are no Catholicke Christians do professe the same as hath bene already euidently shewed that is to say they will openly beare the world in hand that they build their whole Religion vpon the maine foundation of the Scriptures wheras notwithstanding it is out of question that they rather build vpon their owne idle heades and fanaticall spirits forsomuch as they deduce their acknowledgement of Scriptures and the interpretation thereof from their owne braine sense and priuate fancy and not from any more stable authority at all 21. This is made euident and perspicuous if we exnmine any the least sect or sectary in the world or compare many of sundry sectes togeather for that euery one of them though as opposite among themselues as heauen and hell light and darkenes God and Beliall yet will all pretend to build vpon God his word all will appeale vnto Scriptures the Lutheran Caluiuist Anabaptist Brownist Protestant and euery other sectary but when you tye them to the point bring them to the examination of the Scriptures question them concerning these two particulers to wit which is Scripture how it is to be vnderstood then do they appeare in the liuely colours of Heretickes then do they discouer their owne hereticall fancies to be both all and the chiefe groundes that euer they had to build their religion vpon as by the ensuing Considerations will better appeare in both the heads before touched The third Consideration IF the Oracle of the Prophets and Apostles the diuine VVrit I meane so called because the holy Scriptures were written by the ministery of Propheticall and Apostolicall men be in their owne nature of that sublime excellency and transcendent eminency as hath bene formerly decyphered and discouered vnto vs If the authority of the said sacred Writ be not humane but diuine not the word of any mortall mā nor proceding frō any earthly spirit but the word of the immortall God breathed nō his heauenly spirit and consequently if it be not in it selfe most holy sacred sure certaine and of infallible truth then let vs assuredly know that as on the one side it is a capitall crime of sacriledge to decree any thing for Scripture which is not or to intrude any humane writing into the participation or association of Gods Diuine word so it is a sinne no lesse damnable on the other side to call rashly into question or to disauthorize any part or parcell of that which is Scripture indeed or to deny therunto the honour due to diuine and sacred Writ and therfore it highly importeth vs aswell in the one as in the other to mannage our selues with all humility sobriety modesty and circumspection in a matter so weighty as the Scripture is and so neerely concerning the eternall saluation or damnation of our soules 23. Now then if the point standeth thus it behoueth vs indeed if in any other matter then especially in this to vse all carefull and exact diligence that we may find out that certaine rule and infallible direction before mentioned that by the immediate guidance thereof we may most certainely attaine vnto this to wit to know what is truly Scripture and what is not if euer this were necessary then much more in these later and worser daies and times of schisme and heresie when as no small controuersies are stirred vp about the same 24. For wheras so many dangerous Sects and heresies of perdition to speake in the phrase of the holy Ghost are raised vp from hell in these our vnfortunate times vnfortunate indeed in respect or them and that within the compasse of one age since one luxurious Luther opened the first gappe to the generall detection all which schismes and heresies as before hath bene notifyed couertly shroud themselues vnder the name and pretensed veile of Scripture the first contention and now most necessary question to be discussed with them is what books of the Bible or partes therof are truely Scripture what are to be wiped away to be cut offrō the sacred Canō of holy writ and all to this end that we may vndoubtedly know vpon what groundes we may stand safely in citing authorities from thence 25. Furthermore forasmuch as all the bookes of the sacred Bible Gods holy volume haue cōmonly anciētly hitherto bene deuided into these three orders or rankes the first into such as were neuer called into questiō by Catholick men though there neuer wanted hereticks calling thēselues Christians reformed Christians as the Protestants do at this day that impugned the same as the Basilidims and the Marcionists reiecting the ould Testament as indited by an euill God and Faustus Manichaeus contemning all the foure Ghospelles as written by impostors 26. The second into such bookes as albeit some men did for some time doubt whether they were Canonicall or not yet afterwardes they are receiued into Canon by the whole Church that is held for diuine books written by the spirit of God and of such infallible truth as they may be a Canon or rule or sure direction vnto our infirmity for any thing that is found in them For so S. Augustine from the Etimology of the word describeth the meaning of the word Canonicall being