ANNOTATIONS.
CHAP. I.
1. In the beginning.) Holie Moyses telleth what was done in the beginning of the world, and so forward euen til his owne time, writing aboue two thousand and foure hundreth yeares after the beginning. The Church had only traditions and no Scripture aboue 2400. yeares.Al which being incomprehensible by humane witte or discourse, he knew partly by reuelations from God, for he had the guift of Prophecie in most excellent sort; partly by traditions from his elders, who learned of their fathers. For vntil that time the Church had only traditions of such things as were reuealed to special men, whereby we see the great authority of traditions, before there were Scriptures. Traditions necessarie for three causes.And since Scriptures were written they are also necessary, for three special reasons. 1.First, for that we are only assured by tradition of the Church, that those books are in deed holy Scriptures, which are so accounted, and not by the Scripture it-selfe, for that were to proue the same by the same, vntil we be assured of some part, that proueth some other parts. Cont. Epist. sund. c. 5.And this made S. Augustin to say plainly, that he could not belieue the Ghospel, except the Church told him which is the Ghospel. 2.
Scripture of most eminent authoritie.Secondly, holy Scriptures being once knowen to be the word of God, & so of most eminent authoritie of al writings in the world, as S. Augustin, S. Herome, & al other Fathers agree, yet for the true vnderstanding of the same, both the Scripture it-selfe, and the ancient Fathers remit vs to the Church, namely to those in the Church, that are appointed by Gods ordinance, in the high place that he hath chosen. Which were the High Priests in the old Testament, as appeareth Deut. 17. Mat. 23. Ioan. 11. And in the new Testament, S. Peter & his Successours, for whom Christ prayed that his faith should not faile: & therfore commanded him to confirme his brethren, Luc. 22. 3.Thirdly for things not expressed in particular in holy Scripture, the Scripture (a)(a) Luc. 10, 16. Act. 15, 28. 2 Thess. 2. & Fathers doe likewise remit vs to Traditions, and to the iudgement & testimonie of the Church. Christ saying to his Apostles: he that heareth you heareth me. The Apostles doubted not to say: It seemed good to the Holie Ghost and to vs. And S. Paul willed the Thessalonians to hold the traditions, which they had learned, whether it were by word, or by his Epistle.
1. In the beginning God made heauen and earth.) Scriptures hard.Al writers (b)(b) Ori. super. gen. c. 1. Aug.l. 2. de Gen. cont. Manich. ca. 2. lib. 1. c. 18. & li. 8. c. 2. Bas. ho. 9. in Genes. Chriso. epist 44. Amb. & Beda in examen. leron. Ep. ad. Eust. ancient & later find such difficulties in these first Chapters, that some, otherwise very learned, haue thought it not possible to vnderstand the same according to the proper and vsual signification of the words, as the letter may seem to sound, but expound al allegorically, as that by the waters aboue the firmament should be vnderstood the blessed Angels, by the waters vnder the firmament wicked spirits, and the like. So did Origen and diuers that follow him therein. Yea S. Augustin in his books vpon Genesis against the Manichees, written shortly after his conuersion, when he could not find as he desired a good and probable sense agreable to the words in their proper signification, expounded them mystically, but afterwards in his other bookes de Genesi ad literam, he gratefully acknowledgeth that God had giuen him further sight therin, and that now he supposed he could interprete al according to the proper signification of the words: yet so that he durst not nor would not addict himself to one sense, but that he was readie to imbrace another, lest by sticking to his owne iudgement he might faile. So likewise S. Basil, S. Chrisostom, S. Ambrose, S. Hierome, S. Bede, and other greatest Doctors found and confessed great difficulties in these first chapters, which they with much studie endeauoured to explicate. And therfore it is a wonder to see our Protestants & Puritans hold this Paradox, that Scriptures are easie to be vnderstood. Wheras both by testimo-
