A declaration of Christ and of his office compiledA declaration of Christe and of his offyce compylyd

The antiquity of the world doth darken the verity of God's word. As Varro saith truth uetustatem multa depravare. Multa etiam tollere. Et tercium seculum (inquit) non uidet eum hominem quem uidit primum. The truth of God's verity the more it is used, practised and taught aster the wisdom of man the more is the glory and perfection thereof darkened it is the contrary in all Humane arts as Cicero saith in humanis, nihil simul inuentum & perfectum fuit, usuque & exercitatione factum sit: Ut hoc praestantiores artes quaedam fuerint quo longius ab origine sua & inuentoribus essent deducte. The church of god must therefore be bound to none other authority than unto the voice of the gospel and unto the ministry thereof as Esa saith cap. 8. Obsigna legem ⟨image 20⟩in discipulis meis. the Prophet speaketh of such darkness as should follow his time concerning the coming of Messiah the true Doctor of the church therefore prayed to preserve the true heres of the Prophets and that it would please him to confirm the doctrine of truth in there hearts lest the word and true understanding of the word by the devil should be put out and seeing the church is bound unto this infallible truth the only word of God it is â false and usurped authority that men attribute unto the clergy and bind the word of God and Christs church to the succession of bishops or any college of Cardinals Schools ministers or Cathedral churches, Paul would no man to give faith to any person, or minister in the church of God but when he preacheth the word of God truly, Gal. 1. Men may have the gift of God to understand ⟨image 20⟩and interpret the scripture unto other. But never authority to interpret it, other wise then it interpreteth it self which the godly mind of man by study meditation and conferring of one place thereof with the other may find how be it some more some less as God giveth his grace. For the punishment of our since God leaveth in all men à great imperfection and such as were endued with excellent wit and learning saw not always the truth. As it is to be seen in Basilius, Ambrose, Epiphanius, Augustine, Bernard, and other. though they stayed them selves in the knowledge of Christ and Erred not in any Principal article of the faith yet, they did inordinately and more then Enough extol the doctrine and tradition of men.