Rogers on Article VI: Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation

The propositions.

1. The sacred Scripture conteineth all things necessarie (to be knowen, and beleeued) for the saluation of man.

2. All the bookes in the volume of the Bible are not Canonicall, but some and namely those here specified, are.

3. The 3. & 4. bookes of Esdras, the booke of Tobias, &c. are apocryphal.

4. Of the newe Testament all the bookes are Canonicall.

1. Proposition. The sacred Scripture containeth all things necessary (to be knowne, and beleeued) for the saluation of man.

The proofe from Gods word.

THe holy Scriptures to be sufficient to instruct vs in all things necessary, to be knowen and beleeued, for mans saluation, the word of God teacheth.

Ye shall put nothing vnto the word which I command you (saith the Lord), neither shall yee take ought therefrom ¹.

Whatsoeuer I command you, take heed you doe it: thou shalt put nothing thereto, nor take ought therfrom ². Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hand, nor to the left, that thou maist prosper whither soeuer thou goest ³.

Euery word of God is pure, &c. Put nothing vnto his words least he reprooue thee, and thou be found a liar ⁴.

These things are written that ye might beleeue, &c. and that in beleeuing yee might haue life through his Name ⁵.

The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God, and is profitable to teach, to improoue, to correct, and to instruct in righteousnesse, that the man of God may be absolute, beeing made perfect vnto all good workes ⁶.

If any man shall adde vnto these things: God shall adde vnto him the plagues, that are written in this booke: and if any man shall diminish of the wordes of this booke, God shall take away his part out of the booke of life, and out of the holy cittie, and from those things which are written in this booke ⁷.

Hereunto Gods people both alwaies haue, and at this present doe subscribe ⁸.

The Errors, and adversaries vnto this truth.

Therefore adversaries be wee to all adversaries to this truth, especially.

To such as scorne, and contemptuously reiect the booke of God, as both did the Circumcellians, which defaced, and burnt the holy Scriptures ⁹, and Pope Leo the tenth, who tearmed the holy Gospel, A fable of Christ ¹⁰: and doe the prophane Atheists ¹¹.

Also to such as debase the credite and estimation of the holy Scriptures, as Dauid George did ¹²: and both doe the papists, who haue an opinion that the scriptures of God are not sufficient to instruct mankinde vnto saluation ¹³: and the Anabaptists, which deeme not the holy Bible to be the word of God ¹⁴, with the Familie of Loue, in whose bookes nothing is more frequent then the tearming of Gods reverend ministers, and preachers, Scripture learned.

Also to them which with Gods word doe equall their owne doctrines, Iniunctions, precepts, and Traditions, as doe the Papists. For of their doctrine, say the Rhemists: whatsoeuer the lawfull Apostles, Pastors, or Preists of Gods church preach in the vnitie of the same Church (meaning the newe church of Rome) is to be taken for Gods owne word ¹⁵. To the same purpose, but more blasphemously Stapletō: As the Iewes were to beleeue Christ: so are wee simply, & in euery thing to beleeue the church (of Rome), whether it teacheth truth or errors ¹⁶.

Whatsoeuer by the authoritie of the Church is commanded, ought of all men to be esteemed as the very Gospell, saith Abbat Trithemius ¹⁷, of Popish precepts: and our English Rhemists, He that despiseth the Churches, or her lawfull Pastors precepts, And of their Traditions:¹⁸ He that refuseth ecclesiasticall traditions, deserueth to be throwne out of the church among the Heathen, as well as he which refuseth the Gospell, saith Didacus Stella ¹⁹, and the counsell of Trent; with like affection of godlines and reuerence, embrace wee, and worship the bookes of the old, and new Testament, and ecclesiasticall Traditions, saith the Counsell ²⁰. The like opinion haue the Moscovites of Traditions²¹.

To them finally are we adversarie which aboue the Scriptures doe preferre. their owne 1 inuentions, as did the Philosophers; whereof one said of Moses, That good man maketh a trimme discourse, but prooueth nothing; and the Graecians, to whome the Gospell is foolishnes ²²; 2 and imaginations, as did the Manichies ²³, David George ²⁴, and doe the Turkes ²⁵, and Familie of Loue ²⁶, 3 or Traditions, as doe the Papists, who more cruelly doe punish the violators of their owne Traditions, and ordinances, then they doe the breakers of Gods commandements; 4 or Statutes, Edicts, Iudgements, Proclamations &c. proceeding from the braine of man; as Mac[?]hiauell doth, and his schollers.

