it be contained among the chief articles of the Creed or plainly expressed in scripture 9. So sufficient that it be able to explicate determine all articles and doubtes in religion 10. So complet that it containe virtually be able to resolue plainly all questions and conclusions of Faith which may at any time vpon any occasion arise All which are necessary for such a rule and foundation vpon which so important a matter as faith and religion is grounded And this is the first thing to be obserued for the properties and conditions both of the Iudge and his rule of faith The whole body of the Church cannot be this Iudge SECT II. SECONDLY We may note that this infallible authority to iudge of controuersies of faith is giuen neither to the whole body and congregation of the Church of God as the rigid Lutherans with Brentius do hould nor to the secular Princes and Parlamentes as all the Lutherans at first and the State-Protestants of England do yet defend nor to the lay-people and priuate persons as Caluin and the Caluinists do maintaine nor yet is it residing in the wordes and text or scripture as the ordinary preachers pretend but only is giuen to the Pastours and Prelates of the Church of Christ who are lawfully by authority from Apostolicall succession ordained and Catholickly continue without diuision of heresy or schisme in the same and among them principally to the chiefe head and Pastour the successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome All which concerning euery one shall be briefly proued First therefore although the whole body of the Church collected haue the infallible assistance of the holy Ghost that it cannot erre or be deceaued in faith yet hath it not the same assistance that it may ought to be iudge determiner of faith For as in a naturall body the soule doth informe and giue life to the whole body and euery member of it but doth not discourse and giue vse of reason to the whole or euery part but only to the head so the spirit of God assistes the whole Church with the priuiledge of freedome from errour in faith but doth not likewise giue to it the priuiledg◠of authority to teach and iudge of faith and direct others in the same for which cause God hath giuen a measure of donation diuisions of graces and ministrations and made some not al Apostles Doctours Prophets that some may rule others be ruled some teach and others be taught some be superiours to iudge and direct others be inferiours to be iudged and directed and so an order and subordination a peace and vnity may be obserued and kept in the whole body among the members of Christs Church Whereof see more in the next fourth Section Secular Princes cannot be this Iudge SECT III. THIRDLY That this infallible authority is not in secular Princes or their Assemblies and Parlaments either as particuler members of the Church against Melancthon or as Princes and Superiours among the rest against Brentius so that they can and may lawfully and infallibly iudge of Controuersies make ecclesiasticall lawes giue authority to preach and prescribe a forme of doctrine a manner of seruice and an order of Sacraments and sacrifice though it be largely by many proued against the supremacy of Princes in causes Ecclesiasticall and requires a treatise more large yet in briefe it shall by these reasons be proued First because Kinges and Princes are in the Church of God and spirituall affaires as sheep to be ruled and ordered not as sheepheardes to rule and gouerne they are Lambes to be fed by Peter Sheep of the fold of Christ Members of the Church of God and seruants of the family of Christ Thus did the ancient and holy Fathers freely tell and admonish them and the Christian and good Emperours themselues acknowledged it S. Gregory Nazianzen told Valentinian That the law of Christ did subiect them Emperours to his power and Tribunall and that they were holy sheep of his holy fold S. Ambrose told Theodosius the Great that he was a sonne of the Church and that a good Emperour is within not aboue the Church Theodoret sayes of Constantine the Great that as a louing sonne he did propose busines to the Bishops and Priests as Fathers Constantine himselfe cōfesses that God gaue Priests power to iudge of Emperours witnesse Ruffinus that they were bishops within the Church he without it witnes Eusebius Valentinian the elder confesses that he as a laye man might not interpose himselfe in Church affaires but the Bishops and Priestes had care of such affaires witnes Sozom. And that himselfe was to submit himselfe to them witnes Paulus Diaconus And Theodosius the Great obeyed S. Ambrose his excommunication departed out of the Chancell at his command and cōfessed that thereby he had learned to know what difference there was betweene an Emperour and a Bishop witnes Theodoret and Nicephorus Secondly because the offices of the Bishops and Emperours are diuers and distinct the one of bodyes and goods the other of soules and fayth the one of life and death for offences against the King and common-wealth the other of sinnes and sacraments belonging to Gods lawes mans conscience the one is temporall of the kingdome and common-wealth the other is spirituall of the Church flocke of Christ which the hereticall Emperours forgetting were stoutly and zealously admonished and reprehended by the holy Bishops vnder them for the same As for example Cōstantius the Arian 1. by Hosius of Corduba willing him not to medle with Ecclesiasticall affaires nor to commaund them but to learne of them because to him God had committed the Empire but to them the Church 2. By Leontius of Tripolis because being ruler of military and politicke affaires he should not rule in thinges that belong only to Bishops 3. By S. Hilary of Arles wishing him to writ to Iudges of Prouincies that they should not presume or vsurpe to intermedle with the causes of Clergy men 4. By S. Athanasius of Alexandria that he and such who will be Presidents in ecclesiasticall iudgments who will make the Tribunals of the Court the seales of deciding ecclesiasticall causes themselues Princes and Authours of Church affaires are the abomination of desolation yea euen Antichrist himselfe Valentinian the yonger seduced by his wife was told by S. Ambrose of Milane That he had no Imperiall right in thinges that are diuine for the Court doth belong to the Emperour but the Church to the Priest And being called by the Emperour to reason with Auxentius the Arian he answered That if a conference was to be made of fayth it was to be made by the Priestes as it was vnder Constantine who prescribed no lawes but gaue free iudgement to Priests That it was neuer heard that in a cause of fayth Lay
would haue killed him 2. Before his passion after the raysing of Lazarus to aduise about his apprehension when Caiphas vpon malice aduised his death and as Priest prophesyed of the Iewes saluation by his death 3. At his passion when by false witnes they condemned him as guilty of death and thereupon procured his death In the first the holy Ghost fully assisted them and their Councell that their determination was both true and iust In the second the holy Ghost assisted in part the high Priest in that his verdict of the Iewes saluation by one which verdict proceeded from the guift of prophesy annexed to his Priestly function and in part forsooke him in that is was iniust for that he did vpon malice condemne him In the third the holy Ghost quite forsooke them both in verity of the sentence as falsely accusing Christ of blasphemies and in the iustice of the same as wrongfully condemning him to be worthy of death By which is declared how farre the Priests iudiciary power before Christ did extend it selfe how long it did endure in what manner by degrees it did cease and end out of all is conuinced that neither Prince people or priuate person but the Priest in that tyme had power to decide and iudge all Controuersies of the law of fayth Secondly this authority of Priests and Prelates is proued out of the new Testament and that two wayes 1. By the commission authority which our Sauiour gaue to the Apostles and by their practise of it 2. By the same Commission giuen to the same Apostles not only for themselues and their owne tyme but also for their successours and all tymes ages That our Sauiour gaue this iudiciary power to his Apostles and to them only is proued 1. By the authority and commission he gaue to S. Peter as the head 2. By the same which he gaue to the rest as the principall mēbers and directours of the Church vnder this head To S. Peter as head he first promised it thē he prayed to confirme him in it 1. He promised it in that he promised to make him the foundation of the Church by giuing him the title of a Rocke saying Vpon this Rocke I will build my Church for what a maister is in a house what a gouernour is in a Citty what a King is in a kingdome and what a head is in a body the same is a foundatiō in a building Peter in the Church therefore to Peter was heere promised to be the head the foundation and the Gouernour of his Church 2. In that he promised to make him the Gouernour of the Church in a representatiue manner giuing him keyes of it To thee I will giue the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen For as the deliuering vp the keyes of the Citty to any is a signe of giuing vp the charge and gouernement of it to him so the promise of giuing to Peter the keyes of the kingdome of heauen was a promise of giuing power authority to gouerne as a Iudge the Kingdome of heauen that is his Church 3. In that he gaue him power to bind and loose that is to retaine or remit by way of absoluing or not absoluing to commaund and punish by way of dispensation censure sentence or iudgement not only persons whomesoeuer but also causes whatsoeuer whether of crimes and offences against lawes or in doctrine and opinion against fayth And so the promise was made 1. To the person of S. Peter 2. Of authority to be Iudge and Gouernour 3. In all causes of doctrine or offēces whatsoeuer 4. Christ prayed to his Father for confirmation of this authority vpon S. Peter I prayed for thee that thy fayth faile not and thou once conuerted confirme thy Brethren that is that he might be firme in his fayth and thereby with his power confirme and settle others in the same Out of which Lucius Felix Marcus Leo Agatho Paschalis Popes with S. Bernard after them cited by Bellarmine doe gather the infallibility of S. Peter and the Popes power in iudgment of fayth Lastly Christ inuested S. Peter in this authority and iurisdiction when he gaue him commission and charge to feed his sheep Feed my Sheep feed my Lambes in which he gaue authority to Peter singularly as to one whō he calls Simon the sonne of Iohanna and from whome in particuler he drawes before hand a triple confession of his singular loue to him aboue the rest He giues also him authority to feed that is to exercise all pastorall charge and function which requires 1. That he feed with spirituall food all his sheep within the fold of his holy Church according to Ezechiel Are not the flocks fed of the Pastours And Psalm 22.1 Our Lord doth gouerne me in greeke feed me nothing shal be wāting to me he hath placed me there in a place of pasture 2. That he cure the sheep that are sore gather those who are dispersed reduce them that wander and defend those who are assaulted by the wolues according to that of Ezechiel And my sheep were dispersed because there was no Pastour and they came to be deuoured of the beastes of the field and were dispersed My flockes haue wandered in all mountaines and in euery high hill That which was lost I will seeke that which was cast away I will bring againe and that which was broken I will bind vp and that which was weake I will strengthen and that which was fat and stronge I will feed them in iudgment 3. That he rule gouerne discerne iudge and chastise according to that of Scripture Thou shalt feed that is gouerne my people Israel and be Captaine ouer Israel Thou shalt rule them in an iron rod. Behould I iudge betweene beast and beast of Rams and of Bucke goates Betweene the fat beast and the leane Out of which is apparent 1. That our Sauiour gaue to S. Peter in these wordes feed my sheep a pastorall charge ouer al his sheep that is all Christians who are the sheep of Christ 2. That this pastorall charge consists in collecting curing directing defending and iudging these sheep of Christ 3. That Peter by this charge had power to preach minister Sacraments correct offenders and iudge of all doctrine as chiefe head and Gouernour in the Church of Christ And so it is conuinced that this iudiciary authority was giuen to S. Peter as head of the rest That the same was giuen also to the rest of the Apostles is proued because as Christ did communicate to his Apostles power and authority which was proper to himselfe to forgiue sinnes VVhose sinnes you forgiue in earth shal be forgiuen in heauen and to offer Sacrifice Do this So also to the same did he communicate these priuiledges proper to himselfe that as he was Maister of all One is your Maister Christ so also he made them Maisters
not only of Infants but also of Nations that they should teach all Nations As he was light of men so they should be the light of the world As he gaue testimony to the truth so they should giue testimony and be witnesses of him to the end of the earth That as the Father did sanctify him so he prayed to his Father to sanctify them As he was sent by his Father into the world so he sent them As by a voice from heauen it was sayd of him heare him so by his owne mouth he sayd of them he that heareth you heareth me The Apostles therefore were appointed for Maisters specially sanctifyed made the light of the world ordained witnesses of his truth sent with authority and commission as himselfe was for that end that they should be heard and obeyed as himselfe was and the same power they receaued from him not only themselues challenged and practised after him and with him but also their Successours after them and with them For as Christ was giuen a light of the Nations so they sayth S. Luke were also the light of the nations As the spirit of God was on him to euangelize to the poore so God chose them sayth S. Luke that the Gentils by their mouth should heare the word of the Ghospell and belieue As he did reconcile the world to himselfe so he sayth S. Paul placed in them the word of reconciliation As he came an Embassadour from his Father to be a messenger of iudgment to the world so sayth S. Paul we are Legates for Christ. As our Sauiour sayd of himselfe He that is God doth heare the wordes of God therefore you heare not because you are not of God so doth S. Iohn say of them He that knoweth God heareth vs and he that is not of God heareth vs not Therefore as Christ thought it no robbery to be equal to his Father in diuinity so they thought it no iniury to him to be in some sort participant with him in his power and authority And that Christ gaue this authority to the Apostles not only for themselues and their owne time but also for their successors and for all ages so that it is to reside and remaine in the Pastours and prelates of holy Church their successors continually till the end of the world is euident for if he haue this authority as necessary for the peace and gouernement of his Church and if the Church stand as great need of it in all ages as in that time of the Apostles as it is certaine it doth then without doubt it was as well giuen to the Pastours of the future tymes of the Church as to them of the present for which end Christ sayth S. Paul gaue some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastours and Doctours and for what end For the consummation or perfection of Saints that is of all faythfull for the worke of the ministery to teach his truth for the edification and propagation of his body to conserue and increase his Church for the vnity of fayth vntill all concurre in one least men be wauering and vncertaine in faith like little ones least they be carryed with euery wind of doctrine least they be circumuented by craftines in errour All which dangers as they remaine in all tymes so the remedy prepared against them must remaine for all tymes Whereupon S. Peter did not only himselfe exercise this authority but at his departure gaue the same to the Pastours of Pontus Galatia and Bythinia to whome he writ his Epistles willing them to feed the flocke of God which is among them S. Paul did not only practise it himselfe but also left it to the Pastors of Ephesus to rule the Church of God To Titus to ordaine Priests through all Citties in Creet as he had disposed To Timothy to commend to faithfull men what he had heard of him and willed the conuerted Iewes to obey their Gouernours and be subiect to them because they watch as being to giue an account of their soules Whereupon not of the Apostles only but of all Pastours and only of Pastours it is sayd My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed frō this present for euer What is this word my spirit which is in thee but to compare the prophesy and the performance the Paraclete the spirit of truth which the Father will giue to you What are the wordes in thy mouth but the wordes and vnderstanding which thou Father gauest to me I gaue to them and they receaued of me What is thy seed and seeds seed but those who are to belieue by their word in me What is from this tyme for euer but that I will be with you euen to the consummation of the world And so doth the prediction of the Prophet concurre with the performance of our Sauiour To all Pastours and only of Pastours it is sayd Sonnes are borne to thee for thy fathers and thou shalt make them Princes ouer all the earth that is according to S. Augustine for Apostles thou shalt haue Prelates To al Pastours and only to Pastours it is sayd He that heares you heares me And He that knowes God heares vs and he that is not of God heares vs not That is sayth S. Cyprian all Gouernours who by subordination succeed the Apostles Because sayth S. Augustin In the chaire of vnity he hath placed the doctrine of verity Of al and to all Pastours it is sayd How shall they preach except they be sent No man assumes to himself honour but he that is called of God as Aaron To all and only of Pastours it is sayd If he heare not the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and Publican that is sayth Chrysostome and Theophilact if he heare not the Pastours of the Church And if he be worthy to be esteemed so who despises them that admonish him of his fault much more worthy is he to be deemed so who despises him who instructs him in fayth To all and only Pastours it is sayd That the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church In so much that all the promises of Church-stability and perpetuity in fayth cōsists chiefly in this infallible authority of the Pastours who are to instruct in fayth direct in fayth and to iudge of fayth and what promises are made to the Church are made chiefly to the Pastours as the principall partes of it and by thē to the rest as inferiour To them therefore is giuen the word of reconciliation the dispensation of the mysteries the function of Embassages the
the truth and not to make himselfe and his priuate spirit iudge of the grounds of truth or of the truth which is to be found in theÌ„ And this is all that can be inferred out of these places this may suffice for the solution of all such argumnets or obiections as are made out of Scripture by the Protestants for the establishing of this priuate spirits power and authority to interprete Scripture and to iudge of al controuersies of Fayth FINIS A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPALL MATTERS handled in this Booke A S. Ambrose his commendations pag. 58. His authority against the priuate Spirit pag. 59. Angells apparitions pag. 74. Difficulties about them pag. 81. Apostles their authority to iudge of Fayth pag. 166. Their power deriued from Christ pag. 167. Their successors power to iudge of Faith pag. 168. The foundation of Fayth pag. 390. Apparitions of God or Angells in what places to what persons pag. 75. ApparitioÌ„s of Diuels in diuers shaps of beastes of men of Angells of Christ of the B. Trinity ibid. 140. Of soules in Limbo Purgatory Hell and Heauen pag. 77.78 Difficulties to know which be apparitions of God Angells Diuells soules pag. 79. ApparitioÌ„s of SathaÌ„ inward by suggestions pag. 98. By imaginary illusions pag. 102. By exteriour visions pag. 104. S. Augustine commeÌ„ded against the priuate spirit pag. 61. For the profundity of holy Scripture and authority of Fathers pag. 64. For necessity of Fayth pag. 182. agaynst Circles pag. 210. B BIshops and Priests their office pag. 153. Their authority to iudge of Religion pag. 162. Their Tribunal power in the old Law the beginning progres end pag. 162. In the law of Christ pag. 165. What their authority is pag. 166. Their authority proued by scripture pag. 168. How for it extends ibid. Their authority for euer pag. 168. In all Councells pag. 170. C CAluin his saying against the priuate spirit pag. 36.64 His Circle between the spirit of euery man a Councell pag. 215. His doctrine of the doctrine of saluation pag. 234.239 Of saluation of Infants without Baptisme pag. 235. Of Christs sinne and despaire on the Crosse pag. 257. Of the B. Trinity pag. 304 Of Christs Diuinity pag. 305. Of Christs descent into Hell pag. 308. Of his AscensioÌ„ pag. 3â—0 Of beatitude before the day of Iudgment pag. 311. Cases of Conscience for feare of sinne in vaine according to Protestant doctrine pag. 26â— Catholikes aduaÌ„tage aboue Protestants pag. 24. In the habit of faith p. 15. In the credible testimonies of Vnity Sanctity Vniuersality Succession Miracles Examples pag. 27. In the infallible Church-authority pag. 28. Catholikes belieue all Reuelations ancient generall infallible pag. 25. Catholikes may challenge all which the Protestants may pag. 28. Yea the priuate spirit pag 29. DiffereÌ„ce between iust Catholikes Protestants pag. 266. Good life-confessed in the auncient and late Catholikes in the people and the Clergy pag. 347. Catholike and Protestant doctrine compared in giuing more honour to God to Christ to Saints Angells Scripture Sacraments to Church Fayth Good workes c. pag. 350. Christ by Protestant doctrine no generall Redeemer pag. 248. No perfect Redeemer from sin his suffering of Hell paynes due to sin pag. 249. No Sauiour from sinne Sathan sensuality the curse of the Law or from Hell pag. 250. No perfect Phisitian pag. 251. No law giuer 252. An vniust iudge 253. No Priest or offerer of Sacrifice 254. Made ignorant 256. Sinfull suffering hell paines pag 257. Christian AsseÌ„blies in the Primitiue Church in what manner they were for that tyme. pag. 382. church-Church-authority necessary to fayth pag. 10. infallible 11. proued by Scripture pag. 16. Church selected priuiledged armed established c. obligeth p. 12. It consists of Pastors Ibid. Is proued by Fathers reason Ibid. Necessary to expound Scripture pag. 125. Church-practice A rule to confute heretikes pag. 125. Church-prâ—position and scripture-scripture-authority no circle pag. â—02 Vpon Church falling failing froÌ„ faith what absurdities do follow vz. That all ancieÌ„t Concels Doctors were AntichristiaÌ„ That Prophesies are false pag. 231. That Turkes Iewes Gentils haue a more credible Church then Christians pag. 230. Church-practice a meanes to interpret Scripture iudge of Doctrine pag. 125. Church of Christ a Congregation of great sinners pag. 26â— Circle what it is pag. 198. Difference betweene a lawfull vnlawfull Circle pag. 199. And betweene a Circle as obiected against Catholikes and Protestants pag. 200 Catholikes Circle cleared as being partiall in diuers kinds of causes and to diuers sorts of persons pag. 202. Protestants Circle between the Scripture and the Spirit pag. 206. Betweene the Spirit Fayth 210. Betweene Election and Scripture 212. Betweene the Spirit of euery person and of a Councell pag. 215. ProtestaÌ„ts Circle vnto the same kind of cause and that totally pag. 208. Absurdities that follow vpon it pag. 212. Councells 3. of the Iewes in Christs tyme. pag. 164. How the holy Ghost assisted or fayled in them pag. 164. Councells a meanes to interpret Scripture 128. Councells haue byn a meanes to iudge of Fayth pag. 171. Concupiscence made originall sinne and what followes thereon pag. 227. D DIuells Apparitions of them pag. 75. Difficulties to know them pag. 80. Signes to know the motions of them 83. Their subtility 95.97 Their deluding of Heretickes auncient moderne pag. 95. Their tempting to sin to vertue 99. Examples of their apparitions to Heretickes pag. 100. By imagination visibility pag. 10â— F FAyth Six meanes to Fayth pag. 3. Materiall formall obiect proposition Ibid. Credible Testimonies pious disposition habit pag. 4. Reuelation to the Apostles Ibid. Necessity of a proponent cause Ibid. Credible Testimonies pag 4.7 192. Fayth requires a pious disposition supernaturall frees an infused habit permanent not perpetuall pag. 6 The order of these helpes vz. credible Testimony Church-proposition grace actuall infused habit reuelation pag. 7.8 The Resolution of Faith dispositiuè deriuatiué effâ—ctiuè formaliter pag. 8. Shewed by the Samaritan womaÌ„ and Christ pag. 9. The helpes to Fayth external eternall internall pa. 14. Wanting in Protestants 15. Fayth depends vpon authority pag. 117. Faith required to know scripture the sense of it p. 118.120 The rule of Fayth pag. 146. Fayth one pag. 183. Certaine 187. By preachinâ— and hearing 190. By credible testimonies 192. Obligeth to acceptance 194. Speciall Fayth how certaine in Protestants 185. Fayth is of eternall verity and presupposeth the obiect pag. 228. Cannot staÌ„d with certainty of saluatioÌ„ 233.240 vide Sole fayth Fayth by hearing preaching and mission pag. 190. Sole Fayth a Protestant Principle the effect of it pag. 227. Sequells of Iustification by sole Fayth p. 222. makes Protestants more certaine of their saluation then was Christ 233 Makes Protestants as iust as Christ 234. makes all men to be saued 235. Is not grounded vpon Gods word 233. Is false contradictory sinnfull rash presumptuous preiudicious to Hope Charity and Good
interpretation 3. What meanes are to be vsed by these interpreters to make this interpretation and of 4. rules of infallible interpreting of Scripture Sect. 2. That the priuate Spirit cannot haue this infallible authority and be this infallible meanes is proued Subd 1. By reasons drawne from the nature of the Holy Scripture which is to be expounded 2. By reasons drawne from the priuate spirit which should expound it CHAP. VI. THE Priuate Spirits authority to iudge of Controuersies of fayth confuted by reasons drawne from the nature of a Iudge of Fayth Sect. 1. The properties of a Iudge of Fayth Sect. 2. The whole body of the Church cannot be this Iudge Sect. 3. Secular Princes cannot be this Iudge Sect. 4. Lay-people cannot be this Iudge Sect. 5. The Scripture cannot be this Iudge Sect. 6. Bishops and Prelates of the true Church are this Iudge Sect. 7. The priuate spirit cannot be this Iudge CHAP. VII THE priuate spirits authority to iudge of Controuersies of faith confuted by reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of Fayth Sect. 1. The properties of Fayth with the priuate spirits māner of proceeding Sect. 2. The priuate Spirit cannot be a meanes of Vnity in fayth Sect. 3. Nor a meanes of the certainty of Fayth Sect. 4. Nor a meanes of the integrity and perfection of faith Sect. 5. Nor a meanes of fayth which is got by hearing Sect. 6. Nor a meanes of Fayth which requires credible testimonies Sect. 7. Nor a meanes of Fayth which obligeth all to belieue accept of it CHAP. VIII THE priuate spirits authority to iudge of Fayth confuted by circular absurdities following vpō it against Fayth Sect. 1. Of the nature of a Circle the difference of Circles Sect. 2. The Catholikes cleared from the obiected Circle agaynst their doctrine Sect. 3. The Protestants diuers manners of Circles Subd 1. Their Circle betweene the scripture the spirit 2. Between the spirit and Fayth 3. Between election vnderstanding of scripture 4. Between the Spirit of euery priuate man of a generall Councell CHAP. IX THE priuate Spirits Authority to iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by doctrinall absurdities following vpon it against Fayth Sect. 1. Idolatry and heresy compared and of 4. heads and origens of all late Heresies proceeding of the priuate Spirit Sect. 2. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 1. head Of contempt of all Church-authority and relying vpon the priuate Spirit Sect. 3. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 2. head Of sole Fayth Subdiu 1. Agaynst man making him as iust and more certaine of saluation then Christ. 2. Agaynst Fayth making it false contradictory sinnefull rash presumptuous and preiudicious to charity c. 3. Against Christ to whome it is iniurious as a Redeemer Phisitian Lawgiuer Iudge Priest and makes him ignorant sinnefull damned for the tyme. Sect. 4. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 3. head that is Of Concupiscence being originall sinne Subdiu 1. Eight diuers absurdities which follow vpon it 2. The difference between a iust Catholicke and Protestant Sect. 5. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 4. head that is Of absolute predestination to damnation Subdiu 1. Absurdities against man leading to carelesnesse despayre of saluation and inability to be saued 2. Absurdities against God making him the Authour of sinne 3. A Sinner 4. The only Sinner 5. A Lyer and dissembler 6. A Tyrant most cruell 7. A Deuill 8. Obseruations vpon the former doctrine Sect. 6. Of absurdities which follow against Fayth and the Creed Subdiu 1. In generall destroying all Fayth 2. In particular against all the 12. articles of the Creed Sect. 7. Of absurdities agaynst Prayer and the Pater Noster Subdiu 1. In generall making all prayer needlesse or hopelesse 2. In particular opposing all the 7. petitions of the Pater Noster Sect. 8. Of absurdities against the obseruation of all lawes and chiefly the Ten Commaundements Subdiu 1 In generall how all lawes are made impossible and not obliging 2. In particular how many wayes the Protestant dostrine encourageth to the breach of all lawes and to all lewdenesse of life 3. To what vices in particular the same leads chiefly to Slouth Lust Cruelty and Pride 4. Bad life 1. In the common people 2. In the Ministers 3. In the first reformers of protestāt Religiō confessed to be an effect of this doctrine Sect. 9. The conclusion comparing the priuate spirits doctrine with the Catholike Churches doctrine whether leads to the greater honour of God CHAP. X. THE Protestants Obiections and proofes taken out of Scripture for the defence of their priuate Spirits authority to interprete Scripture and iudge of Controuersie are proposed and answered Sect. 1. Of certaine obseruations profitable for the solution of obiections Sect. 2. The obiections for the priuate Spirits authority answered Sect. 3. More obiections proposed and answered CERTAINE CONSIDERATIONS OF SIX MEANES NECESSARY TO ATTAINE FAITH All wanting in the Protestants and suppressed by their doctrine of the Priuate Spirit CHAP. I. Of these six meanes which they be SECT 1. THOVGH according to S. Hierome Haereses ad originem reuocare refut are est To reduce heresies to their origen is to refute them that is to shew not only the tyme when they did begin but also the head or foūtaine from whence they did spring is a sufficient proofe both of their nouelty and falsity so to haue shewed the Priuate Spirit to haue beene the origen Mother which hath begot all late heresyes which as a brood of such a Damme haue descended from her which in the first Part is fully performed is a sufficient proofe that the same heresyes are degenerate from all diuine Verity and are as so many poisoned streames descended from an infected fountaine And though all Sect-maisters who disclaime delude the vsual receaued grounds of Christian religiō such as are Scripture Tradition Church Councels Sea Apostolike and Fathers and appeale euery man to his owne Priuate Spirit do make this their Spirit the origē of their fayth which also in the former part is I hope sufficiently and copiously conuinced that the chiefe and prime Protestants before cited haue done might suffice to conuince their doctrine of falsity for that it is descended frō a Mother of such impiety Though I say this that hath beene thus proued might be a sufficient motiue to breed a dislike of this Priuate Spirit and of the doctrine springing from it yet because that out of it all sorts and sects of heresyes especially lately engendred haue issued as so many vipers out of a dunghill and because the confutation of it is the confutation of all heresies in their origen and as it were a brusing of all late nouell opinions in the head or a strangling of them togeather wiih their Mother in her wombe for to proue the fountaine to be poisoned is to proue the streame to be infected and to conuince the Mother of adultery is to proue the child liable
their vnderstanding be conuinced by euident reasons of perswasion that the one religion is false and damnable the other true and infallible Thus these reasons of credibility are the first help or meanes in the subiect to illustrate the vnderstanding and conuince it of the credibility of the thinges belieued Secondly a pious motion affection or disposition of the Will which directed by the former motiues of credibility and inspired by the speciall guift of grace either preuenting or infused doth first it selfe giue consent and submit itselfe to obedience of fayth then doth determinate the Vnderstāding to giue assent to the verity of the mysteries proposed This pious disposition first is supernaturall proceeding frō the grace of God who workes in vs both to will and to accōplish And begins in you a good worke and so our first motion to fayth is of grace Seconly it is free proceeding from our free power and will He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued but he that belieueth not shall be condemned And so our free will concurs also to fayth and saluation or resists by incredulity to damnation Thirdly it is necessary to the conuersion of the faithfull is the cause why some who haue slender yet sufficient motiues of credibility weake motions of grace are freely conuerted whereas others who haue stronger both motiues and motion do obstinatly resist will not be conuertd according to that Certaine belieued these things which were spoken by Paul certaine beleeued not And How often would I gather togeather thy children thou wouldest not And this is the second help or meane working in the will The third and last help or meane in the Guift or habit of Fayth which 1. is a permanent guift or quality produced by God infused into our Vnderstanding 2. It doth enable and lighten the Vnderstanding which otherwise of it selfe is as able to see and belieue the high mysteries of fayth as the eye without light is to see colours to giue assent and beliefe to whatsoeuer articles are by holy Church proposed as reuealed by God By fayth we vnderstand or belieue that God is It is the beginning and first ground of saluation iustification by which we first know God The iustice of God is reuealed by fayth by which we liue in God The iust liueth by fayth and by which we are prepared to iustification VVith the hart we belieue vnto iustice We are iustifyed by fayth It is sometimes both obtained before grace of iustification be had and also kept after that is lost so that many haue this habit of fayth who haue not the habit of Charity Many of the Pharises belieued in him but did not confesse him If I should haue all fayth and haue no Charity c. It may be lost that only by infidelity or refusing to belieue as it was in Hymenaeus Philetus and in those who erred from the fayth Made shipwracke about the fayth And fell from fayth And thus it is lost in all Heretikes who fall from fayth into heresy and so loose their habit by which in Baptisme they were enabled afterwards to belieue truely And these three to wit The credible testimony to conuince the Vnderstanding to accept the articles as credible The pious affection of the will to encline the will to obedience of faith And the guift or habit of Faith to enable both Will and Vnderstanding to consent and assent to the diuine reuelations are those which are required on the part of the subiect or person who belieues The order and necessity of the former meanes SECT II. THE second Consideration may be to ponder first the order and manner of proceeding Secondly the necessity and efficacy of these six helpes or meanes of Fayth all as they are compared one with another and all as they haue their operation in vs. And first for the order we may obserue that the māner which by God ordinarily is vsed according to these meanes to prepare and help an Infidell or Heretike of discretiō to his conuersion to true fayth is this 1. Mans Vnderstanding by reason of credibility motiues of perswasion is induced and disposed to accept this fayth as credible and such as in prudence may and is before any other to be beleiued and his iudgement by certaine markes and signes apparent and easy to euery ones capacity is perswaded that this Church and company of belieuers is rather then any other the true Church of Christ by which he is to be directed in all particulars of his beliefe 2. He is directed by the Churches authority how to discerne betweene the verity and falshood of thinges declared and betweene certainty of reuelation diuine illusion diabolicall And by it is proposed and declared to him what in particuler he is to beleeue as true and what to condemne as false 3. The wil is inclined by grace to subiect it selfe vnto obedience in consenting to fayth to determine the vnderstanding to yield assent to fayth 4. The guift or habit of faith is infused into the Vnderstanding that it may yeild a firme and infallible beliefe or assent to the articles of fayth thus made probably credible by reasons of credibility thus proposed by the Churches authority and thus made of infallible verity for the authority or testimony of God reuealing and affirming them to be true In which act of assent consistes the essence and perfection of diuine and supernaturall fayth By which is apparent both the manner and order how ordinarily God workes true Fayth in euery Christian by these meanes and also how faith is resolued and grounded vpon euery one of these meanes in particuler For if we respect the disposing meanes by which we are prepared to accept of our fayth as credible it dependes vpon the exteriour motiues of credibility and so our fayth is resolued into them dispositiuè If we respect the directing meanes which propose and declare to vs in particuler what we are to belieue our faith depends vpon the authority of the Church and so it is resolued into it directiuè If we respect the efficient meanes by which it is wrought in vs it depends vpon the guift or habit of faith and so is resolued into it effectiué But if we respect the formall meanes and finall resolution why we doe belieue it it depends vpon the diuine reuelatiō of God and so is resolued into it formaliter and finaliter Of which the preparatiue meanes that is the Credible testimonies are precedent to faith and leaue only an human perswasion of the credibility of the verityes The Directiue meanes that is the Churches authority is also precedent exteriourly proposing what in particuler and why we are to belieue The Effectiue meanes that is the habit of faith doth interiourly cōcurre with the Will and Vnderstanding to the act
