The Apologie, Cap. 16. Diuision. 3.
We allure the people to reade, and to heare Goddes VVoord: thei driue the people from it.
M. Hardinge.
Ye allure the people busely to heare, and reade the Scriptures for euil purpose. And thereby ye haue filled theire hartes, whom ye haue deceiued, with pride, so as they thinke them selues able to iudge of the highest questiōs, that be in diuinitie. VVe kepe the people, so farre as we can for you, from heresies, and require them rather to be hearers, then iudges, and to learne necessary knowledge of Gods worde * 1.1 at holesome, and Godly sermons.
The B. of Sarisburie.
Wée teache not the people, to presume of Knowledge, as you teache them, to presume of Ignorance: But onely wée exhorte them, for the better satisfaction of theire consciences, to reade the Scriptures, & therein to learne the good wil of God. And, not withstandinge ye maie not allowe them to be Iudges, yt is to saie, to dis∣cerne bitwéene the Light of God, and your Darkenesse, yet yée might suffer them to pike vp somme smal crommes, that fal from the Lordes Table. How be it, so∣crates saith,* 1.2 The simple vnlearned people, in cases of Truthe, iudgeth oftentimes more vprightly, then the déepest Philosophers. Likewise Christe saithe, I thanke thee, O Father, for that thou hast hidde these thinges from the wise, and politique, and hast o∣pened the same to littel babes.
But ye wil saie, The Scriptures are harde, and aboue the reache of the people. Euen so saide ye Pelagian Heretique Iulianus. And therefore S. Augustine thus reproueth him for the same:* 1.3 Exaggeras, quàm sit difficilis, paucis{que} conueniens erudiris Sanctarum co∣gnitio Literarum: Yee enlarge, and laie out with many wordes, how harde a mater the know∣ledge of the Scriptures is, and meete onely for a fewe learned men. S. Chrysostome saith, Scripturae & Seruo,* 1.4 & Rustico, & Viduae, & Puero, & illi, qui valdè imprudens esse videatur, faciles sunt ad intelligendum: The Scriptures are easy to the Sclaue, to the Husbandeman, to the Widovve, to the Childe, and to him, that maie seeme to be very simple of vnderstandinge.* 1.5 S. Augustine saithe, Modus ipse dicendi, quo Sacra Scriptura cōtexitur, &c. quasi amicus familiaris, sine fuco ad cor loquitur indoctorum, at{que} doctorū: The phrase, or māner of speache, wherein ye Scriptures are writtē, &c. speaketh wtout coloure as a familiare frend vnto the hart, as wel of ye Vnlearned, as of the Learned. S.