you, that are wyse in youre owne eyes, or sight. CC. fathers assembled in the generall coūcel holdē at Ephesꝰ agaynst Nesto­riꝰ aboue eleuen hundred yeres past folowed the doctours myn­des, and iudgement: as vincētiꝰ lirinēsis, which was then alyue, telleth, and shall we set theim at nought (as Bullynger dothe in his booke agaynste tradicions) and cleaue to our owne dreames [Page] and lewde gloses, made vpō the scrypture to support therby our deuyllyshe opynions? But let this passe, and cōpēdiously here an aunswere to the auctorities alledged agaynste tradicions, & reasons made in defence of this naughtye opinyō by the lutherans, the which done, I wyl make an ende of this boke.

❧ An aunswere to the auctory­ties alledged, and the reasōs made vpon the contrary part agaynst traditiōs.

AFter I haue, good chrysten reader, sette fourthe the truth of this matter touchīge traditions not wryt­ten in the scrypture, I trust sufficiently / nowe I wyll aunswere very cōpendiously and bryeflye to all the obiectyons made, and put for the for the defence of the cōtrary part, y ^e by thē no man be deceyued, excepte he be desirous to be blynd, & wādre frō y ^e truth, which he may so playnlye see be­fore his eyes. Fyrst they alledge this texte of the scrypture. Non Deute. 4. addetis ad verbum, quod loquor vo bis. That is to say, ye shal not adde to the worde / y ^t I do speake [Page] to you. If (sayeth Luther & hys scholers) no man maye put anye thynge to gods worde, as he cō ­maundeth here, it muste neades therof folow that traditiōs not wrytten in the scrypture oughte not to be obserued of vs. Is not this a wonderfull blyndnes of these men, whiche do take vpon them to reache all chrysten nati­ons a newe doctryne? who (that wyse is) wyll folowe such blynd leaders, that so do wrest the ho­ly worde of god from his ryght sence to maynteyne an heresye? Our lorde open mens eyes, whiche are shyt and closed by affec­tyon, that they may se ones how lytle learnynge they haue, whō they take for great clerkes. But to the scrypture recyted, whiche is. Thou shalt put nothynge to the worde (sayeth god) which I [Page] do speake to the. Must not this sentence or sayenge haue a mete exposition, lest it appeare verye false, whiche is very true? For these wordes were spoken of the cōmaūdementes, and is it in no wyse lefull to adde anye thynge vnto the preceptes of y ^e old law? Dyd the prophetes yll whē they added theyr ꝓphecies to y ^e word of gods cōmaūdementes? Who can denye but that chryste hym­selfe, his euangelystes, and the apostles added many thinges to that worde of god, of the which he spake here, and yet no good chrysten man wyll saye that the prophetes, chryste, and his apo­stles dyd offēde, & breke goddes cōmaundemente therby, & ther­fore that gods precept, byddyng nothynge to be added vnto hys worde, muste be vnderstande of [Page] thynges contrarye to it, or cor­ruptyng the ryght sense therof / suche as were the pharisees, and scrybes traditions, by the which they induced mē to breake gods cōmaundemēts / as I wyll more at large declare in the soylynge of the nexte argumente. Nowe there is not one tradition sette forth in this my boke, though I haue intreated of very many vnwrytten, no nor one other kepte, and obserued throughe the hole worlde where christē people are, that is agaynste or contrarye to any one cōmaundement of god or any portion of his holy word, but gathered oute therof rather moche helpynge to the kepynge of it. This meanynge and sen­tence may be well gathered of y ^e holy goostes wordes publyshed by salomon in the prouerbes sa­ynge. [Page] Ne addes quicquā verbis illi us, et arguaris, īueniaris (que) mendax. Cap. 30. That is. Adde nothynge to his wordes, that thou maiste therby be reproued, and founde a lyar. Therfore gods mynde, and commaundement is, that nothynge shulde be added to his worde of vs, wherby we might be accused and founde lyars. The hebrewe texte sowneth thus moch. Adde not vpon his wordes, leste per­chaunce he may make correctyō agaynste the, and thou be espied a lyer. Secondly it may be expowned: that by y ^• which is saied in this cōmaūdement is ment that nothīg shulde be added to gods worde, or taken frome it, as the scrybes, and wyse men of the ie­wes dyd, which wrote a boke called Ticcim zophrim, that is ad­ditions, or corrections of y ^e wyse [Page] men or scribes, in the which they toke from the scrypture manye thynges, as it apereth in a boke of hebrewe called the Talmud, and added also dyuers thinges, lest the gentyles shulde se gods secretes and mocke theim, or the rude iewes not perceyuyng thē, Lib. 1. ca. 8. might take harme therby Thus the great clerke Galatinꝰ expo­wneth both Moyses texte, and salomons also. Thyrdly it maye be well taken that god wolde no thynge shulde be added to hys word as to a thing imperfecte, or lackynge anye poynte to make it perfyte / as saynte austen vn­derstode these wordes of Moses Li. 17. ca. 2. et 6 aduer­ [...]ꝰ faustum wrytten deutero .xii. Quod praeci­pio tibi, hoc tantum facito domino nec addas quicquā, nec minuas.

