The.xxii. chapyter

Bycause the messenger had in y• bygynnynge shewed hym selfe desyrouse and gredy vppon the texte of scrypture wythe lytle force of the old fathers glosys / & wyth dysprays of phylosophy and almost all y•.vii. lyberall scyences / ye author therfore incydētly sheweth what harm hath happed sumtyme fall to dyuerse of those yong mē whō he hath known to geue theyr study to the scrypture onely / wythe contempte of Logyke and other seculer science / and lytyll regarde of the olde interpretours. wherefore the authore sheweth that in the studye of scrypture / the sure way is wyth vertewe and prayour / furste to vse the iuggement of naturall reason / wherunto seculer lytterature helpyth mych / And secōdly the cōmentꝭ of holy doctours / And thyrdly aboue all thyng the artycles of the catholyque faythe receyuyde and beeleuyd thorow the chyrch of Cryste.

ANd for because wee speke oft scrypture now / & yt the churche in thyngys nedely requysyte to saluacyon hathe the ryghte vnderstandyng of holy scrypture / wherein I parceyue ye be studyouse of the text alone wythout great force of the old fathers inte[…] pretaciōs or eny other scyēce / of whych ye reken all.vii.saue gramer almost to sarue for noght / I haue of you so good oppynyon / that I trust all your study shall torne you to good. But suerly I haue sene to sum folk so mych harm to grow therof / that I neuer wold aduise any man els in the studye of scrypture to take that way. why so quod he. For I haue known q I ryght good wyttys that hath set all other lernynge asyde / partely for slouth refusynge the labour and payne to be susteynyd in yt lernynge / partely for pryde by whyche they coud not endure the redargucyon that shuld sometime fall to theyr parte in dyspycyons. whych affeccions theyr inward secret fauoure toward thē selfys coueryd and cloked vnder the pretext of symplycyte / & good crystē deuocyon borne to ye loue of holy scrypture alone. But in lytell whyle after ye dāpnable spyryte of pryde ye vnware to thē self lurked in theyr hartes / hath begon to put oute hys hornys and shew hymself. For then haue they longed vnder the prayse of holy scrypture to set oute to the shewe theyr owne study. whyche because they wolde haue […] the more to be set bye / they haue furste fallen to the dysprays and derysion of all other dyscyply[…]es. And because in spekynge or prechyng of such commune thyngis as all crystē men know / they coud not seme excellente / nor make it appere ād seme yt in theyr study they had don any gret mastry / to shew themself[…]therfore maruelouse / they set out paradoxis ād straung oppynions agaynste the comē fayth of Crystys hole chyrche. And because they haue therin the old holy doctours agaynst them / they fall to the cō tempte and dysprayse of them / eyther preferrynge the[…]re owne fonde gloses agaynste the olde cunnynge and blessyd fathers interpretacyōs / or els lene to some wordes of holy scrypture that seme to say for them / against many motextis that playnly make agaynst thē / wythout receyuyng or ere gyuyng to any reasone or authoryte of any man quykke or dede / or of the hole chyrch of Cryste to the contrary. And thus onys proudely parswaded a wronge waye / theye take the brydell in the teeth and renne forthe lyke a hed stronge horse / that all the worlde cannot pluk theym bakke. But wyth sowynge sedycyon / settyng forth of errours and heresyes / and spycyng theyre prechyng wyth rebukynge of preesthod and prelacye for the peoples pleasure / they turne many a man to ruyne and theym selfe also. And […]hen the dyuell dysseyuyth them in theyre blynde affeccyons. They take for good zele to the people theyre malycyous enuy / And for a great vertew theyre ardente appetyte to preche / wherin they haue so gret pryde for the peoples prayse / that prech I wene they wold thogh god wold hys own mouth cōmaund thē the cōtrary. why shuld ye wene so quod he / or whereby can ye be sure that ye do not now mysconster theyr good mynde? hard is it oftymys to iuge an other mannys dede yt hathe sum apparēce of yuell / because the purpose and entente may make it good. And whatt parell is it then where the dede apperyth good / there to iuge the mynde and entent for nought / whych who can se but god? As the