The apology of the Church of England, and an epistle to one Seignior Scipio…

27. LET the Pope then be pleased to hear how piously and how holily Hosius a certain Polander, and a Bishop, as he saith himself, certainly an eloquent and not unlearned man, and a sharp and violent defender of his Interest, writes concerning the Scriptures. I believe he will admire a pious man could possibly entertain such impious Thoughts, or write so contemptuously of those very words which he knew proceeded from the Mouth of God; and above all that, he should seem to desire that it might not pass for his Sense alone, but the common Opinion of the whole Popish Party. We (saith he) have bid adieu to the Scriptures, having seen so many, not only different, but contrary Interpretations given of them; let us then rather hear God himself speak, then apply our selves and trust our Salvation to those jejune Elements: There is no need of being Skilful in the Law and Scriptures, but of being taught by God: That Labour is ill employed that is bestowed on the Scriptures, for the Scripture is a Creature and a poor kind of Element. Thus far Hosius, in his Book of the express Word of God, in this place craftily, under the Person of another Man, tho he speaks the same thing in several other places in the same Book, as his own Opinion without any disguise: which is said with the same Spirit and Affection, as the like things were heretofore by Montanus and Marcion, who are reported frequently to have said, when they contemptuously rejected the Holy Scriptures, that they knew more and better things than either Christ or his Apostles ever knew. What then shall I say on this Occasion? O ye Pillars of Religion! O ye ⟨p. 79⟩Presidents of the Church of Christ! is this the Reverence ye pay to the Word of God? Do ye bid an Adieu to the Sacred Scriptures, which St. Paul saith are divinely inspired,¹ which the Holy God hath illustrated by so many Miracles, in which the certain Footsteps of Jesus Christ are imprinted, which were cited as Testimonies by all the Holy Fathers, by the Apostles, by Christ himself the Son of God, when occasion required it? do ye (I say) bid adieu to these, as if they were not worthy of your regard? that is, do ye impose silence upon God, who it is that speaks clearly to you in the Scriptures? Or will you call that Word a poor and a dead Element, by which only, as St.

27. LET the Pope then be pleased to hear how piously and how holily Hosius a certain Polander, and a Bishop, as he saith himself, certainly an eloquent and not unlearned man, and a sharp and violent defender of his Interest, writes concerning the Scriptures. I believe he will admire a pious man could possibly entertain such impious Thoughts, or write so contemptuously of those very words which he knew proceeded from the Mouth of God; and above all that, he should seem to desire that it might not pass for his Sense alone, but the common Opinion of the whole Popish Party. We (saith he) have bid adieu to the Scriptures, having seen so many, not only different, but contrary Interpretations given of them; let us then rather hear God himself speak, then apply our selves and trust our Salvation to those jejune Elements: There is no need of being Skilful in the Law and Scriptures, but of being taught by God: That Labour is ill imployed that is bestowed on the Scriptures, for the Scripture is a Creature and a poor kind of Element. Thus far Hosius, in his Book of the express Word of God, in this place craftily, under the Person of another Man, tho he speaks the same thing in several other places in the same Book, as his own Opinion without any disguise: which is said with the same Spirit and Affection, as the like things were heretofore by Montanus and Marcion, who are reported frequently to have said, when they contemptuously rejected the Holy Scriptures, that they knew more and better things than either Christ or his Apostles ever knew. What then shall I say on this Occasion? O ye Pillars of Religion! O ye