Do thou onely that vnto y ^e lord whiche I commaunde the, ney­ther [Page] adde thou anye thynge, nor dymynyshe. Fourthly it may be expowned of addyng any thyng to goddes worde, whiche shulde be iudged, estemed, and kept, as a portion of it, after the whyche meanynge saynte Iohan in the Apocalypse sayeth that yf anye Cap. bi [...]. man shall adde to the wordes of hys prophecy anye thynge, God wyll laye vpon hym the plages wrytten in it etc. To be short. It maye appeare by Moses wor­des Deuter. 1 [...]. laste rehersed, that god dyd forbydde the iewes to adde anye ceremonyes, or obseruations of the gētiles or heathē people, lea­dynge them to Idolatry or anye sacrifyces of the gentyles, when they shulde come in to the lande promysed thē, but y ^t they shulde onelye obserue, fulfyll, kepe, & do that, whiche he com [...]aunded [Page] them. Thys, I saye after myne opynyon, is the very trewe, and ryghte meanynge of gods com­maundyng y ^t nothyng shulde be added to hys worde. But whych so euer of these senses is truest, and featest for the purpose, the texte maketh nothynge vtterlye agaynst traditiōs of the church, because they are not contrary to it, nor suche additions, as were made by the lerned of the iewes, in theyr booke called Ticcim zo­phrī, nor they are added to god­des worde as thynges to make it perfecte, beinge imperfecte be­fore, nor yet as thoughe they shulde be regarged as goddes word or as part of it, nor finally they leade not chrysten people to ydolatrye, as dyd the paynoms, and heathen ceremonyes, ordy­naūces, and sacrifices of whych [Page] he bade the iewes to beware and adde none of thē to hys cōmaū ­demētes, whē they shulde entre into y ^• lande of promes, the hea­then beyng thense expelled. But The secōde argument. of thys ynough, now to the next reason buylded, as al the rest is, vpon the wronge vnderstādyng of these chrystꝰ wordes takē out of the prophet Esaye. Frustra me Esay. 29. Math. 15. colūt, docētes doctrinas, et praecep­ta hominum. They honour me vaynlye teachyng mens doc­trines, and cōmaūdemētes. Of these wordes yll taken men ga­ther that we shulde beleue and kepe nothynge of necessitie, that is not writtē in the scrpture, but taught, ordeyned, and set forth The an­sweare. Acto. 15. v [...] sum est etc. [...] precepti chr nō d [...]m nauit ne [...] apostolorū et seniorum decreta et precepta quorum Lucas memi­nit acto. [...]5, [...] 16. by man without any expresse cō ­maundement of god. It is very easye to soyle thys wyse reason, by the ryghte vnderstandynge [Page] of the sayed wordes, whiche is thys, that they do worshyp God in vayne, whiche do teach mens doctrynes, & commaundemētes, that are agaynste goddes com­maundementes, and doctryne, suche as the pharasyes taughte the people. The whiche Luther, and hys scholers myghte haue sene (yf they had not bene stark [...] blynd) by these wordes of christ. Why do ye breake goddes com­maundemente for your traditi­on? God bade you shulde honor Exo. [...] your father and mother, and ye dishonour them for to kepe your owne tradition. Ye hypocrytes the prophet Esaye dyd prophecy well of you, sayenge. Thys peo­ple Math. 15. honoureth me wyth the lyp­pes, but theyr harte is farre frome. They worshyp me in vayne, teachynge mannes doctrynes, [Page] and commaundementes. Do not these wordes, I beseche the, good reader, so playnlye open chrystes meanyng, whē he spake agaynst mennes traditions, y ^t it is a greate blyndenes, or elles a greate malyce, that the Luthe­rans do wraste it agaynst all the holy churches constitutions, or­dynaunces, and traditions, the whiche are not agaynst goddes commaundementes, nor the ke­pynge of them is the breache of goddes lawe, but a greate fur­theraūce to the kepyng of them, as it may appeare to euery good chrysten man, lokyng vpō them indifferentlye all affection, and corrupte iudgemēt layed aside. These the pharysees, and scry­bes traditions sette vp agaynst gods lawe are not heare onelye reproued of Chryste, but also of saynt [Page] paule, sayeng to Tite y ^e byshop. [...]. [...]. For whyche cause blame them sharply, that they may be soūde or hole in the fayth, not takinge heed of the Iewes fables, and commaundementes of men tur­nynge them selues frō the truth, cōtempnyng the truth wyth dis­dayne, or abhorrynge the truth. Thus saynt Cypryan, and saint Ciprianus lib. 1. epist. 3 Hiero in esa [...]