2. Proposition. All the bookes in the volume of the Bible are not Canonicall, but some are.

That some bookes, and namely those aboue mentioned, are Canonicall, it hath bin graunted by the best learned, and most godly of long time. And as all reformed churches in the world are of the same iudgement with vs; so in their publike Confessions, some haue so accounted, and iudged of them as we doe²⁷.

Adversaries to this truth.

Therefore (to speake first of the canonicall bookes of the old Testament) much haue they offended, which either reiected all, or allowed but some of the bookes of the old testament: of the former sort were the Seuerians²⁸, Basilides²⁹, Carpocrates³⁰, and the Manichies³¹; are the Catabaptistes ³²: of the latter were sundrie, whereof

Some receiued no moe but onely the fiue bookes of Moses, as the Sadduceis³³.

Some, of all the bookes in the old testament, reiect the workes of Moses, and namely his foure last bookes; as the Moscovites³⁴.

Some embraced the Law onely, and the Prophets; as the Samarites³⁵.

Some esteemed neither the Law, nor the Prophets; as the Appelleans³⁶.

Some had in contempt the booke of the Canticles, as Sebastian Castello³⁷.

And some the booke of Iob, as the Anabaptists³⁸.

3. Proposition. The third and fourth bookes of Esdras, the booke of Tobias, &c. be Apocrypha.

That diuers, and namely these bookes mentioned, are Apocrypha, we are neither the first that said; nor they alone which affirme the same. For so iudge of them did the auncient councel at Laodicea ³⁹, and doe the Churches reformed and namein France ⁴⁰, and Belgia c.

Aduersaries vnto this truth.

So that they are to be held, and taken heede of, as Seducers which vpon the Church would thrust, either other mens workes, and deuises, not comprised in the Bible, as would Some, the new Prophets, Barrobas, and Barrolf, of Basilides the heretike ⁴¹.

Some, the manifestations of Marcion the heretike ⁴².

Some, the mysteries of Manichie the heritike ⁴³.

Others, Esaias Ascensorium, of Hierax the heretike ⁴⁴.

Others the Gospel after the Egyptians, after S. Andrew, S. Iames the lesser, S. Peter, S. Bartholomew, the 12. Apostles Barnabas, Nicodemus, Thaddeus.

The Canons of the Apostles, others.

Others, the Acts of S. Abdie, S. Andreas, S. Paul, Peter, Philip, Thomas.

Others the Reuelation of S. Paul, Peter Steven, Thomas.

Others, the bookes of the Anabaptists, of H.N. with Popish Legendes, and the like,

Or the bookes Apocrypha, within the volume of the Bible, as the Papists, who therefore anathematize, and curse so many as take them not for Canonicall ⁴⁵.

4. Proposition. Of the newe Testament all bookes are Canonicall.

Although some of the auncient Fathers, and Doctors, accepted not all the bookes, contained within the volume of the newe Testament, for Canonicall: yet in the end they were wholly taken and receiued by the common consent of the Church of Christ in this world, for the very word of God, as they are at this day, almost in all places, where the Gospel is preached, and professed.

Howbeit we iudge them Canonicall, not so much because learned, and godly men in the Church so haue, and doe receiue, and allowe of them; as for that the holy Spirit in our hearts doth testifie that they are from God: They carrie a sacred and diuine authoritie with them; and they doe also agree in all pointes with the other bookes of God in the old Testament.

Errors, & adversaries vnto this truth.

Therefore in admitting all and euery of these bookes, & acknowledging them to be Canonicall, we demonstrate our selues to be against.

Such as reiected all the newe Testament, as did the Iewes, & our Matthew Hamant ⁴⁶.

Such as allowed part, but not the whole new Testament; and these were of diuers sorts, whereof

Some allowed of the Euangelists, onely Matthew, as the Cerdonites ⁴⁷, and Ebionites ⁴⁸; others onely Luk, as the Marcionites ⁴⁹, others, onely Iohn as the Valentinians ⁵⁰.

Some accepted onely the Acts of the Apostles, as the Tatians: others of all other bookes reiected the said Actes, as the Manichies⁵¹, and the Seuerites ⁵².

Some of S. Pauls epistles, tooke the epistles vnto Timothie, and Titus onely to be Canonical, as Marcion the heretike ⁵³.