of beliefe And the Formall motiue or meanes that is reuelation of God is the formall finall and last resolution why we belieue infallibly such verityes to be true So that if one aske by what we are before prepared and disposed to belieue the truth it is by the credible testimonies if by what we are directed guided to know the truth it is by the Churches propositiō if by what we are assisted and enabled to assent infallibly to this truth it is by the habit of Faith if for what and why we doe actually formally and finally assent belieue the same truth it is for the reuelation of God As therefore the Samaritans at the first were prepared by the womans relation who told them that surely it was the Messias who had told her all that she had done to thinke it probable that he might be the Messias and the woman was as it were a proponent or propounding cause to them of him Many of the Samaritans belieued in him for the word of the woman giuing testimony that he told me all thinges whatsoeuer I haue done But afterwards hauing heard and conuersed with our Sauiour himselfe for two dayes they now sayd Not for thy saying O woman do we belieue for our selues haue heard and do know that this is the Sauiour of the world indeed So all Christians are first prepared by credible testimonies directed by Church authority to the knowledge and certainty of that truth but afterwards when the diuine reuelation it selfe as the word of our Sauiour is made knowne to them then do they now formally and finally not for the testimonies of credibility or Church proposition but for the diuine reuelation it self giue firme and infallible assent and beliefe to the verityes or articles of fayth And thus Catholike fayth is that which is for probable testimonies accepted as credible by Church proposed as infallible by an infused habit effected as supernaturall by diuine verity reuealed as truth infallible and necessary to be belieued This fayth is that which is the beginning and ground of iustification the way and gate to saluation vpō which the Church of Christ is founded and is as the life and soule of it which maketh vs members and partes of Christs Church we being by it and Baptisme inserted into his mystical body which maketh vs certainly infallibly belieue either expresly or implicitè all whatsoeuer articles of sayth God hath reuealed to his Church by his Apostles which is a necessary meane instrument or dispositiō to our iustification and saluation without which none are iustified and by which informed with charity all are iustifyed which is one entire fayth in all faithfull who for one motiue and by one proponent cause do belieue all one doctrine which being one and entire belieue as they ought eyther all articles of fayth explicitè or implicitè or none at all which by refusing to assent to any one article in which is questioned the ground of all is by infidelity lost to all and to conclude which distinguisheth a Catholike from an Heretike in that whosoeuer hath this fayth is a Catholike and whosoeuer wants it or looses it is an Infidell or Heretike and so out of state of grace and saluation And thus much for the order and manner of Gods working of fayth by these meanes in vs. Secondly for the necessity and efficacy of these meanes though all and euery one in particuler be ordinarily necessary to true and diuine supernaturall faith the credible testimonies as exteriour motiues to conuince our Vnderstanding that it may prudently accept of this faith as credible and worthy of beliefe the motion of grace and habit of fayth as interiour assistants that the Will may not resist but piously incline to consent determine the Vnderstāding to assent and that the Vnderstanding may obediently yeild assent to the misteries of fayth the materiall obiects as those which we are to belieue and the formall as that why we are to belieue all which are absolutly necessary to make fayth credible free and supernaturall and without them all faith is but humane false or fained yet in respect of vs and of our certainty of beliefe a proponent cause and that infallible which can be no other but the Churches authority is most important and necessary And first that a proponent cause is needfull all grant because faith being by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ some preacher or teacher is necessary to propose and teach vs what is to be belieued by vs for as fayth depends not vpon reason but vpon authority that of God affirming this or that to be true and commanding it to be belieued so this authority thus affirming this verity must be made knowne to vs by some directing or proponent meanes or els we cannot come to the knowledge of it 2. That this directing and proponent cause must be infallible so that it cannot erre it selfe nor propose to vs an errour or falshood to be belieued for a truth is proued for since God requires of vs a certainty infallibility of fayth and this our certainty must be had by some direction and proposition by which it is proposed made knowne to vs what we are certainly to belieue it must needes follow that this Proponent cause must be certaine and infallible or els our fayth directed and guided by it cannot be certaine Thence it followes that they who admit a proponent cause as the Protestants do their church and yet do admit it to be fallible and subiect to errour as all of them do their Church cannot haue any certaine and infallible fayth at all as wanting a necessary certaine and infallible meanes to propose and teach them this certaine and infallible fayth which is confirmed by S. Augustine who sayth That if Gods prouidence rule and gouerne humane matters we may not despaire but that there is a certaine authority appointed by the same God vpon which staying our selues as vpon a sure step we may be lifted vp to God Thirdly this certaine infallible proponent or directing cause is Church-authority which Church that it may infallibly direct vs we securely rely vpon it first Iesus Christ selected and made it not only his inheritance Which he hath chosen Or his house which he builded and gouerned Or his Temple of which himselfe is Priest but also his dearest spouse VVhich he espoused to himselfe alone in fayth and truth As a Virgin pure and vnspotted without corruption Yea as his owne body And one body with him VVhich as head he nourisheth cherisheth and sanctifieth making her glorious without spot And which he hath purchased with his pretious bloud Secondly he priuiledged it first with his owne presence promising to be with it all dayes euen to the consūmation of the world Next with the presence of the Holy Ghost The spirit of truth
that he may abide with you for euer And shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of thy seeds seed for euer And for what end That he may teach you all thinges That spirit of truth shall teach you all truth Thirdly he armed it with all power and authority To remit or retaine all sinnes to bind or loose whatsoeuer is to be bound or loosed in earth or in heauen to correct punish with the rod of correction To excommunicate and deliuer vp to Sathā And to determine all questions or controuersies as it should seeme good to the Holy Ghost and it Fourthly he established and cōfirmed it As the pillar and foundation of truth that being in it selfe grounded in truth and also grounding others in the same it should stand so firmely that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Fifthly he gaue to it commission and charge to teach all nations and to preach the Ghospell to all creatures Sixtly he gaue vs warrant and security that we might safely heare and obey it He that heareth you heareth me Seauenthly he gaue vs charge and command by precept of obligation that whatsoeuer they shal say to you speaking of the Scribes and Pharisies in Moyses chaire but à fortiori of the Pastours and Prelats in Peters Chaire that doe you Eightly he threats and terrifyes vnder great punishment first of danger and of contempt of himselfe by contemning it He that despiseth you despiseth me Secondly of infidelity and losse of his fauour and grace He that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Thirdly of hell and damnation for euer He that belieueth not shal be condemned All which doe proue not only an authority and that infallible in the Church to direct and teach vs but also an obligation in vs to obey submit our selues for fayth to the direction and instruction of it And least any should doubt of this Church what it is the holy Ghost explicates the meaning of our Sauiour tells vs that it is Some Apostles some Prophets and other some Euangelists and other some Pastours and Doctours to the consumation of the Saints vnto the worke of the ministery vnto the edifying of the body of Christ vntill we meet all into the vnity of Fayth Which Pastours he will giue vs according to his owne hart who shall feed vs with knowledge doctrine And how shall they feed vs by preaching and proposing to vs the doctrine of fayth for as hearing is a necessary meanes to belieuing How shall they belieue him whome they haue not heard so preaching and proposing what is to be belieued by Church-pastours is necessary to hearing so to belieuing How shall they heare without a Preacher By which is apparently proued the necessity and infallibility of Church authority for a propounding and directing cause in matters of fayth and Religion All which may be confirmed First by authority of holy Fathers among whome I will cyte S. Irenaeus and S. Augustine for the rest Irenaeus that learned Doctour and holy Martyr sayth VVe ought not to seeke among others the truth which we may easily take and receaue from the Church seeing that the Apostles haue most fully layd vp in her all thinges which are of truth that euery man that will may take out of her the drinke of life For which those thinges that are of the Church are with diligence to be loued and the tradition of truth is to be receaued S. Augustine sayth The truth of the Scripture is holden of vs when we do that which pleaseth the vniuersall or whole Church the which is commended by the authority of the Scriptures themselues that because the Holy Scriptures cannot deceaue whosoeuer feareth to be deceaued with the obscurity of this question let him require the iudgement of the Church which without any ambiguity the holy Scripture doth demonstrate In which is affirmed First that all truth is left by the Apostles in the Church not in Scripture only Secondly that the same truth is to be learned and receaued of all by the sayd Church Thirdly that the truth thus receaued is most true and is to be loued and followed of all See more of the Fathers aboue in the first part to whome I add a confirmation out of Luther against himselfe and his followers who sayth that The Church neither can nor ought to teach errours no not in the least thinges since God is the mouth of the Church and as God cannot lye so neither can the Church Secondly by Reason for since of all the rest of the means and rules also of fayth there may be and often is question doubt as for example of the articles which be true which not of reuelation which is reuelation of God which an illusion of the enemy of the motion of the spirit which is of God which of nature which of Sathan of the inclination of the Will which is a pious disposition and which an illuding affectation of tradition which is diuine Apostolicall or Ecclesiasticall which not of Scripture which is true which false of true which is the incorrupted translation which corrupted of the incorrupted trāslation which is the true sense which is false and of the true sense which is to be belieued as fundamentall and necessary which is not to be belieued as fundamentall but only voluntary Of all which since I say there euer hath beene and now is great question contentiō some infallible directing iudge propounding cause is a necessary meane to end these all like controuersies and to settle and resolue vs in the assured certainty of the one or other or els will the contention be euer endlesse and we in our opinions restlesse Among which seeing no other can be assigned but the Church and that God hath giuen so large commission and priuiledge for that end to it as we haue produced it remaines that the Church and Church authority is of all necessary meanes of fayth the most necessary for vs to settle and satisfy vs in the certainty of our diuine fayth And thus much of the order necessity of these six meanes and chiefly of Church-proposition or the Proponent cause How the Protestants want all these six meanes of Fayth SECT III. THE third Consideration is to reflect how that of all these six meanes necessary to diuine fayth the Protestants haue not any one but are defectiue in all These meanes are either External as the credible testimonies which by euidence of reason conuinceth that such a faith is credible and may prudently be belieued and Church proposition which by the credit of authotity assures that the same is true and is to be belieued both which are externall to the person belieuing or Eternall
all and because they haue none they affirme that none are now wrought or if any be wrought that they are false feygned or diabolicall For Holinesse of life they confesse it to be so far from them that as Luther confesseth Men are dayly worse being possessed now with seauen Diuells more then before yea with whole troupes of Diuells and are more couetous crafty cruell and wicked then when they were Papists And the like is confessed by Caluin Musculus and others cyted by Becanus and the Protestants Apology If we seeke for Vniuersality they are ashamed to stile themselues by the name Catholike which is vniuersall but by the name of Protestant or for distinction of Protestants by the name Lutheran Caluinist or the like Vniuersality of place they cannot challenge because their doctrine neuer extended out of the limits of a few Northern countryes in Europe nor euer entred Africa Asia or America Vniuersality of tyme they cannot chalenge because their Church had its first being but about an hundred yeares agoe and this so apparently that we can nominate the yeare when the authour who the place where the opinions what the mantainers and abetters by whome this doctrine had first being in the world and the opposers who at first did yet continue to gainsay it so as they disclaime expresly from this marke not only denying it to be any marke of the Church but also confessing that their Church was according to some of them seauen hundred to others a thousand to others twelue hundred to others foureteene hundred yeares euer from Christ as before is proued either not at all or altogether latent and inuisible If we seeke for Succession of Ordination from the Apostles they either beg it from the Romā Church which they account Antichristian or els take vp a new one at their owne handes and are Prelates and Pastours of their owne creation and for want of ordinary vocation from Christ are content with an extraordniary of their owne inuention By which and much more for breuity omitted is euident that all testimonyes of credibility sufficient to make their doctrine seeme probable and worthy of credit are wanting to them and their Church 2. That the Protestants want the two externalll meanes of fayth which is Church-infallible proposition by which they should be assured confirmed in the certainty of their diuine reuelation mysteries reuealed in the certainty of their spirit and motions by it and in the certainty of their Scripture and meaning of it is proued because whether we take the Church Authoritatiue for the chiefe Pastours and Prelates by whose authority it is gouerned or Representatiue for the general Councels in which the whole body in the assembly of Bishops is represented or Collectiue for the whole multitude of all faythfull belieuers through the whole world dispersed Take it I say in which of these senses you will in all which it is the true Church of God and of infallible authority yet in none of these doe the Protestants receaue any infallible direction or confirmation frō it For if we respect their Pastours and Prelates they are not directed by them or obedient in fayth to them but by the liberty and priuiledge of their spirit euery priuate person hath authority to censure and iudge them If we respect generall Councells they disclaime all as before is proued or if they approue any it is so farre as their Decrees do agree with the fancy of their spirit to which they subiect them and so longe as they are pleased to obserue what is commāded by them in which they will be free without obligation to obey them If we respect the whole body of the Church they in their generall Tenents doe generally hould that it may erre and faile in doctrine and fayth and for practise do boldly affirme that for many ages it hath fallen and failed not only in doctrine of Idolatry superstition and heresy but also in very extancy and being of a Church as hauing beene inuisible not extant but dead buried and corrupted for so many ages togeather as in the first part is proued and thus they cut off al infallible authority of Church proposition which more then the other meanes they do in plaine tearmes expresly reiect and condemne 3. That the Protestants want the first internall means of Faith that is a pious disposition or inclination to belieue what is proposed by the Church as reuealed by God is proued because as a pious inclination of the will moued by the grace of God doth apply and determine the Vnderstanding of a willing and well disposed person either to labour and seeke out such motiues testimonies as do make the truth of Religion seeme probable or to assent to such as are already proposed vnto it so the obstinate disposition of a willful Protestant doth refuse to giue any credit or beliefe to any reasons though neuer so euident or to any definition of the Church though euery way most certaine but resolues with out amendement to persist in his preiudicate opinion notwithstanding any reason or authority to the contrary By which his obstinacy 1. He fals into heresy by willfully following his owne opinion which he chooses and carelesly contēning the authority of the Church in that it defines 2. He looseth his fayth which he receaued in Baptisme fals into infidelity partaking with Heretikes 3. He belieues no articles of fayth to which he assentes though truly firmly and for the testimony of God by any diuine and Catholike fayth which depends vpon an infallible meane that is Church proposing authority but by humane fayth wholy relying and lastly resoluing his beliefe eyther vpon the authority of some deceauing maister or vpon the testimony of some wrested Scripture or vpon the euidency of some deluding notes and markes or vpon the seeming apparency of his owne spirit and conceit 4. He separates himselfe from the vnion of the body of Christ from the benefit of the merits of his passion from the communion of his Saints both in earth and heauen and from all participation of hope of glory in Gods Kingdome to come so remaines as a dead member cut from the body as a dry bough deuided from the tree as a darke glimse of light separated from the Sunne as a small streame stopped from the current of the fountaine all which as they do presently decay and dry or come to nothing so he 4. That the Protestants want the two internall meanes and help of Fayth that is the infused and permanent guift of fayth inherent in the Vnderstanding and both enabling and illuminating it to the producing of the act of diuine supernaturall fayth is proued Because Protestants who hold that Fayth doth iustify and that Iustification is not by any inherent guif and quality but by the extrinsecall fauour of God not imputing our sinnes vnto vs
must needs by consequence hould so for the most part do hould that there are no infused and permanent guiftes or habits of fayth which concurre or help to our Iustification but that all is wrought by the motion of a transeunt spirit which motiō as it worketh according to them in them by it selfe only wholy all internall good workes without any cooperatiō of man or mans freewill so it is only a motion which worketh in whome it will when it will and how it will al and whatsoeuer it wil in man to his iustification and saluation by which it is euident that as in all their opinions they are neyther constant nor permanent but are wafted with euery wind of new doctrine and so fly from the beliefe of one thing to another so they are not guided by any permanent guift or quality but by certaine flashes motions of an vncertaine spirit which leads them from one vncertainty to another and so leaues them in al vncertaine 5. That the Protestants want the first of the eternall meanes or helps of Fayth that is the materiall obiects or articles of beliefe which are to be belieued as reuealed by Christ vnto the Apostles and by the Apostles left to their Successours and by them to vs and posterity is proued 1. Because they belieue many thinges as obiects of Fayth which are not reuealed eyther in Scripture or Traditions of which are many instances giuen in the former parte so do they not belieue many articles which are reuealed both in Scripture and Tradition for which cause they reiect all tradition and in it many mysteries of fayth which the Apostles left only by Tradition and refuse many partes of Scripture and that chiefly because they containe many points of doctrine which they will not belieue 2. Because as they admit many points of doctrine into the number of their articles of fayth which the ancient Church condemned for heresies as contrary to Apostolicall doctrine witnesse the ancient condemned heresies of Heluidius Vigilantius Arius Iouinian and others by them reuiued so they cōdemne many pointes of doctrine as erroneous superstitious or idolatrous which the ancient Church receaued for articles of Fayth as agreable to Apostolicall tradition witnesse all the poyntes of doctrine which the Magdeburgenses and others before cyted condemne as errours and staines in the ancient Fathers in euery age since Christ in both which they erre in the materiall obiects of Fayth as well in receauing condemned heresies for Apostolicall verities as in cōdemning receaued Apostolicall verities reuealed by Christ for erroneous heresyes 3. Because as they admit speciall Fayth only whose obiect is only their remission of sinnes and iustification for diuine Fayth by which they are iustified so all other fayth by which they belieue for example the B. Trinity Incarnation Passion and Resurrection and Ascension of Christ with the rest of the articles of faith vsually belieued they acknowledge for no other but for a general Faith common as well to the damned and Diuells as to them which faith in the Diuel and damned as it is no voluntary and free act proceeding from a pious disposition of the Will nor a diuine and supernaturall worke depending vpon any authority of God reuealing but a meere naturall and necessary act of knowledge◠conuincing their vnderstāding eyther by force of experience or by euidence of reason or by apparent and euident notes of credibility or by some manifestly knowne testimonies of God of the verity of that which they belieue and tremble at so in the same manner their Faith of the same articles by their owne confession is not diuine but a meere humane fayth grounded vpon some generall receaued opinion or vpon some meere human authority and so what they conceaue of the generall articles of faith they do not receaue them as any articles of doctrine and supernaturall fayth but as generall receaued positions humane coniectures and their owne selfe-seeming and chosen opinions 6. That the Protestants want all diuine Reuelation for which as the formall cause and the finall resolution they should belieue al which is by God reuealed is proued 1. Because what they belieue they belieue not for that it was reuealed to the Apostles by the Holy Ghost eyther at Pentecost when it did visibly teach and confirme them or in successe of tyme when vpon occasion as at the conuersion of Gentils it did reueale to them all the mysteries euer after to be belieued which Reuelation made to the Apostles is the formall cause of fayth nor yet for that it is proposed to them by Church infallible authority as a condition necessary to know what is reuealed but for that it is reuealed to them a new by their owne priuate spirit from which they receaue all their directions and certainty both what is reuealed why it is reuealed and also by what meanes it is reuealed 2. Because the meanes by which Christ doth manifest and declare vnto vs his diuine reuelations they eyther plainely reiect or wholy subiect to their priuate spirit for the authority of traditions by which part of the diuine reuelations are deliuered to vs and the Proposition of the Church by which we are secured of the certainty of them they reiect and deny The authority of the Scripture which is an other meane by which God hath reuealed his truth and which they chalenge as the only means both of knowledge certainty of diuine reuelations they wholy subiect to their priuate spirit by which they are assured which is true Canon which is true edition which true trāslation which true sense of it And so for diuine reuelation they haue neyther any at all nor yet any meanes to know or attaine vnto it And thus much of the Protestants want of all the necessary helps meanes by which true and diuine supernaturall Catholike fayth is produced conserued and increased in the soule of euery faithfull belieuer and member of Christs holy body and Church How the Catholikes and Protestants differ in these six meanes and how the Protestants make their priuate spirit the only meanes of all SECT IIII. THE fourth consideration is to reflect vpon the aduantage which we Catholiks haue against the Protestāts and the difference that is betweene vs and them in these meanes of Fayth and how that the Protestants do substitute one only deluding and deceitfull meanes that is this their priuate Spirit in place of all the six former meanes of fayth And first for the materiall obiect they professe to belieue 1. only the doctrine which is reuealed in scripture 2. that only which is reuealed in that one parte of Scripture which they are pleased to accept as Scripture by their spirit 3. that only in that part of Scripture which is according to their precōceaued opinion so interpreted by their spirit so that Scripture alone and that not in whole but in part and that part of Scripture as it is
without interruption of persons or chang of doctrine by a perfect enumeration of successours Apostles and Apostolical Seas vntill this present tyme these our present Prelates Patriarches and Popes We haue the rare examples of millions of Martyrs Confessours Virgins who haue with their bloud life defended and honoured our confessed Faith Doctrine the strange punishments of persecuting Pagans Iews Heretikes who haue with their sword and cruelty opposed and persecuted it In all which we differ from them and haue the aduantage of them in credible motiues 5. For infallible proponent cause as they do not require or assigne any yea as before do expresly reiect all chiefly the true that is Church authority so they cannot produce any which either can be a proponent cause or if it could is yet either infallible or so much as credible for them selues and their Religion For their scripture is not to them a proponent but if it were true scripture a reuealing cause because in it is reuealed truth of which reuelatiō there is need of a proponent cause to declare which is scripture which is among many the true sense of it Their priuate spirit which yet they make their proponent cause is so farre from being either infallible or credible that it is not only most fallible and subiect to deceaue yea and actually doth deceaue and hath deceaued so many but also most incredible without any apparence of probability eyther to them who haue it or to others who follow it that it can be true or direct and declare any truth at all We haue a proponent cause so certaine and infallible which is Church authority that it hath for the infallibility of it the predictions of Prophets the promises of Christ the declaration of the Apostls the confirmation of miracles the approbation of holy Fathers the practise of all antiquity what not all to proue the verity and infallibility of it in directing and declaring to vs what and why we are to belieue And in this proponent cause also we differ and that principally from the Protestants and so haue the aduantage prerogatiue ouer them in the externall meanes and so in all the meanes required to fayth For the priuate spirit in particuler if it were a sole necessary ground meanes of fayth as the Protestants without ground suppose it if euery Christiā lawfully might necessarily ought to rely vpon it which yet none can for the certainty of his Fayth Religion if it were a secure ground to build vpon and a certaine meanes as it is not to attaine to true fayth and saluation yet with as great reason yea with more probability might we Catholikes both chalenge it rely vpon it then the Protestants may or cā And 1. for the certainty of the spirit that they haue infallibly the spirit of God more then we what can they chalēge for it more then we What certainty can they claime more then we If they alleadge their bare word say they haue it we can alleadge ours and say also we haue it If they alleadge Scripture say they haue it for them we also can alledge the same and say we haue it for vs yea and had it before them for that they had what they haue of it from vs. If they alleadge they haue the true sense of Scripture for them and their priuate spirit we can alleage we haue the same and the same meanes to attaine it as they many of vs haue as great learning and knowledge in tongues as they as great a care and desire of truth as they as diligent paines and industry as they as feruent prayer and deuotion to find and obtaine it as they If they alleadge the sense and feeling of this spirit within them we can alleadge and feele as much sensible deuotion and more spirituall as many inspiratiōs illuminations these more certain as great promptnes and readines to obey Gods motions that with more humility then they yea in all these we haue and can alleadge more then they 1. The conformity in iudgement with the ancient Fathers Councels and Church with whome we agree 2. The direction and authority of our holy Mother the spouse of Christ our Church which we obey 3. The subordination and vnion of our selues with our Pastours Superiours of the Church to whome we are subiect subordinate And all this haue we more then they all making vs more certaine then they all better grounded then they So that we may confidently say with the Apostle In quo quis audet audeo ego VVhat they dare we dare what they can we can what they may chalenge for the probability of their spirit we can may chalenge the same yea more then they plus ego with more reason and probability vpon better safety security In the certainty therfore of this spirit if it be secure we are equall with them yea many degrees aboue them Secondly For the necessity of hauing the true spirit of God in vs and the efficacy or effect of the operation of it with vs we Catholikes are so far from denying either that we hould a necessity and that absolute of both affirming that as a principle of our faith that no person whatsoeuer cā truly and duly belieue any article of faith much lesse al nor do any one worke auailable to saluation much lesse saue his soule without the special presence assistāce of the grace or spirit of God in him In as much therfore as concerns the necessary being and working of this spirit of grace of God in vs in some thinges we and the Protestantes agree in other we differ We agree 1. In that both of vs graunt and require an operation and assistance of this spirit of God not only to true faith but also to good life 2. In that both of vs do graunt require this operatiō to be so necessary in euery one that neither right faith nor vpright life can be attained or performed but by it that as the prime principal cause and agent 3. In that both of vs do graunt require this necessary and operating spirit to be so priuate particuliar internall in euery one that it hath an effectual operation or cooperation in him that so effectual that to it is attributed the effect of our conuersion saluation And thus farre we agree Thirdly We differ frō them in these 1. In the name vsual manner of appellation for we cal it the grace of God which as before is of diuers sortes some gratis giuen as the guift of languages cures c. some iustifying as Faith Hope Charity some actuall as excitant adiuuant operant cooperant sufficient effectual the rest before mentioned They call it the spirit or priuate spirit or motion of God as inspiring and working whatsoeuer good is wrought in them 2. We
differ in the extension of it for we affirme this grace to be extended offered and giuen sufficiently though not effectually to all so that all and euery one of reason haue sufficient meanes and ability to know God by Faith and to loue him by Charity so far as is needfull for their saluation They affirme their spirit to be restrayned offered and giuen only to the elect faithfull whome they make all one and that all others neither haue nor can haue it but are by the absolut will and decree of God debarred from it therby made incapable of it 3. We differ in the manner of operation of it for we affirme that grace doth worke or cooperate with vs and we with it so that the grace of God and our Free-will as two concurring causes though Grace the more principall do ioyntly effect and produce euery good worke of Faith Hope or Charity or the rest in vs whereby our good works haue of grace that they are diuine supernaturall and of our selues that they are voluntary and free of both that they are meritorious of more grace present in vs and of glory in heauen to come to vs. They doe attribute so much to the worke of their spirit in them that they take away all cooperation of our free-will in vs wherby they make man as dead without all action or operation to any spirituall and good workes make the spirit soâ—e whole worker of all in man Fourthly We differ in the nature and permanency of this grace or spirit for we acknowledge grace to be an inherent quality permanent guift infused into our soule which doth enlighten enable our vnderstanding to giue assent by faith to the diuine mysteries proposed and inspire our will to be sorrowfull by contrition for our sins committed which guift once infused is not so permanent perpetuall but that the habit of Charity is lost by mortall sinne against Charity the habit of Hope by desperation against hope the habit of faith by infidelity against faith They or many of theÌ„ deny all infused guifts of faith hope charity or the rest admit only a transeunt motion or operatioÌ„ of the spirit which working in man without mans cooperation when what how and in whome it pleaseth is neuer totally or finally lost after it be receaued doth make a man alwayes faythfull and beloued of God and doth giue that vertue to all his workes though neuer so bad that they make them gratefull and acceptable to him so that according to them no worke of a faithfull man though neuer so bad can make any enmity betweene God him God neither imputing it as an offence to him nor man incurring the displeasure of God for it Fiftly We differ in the effect and operation assigned to it for we assigne the function and office for example Of the guift of faith to be the eleuation enabling of our Vnderstanding to giue assent to what is reuealed by God deliuered in scripture or tradition and proposed by Church authority Of the guift of hope to be the inflammation of the soule to loue God as our chiefest end to desire him as our greatest Good to hope for him as our good absent and to delight in him as our good present Of the guift of charity or grace to be the forgiuenes of our sinnes the sanctification of our soule adoption to be the sonnes of God title and right to the kingdome of heauen and a valew dignity of merit to our good workes They assigne to their priuate spirit a double effect the one of proposing the obiect the other of working in the subiect In respect of the obiect it proposeth to them what they are to belieue and why they are to beleeue it and how they are to know both In respect of the subiect it workes in them say they a firme and infallible assurance of all the former thinges belieued so that they stand sure and certaine not only of the Scripture the sense of it and of their doctrine and verity of it but also of their spirit that it is of the Lord and of their saluation that it is as due to them as it is to vse Caluins owne words due to Christ and that they can no more loose heauen then can Christ nor be no more damned then can Christ In which they attribute to their priuate spirit all the reason of credibility exteriour and all the operation interiour both in the will and vnderstanding which they haue of the certainty of all their faith and saluation By all which is apparent that as they made it the sole ground foundation which is in the former part at large proued on which their faith is built so they make it the sole meanes as is here proued and the totall cause materiall formall finall and efficient both exteriourly reuealing proposing and persuading and interiourly working or rather deluding them in the obstinacy rather then certainty of their supposed faith And this priuate spirit and this effect of it is that which they rest vpon and that which in this second Part we intend by the assistance of Gods grace to confute and disproue THE PRIVATE SPIRITS INTERPRETATION OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE Deciding of controuersies iudging of mysteries of Fayth coÌ„futed by holy Scripture CHAP. II. Out of 1. S. Iohn 4. 1. S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.11 Act. 20.30 2. S. Pet. 2. describing this Spirit SECT I. THE holy Ghost in holy Writ borh foreseeing and also forshewing to vs the abuse of this priuate spirit the better to forewarne vs of it to arme vs against it doth not only in generall as it doth many other abuses but euen in particuler and as it were on set purpose both plainely decipher and describe it also fully confute and condemne it Out of it therefore we will draw our first arguments of confutation and by it conuince of falsity this deceitfull and deceauing spirit And first to begin with the new Testament for the more full instruction of our selues and the plainer confutation of this spirit I will for one proofe conioine in one argument the testimonies of the chiefest Apostles that is of S. Iohn S. Peter and S. Paul First S. Iohn 1. epist chap. 4 v. 1. doth plainely giue admonitions against this spirit 1 Belieue not euery spirit 2 but try the spirits if they be of God Secondly both S. Iohn and S. Paul doe giue the reasons why we should not belieue but try these spirits S. Iohn v. 2. Because many false spirits are gone out into the world S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.11 Because in the last tymes certaine shall depart from the fayth attending to spirits of errour and doctrine of Diuells Againe 2. Cor. 11.14 For that Satan himselfe doth transfigure himselfe into an Angell of light that is doth make shew of workes of piety iustice and deuotion thereby to allure men by opinioÌ„