ā. Hierom do expowne Esayes, & chrystes wordes, & therfore they make nothynge agaynst y ^e chur­ches traditions. Yet they allege The. 3. ar­gament. mo auctorities of the scrypture against traditions, of the which thys is one / Omnis plantatio, quā non plantauit pater meus caelestis, Math. 15. eradicabitur. Euerye plantynge which my father of heauen hath not planted, shall be plucked vp by the roote, but y ^e churches tra­ditions are not (sayth Luther) of [Page] gods plantynge / wherfore they shall be plucked vp by y ^e rootes) The au­swere. To thys obiectiō an aūswere is sone made for as much as christ spake of plāting doctrine, & pre­ceptes agaynst gods law, as he did of teaching thē, & of plāting any suꝑstitious, superfluous, tri feling, & vayne traditiōs, which shulde be more estemed thē gods cōmaūdemētes, & kepte also be­fore them, yea gods cōmaunde­mētes broken for the kepinge of them, such as was the iewes or­dinaūce to wasshe their handes before meate, lest by the fylth of the hādes the meat myght be de­fyled, & it so defyled myghte de­fyle the eaters soule, and of of­feryng also y ^e chyldrens goodes in the temple before the helping of theyr poore fathers, and mo­thers. All such plantynges shal [Page] be plucke cleane vp by the rotes sayeth chryste, but what is thys agaynst the godly, holsome, and necessarye traditions of christes churche, of the which I haue re­cyted in thys booke the greater part? Moreouer they allege S. paule sayeng to the Galathians Cap. 1. But though we, or an angel frō heauen, preach saue it, y ^t we haue preached, y ^t same be cursed or di­seuered frō your cōpany. As we haue saied before, so say I again If any mā preache beside it, y ^t ye haue receiued, let him be cursed, or seperate frō you. If he ought to be cursed, or put frō christē peoples cōpany, y ^t preach ought be­side y ^t wich paule preached, & the people receiued, why shulde we beleue, or kepe mens traditions which paule preached not, nor y ^e people then had receyued them. [Page] This reason dependeth vpō the wronge takyng of saynt paules The aun­sweare. wordes. For he ment not that e­uery preacher of any thing whi­che he had not preached and the galathyans receyued, shulde be acursed or seperate frō theyr cō ­pany, for thē he had bene cursed hym selfe, which preached many thynges: that he taught not the galathians. Therfore Paule is to be vnderstande of theym that preache any thynge agaynst the gospell, which he hadde taught the galathyans, and they recey­ued it, but afterward forsoke it, receyuyng the olde lawe of Moses and ioynyng it w ^t the gospel of chryst, as though they could not be saued by fayth in chryste without the kepyng of those ce­remonies then prohibite vtterly This is y ^e true meaning of saynt [Page] Paule saynt Austen expo wneth it generally of all doctryne that Lib. 17 cap. 3. con­tra faustū. is agaynste the apostles and the gospell established by theyr pre­chyng. And so the greake, Para o muste be translated contraquā or cōtra quod y ^t is otherwyse thē, or cōtrary to that: paules purpose declareth none other thynge to be mente of hym, whiche was to perswade the galathians to re­tourne agayne from the keping of y ^e ceremonies of Moyses law and to beleue no false teacher la bourynge to make them thynke that Chrystes gospell were not sufficient for theyr saluatyon w ^t oute those ceremonies. Sayeth not saynt Paule that he meruey led that they were so sone turned from the gospell, and from hym which called theym to the grace of chryste, in to another gospell, [Page] whiche is not another, sauynge that there besome which do trouble you, and wolde tourne vp so downe chrystes gospel? What nede we anye further declaraty­on? yet lest some mā wyl suppose that this is myne owne phansye or dreame, let men marke these s. Chrysostoms wordes vpon the same letter of paule. If any an­gel come frō heuē corruptyng y ^e preachynge of y ^e gospel, let hym be coursed. Againe. Etiam si quid vis labefactarint, a nathema sīt. yea yf they do corrupte or subuert a litle, or what thou wilt / let them be cursed. Nec mihi ipsi parco, si diuersa predicem. Nother I spare my selfe, yf I preach or publishe thynges contrary to the gospel. This is sufficyente for the full confutacion of that argumente / especially seyng y ^t I haue decla­red [Page] by paules owne wordꝭ & dy­uers doctours expositions sette forth vpō thē, y ^t he taught many thynges whiche he wrote not at al, and sainte Paule sayeth not, If any man do preach ought be syde that whiche I haue wryttē to you or you receyued of me by my wrytyng, but besyde y ^t which I haue preached to you, whiche maketh nothynge agaynste tra­dicions or verities vnwrytten, which Paule preached, more thē agēst y ^t which he wrote. Marke also, reader, that Paule spake there to y ^e Galathi [...]s of the gos­pel, that he had preached, which in dede ꝓperly is the good, mery and ioyful tydynges of our sal­uation by chryste oure sauioure, vnto the which mans tradiciōs do not ꝑteyne, nor to anye parte therof, but as thynges helpinge [Page] to the easyer vnderstandynge, & better fulfyllyng of it, and ther­fore these Paules wordes spea­kynge of settynge forth another gospel, do nothynge at all make agaynste the churches tradicy­ons. They yet procede on reaso­nynge The .iiii. reason. thus vpon saynte paules wordes. Videte nequis vos decipi­at per philosophiam, et inanē falla­ciam, secundū traditionē hominū. that is. Take ye hede, or beware lest any man deceyue you by philosophy, and vaine deceite, after the tradicion of men. Here saynt Paule byddethe men to be ware lest they be deceyued by mennes traditions, therfore they are not to be kepte. This reason is so weake, yea so fonde & folysshe, y ^• it is not worth rehearsing, moch lesse any cōfutacion. For