1 Timothy — Chapter 6

Vve may not measure the nevvnes or oldnes of wordes and termes of speaking in religion, by holy Scriptures only: as though all those or only those were new and to be reiected, that are not expresly found in holy vvrite: but vve must esteeme them by the agreablenes or disagreablenes they haue to the true sense of Scriptures, to the forme of Catholike faith and doctrine, to the phrase of the old Christians, to the Apostolike vse of speache come vnto vs by tradition of all ages and Churches, and to the prescription of holy Councels and Schooles of the Christian world: vvhich haue giuen out (according to the time and questions raised by heretikes and contentious persons) very fit, artificiall, and significant vvordes, to discerne and defend the truth by, against falshod. Catholike termes not expresly in the Scriptures, but in sense, are no such nouelties of vvordes. These termes, Catholike, Trinitie, Person, Sacrament, Incarnation, Masse, and many moe, are not (in that sense vvherein the Church vseth them) in the Scriptures at all, and diuers of them were spoken by the Apostles before any part of the nevv Testament vvas vvritten, some of them taken vp straight after the Apostles daies in the vvrittings and preachings of holy Doctors, and in the speach of all faithfull people, and therfore can not be counted Nouelties of vvordes. Others beside these, as, Consubstantial, Deipara, Transsubstantiation, and the like, vvhich are neither in expresse termes found in Scriptures, nor yet in sense (if vve should folovv the iudgement of the speciall sectes against vvhich the said vvordes were first inuented, the Arians crying out against Nicene Councel, for the first: the Nestorians against the Ephesine Councel, for the second: the Lutherans & Caluinists against the Lateran and the later Councels, for the third) these vvordes also notwithstanding, by the iudgement of holy Church and Councels approued to be consonant to Gods vvord, and made authenticall among the faithfull, are sound and true vvordes, and not of those kinde vvhich the Apostle calleth Nouelties. Heretical nouelties of vvordes. The vvordes then here forbidden, are the new prophane termes and speaches inuented or specially vsed by heretikes, such as S. Irenee recordeth the Valentinians had a number most monstruous: as the Manichees had also diuers, as may be seene in S. Augustine: The Arians had their *Similis substantia, and Christ to be ex non existentibus: the other heretikes after those daies had their **Christiparam, and such like, agreable to their sectes. ομοιούσιον. χϱιςοῖοκον. The Protestants prophane nouelties of words. But the Protestants passe in this kinde, as they excede most heretikes in the number of new opinions: as their Seruum arbitrium, their sole faith, their siduce, their apprehension of Christes iustice. their imputatiue righteousnes: their horrible termes of terrors, anguishes, distresses, distrust, feares and feeling of hell paines in the soule of our Sauiour to expresse their blasphemous fiction of his temporall damnation, vvhich they call his descending to hell: Their markes, tokens, and badges Sacramentall, their Companation, Impanation, Circumpanation, to auoid the true conuersion in the Eucharist: their presence in figure, in faith, signe, spirit, pleadge, effect, to auoid the reall presence of Christes body. These and such like innumerable vvhich they occupie in euery part of their false doctrine, are in the sense that they vse them, all false, captious and deceitfull vvordes, and are nouitates vocum here forbidden. And though some of the said termes haue been by some occasion obiter vvithout il meaning spoken by Catholikes before these Heretikes arose, yet now knovving them to be the propre speaches of Heretikes, Christian men are bound to auoid them. Wherein the Church of God hath euer been as diligent to resist Nouelties of vvordes, as her Aduersaries are busy to inuent them. for vvhich cause she vvil not haue vs communicate vvith them, nor folow their fashion and phrase nevvly inuented, though in the nature of the vvordes sometime there be no harme. Catholikes must abhorre from heretical phrases and vvordes. In S. Augustines daies vvhen Christian men had any good befallen them, or entered into any mans house, or met any frind by the vvay, they vsed alvvaies to say, Deo gratias. The Donatistes and Circumcellions of that time being nevvfangled, forsooke the old phrase and vvould alvvaies say, Laus Deo: from vvhich the Catholike men did so abhorre (as the said Doctor vvriteth) that they had as leefe mette a theefe as one that said to them, Laus Deo, in steede of Deo gratias. As novv vve Catholikes must not say, The Lord, but, Our Lord: as vve say, Our Lady, for his mother, not, The Lady. Let vs keepe our forefathers vvordes, and vve shal easily keepe our old and true faith that vve had of the first Christians. Let them say, Amendement, abstinence, the Lordes Supper, the Communion table, Elders, Ministers, Superintendent, Congregation, so be it, praise ye the Lord, Morning-Praier, Euening-praier, and the rest, as they vvill: Let vs auoid those Nouelties of vvordes, according to the Apostles prescript, and keepe the old termes, Penance, Fasting, Priest, Church, Bishop, Masse, Mattins, Euensong, the B. Sacrament, Altar, Oblation, Host, Sacrifice, Alleluia, Amen, Lent, Palme-Sunday, Christmas, & the very vvordes vvil bring vs to the faith of our first Apostles, and condemne these nevv apostataes nevv faith and phrases. In Ps. 132.

4. Languishing.) Euen these be the good disputes of our nevv Sect-maisters, and the vvorld hath to long proued these inconueniences here named, to be the fruites of such endles altercations in religion as these vnhappie sectes haue brought forth.

20. Depositum.) Depositum, is the Catholike truth descending from the Apostles by succession of Bishops, euen vnto the end. The vvhole doctrine of our Christianitie being taught by the Apostles, and deliuered to their successors, and comming dovvne from one Bishop to an other, is called the Depositum, as it vvere a thing laid into their hands, and committed vnto them to keepe. Vvhich because it passeth from hand to hand, from age to age, from Bishop to Bishop vvithout corruption, change, or alteration, is al one vvith Tradition, and is the truth giuen vnto the holy Bishops to keepe, and not to lay men. See the notable discourse of Vincentius Lirincusis vpon this text. li. cont. profan. hær. Nouationes. And it is for this great, old, and knovven treasure committed to the Bishops custodie, that S. Irenæus calleth the Catholike Church Depositorium diues, the rich treasurie of truth. li. 3 c. 4. And as Clemens Alexandrinus vvriteth li. 2 Strom. this place maketh so much against al Heretikes vvho do al change this Depositum, that for it onely, such men in his daies denied this Epistle. The Protestansts can shew no such depositum. The Heretikes of our daies chalenge also the truth, and say it is the old truth. but they leape 14 or 15 hundreth yeres for it ouer mens heads to the Apostles. But vve call for the Depositum, and aske them in vvhose hands that truth vvhich they pretend, vvas laid vp, and hovv it came dovvne to them. for it can not be Apostolical, vnles it vvere Depositum in some Timothees hand, so to continevv from one Bishop to an other vntil our time and to the end.