town clerks put to or take away any thing from the first original writings; no, nor the judge himself. But all things ought to be judged by those writings. So likewise we believe the holy Canon of the Bible, because that the primitive Church of the Apostles, and eldest writers, and next to their time, approved them in their register, that is, in their writings, which partly saw them, and partly heard them of the Apostles. And more receive we not, because these old Fathers of the first Church testify in their books, that there was no more than these required to be believed as the Scripture of God. And yet were these writings no less true, afore they were allowed by them, than since, Christ witnessing and saying, I seek no witness of man.

Argument.

AUSTIN, to Cassulane. In these things, wherein the Scripture of God hath determined nothing, the custom of the people and our elders' ordinances ought to be holden as a law and the transgressors of the customs of the Church are likewise to be punished as the breakers of God's law. Of which things if thou wilt dispute, and reprove one custom by another, there shall arise an endless strife. He repeateth also this sentence many times: that whatsoever is universally observed, and not written in the Scripture, nor ordained by General Councils, is a tradition come from the Apostles.

Answer.

Answer him as Tertullian: and yet of all other authors he is most plain, that nothing is of necessity to salvation besides the Scriptures of God. But let us grant for their pleasures, that those customs, which they speak of, be traditions apostolic; yet they be no longer nor other ways to be observed, than the traditions apostolic written. Which, as is before fully proved, may (and are already) be both changed, and clearly taken away. And as concerning custom, it is plainly proved, that it is not to be received against the Scripture, truth, or reason.

Argument.

They say, moreover, that the perpetual virginity of our Lady is to be believed of necessity, as Cyprian, Chrysostom, Jerome, Ambrose, Austen, and all other speaking thereof say. But this is not found in the Scripture: Ergo, there is something to be believed, that is not written in the Scrip

ture.

Answer.

The minor, that is to say, that this is not written in the Scripture, is false. For, first, none of the old authors that rehearse traditions of the Apostles unwritten, make mention of the perpetual virginity of our Lady to be one of them; but they rehearse only divers ceremonies, or bodily gestures, and such rites used in baptism, prayers, holydays, and fastings which, as I have manifestly declared, are not necessary to salvation, but the most part of them are clean taken away, and the contrary commanded and used by the universal Church. Moreover, all the said authors prove her perpetual virginity by this text of Scripture, Ezech. xliv. This door shall be still shut, and not opened for any man to go through it; but only for the Lord God of Israel: yea, he shall go through it, else shall it be shut still. For if these, and such other Fathers, had not judged her perpetual virginity to have been written in the Scriptures, they would never have judged it to have been a thing to be believed under pain of damnation. Saint Jerome also calleth Helvidium a rash and an ungodly man, because that he taught that our Lady had other children by Joseph, after Christ's birth; which doctrine he could not prove by the Scriptures of God. In like manner we call all them that preach any doctrine in the Church, without the authority of God's word, both ungodly, rash, and wicked members of Antichrist.

Argument.

Yet they bring forth, to maintain their error, the baptism of infants, which, they say, is not contained in the Scriptures: and yet this is to be observed, upon pain of damnation of the said children. Ergo, there is something to be

done, of necessity to our salvation, that is not contained in the Scriptures.

Answer.

O what a gap these men open both to the Donatists and to the Anabaptists, that deny the baptizing of infants: for if it were not written in the word of God, no man ought to believe it, or use it. And so the Donatists' and Anabaptists' doctrine were true, and ours false. But in deed the baptism of infants is proved by the plain Scriptures. First, by the figure of the old law, which was circumcision. Infants, in the old law, were circumcised: Ergo, in the new law they ought to be baptized. Again; infants pertain to God, Gen. xvii. as it is said to Abraham, I will be thy God, and the God of Matt. xix. thy seed after thee. Christ saith also, Suffer children to come to me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And Luke xix. again; See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for

their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven: for the Son of Man is come to save that 1 Cor. vii. that is lost. And again, Paul saith, that your children are holy now. By these, and many other plain words of Scripture, it is evident that the baptism of infants is grounded upon the holy Scriptures.

Argument.

Furthermore, the Church, say they, hath changed the sabbath-day into the Sunday, which sabbath was commanded by God, and never man found fault thereat. Seeing then, that the Church hath authority to change God's laws, much more it hath authority to make new laws, necessary to salvation.

Answer.

