As absurde as it is, Musculus doth affirme it in his common places. titu. de Lectio. sacrae script. And as his saying, I report it in mine answere: beléeuing it to be moste true. And therefore (if your malice had not béene wholy bent agaynst me) you should haue ascribed this absurditie to him, or at least haue deuided it betwixt vs, and so my backe should haue béene somwhat eased of the burden of absurdityas, wherewith you would so gladly ouercharge me.
God worketh by reading the Scriptures as well as he doth by preaching, and* 1.1 vseth that also as a meanes to call men to saluation. Read Augustine. lib. con. 8. cap. 12. and you shall sée that God vsed reading as a meanes to conuert him. And surely I maruell that you professing the Gospell, can without trembling and shaking speake so basely of reading the worde of God, being a thing so precious, and so singular a meanes of our saluation: but for the thing it selfe, I referre it to the iudge∣ment* 1.2 of those, that haue not drunke so déepely of the cuppe of contention as you haue, whither it may not sometymes so happen. Or whither they whiche are quietly affected may not receyue more edifying by the simple reading of the Scip∣tures which they vnderstande, than by the Sermons of diuerse contentious prea∣chers, whose hote and bitter inuectiues, (which sauour more of malice, than of loue: of contention, than of peace the frute of the Gospell) may bréede in the heartes of those that are studious of peace, and quietly minded, some suspition of the truth of their doctrine. Or lastly, whither some misdoubting the truth of the doctrine of the preachers of the Gospell, and conceyuing a preindicate opinion agaynst them (as diuerse Papistes doe) may not be more edifyed, by diligent reading of the Scrip∣tures, of whose authoritie they doe not doubt, than by hearing of the Preacher, whose wordes they doe eyther mistrust, or not regarde, by reason of theyr preiudicate opi∣nion agaynst all Preachers: and in the ende perceyuing by reading of the Scrip∣tures the truth of their doctrine, may bée thereby established, which were not by the Sermons once mooued. And for this cause Christ sayde. Iohn. 5. Searche the* 1.3 Scriptures. &c.