of him to his traps of errours damnation Thirdly both S. Peter S. Paul do shew in what sortes of persons is this spirit what fruits and effects it produceth in them S. Paul briefly calls the persons Rauening wolues who after his departure will enter among them and men who arising out of themselues will speake peruerse thinges and draw many disciples after themselues S. Peter more fully describes the effects of it shewing That it makes false Prophets and lying maisters who bring in Sectes or as it is in the Greeke heresies of perdition Who blaspheme the way of truth walke in the concupiscence of vncleanesse contemne dominion allure vnstable soules promise liberty speake proud thinges of vanity entangle those who flye from co-inquinations of the world and turnes from the holy Commandement and knowne way of Iustice and being vnlearned vnstable depraue the Scriptures to their perdition These are the effects of this spirit which that we should not belieue for the foresayd reasons the Apostle did giue the foresayd caueat or admonition In which we may note First for the former admonition that there are diuers reasons why we are not to belieue euery spirit 1. Because there are so many and diuers spirits As one the spirit of God which is of God Another the spirit of man which is in man Another the spirit of the world which is of worldly thinges Another the spirit of the Diuell which is euill One which is the spirit of truth Another the spirit of lying and errour One the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding Another the spirit of giddinesse 2. Because the effects of these spirits are often doubtfull not certaine of what spirit they proceed 3. Because the similitude and manner of their operations motions is many tymes great and hard to be discerned 4. Because the art and meanes how to discerne and iudge of them is very hard not certaine 5. Because the guift of discerning them is extraordinary rare and giuen to few of all which is fully treated in the ensuing Chapters therefore great reason there is not to belieue the suggestion of euery spirit great danger there is in following the direction of euery priuate spirit great discretion must be vsed before that any man though learned and holy much more simple and sinnefull can either in wisedome and prudence giue credit or with safety and security rely himselfe his fayth and saluation vpon any priuate spirit or motion of it Reason therfore and experience confiâ—mes the doctrine and caueat of S. Iohn That we should not belieue euery spirit Secondly we may note for the tryall of these spirits 1. How and by what rule this tryall is to be made 2. Who and what sort of persons are to make it and apply the rule For the rule and meane of trying these spirits Catholikes assigne it to be the spirit of Gods Church or of the chiefe Pastours in it gouernours of it as consenting or at the least not dissenting one with another and as vnited and no way separated by schisme or heresy from their head so that what spirit soeuer is squared by this spirit directed by it and conformable in fayth and manners to it is infallibly the spirit of God And what spirit of whomesoeuer is contrary to it diuided from it or separated from communion or society of it is certainly not the spirit of God but of man the world or the Diuell And this is a way certaine to try spirits and discerne which is true or false good or bad of God or the enemy For sith the spirit of God is as God is one and not diuided One God one Lord one spirit one and the same spirit In one spirit we are baptized into one and in one spirit made all to drinke And sith the Church of God is directed by this one and the same spirit this spirit of truth this Paraclete the Holy Ghost which shall teach all truth It followes that whosouer are partes of this Church and members of this body You are the body of Christ and members of member must haue their spirit vnited with it ordered by it and subordinate to it And see whatsoeuer spirit is contrary to it or diuided from it cannot be the spirit of God but the spirit of the enemy of God This is apparent out of authority of holy Scripture The Protestants for the most part will haue this rule of triall to be Scripture for so is their common Tenet that al spirits are to be tryed by the word of God yet some of them of more quick insight finding this to be insufficient Because sayth Caluin they who say thus say somewhat but not all for except we haue the spirit of prudence to discerne it will little auaile to haue the Scripture on the fingers ends therefore they assigne the consent of Church or Councel for vnity sake thus saith Caluin to be this publicke rule or meanes against those mad men who bragge of the spirit But being vrged yea Caluin vrges it himselfe whether a man shall rest on the Councels determination he resolues Noe. For sayth he euery spirit of euery priuate belieuer shall iudge of this decree and determination of the Councell If so then as the publicke Councell shall try and iudge the spirit of euery priuate man so the spirit of euery priuate man shal againe try iudg the spirit of the Councel And then what end or pause wil be of trying and iudging betweene euery priuate mans spirit the Councells spirit And what certainty can be in either This therefore is a round or circle no meanes or rule to try spirits if they be of God as in the eight Chapter is more fully declared And this for the rule of trying spirits For the persons who by office haue right to try spirits and apply this rule and meanes though the Catholikes prohibit none yea perswade all for their owne satisfaction to do it so they do it by the direction of the former rule according to the modell of it yet the proper office function to do it they assigne only to the Pastours and directours in Gods church who by the authority of their function and the ability of their learning should in reason be more fit to discerne these spirits and direct the people in the discerning of them and also by this direction establish keep a subordination of inferiours to Superiours or of the sheep to the Pastour and nourish and maintaine an vnity of of Faith and doctrine among both The Protestantes giue this right and office of discerning spirits to all and euery faythfull person to whome they giue liberty euery one to try and iudge their Pastour yea all Pastours Prelates CouÌ„cels and their spirits Whereby as they infringe all Ecclesiasticall subordination so they are expresly
contrary to S. Paul who doth assigne for one of the guifts of gratiae gratis giuen which is not common to all the guift to discerne spirits thereby also do open gappe to all confusion and dissentiō and thus faile not only in the meanes how but also in the persons by whome spirits are to be tryed Out of all which I reason thus That spirit which we are forewarned not to belieue which is to be tryed by another spirit and that spirit by another in infinitum That spirit into which Sathan transfigureth himselfe deceauing many and making many false Prophets and rauenous wolues That spirit which brings in Sects of perdition drawing many out of the Church which causeth so many to blaspheme the way of truth to walke in concupiscence to contemne dominion to allure vnstable soules to promise liberty to speake proudly to depraue Scriptures to turne from the Commandement and to draw disciples after it That spirit which cannot be discerned whether it be the spirit of God man or the Diuell whether of truth or falshood of wisedome or giddines and in regard it hath so great similitude in effect and operation one with another That spirit I say cannot be an infallible rule and iudge to interprete Scripture iudge of fayth decide controuersies and direct euery man in the way of his saluation this is euident and needs no proofe But such is the priuate spirit which euery priuate person and sect-maister challenges to himselfe as is before proued and by experience confirmed in that euery Heretike ancient or late hath by force of it separated himselfe from Gods Church broached so many blasphemous opinions contemned so highly all church-Church-authority promised licentious liberty of the Ghospell depraued so fowly holy Scriptures and drawne so many into perdition after them all which shall more at large afterwardes be confirmed Therefore it doth follow that this priuate spirit cannot be a rule of fayth able to assure and secure euery one in his beliefe and saluation And thus much of the first proofe out of Scripture against this priuate spirit Out of 2. Pet. 1.20 making the same spirit authour and interpreter of Scripture SECT II. THE second proofe is out of S. Peter who 2. Pet. 1.20 prouing the power and present cōming of Christ first by the eye-witnesse of some in his Transfiguration next by a more firme testimony in respect of the Iewes that is the holy Scripture which he commends for the effect which is to lighten as light in a darke place and for the authour which is the Holy Ghost hath among the rest these wordes Vnderstanding this first that no prophecy of Scripture is made by priuate interpretation for not by mans will was prophecy brought at any tyme but the holy men of God spake inspired with the Holy Ghost In which wordes S. Peter makes first a serious premonition Vnderstanding this first as a point of principall and important consideration Secondly he layes downe his assertion in wordes plaine powerful against this priuate spirit That no prophecy of Scripture that is no sense and meaning of Scripture for so are they called some Prophets because they did expound the secret hidden mysteryes of Scripture and foretell the ioyes of heauen to the iust as S. Ambrose and S. Anselme with all others do expound it is made by priuate interpretation that is according to S. Chrysostome Not by the spirit which many bragge of as the spirit of God but falsly pretending it do speake that which is their owne According to S. Clement Not according to the proper vnderstanding of our owne wit Yea according to Caluin Not by our owne proper sense for what we produce out of it is prophane The sense therefore according to the plaine wordes and generall consenting interpretation of all is No priuate spirit of any priuate man expounding Scripture according to his owne priuate sense and proper conceit and fancy is a fit meanes to interpret Gods holy word of which thirdly he giues this reason because not by mans will or by any selfe seeming humane conceit was prophecy brought at any tyme that is the sacred and holy sense of Gods holy word neuer at any tyme brought forth and penned but the holy men of God the Prophets and Apostles spake and dictated what they wrote inspired with the Holy Ghost that is Because the Holy Ghost was the author of the wordes and sense of holy Scripture in the mouth and handes of those who first penned it Therfore must the same holy Ghost be the expositour of the sense of it in the mouthes of them who rightly vnderstand it And this to be the true sense of this place witnesse besides the former testimonies not only the Rhemists Bellarmine and others but also Caluin himselfe saying The spirit which spake by the Prophets is the only interpreter of himselfe Out of which place and wordes I inferre first that as the true text of Scripture it selfe so also the true sense and meaning of it is a meane and ground of Christian religion first and principally to be knowne Secondly that this true sense is not to be made by any priuate interpretation of the priuate spirit of euery priuate person Thirdly that it is to be made by the same spirit of God which was the first authour and dictatour of it And out of this inference and euidence of wordes I argue thus That spirit which must be the true and infallible interpreter of holy Scripture is and must be the same which was the first author and writer of it as is heere proued but that spirit which first wrote the text of holy Scripture was not a guift or spirit communicated to euery priuate person though faythfull but only to the Prophets and Apostles the first and prime pillars and Pastours of Gods Church as is euident Therefore this and the same spirit or guift which is giuen to expound the same scripture is not a spirit giuen to euery priuate belieuer but only to the Pastours and pillars of Gods Church who as they are the successors of the former first pillars and Apostles so also they receaue the same spirit to interprete the same Scripture which their Predecessours wrote As therfore the true spirit resided chiefly in the first Pastours pillars of Christs Church to write holy Scripture so also the same spirit resides chiefly in their succeeding Pastours and Prelates to expound it and not in euery faythfull and simple belieuer who can only read it Out of 1. Cor. 12.18 prouing the interpretation of of Scripture to be a guift gratis giuen not common to all faythfull SECT III. THE third proofe is taken out of those places of Scripture which attribute this guift of interpreting Scripture not gratiae gratificanti or to iustifying grace which is common to all faythfull belieuers and adopted children of God but gratijs gratis
who vnder the shew of aduising vse the arte of seducing for which Iob before he began to dispute with them sayd he would shew them to be Fabricatores mendacij cultores falsorum dogmatum 13.4 Framers of lies and worshipers of false opinions Of these three of them being conuinced by the speaches of Iob and made silent therby the fourth Eliu the Busite a young man of a more feruent spirit the sonne of Ram that is Excelsus or Proud a new maister riseth vp angry against Iob because he sayd he was iust before God v. 2. against his friends because they could not answere Iob with reason v. 3.5 And beginning first to commend himselfe and his silence Because I was young I was affraid to speake and then to condemne his elders saying That the ouldest are not the wisest neither doe the old wen vnderstand iudgment And lastly to shew of what race he is come and to our purpose he sayes As I see the spirit is in man and the inspiration of the omnipotent doth giue vnderstanding v. 8. and I also will answere my part and will shew my knowledge for I am full of wordes and the spirit of my belly streyneth me behould my belly is as new wine without a vent which breaketh new vessels I will speake and take breath a little I will open my lippes and will answere v. 18.19.20 God hath made me as he hath made thee chap. 33. v. 6. Heare yee wise mē my words and yee learned harken to me cap. 34. v. 2. Heere is a description of a new spirit and of one full of it a Caluinist or Puritan in the highest degree he hath the spirit of God the inspiration of the Omnipotent vnderstanding aboue others his belly is full of the spirit and words seeking vent as wine out of a new vessell he will speake talke and answere that which his Auncestours and wise men could not he hath reason which they had not he is inspired by the Omnipotent which they are not he is inspired that Iob is vniust because he sayd He was iust before God v. 2. that the ancients are destitute of wisedome and iudgment of the spirit of God of all truth verity that he hath the spirit of truth and that all truth is to be learned of him this spirit in a hoat Puritan sayth as Sedechias the false Prophet who had a lying spirit in his mouth sayd to Micheas the true Prophet Hath the spirit of the Lord left me and hath it spoken to thee No sure for the spirit of God hath forsaken the whole Church to which yet it was promised by Christ so that it hath erred is fallen and become Antichristian but the spirit is certainly in me it infallibly teaches me truth tels me the meaning of scripture assures me of saluation it cannot depart from me and my mouth the mouth of my seed for euer thus sayth the Caluinist out of his spirit as this Eliu and Sedechias sayd out of theirs Out of which I argue thus That spirit which is the same with the spirit of these false Prophets who were so seduced and armed by it against the Saintes and Prophets of God cannot be a fit spirit to interprete Scripture iudge of doctrin and to make a sole ground of beliefe but such is the priuate spirit now and alwayes hath beene in all former Heretiks and false Prophets therefore it cannot be a fit iudge of controuersies and an infallible interpreter of Scriptures Out of Tit. 3.10 shewing the spirit of an Hereticke SECT VI. THE sixth proofe is taken out of an admonition giuen by S. Paul against Heretikes Tit. 3.10 in these wordes A man that is an Heretike after the first and second admonition auoid knowing that he that is such an one is subuerted sinneth being condemned by his owne iudgement In which wordes we are to note First who is an Heretike that is to be auoided 2. The reason why he is to be auoided First therfore as Heresy is a voluntary errour in the vnderstanding against some verity of Fayth obstinatly defended by him who hath once belieued so an Heretike is he who hauing once professed the Christian fayth doth erre in some article of it doth with obstinacy defend his errour for which is requisite 1. That he haue receaued the Christian fayth at least in Baptisme by professing it 2. That he erre in some point or points of fayth not in al for then he is an Apostata 3. That he be obstinate in his opinion or errour of which sort are not they who according to S. Augustine defend their opinions though false and peruerse with no stubborne stomack or obstinate hart especially if it be such as themselues by bold presumption broached not but receaued it of their deceaued parents and doe seeke the truth warily and carefully being ready to be reformed if they find it such These are not to be reputed among obstinate Heretikes But those according to the same S. Augustine Who in the Church of God haue any crazed and peruerse opinion if being admonished to be of a sound and right opinion they resist obstinatly and will not amend their pestiferous opinions but persist in the defence of them are thereby become Heretikes going forth out of the Church and are counted for enemies that exercise vs. Againe He i◠an Heretike that when the doctrine of the Catholike fayth is made plaine and manifest to him had rather resist it and chose that which himselfe held According to whome and the Doctours of our tyme he is sayd to be obstinate in heresy who willing witting doth maintaine any thing against the Catholike Church or which is all one who knowes and reflectes that his opinion is contrary to the sentence of the Catholike Church and yet neglecting the authority of the Church which proposeth it for true doth persist in his opinion And this is an Heretike who after admonition being growne thus obstinate is to be auoyded reiected and refuted Secondly the reason why we are to auoyd an Heretike is because that such an one sinneth in obstinacy and is subuerted without hope of amendement being condemned by his owne iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sayth Tertullian Because he chose that for which he is damned by willfully adherring to his owne opinion and conceit where the origen of his sinne subuersion and condemnation is his prefering his owne selfe-seeming conceit before the determination of the whole Church of God which is proper to those who rely vpon their owne spirit and prefer it before all euen the whole Church of God Out of which it followes first that the origen of all heresies is a mans owne proper and priuate conceit which he preferring before the iudgement of the whole Church chooseth to follow his owne opinion rather then the determination of the Church And out of this I argue thus All who rely and build vpon
apparitions so great similitude in their motions and apparitions so many rules and differences vpon long experience haue beene giuen to discerne them and so great skill cunning is requisite to apply them Sith there be so many and so dangerous wayes to take as of Pagans Iewes Turks Heretikes all differing condemning one another all depending vpon the motions of these spirits Sith such and so high is the excellency of the nature of these spirits to be discerned such and so weake the infirmity of man to discerne them such and so subtile malicious and powerfull is mans enemy the Diuell to deceaue in them by counterfeit dissimulation of piety or by forged illusions insteed of reuelations or by outward apparitions in forme of Saints Angels or God all by verity of examples confirmed Sith so speciall extraordinary so rare and vnvsuall is this gift of discerning these spirits Sith I say all this is so as is proued with what reason and iudgment can any man make this priuat spirit or rather selfe-seeming conceit of his owne braine a competent sufficient and infallible iudge to discerne and decide al these questions and difficulties arising vpon them What braine-sicke madnesse senslesse presumption is it for euery silly simple and vnlearned person man or woman all of which challēg this spirit to assume so much to themselues and presume so farre vpon their owne conceit as to discerne and declare which of euery one of these spirits is of God the deuill or nature which is good or bad which true or false either in thēselues or others and vpon this presumption to ground the certainty of their religion faith and saluation What greater temerity and rashnes can there be then to build a worke so great and important as is the eternity of saluation or damnation vpon no more solid and certaine a ground then is the proper conceit of euery priuate motion of an vncertaine spirit Surely if men were not blind or bewitched and that either willfully or foolishly blinded or bewitched and both so deeply that they eyther will not or cannot see what both sense reason doth dictate to their owne conscience what both authority and testimony of God and holy men doth lay before them what both examples experience of so many ages doth confirme vnto thē surely they could not but often doubt and distruct many tymes stagger and relent their owne iudgment conscience doubtlesse pricking them in this their ostentation of the certainty of their spirit they could not but sometyms enter into consideration yea and feele a sensible touch of trepidation in soule and stand in a wonder and amazemēt at themselues how they dare venture so far and stand so confidently in so weighty a matter vpon the judgement of so vncertaine vnconstant vnwarranted yea corrupted deceitfull and partiall a Iudge as is this their priuate spirit conceit imagination What man of reason and discretion or of care conscience will not hould it farre more secure and safe in these points of eternity with euery good Catholike to ioyne his spirit with the spirit of the Saints and seruants of God now reigning in heauen to subiect his spirit to the spirit of Gods holy Church heere on earth guided infallibly by an infallible spirit of God and by conforming themselues to this spirit to imbrace and follow that Fayth and religion that doctrine and discipline that sacrifice and sacraments which so many Saints and holy men so many Confessours and learned Doctours so many Churches and Councells in all ages throughout all Countryes belieued in their harts professed by their liues defended by their writinges and sealed and confirmed with their liues bloud And thus much for the first reason against the priuate spirit drawne from the difficulty to discerne spirits THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To interprete Scripture and iudge of Fayth confuted by reasons drawne from the true and infallible authority and meanes of interpreting holy Scripture CHAP. V. VVhat Interpretation Authority and meanes are necessary infallible for the sense of Scripture SECT I. SVBDIV. 1. What Interpretation of Scripture is necessary THE better to vnderstand the reasons drawne from the infallible authority and meanes of interpreting of Holy Scripture by which the priuate spirits authority is confuted we may consider 1. What interpretatiō that is which is required as necessary 2. What authority as infallible is required to this intetpretation and in whome it is resident 3. What meanes are to be vsed and followed as certaine by these Interpreters to this interpretation Out of all which may be inferred and proued the insufficiency of the priuate spirit to be eyther authour or meanes of this interpretation of Scripture First therefore when we speake of the sense and interpretation of scripture we speake not of that sense and interpretation which is only probable and credible but of that which is certaine and infallible Not of that which is only for the pulpit and documents of manners or which is for the schooles and subtiltyes of diuinity but of that which is for doctrine of Fayth and articles of beliefe Not of that which is only to confirme and increase vs in that fayth which we already belieue but of that which is to persuade and produce fayth a new eyther in our selues when and why we first belieue or in others whome we persuade first to belieue And this is that sense of Scripture which as it is being rightly vnderstood in the sense which the holy Ghost intended a firme and solide foundation of true fayth so being falsly vnderstood and wikedly peruerted by false teachers it is the Mother or nurse of al heresies For as nothing is persuaded as worthy of beliefe but which is true or vnder the shew of truth and as the scripture is by all granted to be most true so all vse the text of Scripture as a meane to persuade that which they would haue to be belieued as true the true teachers in the true sense the false in the false sense both cyting the wordes and text but the one in that sense and meaning which the holy Ghost intended the other in that which they themselues inuented Which course of false sense as the Diuell first beganne when he would haue by Scripture persuaded Christ to cast himselfe downe headlong saying It is written he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee So the members of Sathan follow the same way and labour by the same Scripture to seduce the members of Christ as the faythlesse the faythfull the sacrilegious the religious the Heretikes the Catholikes For the Iewes would by Scripture haue proued that Christ was not only not Messias saying Search the Scriptures and see that from Gallilee a Prophet ryseth not but also that he was a malefactour and such a one as ought to dye saying VVe haue a law and according to our law he ought to dye And the same is continued both by Turkes
who receaue both the old and new Testament but interpreted according to Mahomets Alcaron and also by all Heretiks who seek to fill their books not oÌ„ly with words of Scripture but sayth Vincent Lyrin with thousands of testimonies thousands of examples thousands of authorityes out of the Law the Psalmes the Prophets the Apostles which expounded after a new and ill manner would thereby throw downe soules from the tower of Catholike fayth to the pit of wicked heresy being as our Sauiour sayth of them false Prophets or teachers who vnder the garments of sheep that is sayth Vincent Lyrin the wordes of the Prophets and Apostles are rauenous VVolues infesting the fold of the Church and deuouring the flocke of Christ and saying Christ is heere or there that is as Origen expounded it in this or that text of Scripture who thus transfiguring themselues into the shew of Apostles or preachers of Christ do labour to transfer the people into another Ghospell who depraue the Scripture to their owne and others destruction And by the wordes of the Law sayth S. Ambrose impugne the Law and do frame a false sense of the wordes of the Law that they may confirme their owne peruerse opinions by the authority of the Law Against al whome we may note the wordes of S. Hilary saying That Heresy is about the vnderstanding not the text of Scripture the sense not the words is the sinne And of S. Hierome That the Ghospell is not in the wordes but the sense of scripture not in the outward rine but in the inward marrow not in the leaues of wordes but in the root of the sense SVBDIV. 2. Who haue authority to make the Interpretation of Scripture SEcondly this sense and meaning of scripture because it is not facil and easy to be knowne to all by reason of the great obscurity in the wordes the great fecundity in the sense and the great profundity in the mysteries or articles belieued which cannot by euery one nor by any one without the assistance of the same spirit which penned it be vnderstood therfore is necessary some authentical certain and infallible authority for the true vnderstanding of this authenticall certaine and infallible sense of scripture This authority because it is in the Catholike Church chiefly in the Pastours and Prelates of the same for the better gouernement of it in true doctrine vpon whom God hath bestowed the infallible assistance of his holy spirit as is afterward proued therfore their authority is necessary for the finding out the true and certaine sense of scripture Whensoeuer therfore the chiefe Pastour or Pastours of the Church vsing the meanes for it appointed of which in the next proposition do either ex Cathedra or in a Councell confirmed approued or by a generall consent propose deliuer and declare any sense or exposition of scripture as true and to be belieued as an article of faith in any controuersy against heretikes then is that sense to be receaued for their authority as authenticall certaine and infallible From whence ensues that though in matters of Philosophy and reason we must rather attend what is said theÌ„ by whome it is said and respect rather the force then the authority of the person who sayes it yet in matters of faith we must first respect them who preach and the authority and commission of their person and by it iudge of their doctrine preached For if the person be lawfully sent if he haue lawfull commission if he be a lawfull pastour not deuided by heresy or schisme from the whole body then the people are to attend to him and for his commission to receaue his doctrine but if he want mission commissioÌ„ if he teach of himselfe and his owne authority if he produce the doctrine not of the Church-proposition but of his owne inuention let him teach what he wil proue it how he wil he is not to be heard nor belieued by the common and vulgar people to whom it belonges to be obedient subiect to the authority of their Pastour not to iudge of the verity of his doctrine more then in generall whether it be consonant or dissonant from the vniuersally receaued doctrine of the Church for they are to obey their Pastours to remaine in the same rule in the faith first deliuered in that which they heard from the beginning to auoid profane nouelties of words not to receiue any other Ghospel or doctrine but that which they learned and receaued from the beginning leauing the particulars to the testimony of others either equal to their pastour in function or superiour to him in authority Which point is to be noted against the Manichees of old and the Protestants of late who respect not the authority of the Preacher but the force of his reason attend not to the commission of the Pastour who he is that teacheth but to the plausibility of his doctrine what it is and how far it is pleasing to their priuat spirit disposition or iudgment SVBDIV. 3. What meanes are to be vsed to make this Interpretation and of foure Rules of infallible interpreting of scripture Thirdly The meanes which are to be obserued vsed and followed by these Pastours or Prelats for the securing vs of this true sense of scripture are these 1. The rule of faith that is the Catholike and vniuersally receiued doctrine of faith and piety which was deliuered by the Apostles receiued by posterity 2. The generall practise or obseruatioÌ„ custome or tradition of the whole Church in pointes where the doctrine is not certaine 3. The auncient exposition or consent of the holy fathers and doctours of the primitiue Church where the former do not appeare 4. The decrees and definitions of the Councels either generall or prouincial approued by generall and the conformity to them in all expositions doubtfull Thâ—se are as so many rules or conducts according to which the certaine and authenticall sense of scripture is by the Pastours of gods Church to be squared and guided First that the rule of fayth is to be presupposed obserued and followed in the finding out the true sense of scripture is proued 1. This rule of Fayth is by S. Paul who often doth mention it called sometymes a rule which bringeth peace VVho haue followed this rule peace be on them Sometimes a rule in which they are to remaine to auoid dissentions Let vs remaine in the same rule that we may iudge the same Sometymes his rule which he deliuered to them and by which they are to increase in fayth Your fayth increasing according to our rule Sometymes a reason of Fayth according to which is giuen the guift of prophesy or interpretation of scripture Donations or prophesy according to the rule of Fayth And in effect it is no other but the doctrine they receaued the fayth preached through the whole world the disposition
or forme of true doctrine which they had learned and is committed to them The doctrine which they receaued froÌ„ the beginning VVhich was first euangelized to them Or the precepts of the Apostles and ancients Or rather of our Sauiour deliuered by the holy Prophets and Apostles And the word of God which remaines for euer That the knowledge of this rule or doctrine of fayth is presupposed to the true knowledge and vnderstanding of scripture is proued both by scripture and reason By scripture the Prophet Isay sayth as S. Cyprian and S. Augustine do both of them read and vnderstand it Except you belieue you cannot vnderstand that is sayth S. Cyprian the Iewes cannot vnderstand the scripture except they first belieue in Christ S. Augustine sayth There be some of you who vnderstand not and therefore they vnderstand not because they belieue not let vs first adhere by Fayth that we may be reuiued by vnderstanding And in another place Fayth must go before Vnderstanding that the vnderstanding may be the reward of Fayth Therefore Fayth and the rule of fayth is necessary before the vnderstanding of Scripture Secondly the Scripture for the sense is a Booke sealed with seauen seales these seales none can open but he who hath the key of Dauid This key of Dauid is giuen only to them who are faythfull with Dauid therfore the key of faith is requisit to the opening the sense of the booke of scripture which is confirmed by S. Hierome who alleadging the same words sayth The Law is spirituall and requires reuelation that it be vnderstood For proofe of which he produceth the example of the Eunuch who read but vnderstood not the scripture till Philip did expound it to him made him faythfull and so became of a scholler a Maister Thirdly Euery learned Scribe in the Kingdome of Heauen is like to a man the maister of a family who bringeth out of his treasure new and old The Scribes were the Maisters and Interpreters of scripture but they were in the kingdome of heauen that is in the Church by Fayth and so did interprete the new and old Testament which S. Augustine alleadging to the same purpose against the Manichees sayth You vnderstand not because you belieue not as sayth I say for you are not instructed in the kingdome of heauen that is in the true Catholike Church of Christ for if you were you would produce old and new out of the scriptures Therfore one must be a scholler in the Church by fayth before he can come to vnderstand the scripture as a Maister Fourthly S. Paul sayth to Timothy Thou hast learned holy scriptures from thy infancy which are able to instruct thee to saluation by fayth which is in Christ. If the scriptures instruct by Fayth then Fayth is prerequired before we can be instructed by them or vnderstand them Fifthly the holy Fathers and Doctours of the Church haue by the breach of this rule as a signe discerned Heretikes and by the authority of it as a strong argument confuted the same Thus were discerned Marcion Valentinus Câ—rinthus and Basilides by their deprauing the rule of truth witnesse Irenaeus Thus Paulus Samosatenus by his forsaking the Canon of the Church and flying to strange and adulterous doctrine Thus Montanus by his vttering strange words contrary to the custome of the Church deriued by tradition and succession from the Apostles witnes of both Eusebius Thus Nestorius by forsaking the ancient doctrine and introducing of new witnes Socrates And thus all Heretikes by their forsaking the rule of Christianity witnesse S. Augustine They being all esteemed to haue truth on their side who walke according to the rule which the Church receaued from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ witnes Tertullian Thus did S. Hierome confute and confound the heresy of the Luciferians by the light of the Sunne of the Church Gregorius Nazianzen the same by the doctrine abhorring the same S. Basil the Eunomians by the vnwritteÌ„ tradition of the Church Athanasius the Arians by the authority of the Orthodoxe Church and his ancestors opposite to them and abhorring their doctrine S. Epiphanius the Melchisidechians by the tradition of the Apostles and succession of doctrine The Millenarians by their transgressing the limits of the holy Church of God and the hope of Propheticall and Apostolicall tradition in fayth and doctrine And the Demerâ—s and other Heretikes by the style of Christianisme and the phrase of the Apostles receaued from the Fathers S. Augustine the Pelagians by the grounded custome of the Church hastening to baptisme infants By the most ancient knowne and vndoubted rule of Fayth truth And by the authority of the Church so commended in scrâ—pture The Donatists by the authority of the Church and by apostolicall Tradition And both Irenaeus Origen and S. Augustine did confute all Heretikes by the tradition of the Apostles manifest to the whole world in the Church sayth Irenaeus By the Ecclesiasticall tradition dissented off by none sayth Origen By the Catholike Church whose not receauing any opinion is sufficient sayth S. Augustine to confound any heresy Therfore the doctrine and practise of the ancient Fathers was to discerne and confute all Heretikes by this rule of Fayth Sixthly the same is proued by Reason because the scripture is the booke of the faythfull not the faithlesse therefore as it was writ to the faythfull as the conuerted Iewes Romans Corinthians c. so it is vnderstood truely only by the faythfull as the Christians not by the Infidels as the Iewes Turkes and Heretikes who haue and read the wordes but vnderstand not the sense meaning because the veile is yet ouer their eyes in the reading of it for want of fayth therefore the letter that is the words and reading of it doth kill them and is to them a ministration of death and only the spirit that is the vnderstanding of it doth giue life to them who haue fayth Of which necessity of Fayth prerequired to the vnderstanding of Scripture see Stapleton de principijs Doctrinalibus where the same is further proued out of the ancient Fathers testimonyes to wit S. Augustine Irenaeus Origen Athanasius Cyrill of Alexandria Theodoret and Vincentius Lyrin who sayth that the holy and learned men did interprete the holy Scripture according to the traditions of the Catholike Church and the rule of Catholike fayth And againe That the line of propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation must be directed according to the rule of the Catholike and Ecclesiasticall sense Which and much more he alleadges against the custome of Heretikes who haue alwayes the Scripture in their mouth and out of it do confirme their errours Out of which may be inferred how vntruly and fraudulently the Protestants do generally auerre that in the scripture the spirit of God is and is to be sought
