And it is no small iniurie which you do vnto the word of God, to pinne it in so narrow roome, as that it should be able to direct vs, but in the principall poyntes of our Religion, or as though the substance of Religion, or some rude and vnfashioned matter of building of the Churche were vtte∣red in them, and those things were lefte out, that should pertaine to the forme and fashion of it: or as if there were in the Scriptures (*) 1.1 only to couer hir nakednesse, & not also chaines and bracelets and rings, and other iewels to adorne hir and set hir out: or that to conclude, there were sufficient to quench hir thirste, and kill hir hunger, but not to minister, vnto hir a more liberall, and (as it were) a móre delicious and daintie dyet. These things you seen〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e to say, when you saye, that 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉atters ne∣cessarie to saluation and of faith are contayned in the Scripture, 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉specially when you oppose these things, to ceremonies, order, discipline, and gouernment.
And if you meane by matters of faith and necessarie to saluation, those without whiche a man can not be saued, then the (*) 1.2 doctrine that teacheth there is no free will, or prayer for the dead, is not within your compasse. For I dou〈1 line〉〈1 line〉t not, but diuers of the fathers of the Greeke Church, which were great patrons of free will, are saued, (a) 1.3 holding the foundation of the faith which is Christ. The like might be sayde of a number of other, as necessarie doctrines as that, wherein men being misseled, haue notwithstāding bene saued. Therfore seing that the point of the question l〈1 line〉〈1 line〉eth chiefly in this distinction, it had bene good, that you had spoken (b) 1.4 more certainely and properly of these things.
When you say, That it i〈1 line〉〈1 line〉no small in〈1 line〉〈1 line〉urie that I doe vnto the worde of God to pinne it vp in so narrowe roome. &c. You doe but enlarge the volume of your booke with bare words that myght well be spared. I gy〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e that perfection to the worde of God, which the worde it selfe requireth, and all godly learned men consent vnto: and muche more doe I attribute vnto it than you do, in saying that many things are both commaunded and forbyddē of the which there is no expresse mentiō in the word, which are as necessary to be followed* 1.5 or auoyded, as those whereof expresse mention is made, which I take to derogate much from the perfection of the Scriptures, to be méere Papisticall, and quite contrarie to that, that you doe pretende. I also confesse, that in all other things we muste so be directed by the Scriptures, that we doe nothing contrarie to the true sense and meaning of them, no not in externall and in the leaste matters: neyther doe I otherwise write, teache, or speake of the perfec〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ion and authoritie of the Scriptures, than all other lea∣ne〈1 line〉〈1 line〉