A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

You have added Books not only written with an humane and fallible Spirit, but farced with actual mistakes and ⟨p. 355⟩falsehoods unto the Canon of the Scripture, giving just occasion unto them who receive it from you only, to question the Authority of the whole. And 6. You teach the Authority of the Scripture at least in respect of us, (which is all it hath, for Authority is [Greek or Hebrew], and must regard some in relation unto whom it doth consist) depends on the Authority of your Church; the readiest way in the world to bring it into Contempt with them that know what your Church is, and what it hath been. And 7. You plead that it is very obscure and unintelligible of its self, and that in things of the greatest moment, and of most indispensable necessity unto Salvation; whereby you render it perfectly useless, according to the old Rule, Quod non potest intelligi, debet negligi; it is fit that should be neglected, which cannot be understood. And 8. There is a book lately written by one of your party, after you have been frequently warned and told of these things, entitled Fiat Lux, giving countenance unto many other hard reflections upon it, as hath been manifested in the Animadversions written on that Book. 9. Your great Masters in their writings have spoken very contemptuously of it: whereof I shall give you a few instances. The Council of Trent which is properly yours, determines as I told you, that their Traditions are to be received and venerated pari pietatis affectu & reverentia, with an equal affection of piety and reverence, as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament: which is a setting up of the Altar of Damascus with that of God himself in the same Temple. Sess. 4. Dec. 1. And Andradius, no small part of that Convention, in his defence of that Decree tells us that, cum Christus fragilitati memoriae Evangelio scripto succurrendum putavit, it a breve compendium ⟨p. 356⟩libris tradi voluit, ut pars maxima tanquam magni precii thesaurus traditionibus intimis Ecclesiae visceribus infixis relicta fuerit. As our Lord Christ thought meet to relieve the frailty of memory by the written Gospel, so he would have a short compendium or abridgement committed unto books, that the greatest part as a most precious treasure might be left unto Traditions fixed in the very inward bowels of the Church.

You have added Books not only written with an humane and fallible Spirit, but farced with actual mistakes and