oecumenicall Councels all of impartiall and authenticall authority which they do not And by this Catholiques are more secure of the true sense of scripture then they haue their faith better grounded vpon the scripture then they and haue their spirit better warranted by God more secured that it is from God and surer combined with the spirit of the auncient Catholicke and Apostolicke Church with the spirit of the holy and learned Doctours and Saintes of God with the spirit of the generall and receiued Councels of Gods Church none of which they haue And by this we haue our beliefe grounded vpon a certaine infallible authenticall sense of scripture which they haue not And thus much of this priuate spirit that it cannot be a fit and certaine Rule or meanes truly and infallibly to interprete the holy scripture THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Reasons drawne from the nature of a Iudge of Fayth CHAP. VI. The properties of a Iudge of Fayth SECT I. THOVGH the Iudge of the sense of Scripture and of controuersies of faith be all one and therfore that which hath beene spoken of the one might also suffice for the other yet because faith extends it selfe larger then the scripture because the true Iudge of faith from the false may be the more clearly discerned the functiōs of this priuate spirit may be also more plainly confuted therfore I adde in this Chaprer these reasons drawne from the office of a Iudge of Controuersies to shew the insufficiency of this spirit to be a iudge of thē In which we may note for this iudiciary power and authority 1. What it is and what properties and conditions it requires 2. In whome it is and who are to exercise this authority 3. How it is to be ordered and what rules are to be followed in the exercise of it which being distinctly and fully considered the inability and insufficiency of this spirit to make a Iudge of faith will more clearly appeare First therfore we may note that as in a temporall Common-wealth where contentions arise offences are committed and tittles are questionable that besides the lawes established there are necessary also Iudges to determine causes to decide titles and to punish offences so also in the spirituall Common-wealth of the Church where controuersies are of a higher nature questions no fewer in number and the offences more grieuous in quality some personall Iudge or iudges are no lesse yea more necessary to discerne verity in all doubts to establish vnity in all contentions and to punish obstinacy in persons who offend Some Iudge therfore is necessary as well in spirituall causes as in temporall as well for matters of doctrine as of iustice and as well in pointes of faith as of manners This Iudge because all faithfull belieuers are obliged to belieue and obey his sentence as true and iust though not in consequences appendixes of faith yet in materiall and substantiall foundatitions of faith though not in schoole questions pulpit conceites which infringe not the solidity of faith yet in maine articles and principall mysteries of faith vpon which is cōposed a complet edifice of true religion though not in probations and allegations for the proofe of pointes of faith yet in the determinations and conclusions of the points or articles themselues though not in case when is intended only to confirme the weake to satisfy the curious or to confound the proud yet in case when is intended to condemne any doctrine as heresy vnder anathema and to declare and define expresly for the common and publicke good of the whole Church any verity of doctrine formerly by the practise of the Church receaued or by the assent of the faithfull at the least virtually belieued Because I say all faithfull are obliged to belieue and obey this Iudge and his sentence in pointes and articles substantiall defined and concluded by sentence definitiue against heresy for the good of the whole Church therfore it is necessary that this Iudge vpon whome depends the verity of beliefe and the saluation or damnation of so many who by a true or false faith are saued or damned haue these properties or conditions in him in his authority 1. That he be visible and manifest in person so that he may know and be knowne heare and be heard speake and be spoken vnto and therby haue a publicke Court giue publick audience examine publicke causes pronounce publicke sentence betweene parties who contend and in contentions which are debated 2. That he haue power and authority warrant and commission to giue Iudgment pronounce sentence and to compell parties to obedience and performance 3. That he haue warrant of infallibility in this his sentence that he cannot erre or determine errour deceaue or be deceaued in this his verdit corrupt or be corrupted by partiality in his iudgment All which are as it were essentially necessary for this iudge for if he be not publicke knowne in person others cannot haue accesse to him nor he vnderstand the causes of others if he be not certaine and infallible in his sentence he cannot determine matters of certainty nor can others be secured by him if he want authority and power to oblige and compell he cannot end the controuersy and establish peace and vnity in the Church which is the end of his iudgment Further because this Iudge is to haue this infallible authority and that all are obliged to rely vpon him and his iudgment that he may the more securly proceed in his iudgment and others more confidently rely vpon it therfore he must haue some Rule likwise infallible and certaine by which he may be directed in his iudgment and some solid foundation vpon which he may build his definitiue sentence This rule or foundation because it is to be a rule ground of iudgment and that for persons in number so infinit and for causes in substance so important therfore it can require no lesse then these and such like properties for the solidity of it and the security of iudgment by it In respect of it selfe 1. That it be so certaine infallible that it can neither deceaue or be deceaued 2. That it be so continued and not interrupted that it cannot decay or perish 3. That it be so firme and immutable that it cannot be changed or corrupted In respect of the persons whom it is to direct 4. That it be so knowne and visible that it may be discerned by all sortes who haue need of it 5. So markable notable that it may be a signe distinctiue to distinguish true from false beleeuers 6. So necessary and important that without it no certainty can be had 7. So vniuersal general that it may satisfy all sortes of people Iewes or Infidels Heretikes or Catholikes yong or old vnlearned or learned In respect of the matter or mysteries which are to be determined 8. That it be so fundamentall that
men did iudge of Bishops That if we looke into Scripture or ancient tymes Bishops vsed to iudge of Christian Emperours not Emperours of Bishops Thus S. Ambrose imitating S. Athanasius who sayd When was it euer heard that the iudgement of the Church did receaue authority from the Emperour Many synods and iudgements haue beene yet did neither any Bishops persuade any Emperour any such thing nor any Prince shew himselfe curious in any Ecclesiasticall affaires Valens the Arian was asked by Eulogius the Priest in Edessa Hath the Emperour the dignity of Priesthood we haue a Pastour whome we must obey Anastasius the Eutichian was told by Gelasius the Pope That though he did rule ouer mē in earthly things yet he did subiect his necke to the Prelates in diuine thinges Thou knowest that thou oughtest to be ruled nor to rule in order of religion thou knowest that thou art to depend of this iudgement not they to be brought to thy will S. Mauritius was admonished by S. Gregory the great That Priests are as Gods among men therefore ought to be honoured of all Kinges And Michael was let vnderstand the same by the Nicolas 1. Leo the Image-breaker was told by S. Iohn Damascene That the Church ought to be ruled not by lawes of Kinges but by the written and not written institutions of Ancestours And to conclude S. Iohn Chrysostome sayd freely to his owne Deacon If any Duke Consull or the Emperour himselfe come vnworthily represse repell him thou hast greater power then he Where we may note that these Emperous were thus by these Fathers reprehended for assuming Ecclesiasticall iudgment either as Heretiks or as Tyrants nor yet for doing it alone without the Bishops but only and simply as Emperours who hauing only temporall power ouer the common-wealth did assume Ecclesiastical ouer the Church Which also is further proued by the confession and practise of the best of the Christian Emperours for Constantine the Great acknowledged that the Bishops had power to iudge him and when he did iudge of the cause of Caecilianus Bishop of Carthage he did it so that he asked pardon of the Bishops for it Valentinian the elder would haue them to iudge in a cause of fayth and ecclesiasticall order who are not vnlik either in office or title that is Priests of Priests Marcians commissioners referred themselues to the Councell of Calcedon to be taught in fayth and himselfe wills that Priests determine what is to be obserued in Religiō And though he himselfe went to the Councell yet it was not to determine but confirme the fayth not prescribing lawes sayth S. Ambrose but leauing the Priests free iudgement and making the Priests themselues Iudges as he did in the Councell of Aquileia Theodosius the second sent to the Councell of Ephesus but not so much as to talke of matters of Fayth holding it vnlawfull for those who are not of Episcopall order to medle in Ecclesiasticall affaires The same did Iustinian in his Constitutions and Basil in the eight generall Councell Thirdly because power not only to preach but much more to iudge of doctrine of fayth for the authority to iudge is the strong meat of perfect men whose senses are exercised to the discerning of good and euill was committed to Bishops as of greater difficulty then the office or preaching giuen to Priests and is a spirituall grace or guift giuen by imposition of handes to spirituall men according to that of the Apostle Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is giuen thee by prophecy with imposition of the handes of Priesthood Therefore as power to minister Sacraments is proper to Priests so also to iudge of Controuersies is proper to Bishops lawfully ordained by authority successiuely descending from the Apostles For which cause to Priests and Prelates not to Kings and Princes it is sayd Thou shalt seeke the law out of the mouth of the Priest My wordes shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of thy seedes seed for euer I will giue you mouth and wisedome which all your aduersaryes shall not be able to resist It is not you that speak but the spirit of my Father which speaketh in you He that heareth you heareth me He that knoweth God heareth vs. He that is not of God heareth vs not sayth one of the spirituall Pastours for which guift Caiphas prophesy was a guift of his functiō or priesthood according to S. Augustine though his ill life was the cause of ignorāce of what he prophesyed Lastly because many inconueniences and absurdities would follow if this authority were annexed to the kingly Scepter not to the priestly function for it would follow that Fayth could not continue one and the same neither in all persons nor in all tymes nor in all Countryes because Princes in all tymes and places are of disposition various in iudgement different in faction opposite and in subordination neither depending one of another nor alwayes respecting Religion or Religious persons more then may besteed them for their temporall and priuate endes and vses Wherefore as Ieroboam of old and Queene Elizabeth of late did relinquish the old and introduce a new Religion for reasons more politicke then diuine rather to establish their doubtfull titles then religiously to serue God so would Kinges by vertue of this their authority if it were in them either in policy or vpon affection be still altering Religions and setting vp new most for their owne endes and dispositions by which we should haue as many alterations of Religion as of Kinges and as many Churches as are Kingdomes and as great opposition in Faith as is in States and Common-wealthes All which may appeare by an example in Englād where while the authority in iudging in matters of faith was in the Prelats religion continued 900. yeares the same from Ethelbert till Henry the eight but after that power of iudging was assumed to the scepter by King Henry the 8. the supremacy by one the same King was in three yeares thrice changed from the Pope to the Clergy from the Clergy to the Archbishop from the Archbishop to the King and afterwards as many religions were a new broght in as Kings were a new crowned to wit one by King Henry another by King Edward a third by Queen Mary a fourth by Queen Elizabeth a fifth of Puritans would haue been vnder the same Queen if power had not preuented it and what may be yet lies in the power of the King and Parlament It would also follow that a man should be obliged alwayes to follow the religion of the King to change with the King and so should not be obliged to be certaine of any or to dy or suffer for any religion but should belieue and preach obserue and practice what the King prescribes
the Church As therfore there are customes lawes Iudges to decide causes ciuill so there is Tradition Scripture and a Iudge to decide causes spirituall and as customes and lawes are a rule not a Iudge to decide the one so also are tradition Scripture a rule not a Iudge to decide the other As well therefore is requisite besides Scripture some other liuing and speaking Iudge in matters of fayth religion to iudge and end the Controuersies among ChristiaÌ„s as is necessary besids Law some other personal iudge in affaires of the Common-wealth to debate and decide contentions among Neighbours The necessity of both which chiefly appeares when either the parties are contentious and not willing to yield or that the law is obscure and wantes explication or seemes contradictory and requires reconciliation or is penned in tearms generall and stands need of some restriction in causes particuler All which sith they fall out as well in Scripture as in common or ciuill lawes some iudge or iudges are as well necessary to expound Scripture as they are to interprete Lawes and thereby to end Controuersies And thus is sufficiently proued that neither Scripture and the word of God nor Princes and Kinges Gouernours of the Common-wealth nor the Lay common people among the Faythfull nor yet the whole body and congregation of the Church of God can be a fit iudge to pronounce sentence and determine matters of fayth and religion Bishops and Prelats of the true Church are this Iudge SECT VI. IT remaines to proue that this iudiciary power and authority to heare and examine to decide and determine as a Iudge authentical and infallible in matters of fayth belongs only to Pastours and Prelates of the Church and that they hauing receaued lawfull ordination by power successiuely descending from the Apostles by which they enter as sheepheardes not theeues and still remayning in vnity without heresy or schisme by which they continue true Pastours not Wolues that they I say thus ordained and vnited are the only and true Iudges of fayth Religion This position as much importing for the certainty of fayth in all persons and mainly confuting the authority of the priuate spirit in euery priuate person is fully to be proued 1. By the authority of the old Testament the practise of the Priests in it 2. By authority of the new Testament and the practise of Christ and his Apostles in it 3. By authority of the Church euer after Christ and the practise of all Bishops Prelates in it First therefore out of the old Testament we haue an expresse law made by God himselfe for this iudiciary authority of Priests in these wordes If thou perceaue that the iudgment with thee be hard and doubtfull betweene blood and blood cause and cause leprosy and not leprosy and thou see that the wordes of the Iudges within thy gates do vary aryse and go vp to the place which our Lord thy God shall choose thou shalt come to the Priests of the Leuiticall stocke and to the Iudge that shall be at that tyme and thou shalt aske of them who shall shew thee the truth of the iudgment and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they that are Presidents of the place which our Lord shall choose shall say and teach thee according to his law and thou shalt follow their sentence neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand but he that shal be proud refusing to obey the Commandment of the Priest which at that tyme ministreth to our Lord thy God and the decree of the Iudge that man shall dye In which wordes 1. The Priests haue authority and commission to iudge of all causes 2. The people are willed to go to them for iudgment in doubtfull causes 3. Vnder paine of death they are commauÌ„ded to stand too obey their iudgment without appeale to any higher Court of Prince or other In which we may note 1. The institution and beginning of this authority of the Priests in the old Law 2. The progresse and continuance of it 3. The end and cessation of it 1. The institution of it was for all cases of the Law of Commandment of Ceremonies of iustifications that is of the law morall of the ten Commandments ceremoniall of seruing God and iudicial of gouerning the people though in this place be mentioned only two causes that is of blood and leprosy These causes were determined in two Courts or Councells the one greater at Hierusalem called Synedrion consisting of the high Priest as chiefe and 70. with him as assistantes in which greater causes were iudged and appeales from the lower Councell were admitted and this was by God himselfe instituted The other lesser in euery Citty consisting of 23. persons who had the hearing and determining of smaller causes and was by Moyses at the aduice of Iethro his Father in law instituted By these two Councells were all causes iudged of these the Priests were Presidents and Iudges and of the greater the high Priest for the tyme was supreme Iudge whose senteÌ„ce in all causes and vnder paine of death all were obliged to obey 2. The continuance of this law and tribunall-seat doth appeare 1. By the facts of some of the Kinges chiefly of Iosaphat King of Iuda which repaired this Councel being decayed and made Amarias the high Priest President for those things which belonged to God and Zabadias for the office of the Kinges 2. By the wordes of the Prophets especially of Malachy who sends the people to the Priests to require the law from his mouth because he is the Angell of the Lord of Hoasts Of Aggaeus who bids them aske the Priests â—e Law And of the Wiseman who wils his sonne to seeke no further because the words of wisemen are as prickes and as nailes deeply stricken in which by the councel of Maisters are giueÌ„ of one Pastour Therfore this sentence is the last iudgmeÌ„t which admits no appeale 3. The end cessation of this law and Tribunall of Moyses doth appeare by the beginning of a new Tribunal of Christ For as with the death of Christ the obligation of the law the sacrifices of the Law and the prophesies vnder the law ceased and the verity of them being in his passion fullfilled so also the iudiciary power both of the Priest and of the Law diminished as the greater power of the new law-maker Christ increased And the assistance of the holy Ghost by degrees failed them and their Councell as by degrees the power of Christ was more plainely manifested the grace of the holy Ghost more abundantly bestowed of which out of Scripture we haue this proofe and experiment whereas the high Priest with the Priests Scribes and Phaâ—isies gathered three Councells in the life of Christ all about the person of Christ 1. In his infancy at the coÌ„ming of the Wise-men to consult where he was borne wheÌ„ Herod
testimony of truth to all Nations They are the Fathers who beget spirituall children by the preaching of the word who nourish them with the food of the Sacraments who rule them by good lawes and discipline and who defend them with their spirituall power authority They only haue the Keyes of the house of Dauid which they shall open and none shut The keyes of the Kingdome of heauen against which hell-gates shall not preuaile and the kingly Priesthood All because in and by their priestly function and authority Christ doth forgiue sinnes doth reconcile to him the world doth make lawes doth exercise his power and establish his kingdome of heauen and doth raigne in the house of Iacob for euer And thus is the iudiciary authority of the Church in the Pastours and Prelates of it lawfully ordained and peaceably vnited proued by the testimony of holy Scripture The same is further proued by the practise of the Church in all tymes and ages for when any Controuersy did arise any new opinion did start vp or any practise was doubtful and questioned the decision and iudgment was referred neither to the whole body of all belieuers nor to the Princes Kinges and Emperours the chiefe Protectours of the Church not to the Lay-people the greatest number in the Church not to the Scripture written word only which is a rule not properly a Iudge in the Church but to the chiefe Pastours and Prelates the Directours Gouernours of the Church who collected togeather in some Councell either prouinciall which sufficed in cases where the cause was either not important or other could not be collected or generall which was gathered when the cause was great the aduersaries potent and the assembling conuenient had the hearing examining and iudging of the cause referred to them and did censure the persons and put a finall determination to the cause question Thus we read that the question about the obseruation of Legall Ceremonies was determined in the Councell of the Apostles at Hierusalem The Controuersy about the obseruation of Easter on the 14. day as the Iewes vsed or the Sunday after as is now by Christians vsed was by diuers Councels decided as at Rome vnder Pope Victor at Hierusalem vnder Narcissus in France vnder Irenaeus in Pontus vnder Palma at Corinth vnder Bachillus and lastly at Nice vnder Pope Syluester Thus was the Nouatians and their sect denying pennance and absolution to them who failed in persecution condemned by the Prelates and Bishops of Italy at Rome of France at Arles and of Africke at Carthage Thus was Sabellius and his heresy denying the Trinity of persons condemned by the Prelates of Aegypt at Alexandria The Donatists and their schisme denying the validity of Baptisme ministred by Heretikes cōdemned at Rome Arles and Carthage and other places by the Bishops of the same Countryes Paulus Samosetanus and his errour affirming Christ to be pure man was condemned by the Bishops of Asia in two Synodes at Antioch Thus were the Manicheans condemned at Ancyra the Archontickes at Neocaesaria Eustachius at Gangra in Armenia Priscillianus at Toledo in Spaine Pelagius in Palestina Melitum Carthage Constantinople And Macedonius Apollinaris Photinus Sabellius Eunomius at Rome Berengarius at Vercells and Rome Luther and his fellowes at Ments Treuers and Colen in Germany and Macline Cambray and other places in the low-Countryes All which and many more were censured and iudged by the Bishops called in Synodes Prouinciall In like manner by the Prelates collected in generall Councells were censured and iudged the causes of greater heresies and contentions As that of Arius in the first Coūcell of Nice and the diuinity of Christ defended That of Macedonius in the second generall at Constantinople and the deity of the Holy Ghost confirmed That of Nestorius in the third generall at Ephesus and the vnity of one diuine person in Christ decreed That of Eutiches in the fourth generall Councell of Chalcedon and the verity of two natures in Christ concluded That of Peter and Seuerus of Antioch Petrus of Apamea Cyrus of Edessa Anthymius Acatius of Constātinople in the fifth generall at Constantinople and their persons with Origens errours condemned That of Cyrus of Alexandria Sergius Pyrrhus and Paulus of Constantinople and their Monothelite heresy of one will in Christ in the sixth generall at Constantinople condemned and the two wills in Christ determined That of Leo and Copronymus Emperours and the Image-breakers with them in the seauenth at Nice censured and the worship of Images defended That of Photius and the deniers of the procession of the holy Ghost from the Sonne in the eight generall at Constantinople reiected and Ignatius the Patriarch confirmed All which were in the Greeke Church In the latin and West Church Bishops also proceeded and iudged in the generall Councels as in the ninth and tenth generall at Lateran against the Sarazens and Anti-popes vnder Calixtus II. and Innocent II. In the eleuenth and twelfth also of Lateran against the Waldenses and Ioachim the Abbot vnder Alexander the III. and Innocent III. In the thirtenth fourtenth of Lyons against Fredericke the Emperour and the errour of the Greeks vnder Innocent IV. and Gregory the X. In the fifteenth at Vienna against the Begards and others vnder Clement the V. In the sixteenth at Florence against the Greeks vnder Eugenius the IV. In the seauenteenth at Lateran vnder Leo the X. against Schismatikes And lastly in the last at Trent vnder Paul III. Iulius the III. and Pius the IV. against the Lutherans all Heretikes of late In all which and others examination was made and iudgment giuen not by Princes Lay-people or the whole body of the Cleargy but only by Bishops and Prelates the chiefe Pastours of the Church who only and not the former were as appeares by authority of Scripture and the continued practise of the Church the true authenticall and infallible Iudges of controuersies of Fayth and Religion The priuate spirit cannot be this Iudge SECT VII IT remaynes to proue that this infallible and authenticall authority to iudge of controuersies of Fayth neither doth nor can reside in euery particuler faythfull person nor that the priuate spirit of euery one which is heer intended can be a competent Iudge of all controuersies of Religion This is conuinced by diuers proofes drawne from diuers heades The first proofe is drawne from the former reasons which disproue this authority to reside either in Princes or in the lay-people or the whole community of all faythfull belieuers for all the reasons which proue against them and their spirit proue much more against euery priuate person and this spirit in particuler The second proofe is drawne from the former reasons which proue this authority to be communicated only to the Prelates and chiefe Pastours of the Church for if the spirit of God
for this end be giuen only to them as it was to Moyses to iudge the people then it was not for the same end giuen to all and euery one of the common people and euery ordinary faythfull person among them The third proofe is drawne from the essentiall partes of an authenticall and infallible Iudge because in this spirit are to be found neither ability to know persons nor authority to iudge causes nor infallibility to pronounce a certaine sentence and iudgment First therefore this spirit cannot know and examine the state and disposition the cause and question of the person who is to be iudged neither can the person who is to be iudged know that this spirit remaynes in him who is to iudge or that authority by it is giuen to iudge For this spirit say they who chalenge it is knowne that it is the spirit of God only to them who haue it how then shall it be knowne to others who are to be iudged by it How shall the people know the spirit of the Pastour that they may be directed by it or the Pastour know the spirit of the people that he may direct thē How shall any conuersation in discipline of good life any communication in doctrine of fayth any subordination in obedience to lawes be obserued among these person vncertaine one of anothers spirit and authority by it How shall the sentence of absolution vpon the faythfull or of condēnation vpon the faythlesse be iustly denounced How shall the doctrine of truth be preached or the doctrine of falshood be confuted and the people obliged to belieue the one and to forsake the other How shall iustice be ordered obedience obserued authority maintained lawes executed and penalties inflicted where neither the inferiour can know the spirit of the superiour vpon which spirit his authority dependes nor yet the superiour can any way force or compell the spirit of the inferiour who yet will chalenge an equality of preheminence and priuiledge of the spirit with him Secondly this spirit cannot challenge to it selfe any such power or authority or shew any authenticall warrant from God that it is the spirit of God either in Scripture Tradition or practise of the Church all which a◠before do reiect and condemne it It cannot exercise any function which belonges to this authority as to censure or absolue to oblige or vnity to punish or reward any fault cōmitted or person committing it It cannot with equality of tryall heare or examine the cause nor denounce and pronounce any sentence which can oblige It cannot admonish threaten terrify and enioyne any punishment by the rodde of iustice It cannot compell correct and punish any delinquen◠by way of exteriour iustice or enforce the one party to yield subscribe and submit to the sentence of iustice It cannot bridle in the hand of the one the fury of iniustice or deliuer to the handes of the other the right of iustice It cannot conuince the one of his errour against truth nor secure the other of his possession of truth It cannot compell the one to cease from wronge or giue redresse to the other in his wrong What power hath the spirit of one man to threaten to command to correct or punish the spirit of another What authority can one spirit alleadge which another cannot as well challenge What prerogatiue of spirit can the Pastour assume of which the spirit of the people may not as well presume Vpon what priuiledge can any superiour stand vpon which and the same any inferiour may not or will not as well insist The inferiour can as cōfidently assure himselfe as certainly auouch and as resolutly resolue himselfe that he hath receaued the spirit of the Sonne of God dwelling in him That he hath the spirit of his sonne abiding in his heart by which he cryeth Abbae Father That God hath giuen him also the pledge of the spirit The spirit of adoption VVhich doth giue testimony of his spirit That his spirit doth search all thinges yea the profundities of God That his spirit doth try all thinges yea prophesyes Doth try all spirits if they be of God And that he is a spirituall man doth iudge of all thinges and himselfe is to be iudged of no man because he hath the sense of Christ and knoweth the sense of our Lord that may instruct him Where is then the authority of the Pastour ouer a flocke endewed with this spirit or the power of the superiour to correct a people full of this spirit How shall the one compell to obey and the other haue the liberty of the spirit not to obey What order or subordination what discipline gouernement can be established among such spirits or men ruled and directed by such spirits Thirdly this priuate spirit cannot giue any certainty or infallibility of the verity of his iudgment for it cannot assure and secure any that it is a spirit of God not Sathan of light not darknesse of truth not falshood of a true not a false Prophet It cannot assure secure any that his iudgment for example of predestination iustification certainty of saluation of only fayth is not a presumption and illusion and rather hereticall then Catholike doctrine It cannot assure and secure others either that the spirit is true or that the iudgement of it is vpright or that the doctrine of it is true all sectes and heresies whether Caluinist or Lutheran rigid or milder whether Protestant or Puritan whether Brownist or Familist whether Anabaptist or Arian whether Swenkfeldian or Libertine challeng it for the certainty of their doctrine as true are taught and directed by it as true and yet some or all of them must needes be false as being contrary euery one to another euery one condemning another and all condemned by the authority of Gods Church and by the spirit of God instructing and assisting it By all which it is apparent that the priuate spirit wanting visibility to be knowne authority to iudge and infallibility to secure cannot be an authenticall iudge of controuersies of Fayth Fourthly the fourth reason against this priuate spirits infallible authority to iudge of fayth is drawne from the properties of a rule foundation of fayth before assigned all which are wanting in it For first it wants the promise of any certainty and infallibility it hath no promise or warrāt in Scripture that it is the Pillar and ground of truth the house the temple the kingdome of Christ that hell gates shal not preuaile against it that he who heareth it heareth Christ who contemneth it contemneth Christ and who obeys it not is as the Heathen and Publican that it shall remayne with euery man shall teach euery man all truth and instruct euery man in all which Christ shall speake to him All which yet are promised to the holy Church and the spirit of God in it Secondly It wants
Tette of Kings it cannot conuert the multitude of Iles bring in the riches of the Gentills preach pennance and remission of sinnes from Hierusalem to the vttermost of the earth from North to South from Sabaoth to Sabaoth from the ends of the earth All which yet as they were promised to holy Church so are they performed in it and by the spirit of God in it Seauenthly this spirit wanteth all warrant and Commission from God either expressed in holy Scripture or mentioned in the Creed of the Apostles or deliuered by any Tradition or defined by any Councell or contained in any rule of Fayth or deduced out of any principle of Religion or confirmed by any practise of antiquity that all men must rely on it be ruled by it and be obedient to it for the certainty of their Fayth and Religion we find no preheminence or prerogatiue attributed to it that it is either the Kingdome the Citty the Inheritance the House the Temple the Spouse or the body of Christ which yet the Church of God by his spirit in it hath We read of no authority it hath either to bind or loose sinnes or to offer sacrifice or to minister Sacraments or to instruct in all Truth to teach all Nations or to punish offenders with the Rodde of correction of censure of excommunication giuing vp to Sathan which yet the Church of God by his spirit hath We haue no expresse warrant or commaund to do what it shall say to vs do to heare and obey it as Christ himselfe and that vnder paine of despising Christ of being an Ethnicke and Publican and of damnation All which yet we haue of the Church of Christ and of the spirit of God dwelling in it and directing it All which properties and conditions since they ought to be in a rule iudge of faith as is before shewed and are all and euery one wanting in this Protestant priuate spirit as is heere manifest it remaines euident that for these reasons it cannot be a sufficient or competent Iudge of all controuersies of Fayth and Religion THE PROTESTANT PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of Fayth CHAP. VII The properties of Fayth with the priuate Spirits manner of proceeding SECT I. THIS priuate spirits authority to expound Scripture and to resolue questions of Fayth we haue confuted by reasons drawne from the nature of an infallible both Interpreter of Scripture and Iudge of fayth It remaines that we coÌ„fute the same by reasons drawne froÌ„ the nature and infallible certainty of Fayth of which this spirit is assigned by the ProtestaÌ„ts to be a principall if not a sole and whole meanes or instrument to cause it For which we may note that the Protestants doe 1. ground their saluation vpon only fayth which say they doth only iustify 2. They ground this their fayth vpon only Scripture which according to theÌ„ containes al things necessary to be belieued 3. They ground this their Scripture and the sense of it only vpon the priuate spirit by which alone excluding all authority of Tradition Church-Councells or Fathers they expound the Scripture so that the priuate spirit is to them the principall or sole ground of their sense of Scripture their Scripture-sense the principal or sole ground of their fayth this their fayth the principal or sole ground of their saluation What certainty therefore they haue of Scripture Fayth or Saluation dependes vpon the certainty they haue of this their spirit which if it faile and proue not to be true and of God but deceitfull and of Sathan then failes with it the truth of their sense of Scripture the truth of their Fayth and Religion and the truth of their hope or certainty of saluation Whereupon it followes 1. That they can haue no more certainty of their fayth and saluation then they haue of this their spirit which is the ground of their fayth and saluation 2. That what conditions or properties are required to certainty of Fayth the same are required in this spirit which is to them the prime mayne in effect the sole meanes or grounds of faith 3. That if we demonstrate that the properties and conditions which are necessary to fayth are wanting in this priuate spirit then we conuince that this priuate spirit cannot be either a sufficient ground wheron to build faith or a competent Iudge wherby to determine controuersies of Fayth Which being supposed let vs examine these properties of faith what and how many they be and applying them to the priuat spirit shew that they are all euery one wanting in it 1. Therfore this diuine and supernaturall faith as it is necessary to saluation for according to S. Paul Without faith it is impossible to please God And according to S. Augustine It is certaine that none can come to true happinesse except he please God and hat none can please God but by faith for faith is the foundation of all good things faith is the beginning of mans saluation without faith none can come to the fellowship of the children of God because without it neither in this world doth any man obtaine the grace of iustification nether in the next shal he possesse eternall life so also it must necessarily haue these properties or conditions that is it must be one certaine entire and Catholike faith manifested by diuine reuelation diâ—ulged by Apostolicall mission and preaching confirmed by miraculous operations and made credible by conuincing testimonies of credibility All which as they are peculiar to true faith either connexed to it or concurring with it so are they all wanting to this priuate spirit and haue no affinity or similitude with it as in particuler shal be shewed The priuate spirit cannot be a meane of vnity in Fayth SECT II. THEREFORE Fayth is one witnes S. Paul One Lord one Baptisme one Fayth witnes S. Leo Except it be one it is not Fayth Witnes Irenaeus All belieuing in one and like manner all points all teaching deliuering in one and the same manner all thinges and all hauing one soule and one hart which though it differ in language yet is the same in tradition One I say in all persons both in the materiall obiect because the same articles of Fayth are belieued by all and also in the formall obiect because for the same motiue and in the same manner they are belieued by all in all places tymes Which one fayth as one soule in many partes of the body doth make one Church in all the partes of the world But that this priuate spirit neither is nor can be one in all who claime and challeng it as neither inclining and mouing them all to belieue either one and the same thing or in one and the same manner or for one and
