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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69071	Directions to know the true church. Written by George Carleton, Doctor of Diuinitie	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.	1615 (1615)	STC 4632; ESTC S112818	32,595	148

we finde the rule chāged in the present Church of Rome therfore we are sure that it cannot bee the true Church that hath chāged the rule of faith by which the true Church was alwaies knowen heeretofore and must bee knowen heereafter And as they haue changed the rule of faith so haue they changed the Iudge of the controuersies of faith For before the Councill of Trent the Church neuer held the Pope to be Iudge of Controuersies of faith Before the same time the Church neuer helde the Pope to bee aboue generall Councils but his authoritie alwayes euen in the greatest ruffe and pride of Popes was yet helde to bee vnder the authoritie of a generall Councill Concerning the iudge of controuersies of Faith the ancient Writers and the writers of the Church of Rome haue written no otherwise then as we write and speake In the Council of Nice Theodoret Lib. 1. cap. 1. declareth how Constantine described the iudge of controuersies of faith In the disputations of things diuine sayth hee the Bishops haue the doctrine of the holy Spirit written For the Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the oracles of the ancient Prophets doe fully instruct vs and therefore let vs take the determination of questions from the wordes of the holy Ghost In which words he declareth first that in diuine Disputations or in Controuersies of Faith wee haue the doctrine of the holy Ghost written then let them tell vs from what spirit the vnwrittē word of Trent proceedeth Secondly he sayth that the writings of the Prophets and Apostles doe fully instruct vs then that writing is the full rule of faith for that which doeth fully instruct vs and not in part is the full rule and not a part thereof Thirdly he saith that all determinations of doubts must be taken from this written word Then hee prooueth vndoubtedly that this written word doeth suffice to ende all controuersies of faith because the words of men may be subiect to errour but the wordes of the holy Ghost are not This is the Catholike determination of the iudge of controuersies in faith which hath beene in all succession preserued vntill the Councill of Trent Optatus an ancient Father holdeth the same way in seeking a iudge for thus he reasoneth against the Donatists Let no Optat. lib. 5. man beleeue you let no man beleeue vs for all we are contentious men Iudges must be sought but if wee take Christians they cannot be helde indifferent for both sides because the trueth is encumbred by contentions Wee must then seeke a iudge without But if he be a Pagan hee cannot vnderstand our mysteries if a Iewe he is an enemy to Christian baptisme Therefore on earth no iudgement will be found for this wee must seeke the Iudge from heauen But what need we knock at heauen seeing wee haue him here in his Gospel Thus Optatus sought a iudge and could find none but Christ speaking in his Gospel in his written word How easie had it beene for Optatus to haue named the Pope if the Pope had then beene esteemed the iudge of controuersies of faith But this is a late inuention not knowen to the ancient fathers Saint Augustine speaketh in like sort This matter Libr. 2. cap. 33. de nupt concupisc saith he writing against the Pelagians requireth a Iudge and therefore let Christ iudge And then hee produceth the words of Christ as the words of the Iudge Hee saith also Let the Apostle iudge with him for in the Apostle Christ speaketh And then he produceth the words of the Apostle as being the words of Christ the Iudge And in another place It is not without great cause that Ad Cresc lib. 2. cap. 31. the Canon of the Scriptures is ordeined with such wholesome vigilance whereunto certaine books of the Prophets and Apostles doe pertaine which wee dare not iudge at all but according to them may we freely iudge of other writings whether they be written by beleeuers or no beleeuers After this till the Councill of Trent the Church helde the same determination still concerning the Iudge of controuersies of faith Indeed there were some Friars and Canonists that flattered the Pope and the Pope was as willing to make vse of their flatterings But these flatterers were reiected as men odious and could neuer finde any credit in the world before the Council of Trent In so much that the Popes themselues and what is it that they durst not doe durst not claime this authoritie before that time Pope Clement the first hath Dist. 37 cap 14. This Pope liued anno 1047. these wordes You must not seeke a strange sense which may be adulterated and inwardly corrupted nor confirme such a sense by the authoritie of Scripture but a man must take the sense of the trueth from the Scriptures themselues seeing that one may haue the full and firme rule of faith and trueth in the Scriptures Thus sayth a Pope Integra firma regula veritatis ex Scripturis Then there were no vnwritten Traditions thought of at that time to be thrust into the rule of faith Secondly he saith that the vnderstanding of the trueth must be sought out of the Scriptures themselues So that hee knew no other Iudge of the controuersies of faith Thus was the doctrine of the Iudge of controuersies maintained vntill the time of the Council of Basill The Councill of Basil doth likewise maintaine the ancient doctrine of the Church concerning this point For thus they say Lex diuina praxis Concil Basil Sess 4. Christi Apostolica Ecclesiae primitiuae vna cum Concilijs Doctoribusque fundantibus se veraciter in eadem pro verissimo indifferente iudice in hoc Basiliensi Concilio admittentur That is The diuine Law or holy Scripture the practise of Christ of his Apostles and of the Primitiue Church together with Councils and Doctours grounding themselues truely thereon shall be admitted for the most true and indifferent Iudge in this Council of Basill We finde by this what was the sense and iudgement of the Church in our fathers dayes for this was done about the yeere of Christ 1440. Then before the Councill of Trent there was no change in these things but there they haue changed all and made a new Church but with such sleights and cunning that it is apparant that it was not religion and conscience which mooued them but ambition and a singular estimation and pride of their owne wit holding such a scorneful conceit of other nations whom they call Tramontani that they presume that they can make all other men fooles This they practised in the Council of Trent and through the simplicitie and ouer-much credulitie which they haue found in some haue partly well confirmed their purpose for there were certaine questions which were determined in that Councill of Trent and yet neuer discussed as namely whether the Popes authoritie be aboue the authoritie of a generall Councill and whether the Pope be the