Paule warnethe men to be wyse leste [Page] some man deceyue them by phi­losophye, and voyde crafty hād­lynge thē after mennes teachīg, and not to be ware absolutely, & generallye of all traditions, for thē he hadde sayed agaynste his owne instructions gyuen to the corinthians in the .xi. chaptre of the fyrste epystle, when he spake of his tradicions, as I haue al­readye declared, and also when afterwarde he badde the thessa­lomans stande faste, & kepe hys tradicions .ii. Thess .ii. Agayne he expowneth his mynde by the wordes nexte folowynge, which be parte of the same sētence, and are lefte out of these mē because they dyd make agaynste theyr purpose, after whiche fasshyon the deuyl alledged the scripture as all his knyghtes the heretikꝭ doo. It foloweth. Secundum ele­menta [Page] mundi, et non secundū chri­stum. That is. After the elemen­tes of the worlde, and not after chryste, which is as moche as yf he sayde. Be ware, and circum­specte lest any man deceyue you by philosophye & vaine deceyte, after the tradicyon of mē in worshyppynge and obseruynge the planettes: to whose influences, & coniunctions y ^e lyenge apostles, and false prophettes did referre & ascrybe al thynges / as y ^e phy­losophers, & astronomers dyd / & not to god as y ^e autour of thē. This kynde of doctryne as it is not after Chrystes teachynge and religyon / so no good chrystē man hath or dothe defende it / or maynteneth anye suche tradicy­ons, whiche are properly called mens tradicions, for as moche as they be inuented by man on­lye [Page] without the steringe, and in­spyration of the holy goost, and so are not the apostles and the churches tradytyons, but they come chyefely of the holy goost, as wytnesseth the blessed martyr Fabian, which was aboue. M. In epistola ad episco­po [...] orien­tales ccc. yeres past, sayenge. Cura ve­strae solicitudinis est adhibenda, vt ea, quae sunt ab apostolis, eorū (que) successoribus ordinata, et instigāte spi­ritu sācto instituta, nec dissimulatio negligentiae, nec aliqua praesūptio valeat perturbare. Sed sicut hoc, ꝙ exigebat rationis vtilitas oportuit definire, ita quod definitum est, nō debet violari. That is to saye.

The dilygence or studye of your care must be put to, or you must be diligent, and careful, that dy­ssymulation of neglygence may not moche trouble, nor any arrogance, those thynges, which are [Page] ordeyned, of the apostles, & their successours, and instructed by the holy goost styrrynge, or pric­kynge forward. Also he spake of the iewes ceremonies, which thē it was vnleful for y ^• Galathiās to obserue, & kepe, & therfore the obseruing of thē was mans tra­dition. That thys is the true / & righte meaninge of the apostles wordes it apeareth both by that y ^t anone afterwarde, whē he had spokē of y ^• iewes choyse of meatꝭ & their feastes, he calleth thē ele­mēta mūdi, elemētes of y ^• worlde, sayenge. If ye be dead w ^t christe frō the elemētes of thys worlde, why do ye yet put difference be­twene meat and meat, daye and day etc? Also y ^e iiii chapter of his epistle to the Galathians paule calleth y ^e olde lawes ceremonies egena elemēta, elemētes lackyng [Page] somewhat. Therfore this pauls letter stādeth nothynge agaynst y ^e traditiōs of y ^e apostles, & their successours / lefte in the churche frō one to another. But let thys Pet manꝰ tradua be sayed for the repeallynge of y ^t argumēt. They dispute yet fur­ther The .v. ar­gument. of this sort against traditi­ons. Paule sayeth .ii. To .iii. Al scripture geuen by the inspira­tiō of god is profitable to teach improue, informe, & to instructe in righteousnes, y ^t the mā of god may be perfect, & prepared vnto all good workes. Then why do we thruste (sayeth Vrbanus regius wisely) in y ^e churches hādes y ^e lawes of men, as necessary to chri­stes religion? Thys argumēt is sone answeared vnto. For what argumēt, I besech the, good christē reader, is this, al scripture inspired by the holy goost is profi­table [Page] to teach man, y ^• he maye be perfect, & made ready to al good workes, ergo the scripture cōteyneth in it expressely al truth, and euery thing necessary to be bele­ued of vs, & kept? May not eue­ry part, & boke of y ^e scripture be, as in dede it is profitable to in­structe mā, y ^• thereby he maye be perfecte, & prepared to all good workꝭ, & yet not cōteyne al truth & the hole, y ^• is necessary for our saluatiō? The .v. bokes of Mo­ses cōteine a doctrine profitable to y ^• purpose, & so of the rest seue­rally, & yet that notw ^tstandyng, there are sundrye thynges both true, & necessary not conteyned therin. Yea but perchaūce some mā wyl say to me. The gospel is perfecte, & sufficient for to pro­cure oure saluation, for Chryste gaue vnto hys churche not bot­ched, [Page] clowted nor vnperfect ler­nyng, & seing there nedeth no addition to be made vnto y ^e whiche is perfecte, wherfore shulde men beleue y ^e the scripture cōteyneth not in it all truth & thynges ne­cessarye for our saluation, but y ^e diuers thynges come by traditi­on, whiche are both necessary to be beleued of vs, & also kepte?

