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18.

Christ. lib.

tinople, sheweth for the Greek church, and St Jerome in Lib. 6. cap. Prologo Galeato for the Latin church. As for the provincial council of Carthage, holden by forty-four bishops of Africa, if we were bound to receive it for these books, we must also acknowledge five books of Salomon, which in the same council are authorised, whereas the church never knew but of three. And although the book of Wisdom should be ascribed to Salomon, there could be but four. Again, how they understand the word canonical, it may be gathered both out of the words of the same canon, where they give none other reason of the approbation of all those books of scripture, but that they have received them of their fathers to be read in the church; and also out of St Augustine, who was De doct. one present at the same council; which after he hath declared 2. cap. 8. how a man should discern the canonical scriptures from other writings by following the authority of the catholic churches, especially those that have deserved to have apostolic sees, and to receive their epistles, he addeth further: Tenebit igitur hunc modum in scripturis canonicis, ut eas quæ ab omnibus accipiuntur ecclesiis catholicis, præponat eis quas quædam non accipiunt; in eis vero quæ non accipiuntur ab omnibus, præponat eas, quas plures gravioresque accipiunt, eis quas pauciores minorisque auctoritatis ecclesiæ tenent. Si autem alias invenerit a pluribus, alias a gravioribus haberi, quanquam hoc invenire non possit, æqualis tamen auctoritatis eas habendas puto. Totus autem canon scripturarum, in quo istam considerationem versandam dicimus, his libris continetur. He shall hold therefore this mean in the canonical scriptures, that he prefer those which are received of all catholic churches, before those scriptures which some churches do not receive. But in those which are not received of all, let him prefer those scriptures which the greater number and graver churches do receive, before those which churches fewer in number and of less authority do hold. But if he shall

['Non idem ordo est apud Græcos, qui integre sapiunt et fidem rectam sectantur, epistolarum septem, quæ canonicæ nuncupantur, qui in Latinis codicibus invenitur. Quod quia Petrus primus est in numero apostolorum, primæ sint etiam ejus epistolæ in ordine ceterarum. Sed sicut evangelistas dudum ad veritatis lineam correximus; ita has proprio ordini, Deo nos juvante, reddidimus. Est enim prima earum una Jacobi; Petri duæ; Johannis tres; et Judæ una.-Hieronym. Prolog. Septem Epistolarum Canonicarum. Opera. Vol. 1. p. 1667.]

Anno 1532.
Anno 1537.

find some scriptures to be had of fewer churches and other
some of graver churches, although you cannot find this thing,
yet I think they are to be accounted of equal authority.
Now the whole canon of scriptures in which we say this
consideration must be occupied is contained in these books:
Five books of Moses, that is Genesis, Exodus, &c. By this
saying of Augustine it is manifest, that he calleth canonical
scriptures, not only those books that ought of necessity to
be received of all churches; but also such as were received
of some, and of some were not; in which number were these
books of Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, and the Machabees, which
by his own rule were not to be received as of absolute and
sovereign authority, because the apostolic churches of Asia
and Europe, and those of gravest authority, among which
was the church of Rome in that time, did not receive them;
as witnesseth not only St Jerome, a priest of Rome, but
also Ruffinus of Aquileia, in symbolo', who both declare what
books were received in their churches as canonical, and of
irrefragable authority to build principles of faith upon them,
and what books were admitted only to be read for instruc-
tion of manners. And therefore, according to the rule of
Augustine and testimony of the ancient fathers, and because
it consenteth with the rest of the scriptures, and not for
Calvin's pleasure, we receive the epistle of St James, though
it hath not been always and of all churches received. Con-
cerning the name of Calvinists, as of all other nick-names,
that it pleaseth you of your charity to bestow upon us, it
shall suffice to protest once for all, that we acknowledge
none other name of our profession, but Christians and catho-
lics; and that we have neither received that epistle, nor
rejected the other, because it pleased Calvin so.
This may
serve for a clear demonstration, that in the first English

2

[Sciendum tamen est, quod et alii libri sunt qui non canonici, sed ecclesiastici a majoribus appellati sunt: ut est Sapientia Salomonis, et alia Sapientia quæ dicitur filii Syrach, qui liber apud Latinos hoc ipso generali vocabulo Ecclesiasticus appellatur; quo vocabulo non auctor libelli, sed scripturæ qualitas cognominata est. Ejusdem ordinis est libellus Tobiæ, et Judith, et Machabæorum libri.-Expositio in Symbolum Apostolorum Ruffini. p. 397, 398. ed. Ald. 1563.]

[In the bible of 1537, known under the name of the translator, Thomas Matthew, this is the case. Also in Coverdale's bible of 1537, 4to., imprynted in Southwarke by James Nycolson.]

bibles that were printed under the name of Thomas Matthew, before Calvin wrote any word of the rejection of those books, or of receiving of the other, they are called Apocrypha, and printed with other of that mark by themselves, and the epistle of St James without any question acknowledged to be one of the canonical epistles; whereas Calvin's institution was first printed anno 1536, and his argument upon St James' epistle, 1551. You may see what honest dealing the papists use to bring the truth into discredit, and the professors thereof into hatred with the simple and unlearned people, bearing them in hand, that we have no cause to receive or refuse books of scripture, but Calvin's pleasure. But the God of truth will one day reward these impudent liars and shameless slanderers.