miserable That it cannot be meanes of the integrity and perfection of Faith SECT IIII. THIRDLY Faith as it is one and certaine so it must be entire and Catholicke that is the doctrine of it must both in all points be wholy and entirely belieued also by all persons be vniuersally and Catholikly professed It must be in all and euery point completely belieued because euery point by God reuealed and by the Church proposed to vs is of equall verity certainty and necessity of beliefe Therefore as the keeping of all the Commandmēts doth oblige all and the breaking of any one is a transgression of the Law so the belieuing of all articles of faith either actually and expresly as the learned doe or virtually and implicite as the vnlearned do who expresly belieuing the principall and most necessary to be expresly knowne do in not doubting or oppugning the rest virtually belieue al the rest in that they belieue them as the Church doth teach them doth in like manner oblige all and the voluntary doubting or misbelieuing of any one is an heresy against fayth and doth violate the integrity which should be in Fayth of which the fundamentall reason is because all articles of fayth are belieued for one and the same infallible motiue and reason that is for the reuelation of God made knowne by infallible proposition of the Church of which whosoeuer denies the authority in one point infringes the infallibility of the same in all points for if the reuelation of God or proposition of Church may faile in one it may faile in all so can giue no certainty of any Out of which followes that an Heretikes who obstinatly misbelieues one article reuealed and proposed is intensiuè no lesse an Infidell that is as destitute of any diuine fayth as is ◠Pagan who belieues not any one Christian article at all because what he belieues in any he belieues not vpon a right true and solid motiue of beliefe that is the reuelation of God and proposition by Church which if he did he would for the same belieue also the rest It must likewise be Catholikly and vniuersally belieued that is what was by the first faythfull the Apostles others in the first ages belieued must also be by the succeeding faythfull in the next ages likewise belieued and what is in most places and Countryes and hath been by the most faythfull in most Countryes generally belieued the same must also by others likewise faythfull in other Countryes be generally belieued By which Catholik beliefe of the same doctrine in all or the most places persons and tymes is made one Catholike Church among all persons in all places and all tymes But that this Protestant priuate spirit cannot produce any such one and the same fayth either entire and whole in euery point or Catholicke and generall in all persons places and tymes that it cannot incline all persons in all tymes and places to belieue all points of one entire Catholike fayth is proued First because it is neither one in all persons neither hath any lincke or combination of any vnity to combine in one all persons as neither proposing to all persons all articles of fayth by one the same motiue nor combining all persons dispersed in tyme and place in one lincke of one Fayth for it is singular seuerall priuate and proper in euery one without any subordination or connexion among any as is apparent by the former instāces of Luther Zuinglius Caluin Rotman Osiander Illyricus Quintinus Seruetus Blandrata and others who all as so many ruptures out of one Riuer hauing broke the bankes of Catholike vnity did at seuerall tymes and places diuide themselues into seuerall currents of opposition and runne al a course contrary one to another without meanes or hope of euer meeting or reuniting againe Secondly because it is a spirit of separation diuision and disunion in that whomesoeuer it possesses it doth separate them as disioynted members from the vnion of Gods holy Church the spouse and body of Christ and doth diuide and cut them into seuerall peeces and mammocks of sects schismes and heresyes For as euery one receaues a new part or portion of this new spirit he chooses to himselfe a new opinion of doctrine labours to erect and set vp a new Conuenticle of new belieuers and makes himselfe the head or follower of a new sect or heresy and so all sect-maisters or Heretikes who in all ages from Christ downewardes haue separated themselues from his Church and erected a new fayth and Synagogue haue had their origen and beginning from this spirit haue made their progresse and proceeding by this spirit and haue ended themselues and their dolefull and desperate presumption in the obstinacy of this spirit In all which the scope and marke they aymed at was thereby to free themselues from all order and subiection thereby to arrogate to themselues all authority and dominion thereby to exercise what liberty they best affected and to belieue and teach what doctrine they most fancied and best fitted their conceit humour Thirdly because this spirit is inuisible insensible inperceptible and vnable to be knowne or vnderstood as they graunt by others or any saue only they who imagine they are possessed with it And as it is inuisible and vnknowne so it is composed of an inuisible and vnknowne company meeting in inuisible and vnknowne congregations ministring inuisible and vnknowne Sacraments making an inuisible and vnknowne Church consisting of inuisible and vnknowne both Pastors who preached and people who heard the doctrine of it for many ages togeather of which they can assigne neither tyme when nor place where nor people who were taught by them can produce no acts or monuments no recordes or registers either of people who belieued professed this their faith or of Princes who did honour and defend it or of persecutours who did oppose and persecute it or of any men women or children who were baptized and liued or dyed in it They can nominate no Citty or Country no Priest or Prelate no Prince or Potentate no Confessour or Martyr who belieued professed honoured and defended in paper or pulpit by word or sword the fayth of this spirit and why Because the directour is a spirit inuisible which compasseth a Church of persons insensible who preach a doctrine incredible and performe actions not memorable All which is nothing els but an inuinsible argument of an impossible fiction inuented in the idle braines of braine-sicke spirits to disguise the nouelty of a new new deuised Religion And this is all the integrity or vniuersality of Fayth that this priuate spirit can effect or affoard That it cannot be a meanes of Fayth which is got by hearing SECT V. FOVRTLY This Faith which is thus one and certaine thus entire and Catholicke is also ordinarily by one and the same way and meanes imparted vnto vs that is by Hearing this hearing proceeds from Preaching
this preaching is deriued frō Mission according to that of S. Paul How shal they belieue him whom they haue not heard how shall they heare without a preacher how shall they preach except they be sent So that faith it by hearing hearing is by preaching of Pastours and preaching is by mission from the authority of Superiours Of which the reason is because faith is an argumēt or proofe of things that do not appeare either to our sense or reason but are aboue our vnderstanding and capacity therfore we cannot attaine to it by euidence of reason but by credit of authority To this authority that we may giue credit we must conceaue and heare it this hearing that we may be obliged to accept it must by Church-Pastors be proposed and preached to vs and this preaching that it may the better secure vs of it must be from lawfull mission by ordinary succession deriued and so lawfull mission from apostolical authority infallible preaching or proposition of Pastours and a pious disposition in vs to heare and belieue what is thus proposed are the meanes by which according to S. Paul true faith is attained But this priuat spirit quite ouerthrowes all this excellēt order and subordination ordayned by Christ Iesus proposed to vs by the holy Ghost For first it alone without any disposition of hearing without any proposition or preaching of Church Pastours without any authority of apostolicall mission and ordination teaches and directs in particuler euery one man woman or child which is true Scripture which is true sense of it and which is true doctrine collected out of it therfore euery one thus made faithfull by this spirit stands need neither of disposition to heare what is to be belieued nor of preaching to belieue what they heare nor of mission and ordination to secure them of what is preached because this spirit supplies the effect of all both ordination proposition and disposition of hearing therfore all order and discipline all subordination and subiection all sacraments or preaching are needlesse yea fruitlesse in Gods Church As this spirit secures alone so without Sacraments it sanctifies alone As it instructs all in faith so it corrects all in errours against faith And as it is directed by none but God so it is subordinate to none but God alone obliged to none obedient to none it is immediate as they which haue it imagine from God it wil be subiect only to God it will be directed only by God it alone inspires all what they are to belieue alone works all what they are to do and alone secures all that they cannot faile of their end and saluation and so alone to all is all in all that is the beginning progresse and end of all grace and goodnesse Thus is the spirit to them if you will credit them Secondly It alone hath warrant and commission power and authority in whomsoeuer it is whether he be yonge or old simple or wise vnlearned or learned secular or spirituall to examine censure to giue sentence and iudgment in any cause or Controuersy ouer any Pastour or Prelate vpon any Councell or Church particuler or generall present or past late or auncient For as Caluin and Kemnitius for example by the prerogatiue of this their spirit tooke vpon them to censure and correct by their Examine and Antidote not only the late generall Councel of Trent but also the auncient generall Councels of Nice Constantinople Chalcedon and Ephesus yea the whole Church of God and all Doctours in it for many ages togeather as is before shewed so euery bible-bearing Ghospeller who hath got but a tast of this spirit and can but read the Scripture in English will by the same prerogatiue of this spirit assume to himselfe the same authority to examine the same examiners to censure the same censurers and to iudge the spirit of the former iudges yea to examine censure and iudge all Pastours Doctours Fathers Councells and Churches and to determine which of them haue erred what sense of Scripture is to be preferred and what Fayth and Religion is to be imbraced All which as these new Protestant Maisters first practised vpon the ancient Fathers so these their new discipls haue learned to practise the same vpon them their maisters and do as well censure them as they did their Predecessours and that worthily for what they taught and practised against their Fathers is a iust punishment that their children should learne and practise the same against them That it cannot be a meanes of fayth which requirs credible testimonies SECT VI. FIFTHLY this fayth as it is obtained by piously hearing the infallible preaching of Pastours lawfully ordained and sent so also it requires besides diuine reuelation reasons and motiues of credibility forcible to moue the Vnderstanding to accept as probable this doctrine of Fayth thus by preaching proposed and by God reuealed for as before He that giueth credit quickly is light of hart And reasons of credibility such as are miracles sanctity vnity conuersions of Nations and such like before mentioned doe make a true fayth more credible according to that of Dauid Thy testimonies are made too credible But that this priuate spirit cannot giue any such credible testimonies or produce any probable motiue to conuince any one that it is a true spirit of God or a certaine meanes of faith is proued Because it cannot alledge any consent of people and nations nor any authority of miracles to vse S. Augustines words nourished by hope increased by charity and confirmed by antiquity such as confirmed S. Augustine in his faith it cannot alleadge any vnity which it causeth either with the head Christ or with his body the Church not any sanctity which it worketh by works memorable for piety or miraculous for power and vertue not any consent of vniuersality by which it hath been imbraced in all places at all times by all nations and persons no not in ancient time by any persons renowned for holinesse and learning not any succession of Pastours prelates doctours or saints who haue relied themselues their faith saluation vpon it it cannot produce any one euident either authority of holy scripture or any one tradition of apostolicall time or any one practise of auncient Church or any one decree of generall Councels or any one testimony of learned Doctours or any one probable much lesse conuincing argument of reason that either all or any one man must or may settle his beliefe in it interprete the Scripture by it rely his saluation vpon it deduce all resolutions of fayth all questions of Controuersies all doubts of Religion from it and giue peremptory iudgment and sentence of all Pastours and Prelates of all Saints and Doctours of all Churches and Councells of all doctrine and religion according to the suggestion of it which yet the precise Protestāts do both in doctrine professe and in practise performe That it cannot be a
knowne after the thing to be proued All which inconueniences this Circular manner of probation doth inferre making the probation either the same or equally or more obscure then the thing to be proued 2. Because it would follow that idem should be prius posterius notius ignotius respectu eiusdem knowne vnknowne first knowne and after knowne in respect of the same As when the premises do demonstrate the conclusion they must be first and better knowne then the Conclâ—sion And againe when the conclusion doth demonstrate the premises it should be first and better knowne then the premises so the same conclusion shal be prius notius as demonstrating the premises and posterius ignotius as demonstrated and proued by the premises both being vnderstood of the same premises 3. Because this Circular proofe is to proue the same to be the same because it is the same as the conclusion to be true if it be true or because it is true As saith Aristotle Si A est B est si B est A est ergo si A est A est In which as A is proued to be A because it is A so the conclusion is proued to be true because it is true Whereupon Aristotle concludes that euery Circular proofe and demonstration which is regressus ab eodem ad omnino idem that is when we returne froÌ„ one thing to the same thing againe and from one proofe to the same proofe againe is vitious and vnlawfull in Logicke And thus much of the nature of a Circle Secondly for the difference betweene a proper Circle which is bad and an improper which is good and lawfull we may note also that euery kind of Circular and reciprocall proofe is not vnlawfull for some is reciprocall betweene the cause and the effect as betweene rationale and risibile betweene the Sunne the Day And thus may be proued the effect by the cause à priori as Est risibile quia est rationale est dies quia Sol lucet or on the contrary the cause by the effect à posteriori as Est rationale quia est risibile or Sol lucet quia est dies Other proofes are reciprocall betweene two causes of diuers kindes as betweene the efficient cause and the finall in which sense we proue Phisicke to be good because as the efficient cause it causeth and worketh health and health to be good because as the finall cause or end it moueth to take Phisicke Or betweene the efficient and materiall cause as when we proue the entrance of the wind to be the cause that is efficient of opening the window and the opening of the window to be the cause that is materiall of the entrance of the wind Or when we proue the aboundance of raine by the aboundance of vapours as by the materiall cause and the aboundance of vapours by the aboundance of raine as by the effect All which kind of reciprocall or Circular proofe of the cause by the effect and the effect by the cause or of one cause by another is good and allowed in Logicke as being improperly a Circle Only that which is disallowed and by Aristotle all condemned is that proper manner of Circle which is 1. when in the same kind of cause one thing is proued by another and this againe by the former which is either idem per idem or ignotum per ignotius 2. When this reciprocall proofe is made by one and the same cause in one and the same manner of proofe 3. When to one and the selfe same person this one thing is thus proued by another and this againe by the former the one mutually prouing the other as when the premises demonstrate the conclusion and the conclusion againe the premises both being otherwise vnknowne As when the maister proues the seruant to be innocent and the seruant the maister both being before suspected as guilty In which the same thing is notius ignotius prius posterius that is more knowne and lesse knowne first knowne and after knowne both in one and the same respect and in respect of one and the same person and so a thing vnknowne is proued by another more vnknowne which is that vnlawfull Circle or Circular manner of demonstration disallowed and condemned by Aristotle By which is manifest what a Circular proofe is and of Circular manners of proofes which is improper lawfull and which proper and vnlawfull Thirdly Both Catholicks and Protestantes do mutually accuse one another of this vicious and Circular arguing and manner of proofe The Protestants accuse the Catholicks because they proue the authority of the scripture by the authority of the Church and the authority of the Church by the authority of scripture For aske a Catholicke how he knowes the Scripture to be infallible and true he will answer because the Church tels him it is so aske him how he proues the Church to be infallible and true he wil answer because the scripture sayes it is so and so he proues the Scripture by the Church and the Church by the Scripture The Catholicks accuse the Protestants because they proue the scripture by the spirit and the spirit by the scripture for aske a Protestant how he knowes the scripture to be true and the true sense of it he answers because the spirit so tels and assures him aske him how he knowes the spirit that it is of God and speakes truth he answers because the scripture tels and assures him so and so he knowes the Scripture by the spirit and the spirit by the Scripture The Catholikes cleared from the obiected Circle against their doctrine SECT II. THE question therefore is whether the Catholiks betweene Scripture and Church or the Protestants betweene the Scripture and the Spirit and otherwise do fall into this kind of vitious argumentation and proofe in maÌ„ner of a Circle And that the Catholikes are free from this fault and do make their proofe to seuerall sortes of persons in seuerall kinds of causes by a partiall manner of proofe and thereby do still proue one thing vnknowne by another more knowne to those persons is first to be proued For which we may note that the Catholikes require to Fayth for so much as is for our purpose two thinges First a preparation to prepare vs to accept the thinges belieued as credible and in prudence worthy to be belieued which is wrought by credible testimonyes such as are miracles consent sanctity antiquity and the rest before meÌ„tioned by which our vnderstanding is euidently conuinced to iudge and accept of the Christian Religion as more worthy or credit then any other Secondly they require a firme assent or beliefe to the articles of fayth proposed as true and of infallible verity which is wrought by the habit of fayth and dependes vpon the diuine reuelation of God declaring in Scripture or Tradition and proposing by holy Church what and why we are to belieue vpon which
reuelation thus proposed we settle our last resolution of fayth and the certainty of it as vpon the former credible motiues or humane fayth we setled our preparation or acceptation of fayth and the credibility of it Now if we compare or apply these togeather it will euidently appeare that in neither is committed any Circle because the former that is the acceptation depends vpon credible motiues which are as the Samaritan womans word making it seeme probable that Christ was the Messias and the later that is the assent to Fayth dependes â—pon diuine reuelation which is as our Sauiours word reuealing to them that he is the true Messias and so both haue seuerall grounds and principles on which they depend the one credible testimonies the other diuine reuelation wherby comparing them togeather no appearance of any circular proofe can be found betweene them For the actuall assent and beliefe it selfe whereby we infallibly belieue the mysteries reuealed though we belieue the verity of Scripture reuelations by the authority of Church proposition and Church proposition for the authority of Scripture reuelation whereby Scripture reuelation doth giue vs testimony of Church proposition and againe Church proposition of Scripture reuelation Yet that this reciprocall testimony and proofe is not any proper and vitious Circle is proued First because it is in diuerso genere causa in diuers kinds of causes which before out of Aristotle is admitted for good and lawfull for the testimonyes of Scripture reuelation to the infallibility of Church proposition is causall as a cause and that formall why we belieue and assent to Church proposition But Church proposition is only conditionall as conditio sine quae non to know Scripture reuelation and so they are reciprocall in a different manner of proofe the one that is Scripture à priori as including diuine reuelation the other that is Church à posteriori required only as a condition The former as a formall precedent cause the latter as a subsequent annexed condition Both of them not much vnlike to our Sauiours testimony of S. Iohn Baptist and to S. Iohns testimony of our Sauiour the one as of God and infallible the other as of an holy man credible or to the testimony of our B. Sauiour the woman to the Samaritans the one as giuing certainty the other as proposing credibility of his being the Messias Or to the former example of rationale and risibile of the Sun-shine and the Day of the Vapours and Raine of the opening the Window and the entring of the Wind. All which reciprocally proue one another as the cause and the effect or as seuerall causes And all which doe much resemble the testimony of Scripture to the Church and of the Church to the Scripture which is likewise in a seuerall kind of causality and a different manner of probation Secondly because this reciprocall proofe is not ad omnino idem as Aristotle requires to a proper Circle that is the one is not the totall and sole cause of knowing the other For Church proposition is not knowne only by Scripture reuelation and no other way but also by other proofes signes and credible testimonies conuincing that Church authority is necessary and infallible to distinguish true sense of Scripture from false and to end Controuersies about Scripture And therefore as Aristotle admits that though the premises haue proued the conclusion yet the conclusion may againe proue the premises that in eodem genere causae so that the conclusion be proued by another medium then by the premises So though the Scripture reuelation proue Church proposition yet Church proposition may againe reciprocally proue Scripture reuelation so it be knowne by another meanes as we see it is then only by Scripture reuelation for this according to Aristotle is only an improper Circle and not a bad and vnlawfull Circle Thirdly because this reciprocall proofe is not to one the same person who is ignorant or doubtful of both but to diuers persons and such as suppose the one For to a Catholike who admits as belieued Church propositioÌ„ we proue by it Scripture-sense or reuelation and so an vnknowne thing to him by another thing supposed and knowne to him but to a Protestant who admits as by him belieued Scripture reuelation we proue by it Church proposition so to him a thing vnknowne by another more knowne But to a Pagan who admits neither Scripture reuelation nor Church proposition we proue neither of them one by another but both the one and the other by other probable motiues and credible testimonies more agreeable to his natural capacity and by them persuade him first to accept as credible Church proposition and by it Scripture reuelation by which Scripture and Church or scripture expounded by Church we persuade him to assent and belieue the articles reuealed In all which we proue ignotum per notius the vnknowne by the more knowne to him and so preparing him to giue credit to one do by that induce him to belieue the other By which meanes we still proceed from a thing knowne to an vnknowne to that person and so auoyd the Circle and begging of the question into which the Protestants runne and there sticke fast In which note the difference betweene them and vs for they proue reciprocally and circularly the Scripture by the spirit and the spirit againe by scripture in the same kind of proofe to wit formally as shal be shewed We proue scripture by Church and Church by scripture in diuers kindes of cause to wit the one causall and the other conditionall as is shewed 2. They proue the one by the other no otherwise knowne then by the other as the scripture by the spirit which spirit is only and by no other meanes knowne then by scripture and é contra as shal be shewed But we haue more means to know the Church then by scripture as is shewed 3. They proue one by the other to the same person to wit the Protestant doubtfull of both we to diuers persons who suppose belieue the one so ad hominem by that we proue the other Al which as it is true as presently shal be shewed so it shewes an apparent difference between the Protestant circular maÌ„ner of proofe of scripture by spirit and of spirit by scripture and of our Catholike improper Circle and lawfull manner of proofe of scripture by Church and of Church by scripture And thus much to cleare the imputation layd vpon Catholikes for their circular manner of proceeding in their proofe of scripture by the Church and of Church by scripture The Protestants diuers manners of Circles SECT III. SVBDIV. â— The Circle betweene the Scripture and the Spirit IT remaynes to shew that the Protestants doe seuerall wayes fall into this vnlawfull Circular manner of probation for which we may note how the Protestants for their doctrine of fayth iustification and saluation do make this gradation concatenation
election and election must be first knowne before scripture both first knowne and both meanes to know first ech other If both be first which shal be last If both go before which shall follow after Let any ProtestaÌ„t by his spirit vnfold this ridle solue the argument so leaue leape out of the Circle And thus much of the third Circle and circular manner of proceeding betweene election and scripture SVBDIV. 4. The Circle betweene the Spirit of euery man and a generall Councell FOVRTHLY one Circle more which I obserued out of Caluin in his Commentaries vpon S. Iohn vpon these wordes Try spirits I cannot omit because it is notorious and important as being betweene spirit and spirit that is betweene the spirit of euery priuate person and the spirit of a generall Councell and with it I will close vp this Chapter of circular absurdities Caluin in the foresaid place affirmes 1. though against himselfe and his owne fellow Sectaries That many false Doctours do belye and counterfeit the title of the spirit That Mad men ryse vp who rashly brag that they are endewed with the spirit That They are fooles who amazed at the empty sound of an honourable title of the spirit dare not inquire after the matter it selfe That Many boast of the spirit yet do come in their owne priuate name and do speake out of their owne proper sense and meaning All which is true but proper to the Protestants 2. He sayth Because of these so many false and counterfeit spirits he enquires how we shal proue and try these spirits To which he answers that they who assigne the word of God as the meane and rule to discerne these spirits Neque nihil neque totum dicunt say somewhat but not all For except sayth he we haue the spirit of prudence it will little or nothing auaile to haue the VVord on our fingers end whose interpretation or sense is not certaine to vs. Therefore according to Caluin the scripture alone is not the complete rule or meanes to try spirits What then 3. Therefore he sayth Euery priuate man hath power and freedome to iudge of spirits that is euery faythfull The faythfull therefore by their priuate spirit shall try and iudge of spirits But heere he obiects if so then there will be no certainty of fayth but all Religion will perish because there are so many mad spirits which brag of themselues that they are the spirit of God that Quot capita tot sensus how many men so many opinions What then must be the remedy 4. Therefore he admits that the publike iudgment of the Church and the determination of an holy Councell is necessary to suppresse mad spirits and to settle vnity This is well for so haue CouÌ„cells some authority but how farre shall al men and their priuate spirits be obliged to rely themselues and rest their iudgment vpon this determination of the Councell Shall there be a pause and rest of triall and all spirit heere rest and be silent No surely that he will not admâ—t Wherefore 5. he addes and concludes in which he ouerthrows all that God will not haue vs tyed to the decrees of euery Councell though holy and pious because sayth he it may be they did not call rightly vpon God it is certaine that they for the most haue erred What then Heere must be an examen of the Councell that the spirit of it may be tryed The Councell therefore which was made iudge must againe be iudged but by whom By euery faythfull man who by his priuate spirit hath as before power and liberty to try all spirits euen of Councels and to call as he sayth in another place in question all spirits of all Prelates Bishops and Councels to the rule of gods word Loe heere his circular vaine deluding manner of proceeding There are many mad and bragging spirits it is true These spirits must be tried it is true The Councell is the fittest and surest meanes to try them it is true But what Shall this Councell which hath power to try iudge of these spirits be againe tryed and iudged by euery one of these spirits which will as all will Iudge it selfe the spirit of Prudence According to Caluin it must Then which what is more fond or friuolous What more circular and endlesse That which tryes shall by the same be tried againe He that did iudge shall by him whome he iudges be iudged againe The Councell shall try and iudge euery priuate spirit and euery spirit shall try and iudge againe the Councell And why Because forsooth it may be doubted whether the Councell did rightly call vpon God As though forsooth the same may not as well and much more be doubted of these priuate spirits Among which are so many mad foolish and bragging spirits which need a tryall and that by a Councell as is grauÌ„ted Surely if this be admitted then are tryalls endlesse and circles will runne on forward backward in infinitum The Councell shall iudge the spirit and the spirit shall iudge the Councell againe and the Councell it againe and so againe and againe without end one shall iudge and re-iudge another If this be not a Circle what is If this be not a worke endlesse and infinite what can bee If this be not a meere illusion and deluding of man and a ground groundlesse a question endlesse a Circle infinite a proceeding vaine and senselesse in which yet the Protestants proceed in their grounds of Fayth I will refer it to the iudgement of the indifferent reader and so conclude that the ProtestaÌ„ts run in a round of Circles prouing one thing by another and this other by the same and that in the first grounds principles of their Fayth and saluation THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Doctrinall absurdities following vpon it against Fayth CHAP. IX Idolatry and Heresy compared and of foure heads and origens of all late heresies proceeding of the priuate Spirit SECT I. IN the last Chapter we haue shewed the Circular absurdities which do follow vpon this priuate Spirit in the proofe of Protestants groundes of their Fayth and saluation In this we are to proceed to the Doctrinall absurdityes which follow vpon the same against all faith piety and reason Wherein first we will lay downe the principall points of the Protestant fayth and the consequences ensuing vpon it and afterwardes we will shew what absurdityes do follow first in generall out of the same heades and doctrine next what in particuler do follow 1. Against the articles of the Creed and all fayth 2. Against the petitions of the Pater noster and all hope and prayers 3. Against the ten Commandements all morall vertue good life And lastly by comparing the Catholicke and Protestant doctrine togeather we wil shew how the one doth giue all honour and glory to God to Christ to his Saints his Church his Sacraments his law
of Christs Church it begat in the braine of Manes Marcion Sabellius Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eutiches and others the wicked errours against the B. Trinity of one God three Persons in the Deity against the sacred IncarnatioÌ„ of one person and two natures in the person of our B. Sauiour Christ by which as by so many bastardes of impiety such an infinit brood of heresyes haue since that tyme beene ingeÌ„dred in the Christian world that the increase of theÌ„ hath filled or rather defiled a great part of the East Church both in Asia Africke and left behind them the stincke of no fewer then 300. rotten heresies and hereticall opinions So also in this last age of Christ it begat in the braines of an Apostata Frier Martin Luther which it coupled with a like Apostata Nunne and of other Apostataes Bucer Martyr Bale Knox c. whome it wiâ—ed in like incestuous bed of double Apostacy and of all sort of impurity such a number of brats or rather vipers of hereticall opinions and errours as neither the number of them can be recounted of which some haue found out 300. and more nor can the mischiefe of dissention and cruelty be conceaued with which they haue pestered the most florishing Kingdomes of Europe and brought in an horrible confusion and desolation in place of former piety and religion In which we may obserue that as Idolatry made Chaos or confusion the mother of all so hath Heresy made the priuate spirit which is nothing but a Chaos or confused conceit which euery one hath of his owne opinion the mother and conceauer of all hereticall opinions As Idolatry diuised that out of Planeta the Man-woman or fruit of Chaos issued HeaueÌ„ and Earth and of them so many Gods Goddesses so hath Heresy caused that out of the commixtion of a Friars and Nuns concupiscence such a number of hereticall opinions and wicked practises should receaue their origen and progresse As the Pagans made Iupiter a man of life most wicked and exercised in all practise of cruelty and incestuous carnality a God and the chiefest among the Gods so do the Protestants canonize Luther a man of a most carnall proud and enuious both disposition course of life as an Apostle an Euangelist a Prophet and a man of God As Saturne the false God by Idolatry was made the Father of many Gods chiefly of three Iupiter Neptune and Pluto who also begat many petty Gods and filled the world with many innumerable false Gods whereby adoration was giuen euen first to men then to the basest and meanest creatures so Luther the false Apostle and Prophet by the instigation of his priuate spirit did beget and deuise foure most monstruous imps of hereticall doctrine and impiety out of which as so many vipers such a number of erroneous and wicked opinions haue flowed that the light of true fayth and Religion hath beene obscured and the beauty and splendor thereof hath beene attributed to most false errours fond heresyes And thus hath Heresy succeeded and imitated her elder sister Idolatry Now these foure heades or principall heresies which the priuate spirit the eldest daughter of Heresy did beget in Luther and his followers braines and out of which as sequels issued such a number of falsities and heresies are these The first is that the Church and Bishop of Rome is fallen from being the spouse of Christ to be the very Antichrist himselfe as wholy opposite to Christ and corrupted with all abominable errours of idolatry and superstition out of which haue issued these and such like brats of heresy that therefore the visible and knowne Church was latent inuisible and not extant for many ages and that true fayth and doctrine was banished from the same visible Church which was only the Roman Church and that for many ages some of them say six some ten some twelue some fourteen ages euen since the Apostles tyme all which tyme truth lay smothered ouerwhelmed and buried in the dregges of Antichristian errour superstition and idolatry That all the Councels Prouinciall or Generall were the assemblies of Antichrist All the Fathers and Doctours were deceaued and subiected to Antichrist All the Christian people Princes or Prelates liued in the externall obedience of Antichrist That no lawfull mission or vocation no right ordination or consecration no continuall succession or deriuation of Pastours was for all this tyme to be found in the Church That no preaching of the word of God no administration of Sacraments no offering of sacrifice no saying of seruice no discipline of Church orders and gouernment was holy and lawfull for so many ages till God extraordinarily raysed vp Martin Luther and by his spirit reformed all Whereupon since that tyme hath ensued as the fruits of the wombe of this priuate spirit and new doctrine all neglect and contempt of Church orders lawes or obseruances as of Masse and Mattins of fasting and festiuall dayes of single life and chastity of obedience and pouerty of pennance and mortification of confession and satisfaction of benedictions and peregrinations and of all Workes of austerity piety and deuotion Hence hath ensued all rapine robing of Churches Church-goods and Church-ornaments all destruction of Monasteries and Religious houses all prophanation of holy thinges all cruelty against Priests Religious men all incestuous and sacrilegious lewdnesse against vowed persons all rebellion against Princes for Religion all contempt of them and their lawes as not obliging in conscience and all liberty of life and manners to practise whatsoeuer profit or pleasure proposed as most plausible to euery mans humour and disposition The second and next ofspring of this spirit was Iustification by only fayth in which as they all agree in generall so it hath beene the mother of many notorious new impietyes from whence as out of a Troian-horse issued these and such like prophane paradoxes as that this fayth is a sole fayth not informed with charity or good workes a speciall fayth assuring certainty of saluation a perpetuall faith neuer lost a rare fayth giuen only to the Elect a fayth couering not curing sinnes imputing not making vs iust apprehending not possessing the iustice of Christ A faith that admits no good workes no merit no profit no necessity yea no possibility either of being iustifyed by any or of hauing power to do any good workes at all because all works euen the best workes of the best men are sinnes and that mortall deseruing eternall damnation though by fayth not imputed to the elect Hence it is that the keeping of the law is impossible that no lawes oblige in conscience that grace is not sufficient that man hath no free-will and cannot but sinne and offend that Sacraments are not instrumeÌ„ts and meanes but seales and signes of this iustice and iustification by fayth that Baptisme is to be giueÌ„ only to the faithfull and children of the faythful that the Eucharist is a signe or figure
