Questions of religion cast abroad in Helvetia by the aduersaries of the same: and aunswered by M. H. Bullinger of Zurick: reduced into .17. common places. Translated into Englishe by Iohn Coxe. 1572

The. xj. Question.

Whether they doo beleeue that the Decrees and Preceptes of the Churche, the Canones and Ordinaunces of the Fathers, be of the holy Ghost, and not contrary to Christ, or the Scriptures?

The Answere.

TOuching the decrées of* 1.1 the Churche, wée haue answered in the former question. But concer∣ning the Canones and ordinances which the fa∣thers haue ordeyned, thus muche of them: God our moste saythfull father gaue vnto his Churche his holy worde conteyned in both the Testamentes, to be as a certayn direction or touchstone by the which all that in stéede of golde, that is to say, for the ordinaunce of god, & vndoubted truth, was offered vnto vs, mighte be tried & proued whether they were pure or corrupted. Now the Ca∣nons and ordinances of the fathers are

offered vnto vs for Golde, and as the true Oracles of God. But sithe them selues were men, and might erre, and did also commaunde their ordinaunces and decrées to be no further beléeued, but as they were proued and allowed by the touchestone of the holy Scrip∣tures: they ought therefore to be tryed and proued by the same, as Paule tea∣cheth. 1. Thessa. 5. and John. 1. Epist. 4. Wherfore if they agrée with the scrip∣tures, then are they of the holy Ghost, and not contrary to Chryste and hys worde: but if they agrée not with them, then are they not of the holy ghost, but contrary to Chryst and his worde, and therefore ought not to be beléeued nor kepte. But howe many Decrées of the fathers do apparantly shew themselues contrary to the Scriptures, it would be too tedious to recite, and therefore as muche as is néedefull to be knowen, may easily by these questions be percei∣ued. For almoste all that these men striue for, are nothing else but the ordi∣nances and decrées of the fathers, or of other men. And to say the truthe, the

decrées of the fathers are many tymes cleane contrary one to an other. For some of their decrées forbidde the mari∣age of the Ministers of the Churche, and on the contrarie parte, it is euident what the Counsell of Gangra•••• dyd teache concerning the same, excom∣municating all those whiche forsake or despise those Priestes that hée maried. And many suche like shal yée finde, yea euen in the very Popes decrées. But why I beséech you, doo not they sée men striue as earnestly for the Lawes and ordinances of God, to commende them as the holsome knowledge of our sal∣uation vnto the worlde? But truely in all their Questions there is not one word spoken hereof. Doo they not ther∣fore moste liuely represente vnto vs the Scribes and Pharisies, who were at continuall debate with Chryste and hys Disciples, and that onely aboute the decrées of the fathers, neglecting the lawe of God, and as Chryste often did ••ast in their téeth, preferred them to the ••awe of God? Math. 15. Mark. 7.

Notes

• * 1.1

  How far the decrees of the fathers are to be beleued.