III. CHAP. "Apostlis weren now lyvyng at Londoun, and wolde 66 bringe, so as is now seid, braunchis fro Bischopis-wode, " and flouris fro the feelde into Londoun, and wolden hem "delyvere to men, that thei make therewith her housis gay "into remembraunce of Seint Johnn Baptist, and of this "that it was prophecied of him, that manye schulden joie Luke i. 14. “ in his burthe: yet tho men of Londoun, receyvyng so tho "braunchis and flouris, oughten not seie and feele, that "tho braunchis and flouris grewen out of Christis hondis " and out of the Apostlis hondis-Tho braunchis grewen "out of the bowis upon whiche thei in Bischopis-wode "stoden, and tho bowis grewen out of stockis or tron"chons, and the tronchons or schaftis grewen out of the * understand. C. 7. † nature. #that. C, 8. roote, and the roote out of the next erthe therto, upon "whiche and in whiche the roote is buried. So that nei"ther the cart, neither the hondis of the bringers, neither "tho bringers ben the groundis or fundamentis of tho "braunchis." 66 6. "The secunde principal Conclusioun and trouthe is "this; thoug it perteyne not to holi Scripture, for to "grounde eny natural or moral governaunce, or trouthe "into whos fyndyng, leernyng, and knowyng mannis re66 soun may bi himsilf and bi natural help com, as it is open now bifore ;- -Yit it mai perteyne weel ynoug to "holi Scripture, that he reherce such now seid governauncis "and treuthis, and that he witnesse hem as grounded "sumwhere ellis in the law of † kinde, or doom of mannis 66 resoun. And so he dooth, as to ech reder thereyn it mai "be opene, that by thilk rehercing and witnessyng so "doon by holi Scripture to men, tho men schulden be "bothe remembrid, stirid, provokid, and exortid for to the "rathir performe and fulfille the same so rehercid and wit"nessid governauncis and trouthis." 7. "The iiid principal Conclusion is this 8. The hool "office and werk into which God ordeyned holy Scripture, g The law of God, though principally delivered for instruction in supernatural duties, is yet fraught with precepts of those that are natural. The Scripture is fraught even with laws of nature. Hooker's Eccles. Pol. lib. i. §. 12. "is for to grounde articlis of feith, and for to reherce and CHAP. "witnesse moral trouthis of h lawe of *kind grounded in III. "moral philsophie; that is to seie, in † doom of resoun,* nature. "that the reders be remembrid, stirrid, and exortid bi so +judgment. "miche the better and the more, and the sooner for to "fulfille hem. Of whiche articlis of feith summe ben not "lawis, as these; that God made heven and erthe in the bi66 gynnyng of tyme; and that Adam was the firste man, and "Eve was the firste womman; and that Moises ladde the "peple of Israel out of Egipt; and that Zacharie was fadir "and Elizabeth was modir of Johnn Baptist; and that "Crist fastid xl. daies, and so forth of many like. And 66 summe othere ben lawis; as, that ech man ougte "be baptisid in water if he may come thereto; and "that ech man ougte to be hosilid if he may come receive the "thereto." 8. “The iiii principal Conclusioun; it is not the office hurl. "longing to moral lawe of kinde, for to grounde eny arti- C. 8. "cle of feith, groundid bi holi Scripture. For whi al that "the now seid moral lawe of kinde, or moral philsophie, groundith, is groundid by doom of mannis resoun; and "therefore is such a treuthe and a conclusioun that into ❝his fynding, leernyng, and knowing, mannis witt mai, by "itsilf aloone, or bi natural helpis withoute revelacioun "fro God, rise and suffice. But so it is, that noon article "of feith mai be groundid in doom of resoun sufficientli, "neither into his finding, leerning, and knowing; mannis 66 resoun by itsilf, and bi natural help, may rise and suffice, "without therto maad revelatioun, or affirming from God. "For whi thane feith were no feith." Lord's Sup per. A. S. 9. "The v principal Conclusion. Thoug neither the C. 9. "seide moral law of kinde, neither outward bokis thereof "writen, mowe grounde eny trouthe or conclusioun of verry feith; yit tho outward bokis, as Cristene men “hem maken, mowe weel ynow reherce and witnesse b The law of reason or human nature is that which men, by discourse of natural reason, have rightly found out themselves to be all for ever bound unto in their actions. Hooker's Eccl. Pol. lib. i. §. 8. III. CHAP. "trouthis and conclusions of feith groundid bifore in holi "Scripture. For whi; it is no more repugnant, that bokis "of moral philosophie reherce trouthis and conclusiouns propre to the grounding of holy Scripture, than, that "bokis of holi Scripture reherce trouthis and conclusions 66 propre to the grounding of moral philsophie." C. 8. C. 8. C. 9. * know. † know. C. 9. C. 9. “The vi principal Conclusioun. The hool office and "werk into which ben ordeyned the bokis of moral philo66 sophie, writen and maad bi Cristen men in the maner 66 now bifore spoken, is to expresse outwardli bi writing "of pene and ynke, the treuthis and conclusions which the " inward book of lawe of kind, beried in mannis soule and 66 herte, groundith; and for to reherce summe treuthis and "conclusiouns of feith longing to the grounding of holi "Scripture, that the reders be the more and the oftir re"membrid, and stirrid, and exortid by this rehercing, &c." 66 "The vii principal Conclusioun. The more deal and "party of Goddis hool lawe to man in erthe, and that bi an huge gret quantite over the remanent parts of the same lawe, is groundid sufficiently, out of holi Scripture, " in the inward book of lawe of kind and of moral philoso"phie, and not in the book of holi Scripture." 