their decrees no Emperour with his sword no people or Pastour in any parish should haue publikly professed maintayned and confirmed the true fayth of Christ and true doctrine of saluation but all of Antichrist and damnation Thirdly it follows that all the predictions and prophecies of the prophets before Christ all the promises and assurances made by Christ himselfe or by his Apostles to his Church either of the extension and amplitude of Christes Church from sea to sea from North to South to the vttermost end of the world to all people and nations to all Iles and Kingdomes to all Kinges and Princes or of continuance succession of the same as long as the Sunne Moon shall endure from Sabaoth to Sabaoth from age to age frō generation to generation without interruption or discontinuance from that tyme till the worlds end or of the Holy Ghosts assistance and continuance with it as the Pillar and ground of truth against all the waues and stormes of the sea of this world against all the swordes and violence of persecutors and Tyrants and against all principalities and powers the gouernours of this darknesse and the very gates of hell it selfe It followes I say that all these predictions haue beene false and not verifyed as Castalion and Dauid George both Protestants conuinced by experience of the not being of a Protestant Church haue confessed it followes that the Prophets of the old Testament who foretould them were false not true Prophets that the Apostles of the new Testament who confirmed them were vnlawfull and faythlesse messengers and that Iesus Christ who planted watered promised to giue increase to this his Church was not the only true omnipotent God but either a false deceauer who promised that he knew should not be performed or els a weake worker who could not performe that which he had promised to wit this amplitude succession and firmity of his Church thus wholy frustrated and made void according to the former principle and doctrine All which is wikedly confessed vpon the former groundes by Dauid George Ochinus and others Fourthly it followes that Turkes Iewes and Gentils haue had a more flourishing state of a Church Kingdome and Professours as hauing beene more visible potent and dilated for many continued ages in many distant partes of the world then the christians who haue had neither Prince Prelate people or scarce any publike Professours of true Christianity for one age together vnder any one King in any one prouince of the world That Mahomet and Antichrist or the diuel by them did with more prudence and power with more piety and policy establish enlarge protect their faith and common wealth which so long continued then Iesus Christ who is true God and man did or could do his faith and Church which so soone after his departure erred failed and decayed Where is the greater glory of the second temple then of the first Where is the ends of the earth giuen to it for a possession Where are the Kings and Queenes who as nursing fathers are to haue protected it Where are the people and nations who with the gold of Arabia and Saba were to haue inriched it Where are the Iles and kingdomes who from the vttermost ends of the world were to haue waited vpon this Church of Christ more then any other of Iews Turks or Pagans What was Christ lesse true lesse good lesse faythfull lesse able and potent in the establishing and preseruing his kindgome then were Moyses or Mahomet Cyrus or Romulus in setling and enlarging their Synagogue Sect or Common-wealth Surely it followes O horrour and blasphemy if these positions and points of the Protestants priuate spirits doctrine were true and warrantable Of absurdities which follow vpon the second head of sole Fayth SECT III. SECONDLY Out of the second principle and doctrine depending on it which is that a man is iustified by only faith which is a faith speciall of euery one 's owne predestination iustification and glorification so certaine and so sure as that there is a God or that Christ is saued so perpetuall that it can neuer be lost and peculiar only to the elect depending vpon their priuat spirit and the rest before mentioned it followes First That a man is not only without all doubt or so much as any feare certaine of his predestination past iustification present and glorification to come but also that he is more certaine of it then he is of the B. Trinity of the Incarnation Passion Resurrection ascension and coming of Christ which he belieues only by a faith not supernaturall and diuine but historicall generall and common as they say to the reprobate and diuels yea more certaine then Iesus-Christ was of his saluation whom they affirme to haue feared doubted distrusted and despaired before his death of his saluation as is afterward shewed Yea as certaine must they be as certaine they are that God is one God or that Iesus Christ is in heauen or as if Iesus Christ were present and so told them which are their owne words and comparisons which is both absurd and impious absurd because they haue scripture to auouch the being of one God and the saluation of Christ but which auouches to euery mā this his saluatiō in particular they haue neither scripture nor reason Impious because what greater impiety and blasphemy can be conceaued then to make Christ God and man doubtfull of his saluation and themselues sinfull and wicked wretches certaine of theirs Secondly it followes that euery Protestant may and must by faith belieue as certaine that of which neither authority of scripture testimony of Church or euidence of reason doth yield any argument of certainty but only his owne priuate spirit and conceit doth suggest and perswade this certainty of euery one his owne iustification and saluation and yet that the same Protestants may doubt yea refuse to assent and belieue such articles of faith as both expresse authority of Scripture euident proposition of Church and confessed testimony of auncient tradition Fathers and Councels doth fully and frequently deliuer and approue such are many articles now in controuersy as Freewill merit good works reall presence prayer to saints for the dead and such like All which for example Caluin and euery Protestant do as firmly notwithstanding all the former confessed testimonies reiect and condemne as they belieue the certainty of their owne saluation which notwithstanding that it be not mentioned or motioned in particular in any such or the former testimonyes they do most vndoubtedly and firmely apprehend and belieue In which among all absurdities what can be more absurd then without any other reason or testimony but ones owne conceit so firmely to adhere to a thing of importance so vncertaine both in it selfe and in experience and yet not belieue many thinges in themselues so probable and so mainly by so many testimonies confirmed and approued Which what is it els
where the one is there the other must be 2. That Melchisedech was a Priest and his sacrifice was in bread and wine 3. That Christ is compared to Melchisedech not only in his kingly authority as King of iustice and peace as Melchisedech was nor only in his genealogy as being without Father as man and without mother as God or without predecessor before him or successor after him in the office of redeemer as Melchisedech is said to be without Father mother but also in priestly function concealed on purpose by S. Paul for the incapacity of the Iews as a thing of which he hath a speech great and inexplicable to vtter and in his priestly sacrifice by offering bread wine as Melchisedech did and that not for one time but for euer Sith I say all this is euident it followes 1. That Christ is a priest not according to Aaron in offering bloud but according to Melchisedech in offering bread and wine and that not once by himselfe but for euer by his Apostles and Priests to whom he gaue commission to offer the same sacrifice which himselfe had done 2. It followes that to verify Christs being priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech there must be a succession of priests and sacrifice in Gods Church to offer the same sacrifice for euer so to make his priesthood continue for euer But by this former Protestant doctrine is excluded all sacrifice for sinne all priesthood to offer sacrifice and all holy orders to consecrat priests and so this perpetuall priesthood and sacrifice of Christ according to Melchisedech is reiected First in Christ himselfe and his owne person whome they deny to haue offered any sacrifice at his last supper Secondly in his Priests and deputies to whome they deny all authority of Priesthood and all power to offer sacrifice and so admit no sacrifice at all according to the order of Melchisedech either by Christ or his Church and why Because only Fayth doth iustify satisfy and apply the merit of Christ only Fayth doth couer all sinnes by the apprehension of the iustice of Christ only Fayth doth assure all that they are iust shall continue and that they need no other worke Sacrament or sacrifice to make or keep them iust but only Fayth and so this Fayth destroyes all sacrifice therby the Priesthood of Christ Lastly that this doctrine bereaues Christ of his knowledge both beatificall by which from the first instance of his conception he did clearely see God and also infused and that not out of thinges naturall and by accidents infused which by nature and industry may be obtained but also of thinges supernaturall and per se infused of things which are by fayth reuealed to vs such as are the mysteries we belieue and the secrets of harts all which by ancient Deuines is admitted to haue beene in Christ from the first instant of his conception That I say they depriue Christ of all this excellency and knowledge and make him ignorant and more ignorant then Adam who was created as in perfection of stature and strength of body so also in perfection of all philosophicall and theologicall knowledge in soule by which he gaue names to all beasts and more ignorant then Salomon who was the wisest of men before or after him is proued Because they affirme that he assumed our ignorance that he was ignorant like other children was instructed as boyes are increased in knowledge not only experimentall but also habituall as others do learned and profited in artes and sciences humane and diuine as children do that he was iignorant of the place of Lazarus his burâ—all of the Iewes fayth who offered the man sicke of the palsy of the Figge-tree both of what kind it was and what fruit it bore and of the day of iudgment not only to reueale it to others but to know it himselfe that he made farre-fetcht-similitudes and needlesse illations nothing to purpose wrested the wordes and sense of the Prophets weakly confuted his aduersaries failed in memory and made prayers and petitions vnaduised and not premeditated forced with the vehemency of sorrow in the garden all which are by Caluin imputed to him But if Christ was thus ignorant and blind in his vnderstanding then might he be deceaued in his iudgement and so deceaue others and faile in truth of that he sayd or reuealed in Scripture then may the scripture be false his fayth and doctrine be false all Christians be lead into errour and blindnes then may he be infirme in his operations and sinfull also in his actions For if the vnderstanding which is the light to lighten and the guide to direct the other faculties of the soule may be blind ignorant inconsiderate and erroneous then may the will which doth follow the light and direction of the vnderstanding and wils nothing but that the vnderstanding knowes also faile in the election of good and so will that is ill and commit sinne and so may Christ who is the Way the Truth and the Life fall into errour falshood and sinne and so erre deceaue and commit sinne To all which if we adde the detestable and blasphemous assertions boldly auerred by prime Protestants Luther Caluin and their fellowes against Christ to wit that God made him a sinner vniust guilty and hatefull to himselfe that he was culpable a sinner true and most truly a sinner as other men a sinner most great most vile and obnoxius to the anger of God that he carried himselfe vncurteously and not like a sonne to his mother that he made a prayer vnpremeditated a vow abrupte inconsiderate contrary to his vocation to be corrected retracted and renounced that he renounced his office of mediatour was forgetfull of our saluation and the charge committed to him that he confessed his effeminate nicenesse esteemed himselfe not to be sent of God did wauer betweene praising and blaspheming of God did stagger among the waues of tentations vttered words of desperation was ouercome with desperatioÌ„ did renounce his saluation knew God was angry at him that he stood in need of Baptisme was cursed and execrable as commonly the damned are that he suffered the horrour of a conscience feeling Gods eternall wrath did feare and highly despaire in his soule in the same manner aâ— the damned did wauer betweene hell and life struggle with the horrour of eternall paines had an horrour of eternall punishment was tormented with the feare of horrible damnation was horribly afraid of the profound abisse of death was in feare to be absorpt by death was stroken with the horrour of the diuine malediction was tortured with anxiety as if he had God his enemy feared his saluation was perswaded that he was vndonne and was striken with the horrour of Gods iudgment more then euer any man was or could be in which his horrour consisted the summe of our consolation that he suffered the same paines of hell
and so both in a sort indifferent to be committed or omitted as both deseruing and neither receauing punishment both being sinnes in themselues and neither imputed for sinnes by God Vpon what motiue or ground therefore of religion either of displeasing God or of hope of reward or of feare of hell can a regenerate Protestant be induced to auoid sinnes rather then good workes or to liue vertuously rather then vitiously sith both are mortall sinnes both mortally offend God and both equally are not imputed neither punished Thirdly it followes that any faythfull and regenerate Protestant may according to the groundes of his fayth commit any or all the former sinnes yea all the sinnes which any reprobate doth commit and yet remaine a iust regenerate and perfect protestant For if faith only doth iustify once had can neuer be lost by any sinne whatsoeuer if no sinnes be imputed but all be by the same faith remitted then may he coÌ„mit any or all the said sinnes and yet retaine faith and iustification and keep his assurance of saluation and so continue still a perfect regenerate Protestant and is as high in perfection as strong in faith and as sure of saluation as any Saint is in heauen who neuer committed any of the same What conscience therefore or scruple will he make of any the said sinnes sith he shall receiue by them no losse of faith no detriment of iustice no displeasure of God no punishment of hell Fourthly it followes that in vaine and to no end is all penance and sorrow for sinnes all chastising of our bodies which S. Paul vsed for sin all fasting sackcloth hairecloth or ashes with Dauid the Niniuites Manasses Achab and others before Christ vsed for their sins That in vaine to no end is all forsaking the vanities and pleasures of the world all abnegation resignation mortification and taking vp the crosse of Christ in deserts Monasteries places secluded from the world and chosen for practise of pouerty obedience chastity which S. Marke S. Hilarion S. Paul S. Anthony S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Basil S. Augustine S. Benedict S. Bernard and so many ancient and holy Saints and Religious persons since Christ haue euer vsed 1. because only faith doth iustify and secure them of saluation and doth take away all imputation of any sinne or paine due to sinne and so makes needlesse all satisfaction for sinne 2. Because Baptisme which according to Caluin is to be ministred only to the faythfull doth remit all sinnes past and to come 3. Because all these actes are sinnes and that mortall as well as feasting lusting deceauing killing and the rest Fiftly it followes that in vaine and to no end are all lawes either of God Church or Commonwealth in vaine are all Tribunals and Courtes spirituall and temporall in vaine are all Iudges and Magistrates appointed to correct punish malefactours in vaine is all power and iurisdiction of Princes or Prelates in vaine is all Regall authority and commaund of Emperours Kinges and Princes because all obseruance of any law or of any one commandement euen the least is impossible and a burthen sayth Caluin greater then Aetna because no Prince or Prelate hath any authority to make any law which shall oblige in conscience because by the liberty of the Ghospell euery Protestant is freed from any obligation in conscience and from any lawes of any Prince whereupon any malefactour guilty of murder theft or the like may answere the Iudge and alleadge their doctrine that the lawes did not oblige in conscience and were impossible to be performed no freewill to do otherwise theÌ„ God had determined no obligation in conscience to obey the Kinges Lawes being freed by the liberty of the Ghospell that the Iudge hath no authority to execute that which the King had no authority to decree no iustice to punish him for that which God forced and willed him to do and which he had no liberty or power but to do no reason to hinder the liberty of his spirit graunted by the Ghospell The traitour and Rebell may answere his King and alledge out of the same liberty of this Ghospell the same reasons and say that he is as free from obedience to his owne Prince as to a forain Prince or from the lawes of his owne Country as of a forraine Country may resist his Prince and his lawes ryse and rebell against him oppose and depose yea kill and murther his person in case he do not iustice obserue not his own law defend not the common-wealth or giue not free passage to the preaching of their Ghospel Which as after shal be shewed they haue in Germany France Scotland Belgia Geneua other countryes according to these groundes practised and approued and which the Trinitarians and Anabaptists do according to the same yet positiuely maintaine and defend In vaine therefore did God giue to Kinges power from himselfe and vertue from the highest In vaine do Kings rule by God makers of lawes decerne iuâ—t thinges In vaine is all power from God and higher powers to be obeyed In vaine are we to be subiect to higher powers not only for anger but for conscience In vaine are we admonished to be subiect to Kinges and Rulers and sent from God to be subiect to Princes and powers to be obedient to carnall Lordes and Maisters in feare and trembling to honour them with all honour to giue to Caesar that which is Caesars In vaine is the King made the head and ruler of the common-wealth In vaine doth he make lawes inflict punishments appoint Iudges iustices and Magistrates sith subiects haue no liberty to obey or not obey them no tye in conscience not to violate them but by the liberty of their Ghospell are freed from all and the thinges also are either impossible to be done or if omitted it is without any sinne more then veniall at the most that is not imputed In vaine and foolishly do they condemne Popes for assuming power to declare Princes deposed or to depose them in case of extreme necessary to conserue the true fayth of God and the right authority of the Church or to preuent the grieuous calamity of the common good sith euery one among them may doe the same and more vpon his priuate authority to right his owne priuate wronge In vaine foolishly doe they accuse and condemne Popes for deposing Emperours Kinges as Gregory the second did Leo Isauricus Zachary did Chilpericke the King of France Gregory the 7. did Henry the 4. Innocent the 3. did Otho the 4. Alexander the 2. did Iohn of England and the like since they themselues in so short a tyme haue deposed two Queenes in Scotland one Bishop of Geneua and by armes laboured to depose one Queene of England two Kings of France three Kinges of Spaine three Emperours of Germany from their temporall right and dominion All which are lawfull and
warrantable according to these grounds of their Fayth that no lawes are possible or oblige in conscience that no bad workes are imputed or hinder saluation that the liberty of the Ghospell makes all actions free and voluntary that only fayth doth iustify and cannot be lost that no man hath freewill nor can do otherwise thē God hath decreed Which positions ouerthrow all duety of obedience and all obligation of duty to any Prince Sixtly it followes that in vaine and to no end are all consultations and deliberations of thinges to be done eithe◠by priuate persons in their priuate affaires or by publike Councellours of Princes for the publicke good because all in both must be as God hath decreed and man hath no more free-will to do otherwise then he is determined then he hath not to be a man as he was created In vaine are all precepts and lawes of doing or not doing going or staying bargayning buying or selling because man hath neither freedome of will nor obligation in conscience to do them more then to reach heauen with his fingar In vaine are all exhortations either priuate or publicke in sermons or in familiar speaches by preachers parents or friends either from euill or to good to one study or other to one course of life or other to one worke or other because man hath no more power or freedome of will to choose any of them then he hath freedome to cure himselfe of the goute or an ague or restore his arme that is cut off In vaine and to no end are either terrours and threats of punishment or promises and hopes of reward either prayses commendations of good and dispraises and reprehensions of bad deedes because neither are any deeds in themselues good but bad before God nor is any man more free and able to do the one rather thē the other then he is to moue mountaines or to adde height to his stature To what end therefore are Maisters offended with the negligence of seruants Doe parents correct the vndutifullnes of their children Do Princes punish the rebellion or offences of their subiects Do Preachers reprehēd the vices of their auditours or exhort them to workes of piety and charity disswade them from actions of sinne and iniquity Sith the workes be both alike sinnes do both alike violate the precept and are both alike forgiuen and not imputed sith the lawes do not oblige in conscience and are impossible to be kept sith the parties haue no power or freedome to do the one more then the other but all as by the decree of God and force of their originall concupiscence are forced and necessitated to do it Seauenthly it followes that in vaine and to no end doth any Protestant make any scruple of conscience which needes not as a law to direct as a thousand witnesses to accuse as a iudge to condemne or cleare as an executioner to torment and torture him as it doth other men for their sinnes vnrepēted because where no sinne is imputed where no Free-will is admitted where no good worke or obseruation of any commandement is possible where no law of God or man doth oblige in conscience to performāce what needs any conscience to torment or trouble it selfe with the guilt of any law infringed with the sting of any iniustice committed with the scruple of any good worke omitted since neither the law could be fullfilled nor the act could be preuented nor any punishment shal be inflicted nor God offended Why should therfore be studied any cases of conscience Why should be admitted any Chancery or Court of conscience Why should there be any confession of sinnes secret or any restitution of debts and monyes secret any forbearance of wrong secret when there is no feare or shame of man Why shall therefore any Protestant in life or at death trouble his conscience or haue any scruple of any good worke omitted of any secret murther committed of any iniustice rapine cruelty periury bribery sorcery practised or of any heresy idolatry or infidelity of any Iudaisme Turcisme or Atheisme belieued followed or perswaded Surely he needes not for one dramme of fayth of speciall fayth of apprehension of Christs iustice compounded with an impossibility of performing the law with the necessity of mans wil with the liberty of the Ghospell and with the certainty of present and future iustification will purge all this melancholy feare and scrupulosity and leaue the soule cleare of any doubt feare timidity or vncertainty of heauen for any whatsoeuer sinnes and offences howsoeuer or by whomesoeuer committed Out of all which former absurdities we may obserue these differences betweene a Protestant and a Catholike a iust man of the one and a iust man of the other that 1. A Protestant belieues a fayth which neuer any Prince Prelate or people neuer any Doctour Confessour or Martyr neuer any Councell prouinciall or generall belieued for 1500. and more yeares before Luther The Catholike belieues the same which all Princes Christian all Prelates and people reputed true Christians all Confessours Martyrs and Saints all Councels generall no fewer then eighten and all prouinciall aboue 100. haue euer since Christ professed and belieued Secondly a Protestant belieues a fayth which falsifyeth and frustrateth the predictions of the Prophets the promises of Christ the preaching of the Apostles the mission of Pastours the succession of Prelates the ordination of Priests the vertue of miracles the constancy of Confessours the purity of Virgins the bloud of Martyrs and the vnity sanctity antiquity and vniuersality of the Catholicke Church the Catholike belieues and professes a fayth which verifies and confirmes all the former and in which they agree in beliefe and profession with them all Thirdly the Protestants belieue a fayth which hath lesse authority credibility and motiues of persuasion such as are miracles vnity vniuersality and others to persuade and make it credible then hath the fayth of Iewes Turkes or Pagans the Catholikes belieue that which hath vnity visibility vniuersality antiquity sanctity prophecies miracles monuments of piety charity bounty and all reasons of probability to persuade and make it credible Fourthly the Protestant is made iust by a speciall fayth of which is no mention either in any Scripture Tradition Councell or Father and which neither Doctour Father Prelate Prince Prouince people or person in the world before them belieued and professed as a sauing and iustifying fayth the Catholicke is made iust by a Catholike fayth which hath beene generall vniuersall wholy by all people Prelates and Princes in all tymes and places acknowledged and professed Fifthly the Protestāt is made iust by a fayth by which all the seed and posterity of Abraham Noe and Adam yea all Iewes Gentils Turks Heretikes wicked blasphemers idolaters murtherers sacrilegious and incestuous persons which haue beene or shal be till the worlds end may as well be saued and assured of their saluation as they themselues the Catholike is made iust
in soule and that not to the lowest Hell but only to the graue or buriall and so Act. 2. Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell they change soule into carkasse and hell into graue translating it Thou shalt not leaue my carkasse in the graue as Beza and Bucer 5. By those who admit his descension to haue beene in soule but yet suffering the very paines of hell and of the damned either after his death in hell as Luther Gerlachius and some other mentioned by Beza or before his death in the garden and vpon the Crosse as Caluin VVillet and others before cited 6. By those who question this article as suspected to haue beene intruded into the Creed after it was made as Caluin All which opinions as they either deny any Limbus Patrum to haue euer beene or any reall torments of hell as yet to be or as they affirme Christ to haue descended only in vertue and merit not in body or soule or only in body to the graue or in soule to suffer the paines of hell either after death in hel or before death vpon the Crosse and in the garden are all contrary to this part of this article in which is affirmed Christs descending into hell that is in soule to Limbus to free the Fathers and Patriarches there and to carry them with him into heauen Secondly his Resurrection from the dead in the same article is oppugned 1. By those who according to Beza deny all resurrection as yet of Christs body more then of other mens 2. By the Vbiquitarians who affirme his body to haue had immensity and therby to haue beene euery where in all places euer after his Incarnation 3. By Caluin Beza and other who deny his Resurrection with the guift of subtility or penetration and affirme that his body could not pierce through the stone of the sepulcher or enter the doors to his Disciples without either the remouing or altering of the nature of the dores and stone by resoluing them into some liquid matter 4. By Caluin and others who deny the rysing againe of his bloud that was shed vpon the Crosse thereby the resurrection of his whole and entire body All which as they deny either any resurrection at all or the complete Resurrection of Christs body or the resurrection of the same with subtilty or penetration do euery one oppugne this article of Christs resurrection from the dead in such due sense as it ought to be belieued Seauenthly in the seauenth article attributed to S. Bartholomew is oppugned both the ascending of Christ to heauen and his sitting at the right hand of God the Father by power and dignity equall to him in person and excelling all creatures in his humane nature 1. By the Vbiquitarians who by the all-presence of Christs body in euery place take from it all possibility of ascending to a new place 2. By Caluin who by giuing to Christ a power not equall with God but Vicary or deputary to him and an honour not the same but only second in degree to Christ after God the Father by denying al situatiō either of sitting or standing of Christs body in heauen doth oppose both his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God 3. By the same Caluin and others who deny all Ascension through the heauens by way of penetration and admit it only by diuision and by cutting off the heauens 4. By those who yield the Patriarches a priority and deny Christ the primacy of tyme in ascending to heauē All which as they either affirme an euery where presence of Christs body or a difference of honour between◠Christ as God and God the Father or as they deny either any penetration of Christs body through the heauens or any priority of his ascending before other soules are all opposite to the manner of Christs ascension and sitting at the right hand of God in glory Eightly in the eight article attributed to S. Matthew is oppugned the Cōming of Christ to iudge the quicke and the dead by their generall doctrine that God is authour and worker of all sinnes that the Commandements of God are impossible that man hath no freewill that there is no reward for good deedes that all sinnes be mortall and damnable For these supposed no way is left to discusse rightly the differēce of sinnes to punish iustly mens sinnes or to reward duly their good deeds Ninthly In the ninth article attributed to S. Iames the lesser is oppugned the beliefe of the holy Ghost and of the Catholicke Church both which S. Augustine makes one article Of the holy Ghost in that some as hath been shewed make it only the vertue not the substance of God others expung it out of their Letanies Others as the Geneuians deny the adoration of it Others as before do make it the authour worker of all sinne the sauiour of all sects who by a perswasion they cōceiue of it do euery one assure themselues of saluation which authority reason and experience conuince to be false Of the holy Catholicke Church in that some reiect the name Catholicke as vaine and change it into Christian others leaue it wholy out of the Creed as superfluous and all of them do generally affirme the Church for many ages to haue beene latent inuisible erroneous adulterous and antichristian without either head to gouerne it or authority to end any controuersies and to conserue vnity or to punish offenders in it and without any sanctity in the professours of it whom they make all to be sinners and that in all sinnes generally and in great sins mortally then how can such a Church be truely holy vniuersall and infallible in deciding the beliefe of articles determination of controuersies Tenthly In the tenth article attributed to S. Simon is oppugned the Communion of Saints and forgiuenesse of sinnes The communion of saints is oppugned 1. The communion of saints in earth one with another by denying all meanes of vnity in faith vnder one head and Iudge 2. The communion of saints in earth with the soules in purgatory by denying all prayer for the dead 3. The communion of Saints in earth with the Saints in heauen by denying all honour or praying by vs vnto them and all knowledge and praying by them either for vs in earth or others in purgatory The remission of sinnes is oppugned by denying al power of priesthood in Gods church to pronounce any sentence of absolution all vertue in Sacraments to haue any operation as instruments in the remitting of sinne all infusion of grace to blot out and wash away all vncleannesse and deformity of any sinne either originall or actuall which according to them are neuer remitted or taken away but only couered and not imputed Eleuenthly In the eleauenth article attributed to S. Iudas Thaddaeus is oppugned the resurrection of the body by all who before oppugned the resurrection of Christs body and
