would marre al, if they were at the guiding of other then 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: The holy Scriptures to carnal men & Heretikes, are as pearles to swine.how to doe it without casting Mat. 7, 6.the holy to dogs, or pearles to swine: (See S. Chrysost. ho. 24. in Matth.) 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 doe it agreably to the soveraigne sinceritie, majestie, 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: Li de prescriptionibus.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, Orig. in 2. ad Ro.whom Origen calleth, Scripturarum fures, theeves 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 Luc. 24except 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.
S. Christostoms exhortations to the reading of holy Scriptures; & when the people is so to be exhorted.5. Wherein, the varietie of circumstances causeth them to deal diversly: In vita Athanasijoas we see by S. Chrysostom’s people of Constantinople, who were so delicate, dul, worldly, and so much given to dice, cardes, specially stage-plaies, or theaters (as Gregorie Nazianzen witnesseth) that the Scriptures & al holy lections of divine things were lothsome unto them: whereby their holy Bishop was forced Ho. 2. in Mat. & ho. 3. de Laza. & ho. 3. in 2. ad Thess. & alibi sapen.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 therin, 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 empeach our beleefe, to be skilful in Scriptures, then at other times when the Church had no such enemies.
S. Chrysostom maketh nothing for the popular and licentious reading of Scriptures used among the Protestants now adaies.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 therfore (as some perversly 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 excessiue pride and madnes of these daies, when every man and woman is become not only a Reader, but a Teacher, controuler, & judge of Doctours, Church, Scriptures and al: such as either contemne or easily pass over al the moral parts, good examples, and precepts of life Every simple artificer among them readeth much more the deepest & hardest questions of holy Scripture, then the moral parts.(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 Jewes, vocation of the Gentils, and other incomprehensible mysteries, 2. Tim. 6.Languishing about questions of only faith, fiduce, new phrases and figures, 2. Tim. c. 3.ever learning, but never comming 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, 2. Pet. 3.as S. Peter foretold that the unlearned and instable would deprave to their owne damnation.
They presuppose no difficulties, which al the learned Fathers felt to be in the Scriptures.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. Ap. 5, 1.
Act. 8.They find no difficultie in the sacred Booke * clasped with seven seales. They aske for no Expositour * with the
