nie of those that haue indeed studied & laboured in them, and by a litle due consideration the contrarie is most euident. Why Scriptures are hard.Gen 1. v. 3. & 14. Exo. 20, 5. & 18. v. 20. Ioan. 8, 25. Rom 8.For whosoeuer wil looke into the holy Scriptures, shal find that some times in shew one place seemeth contrarie to another; some times the letter & phrase are obscure & ambiguous; sometimes the sentences vnperfect. Againe manie speaches are prophetical, manie parabolical, metaphorical, and vttered vnder other tropes & figures, and that in the literal sense. Three spiritual senses besides the Literal, Allegorical, Moral, Anagogical.Moreouer there are three spiritual senses besides the literal, very frequent in holy Scripture. Allegorical, pertayning to Christ and the Church; Moral, pertayning to manners; and Anagogical, pertayning to the next life. As this word, Ierusalem, literally signifieth the head citie of Iewrie: Morally the soule of man: Allegorically the Church militant: and Anagogically the Church triumphant. And some times this (and the like of others) metaphorically in the literal sense signifieth the Church militant, & not the citie of Iewrie, as in the 12. chapter to the Hebrewes: and sometimes the Church triumphant, as in the 21. of the Apocalyps.
2. The Spirit of God.) In the Hebrew it is signified, that the Spirite of God was on the waters to make them fertile, for that fishes & birds were to be procreated therof; the word is merahepheth, incubabat, sat vpon, to produce fruict (saith S. Ierom) from the waters, as a hen by her heate produceth life in the egges. A figure of Baptisme.Hier. Epist. 83. ad Ocea. Tert. de Baptis.And the same S. Hierom, & before him Tertullian teach, that this was a figure of Baptisme, which consisteth of water & the Holy Ghost. For as water in the beginning of the world receiued a certaine vital vertue of the Holy Ghost to produce liuing creatures: so also Baptisme receiueth vertue of the same Holy Ghost to procreate new men. Christians called fishes.Wherupon Tertullian calleth Christians fishes, because they are gotten from the waters, & thence haue their first spiritual life. Let it not therfore seeme strange (saith he) that in Baptisme waters giue life.
Light being an accident remayned without a subiect, by the iudgement of some learned Fathers.16. Two great lights, & starres.) Heer occurreth an other example of the hardnes of holy Scripture. For if the two great lights (to wit the Sunne & the Moone) & also the starres, were made the fourth day, and not before, as it may seeme by the words in this place, then what was that light, & in what subiect was it, that was made the first day? S. Basil, S. Gregorie Nazianzen, Theodoret, & some others writing vpon this place, doe thinke that the light, which was made the first day remained (though an accident) without his subiect til the fourth day. And albeit most other Doctours rather think that the substance of the Sunne & Moone, & of other planets, & starres were created the first day, & the fourth day set in that order & course which now they keep, The accidents of bread and wine can remaine by Gods power without their subiects.with more distinction for signes and seasons, and dayes and yeares; yet it is cleere that the foresaid ancient Doctours iudged it possible, that accidents may remaine without their subiect: which a Sacramentarie wil be loath to grant, lest it might be proued possible, as both these & al other Catholike Doctours belieued & taught, that the accidents of bread and wine remaine in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist without their subiects, which Protestants denie.
Ten prerogatiues of man in his creation.26. Let vs make man to our Image.) For better consideration of Gods bountie towards vs, & stirring ourselues to gratitude towards him, we may here note ten prerogatiues bestowed on vs by our Lord & Maker in our creation, aboue al other earthlie creatures. 1. Made like to God.First, wheras God by an imperial word of commandement made other creatures, Fiat lux, Fiat firmamentum: Be there light: Be there a firmament: intending to make man, he proceedeth familiarly, by way, as it were, of consultation, & as to his owne vse & seruice to make man, saying: Let vs make man to our image and likenes; that is to say, a reasonable creature with vnderstanding and free wil, which beastes haue not. 2. The Mysterie of the B. Trinitie insinuated in his creation.Secondly, in this worke God first insinuateth the high Mysterie of the B. Trinitie, or pluralitie of Persons in one God (because man is to belieue the same) signifying the pluralitie of Persons by the wordes Let vs make, & to our: and the vnitie in substance, by the words Images and likenes, the first in the plural number, the later in the singular. 3. Produced by God himselfe.Thirdly, other creatures were produced by the waters & earth, Let the waters bring forth (fish and foule) Let the earth bring forth (grasse, & cattle, & other beastes) but God brought forth man, not by the earth, though of the earth, nor by
