The Nevv Testament of Iesus Christ, translated faithfully into English, out of the authentical Latin, according to the best corrected copies of the same, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages; vvith arguments of bookes and chapters, annotations, and other necessarie helpes, for the better vnderstanding of the text, and specially for the discouerie of the corruptions of diuers late translations, and for cleering the controversies in religion, of these daies: in the English College of Rhemes

ANNOTATIONS CHAP. XVII.

11. Searching the Scriptures.) The Heretikes vse this place to proue that the heaters must trie and iudge by the Scriptures,* 1.1 vvhether their teachers and preachers doctrine be true, and so reiect that that they find not in the Scriptures, as though here the sheepe vvere made iudges of their Pa∣stors, the people of the Priests, and men and vvomen of al sortes, euen of S. Paules doctrine it self: which vvere the most folish disorder in the vvorld. And they did not therfore read the Scriptures of the old Testament (for none of the nevv vvere yet extant commonly) to dispute vvith the Apo∣stle, or to trie and iudge of his doctrine, or vvhether they should beleeue him or no: for they vvere bound to beleeue him and obey his vvord, vvhether he alleaged Scripture or no, and vvhether they could reade or vnderstand the Scriptures or no, but it vvas a great comfort and confirmation for the Ievves that had the Scriptures, to finde euen as S. Paul said, that Christ vvas God, crucified, risen,* 1.2 and ascended to heauen: vvhich by his preaching and expounding they vnderstood, and neuer before, though they read them, and heard them read euery Sabboth. As it is a great comfort to a Catholike man, to heare the Scriptures declared & alleaged most euidently for the Churches truth against Heretikes, in Sennons or othervvise. And it doth the Catholikes good & much confirmeth them, to vew diligently the places alleaged by the Catholike preachers. Yet they must not be iudges for al that, ouer their ovvne Pastors, vvhom Christ commaundeth them to heare and obey, and by vvhom they heare the true sense of Scriptures.

22. Superstitious.) S. Paul calleth not them superstitious for adoring the true and only God vvith much deuotion or many ceremonies or in comely prescribed order,* 1.3 or for doing due reue∣rence to holy Sacraments, to Saincts and their memories, Images, or Monuments: or for keeping the prescribed lavves, daies, and fastes of the Church, or for fulfilling vowes made to God, or for blessing vvith the signe of the Crosse, or for capping and kneeling at the name of IESVS, or for religiously vsing creatures sanctified in the same name, or any other Christian obseruation, for vvhich our nevv Maisters cōdemne the Catholike people of Superstition: them selues vvholy voide of that vice by al vvise mens iudgement,* 1.4 because they haue in maner taken avvay al religion, and are become Epicureians and Atheists: vvho are neuer troubled vvith superstition, because it is a vice consisting in excesse of vvorship or religion, vvhereof they are void, but the Apostle calleth them superstitious for vvorshipping the Idols and goddes of the Heathen, and* 1.5 for the feare that they had, lest they should leaue out any God that vvas vnknovven to them: for thus their Altar vvas inscribed: Dijs Asia, Europa, & Lybia, Deo ignoto & peregrino. that is, To the gods of Asia, Europe, and Lybia:* 1.6 to the vnknovven and strange God. This superstition (saith S. Augustine) is vvholy taken avvay from the Church by Christs incarnation,* 1.7 and by the Apostles preaching, and by Martyrs holy life and death. Neither doth the Catholike Church allovv this or any other kinde of superstitious obseruation. Only vve must take heede that vve beleeue not her Aduersaries definition of super∣stition, for they vvould imply therein al true religion.

