TO THE READER.
would marre al, if they were at the guiding of other than wise men, or were in the hands of every one, for whose preservation they be profitable. She forbiddeth not the reading of them in any language, envieth no man's commoditie; but giveth order how to doe it to edification, and not destruction: how to doe it without casting the holy to dogs, or pearls to swine: (See S. Chrysost, hom. 24, in Matt. declaring these hogs & dogs to be carnal men & Heretikes, that take no good of the holy mysteries, but thereby doe both hurt themselves & others) how to do it agreably to the soveraigne sinceritie, maiestie, and depth of Mysterie conteined in the same. She would have the presumptuous Heretike, notwithstanding he alleage them never so fast, flying as it were through the whole Bible, and coting the Psalmes, Prophets, Ghospels, Epistles, never so readily for his purpose, as Vincentius Lirinensis saith such mens fashion is: yet she would according to Tertullian's rule, have such mere usurpers quite discharged of al occupying and possession of the holy Testament, which is her old and only right and inheritance, and belongs not to Heretikes at al, whom Origen calls, Scripturarum fures, thieves of the Scriptures. She would have the unworthy repelled, the curious repressed, the simple measured, the learned humbled, and al sorts so to use them or absteine from them, as is most convenient for every ones salvation: with this general admonition, that none can understand the meaning of God in the Scriptures except Christ open their sense, & make them partakers of his holy Spirit, in the unitie of his mystical bodie: and for the rest, she committeth it to the Pastour of every province and people, according to the difference of time, place, and persons, how and in what sort the reading of the Scriptures is more or lesse to be procured or permitted.
5. Wherein, the variety of circumstances causeth them to deal diversly: as we see by S. Chrysostom's people of Constantinople, who were so delicate, dull, worldly, and so much given to dice, cardes, specially stage plaies, or theaters (as Gregorie Nazianzen witnesseth) that the Scriptures & al holy lessons of divine things were lothsome unto them: whereby their holy Bishop was forced in many of his sermons to crie out against their extreme negligence and contempt of God's word, declaring, that not only Eremites and Religious (as they alleaged for their excuse) but Secular men of al sorts might read the Scriptures, and often have more need therof in respect of themselves, then the other that live in more puritie and contemplation; further insinuating, that though divers things be high and hard therein, yet many godly histories, lives, examples, & precepts of life and doctrine be plaine: and finally, that when the Gentils were so cunning and diligent to impugne their faith, it were not good for Christians to be too simple or negligent in the defense thereof: as (in truth) it is more requisite for a Catholike man in these daies when our adversaries be industrious to impeach our beleefe, to be skilful in Scriptures, then at other times when the Church had no such enemies.
To this sense, said S. Chrysostom divers things, not as a Teacher in schoole, making exact and general rules to be observed in al places & times, but as a pulpit man, agreably to that audience and his peoples default: nor making it therefore (as some perversely gather of his words) a thing absolutely needful for every poore artificer to read or studie Scriptures, nor any whit favouring the presumptuous, curious, and contentious jangling and searching of God's secrets, reproved by the foresaid Fathers, much lesse approving the excessive pride and madnes of these days, when every man and woman is become not only a Reader, but a Teacher, controuler, & judge of Doctors, Church, Scriptures and al: such as either contemne or easily pass over al the moral parts, good examples, and precepts of life (by which as wel the simple as learned might be much edified) and only in a manner, occupie themselves in dogmatical, mystical, high, and hidden secrets of God's counsels, as of Predestination, reprobation, election, prescience, forsaking of the Iewes, vocation of the Gentils, and other incomprehensible mysteries, Languishing about questions of only faith, fiduce, new phrases and figures, ever learning, but never coming to knowledge, reading and tossing in pride of wit, conceit of their owne cunning, and upon presumption of I can not tel what spirit, such bookes especially and Epistles, as S. Peter foretold that the unlearned and unstable would deprave to their owne damnation.
They delight in none more than the Epistle to the Romans, the Cantica canticorum, the Apocalypse, which have in them as many mysteries as words. They find no difficultie in the sacred Books clasped with seven seals. They aske for no Expositor with the