scrypture saythe / Dominus autem intuetur cor. Onely god beholdyth the harte. And therfore sayth our sauyouriuge not before the time. I iuge not quod I but vppon opē thingꝭ and well apparant. For I speke but of those whose erronyous oppynyons in theyr prechyng / ād theyr obstynate pryde in the defence of theyr worldely worshyp well declaryth theyre myndys. And sum haue I sene whych when they haue for theyr parylous prechynge bene by theyr prelatys prohybytyd to preche / haue that not wt standyng proceded on styll. And for ye mayntenaunce of theyr dysobedience / haue amendyd the mater wyth ā heresy / boldly and stubburnly defendyng / that syth they had connynge to preche / theye were by god bounden to preche / And that no man nor no law that was made or coud be made / had any authoryte to forbede theym. And thys they thought suffycyencly ꝓuyd by the wordꝭ of thappostell / Oportet magis obedire deo quam hominibus. As though these mē were appostels now specyally sent by god to preche heresies and sow sedycyon amonge crysten men / as the very appostels were in dede sente and cōmaundyd by god / to preche his very fayth to the iewes. One of thys sort of thys new kynde of prechers beinge demaundyd why yt he vsyd to say in hys sermons about / that now a days men prechyd not well the gospell / answered that he thought so because he saw not the prechers parsecutyd / nor no stryfe nor bysynes aryse vppō theyr prechīg. whych thyngys he sayd ād wrote was the frute of the gospell / because Cryste sayd / Non vem pacem mittere sed gladium. I am not come to send peace in to the worlde but the sword. was not thys a worshypfull vnderstandynge / yt because Cryste wolde make a deuision among infidels / from the remanaunt of them to wynne some / therfore these appostels wolde sow some cocle of dyssension among ye cristen people / where by Chyste might lese som of them? For the frute of strife amonge the herers & parsecuciō of the precher cannot lightly grow among crysten menne / but by the prechinge of some straunge newelties / and bringynge vp of some new fā gell heresies to the infecciō of our olde faythe. One wyst I that was for hys partinacie in that oppyniō / yt he wold and might and was boūden to preche any prohibicyon not wythstandynge / when he was aftere dyuers bolde and open defēce thereof at laste before folk honorable & fewe / reasoned withall / & not onely the lawe shewed hym to the contrary of hys oppynion / whych law was made at a generall coūcell / but also by playne authoryte of holye scrypture prouyd that hys oppinion was erronyous / he so parceyued hym selfe satysfyed yt he mekely knolegyd hys errour / & offryd to abiure it & to submyt hymself to penaunce. But on the morow when he cam forth in open presēce of the peple / and there saw many that had oft hard hym preche / of hys secrete pryde he fell in such an open passion of shame / that those shulde heere hym go bak wyth hys worde whych had before had hys sermons in grete estymacyō / that at the fyrst syghte of the people he reuokyd hys reuocacion and sayd out alowd that he myghte well be harde / yt hys oppynyon was trewe / and that he was yt day beefore deceyuyd in that he had confessyd yt for false. And thus he held hys own stubburnly wythout reason tyll the bookys were shewyd hym agayn / and him self red them before all the people / so that he parceyuyd the audyence that stode about hym to feele & vnderstand hys proude foly in the defence of hys indefensyble erroure. And theruppon at the last yelded hym selfe agayne. Suche secret pryde had oure gostely enemy conueyd in to the harte of hym / whych I ensure you semyd in all hys other outward maner as meke a symple soule as a manne shuld haue sene in a somers day. And some of thē let not wyth lyes and pariury to defēd them self / and some to stande in defēce of theyre errours or false denyenge of theyr owne dede / to theyr great parell of the fyre / yf theyre iudges were nott more marcyfull then theyre malyce deseruyth. And all thys do[…]ne because (as them selfe doth at last cōfesse) they thynke yf theye abiure / theye shall not after be suffred to preche agayn. Such a scabbyd ych of vayn glory catch they in theyr prechynge / that though all the world were the worse for