It is very true that y ^e scripture, & the gospel is perfecte, not that it conteineth in it expresselye all truth necessarye to be knowen, & obserued, as I haue proued be­fore in thys my boke, but y ^e it is perfecte touchynge the thynges cōprised thereī, & cōteyneth general rules & p̄ceptꝭ, out of y ^e which al thynges necessary for a chry­sten mannes religion, & saluati­on, may be collected, & gathered thoughe they be not particular­ly, [Page] & expressely publyshed, & sette forth therin. As for an example. The scripture byddeth vs ho­noure god, but vpon what daye Exo. 20. Deute. 6. Math. 4. we shulde do it chiefly, scripture plainly telleth not, leauing that to be taughte the apostles of the holy goost, whiche dyd institute the sonday styred of that spirite of al truth, as I haue shewed before. Also the scripture sayeth y ^e wythout baptyme none cā entre in to y ^e kyngdome of heuē Iohā iii. y ^e holy apostles inspired with the holy goost of that, and other sayenges touchyng the necessi­tye of baptysme, ordeyned, and taughte wythout wrytynge that chyldren ought to be chrystened, & may be saued therby. Finallye the scrypture cōmaūdeth euerye mā to take vp, & beare his crosse & mortify the sensualities, & af­fections [Page] of the fleshe, y ^e apostles taught bow that shulde be done by fastynge the lente, wensdaye, fryday, & such other. This we se therfore that wyth the perfecte­nes of the scripture agreeth, & standeth right wel, that it cōtey­neth not expressely all truth, but that dyuers truthes were ope­ned to the holy apostles by y ^e ho­ly goost / which they lefte vnto y ^e The .vi. ar­gument. churche vnwrytten. Hytherto of thys. Another reason maketh Vrbanꝰ regiꝰ vpō Pauls wordes [...] Cor. 3. sayenge. All thynges be yours / whether it be Paule / eyther A­pollo / eyther Cephas. Wherby (sayeth he) we do vnderstande y ^e, neyther Paule / nor Cephas or Peter hath auctoritie to bynde mens cōscience / where god byn­deth not / & therefore we are not boūd to beleue, or kepe of necessi­tie [Page] any traditiō of paul / peter or any other, whiche God byndeth not vs to beleue / & obserue by his holy word. Did euer any mā The aun­sweare. reade / or heare so fonde, & folysh a reason as this is? who wyl not bewayle, & lamēt this great blīd nes of y ^e lutherans, which do reason so vnlernedlye to defende an heresy? It is trew, y ^e peter & paul were y ^e corinthiās, for asmuch as they were ministers sent of God for theyr saluation. What thā? coulde not they yet teache many thinges by mouth onely, & leaue thē w ^eout writing vnto y ^e church y ^e it shulde beleue thē to be trew, & kepe thē also? But thou sayest that they could not bynde mens cōsciēce, where god bīdeth not. I graunt y ^e / but of y ^e must it nedes folow that they left nothyng vn writtē byndynge mens cōscience [Page] to beleue and obserue it? Doth god bynde vs to nothynge vn­wrytten in the holy scrypture?

Haue not I proued the cōtrarye in this boke? Byndeth not thē & there god mans cōscience / when & where the holy gooste styrreth the apostles to institue & ordeyn any thing not cōprehēded in the scripture, & leaue it to y ^• churche vnwryttē? Therfore this slender argumēt is cleane wypte away, as this other shal be, grounded lyke wyse vpon the wronge vn­derstandyng of these S. Pauls Colo. 2. The. 7. ar­gument. wordes to the Collossians. Ye beyng dead wyth christ why are ye holden styll with decrees?

What is this, yf it be not plaine wrestynge of scrypture from his true sense? Saint Hierom sayed wel, that heresye standeth in the Ca. 1. ad Gala. wronge takyng of the scrypture doth [...]

Dyd not saint Paule in that se­conde chaptre to the Colossians playnly speke of y ^• olde lawes decres, or ordināces, which dyd cō ­syste in choyse of meates & suche other ceremonies / that were thē anulled, & made voyd by chryst? For he thus hath, If ye be dead with chryste from the elementes of this worlde, why do ye yet de­cree or teach, or els, as the greke nowe hath Dodmatizesthe are ye taught (suche decrees and cere­monyes) as yet lyuynge in the world, Touche not, nother taste, nor handle. Who seeth not that these wordes do playnlye show, that saynte Paule mente of the iewes decrees, and ordinaunces perteynynge to theyr olde cere­monies thē abrogate cleane by chryst, and nothyng of the chur­ches decrees, or the apostles tra­dicions? [Page] It is therfore a greate blyndnes to applye suche textes agaynste the traditions of the churche, and they do verye lytle regard theyr soules health, that do folowe suche teachers, which do so manifestly abuse, and mis­take the scrypture to kyll theyr owne soules, and other mennes by an heresye. Some man per­chaunce wyll say to me, chrysten people are indued with libertye Vrbanns regiꝰ. of conscyence .ii. Cor .iii. whiche nother ought, nor can be bound to the obseruynge of any tradi­cion set vp by man, whiche scry­pture speaketh not of, for thē we shulde be the seruauntes of mē agaynst saynte Paules cōmaū ­demente. To that I saye that chrysten men are free, and idued 1. Cor. 7. with a certayne libertie frō the yocke of the olde lawe / and the [Page] bondage of synne, in which two standeth the lybertye of chrystes gospell, & not in the lybertie frō the obseruynge of good, and hol some tradytions institute, & set forth by the holy apostles with­out wrytynge by mouth onely.