DIRECTIONS TO KNOW THE TRVE CHVRCH Written by GEORGE CARLETON Doctor of Diuinitie Imprinted at LONDON by IOHN BILL 1615. TO THE HIGH NOBLE AND most vertuous CHARLES PRINCE OF GREAT BRITAINE Duke of CORNWAL and of YORKE c. The spirit of Wisedome and Power to know and execute the Actions of a PRINCE WHen the Queene of SHEBA most noble PRINCE had heard the wisedome of SALOMON and obserued the order of his house shee pronounced his seruants Happy that did attend vpon him and heard his Wisedome It is true that not onely the houshold seruants find an happines in a wise Prince that feareth God for in the feare of God consisteth all wisedome but this fruit of happinesse is also spread and powreth it selfe as blood frō the heart through all the veines to all the Subiects that are to bee gouerned by such a Head Behold then how your happinesse draweth with it the happinesse of all other vnder you Of this my selfe haue had some experience which I thinke my selfe bound with my humble duety and thankefulnesse to remember For not many yeeres since I published a Booke of the consent of the Catholicke Church against the Tridentines wherein I was desirous to offer my seruice to God for the manifesting of his truth But your Royall Father our gracious Soueraigne and your Highnes were pleased so effectually to declare your gracious acceptance thereof as if it had beene a seruice done to your selues May wee not then say with the Queene of SHEBA Happy are the seruants of such a King and of such a Prince the Kings sonne And herein wee finde great difference betweene the case of your seruants and the case of them that serue the Pope who is found to be the trobler not only of yours but of all the Kingdomes in Christendom For your seruants cannot doe any true seruice to God but it pleaseth you and is accepted as a seruice done to you But his seruants cannot please him by seeking to please God but if they will haue his fauour they must loose the fauour and seruice of God by venturing vpon some bloody seruice acceptable to him for what other are now acceptable to him but such This thing must needes giue your seruants vnder your gracious Fauour and Protection a greater encouragement then our aduersaries can finde So that if wee should be slacke in promoting GODS cause vnder such gracious Protectours a great condemnation might iustly bee laide vpon vs. And this maketh me the bolder in this present seruice Since the time of the publishing of that Booke being written in Latine for I referred it to the iudgement of the learned and thought the vulgar sort were not to be troubled with such things wherof they could not iudge diuers bookes haue come to my handes that are written in English to seduce the simple that cannot iudge insinuating to them faire pretences of a shewe of the Church Which shewe of the Church is the thing that carrieth away many that cannot iudge between trueths and shewes These bookes being written with great confidence and little knowledge doe worke much harme among many of his Maiesties Subiects that are led with appearances and shadows Now for the helpe and information of these I haue drawen out of the greater worke some short Directions to know the Church the want of which directions seemeth to trouble many of the weaker sort which may giue some light to those that are so seduced and may helpe to dispell that darkenesse which their blinde Teachers haue brought vpon them and would therein hold them still blinded This I present to your Highnesse and am bolde herein to seeke your gracious protection both because my seruice and whatsoeuer I can doe is a due debt to your Highnesse and also that by your fauourable countenance it may finde more fauour abroad that the imperfections of the Writer may bee couered and excused by the worthinesse of the Patrone And thus with my daily prayers to God for an increase of these graces in your Highnesse that may leade you both to temporall and eternall happinesse I humbly take my leaue and rest Your Highnesse most humble seruant and Chaplaine George Carleton A PREFACE Containing an Aduertisement to the Readers who call themselues CATHOLIKES GEntle Readers for your sake was this vndertaken Your instruction is my desire and prayer Moses did wish that all the people of Num. 11. 21. God might prophesie and that God would giue them his Spirit and so do wee wish But there bee many false teachers that keepe the people in ignorance and are desirous that they may neither heare nor vnderstand any thing but as they receiue from their lippes Hence is it that so many Bookes are written and secretly conueyed into your hands of purpose to seduce you The care of your good hath mooued mee to take this paines to lay downe these directions that haue euer bene the directions of the Church and must euer bee that you may better vnderstand your owne estate and the ostentation of them that call themselues Catholikes but are not that leade you with vaine shewes and appearances of things that are not as iugglers vse to doe If any shall addresse an answere to me I will informe you before hand how you may easily iudge of the answere For wee know what they can doe we know their best and their worst but for your satisfaction which is all my care I will heere warne you of the maner of their writing that your selues may bee able to iudge of the answere if any shall be returned For whereas I haue proued that the rule of faith is onely the doctrine written in the holy Scriptures They happily may shew you out of the ancient writers that there be some other things admitted in the Church which are not written So doeth Cardinall Bellarmine bring ancient testimonies for some things vnwritten But these things wee confesse and acknowledge that some things vnwritten must bee admitted into the Church but these are things in the discipline of the Church And therefore wee holde things of discipline still vnwritten But if you haue a care to saue your soules from these sleights bid them prooue that things vnwritten must bee receiued as doctrines of faith For the controuersie betweene vs and them is not of vnwritten traditions in externall ceremonies but of vnwritten Traditions in the rule of Faith We say with Tertullian Regula Lib. de virgin velandis fidei vna omnino est sola immobilis irreformabilis hac lege fidei manente caetera iam disciplinae conuersationis admittunt nouitatem correctionis That is the rule of Faith is one altogether onely vnchangeable and vnreformable this law of Faith remaining the same other things pertaining to discipline and conuersation may be changed and corrected Euer since this controuersie begun between vs and them of Rome our writers haue confessed this that I say and haue challenged their aduersaries to produce some plaine testimonies that