z z. A profitable Expol-tion For how fhould God craaepardon ofman,and fay, it is as well as hee was able to doe? Therefore this moll mightily and euideutly,vnleffewee Ihut our Eyes, and Hoppe our Eares againf+the Truth, telleth vs this Bookc is not as the rell of the fcriptures, vhercou wee fafcly flay our felues. Thirdly, in the writings of the holy Gho[l there are no contrarieties eucr,but in there bookes there are: & there, Machab,g,sa, fore no scripture by infpiration from the holy Ghofl. Will you thinke offomeof Ano.rsa, them ? In the & II booke it isfaldeoflua'ss,thathe was flaineofBate/otderhisAr- tnie,and Jonathan and Symon his brethren, buryed him in his Fathers fepulcher, in the Citie ofulladin,and all thelfraolstes wept for him, &c. In the fecond booke bee is aliut againe,and writeth letters 36, ycares after bee was dead. Can both th'efebe true ? If not,then markethe crechte of this booke. Not unlike to this, Ann, t88* is that which is written of eflntiochns his death. In the firft bocke it is fad, bee a,Macha,t,ro. layde him downevpon his bed fickc,and there dyed : with fuch circumil y d of t, Maths, 6, 8. the matter as there you may readc, and fee your felfe In the fecond booke, and firft Chapter,it is (aide, fhat he entringthe Temple of Nanea; the Priefls opened a priuie doore of the Vaute,and call downefloneslike Thunder vpon hiss and his conspanie,and brufcd them in pieccs,cut off .heyr heads,ano threwe them out to the refl of their companie that were without. In the ninth Chapter' of the fame Verf :r6, book itis faid, he dyed amiferable death among the Mfountaibs. Thefe be greater contrarieties then [ t:uftany man,thatfearcthGod,will thinke may be in Bookes whereof the holy Gholl is Author. And therefore you fee wee doe not without greattaufe refute to learnt ouriaith out of theft Books. If mens iudgements be regarded of vs,we heare and fee what the Fathers thought. Hierom,Epiphan,Atha- nafias, and Cyprian-,' reiec?thcte Boolccs in this forte, as not to bee rules of Faith. Yea,the Bifhop ofRcine himfelfe Creorie, zoo.yeares after e4uffen reieraeth them as not Canonical; : and if other men be of finali regarde with them, yet would Greg,in Iob, God the Papilles would refpecl theyr owne Bifhop. But Aufien (they fay) afñr- hb,tg, cae,r6 meth them Canonical!. O why fhould not lone of Trueth banifh all Cauilles ! vilifier; doth fo : and in the very fameplace that they alleadge, faith the contra- tie. How then is ,4ntieu contrarie to himfelfe? No,their owne eyes fee as wellas wee;if they will,that when he calleth them not Canonicall,hee taketh the worde ftrieèly and properly, and meaneth they are no grounder and rules for our faith : when he calletti them Canonicall,heccakerhthe word largely,andméaneth they aitfüchas' may beread in the Churches, for examples of the great and mantel- loss Paflìons and Perfacutions of the Martyrs. Belieue notmee, but beate him- felfe. rnfl,that they arc not Canonicall. In v!aelmbeorumli6ris,& -c. Although there may footed-ling bec found in the Book es of the c 4.schabees, &mete for this order otwriting, and worthie to bee ioyned with the number ofmyracles, yet hereof wee will have no care : For that we haue intended onely to touch a fhort r hearfdlof the miracles contayned in the bookcs of holy Canon. See how he faith,they ace antCanoñicáll,and thereforeher will not accept of the miracles in them.' Agaititlfcciiappaar tionon ih feripturis fetn5lis,qux ,ippellantisrCanonice fed in a121s innenitur, inqusbrts feint ,e9'"th!achabeòrtimlibra. Thtereckoning is not found in the holy Scriptures that are called Canonicall but in certaine other Bookes, among which are the bookes the Maçhdbeee. Many fuchteflimonies might be alleadged out of this Father,but there l'office in this treatife. Now that they are Canoni- tell, hesee himfelfe againe. Libras Machabxortimecolefahaber pre Canonicis, prop - ergsuorundansMartyrum paff;osseivehementei arch mirebs1.s. The Church accoun- aeth the books of the Machabeesas Canónicall ; (not for the authorityand weight of truth) but for the great and maruellonspallions and perfecuti:ns of the Mar - eyes therein contained. And again,thst fcripture that beareth ihe'naMe ofthe Machebee, is receiued not r¡profitably of the Church,fo that it be "read and heard with fobrietie,efpecially becaufeof thofeMachabeesthat fufferedfuchcruelltormentstarthelawofGod. Where.
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