The obedience due vnto the hy­er powers, and to the kepyng of theyr lawes standeth not onelye with the libertie of the gospel, but y ^• gospēll doth also cōmaūd that to be done of vs. They that suppose them selues free frome obseruynge of the apostles tra­ditions by reason of the lyberte of the gospell, do agaynst pauls cōmaundement vse theyr lyber­tie to satisfye the flesshes lustes: and haue (as saynt Peter sayth) Gala. 5. 1. P [...]. 2. it as a cloke or a couer of theyr malyce. Chrysten people shuld not be the seruauntes of men, it [Page] is true, but what thā? Wylt not thou therfore be bounde in con­scyence to obedientlye kepe thy prynce, and kynges ordynaūces and lawes, when Paule biddeth vs to be obediente vnto his cō ­maūdemētes for cōscyence sake? It is not therfore holly vnleful Ro. 13. nor forbydden of saynte Paule to be mennes seruauntes, but to obey them, and to serue them cō ­maūdyng any thīg agēst the ly­bertye of chrystes gospell, or els any vnlefull thinge, the kepyng of the which shulde cause thē to fall from the benifite of christes deathe, and therfore he dyd put them in remembraūce, that they were bought with a great pryce Thus saynt Chrysostome doth vnderstande this paules texte, byddynge that we shulde not be mens seruauntes. Saynt paule [Page] also he ment that the corynthyās shulde not be mēs seruauntes to reyse schismes, or diuisiōs, so y ^• one of thē shulde be counted ce­phas scholer because he was christened and instructed by hym, & another Apollos? Take nowe this text whether way thou wylt it maketh nothyng at al against the traditions of the holye apo­stles and the church. Moreouer whē we do beleue certen truthes and obserue theym also, whiche the apostles lefte vnwryten by the inspiratiō of the holy goost / as they dyd manye thynges, whiche are aboue rehearsed in this boke, what madde manne wyl saye y ^• therby we be mennes seruauntes / and not rather the holy goostꝭ the autour of those tradicyons? Some men do sup­pose that these god the fathers [Page] wordes. Ipsū audite, heare hym, do bynde vs onelye to learne of Mat. 17. dr [...]auꝰ [...]e­ [...]ꝰ. chryste the doctoure and teacher of the church, and to beleue and obserue nothynge but his doc­trine, & therfore we oughte not, nor can be bounde to any thyng not wrytten in the scrypture, as though we are not bounde to be leue the apostles teachīge in thī ges not taught afore by chryste, or y ^• we ought not to beleue, as I haue touched before, that chyl­dren ought to be chrystened, al­beit we fynde not in y ^• scrypture that euer christ taught that doc­trine, or els hys apostles, but it cometh onely without wytnesse of the scrypture by theyr tradi­tion. If thou yet wylt reasō fur­ther, and saye that Chryste sen­dynge his apostles to preach a­brode y ^• gospel in the hole world, [Page] commaunded them to teache the people what soeuer he had com­maunded, and therfore men are not bounde vnto any thyng not commaunded of Chryste, of the whiche it muste neades folowe that there are no traditions vn­wrytten necessarye for vs eyther to beleue, or to fulfyll. This reason of one vrbanꝰ regiꝰ a luthe­rans makynge declareth the autours ignoraunce, or blinde malyce conceyued agaynste y ^• chur­che of chryst. For chryst byddīge the apostles teach the people all that he had cōmaunded theym, dyd not bydde thē teach nothing more then he cōmaunded them. For who doubteth but the apo­stles taught afterwarde manye thynges by inspiratiō of the ho­ly goost, which chryst neuer cō ­maunded, as that the gentyles [Page] shulde abstayne from bloudde, and meates suffocate, or stran­gled, with manye other thynges as it appeareth in theyr epystles and the actes wrytten by Luke the euangelyste. But se what kynde of argumēt is this of re­giꝰ, Chryste commaūded his a­postles to preach al what soeuer he had dyd thē do, ergo the apo­stles lefte nothynge vnwrytten to the church y ^• ought to be bele­ued, or obserued, or men are not buunde to kepe the churches traditions. This is a wonderfull blyndnes. What madnes were it to beleue suche teachers? Maye it not be sayde truely of them, y ^• blynde leaders & they that are Mat. 15. ledde by theim, do fall bothe to­gyther into the den, as our sauy our chryste sayed? There are o­ther obiectyōs as fonde, and fo­lyshe [Page] as these be, which because they are made agaynste mannes lawes and constitutions, & not agaynste the apostles, and hole churches traditiōs vnwryttē in the holy scrypture, I wyll recyte them very compendiouslye & as cōpendiouslye confute the same. Thys is one of them. Paule sayeth. Si spiritu ducimini nō estis sub lege. It ye be ledde wyth the The. 8. ar­gument. spirite, ye are not vnder the law. These wordes do proue (sayeth the lutherans,) that no mannes traditions can bynde vs to the obseruinge of thē, yf we do leade our lyues after ryghte reasons and the holy goostes guydynge and