352 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX,
the same temple, sess. 4, dec. 1. And And7'adms, no small part of that convention, in his defence of that decree, tells us that, " Cum Christus fragilitati memoriae evangelic scripto succurrendum putavit, ita breve compendium libris tradi voluit, ut pars maxima, tanquam magni precii thesaurus, traditionibus intimis ecclesise visceribus infixis, relicta fuerit;" — "As our Lord Christ thought meet to relieve the frailty of memory by the written gospel, so he would have a short com- j)endium or abridgment committed unto books, that the gi'eatest part, as a most precious treasure, might be left unto traditions, fixed in the very inward bowels of the church." This is that "cordial and absolute res.Tpect,evenuntoadmiration," that your Catholics bear unto the Scrip- ture,— and he that doth not admire it seems to me to be very stupid, — It contains some small part of the mysteries of Christian religion, the great treasure of them lying in your traditions ! And thereupon he concludes, " Canonem seu regulam fidei exactissimam non esse Scripturam, sed ecclesise judicium;" — "That the canon or most exact rule of faith is not the Scripture, but the judgment of the church;" much to the same purpose as you plead in your " Fiat" and "Epis- tola." Pigh ius, another champion of your church (Ecclesiast. Hierarch., lib. i. cap. 4), after he hath given many reasons to prove the obscurity of the Scripture, with its flexibility to every man's sense, as you know who also hath done and referred all things to be determined by the church, concludes, " Si hujus doctrinse memores fuisseraus, hsereticos scilicet non esse informandos vel convincendos ex Scripturis, meliore sane loco essent res nostraj; sed dum ostentandi ingenii et eruditionis gratia cum Luthero in certamen descenditur Scripturarum, excitatum est hoc quod, proh dolor I nunc videmus incendium ;" — " Had we been mindful of this doctrine, that heretics are not to be instructed nor convinced out of the Scriptures, our affairs had been in a better con- dition than now they are; but whilst some, to show their wit and learning, would needs contend with Luther out of the Scriptures, the fire which we now with grief behold was kindled and stirred up." And it may be you remember who it was that called the Scripture "Evangelium nigrum" and "Theologiam atramentariam," seeing he was one of the most famous chamj)ions of your church and cause. But before we quite leave your council of Trent, we may do well to remember the advice which the fathers of it, who upon the stirs in Germany removed unto Bononia, gave to the pope, Julius III., which one that was then amongst them afterward published. " Denique," say they in their letters to him, " quod inter omnia consilia quae nos hoc tempore dare possumus omnium gravissimum, ad extremum re- servavimus. Oculi hie aperiendi sunt; omnibus nervis adnitendum erit ut quam minimum evangelii poterit (proesertim vulgari lingua) in iis legatur civitatibus quse sub tua ditione et potestate sunt, suffi-
FAITH AND CHARITY OF ROMAN CATHOLICS. 353
ciatque tantillum illud quod in niissa legi solet, nee eo amplius cui- quam moi-talium legere liceat. Quamdiii enim pauculo illo homines contenti fuenint, tamdiu res tuas ex sententia successere, eajdemque in contrarium labi coeperunt ex quo ulterius legi vulgo usurpatum est. Hie ille, in summa, est liber qui praster caeteros hasce nobis tempestates ac turbines conciliavit quibus prope abrepti sumus. Et sane siquis ilium diligenter expendat, deinde qua? in nostris fieri ee- clesiis consueverunt, singula ordine contempletur, videbit plurimum inter se dissidere, et banc doctrinam nostram ab ilia prorsus diversam esse, ae siepe contrariam etiam. Quod simul atque homines intelli- gant, a docto scilicet aliquo adversariorum stimulati, non ante cla- mandi finem faciunt, quam rem plane omnem divulgaverint, nosque invisos omnibus reddiderint. Quare oceultandse pauculse illae char- tuke sed adhibita, quadam cautione et diligentia, ne ea res majores nobis turl)as ac tumultus excitet ; " — " Last of all, that which is the most weighty of all the advices which at this time we shall give unto you, we have reserved for the close of all. Your eyes are here to be opened; you are to endeavour, with the utmost of your power, that as little as may be of the gospel (especially in any vulgar tongue) be read in those cities which are under your government and authority, but let that little suffice them which is wont to be read in the mass" (of which mind you also know who is) : " neither let it be lawful for any man to read any more of it; for as long as men were contented with that little, your affairs were as prosperous as heart could desire, and began immediately to decline upon the custom of reading any more of it. This is, in brief, that book which above all others hath procured unto us those tempests and storms wherewith we are almost carried away headlong. And the truth is, if any one shall diligently con,sider it, and then seriously ponder on all the things that are ac- customed to be done in our cliurches, he will find them to be very different the one from the other, and our doctrine to be diverse from the doctrine thereof, yea, and oftentimes plainly contrary unto it. Now this when men begin to understand, being stirred up by some learned men or other amongst the adversaries, they make no end of clamouring until they have diviilged the whole matter, and rendered lis hateful unto all. Wherefore those few sheets of paper are to be hid ; but Avith caution and diligence, lest their concealment should stir us up greater troubles." This is fair and open, being a brief summary of that admiration of the Scriptufes which so abounds in Catholic countries. That Hermannus, one of some account in your church, affirmed that the Scriptures could be of no more authority than J^sop's Fables, were they not confirmed by the testimony of your church, we are informed by oneBrentius ; and we believe the information to be true, because the sayingis defended byHosius, DeAuthoritat. Script., lib. iii., VOL. XIV. 23