yt and theyre own lyfe lye theron / yet wold they lōg to be pulpetyd. And thys I saye hathe comen of sū that haue wyth contempt of all other lernyng geuen thē to scrypture alone. whose affeccyons of pryde and slouth hath not in the begynnyng bene parceyuid to them selfe / but haue accomptyd theyr vycys for deuocyon. wold ye then quod he condempne y• maner of study by whych a man hathe so gret affeccyon to ye scripture alone / that he for the delyte therof felyth lytle sauoure in any thyng […]ls / but that we shuld lese tyme in phylosophy the mother of heresyes & let scrypture alone? Naye quod I that mynde am I not of. There was neuer thyng wryten in thys worlde that canne in any wyse be cōparable wyth any parte of holy scripture. And yet I thynke other lyberall scyence a gyfte of god also / and not to be cast away / but worthy to wayte ād as handemaydys to gyue attendaūce vppon diuinite. And of diuinyte rek[…] ̄ I the best parte to be cōteynyd in holy scripture. And thys I say for him that shall haue time thereto / and frō youth entendeth to the churche ward / and to make him self wyth goddys help met[…] for thoffyce of a precher. How beyt if […] ny man eyther happē to begyn so late / yt he shall paraduentu[…]e haue no tyme therto / or els any mā of youth to haue that feruent appetyte vnto scrypture yt he cannot fynd in his hart to rede any thyng els (whych affeccion who so hapeth to haue gyuen him / is very fortunate if he wt grace and meekenes gyde it well) then wolde I councell him specyally to study for the vertuouse framyng of hys owne affeccyons / and vsynge greate moderacyon and temperaunce in the prechynge to other men. And in all thynge to flee the desyre of prayse and shew of cōnyng / euer mystrustyng hys owne inclynacyons / and lyue in drede and feare of the dyuyllis subtell sleyghte & inuencions. who though he lye in contynuall awayt vppon euery prechour to cach hym into pryde yf he can / yet hys hyest enterpryse and proudyst tryumph standyth in ye bryngyng of a mā to the most abuse of that thynge / yt ys of hys own nature ye best. And therfore gret labour makyth he & grete bost / if he bryng it aboute / that a good wyt may abuse hys labour bestowed vppō the […]udy of holy scrypture. For the sure auoydyng wherof / my poor aduyce were in ye study therof / to haue a specyall regard to the wrytingꝭ & cōmentys of olde holy fathers. And yet or he fall in hand wyth the tone or the tother next grace & helpe of god to be gotē wt abstynēs & prayour & clēnes of lyuīg / afore all thing were it necessary to come well & surely enstructyd in all such poyntys & artycles as ye church beleuyth. whych thyngys onys fyrmly had ād fastely for vndowtyd trouthes presupposyd / then shall reson & they be two good rulys to examyne & expown […]ll doutfull textis by / syth ye reder shall be sure that no texte ys so to be vnder […]andē as it standeth agaynst thē both or agaynst any poynt of the catholyke […]ayth of Crystys church. And therfore yf yt seme to stand agaynst any of thē / […]yther shall the lyght of naturall reasō wyth the collacyō of other textys / help to fynde out the truth / or els (whych is ye surest way) he shall ꝑceyue ye trouthe in ye cōmētys of the good holy doctors of old / to whō god hath gyuen ye grace of vnderstandynge. Or fynally if all yt he can ether fynde in other mēny[…] workys / or inuent by goddys ayde of hys owne study / can not suffyce to satysfy / but yt any text yet seme vnto hym contrary to any poynt of ye churchys fayth & belefe / let hym then as saynt Augustyne sayth / make hym selfe very sure yt there is some […]aut eyther in the trāslatour / or in the wryter / or now a days ī ye prynter / or fynally that for some one lett or othe[…] he vnderstandeth yt not a ryght. And so let hym reuerētly knowlege hys ignoraunce / lene & cleue to ye fayth of the chyrch as to an vndoutyd trothe / leuing ye text to be beter parceyuyd whan it shall please our lord wyth his lyght to reuele & disclose it. And in thys wyse shall he take for a sure way / by whyche he shalbe sure of one of two thyngys / that ys to wyt eyther to parceyue & vnderstād the scrypture right / or els at the lest wise neuer in such wise to take it wrong / that euer may turne hys soule to parell.