styrrynge, for els we shulde be vnder the lawe, whyche saynt The an­swere. Paule denyeth here. Thys auc­torytie of saynte Paule proueth nothing more agaynst the chur­ches [Page] constitutions, ordinaun­ces, and traditions of the apo­stles, that they oughte not to bynde mennes consciences, then it doth agaynste the law of god, that iuste and good men ledde by reason and the holye gooste shulde not be bounde to kepe it, because y ^• paule vnderstode not, here the law of man, but the law of god, whiche rested in ceremo­nyes, & was abrogated by chry­stes death. That Paule spake there of that olde lawe of Mo­ses, it appeareth by that the pro­ces of that epistle and chaptre, where he speaketh of circumcision. Now what argumēt is this, (good reader.) If ye be ledde w ^t the spirite ye are not vnder Moses lawe, ergo the traditions of the apostles vnwritten oughte not nor can not bynde mēnes cō ­science? [Page] Saynte Chrysostom ex­powneth it thus. He that hath the holy goost, and in his liuing and dedes is ruled, and ledde by the same, doth quenche al yll de­sires, and lustes, and therfore he hath no nede of the lawes helpe, that by feare of it he shulde lyue well. Etiam qui ex sese suo fungitur officio, quid opꝰ habet paedagogo? For what nede hath he, y ^• of hymselfe doth hys duetie, of one ap­poynted to se hym well ordered, as a childe? As a horse that run­neth fast of hym selfe nedeth not to be spurred, euē so the ryghte­ous, and perfecte good mā ledde wyth the holy gooste, is not vn­der the lawe of god, for as much as he doth lyue godly, & wold so contynew yf there were no lawe to enforce and constrayne hym so to do. But what is thys to the [Page] holye apostles traditions? Yea what maketh i [...] agaynste anye ordynaunce of the churche?

The beste men, that lyue in the worlde haue nede of gods lawe to leade them streyghte in the waye and payth of vertuous ly­uynge, thoughe they ncade no lawe to compel them for feare of punyshmente to do well, and to absteyne from synne. After thys meaning and sense Paule saied. Justo non est lex posita, the lawe is [...]. Tim [...]. 1. not made for the ryghteous, be­cause (sayeth Chrysostome) the lawe is made that by feare and threteninge of it, synners shulde leaue committyng of synne, and be punished whē they do amisse, and therfore Paule sayed to the Galathians. Lex propter trans­gressiones posita est, the lawe is Gala. 3. made for transgressyons to be [Page] restrayned and punyshed there­by. But of thys sufficient.

Some men alledge saynte Au­sten agaynst traditions, whiche in a certen epistle to saynte Hie­rom, wolde that we shoulde be­leue that the wryters of the ho­lye scrypture onelye neuer erred and gyue no credence vnto a­ny other man be he neuer so ho­lye and well learned, excepte he dyd proue by the scrypture, ey­ther by autours or by probable reasons that he sayed the truth, and therfore men oughte not to beleue them that teache traditi­ons. To thys wyse reason J fyrste saye that seynge saint Au­steyne hym selfe sayeth in sun­drye places of hys bookes that we muste nedes obserue traditi­ous, as J haue declared before, it is a great blyndnes or rather [Page] malice agaynste the truth, to al­ledge hym agaynste traditions, as though he were contrarye to hym selfe. Secondarilye J saye that they whiche do set forth the apostles traditiōs do proue thē by the scrypture, other autours, and probable reasons also, as J haue done in thys booke, & ther­fore saynte Austeynes authori­tie alledged before holdeth with vs agaynst the reprouers of traditions. Thyrdlye J saye that saynte Ansteyne in the sayed epi­stle resembled, and compared the bokes of holy scrypture vn­to other bookes compiled, made & set forth by mans wyt without the reuelation of the holy goost, as it appeareth by the tenour of that epystle euidently, and ther­fore he mente nothynge there a­gaynste anye thynge taught, or [Page] lefte to the churche of chryste by the holy goostes stirring and in spiration, but he called there all suche doctryne holye scrypture, that is good & godlye though it be not wrytten expresselye in the bible, but delyuered by traditi­on wythout wrytyng. Therfore this argumente is soyled clere­ly. Furthermore thys reason is made agaynst traditions of the churche. The olde testamente The. 9. ar­gument. and the new are as sufficient for chrysten people beleuynge nowe in chryste as the olde testamente onely was for the iewes, but the whole fayth, vnto the which the Jewes were bound was expres­sed in the olde testament, and the bokes of it / ergo the hole fayth, to the whyche chrysten men are nowe bounde is expressely writ­ten in the newe testamente, and [Page] the olde, and therfore the fayth­full are not bounde to beleue a­nye thynge not expressed in the Byble / and so there are no tra­ditions vnwrytten necessarye to be beleued of vs christen peo­ple. Thoughe thys reason do The