applied as a fit Epethete vnto the Scriptures 27. The third order is into such bookes which notwithstanding they go ordinary in the common Bibles and containe in them many good morall instructions of piety and were sometimes by some particuler men esteemed for essentiall partes of the Scripture yet were they neuer so accompted by the vniuersall Church and therfore they are called Apecrypha that is hidden or obscure for that their authority was neuer receaued or published generally in the Church and for such are reckoned the third and fourth of Esdras the Appendix of the booke of Iob the booke of Hieremy intituled Pastor the prayer of King Manasses and finally the 151. Psalme 28. I say now this tripartite diuision of holy Writ being thus generally admitted and receiued by all orthodoxe Deuines doth it not concerne euery man that is carefull of his soules saluation to inquire diligently after the pursuite and knowledg of these things especially in this generall sommoning and appealing of all vnto the Scriptures for the finall decision of all Controuersies 29. And now to speake something to the point concerning these three rankes and orders of books The third of these is generally reiected by all as well Catholickes as Protestants the first is admitted by all All the question then is concerning the second and this comprehendeth sundry bookes both of the old and new Testament as of Hester Baruch certaine parcelles of Daniel the bookes of Tobias Iudith Sapientia Ecclesiasticus and the first and second of Machabees out of the ould Testament and certaine parts of the Ghospell of S. Marke S. Luke and S. Iohn with the Epistles of S. Iames S. Iude the 2. of S. Peter the 2. and 3. of S. Iohn and the Apocalyps
out of the new All these I say are receiued by those of the Roman Religion for Canonicall Scriptures in the sense before defined out of S. Augustine that is to say for holy and diuine bookes written by the finger of Almighty God by the ministery of those who were Pennes of a ready writer and consequently these of the second ranke were of no lesse authority nor infallible verity then those of the first order for that in things immediatly and a like proceeding from God his spirit there can not be lesse or more truth but all are of equall credit and so equally to be receaued honoured esteemed and belieued And thus much for the Catholickes who for a infallible ground and assured direction in this matter follow not any priuate erring spirit but the neuer-deceiuing authority of the Church which Church and spouse of Christ being guided by the spirit of God according to the promise of Christ her bridegrome hath from all ancient time in former ages in her Councells Synodes and Ecclesiasticall Decrees notified declared determined and established the authority of these foresaid bookes of the second rew for infallible and Canonicall that is to say declared them to be such and euer haue bene such to wit of most certaine and infallible truth though sometimes and amongst some men there haue bene doubt thereof And this is the manner of the Church to declare what is Scripture but not to make it 30. But as for the Protestants I find such diuersity and contrariety such opposition and contradiction among them that they seeme vnto me as mē in tangled shall I say nay perplexed and distracted not knowing what to doe or whither to fly or which way to turne them in this great busines of discerning and admitting Scriptures And surely the reason of all this misery ariseth from themselues alone Perditio tua ex te it was spoken of Israells transgression but neuer more truly verified thē of hereticall innouation for that these miserable deceiued and deceiuing soules leauing the high rode of the Churches prescription can neuer possibly attaine vnto any infallible direction one following one thing and another another and that in this maine point of the Scriptures importance Quot capita tot sententia euery man will be a chooser euery one will shew himselfe an Hereticke whence it commeth to passe that Gods word is wretchedly abused blasphemed reiected by some rent and torne in peeces by others and that which on God his part was ordained and prepared for them to be a sauour of life vnto life becommeth by their misusage of it a sauour of death vnto death and to speake all in a word through the fault of their owne peruerse will concurring and God his most righteous iudgment following them hard at the heeles it commeth to passe that that word which was giuen as a pillar of fire to direct and lighten them into all verity is turned into a pillar of smoke so darkening and infatuating their vnderstanding that they rush headlong into all kind of heresie 31. This being well peceiued by his Maiesty of England according to that notable apprehension of his Noble Nature he as it were out of a pious zealous and Religious disposition though wrongly missed by some time-seruing and Statizing Theologue who is somewhat to neere vnto his Royall Person writeth as in part before you haue heard concerning the Scriptures and it is in effect as followeth As for the