Quest. CL. Is it lawful to read the apocrypha, or any good books besides the Scriptures, to the church? As homilies, &c.?

Answ. 1. It is not lawful to read them as God’s word, or to pretend them to be the holy Scriptures, for that is a falsehood, and an addition to God’s word.

2. It is not lawful to read them scandalously, in a title and manner tending to draw the people to believe that they are God’s word, or without a sufficient distinguishing of them from the holy Scriptures.

3. If any one of the apocryphal books, (as Judith, Tobit, Bel and the Dragon, &c.) be as fabulous, false, and bad as our protestant writers (Reignoldus, Amesius, Whitakers, Chamier, and abundance more) affirm them to be, it is not lawful ordinarily to read them, in that honourable way as chapters called lessons are usually read in the assemblies. Nor is it lawful so to read heretical, fabulous, or erroneous books.

But it is lawful to read publicly, apocryphal and human writings, homilies, or edifying sermons, on these conditions following.

1. So be it they be indeed sound doctrine, holy, and fitted to the people’s edification.

2. So be it they be not read scandalously without sufficient differencing them from God’s book.

3. So they be not read to exclude or hinder the reading of the Scriptures, or any other necessary church duty.

4. So they be not read to keep up an ignorant, lazy ministry that can or will do no better; nor to exercise the minister’s sloth, and hinder him from preaching.

5. And especially if authority command it, and the church’s agreement require it, as a signification what doctrine it is which they profess.

6. Or if the church’s necessities require it; as if they have no minister, or no one that can do so much to their edification any other way.

7. Therefore the use of catechisms is confessed lawful in the church, by almost all.