ANNOTATIONS.
CHAP. I.
1. In the beginning.) Holie Moyses telleth what was done in the beginning of the world, and so forward even til his owne time, writing above two thousand and foure hundreth yeares after the beginning. The Church had only traditions and no Scripture above 2400. yeares.Al which being incomprehensible by humane wit or discourse, he knew partly by revelations from God, for he had the guift of Prophecie in most excellent sort; partly by traditions from his elders, who learned of their fathers. For until that time the Church had only traditions of such things as were revealed to special men, whereby we see the great authority of traditions, before there were Scriptures. Traditions necessarie for three causes.And since Scriptures were written they are also necessary, for three special reasons. 1.First, for that we are only assured by tradition of the Church, that those books are indeed holy Scriptures, which are so accounted, and not by the Scripture it-selfe, for that were to prove the same by the same, until we be assured of some part, that proveth some other parts. Cont. Epist. sund. c. 5.And this made S. Augustin to say plainly, that he could not believe the Ghospel, except the Church told him which is the Ghospel. 2.
Scripture of most eminent authoritie.Secondly, holy Scriptures being once knowen to be the word of God, and so of most eminent authoritie of al writings in the world, as S. Augustin, S. Hierome, and al other Fathers agree, yet for the true understanding of the same, both the Scripture it-selfe, and the ancient Fathers remit us to the Church, namely to those in the Church that are appointed by Gods ordinance, in the high place that he hath chosen. Which were the High Priests in the old Testament, as appeareth Deut. 17. Mat. 23. Joan. 11. And in the new Testament, S. Peter and his Successours, for whom Christ prayed that his faith should not faile: and therfore commanded him to confirme his brethren, Luc. 22. 3.Thirdly, for things not expressed in particular in holy Scripture, the Scripture [1] and Fathers doe likewise remit us to traditions, and to the judgement and testimonie of the Church. Christ saying to his Apostles: He that heareth you heareth me. The Apostles doubted not to say: It seemed good to the Holie Ghost and to us. And S. Paul willed the Thessalonians to hold the traditions, which they had learned, whether it were by word, or by his Epistle.
1. In the beginning God made heaven and earth.) Scriptures hard.Al writers [2] ancient and later find such difficulties in these first Chapters, that some, otherwise very learned, have thought it not possible to understand the same according to the proper and usual signification of the words, as the letter may seem to sound, but expound al allegorically, as that by the waters above the firmament should be understood the blessed Angels, by the waters under the firmament wicked spirits, and the like. So did Origen and divers that follow him therein. Yea S. Augustin in his books upon Genesis against the Manichees, written shortly after his conversion, when he could not find as he desired a good and probable sense agreable to the words in their proper signification, expounded them mystically, but afterwards in his other books de Genesi ad literam, he gratefully acknowledgeth that God had given him further sight therin, and that now he supposed he could interprete al according to the proper signification of the words: yet so that he durst not nor would not addict himselfe to one sense, but that he was readie to imbrace another, lest by sticking to his owne judgement he might faile. So likewise S. Basil, S. Chrisostom, S. Ambrose, S. Hierome, S. Bede, and other greatest Doctours found and confessed great difficulties in these first chapters, which they with much studie endeavoured to explicate. And therfore it is a wonder to see our Protestants and Puritans hold this Paradox, that Scriptures are easie to be understood. Wheras both by testimo-