Well, let us now see under what pretence it pleased Calvin to reject these books: "Under pretence forsooth, (saith Martin,) that they were once doubted of, and not taken for canonical." I pray you, Sir, where doth Calvin pretend that only cause? In his Instit. lib. III. c. 5. sec. 8, he allegeth divers other causes touching the books of Machabees, as every man that will may read. Shame you nothing to forge such manifest untruths, and that in such matters as you may be convinced in them by ten thousand witnesses? What credit shall be given to you in matters that consist upon your own bare testimony, when you force not to feign of other men that wherein every man may reprove you? And as for the only pretence you speak of, Calvin doth so little esteem it, that notwithstanding the same, he doubteth not to receive the epistle of St James, because it is agreeable to the whole body of the canonical scripture; as, if you had read his argument upon that epistle, you might easily have perceived.

Ibid. p. 17.3

their own

Martin. Mark, gentle reader, for thy soul's sake, and thou shalt MARTIN, 9. find that heresy, and only heresy, is the cause of their denying these M. Whitaker by these books; so far, that against the orders and hierarchies and particular words con patronages of angels one of them writeth thus in the name of the demneth rest: "We pass not for that Raphael of Toby, neither do we acknow- service book, which ledge those seven angels which he speaketh of; all this is far from appointeth canonical scriptures, that the same Raphael recordeth, and savoureth of Tobit and I wot not what superstition." Against free-will thus: "I little care cus to be for the place of Ecclesiasticus, neither will I believe free-will, though holy scriphe affirm an hundred times, that before men is life and death." And other. Do

[Ad Rationes Campiani Responsio, p. 17.]

these books

Ecclesiasti

read for

ture, as the

they read in their churches

apocryphal and superstitious books for holy scripture, or is

he a puritan that thus disgraceth

their order

vice?

FULKE, 9.

against prayer for the dead, and intercession of saints, thus: "As for the book of the Machabees, I do care less for it than for the other. Judas' dream concerning Onias I let pass as a dream." This is their reverence of the scriptures, which have universally been reverenced for canonical in the church of God above 1100 years. Con. Cart. 3. and particularly of many fathers long before, Aug. de doct. Christ. Lib. II. c. 8.

of daily ser- Fulke. The mouth that lieth killeth the soul. The reader may think you have small care of his soul's health, when by such impudent lying you declare that you have so small regard of your own. But what shall he mark? "That heresy, &c." You were best say that Eusebius, Jerome, Ruffine, and all the churches in their times, were heretics, and that only heresy was the cause of their denial of these books. For such reasons as moved them move us, and something also their authority. But how prove you that only heresy moveth us to reject them? Because M. Whitaker against the orders, and hierarchies, and particular patronages of angels, writeth in the name of the rest, that "we pass not," &c. Take heed, lest upon your bare surmise you belie him, where you say he writeth in the name of the rest; as in the next section following you say, he writeth in the name of both the universities, for which I am sure he had no commission from either of them; although he did write that which may well be avouched by both the universities; yet I know his modesty is such, as he will not presume to be advocate for both the universities, and much less for the whole church, except he were lawfully called thereto. This is a common practice of you papists, to bear the world in hand, that whatsoever is written by any of us in defence of the truth, is set forth in the name of all the rest, as though none of us could say more in any matter than any one of us hath written; or that if any one of us chance to slip in any small matter, though it be but a wrong quotation, you might open your wide slanderous mouths against the whole church for one man's particular offence. Now touching any thing that M. Whitaker hath written, you shall find him sufficient to maintain it against a stronger adversary than you are; and therefore I will meddle the less in his causes. And for the orders and patronage or protection of angels by God's appointment, we have sufficient testimony in the canonical scriptures, that we need not the uncertain report of Tobie's book to instruct

us what to think of them. But as for the hierarchies and patronage of angels, that many of you papists have imagined and written of, neither the canonical scriptures, nor yet the apocryphal books now in controversy, are sufficient to give you warrant. The like I say of free will, prayer for the dead, and intercession of saints. But it grieveth you that those apocryphal scriptures, which have been universally received for canonical in the church of God above 1100 years, should find no more reverence among us. Still your mouth runneth over. For in the time of the canon of the council of Carthage 3. which you quote, these books were not universally reverenced as canonical. And Augustine himself, speaking of the book of Machabees, Cont. 2. Gaud.' Ep. c. 23. confesseth that the Jews account it not as the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, to which our Lord giveth testimony as to his witnesses, saying, "It behoveth that all things should be fulfilled which are written in the Law, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me; but it is received of the church not unprofitably, if it be soberly read or heard." This writeth St Augustine, when he was pressed with the authority of that book by the Donatists, which defended that it was lawful for them to kill themselves by example of Razis, who is by the author of that book commended for that fact. He saith, "it is received not unprofitably," and immediately after, "especially for those Machabees that suffered patiently horrible persecution for testimony of God's religion, to encourage Christians by their example." Finally, he addeth a condition of the receiving it, "if it be soberly read or heard." These speeches declare, that it was not received

[Et hanc quidem scripturam, quæ appellatur Machabæorum, non habent Judæi sicut legem et prophetas et psalmos, quibus Dominus testimonium perhibet tamquam testibus suis, dicens, Oportebat impleri omnia quæ scripta sunt in lege et prophetis et in psalmis de me: sed recepta est ab ecclesia non inutiliter, si sobrie legatur vel audiatur, maxime propter illos Machabæos qui pro Dei lege sicut veri martyres a persecutoribus tam indigna atque horrenda perpessi sunt; ut etiam hinc populus Christianus adverteret, quoniam non sunt condigne passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam quæ revelabitur in nobis, pro quibus passus est Christus, si tanta patientissime pertulerunt pro lege quam dedit Deus per famulum hominibus illis pro quibus nondum tradiderat Filium.-Augustin. contra Gaudentium Donatist. Episc. Lib. 1. cap. 38. Opera. Vol. ix. p. 655-6.]

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