A replie to Iesuit Fishers answere to certain questions propou[n]ded by his most gratious Matie: King Iames By Francis White D: of Div· deane of Carlile, chaplaine to his Matie. Hereunto is annexed, a conference of the right: R:B: of St Dauids wth the same Iesuit*

ANSWER.

The Aduersarie in this passage vseth certaine Arguments to prooue that Protestants misunderstand the Text of S. Paul, 2. Timoth. 3.15, 16. when they vrge the same to maintaine the sufficiencie of sole Scripture, to be a ground for all Christians finally to rest their faith vpon.

His first Argument is, The Apostle saith not absolutely that the Scriptures are able to make all men wise vnto Saluation, but parti∣cularly to Timothie, a man instructed aforehand, and formerly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 [ C] all substantiall grounds of Doctrine and Discipline, they are able 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to make thee (being such a one, and so prepared) wise &c.

To this I answere, 1. That although sentences of holy Scripture are sometimes restrained to the personall or particu∣lar subiect of which they are first spoken, yet this is not gene∣rall; and when the same happeneth, it must be prooued by better Arguments than by the bare Emphasis of a word. For God said to Ioshua (a man qualified aboue the ordinarie ranke) I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee, Ioshua 1. 5. yet the promise implied in this Text, is generall and common to all iust per∣sons, [ D] Heb. 13.5. Our Sauiour granted ministeriall power to remit sinnes, by speciall commission to the Apostles, and de∣liuering this commission to them, he breathed the holy Ghost into them, saying, Receiue yee the holy Ghost, &c. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 20.22. Neuer∣thelesse our Aduersaries affirme, that this authority was not on∣ly granted them, but to other Ministers of Christ which are not personally qualified as the Apostles were.

Secondly, if the particular circumstance of Timothie his per∣son, expressed in the single word, Thee, 2. Tim. 3.15. do limit S. Pauls doctrine, concerning the Scripture, in 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 [ E] then, where more circumstances are found in Texts con∣cerning Traditions, the same may be answered as the Iesuit doth this place of S. Paules.

For example, 2. Thessal. 2.15. The Apostle saith, Therefore

〈◊〉〈◊〉 stand fast, and hold the Traditions which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 haue beene [ A] taught, whether by word or our Epistle. In this Text so vehement∣ly vrged by Papists, for vnwritten Tradition, is found a perso∣nall circumstance, Tee, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Thessalonians which haue beene my im∣mediate hearers, 1. Thess. 1. 5. and thereby are infallibly assured that the Tradition which I exhort you to hold is diuine. Also you 〈◊〉〈◊〉, which haue not receiued as yet a perfect Canon of the New Testament in writing, I say to you, stand fast and hold both writ∣ten and vnwritten Tradition.

Thirdly, admitting the Iesuits restraint, and it being gran∣ted, that the Scriptures do onely make those people wise to [ B] Saluation, which are instructed aforehand, and haue formerly beene taught the substantiall points of Christian Doctrine, yet this argueth not the insufficiencie of Scripture, to be the onely authenticall rule and ground of Faith, because the said substan∣tial Doctrines which in the Apostles daies, before the Canon of the New Testament was finished, were partly contained in Scripture, and partly deliuered by their vocall preaching, were afterwards, when the Canonicall Scripture of the New Testament was finished, and the holy Apostles were de∣ceased, wholly for matter of substance contained in the same [ C] Scripture a.

Notes

• a

  Iren. li. 4. c. 63. Apostolorum Do∣ctrina &c. quae peruenit 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ad nos, custodita sine fictione, Scripturarum tractatione plenissima, nequè addi∣tamentum neque 〈◊〉〈◊〉 recipiens & lectio sine falsatione & secundum Scripturas expositio legitima & diligens &c. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 9. Prome (inquit) Scripturas habes, siquid addiscere cupis, hinc poteris.