Rhemes against Rome: or, The remoouing of the gagg of the new Gospell, and rightly placing it in the mouthes of the Romists, by the Rhemists in their English translation of the Scriptures. Which counter-gagg is heere fitted by the industrious hand of Richard Bernard ...

Gainesaid by some of their owne.

Petrus de Aliaco saith, The new Testament is the hammer that killeth all heresies, the Lanterne that lighteneth vs.

Gerson in tract. de distinct. The sacred Scriptures are the shop wherein is laid vp the royall stampe of spirituall coine: if a pen∣ny differs from the stampe neuer so little, vndoubtedly its coun∣terfeit. It is also witnessed before by Gregory, Gerson, Cleman∣gis, Aliacus, Durand, Mirandula, Aquinas, Ferus, Villa-Vincen∣tius, the Canon law, and by Bellarmine, that the Scriptures are the Rule of Faith: how can they then breed error?

Our Aduersaries haue here no Scripture against vs: for in∣deed the Scripture speaketh for it selfe, and not against it selfe. But Papists will here say, they meane, that the Scriptures breed heresies, when they are misunderstood or abused, or not rightly interpreted.

Answ. If thus they meane in good sooth, 1. why blame they the Scriptures, when the fault is in men, and not in them?

2. Why doe not they likewise so accuse all mens writings whose soeuer? are not they subiect to be mis-conceiued, mis∣understood and peruerted?

3. Why doe they, in this respect, feare the Scriptures to breed heresies more in the people, then in the Priests? Were they of the Lay-people onely, which were the Authors of for∣mer heresies, or of the Clergie? Was Arius, was Macedonius, was Eutyches, Pelagius, and other damnable first-broachers of heresies, Lay-men? No man, saith Ierome, can frame an heresie,

but he that is of excellent gifts. Gerson and Aeneas Syluius doe alleage the same saying of Saint Ierome, That there neuer hap∣pened any notorious euill in the Church, but Priests were the cause thereof.

Lastly, by thus reasoning from the abuse, either through ig∣norance, or wilfulnesse in any thing, we should disallow euerie thing; we should not eate, because some gluttonize at meate; nor drinke wine nor strong drinke, because some thereby be∣come drunke; nor weare costly apparell, as men of place may, because some grow thereby proud; nor vse the Arte of Rheto∣rick, because some men abuse it, setting their tongues to sale; nor Logick, for that some peruert it from the right end, to iangling Sophistrie. Iesus Christ saw how Satan abused Scripture, yet he did vse it, and exhorted other to search the Scriptures. This point of Poperie Christ then knew not, nor any of his Apostles.

Notes

• Arius, a Presby∣ter; Macedoni∣us, a B. Pelag. a Monke, and Eutyches, an Abbat.
• De defect viror. Eccles 48 Hist. Austr. 8 52.