an­sweare. appeare good, and pythye vn­to them that are not learned in the scrypture, or beynge meane­lye learned therein, are affecti­onate, and so maryed to the cō ­trarye opniyon / that all thynge whyche doth anye thynge soune to theyr purpose pleaseth them hyghelye, yet in very dede it no­thynge serueth for theyr maly­cious intent, partely because the Hebrewes were of longe tyme faithful peple before theyr faith was wrytten by Moyses in hys fyue bokes, and yet they were y ^• tyme bounde to beleue the thin­ges [Page] then not wrytten, but after­warde, partelye for as moche as after Moyses had wrytten, and the other bokes of the law were all wrytten, the people beleued many thynges perteynyng both to the faith, and also to maners, whiche were taught by mouthe onely without wrytynge, to the beleefe of the which and fulfyl­lynge also they were neuerthe­lesse bounde of necessytie. And these traditiōs not wryttē some men of the hebrues called ī that Cabala. tōgue cabalā, because they were receyued by the yonger or later lyuynge people of the elders w ^t ­out wrytynge of the olde testa­ment, lyke as dyuers dilygente searchers of such thynges haue wytnessed by wrytynge. Ther­fore this argument is answered vnto sufficyently, as the next a­none [Page] shall be, god willynge, whiche is thus framed of the luthe­rans vpon these saynt Hieroms wordes. Quod ex scriptutis sacris In Math. 23. auctoritatem non habet, eadem fa­cilitate cōtemnitur, qua approba­tur. That is to say. That which hath not auctorytie of the holye scriptures, is despised by y ^e same easeynes, by whiche it is appro­ued, or allowed, but all traditi­ons haue not theyr autorite of y ^• scrypture therfore they are as easely despised asalowed, which they shulde not be yf men were boūde of necessyte to beleue thē, or to kepe them, wherof it foloweth y ^t we are not boūd to beleue & obserue any of them not wryttē in the holy scrypture. This rea­son hangeth altogether vpō the yll vnderstanding of saynt Hie­roms sentence, which mente not [Page] by holy scripture that onely whiche is sette forth in the byble ex­presselye, but all doctryne com­mynge of the holy goostes reue­latyon wrytten in the Byble, or not written, but taught the apo­stles, and the church of them by mouth onely, for els he had wri­ten agaynste hym selfe, which in dyuers places of his bookes ex­horteth men to beleue, and kepe many thynges not wrytten in y ^e scrypture, as it appereth before in this boke. This is thoughte by a learned mā to be saint Hie­ro [...]s mynde, where I examinīg and wayenge diligentlye saynte Hieroms commentaryes there, haue founde that he mente ano­ther thing. For he recyteth some mens opinion to haue bene that zachary, whom chryst sayed that Mat. 23. the iewes murdered betwene the [Page] temple and the aultare, was S. Iohan baptistes father, prouīg by certen bokes dreames (which were apocriphi, because theyr makers were hyd, and not kno­wen) that he was therfore sleane because he publy sshed our sauy­ours cōmynge. Hoc quia de scri­pturis (inquit hieronimus) non ha­bet autoritatē, eadem facilitate cō ­temnitur, qua probatur. That for as moche as it hath not aucto­ritie of the scryptures, is with y ^e same easynes despysed, by which it is praysed or aproued. Loo we se that the holy father saynt hie­come mente of that one thynge, which was proued onely by bo­kes of none auctorytie, what is this agaynste the apostles tradicions, or to proue y ^t we are boūd to beleue and kepe nothyng but onely that whiche is expresselye [Page] written in the scrypture? Do the churches traditions hange, and depende of bookes the autours wherof be vnknowen? Haue not I declared that scrypture approueth the apostles vnwrytten traditions, and that they taught or ordeyned diuers thinges by the motion and inspiratiō of the ho­ly goost, which they lefte to the churche vnwrytten, and so they remayne hytherto and shal styll whyles the world dureth? Now to make an ende of this boke, I exhorte euery man and woman to be ware of erroneꝰ doctours, and yll bookes, which do teache and auaūce any learnynge con­trary to the fayth of the churche of chryste / that is y ^• deare spouse of our sauyour, bought with the shedynge of his moost precious bloude, and therfore hath euer [Page] bene so tenderly beloued of hym y ^t he hath not suffred hyr wholly to erre in any weightye point of our religion, nor hereafter wyll permit to erre accordyng to his ꝓmes, sayeng hel gates, y ^• is, syn and heresye shal not preuayle a­gaynste hyr. Who that leaneth to this sure pyller y ^e church shall be euer in the ryght waye, ouer­come all heresye, to the great cō ­forte of his soule / & at the length throughe the helpe of god lyuīg deuoutly he shal come to endles Ioyes of heauen, which our sa­niour Iesu Chryste purchased for all his seruauntes, to whom with y ^e father & the holy goost be honoure & glorye for euer. Amē.