10. "The viii principal Conclusioun. No man mai "leerne and * kunne_the_hool lawe of God, to which "Cristen men ben bounde, but if he † can of moral phil66 sophie; and the more that he can in moral philsophie, bi 66 so muche the more he can of Goddis law and service. "This Conclusioun folewith out of the seventh Conclu"sioun openly ynoug." 11. "The ix Conclusioun. No man schullen perfitly, sureli, and sufficientli undirstonde holi Scripture in alle "tho placis wherynn he rehercith moral virtues——but if "he be bifore weel, and perfitli, suerli, and sufficientli "leerned in moral philsophie.- -This Conclusioun fole"with out of the vii and the viii Conclusiouns." 12. "The x Conclusioun. The leernyng and kunnyng "of the seid law of kinde, and of the seide moral philosophie, is so necessarie to Christen men, that it mai not 66 "be lackid of them if thei schulen perfitli serve to God, CHAP. " and kepe his lawe * bitake to hem in erthe." 66 66 per 13. "The xi Conclusioun. Ful weel ougten alle "soones of the lay-parti, not miche leerned in moral philsophie, and lawe of kinde for to make miche of clerkis "weel leerned in moral philsophie, that tho clerkis schul"den helpe tho lay persoones, for to arigt undirstonde holi Scripture in alle tho placis in whiche holi Scripture re“hercith the bifore spoken Conclusiouns and treuthis of "moral philosophie, that is to seie of lawe of kinde. For "whi, withoute tho clerkis so leerned in moral philosophie, " and withoute her direccioun, the now seid lay persoones "schulen not esili, lightli, and anoon have the dew undir" stonding of holi Scripture in the now seid placis.' III. * delivered. 14. "The xii Conclusioun. Ful weel ougten alle per- c. 9. "soones of the lay-parti, not leerned ougwhere ellis bi the 66 now seid clerkis, or bi othere bokis of moral philsophie, "for to make miche of bokis maad to hem in her modires "langage whiche be clepid thus: The † donet into Cristen + introduc"religioun; the folwer to the donet; the book of Cristen tion. "religioun, namelich the first parti fro the begynnyng of "the iii treti forthward. The book filling the iiii tablis; "The book of worschiping; the book clepid the pro"voker of Cristen men; the book of counceiles, and othir "mo pertenyng to the now seid book of Cristen religioun. -Wolde God men wolden not be bi so miche the "frowarder, and the more presumptuose, that goodness is "to hem thus profrid. Wolde God, that thei wolden assaie perfitli what tho now seid bokis ben, and wolden weel 66 understand. kunne hem, and thane if thei schulden have eny cause ‡ know or "for to blame or commend tho bokis, that thanne firste "thei wolden blame or commende." 15. "The xiii Conclusioun. Thei that wolen aske and c. 10. "saie thus; Where fyndist thou it groundid in holi "Scripture? as thoug ellis it is not worthi to be take for 66 trewe, whanne-ever eny governaunce or treuthe suffici"entli groundid in lawe of kinde, and in moral philsophie "is affermed and mynystrid to hem, (as ben many of tho III. 66 66 CHAP. "xi gouernauncis and treuthis, whiche schullen be treatid "aftir in this present book; which ben setting up of ymagis in hige placis of the bodili churche; pilgrimages doon priveli; and pilgrimages doon openli by laymen and bi Prestis, and bi Bischopis unto the memorialis "or mynde-placis ef seintis, and the endowing of Priestis "bi rentis and bi unmoueable possessiouns, and such othere) "asken tho whilis in *liik maner unresonabili, and liik "unskilfulli, and liik reprouabli, as if thei wolden aske "and sei thus: Where findest thou it groundid in holi 66 Scripture, whanne a treuthe and a conclusioun of grammer is affermed and seid to hem, &c." * like. derson's Sermons. 66 16. By this account of the positions maintained by the Bishop in this book of his, it is plain his Lordship's design was to shew, that those men are in a great error who make the holy Scripture the sole rule of all human actions whatBishop San-soever. An error for the maintenance whereof, there was never yet produced any piece of an argument, either from reason, or from authority of holy Writ, or from the testimony either of the ancient fathers, or of other classical divines of latter times; which may not be clearly and abundantly answered, to the satisfaction of any rational man not extremely fore-possessed with prejudice. The law of nature and of right reason imprinted in men's hearts, as the Apostle expressed himself, or, according to our Bishop, buried in their souls and hearts, is as truly the law and word of God, as is that which is printed in our Bibles. Dem. Evan. Eusebius styles Christianity παλαιότατον εὐσεβείας πολίτευμα lib, ii. c. 2. xaì ágxaιoτáτη тis $120copía. Tertullian observes, Nec differt De corr. Ec. Scriptura an ratione consistat. Thomas Aquinas, who c. 4. Prima Secundæ Quæs. 99. art. 2. flourished in the 13th century, thus taught; "that the "old law is distinguished from the law of nature, not as altogether different from it, but as superadding some thing to it. For as grace presupposes nature, so must a "divine law presuppose a natural one. That man's reason "about the moral precepts, so far as they are the com"monest precepts of the law of nature, could not err in "universali, though through a habit of sinning it might |