euery one may draw from thence that which is ſufficient for him, if hee come to draw with a deuout and pious minde, as true Religion requireth. Thus S. Auguſtine. And. S. Hierome: S.Hieronym. ad Demetriad.Ama ſcipturas, & amabit te ſapientia &c. Loue the Scriptures, and wiſedome will loue thee. And S.Cyrill againſt Iulian; S.Cyril.7° contra Iulianum.Euen boyes that are bred vp in the Scriptures, become moſt religious, &c. But what mention wee three or foure vſes of the Scriptrue, whereas whatſoeuer is to be beleeued or practiſed, or hoped for, is contained in them? or three or foure ſentences of the Fathers, ſince whoſoeuer is worthy the name of a Father, from Chriſts time downeward, hath likewiſe written not onely of the riches, but alſo of the perfection of the Scripture? Tertul.aduerſ. Hermo.I adore the fulneſſe of the Scripture, faith Terullian againſt Hermogenes. And Tertul. de carne Chriſti.againe, to Apelles an Heretike of the like ſtampe, he ſaith; I doe not admit that which thou bringeſt in (or concludeſt) of thine owne (head or ſtore, de tuo) without Scripture. So Iuſtin. προτρεπτ. πρὸς ἕελληναςSaint Iustin Martyr before him; Wee muſt know by all meanes, ſaith hee, that it is not lawfull (or poſſibleοἷόν τε) to learne (anything) of God or of right pietie, ſaue onely out of the Prophets, who teach vs by diuine inspiration. So S. Baſil. περὶ πίστεωςSaint Baſill after Tertullian, It is a manifeſt falling away from the Faith, and a ὑπερηφανίας κατηγορίαfault of preſumption, either to reiect any of thoſe things that are written, or to bring in (vpon the head of them, ἐπεισαγεῖν) any of thoſe things that are not written. Wee omit to cite to the ſame effect, S.Cyrill B. of Hieruſalem in his 4.Catacheſ. Saint Hierome againſt Heluidius, Saint Augustine in his 3. booke againſt the letters of Petilian, and in very many other places of his workes. Alſo we forbeare to deſcend to latter Fathers, becauſe wee will not wearie the reader. The Scriptures then being acknowledged to bee ſo full and ſo perfect, how can wee excuſe our ſelues of negligence, if we doe not ſtudie them, of curioſitie, if we be not content with them? Men talke much of Εἰρεσιώνη σῦκα φίγει, πίονας ἄρτους, καὶ μέλι ἐν κοτύλῃ, καὶ ἔλαιον, &c.
An oliue bow wrapped about with wooll, wherevpon did hang figs, & bread, and honie in a pot, & oyle.εἰρεσιώνη, how many ſweete and goodly things it had hanging on it; of the Philoſophers ſtone, that it turneth copper into gold; of Cornu-copia, that it had all things neceſſary for foode in it, of Panaces the herbe, that it was good for all diſeaſes; of Catholicon the drugge, that it is in ſtead of all purges; of Vulcans armour, that is was an armour of proofe againſt all thruſts, and all blowes, &c. Well, that which they falſly or vainely attributed to theſe things for bodily good, wee may iuſtly and with full meaſure aſcribe vnto the Scripture, for ſpitituall. It is not onely an armour, but alſo a whole armorie of weapons, both offenſiue, and defenſiue; whereby we may ſaue our ſelues and put the enemie to flight. It is not an herbe, but a tree, or rather a whole paradiſe of trees of life, which bring foorth fruit euery moneth, and the fruit thereof is for meate, and the leaues for medicine. It is not a pot of Manna, or a cruſe of oyle, which were for memorie only, or for a meales meate or two, but as it were a ſhowre of heauenly bread ſuſſicient for a whole hoſt, be it neuer ſo great; and as it were a whole cellar full of oyle veſſels; whereby all our neceſsities may be prouided for, and our debts diſcharged. In a word, it is a Panary of holeſome foode, againſt fenowed traditions; a Phyſions-ſhopκοινὸν ἰατρεῖον.
S. Baſil. in Pſal. primum. (Saint Baſill calleth it) of preſeruatiues againſt poiſsoned hereſies; a Pandect of profitable laws, againſt rebellious ſpirits; a treaſurie of moſt coſtly iewels, againſt beggarly rudiments; Finally a fountiane of moſt pure water ſpringing vp vnto euerlaſting life. And what maruaile? The originall thereof being from heauen, not from earth; the authour being God, not man; the enditer, the holy ſpirit, not the wit of the Apoſtles or Prophets; the Pen-men ſuch as were ſanctified from the wombe, and endewed with a principall portion of Gods ſpirit; the matter, veritie, pietie, puritie, vprightneſſe; the forme, Gods word, Gods teſtimonie, Gods oracles, the word of trueth, the word of ſaluation, &c. the effects, light of vnderſtanding, ſtableneſſe of perſwaſion, repentance from dead workes, newneſſe of life, holineſſe, peace, ioy in the holy Ghoſt; laſtly, the end and reward of the ſtudie thereof, fellowſhip with the Saints, participation of the heauenly nature, fruition of an inheritance immortall, vndefiled, and that neuer ſhall fade away: Happie is the man that delighteth in the Scripture, and thriſe happie that meditateth in it day and night.
Tranſlation neceſſarie.But how ſhall men meditate in that, which they cannot vnderſtand? How ſhall they vnderstand that which is kept cloſe in an vnknowen tongue? as it is written, 1.Cor.14.Except I know the power of the voyce, I ſhall be to him that ſpeaketh, a Barbarian, and he that ſpeaketh, ſhalbe a Barbarian to me. The Apoſtle excepteth no tongue; not Hebrewe the ancienteſt, not Greeke the moſt copious, not Latine the fineſt. Nature taught a naturall man to confeſſe, that all of vs in thoſe tongues which wee doe not vnderſtand, are plainely deafe; Clem. Alex.1°.Strom.wee may turne the deafe eare vnto them. The Scythian counted the Athenian, whom he did not vnderſtand, barbarous: ſo the Romane did the Syrian, and the Iew, (euen S. Hieronym. Damaſo.S. Hierome himſelfe calleth the Hebrew tongue barbarous, belike becauſe it was ſtrange to ſo many) ſo the Michael, Theophili fil. Emperour of Conſtantinople calleth the Latine tongue, barbarous, though 2.Tom. Concil. ex edis. Petri Crab.Pope Nicolas do ſtorme at it: ſo the Iewes long before Chriſt, called all other nations, Lognazim, which is little better than barbarous. Therefore as Cicero 5°. de finibus.one complaineth, that alwayes in the Senate of Rome, there was one or other that called for an interpreter: ſo leſt the Church be driuen to the like exigent, it is neceſſary to haue tranſlations in a readineſſe. Tranſlation it is that openeth the window, to let in the light; that breaketh the ſhell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aſide the curtaine, that we may looke into the moſt Holy place; that remooueth the couer of the well, that wee may come by the water, euen as