Scriptures no man doubteth I will belieue them But euen for the Apocrypha I hould them in the same accompt that the Ancients did they are still printed and bound with our Bibles and publikely read in our Churches I reuerence them as writings of holy and good men but since they are not found in the Canon we accompt them to be secundae lectionis or ordinis which is Bellarmines owne distinction and therefore not sufficient wherupon alone to ground any article of faith except it be confirmed by some other place of Canonicall Scripture Thus writeth his Maiesty out of a good meaning no doubt and therefore great pitty it is that so Vertuous and Religious a Hart should erre or conceipt amisse But who shall determine whether these Scriptures here called Apocrypha which are those of the second order before mentioned be Canonicall Scriptures or not Herelyeth the substance of the questiō His Matie heere vpon the suggestion of his Domesticall Ministers of England saith no but the ancient Church of Christendome saith yea as doth also the present and her iudgement being in this case aboue all earthly authority is to strike the stroke betwixt God and man Let the word of my Soueraigne in all otherthings stand as the strong moūtaine that may not be remoued and as the law of the Medes and Persians which could neuer be altered only let not my lord the King be displeased with his seruant and subiect in this if his word may not stand but must of necessity fall to the ground as being countermaunded by the word of God that cannot nor will not be disauthorized by the word of any mortall man 32. It was suggested to his Matie but sinister was the information that Cardinall Bellarmine in his first booke de Verbo Dei cap. 4. held the former distinction of secundae lectionis or ordinis and that in his Maiesties sense but it is nothing so in the sense that here is set downe by his Maiesty to wit that this second order of bookes are of lesse authority then the first For albeit Bellarmine doth as before hath bene said deuide all the bookes that are in the Bible into three ranks or orders first into such as were neuer called in question by any Catholicke men Secondly into such as notwithstāding sometimes haue byn doubted of by some yet were afterwards admitted by the whole vniuersall Church And thirdly and lastly into Apocrypha yet doth he not either call those bookes of the second order Apocrypha or secundae lectionis as here is set downe nor yet secundi ordinis in his Maiesties sense as though they were lesse to be belieued and of lesse authority then those of the first ranke but rather he auerreth the quite contrary that they are all of one and the selfe same authority And therfore whosoeuer he was that suggested this place of Bellarmine vnto his Matie he dealt not well and sincerly therin with his Prince and he is bound by the law of conscience and by the law of a subiect towards his Soueraigne to acknowledge his errour were it of malice or of ignorance committed and humbly prostrate vpon his knees to craue pardon for this abusing of his Lord and euer after to beware how he presume to whisper any such vntruth palpable and notorious falshood into the eares of his dread Lord and King 33. But now forasmuch as this point of denying the infallible authority and irrefragable credit of any the least booke part or parcell of
Scripture is so heynous and temerarious a sinne as before we haue touched yea and that committed against the Blessed spirit that breathed them all and streamed these pure waters of life from one and the same liuing and life-giuing fountaine Let vs in the name of God in timore tremore euen with feare and trembling since the horror of the sinne committed requireth this at our hands examine a little in what a dangerous nay damnable state the Protestants of our dayes do stand in about their disauthorizing of Scriptures not in blotting out one booke alone but in wiping out many togeather from the number of the sincere Canon and let vs further consider in what a gaze and maze they stand being vncertaine of their ground also what they ought to belieue hould or determine after they haue lost the sure and stable-staying anchor of the Churches authority in this behalfe 34. As for example the Catholickes do belieue all those bookes before mentioned which are secundi ordinis in Bellarmine both the ould and new Testament to be Canonicall Scriptures of infallible truth and the reason is drawne from the Church for that she in her ancieÌ„t CouÌ„cells hath admitted the same for such at least wise since the 47. Canon of the third Councell of Carthage was enacted wherin S. Augustine himselfe was present and subscribed to the said Canon which Canon auerreth them to be bookes of true Canonicall Scriptures amongst which for example goeth the Epistle to the Hebrewes and of this my purpose is at this present to make some particuler Consideration for that the time within whose limyts I am straited will not easily permit me to treat of all 35. This Epistle then is belieued of the Catholicks to be a true part of Canonicall Scripture and