Some, as Apocryphal, refused the epistle vnto Philemon ⁵⁴, others the epistle vnto the Hebrewes, the epistle of S. Iames, as Althemerus ⁵⁵, others the first, and second epistles of Iohn with the epistle of Iude, as Wigandus ⁵⁶; others the epistle vnto the Hebrewes, of Iames, the two last of Iohn, and of Iude, as Cardinall Caietane ⁵⁷.

Some reiected the booke of S. Iohns reuelations, or the Apocalypse, as Heshusius ⁵⁸: we are also against them which allowed neither the whole newe Testament, nor those bookes wholly, which they embraced, as the Marcionites, who defaced all those places in the Gospell after Luke, and in the epistles, which concernd either the diuinitie, or humanitie of our Sauiour Christ ⁵⁹.

And lastly are wee against them which receiue the whole new Testament, but deface and put out such textes as mislike them; as the Turkes who scrape out whatsoeuer they finde touching the passion of Christ, alleadging how it was added purposely by the Iewes in derision of Christians ⁶⁰.

Footnotes

1. Deut. 4.2. ↩

2. Ibid. 12.32. ↩

3. Ios. 1.7. ↩

4. Prov. 30.5, 6. ↩

5. Ioh. 20.31. ↩

6. 2. Tim. 3.16, 17.
   ↩

7. Revel. 22.18, 19. ↩

8. Confess. Helv. 1. ar. 1.4. & 2. c. 1. Basil. ar. 10. Bohem. c. 1. Gal. ar. 2.4.5. Belg. ar. 7. Saxon. ar. 1. VVittemb. c. 30. Suev. ar. 1. ↩

9. Aug. contra Petil. l. 1. c. 27. ↩

10. Apol. Steph. fol. 358. ↩

11. Nash in Christ his tear[?]s. p. 59. a. ↩

12. Hist. Davidi[?] Georg. ↩

13. Lindan. l. 1. c. [?]. ↩

14. Bulling. contr. Catabap. l. 1. ↩

15. Test. Rhem. an. 1. Thes. 2.12. ↩

16. Stapl. antid. Euang. in Luc. 10.16. p. 528. ↩

17. Tract. de propriet. Monach. c. 4. ↩

18. [?]est. Rhem. an. 1. Thes. 4 8. ↩

19. Stella in Luc. 10. fol. 20. ↩

20. Concil. Trid. s[?]ss. 4. ↩

21. Russe Com. c. 23. ↩

22. 1. Cor. [?].23.
    ↩

23. Epiphan. ↩

24. Hist. Da. Geo. ↩

25. Pol. of the Turk. Emp. c. 3.23. ↩

26. Display. A. 6. ↩

27. Confess. Gal. ar. 9. Belg. ar. 4. ↩

28. Triteut. de eccles. scrip. ↩

29. Epiphan. ↩

30. Epiphan. ↩

31. August. de bono pers. l. 2. c. 11. ↩

32. Zuingl. lib. contra Calabap. ↩

33. D. VVhit. de S. Scrip. contra Bella[?]. q. 1. c. 3. ↩

34. Russe Com. c. 23. ↩

35. Cyril. catech. 18. ↩

36. Tertul. de praes. haeret. ↩

37. Beza in vita Calv. ↩

38. VVhitak. de S. Scrip. contra Bellar. q. 1. c. 3. ↩

39. Can. 59. ↩

40. Confess. Gal. ar. 3. Confess. Belg. ar. 4. ↩

41. E[?]seb. eccles. hist. l 4. c. 8. ↩

42. Tertul. de haeret. ↩

43. Magdeburg. eccles. hist. C. 3. c. 11. ↩

44. E[?]iphan. ↩

45. Concil. Trid. sess. 4. decr. de Can. scrip. ↩

46. Holinsh. chro. fol. 1299. ↩

47. Euseb. l. 3. c. 27 ↩

48. Jren. l. 1. c. 26. ↩

49. Iren. ibid. ↩

50. Idem l. 3. c. 11. ↩

51. August. lib. de vtil. cred. ↩

52. Euseb. ↩

53. Jren. l. 3. c. 12. ↩

54. Theodor. arg. in epist. Pauli ad Tit. ↩

55. Althemer. in. c. 2. epist. Ia. ↩

56. VVigand. Syntag. l. 5. ↩

57. See VVhitak. against VV. Rainolds. c. 7. ↩

58. Lib. de 600. error. pontif. ↩

59. Iren. l. 2.5.29. ↩

60. Aul. Tur. l. 2. p. 50. ↩