God not only that which was written in paper but also that which was deliuered in preaching by the Apostles We receiue without any addition or diminution that Canon which the auncient Church twelue hundred yeares ago receiued that translation which for as many ages hath been approued that sense which the auncient Fathers Councells and Church euer since Christ allowed that Iudge which hath an infallible warrant from God to iudge truly and impartially of the Canon the text the translation the sense all whatsoeuer is doubtfull And all our practise is to follow the spirit of God speaking in the auncient Fathers Councels Church by which we are secure from errour or falshood about the scripture and sense of it Fifthly For the Church of God they with their priuate spirit dishonor it and derogate from it 1. From the power and authority of it as not hauing according to them any visible head and gouernour assisted with the holy Ghost to direct and gouerne it and to iudge of all causes and controuersies in it and so make it headlesse and vngouerned We honour it in acknowledging it to be a visible and perpetuall Monarchy with a setled and spirituall both Gouernour and gouernement hauing in it an infallible authority to iudge and decide all causes and controuersies 2. They derogate from the visibility perpetuity and infallibility of the same making it not only subiect to errour and corruption but to haue erred and perished or at least become inuisible for many ages We honour it in belieuing that it cannot erre faile perish become inuisible or be corrupted in fayth but that it is the piller of truth against which assisted by the holy Ghost the gates and power of hell and heresy cannot preuaile 3. They derogate from the vnity sanctity vniuersality and succession of the same as notes and markes to distinguish it from all other congregations which they reiect and admit not We reuerence and respect it as one holy Catholike and Apostlike Church which no other congregation is or can be 4. They derogate from the vncontrollable authority stability of the decrees of Councells and from the infallible testimony of the vnanime consent of the Fathers Doctors of the Church both which they at their pleasure censure condemne We receaue imbrace and follow them as guids and directours to truth and as witnesses and testimonies of truth belieuing that which they belieue and reiecting that which they before reiected 5. They derogate from the splendour and beauty of the Church in the state of Prelates in the single life of the Clergy in the retirednesse of the Religious persons in the ornaments of the Churches and in the variety of so many orders and professions all which they reiect condemne as needlesse or superstitious We reuerence and honour the same as tending to the externall honour of God and the magnificence of his Church thereby making the Church beautifull as the Moone elect as the Sunne wel ordered as an Army of men And to cōclude they make the Church the mystery of iniquity a whore a harlot and a strumpet the whore of Babylon drunken with al abominable filth of superstition and abomination of idolatry and antichristianity with which she hath made all the Christian world all Kinges and Emperours and that not for one or two ages but for seauen on ten or twelue or fourteene ages according to diuers opinions drunke with the same cup of superstition abomination idolatry and antichristianity and make it a body consisting of persons whoeuen the best and purest are in all partes and in euery action stayned impure sinnefull vniust and wicked We doe belieue confesse it to be the kingdome the citty the house of God the spouse of Christ the temple of the holy Ghost the pillar of truth which Christ hath purchased washed with his precious bloud made immaculate incontaminate and vnspotted pure holy and perfect before him which no errour of superstition or idolatry can possesse no power of Pagans or Heretikes or Schismatikes or other wicked Christians can suppresse no subtilty of heresy infidelity or Sathan himselfe can supplant destroy or extinguish Sixhtly For the sacraments they from the number of seauen do curtaile fiue and leaue only two and from these two they take away from the one that is baptisme 1. The effect and vertue making it only a signe or seale no cause or instrument of grace and of no more vertue then the baptisme of S. Iohn Baptist 2. They take away all necessity of it making it not needfull for infants whom they will haue saued by the parents faith without it From the other that is the Eucharist they take away both the fruit and the substance of it making it not the reall body and bloud of Christ but only a bare signe and remembrance of it Not any sacrifice offered to God but only a Sacrament signing or sealing grace and therby robbe Christ of all adoration by it as a Sacramēt and of all subiection or acknowledgment of dominion by it as a sacrifice and they robbe the Church of all benifit comfort both by the Sacrament and sacrifice We do admit for seuerall states of persons seuerall sorts of benefits by seauen seuerall kindes of Sacraments all as instruments of Gods power causing grace which assists all sorts of persons in their seuerall states and functions and all excell the Sacraments of the old law For the Sacrament of baptisme we belieue it to be a meanes of regeneration from originall sinne by which all sinne and punishment due to sinne both original actual is fully remitted and by which all persons are admitted into the mysticall body of Iesus Christ in his holy Church and made capable of the benefit of the rest of the Sacraments And for the Sacrament of the Eucharist we belieue that not only i◠conteines the fountaine of Grace but also is offered to God as a sacrifice to apply the vertue of his sacrifice on the crosse for the remission of our sinnes by which is giuen much honour to God and receiued great benefit by Gods Church much comfort to the faithfull both liuing and dead Seauenthly for Faith they and their priuate spirit admit many sorts of faith and in that none at all and make as many faiths as there are priuate spirits in particuler persons and in that destroy all vnity of faith We admit one holy Catholicall and Apostolicall faith one in al and generall to all who in all are directed by one spirit of Gods Church They admit a new and new-deuised faith neuer receiued by any but in some one or other point by condemned hereticks in whom it was condemned We receiue an auncient and euer belieued faith euer receiued and approued by general Coūcells ancient Fathers holy Saints in Gods Church They reiect the grounds of faith as Scripture Traditions Church Councells and Fathers We admit belieue
for the faithfull dying before Christ and Purgatory for faithful dying without full satisfaction 2. The locall place and the materiall fier and the reall suffering of the present paines of hell by the soules of the damned and withall that it is a worke good though not the best to auoid sinne for feare of hell In all which we extoll the iustice of God mixt with mercy in punishing al sorts according to their deserts and deterre men from liberty of sinne for feare of punishment in hell And thus we haue in this second part confuted this priuat spirit which in the former part we proued to be the sole and whole ground of the Protestant faith and saluation 1. By authorities of holy Scripture 2. By testimony of auncient Fathers 3. By reasons drawne from the difficulty of discerning spirits 4. By reasons drawne from a right interpreter of Holy Scripture 5. By reasons drawne from an infallible iudge of controuersies of fayth 6. By reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of fayth 7. By Circular absurdities to which this spirit leadeth 8. By Doctrinall absurdities which follow vpon it and the doctrine of it against Fayth and the Creed against Hope and the Pater noster and against good life morall vertues the ten Commandements and all laws of God Church or CoÌ„mon-wealth In which also we haue made plaine how this their doctrine grouÌ„ded vpon this their priuate spirit doth derogate from God and the Blessed Trinity whome it makes the authour of all sinne a sinner lyer dissembler and tyrant the only sinner and a greater sinner then either the Diuell or man doth derogate from Iesus Christ and his birth life passion and resurrection whome it dishonours in making him neither PhisitiaÌ„ Lawyer Iudge Priest or perfect Redeemer or Sauiour but one ignorant impotent sinnefull and damned doth derogate from the Church of God triumphant in heauen which it dishonours in taking from it knowledge charity in Saints and Angels and honour and reuerence to them and from the Church militant on earth which it dishonours in taking from it all authority visibility vniuersality perpetuity or extancy and being vpon earth so many ages How it derogates from fayth which it dishonours in taking from it all groundes whereon it is to be builded all meanes wherby it is to be attained and in making it contradictory rash presumptuous sinnefull and preiudicious to all Hope and Charity How it derogates from man whome it disables depriues of all Free-will of all inherent grace of all good life and workes of all possibility to obey Gods Commandements to abstaine from sinne to merit any reward How it derogates from all morall vertues and good life from which by many principles it doth withdraw withall doth draw to all vice and wickednesse doth giue the reines to all Epicurean liberty and loosenesse In all which the spirit of our Catholike Church and the doctrine of it is shewed to be contrary and to giue duâ— honour to God to Christ to his Saints Angels Church to Fayth Sacraments and the rest And to be a meanes to encourage all Christians to the practise of all vertue and perfection and to auoid all sinne and wickednes All this we haue carefully painefully laboured to performe in this second Part of the treatise of that pri-Spirit THE PROTESTANTS OBIECTIONS and proofes taken out of Scripture for the defence of their priuate Spirits authority to inrerpret Scripture and iudge of Controuersies proposed and answered CHAP. X. Of certaine obseruations profitable for the solution of Obiections SECT 1. HITHERTO we haue battered that I hope sufficiently the maine fabricke of this imaginary edifice of the Protestant priuate spirit It remaines only for this second Part that we raze demolish the foundation vpon which this their conceit of their priuate spirits authority is built and erected that is that we solue the reasons or rather obiections taken out of holy Scripture vpon which they ground their conceit for which we may note that as our Catholike doctrine doth not deny either the being or permanency of the Spirit of God in euery faythfull both person and Doctour for all faythfull by the spirit of God haue faith or the effect and operation of the same in assisting theÌ„ in the finding out of the true sense of holy scripture for neither are the faithful prohibited from all reading nor the learned debarred from all interpreting of holy scripture so there is a great difference betweene the effect and operation of this spirit in the Protestant and Catholicke as well simple as learned as both do chalenge it and rely vpon it For as for better illustration we may obserue in a naturall body and the spirit or soule of man in which comparison we imitate S. Paul the soule or spirit doth giue information or operation to the whole body and euery part thereof yet so that euery member hath not euery operation all members haue not one action but the head one as to iudge the handes another as to worke the feet another as to walke and the mouth is to receaue the belly to containe the stomake to disgest the meat and so it is proper to the eye to see to the eare to heare and to neither to discourse and reason which belongs only to the braine so in the spirituall body of the Church and the faythfull members of it the spirit of God doth assist all and euery one in particuler as well the meanest as the greatest as well the most simple as the most learned VVho are many but one body in Christ yet so that as euery member is different one from another so the operation of euery one is different and not the same but as some are Lay some Ecclesiasticall persons some secular some Religious some simple some learned some common people some Pastours and Prelates so to euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the donation of Christ according to the measure of fayth and to euery one for his profit that hauing all gifts according to the grace which is giuen to vs euery one may remaine in the vocation in which he is called wherupon all are not Prophets all are not Doctours all are not Euangelists All are not Iudges of faith and interpreters of holy Scripture though all haue the spirit but God diuiding to euery one as he will giues to some the spirit to heare and obey to others to direct and command to some the spirit to labour and worke by practicall offices to others to contemplate and study by speculatiue functions yet to all so and in that manner that as euery member hath need of another for the eye cannot say to the hand I stand in no need of thy helpe so euery one member hath his gift and the vse and operation of it for the benefite of the whole body with dâ—pendance and subordination to the whole and
according to the order and proportion of the whole that as the necessity and conueniency of the whole body doth require so the operation and function of the part is accommodated and applied and so all the parts and members of the Church being by one spirit combined and vnited togeather as members of one body and in vnity of one hody do euery one belieue as they are directed by the head and do proceed in all with subordination to the head and worke in all for the vse and benefit of the whole suffer for the defence of the whole and so by a communion both with themselues and with the whole do all labour for the whole conserue the whole and keep still an vnion and communion with the whole and are directed according to the faith the rule the reason and the Iudgment or direction of the whole body or Church of Christ As long therfore as euery member and his spirit hath this direction subordination and vnion with the whole body of the Church and the spirit of it so long doth it prooced in order and vnity and so farre it is agreable to the spirit of God directing his holy spouse the Church but when this spirit doth beginne to be singular of it selfe to deuise a new doctrine to teach otherwise then the rule of faith hath prescribed or to assume the authority of a new maister When it deuides it selfe from the spirit of Gods Church and doth oppose it selfe against it or extoll it selfe aboue it when it will not be subiect and subordinate to it but doth erect a Cathedra of authority of its own or an opinion of doctrine of its owne against it then it is an euident signe that it is not a spirit of vnity and concord but of dissention and diuision so not an inspiration of God to be imbraced but a suggestion of sathan to be reiected Out of which rule may be obserued the difference betweene a Catholicke and a Protestant spirit in expounding of scripture and withall the weaknesse or rather impertinency of the Protestant obiections for their manner of interpretation of scripture by this their spirit For first we distinguish betweene them who without offence lawfully may expound and who by authority haue warrant infallibly to expound holy scripture Of the former sorts are all faythfull Christians who hauing vnderstanding sufficient and a pious intention do with humility beginne and according to the rule of fayth proceed in seeking out the right sense of Scripture and so none who are thus able and thus proceed are barred from either reading or expounding to their own coÌ„fort the Holy Scripture as our aduersaries do falsely calumniate vs. Of the later sort are the Pastours and Prelates of the Church who hauing lawfull ordination and succession and continuing in vnity and subordination do either deliuer the sense of Scripture as it is taught by holy Church or els confirme and explicate any doctrine of fayth when they are collected in a generall Councell And these thus vsing the lawfull meanes and obseruing the vsuall rule of fayth haue authenticall warrant by the infallible assistance of the holy Ghost that they cannot erre in deliuering any sense of scripture as a ground of fayth and beliefe The Protestants doe giue not only liberty but also authority to all not only Pastours and Prelates but also Artificers and common people as well vnlearned as learned to frame to themselues such a firme assent to this or that seeming to them infallibly true sense of holy Scripture euery one according to his owne preiudicate conceit or priuate spirit that thereupon they dare aduenture the certainty of their Fayth and the hope of their saluation Secondly we make a difference betweene a sense of scripture produced in the Schooles to proue or confirme a schoole question a sense declared ex Cathedra to ground an article of faith or betweene a preachers conceit deliuered in the pulpit to exhort to good life and manners and a doctrine proposed by the Church as reuealed by God necessary to be belieued In which for the former we giue a liberty to any preacher to frame out of his own coÌ„ceit any sense which not being opposit to true fayth may moue the auditory to piety good life but for the later we confine the ranging liberty of the wit and inuention euen of the Doctours Pastours in Gods Church prescribe as fayth Vincentius Lyrin that They teach that which is deliuered to them not which is inuented by them that which they receaued not that which they deuised that which is of publike tradition not of priuate vsurpation that of which they are not authours but keepers not beginners but followers not leaders but lead In which cunningly caruing faythfully placing wisely adorning like another Beezeler the pretious pearles of diuine fayth by adding splendour grace and beauty they are to illustrate more clearely that which was belieued more obscurely and to deliuer to posterity more fully explicated that which by their forefathers being not vnderstood was with reuerence belieued Alwayes so teaching that which they learned that they teach after a new maÌ„ner but not a new doctrine That is as afterward he sayth That they interprete the diuine Canon according to the tradition of the whole Church and the rules of Catholike fayth that is Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent and if any part do rebell against the whole or nouelty oppose antiquity or if dissent of a few controule the consent of all or the most then mâ—st they preferre the integrity of the whole before the corruption of a part the veneration of antiquity before prophanation of nouelty and the generality of a Councell before the temerity of a few The Protestants giue a liberty by the priuiledge of their spirit to euery not only Preacher but priuate person to expound the most difficult and important places of Scripture namely of the Apocalyps S. Pauls Epistles not only for the schooles in scholasticall questions or in pulpit for exhortations to good life but in deepest articles greatest controuersies of Fayth euery one as his spirit shall suggest and thereupon they direct them to ground their fayth the saluation of their owne soule and of many others who rely vpon them Whereby as sayth Vincentius Lyrinensis They make it a solemne practise to delight in prophane nouelties and to loath all decrees of antiquity and by making ostentation of a false opinion of knowledge do make shipwracke of all fayth Thirdly the Spirit of a Catholike will not presume to expound any text of scripture contrary to that sense which either the rule of fayth or the practise of the Church or the decree of a Councell or the consent of Fathers hath receaued as true and authenticall but in al will receaue follow that which is determined and decreed in theÌ„ The ProtestaÌ„t spirit will censure reiect and condemne any sense though neuer
so generally receaued or strongly confirmed by all authority of any Church Tradition Councell or Fathers and deuise a new one of his owne inuention and therby wil build a new fayth and religion which it perswades the followers to be the only way to truth and life Fourthly the spirit of euery Catholike will deliuer his owne interpretation only as probable and submit himselfe to the censure and iudgment of the spirit of the Catholike Church captiuating with S. Paul his vnderstanding to obedience of Fayth The Protestants spirit will auouch their interpretation as certaine infallible and of Fayth and all with that obstinacy that no reason or authority shall remoue them from it or alter their opinion in it Fifthly the spirit of a Catholike being setled groūded in a certainty of Catholike and Apostolike fayth will expound Scripture according to the rule of the same for the illustration or confirmation of the same fayth as it is generally receaued but will not ground himselfe and his beliefe in his owne exposition nor perswade and introduce a new beliefe vpon the same The Protestant spirit will ground it selfe and his first beliefe vpon his owne exposition and by the same perswade others to forsake their old fayth and to follow a new and so change the ancient religion for a nouell opinion grounded vpon a new exposition of any text of Scripture framed according to the fantasy of the priuate spirits conceit And thus though Catholike Doctours and Pastours haue the spirit of God to expound holy Scripture as much and more then the Protestants haue yet they vse apply it either to schoole-questions and manners only or as probable and credible only or if to doctrine of fayth they apply it either to illustrate and confirme their fayth or if to ground and settle it they square it according to the rule of fayth the practise of the ancient Church the decrees of Councells and the consent of Fathers All which the Protestant Doctour in the setling and resolution of his Fayth reiects and relies his fayth vpon an exposition of scripture grounded only vpon his owne proper and priuate conceit The obiections answered SECT II. THE Obiections which the Protestants Luther Melancthon Brentius Magdeburgenses Musculus Whitaker other Protestants do vsually make for the power and authority of this their priuate spirit to expound scripture are drawne some from those places which affirme the interpretation of scripture to be a guift that gratis and freely bestowed others from those places which require reading prayer or meditation in euery one for the obtaining of this gift Of the first sort are these and such like First they obiect those places where the guift of Prophecy or interpretation of speaches is attributed to the operation of one and the same spirit which deuides to euery one as it will Where also Prophecy that is interpretation of scripture preaching is giuen to the Faythfull if all doe prophecy Euery one hath a Psalme hath a reuelation hath a tongue hath an interpretation Let Prophets two or three speake and the rest iudge You may all one by one prophecy that all may learne and all may be exhorted Therefore euery one who hath the spirit and grace of God hath the gift to interprete scripture To which is answered 1. That in all those places S. Paul speakes of guifts extraordinary and gratis giuen for the tyme such as are the guift of languages the curing of diseases foretelling thinges to come and interpreting of obscure reuelations or mysteries which were bestowed only for a tyme and as personall vpon the Apostles and first belieuers with whome they decayed and ceased not of any guifts ordinary and generall which are to be permanent in the Church and common to all faythfull Therfore these places can make nothing for euery faythfull persons power and ability to expound scripture that so certainly that vpon it he may build his fayth and saluation 2. These guifts are not giuen any one of them to all persons nor yet all of them to any one person and that for all ends vses for the guifts are giuen according to the measure of fayth according to the measure of the donation of Christ according to the rule of Fayth Therefore all these guifts are not alike giuen to euery one but so distributed that some are Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists others Pastours and Doctours and not all Apostles not all Prophets not all Doctours not all workers of miracles speakers with tongues or interpreters of speaches Therfore all and euery faythfull person hath not the guift of interpreting and expounding scripture but those vpon whome by speciall guift or function it is bestowed 3. They who haue this guift and the spirit of it haue it as subordinate and a part or parcell of the spirit of Gods Church by which it is to be directed not as opposite singular or independent of the same or of any one but themselues for so was the spirit of the Prophets subiect to the Prophets That is as S. Chrysostome expounds it that both the Prophet and his guift was subiect to the colledge or company of the Prophets which is the whole Church and the spirit of euery member is applyed to the vse and benefit of the whole body What spirit therefore is priuate and proper as of it selfe and either diuided from the head or not subordinate to the whole body of the Catholike Church and applyed to the vse and benefit of the same that spirit is not the spirit of vnity and peace but of diuision and dissention and so not the spirit of God who is not the God of dissention but of peace but of Sathan whose kingdome thus by spirits deuided will be made desolate and such is the spirit of all Protestants as is before fully declared According to which groundes are answered and explicated in particular all places which are obiected for this spirits authority As first That one and the same spirit doth work all these deuiding to euery one as it will is spoken first of reuelations and guifts extraordinary called gratis giuen not ordinary and permanent in the Church of God such as is this guift of interpretation of Scripture Also it is spoken of persons priuate the vulgar sort vpon whome this extraordinary guift is sometymes bestowed not of the Councels and Prelats to whose function as proper to it this guift or promise is annexed And if any priuate persons haue had this extraordinary guift as Amos a sheepheard Debora a woman who in the old Testament were Prophets and Origen who not yet a Priest was a Doctour and interpreter of Scripture they were priuiledges extraordinary and a few only which make not a generall rule for all and what they taught they taught not as Maisters who did either arrogate to themselues any proper authority or did teach any new doctrine or
did refuse any subordination to Superiour authority but did it either to the consolation of themselues or to the instruction and confirmation of others and all according to the rule of fayth and common receaued doctrine In which manner any though not yet called and hauing a talent sufficient may as before presume to interprete holy Scripture and deliuer the sense of it to others though he haue not yet the grace of holy Orders nor Pastorall or Episcopall function Secondly That of Rom. 1.26 hauing gifts according to grace which is giuen to vs differēt whether prophecy according to the reason of faith or ministery in administring is not so meant that euery one according to the proportion of his faith hath the gift of prophecy or interpetation of scripture but that euery one who hath these gifts should exercise them according to the talent and guifts bestowed on them not presuming to be wiser then he ought but to be wise vnto sobriety and according to the measure of the donation of Christ and not to intermedle in anothers office and function as to instance in the Apostles example he who hath the ministery proper to Deacons and inferior orders which was to distribute almes and to take care of the poore is not to medle in the function of Bishops which is to preach and instruct in doctrine of faith to conferre orders but euery one according to the reason or measure of faith that is not of his infused and supernaturall faith by which he is disposed to grace but of his gift of vnderstanding of scripture and of high mysteries of beliefe is to proceed in his function to vse that talent bestowed vpon them to the profit of the whole body Which gift also as it is not a property inseparably annexed to grace for many who are in state of grace are destitut of this guift others who are not so holy but for life wicked often haue the benefit of it so it is not vsually bestowed vpon the vulgar and common sort of people but is proper to Ecclesiasticall persons of whose function are two sorts that is Episcopall to preach and explicate holy scripture and Diaconicall to minister in externall function of giuing almes seruing the poore and the rest as is by the Apostle heere expressed in which euery one remaining in his vocation in which he is called is to exercise his owne office and function For as saith S. Hierome It is not for euery one to try gold and expound holy scriptures to tast wine and vnderstand the Prophets and Apostles And as saith S. Paul All are not Prophets nor Apostles nor Doctours but some Prophets some Apostles some Euangelists some Doctours till the consummatiō of the world And so some to whom by their function it belongs not all faithfull of what sort soeuer haue this gift of interpretation of scripture bestowed on them Thirdly those places of 1. Cor. 14. are vnderstood as the whole Chapter is neither of any ordinary and infallible interpretation of holy scripture nor yet of any solemne and publicke office sacrifice or benediction of the Masse much lesse of any guift ordinary common to al euery faithfull person either for vnderstanding of scripture or for hearing the solemne seruice of the Church as all expositours both ancient and moderne do confesse the very words of the text do conuince but of priuate praiers and praisings of God in Hymnes Canticles and spirituall songes and of priuate guifts of speaking with tongues and prophecying or interpreting of holy scripture and exhorting for mutuall consolation and instruction one another All which as they were guifts gratis giuen rare extraordinary singular yea and miraculously bestowed vpon seuerall persons of sundry sorts in the particuler congregations and assemblies of the faithfull in those times and only for that present time and not to continue in the Church so an order and methode is here prescribed in the vse and exercise of these guifts by the Apostle that al may be done honestly and according to order without confusion and to edification specially of Infidels not yet conuerted to whom cōming to heare the exercises of the Christians these were signes and testimonies of the spirit of God among Christians Whereupon it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thy proper and priuate benediction and the Prophets did speake somtimes in languages which neither themselues nor the auditours vnderstood as v. 13. and 14. is expressed where the speakers are willed to pray that they themselues may vnderstand and the prophecying or interpreting of high misteries is preferred before the vnknowne not vnderstood languages For which we may note out of the auncient writers Iustine Martyr and Tertullian who liued in the age of the Apostles that the times then so requiring it at the first begining of the Church this order was obserued in the meetings of Christiās which were then for the place priuate as in time of persecution that is 1. The Psalmes were sung 2. The Prophecies and scripture was read 3. The sermon was made by the Bishop 4. The sacrifice which consisted in the oblation consecration communion Canon some short prayers was offered 5. The Communion was giuen to all 6. Some did sing Hymnes and Psalmes of praise and thankesgiuing others did Prophecy speake of high mysteries and shew their guift of languages 7. Others more spirituall did as they were inspired by speciall guifts interpret and expound scripture which was vsed euen by women And lastly they concluded all with an Agape or banquet of charity and hymnes of praising God so brak vp the assembly Which practise as it was only for that time and in time when these extraordinary and miraculous guifts were bestowed for it was not obserued in the future setled times of the Church so with the cessation or ending of those guifts the order and manner partly ceased partly was changed into a set order forme for succeding times which conformably is obserued by our present Church in practise as may be seene in Cornelius vpon the 1. Cor. 14. Nothing therfore in this Chapter is intended or spoken of the generall and ordinary power and authority of all the common people and euery persons spirit to interprete scripture and iudge of Controuersies of faith 2. It is answered that the Prophecy heere spoken of is not an interpretation of Scriptures but of languages by which that which was spoken in strange languages to the admiration of Infidels for whose conuersion the guift of tongues was giuē was interpreted by this guift of prophecy in others for the instruction of the faithfull for whom this Prophecy was giuen for languages are a signe to Infidels but Prophecy to the faithfull When therfore the guift of tongues ceased this guift of Prophecy also ceased as being giuen only for the interpreting of tongues 3. The matter and subiect both spoken by tongue and
interpreted by Prophecy was not doctrine or mysteries of faith but either exhortation to piety for edification and consolation or of things secret as future euents or vnknowne faults or facts done by which the secrets of the heart of the infidell or idiot was made knowne and he conuinced and iudged of all therfore it makes nothing for doctrine of faith and interpretation of scripture 4. This manner of Prophecy howsoeuer and of whatsoeuer it was it was not independent and of it selfe free to interprete what and how it will but so that the rest doe iudge that the spirits of Prophets be subiect to the Prophets And so euery priuate spirit must be subiect to the iudgment of the Church and the Churches spirit Fourthly they obiect those places where it is said that All thy Childrē are taught of our Lord Al shal be docible of God Your selues haue learned of God I will giue my law in their bowels and I will write it in their heart All shall know me from the least to the greatest If any will do his will who sent me he shall vnderstand of the doctrine whether it be of God My sheepe do heare my voice do follow me Yow haue no need that any do teach you but as his vnction teacheth you of all things All these places I say do not either ioyntly altogether or particularly any one mention any priuiledge that euery one hath by the instinct of his owne priuate spirit to interprete holy scripture to decide deep mysteries of faith and to iudge of all controuersies of diuinity which is the point auerred by the Protestants denied by vs and in controuersy betweene both 2. In them is affirmed only that God will giue his inward guift of grace to all sort of persons so sufficiently that they may know him his truth and the true way to saluation and by the same may obserue his Commandements and come to be saued In which yet is neither excluded but rather supposed as precedent and an exteriour proponent cause the ordinary meanes of preaching by Pastours and of instruction by them and subordination to them But yet is not giuen to any one any power or priuiledge to preferre his owne spirit before the spirit of the whole Church or to censure the doctrine which is once adiudged by the same which among the rest this Protestant priuate spirit doth assume to it selfe For which we may note that it is one thing to haue faith sufficient for saluation another to haue the guift of infallible interpretatiō of scripture The former is a guift general to all the faythful though they be as yet little ones who only sucke milke though they be as yet carnal not spiritual thogh they be ignorant of many things and haue many thinges wanting to the perfection of their faith Yet they be sealed with the spirit of the promise the pledge of our inheritance haue the spirit of God dwelling in them and so haue the literall verity of all the former places verifyed in them The later is a guift peculiar and proper only to them who by place and function are spirituall and perfect haue their senses exercised to the discerning of good and euill And haue the guift of discerning of spirits and interpreting of speaches And these are they who as tryers and discerners of fayth interpreters of Scripture and haue the guift and power infallible to direct others in the doctrine of fayth who are ex officio the Pastours and Prelates of Gods Church and are as Bishops to rule to feed the flocke of Christ to exhort and reproue with all authority to controule rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth and to denounce to certaine not to teach otherwise And all by that power which God hath giuen them to edification and to reuenge all disobedience and to bring into captiuity al vnderstanding to the obedience of Christ This is the office of the Prelates and Bishops of Gods Church 3. This inward guift of grace or vnction of the Holy Ghost is only an efficient internall and cooperant cause and so necessary to mooue the vnderstanding and will to assent to that which as certaine is proposed but this iudge or interpreter must be an exteriour proponent cause which must deliuer to vs this sense as certaine which being proposed grace doth enable vs to belieue Now all these and such like places are meant of the interiour guift of grace which is necessary but not ordinarily sufficient without a precedent exteriour and proponent cause which is this infallible Interpreter of holy Scripture in Pastours of the Church Fifthly to those places where it is commanded not to belieue euery spirit but to proue the spirits if they be of God and to proue all thinges and hould that which is good is answered 1. That all and euery person of the body of the holy Church is not directed to make this tryall but only the chiefe that is the Pastours and Prelates as when a man is willed to discerne and see not euery member and part of the body is directed so to do but the chiefe members as the head which is to iudge and the eye to see to whose function it is proper and belonges or as when an Vniuersity is directed to examine and iudge of such a booke and doctrine not euery student but the chiefe Doctours of that faculty are so directed and willed so that not euery person and vnlearned party in the Church is to make this tryall of spirits but only Pastours and Prelates to whose function it is peculiar and proper to iudge and decide all such like questions and doubts 2. This tryall and iudgment is to be made not of questions doctrine already decided and determined by the authority of the Church but of such as are yet doubtfull and vndecided For that which is once determined by the generall consent of the Church or Councell is not againe to be examined and iudged by any priuate mans spirit for so the Decrees of Coūcells were both vaine endlesse that therfore is to be tryed which is not before both tryed and iudged and that by those who haue both ability and authority to do it which makes nothing for this priuate spirit which will both try what is before by any Councell iudged and will by euery simple vnlearned person try and iudge it Sixthly to that of 1. Cor. 2.15 The spirituall man iudgeth all thinges and himselfe is iudged of none It is answered that S. Paul to confound the Corinthians who standing vpon their humane worldly wisedome contemned his vnlearned manner of instruction affirmes that they being men sensuall can iudge only of sensuall thinges but he being spirituall and perfect in diuine wisedome can iudge both of things sensuall and spirituall and