There be two parts of the sabbath-day: one is the outward bodily rest from all manner of labour and work; and this is mere ceremonial, and was taken away, with other sacrifices and ceremonies, by Christ at the preaching of the Gospel. The other part of the sabbath-day is the inward rest, or ceasing from sin, from our own wills and lusts, and to do only God's will and commandments. Of this part

speaketh the Prophet Esai: He that taketh heed that he Esai. Ivi. unhallow not the sabbath-day, is he that keepeth himself that he do no evil: and they that hold greatly of the thing that pleaseth me, and keep my covenant, unto them will I give an everlasting name, that shall not perish. And moreover, the same Prophet saith, If thou turn thy feet from the sab- Esai. Iviii. bath, so that thou do not the thing which pleaseth thyself in my holy day, then shalt thou be called unto the pleasant, holy, and glorious sabbath of the Lord, where thou shalt be in honour; so that thou do not after thine own imaginations, neither seek thine own will, nor speak thine own words. Then shalt thou have thy pleasure in the Lord, which shall carry thee high above the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the Lord's own mouth hath spoken it. This spiritual sabbath, that is, to abstain from sin, and to do good, are all men bound to keep all the days of their life, and not only on the sabbath-day. And this spiritual sabbath may no man alter nor change, no, not the whole Church.

That the outer observing of the sabbath is mere ceremonial, Saint Paul writeth plainly, as that the holy days of the new moon and of the sabbath-days are nothing but shadows of things to come.

And that the outward bodily rest is a mere ceremonial To Januprecept, St. Austin also affirmeth, saying, that among ary, Epist. 119. all the ten commandments, this only that is spoken of the The bodily sabbath, is commanded figuratively; but all the other com-rest on the mandments we must observe plainly, as they be commanded, day is fiwithout any figure of speech.

sabbath

guratively to be kept.

Jerome also, to the Galatians, iv. according to the same, saith, Lest the congregation of the people, without good order, should diminish the faith in Christ, therefore certain days were appointed, wherein we should come together: not that that day is holier than the other, in which we come together, but that, whatsoever day we assemble in, there might arise greater joy by the sight of one of us to another. But he that will answer wittily to the question propounded, To the perfect affirmeth all the days to be like, and not that Christ is cru- Christian

is Good

Friday,

all days be cified only on Good Friday, and riseth only on the Sunday; like, and every day but that every day is the day of the Lord's resurrection, and we eat his flesh always. But fastings and comings together were ordained of wise men for them that give themselves rather to the world than to God, that cannot, yea, for them that will not, come there at all, there to make their sacrifice of prayers to God in the face of all the people.

every day

is Easterday, and

we eat his

flesh al

ways.

Hereby you may easily perceive, that the Church hath not changed the spiritual part of the sabbath, which is to cease from vice and sin; but the ceremonial part of the sabbath only, which was abrogate and taken away, with other ceremonies of Moses' law, by Christ, at the full preaching of the Gospel. In place whereof the Church hath ordained the Sunday, for causes aforesaida.

a [The following are some extracts from Cranmer's Common-place Book in the British Museum relating to the subject of this chapter. "Nova doctrinæ.

66

66

"Quod sacerdos sit qui non vivat ex doctrina verbi, sed ex missis quæ pro defunctis celebrantur.

"Missa de scala cœli. Missa satisfactoria.

"Indulgentiæ. Jubileus.

"Communicatio sub una specie.

"Satisfactio.

"In cæremoniis fere omnibus Judæos imitamur.

"Pro ephodo lineo, habemus superpellicia.

"Pro sacrificiis, fecimus ex missa sacrificium, ne sacerdotes nostri non essent sacrifici.

"Habemus et asyla pro locis refugii.

"Habemus basilicas consecratas, cum altaribus, calicibus, vestibus, "et reliquis utensilibus, ad divinum cultum pertinentibus. "Habemus etiam hæc omnia, oleo peruncta.

"Quin et sacerdotes ac reliqui ministri, oleo imbuuntur, et conse"crantur more Mosaico. De Consecratione, dist. i. cap. 1o. et 3o.

"Non licet offerre, nisi in loco consecrato. De Consecratione, dist. 2. "Sicut non alii,' quia scriptum est, Vide ne offeras holocausta tua in " omni loco quem videris, sed in omni loco quem elegerit Dominus Deus

"tuus.

"Festum dedicationis octo diebus celebramus, sicut Judæi. De "Consecratione, dist. 1. 'Solemnitates.'

"Quod autem octo diebus Encænia sint celebranda, in libro Regum "(peracta dedicatione templi) reperies.

"Habemus et velum atrii domus Domini, sicut Judæi. De Conse"cratione, dist. 1. 'Nemo.'

"Sicut solis sacerdotibus et Levitis licebat contrectare vasa sacra "templi, ita et nunc. De Consecratione, dist. 1. In sancta.'

"Nec in alios usus licet vestibus sacris frui, quam in sacros. De "Consecratione, dist. 1. 'Vestimenta' et 'Ad nuptiarum.'" Royal MSS. 7. B. xi. p. 101.]