saithe, Spiritus Sancti Doctrina est, quae Canonicis literis prodita est: Contra quam si
quid statuant Concilia, nefas duco: That is the Doctrine of the Holy Goste, that is set
abroade in the Canonical Scriptures: Againste whiche Doctrine if Councelles determine
any thing, I thinke it vvicked.
S. Chrysostome saithe further in more earneste sorte: Plus aliquid dicam: Ne
Paulo quidem obedire oportet, si quid dixerit proprium, si quid humanum: I wil saie
more: Wee ought not to beleeue, no not Paule him selfe, if he speake any thinge of his
owne, or if he speake onely as a man.
And to encrease the vncertaintie hereof, the whole weighte, and iudgemente
of Councelles hangeth nowe euermore vpon the Pope: as it maie appeare by
these woordes of the Conclusion of the late Chapter at Trident: Saluasemper
in omnibus Sedis Apostolicae Authoritate: The Authoritie of the Apostolique See in
al thinges euermore reserued. But Platyna saithe, as it is alleged before, Acta
priorum Pontificum sequentes Pontifices semper aut infringunt, aut omnino' tol∣lunt:
The Popes, that folowe, doo euermore either breake, or wholy abrogate the Decrees
of the Popes, that were before.
Whether the Scripture bee wel alleged, or otherwise, thereof, ye saie, the people
maie not Iudge. For Christe saithe, The Scholar is not aboue his Maister. Cer∣tainely,
M. Hardinge, the simplest of al the people, notwithstandinge, by youre
restrainte, he maie not iudge of the Scriptures, yet he maie easily iudge of you,
either that ye vnderstande not, or that ye vnaduisedly abuse the Scriptures.
Whether it be the Woorde of God, or no, the people, ye saie, maie not Judge: And that
ye proue euen by the Scriptures, God knoweth, ful handsomely, and ful discretely
applied: For the Scholar (ye saie) is not aboue his Maister. Thus we maie learne
by the Logique of Louaine, that Populus is Latine for a Scholar: & that Scrip∣ture
is Latine for a Maister. And thus by youre vaine premisses without sense ye
proceede vainely, and conclude nothinge.
O, M. Hardinge, haue some regarde to that ye write. The simpleste maie
soone espie your dooinges. Ye can no longer thus mocke the worlde with shewes
of woordes. Christe spake not these woordes of the vnderstandinge of the
Scriptures: but of persequution for the Scriptures. For thus the woordes
lie togeather: When they shal persecute you in one Cittie, flee into an other, &c.
The Scholar is not aboue his Maister: Nor the Seruant aboue his Lorde. If
they haue called the Maister of the house Beelzebub, howe mutche more wil they so cal
his housholde seruauntes?
Alas, where learned you to frame sutche Argumentes, The Apostles, bee∣ing
the Scholars, can nomore escape persecutiō, then could Christe, that vvas
the Maister: Ergo, The people cannot vnderstande, vvhat they reade in the
Scriptures? Here is neither Antecedente, nor Consequente, nor Sequele in
Reason. For the honour of y• Vniuersitie, haue better regarde vnto your Logique.
Ye bewraie the weakenesse of youre cause, when yee so sclenderly abuse the
Scriptures.