profundity of holy scriptures that though his wit was better his leasure more and his diligence greater yet he might from his child-hood tiâ—l his old age profit in the vnderstanding of them not for that so much of them as is necessary to saluation is so hardly to be atteined but for that when once ones faith is grounded vpon them so many and manifold misteries remaine for the more intelligent proficients inuolued in the words and the maâ—ter that the moâ—t aged witty and industrious may say when he is become perfect then he begins For which elswhere he professes that he is ignorant of more things in scripture then he knowes Therfore only prayer meditation and study will not surfice for euery one to find out the true and certaine sense of euery place of Scripture which for euery one to assume to himselfe would not be a certainty of faith but presumption of pride And the same which is sayd of Prayer Meditation and study may be sayd of skill of tongues conference of originall texts and other places and of consideration of antecedents and consequents of phrases and the like Of which see Stapleton Which supposed the answere to all the former obiections is facile First Dauid did read and study the Scripture but he did it for his priuate consolation and meditation not for his foundation in fayth in which he was before grounded 2. Timothy did read and study them from his childhood but to learne the sense and meaning of them of his Maisters and teachers not to be iudge and censurer of them and that for his instruction in manners not for his doctrine of fayth which he receaued from his Ancestours not from his owne reading of Scripture 3. S. Peter did will them to attend to the propheticall doctrine but not to interprete it according to euery ones priuate spirit and proper interpretation which he forbids saying No prophesy of Scripture is made by priuate interpretation much lesse with a neglect of the rules and grounds of fayth or with a contempt of the Pastours and Superiours of the Church of God preferring its owne before their exposition 4. S. Paul affirmes that we must be built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles that is not only vpon the written word of the Apostles or Prophets for many had fayth and were Cittizens of Saints and Domesticals of God before any scripture or writing of the Apostles was extant and many built their fayth vpon the Apostles who writ nothing at all but vpon the doctrine and fayth reueiled to the Apostles and by them left by preaching or writing to posterity and as such by the Church proposed to vs. Out of which nothing can be inferred for making the scripture much lesse the priuate spirit interpreting it the sole or sufficient ground of Fayth Againe taking the foundation either for the doctrine or writinges of the Apostles and they who are built vpon it or for principall partes or for the body of the Church we may consider first the foundation of doctrine either in it selfe and so as being the truth reuealed it is the ground of fayth or in respect of vs as by vs it is accepted and so it relyes vpon the Pastours and Prelates of the Church by whome it is proposed to vs as reuealed and for whose authority we receaue it as reuealed Secondly we may consider the Church either as it is the whole body of all faythfull in all tymes especially after the Apostles and so it is built vpon the doctrine preached and written or as it signifies the first heads and directours of it to wit the Apostles and so it is built immediatly vpon Christ and the holy Ghost reuealing to them that doctrin and scripture which they haue left to posterity and which they preach and propose to vs and in this sense the Church that is the Apostles and first Pastours were before the doctrine was either preached or written by them so were the foundation of their doctrine and preaching of it to vs though to the rest of the faythfull the doctrine preached and written by them is the foundation vpoÌ„ which their fayth is built Which answere doth not only cleare the Scripture for hauing any priuate spirit as Iudge ouer it but also declares how the Church is built vpon the doctrine of the Apostles or Prophets taking the Prophets eyther for the writings of the Prophets in the old Testament or for the Interpreters of the Apostles writing in the new and also how the Church in the sense before declared is the ground of the Apostolical and propheticall doctrine reuealed to the Church and the first Pastours of it and by them left to vs who receaue it from them and their authority and so from the Church 5. They of Beörea did search the scriptures whether those thinges were so as Paul declared that is not so that by searching the scripture they did make themselues and their spirit iudge of the Apostolicall doctrine preached out of scripture but so that either being nor yet fully conuerted and satisfyed they would with diligence and in humility enquire further of the doctrine preached which is alwayes permitted and aduised to all for otherwise he that giueth credit quickly is light of hart or that being satisfyed they would as Catholicke Doctours do search out conferre and vnderstand those places of scripture which Paul did alleadge and thereby the more strongly confirme themselues and better satisfy others in Fayth In which as they did proceed prudently and piously and we permit and aduise euery learned Catholike to do the like so they did no more make either their spirit or the Scripture interpreted by their spirit iudge of the Apostles doctrine then if one for searching the testimonyes of S. Augustine which are cyted by Bellarmine should therby be sayd to make himselfe iudge of Bellarmine his doctrine or as one searching the places cited by Caluin to see if they be as they are by him cited should thereby make himselfe iudge of Caluin and his doctrine Which to inferre out of their actions as it is absurd so is it to inferre that the Beröeans made themselues iudges of S. Pauls doctrine out of the Beröeans seeking out the places which S. Paul alleadged 6. Our Sauiour willed the Iewes to search the Scripture it is true but which Iewes to wit those who were learned and how Not so that he would make them and their priuate spirits iudges of Scriptures or the truth found in them but that he would haue them being yet incredulous studiously to informe themselues of him being the true Messias out of those Scriptures which they belieued already to be true and to beare true witnesse of the true Messias which is no more then to persuade any Protestant to read Scriptures Fathers and Catholike authours and out of them to informe himselfe of the verity of Catholike Religion which is to search out
respect of mans infirmity and Sathans subtility 93. Signes of good Spirits 89. DiffereÌ„ce betweene good and bad spirits ibid. How hard to discerne them by scripture pag. 109. Not to be discerned by all faythfull ibid. Spirituall maisters necessary pag. 111. Spirit of God the Interpreter as wel as the maker of scripture p. 38.39 Gods Spirit how it worketh in euery one and what it is 373. How it differs in Catholicke Protestant doctrine in the exposition of scripture and certainty of saluation pag. 37. Spirituall men how they iudge of all things ibid. Priuate Spirit the mother of all heresies pag. â— May be chalenged as well by Catholikes as Protestants pag. â—8 What it worketh pag. 30.34.38 Confuted by Scripture pa. 34. Why not to be belieued ibid. Why it cannot be a Iudge pag. 37. What it is in whome it is what it worketh how it is punished pag. 46. Is blind lying deceytfull pag. 44 Is confuted by scripture out of S. Iohn S Paul S Peter Exechiel Iob and other scriptures pag. 33.40.48.50 By Fathers in the six first ages after Christ pag. 55. A PuritaÌ„ spirit described out of Iob pag 47 Is only a selfe opinion pag. 50. The priuate spirit cannot discerne the difficulties about the Spirit of good Angels soules diuels pag. 80. caÌ„not discerne spirits good or bad pag. 112. cannot be meanes to interprete scripture 1â—1 caÌ„not explicate what bookes are scripture in what language figures what seeming contradictions what difficult places 131. Priuate Spirits exposition of scripture is against scripture false fallible contrary to the spirit of Gods Church and author of all heresies pag. 1â—6 184 It cannot be a Iudge as not able to know be knowne pag 17â— It wants authority 174. Infallibility 175 Certainty ibid. â—8â— Duration immutability Visibility Vniâ—y pag. 178.188.176 Vniuersality warrant to be obeyed pag. 178. Priuate Spirit is the ProtestaÌ„ts sole grouÌ„d of scripture sense faith saluation pag. 182. Authour of al sects 184. Vpon what ground it relyes pag pag. â—87 Teaches directs Protestants all in all pag. â—91 Cannot oblige others to beleeue any thing 195. It can giue no credible testimonies of beliefe pag. 195. CaÌ„not make a knowne and visible CoÌ„gregation 188. Nor teach an entyre vniuersall Fayth pag· 186. T TEntations vaine to ouercome them by mortification or labour according to ProtestaÌ„ts pag. 26â— V VNity wanting in the priuate spitit of Protestants pag. 178.188.176 Vniuersality also wanting in the same ibid. Visibbility a like ibid. W WOmen seducers of ancient and later tymes pag. â—â—6 VVorkes neither hinder damnation nor help to saluation according to Protestants pag. â—61 FINIS Faultes escaped in the printing PAge 5. line 2. adde it pag. 6. l. 20. in read is pag. 24. l. 16. haue read hath pag. 26.29 is read as pag. 34. l. â—7 him read them pag. 63 l. 23. glorify read glory pag. 76. l. 21. adde to pag. 103. l. 22. adde her pag. 104. l. 30. dele to Ibid. l. 32. his read her pag. 107. line 33. after men adde of which first S. Paul 1. Cor. 12. pag. 117. l. 22. after force adde of reason pag. 121. l. 31. of read from pag. 123. l. 14. whome read them p. 129. l. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. l. 27 dele in pag. 136. l. 31. Act. 15 12. read Act. 13.21 pag. 152. l. 3. dele S. Ibid. l. 1â— read were not thus pag. 163. lin â—4 dele and. pag. 174. lin 10. vnity read vntye pag. 183. lin 15. adde First pag. 187. lin penult Heretickes read Hereticke pag. 194. lin â— more read most pag. 198. lin 23. read knowne after and vnknowne as c. pag. 208. lin â—3 affection read assertion pag. 209. lin 22. therfore read before pag. 210. l. 13. the read their pag. 215. l. â—9 spirit read spirits pag. 216. lin 10. adde to be pag. 241. lin 7. read so it is true that euery ones sinnes c. pag. 24â— adde euery one pag. 244. lin 2â— least read best pag. 247. lin â—0 read lesse pardonable pag. 250. lin 16. dele and in the effect thereof pag. 255. lin 11. adde and confession pag. â—56 lin 2â— one read onely pag. 259. l. penult now read new pag. 260 lin 25. pointed read painted Ibid. lin vlt. dele pit of pag 263. l. 11. read that he had no freewill pag. 269. lin 24. free read freedome pag. 270. lin 20. esteeme read esteemed Ibid. lin 28. his read thus pag. 288. lin vlt. dele stel pag. 293. lin 18. read tell him that which pag 296. lin 6. read in him sinne pag. 311. lin 22. adde to pag. â—14 lin 3. read need not Ibid. lin 33. read from euer pag. 320. lin 10. neuer read euer Ibid. l. 21. dele to pag. 324. lin 11. dele all pag. 329. lin 6. we read will pag. 330 lin 29. debauched read debased pag. 340. l. 21. read one hundred thouâ—and pag. 346. lin 14. read he is diuulged pag. 348. lin 4. dele by In the Margent PAg. 4. Mat. read Marc. Ibid. Ephes 2.10 read Ephes 2.20 pag. 5. Psal 24.25 read 92.5 Ibid. Philip. 2.33 read 2.13 pag. 11. Eph. 25.29 read Ephes 5.27 pag. 12. Matth. 20.10 read 28.19 Ibid. Matth. 15. read Marc. 16.15 pag. 15. confirme read conuert pag. 50. Iob. 12. read Prou. 1â— pag. 60. Ep. â—6 read 60. pag. 65. read Tom. 7. cont Iulian l. 1. c. â— pag. 104. 3. Reg. 12. read 3. Reg. 22. pag. 182. Aug. serm 8. read 8â— Other Faultes if any haue escaped it is desyred of the gentle Reader to correct them by his owne iudicious reading the Author being far absent from the Print and forced to commit the same to strangers Hierom. Six meanes or helpes to attain faith 1. The material obiect what we do belieue 2. The formall obiect or reuelatioÌ„ why we belieue (a) Ioan. 15.15 (b) Mat. 16.15 (c) Eph. 2.10 (d) 2. Thes 2 14. 3. The proponeÌ„t cause declaring the certainty of what and why we belieue 4 Credible Testimonies to conuince the Vnderstanding of the probability of fayth (e) Psal 25 Eccles 15.4 Luc. 24.25 The pious disposition of the will disposed by grace to giue conseÌ„t to the verity (f) Phi. 2.23 (g) Phi. 16. (h) Mar. 16.26 (i) Act. 28.24 (*) Matt. 23 37. The guift or habit of faith cocurring to the act of assent or beliefe (k) Heb. 11.3 (l) Rom. 1.17 (m) Ibid. (n) Rom. 10.10 (o) Rom. 5.1 (p) Ioan. 12.42 (q) 1. Cor. 13 24. (r) 1. Tim. 1.20 2. Tim. 2.17 (s) 1. Tim. 6.10 (t) 1. Tim. 10.19 (u) Heb. 6 5. The order manner of operatioÌ„ of rhe six meanes of fayth 1. Credible testimonies persuade 2. The churches authority proposeth 3 Grace inclinâ—th the will 4. The habit of faith enableth the Vnderstanding to belieue the articles reuealed and the reuelation of them How fayth is resolued Dispositiuè Directiuè Effectiue Formaliter (w) Ioan. 4.39 (x) Vers 42. Effects of Fayth The necessity of
these six meanes of Faith Of credible testimonies Of the pious disposition of the habit of Fayth Of the materiall obiect Of the formal obiect Of the proponeÌ„t cause (y) Rom. 10 17. Infallibility Aug. de vtil credendi Which is church proposition (a) Psal 32 12 (b) Matt. 28 1.20.20 (c) 1. Cor. 13.16.17.19 (d) Cant. 4.8 Ioan. 3.19 (e) Ose 2. (f) 2. Cor. 11.2 (g) Rom. 12.5 Eph. 4.4 (i) Ephes 5.25.29 (k) Act. 20.28 (l) Mat. 28.20 (m) Ioan. 14.16 (n) Esa 59.21 (o) Ioan. 14.16 (p) Ioan. 16 13. (q) Matt. 16 18. (r) 1. Cor. 4.21 (s) 1. Cor. 5.3 (t) Act. 15.28 (u) 1. Tim. 3 15. (w) Matt. 16.18 (x) Matt. 15 15. (y) Luc. 10.16 (z) Matt. 13 2. (a) Luc. 10.16 (b) Matt. 18 17. (c) Mar. 16.16 The church that is the pastours of it (d) Ephe. 4.11 (e) Ier. 3.15 (f) Rom. 10. (g) Rom. 10.14 Church propositioÌ„ coÌ„firmed by Fathers Iren. lib. 3. cap. 4. Aug. lib. 1. cont CrescoÌ„ cap. 33. Luth. de anti Eccl. tom 7. fol. 562. Ger. 2. part 10.40 The Protestants want all the meanes of faith Externall Eternall Internall Protestants want credible testimonies which are such as either may 1. Confirme Pagans these are (h) Valentia tom 3. dis 1 q. 1. art 4. pag. 87. c. In respect of Christ Of ChristiaÌ„ doctrine Of holy Scripture Of ChristiaÌ„ Professours 2. Or may confirme Catholikes such as are Aug. lib. cont epist Funda cap. 4. Consent Authority Succession Name Catholike (*) Aug. de vnit Eccl. c. 7. tom 7. Concione 2. in Psalm 30.12 3. Or may reduce Heretiks such as are Vnity Sanctity vniuersality Succession Protestants want testimonies of credibility 1. To conuert Pagans 2. To conuince Heretikes As vnity with the primitiue Church Or among themselues Sanctity of doctrine Of miracle (n) Luth. conc 2. Domin 1. Aduentus (o) Becan de fide cap. 6. num 4. Vniuersality Of name Catholike Of place Of tyme. Succession of Ordination And Vocation Protestants want Church-infallible proposition in that they Disobey their Pastours Disclaime generall Councels And condemn their whole Church of errour Protestants want a pious disposition of the Will By obstinacy by which They fal into heresy Loose their fayth Belieue no truth by any diuine Fayth Separate themselues froÌ„ Christ Protestants want an infused guift of Fayth Protestants want the material obiects or articles of Fayth because they belieue not Traditions nor many partes of Scripture in which they are reuealed Nor many articles belieued by ancient Church and Fathers Not any article by diuine fayth Protestants want the formall obiect of faith or diuine reuelation As not depending vpon the reuelations made to the Apostles but to them selues by their priuat spirit Catholikes aduantage of the Protestants â— In the materiall obiect belieued as belieuing not only what is reuealed in scripture interpreted by their owne spirit But what is reuealed or declared in Scripture Tradition Councells Church-practise Fathers 2. In the formall obiect which we make not sense reasoÌ„ or the priuate spirit But reuelation Ancient General Continued Infallible 3. In the internall assistance of grace Protestants depend only vpon a motion of priuate spirit We vpon a permanent guift seuerall helps of Grace 4. In the credible testimonies they haue none We haue Vnity with the ancient Church With one head VVith our selues Sanctity of doctrine Sanctity of life Of miracleâ— Vniuersaliry of name Of place Of tyme. Succession of Ordination and Doctrine Exampls of Martyrs CoÌ„fessours Doctours Virgins 5. In the infallible proponeÌ„t cause they haue none at all We haue infallible Church authority The priuate spirit might as well be chalenged by Catholikes as Protestants 2. Cor. 11. â—â— About the necessity of the spirit Catholikes Protestants agree Differ 1. in the name 2. In the vniuersality of it 3. In the maÌ„ner of operation of it 4. In the permanency of it 5. In the effect of it what Catholiks assigne What Protestants assigne In respect of the obiect In respect of the subiect â—alu 4. Inst. 17.2 in the French editioÌ„ The priuate spirit not to be belieued The reason The effect of it (a) Act. 20.29.3 (b) 2. Pet. 2.1 (c) v. 2. (d) v. 10. (e) v. 14. (f) v. 19. (g) v. 18. (h) v. 20. (i) v. 21. (k) 2. Pet. 3 16. ReasoÌ„s why it cannot be belieued (a) 1. Cor. 2 12. (b) 1. Cor. 2.11 (c) 7. Cor. â—·12 (d) 1. Reg. 16.14 (e) Ioan. 15.16 (f) 2. Paral. 18.22 1. Tim. 4.1 (g) Es 11.2 (h) Es 19.14 How by what rule spirits are to be tryed Catholikes rule (1) 1. Cor. 12 4.11.13 (2) Ioan. 14 16.26 (3) 1. Cor. 12 2. Protestants rule Cal. in 1. Ioa. 4. v. 1. Who are to try spirits according to Catholikes According to Protestants ConclusioÌ„ (a) Matt. 24 4.5 (b) 2. Pet. 2.1 (c) Ib. v. 2. (d) 2. Pet. 2.10 (e) Ib. v. 14. (f) Ib. v. 19. (g) 2. Pet. 3.16 (h) Ibid. (i) Act. 20.30 The second proof out of S. Peter The scripture is to be interpreted by the same spirit by which it was penned (4) Ephes 4. Chrys hom de spir sanct adorando Clem. ep 5. Cal. in CoÌ„m in hunc locum Bellar. l. 3. c. 6. de interpr verbi Dei Inference ConclusioÌ„ The third proofe out of S. Paul The guift of interpreting scripture is gratia gratis data It is not coÌ„mon to all faythfull Inferences Matth. 7.22 ConclusioÌ„ 4. Proofe out of Ezechiel By whom is described The spirit The persoÌ„s The effects The punishmeÌ„t of it The spirit of false Prophets and Protestants compared Hierem. 29.8 The persoÌ„s The effects Inferences Women seducers Hier. epitom 1. epist. ad Câ—esiph ConclusioÌ„ The fifth proof out of Iob. Eliu the Busite his priuate spirit Eliu the Protestants spirit alike 3. Reg. 22.23 The sixth proofe out of S. Paul admonishing Who is an Heretike Sanct. lib. 2. mor. c. 7. n. 1. Aug. ep 162. Qui sententiam suam quaÌ„uis falsaÌ„ peruersaÌ„ nulla pertinaci animo sitate defeÌ„dunt praeser tim inquam non audaciâ presumptionis pepererunt sed à seductis in errorem lapsis parentibus acceperunt quaerunt auteÌ„ cauta solicitudine veritatem corrigi parati cum inuenerint nequaquaÌ„ sunt inter haereticos deputandi Aug. l. 18. de ciuit Dei c. 51. Qui in ecclesia Dei morbiduÌ„ aliquod prauumque sapiunt si correpti vt sanum rectuÌ„que sapiaÌ„t resistunt coÌ„tumaciter suaque pestifera mortifera dogmata emeÌ„dare noluÌ„t sed defensare persistuÌ„t haeretici fiuÌ„t foras exeuntes habentur in exerceÌ„tibus inimicis Aug. l. 4. de Bapt. cont Donat. c. 16. Why an heretike is to be auoided Tert. de prescript cap. 6. quia in quo damnatur sibi clegit Conclusion The 7. and last proofe out of diuers places of Script (a) Prou. 3.5 7. (b) Iob. 12.15 (c) Prou. 14.12 (d) Is 5.21 (e) Deut. 12.9 (f) Rom. 1.22 (g) Rom. 2.8 (h) Thes 1.8
ambulaÌ„t Aug in Psal 139. Quis est circuitus eorum vt circumeant non steÌ„t in gyrum eunt erroris vbi iter est fine fine Qui enim in longuÌ„ it aliunde incipit alicubi finit Qui in gyrum it numquam finit Ipse est labor impiorum queÌ„ demonstrat in alio Psalmo euidentius In circuitu impij aÌ„bulant The second Circle betweene the spirit and fayth A third Circle between election vnderstanding of Scripture Calu. in 1. Ioh. 4.1 Multi falsi Doctores titulum spiritus mentiuntur Insurgunt phanatici homines qui se temere iactant spiritu Dei praeditos esse Stulti sunt qui ad soluÌ„ honorifici spiritus strepitum attoniti ipsam materiam non andent inquirere Quiloquuntur priuato suo nomine pâ—odeunt in medium priuato suo nomine Nisi adsit spiritus prudentiae paruÌ„ aut nihil proderit verbum Dei habere ad manum Penes singulos erit ius arbitriuÌ„ iudicandi Hic quoque valere det examen quod praescribit Apostolus vt spiritus probentur Idolatry what it is Heresy is a kind of Idolatry Cyp. de vnit Eccles Tert praescr cap. 40. Hier. in Ezech 8. in Abac. 2. Aug lib. 18. de câ—uit Dei cap. 51. Idolatry what number of Gods it begat Clemens lib. â—ecâ—gnit Petri itiner Clem. lib. 10. cap. 6. Iupiter the chiefe of Gods His cruelty His lust Men Gods Women gods Cicero de natura Deorum Eric de genealog Deor. Pulâ—o de Dijs antiquis Guauerra diall of Princes lib. 1. c. 22. Speciall Gods of particuler thinges The Gods of Rome Mens passions made Gods Beasts made Gods (a) 1. Reg. 31 10. (b) 3. Reg. 16 31. (c) Num. 25.3 (d) 4. Reg. 1.2 (e) 3. Reg. 11 7. (f) 4. Reg. 15 8. (g) Iud. 17.5 (h) 2. Reg. 17 39. (i) 3. Reg. 15 13. (k) 2. Machab 4.19 (l) Ezech. 8.14 Idolatry Heresy compared The priuate spirit the mother of all heresies The first daughter coÌ„tempt of Church authority The second daughter sole Fayth (a) Confess Saxon. cap. de remiss peccat Confess Auglican art 11 Belgiâ— art 22 Bohemica art 6. Augustanâ— cap. de fâ—de Gallica art 20. Luther de liber tom 2. fol. 4. in Gal. 2. tom 5. fol. 305. Calu. in Gal. 2.16 in Act. 13.39 In confess fidei pag. 109. de vera Ecclesiae reform pag. 318. In Antidot Concil sess 6. Can. 9. Beza in Rom. 3.20 Pet. Mart. in 1. Cor. 1. f. 32. in 8. Witak ad rat 1. Cam. pag. 7. Perk. Catathes tom 1. Col. 487. The third daughter Concupiscence is originall sinne Luth. in confut La tom fol. 220. tom 5. in Galat. 1. fol. 227.228 in cap. 2. fol. 231. ibid. de bonis operib fol. 581. in natal Christi fol. 374. Calu. lib. 2. cap. 1. §. 8. lib. 4. cap. 15. §. 10. in Antidot Concil Trid. ad sess 5. lib. 3. Instit. cap. 11. §. 3. lib. 3. Instit. cap. 1. §. 8. cap. 14. §. 9. lib. 2. Instit. cap. 11. §. 8 9. lib. 3. cap. 11. §. 2. 3. Vrb. Regius in locis tom 1. fol. 358. Witak de peccat orig lib. 2. cap. 3. pag. 656. The fourth daughter Predestination to daÌ„nation Calu. lib. 1. Inst cap. 18. §. 1. lib. 3 cap 23. §. 6. 9. lib. 2 cap 4 §. 2. lib. 1. cap. 18. §. 2. 4. lib. 3. cap 23. §. 9. lib. 1. Inst c. 17. §. 5. 18. §. 1.2 lib. 3. cap. 4. §. 2. lib 1 Inst. cap. 18. §. 3. c. 2. §. 10. lib. 1. Inst cap. 14. §. 2. lib. 2. cap 4. §. 5. lib. 3. cap 23. §. 14. c. 24. §. 13.14 lib. 3. cap 24. §. 12. Vide pluâ—a infra sect 5 Subdus 4. Absurdities which follow vpon contempt of Church-authority 1. The want of a true Church fayth and saluation 2. The misbeliefe of al Prelates Princes people 3. The falshood of all prophesyes and predictions Castalio in his preface of the great Latin Bible dedicated to King Edward 6. 2. Tim. 3.15 Dauid Georg in hist. Daui Georg. printed at Antwerp an 1568 by the Diuines of Basil in a Protestant booke intituled Apocalipsis infigniuÌ„ aliquorum Haeresiarcharum printed Lug duni Batauorum ann 1608. See the Protestants Apology Tract 2. cap. 3. p. 307. 4. The preheminence of Iewes Gentils aboue Christians (a) Aggeus 2.10 (b) Psal 2.8 (c) Isa 49.23 (d) Psalm 71 10.15 (e) Isa 42.4.60.9 Absurdities which follow vpon only fayth 1. That euery ProtestaÌ„t is more certaine of his saluation then Christ was of his owne 2. That their fayth is not grouÌ„ded vpon any scripture or authority 3. That all Protestants are as iust as Christ (a) Luth. tom 5. enar in 1. Pet. 1. (b) Zuing. to 1. in art disp Tigur fol. 628. (c) See Kellisons examen part 2. exam 13. cap. 8. Cal. Turcis l. 3. cap. 12. Apoc. 22.11 Luther serm de natiu virginis comment in 1. Pet. 2. (a) â—ucer in Matth. 3. (b) Math. 11.11 (c) Zuin. to 1. in art dis Tygur f. 628. 4. That all the world shal be saued proued by diuers Protestant positions (d) Calu. Inst 6.24 InfaÌ„s à matris vtero in foedore continetur c. Filiorum haud dubié loco habet eorum filios quorum semini in patreÌ„ se forâ— pollicitus est c. Calu. in Antidot Concilij Trid. sess 6.9.5 Verùm infantes à regno Dei arcere libuit qui ante erepti sunt ex hac vita quam offerri ad Baptismum potuerint Quasi vero de nihilo dictum sit eos nasci sanctos qui ex fidelibus nascuntur Imò quo iure ad Baptismum eos admittimus nisi quod promissionis sunt haeredes Nisi enim ante ad eos pertineret vitae promissio Baptismum profanaret quisquis illis daret Quod si Deus in regnum suum eos adoptauit quanta iniuria fit promissioni quasi per se ad eorum salutem non sufficiat Inclusa est infantium salus in promissione quâ Deus Fidelibus testatur se fore illis semini eorum in Deum Hac ratione sibi nasci pronunciab at qui ex Abraham ducebant originem Huius promissionis beneficio recipiuâ—tur ad Baptismum quia censentur Ecclesiae membra Non à Baptismo igitur initium habet corum salus sed quae iam in verbo fundata erat Baptismo obsignatur Calu. ep 147. 149. The same proued out of their doctrine by speciall and only fayth Remission of their sins saluation an article of Protestants Fayth (a) Calu. cathec c. de fide (b) Ibid. in â— Matt. 21.21 (c) Beza in confess cap. 7. sect 8. p. 60. (d) Idem in Tim. 4.15 (e) Idem in confess cap. 4 sect 18. p. 15 (f) Luth. postil in Domi. 3. Aduent f. 31. (g) Idem in Psal 14. tom 3. fol.
pag. 100. line 31. Stow Annals pag. 64 printed an 1592. Godw. in the life of Austine pag. 117. c. Fox Acts MoÌ„ pag. 117. an 1576. Tind Reuelation of Antichrist MelaÌ„ Apolog. Confess Aug. VVittomb an 1573 f. 221. Pant. Chron. pag. 95. Fox act Mon. p. 70. next after an 1216. Hackl in his booke of nauigations 2. par 2. volum p. 81. (a) Comment rerum in Oriente gestaruÌ„ fol. 2. (b) Pag. 36. (c) Fol 9. (d) Fol. 14. Abraham Hartwell his discouery of Congo printed ann 1597. l. 2. cap. 3. Godw. Catalogue of Bishâ—ps Stubs his motiues to good workes p. 44.45 Syr Edward Sands in his Relation of the Religion vsed in the VVest partes of the world sect 48. paulo post initium (a) Sect. 6. (b) Sect. 27. (c) Sect. 42. Stubbs his motiues to good workes printed 1596 pag. 43. Deut. 32.31 The Protest priuate spirits doctrin compared with the Catholike doctrine shewed 1. That theirs derogateth from the blessed Trinity 2. FroÌ„ Gods mercy 3. From Gods goodnesse 4. FroÌ„ Gods Iustice 5. FroÌ„ Gods omnipotency That the Protestant doctrine doth derogate from Christ 1. From his beatitude 2. From his knowledge 3 From his supremacy and power 4. From his authority in making lawes 4. From his sanctity 6. From his redemption of mankind 7. From his merit and satisfactioÌ„ 8. From his corporall passion 9. From the certainty of his saluatioÌ„ 10. From his descending to hell 11. From his ResurrectioÌ„ and ascension 12. From his adoration and intercession (a) Marc. 10 47. Mat. 15.22 20.31 (b) Mat. 2.11 (c) Mat. 28.9 That the priuate spirits doctrin doth derogate from Saints and Angells 1. Their Beatitude (a) â—uth Postiâ— Dominiâ— 2. post Trin fol. 286. tom 6. in 25. Gen f. 322. tom 4. in 9. Eccl. c. 36. 37. in 2. Ioan. Calu. in 2. Pet. 2.4 in Math. 22.23 in Math. 27.43 in Luc. 16.12 3. Inst. 25.6 Buâ—an loc 39 p. 44â— Dan. contro 7. p. 1265. 2. Their sanctity (b) Calu. in Coloss 1.10 3. Iâ—st 14.16 17.9 Conc. 16. in Iob. pag. 68. 3. Their power (c) Beza in 1. Cor. 16. Vrsin Catech. q. 99 p 944. Piscat thesâ—l 2. pag. 373. Perk. in 3. Gal. 3. 4. Their difference of glory 5. Their esteeme with God 6. Their knowledge of vs. 7. Their charity to vs. 8. Their honour by vs. Luth Postil in festo S. Ioan f. 378. Ferijs eiusdeÌ„ f. 9. die Epip fol. 138. Calu. in 4. Ioan. 10. 9. Their custody and help of vs. That the priuate spirit doth tak from the word of God 1. All the vnwritten word 2 21 parts of the written word 3. The true translation 4. The certainty of the sense 5. The integrity of faith 6. The authority to iudge of it The priuate spirit derogates from the Church of God 1. The authority 2. The visibility 3. The markes 4. The continuance 5. The beauty magnificence 6. The purity incorruption of doctrine The priuate spirit derogates from the Sacraments 1 The number 2 The effect of Baptism 3. The substance of the Eucharist The priuate spirit doth derogate from Fayth 1 The vnity of it 2. The antiquity of it 3. The grounds of it 4. The meanes of it 5. The purity of it The priuate spirit derogates from man 1. A freewil 2. All infused habits 3. All inherent iustice 4 Alinward purity 5. All necessity or possibility of good works 6. All benefit of prayer 7. All care and labour for his saluation The priuate spirit takes from sinne 1. All difference of mortall and veniall 2. All possibility to be auoided 3 All imputation to punishmeÌ„t in some persons The priuate spirit doth derogate from good workes in generall 1. Their merit The priuate spirit doth derogate from heaueÌ„ 1. The reward of glory 2. The difference of glory They take away from hell 1. The difference of place (a) Calu. in Matth. 3.12 Danaeus controu 4 §. 11. pag. 210. Vorst in Anti-bellar pag. 269. Perk. vpon 2 Apoc. pag. 9. Lobec disp 6. pag. 133. 3. The suffering of the soules 4. The local place of hell 5. All feare of sinne for hell 2. The fire of hell (b) Luth. ser de diuit paup tom 7. fol. 267. in cap. 9. Eccles tom 4. fol. 38. Postil â—â— Domin 4. post Triâ—it fol. 286. Bucer Catheis Hedalb apud Schusselb theol Calu art 27. fol. 145. Brent apud Hosp part 2. anno 1562. fol. 308. 230. apud Bullinger Lobec disp 6 p. 133. Perk. in c. 2. Apoc. col 90. Tylenus â—yntag c. 6. p. 69. Cal. Inst. 16.6 (c) Luth. in 15. Gen. tom 6. f. 321. serm de diuit Lazarâ— tom 7. f. 268. Postil in Domin 2. post Trin f. 268. in 2. c. Ioan. f. 418. Calu. 4. Inst. 25.6 in 2. Pet. 2.4 Scultâ—t 1. part medul in Tertul. cap. 42. pag. 305. The true efffect of the working of the spirit of God declared By the similitude of a naturall body 1. Cor. 12.12 Rom. 12.4 The spirit giues to euery one his proper operation Rom. 12.5 Ephes 4.7 Rom. 12.3 Rom. 12.6 1. Cor. 7.20 Ephes 4.11 1. Cor 12.21 â— Cor. 12.21 The differeÌ„t manner of the spirits operations in catholiks from Protestants In the persons who haue authority In the articles of faith of which exposition is giuen Vincent Lyr. cap. 27. Cap. 28. In the points of faith expouÌ„ded Vincent Lyr. In the meanes or directions by which it is expounded In the infallibility or certainty of their exposition In the grouÌ„ding ones fayth vpon this exposition Protestants obiections for their priuate spirits authority answered (a) Rom. 12.6 1. Cor. 12.11.1.14.14 (b) 1. Cor. 14 24. Vers 26. Vers 29. Vers 31. Guifts extraordinary and gratis giuen Not giuen euery one to all persoÌ„s Rom. 12.3 Rom. 12.6 Ephes 4.11 1. Cor. 12.28 Giuen only with subordâ—nation to the spirit of the Church and Superiours 1. Cor. 14.32 1. Cor. 14.23 Marc. 3.26 1. Cor. 12.11 â—uifts exâ—raordinary giuen not generally to all Guifts alike are not giuen to all but are to be vsed by all as they are giuen Rom. 12.3 Ephes 4.7 By Episcopall Diaconical function Rom. 12.7.8 1. Cor. 7.20 Hier. contra Vigilan Non est cuiusuis hominis aureos nuÌ„mos scripturas probare vina gustarâ— Prophetas Apostolos intelligere 1. Cor. 12.28 Ephes 4.11 S. Paul 1. Cor. 14. is vnderstood not of ordinary guifts to expound Scripture Nor of the publike seruice of the Church But of extraordinary guifts gratis giuen for languages c. Vers 40. Vers 23. Iustin Apol. 2. ad Anton. in fine Tertul. Apologet cap. 39. The manner of the ChristiaÌ„s assemblies in the first age of the Church (a) Vers 22. (b) Vers 3. (c) Vers 24. 25. (d) Vers 29. (e) Vers 33. (f) Isa 54.13 (g) Ioan. 6 45. (i) 1. Thes 4 (k) Hier. 31.33 (l) Idem v. 34. (m) Ioan. 7.17 (n) Ioan. 10 27. (o) 1. Ioan. 2.27 Grace to be saued not to interpret scripture Not all who haue Fayth haue the guift of interpreting scripture (a) Heb. 5.12 1. Cor. 3.2 (b) 1. Cor. 3.1 (c) 1. Cor. 14 38. (d) 1. Thes 3.10 (e) Epes 1.13.14 (f) 1. Cor. 3.16 (g) 1. Cor. 14 37. (h) Hebr. 5.14 (i) 1. Cor. 12 10. (k) 1. Cor. 14 (l) Act. 20.28 (m) 1. Pet. 5.1 (n) â— Tit. 2.15 (o) Tit. 1.12 (p) 1. Tim. 1.3 (q) 2. Cor. 10. v. 5.6.8 (a) 1. Ioan. â— â— (b) 1. Thes 5 20. Pastours not the coÌ„mon people are to try spirits How spirituall men iudge of spiritual things (a) Hebr. â—5 23 14. Only spirituall men iudge of spiritual things and some of one some of another spiritual affaire (b) 1. Cor. 12. vers 8.9.10.11 (c) Vers 27. (d) Vers 21. 22. Calu. 4. Inst. 17.25 Nos vt in tota scriptura sanam huius loci Hoc est corpus meum intelligentiam non minori obedientia quà m cura consequi studeamus neque praepostero feruore temeâ—è artipimus sine delectu quod temerè se mentibus ingerit sed sedula meditatione adhibitâ sen sum amplectimur quam spiritus Dei suggerit quo freti despicimus quidquid terrenae sapientiae ex alto opponitur Psal 118.474 (a) 2. Tim. 3.15 (b) 2. Pet. 1.19 (c) Ephes 2.20 (d) Act. 17.11 (e) Ioan. 5.39 Meanes necessary but not sufficieÌ„t to expound scripture Are by persons proper and fit to be applyed Aug. epist 3. Tanta est Christianarumpro funditas literarum vt in eis quotidie pro ficerem si eas solas ab ineunte pueritia vsque ad decrepitam senectuâ—em maximo ocio summo studio meliori ingenio conarer addiscere Non quod ad ea quae necessaria sunt saluti tantâ in eis perueniatur difficultate sed cum quisque ibi fidem tenuerit sine qua pie recteque non viuitur tam multa tamque multiplicibus mysteriorum vmbraculis opaca intelligenda proficientibus restant tantaqueue non solùm in verbis quibus ista dicta sunt sed etiam in rebus quae intelli gendae sunt latet altitudo sapientiae vt annosissimis acutissimis flagrantissimis cupiditate discen di hoc contâ—ngat quod eadem scriptura dicit Cùm consummauerit homo tunc incipiÌ„t Epist. 119. cap. vlt. Plura se in scripturis nescire quà m scire See Staples princip doctrinalibus controu 6. l. 9 c. 9.10 c. How Dauid and Timothy studyed scripture How S. Peter exhorts to interpret scripture (a) 2. Pet. 1.20 (b) Ephes 2.20 How our faith is built vpon the Prophets Apostles (a) Act. 17.11 How they of Berâ—ea the Iews searched Scripture (b) Eccl. 19.4 Act. 17.11 Iâ— 5.39
for the faith of the ghospel but it is a spirit of dissentiō which comes in his owne name speaketh lies of it selfe leadeth disciples after it selfe and seeketh as a thiefe to kill and destroy And if the spirit of the hearer be not conformable to the teacher then it is not a spirit of God nor of truth because he who is borne of God heareth the voice of the spirit and to heare the voice of vs saith S. Iohn that is of the Pastour is a signe to discerne who knows God and who hath the spirit of truth not falshood But if he on the contrary do follow a stranger do heare the voice of strangers do harken to a Prophet who ariseth and saith let vs follow strang Gods whom thou knowest not that is new Pastours vnknowne who they are or whence they come it is a signe of a spirit which followes not God nor is directed in truth Therfore the spirit of God is not a spirit priuate and singular by it selfe but a spirit common and generall to all the faithfull vniting the sheepheard with the flocke and the flocke with the sheepheard both in the fold of Iesus Christ in vnity of one spirit and faith Thirdly Because this priuate spirit is not only euill but also most vncertaine and fallible for it is vncertaine in whom it is whether in Luther Caluin Seruetus or Rotmā and why not as well in Bellarmine as in any of them It is vncertaine to him who imagines he hath it whether it be the spirit of God of nature or of Sathan and most vncertaine altogeather vnknowne to any but him who challengeth it It is vncertaine whether that sense it suggests be the certaine meaning of the holy Ghost or the inuention of ones owne braine It is vncertaine whether those interpreters of scriptures which follow it and others who follow them as Caluin Luther Osiander Beza or others do expound the scripture in the sense of the holy Ghost or of their owne It could not accord the Lutheran Deuines of Saxony in the Conference at Altemburge 1568. whether the scripture was to be receiued as interpreted by Luther only as the Duks Deuines of Iene Lipsia prescribed or as by Luther and Melācthon also as the Electours Deuines of Wittemberge resolued It could not agree Luther Melancthon with Zwinglius Oecolampadius at Marspurge 1529. about the sense of these words Hoc est corpus meum whether they are meant properly or figuratiuely It could not combine in vnity at Wormes 1557. the twelue Catholicke Doctours with the twelue Lutheran about many points of controuersy nor the Lutheran Doctours among themselues of whom seauen the maior part excluded fiue the lesser that is Amsdorpius Gallus and others the rigid Lutherans It cannot pacify to this day the dissentions about the sense of scripture betweene the Lutherans Swinglians Caluinists Vbiquitaries Osiandrians Swenk feldians Trinitarians Puritans Familists Anabaptists and others in number infinite and in contention vnplacable So vncertaine it is in all so vncertaine it leaues all Fourthly Because it is not only false and vncertaine in expounding the scripture but also it is opposit to the spirit and iudgement of the whole Church of all generall Councels and of all auncient Fathers reiecting and condemning them and preferring it selfe in euery preacher or Parochian before them It will in euery vnlearned Protestant with Caluin examine all the spirits of all men according to the rule of the word of God it selfe I say will examine and iudge them It will with Luther affirme and stand to it also that it will permit none to be iudges but all to be obedient to it It will with Whitaker resolue that all iudgment of Fathers Councels and Church is only humane and only its owne is diuine of which contempt of Fathers and Councels see the first Part Chap. 5. Fifthly Because it is not only false fallible opposite to the spirit of Gods Church but is the very author and supporter of all heresies as Stapleton well notes saying Out of this priuate spirit to which they stand stifly for the exposition of scripture haue issued and flowed all the stincke of heresies and new opinions which haue infected the whole world And indeed as euery hereticke diuided himselfe from the Church and forsooke the spirit of it so by his new spirit he inuented a new heresy of his owne and sought to draw people after him All which both concerning heresies rebellions shal in the third Part at large be demonstrated Sixtly Because all the partes and properties of an infallible Iudge are wanting in this spirit as shall appeare in the next Chapter And thus much against the priuat spirits authority of expounding scriptures by reasons drawne from the obscurity fecundity and profundity of scripture and from the falsity fallibility and vncertainty of this spirit Out of which it doth follow first that since the Protestants build their saluation only vpon faith and their faith only vpon the scripture and the scripture and the sense of it only vpon the spirit which is so vncertaine fallible and doubtfull therefore their whole faith and state of saluation is very vncertaine fallible and doubtfull as builded vpon a ground so vncertaine fallible and doubtfull 2. It followes that they who in shew rely so much vpon scripture who extoll it so much read it so diligently seeme to be so cunning in it and to build so much on it do not indeed rely build vpon the scripture but vpon their owne spirit or conceit by which they set vpon the scripture what sense they please and draw the sense to what doctrine they please and make the doctrine to serue to what times and turns to what ends and vses they please 3. It followes that the Catholikes whom the Protestantes so much accuse of neglect of scripture do more solidly safely rely on it then the Protestants do and do with more security and certainty ground their faith vpon it then they do for the Catholikes receiue the scripture as the word of God as much as they more parts of it then they they reuerence it as much as they and haue kept it from corruption longer then they They ground their faith and beliefe vpon it as strongly as they did the same before it was knowne to them yea deliuered it to them and to many mo besides them For the true sense and right vnderstanding of it they do not rely vpon euery mans priuate spirit or conceit as they do but vpon the iudgement of the Church infallibly assisted by the holy ghost vpon the testimony of the catholike and apostolicke rule of faith vpon the conformity of the auncient practise and obseruation of the Church vpon the generall consent of the holy and learned Fathers and doctors of auncient time vpon the infallible decrees of general and