XXXIV. Of Unwritten Verities’
^ 1N the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles and pt. ii. disciples of Christ, they received such grace and ghostly knowledge, that they had forthwith the gift of the understanding of scripture, to speak in the tongues of all men and g 0 e g 3 p 3 Sp g > also that, upon whomsoever they laid their hands, the Holy Ghost should descend upon them. And thereupon they by their preaching and good doctrine converted in short time great multitudes of people unto the faith of Christ. And after that, divers blessed men, in strength of the faith, wrote the life, miracles, doctrine, passion, death, and resurrection of our master Christ: but four of those writings were only received by all the whole church of Christ, that is to say, of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And they received them to be of such authority, that it should not be lawful to any man, that would confess Christ, to deny them. And they were called “The four gospels of Christ.” And the Epistles of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles that be called canonic, and the Apocalypse, were received to be of like authority as the gospels were. And thus by assent as well of the people as of the clergy, was the new Testament affirmed to be of such authority as it is now taken to be of, and as it is of indeed. So that it is not lawful to deny any thing that it affirmeth, ne to affirm any thing that it denieth. And it is no marvel though it be taken to be of such strength. For it was authorised, when the people that were newly converted to the faith were full of grace and of devotion, replenished with virtues, desiring alway the life to come, and the health of their own souls and of their neighbours.
Then also were blessed bishops, blessed priests, and other blessed persons of the clergy. And what could such men ask of God right wisely, that should be denied them? And who may think but that they and all the people, at the said authorising of the scripture, prayed devoutly for the assistance of the Holy Ghost, that they might have grace to authorise such as should be to his honour, to the increase of his faith, and to the health of the souls of all his people?
The time also that this authorising of the new Testament, and the gathering it together was made, was, as I suppose, the time of the most high and gracious shedding out of the mercy of God into the world, that ever was from the beginning of the world unto this day: and I mean the time that was from the incarnation of Christ unto the said authorising of the new Testament was accomplished. For in part of that time our Lord was here himself in bodily presence, preaching and teaching his laws, gathering and choosing his apostles and disciples, that should teach and preach his laws, when he was gone: which they did not only by word, but also by good examples, that yet remain unto this day. So that all that time may in manner be called the golden time.” And not only the new Testament was then received, but also the old Testament, And by preaching and teaching of these Testaments was the faith of Christ marvellously increased in many countries. After all this, by a common speaking among the people, the bishops, priests, and
[Vid. supra, p. 5.] Ι]
other of the clergy, which were as lanterns unto the people, and the special maintainers of the christian faith, were called The church,” or men of the church: and under the colour of that name church,” many of the clergy in process of time pretended that they might make expositions of scripture, as the universal church of Christ, that is to say, as the whole congregation of christian people might. And thereupon, when covetyse and pride somewhat increased in many of the clergy, they expounded very favourably divers texts of scripture, that sounded to the maintenance of their honour, power, jurisdiction, and riches; and over that take upon them to affirm that they were the church” that might not err; and that Christ and his apostles had spoken and taught many things that were not expressly in scripture, and that the people were as well bound to love them, and that under like pain, as if they had been expressed in scripture, and called them “Unwritten Verities.” Whereof I shall, as for an example, recite part.
First, That Christ after his Maundy, and after he had washen the feet of his apostles, taught them to make holy cream, for ministration of the sacraments; and that they have as full authority to do the same, as if it had been contained in scripture, that Christ had given them power to do it.
That it is a tradition of the apostles, that images ought to be set up. That the apostles ordained that all faithful people should resort to the church of Rome, as to the most high and principal church of all other: and yet it cannot be proved by scripture, ne by any other sufficient authority, that they made any such ordinance.