29. This Diuinitie to be like.) Nothing can be made by mans hand of vvhat forme or sort so euer, that is like to Gods essence, or to the forme or shape of his Godhead or Diuinitie. therfore hovv∣soeuer the Heathens did paint or graue their Idols, they vvere nothing like to God▪ And this also is impertinently alleaged by Heretikes against the Churches images: Vvhich are not made, either

to be adored vvith godly honour, or to be any resemblance of the Diuinitie or any of the three persons in Godhead, but only of Christ as he vvas in forme of man, vvho in that respect may be truely expressed, as other men by their purtraites: and of the Holy Ghost, not as he is in him self, but as he appeared in firy tongues or in the similitude of a doo••e,* 1.8 or such like. And so to paint or graue any of the three persons as they appeared visibly and corporally, is no more inconuenient or vnlavvful, then it vvas vndecent for them to appeare in such formes. And therfore to paint or portraite the Father also being the first person,* 1.9 as he hath shevved him self in vision to any of the Prophetes of the old or nevv Testament (namely to Daniel as an old man) or the three Angels re∣presenting the three Persons to Abraham,* 1.10 or the one Angel that vvrastling vvith Iacob bare our Lords Person,* 1.11 no such thing is any vvhere forbidden, but is very agreable to the peoples instru∣ction.* 1.12 In vvhich sort the Angels vvere commonly pourtered (and namely the Cherubins ouer the Propitiatorie) as they be novv in the Church, not in their natural forme, but vvith corporal vvinges (as the Seraphins appeared to Esay the Prophete) to expresse their qualitie and office of being Gods Angels,* 1.13 that is, Messengers: and God the Father vvith the vvorld in his hand, to signifie his creation and gouernement of the same, and such like: Vvhereof the people being vvel instructed may take much good,* 1.14 and no harme in the vvorld, being novv through their faith in Christ far from al fond imagination of the false gods of the Pagans. And therfore S. Gregorie saith of the Churches Images,* 1.15 That vvhich scripture or vvriting doth to the readers, the same doth the picture to the simple that looke therevpon. for in it euen the ignorant see vvhat they ought to folovv, in it they do read, that knovv no letters. Vvhere he calleth it a matter of antiquitie and very conuenient, that in holy places Images vvere painted to the peoples instruction, so they be taught that they may not be ado∣red vvith diuine honour. and he in the same place sharply rebuketh Serenus the Bishop of Mas∣silia, that of indiscrete zele he vvould take avvay Images, rather then teach the people hovv to vse them.

34. Dionysius Areopagita.) This is that famous Denys that first conuerted France, and vvrote those notable and diuine vvorkes de Ecclesiastica & ca••lesti hierarchia, de diuinis nominibus,* 1.16 and others, in vvhich he confirmeth and proueth plainely almost al things that the Church novv vseth in the ministration of the holy Sacraments, and affirmeth that he learned them of the Apostles, giuing also testimonie for the Catholike faith in most things novv controuersed, so plainely, that our Ad∣uersaries haue no shift but to deny this Denys to haue been the author of them, ••eyning that they be an others of later age. Vvhich is an old flight of Heretikes, but most proper to these of al others. Vvho seeing al antiquitie against them, are forced to be more bold or rather impudent then others in that point.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The people may not iudge of the sense of Scriptures.
• * 1.2

  The comfort of Christian men by hearing or reading the Scriptures.
• * 1.3

  The Protestāts call deuotion, superstition.
• * 1.4

  The Apostle speaketh of the Heathens su∣perstition.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.6

  Aug. de cōs. Euāg. li. 1 ••. 26.
• * 1.7

  The Catholike Church allow∣eth no supersti∣tion.
• * 1.8

  How there may be Images or resemblāces of the thre per∣sons in Trinitie, and of Angels.
• * 1.9

  Dan. 7, 22.
• * 1.10

  Gen. 18, 2.
• * 1.11

  Gen. 32, 24
• * 1.12

  Exo. 37, 7,
• * 1.13

  Esa. 6, 2.
• * 1.14

  Images are for the peoples in∣struction.
• * 1.15

  Grego. li. 9 ep. 9.
• * 1.16

  S. Dionysius A∣reopagita is al for the Catho∣likes.