written by S. Paul as well as the rest for that it was so receaued by the Church in old time as namely in the Councell of Laodicea the 59. Canon And after that againe in the third Councell of Carthage before mentioned and cyted in diuers other Councells and namely in the first Nicene whose authority his Matie of England offereth to stand vnto in the first Ephesine and of that of Chalcedon in all the grand Parlaments of the worlds Generall Councells it was receaued and acknowledged as the genuine Epistle of S. Paul But now in these our vnhappy times matters be raked into Controuersies againe and that after the whole Church hath in diuers Synods established the thing and euery sort of Sectaries will needes adhere to their owne brayn-sicke fancyes and will preferre their owne priuate opinion before the publicke determination and resolution of the Church Amongst all others as the Captaine and ringleader of the rest vpstarts Martin Luther but it was after he had broken vow and cloyster and married a Nunne taketh vpon him to censure the matter in his Prologue to that Epistle reuersing as erroneous the graue and infallible iudgement of so many Generall Councells directed by the spirit of God his wordes be these This Epistle saith Luther was neither written by S. Paul nor by any other Apostle and it conteineth in it some thinges contrary to the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine This was Luthers heady and giddy censure of this admirable parcell of holy Writ Will any man hereafter so desperately cast away himselfe in crediting him who thus discrediteth Gods word 36. With Luther in this poynt conspire all the learned Lutherans about the disauthorizing of this holy Writ and namely Ioannes Brentius in his Confession of Wittemberg cap. de sacra Scriptura and the foure Magdeburgian good fellowes in their first loud-lying Century the 2. booke the fourth Chapter Col. 55. and that audacious and impudent Examyner and Censurer of all the learning and learned men of the whole Christian world I meane Martinus Kemniâ—ius in his examen of the 4. Session of that famous Councell of Trent And vpon this these men aduenture all their soules VVill any man suffer himselfe any longer to be deceaued by such pure reformers nay rather impure impostors But Iohn Caluin the next succeeding reformer of these Reformers being to beginne a new fect of his owne head he thought it most conuenient to oppose himselfe against the Lutherans in this point and therefore in his first Institutions printed in the yeare of our Lord 1554. cap. 8. § 216. he proueth that the Lutherans do erre in this poynt in houlding it not to be an Apostolicall Epistle yet he will not affirme that it was written by S. Paul but rather perhaps by Bannaby or Luke as may appeare in the same Institutions Chap. 10. § 83. and Chap 16. § 25. Vpon which scruple raysed by M. Caluin the Caluinian Ministers at a certaine Conuenticle of theirs held at Poysy in France in the yeare 1562. do in the third article of their Confession set downe this Epistle to the Hebrewes to be diuine Scripture but yet incerti authoris they leaue the authour of it to be doubtfull And this is a subtill trick peculiar to Caluin his inuention to wit to differ from other Protestants and yet not fully to agree with the Catholickes but to haue something singuler to himselfe as you see in this controuersy and it might be proued in many other 37. And here now I would demaund vpon what warrant in the world doth Iohn Caluin and his Sectaries contradict and oppose themselues against Luther and his followers in this point Certaine it is he agreeth not with the Catholickes at aâ—l and it seemeth then nay it is more then certaine he followeth a seuerall way and straine by himselfe and hath no ground or guide therin but his owne will iudgement choice and election 38. The like dispute I might propose about other bookes or partes of Scriptures and namely concerning the Epistle of S. Iames and the Apocalyps the former wherof is reiected both by Luther and all the forenamed Lutheran writers Brentius Kemnitius and the Magdeburgians all these auouch it to be no Scripture but yet it is asserted and asscuered by Caluin and the Caluinists for genuine and vndoubted Scripture The second which is that mysticall booke of the Reuelation composed by that high-soaring and Egale-winged Iohn S. Iohn syrnamed the Deuine this booke though it be in like manner discredited and disauthorized from Canon by Luther and most of his followers as namely by Brentius Kemnitius in the places before alleaged yet is the same booke eagerly defended against them by Caluin and his followers and good reason haue they in their iudgment for it forasmuch as thence they take vpon them to demonstrate the Pope to be Antichrist and the VVhore of Babylon in regard of the seauen hilled Citty I know not vpon what imaginations besides And this Consideration may be presumed to haue beene an especiall motiue vnto those chiefe Lutherans the Magdeburgians causing them to forsake both their Father Luther and their Lutheran brethren in this cause and to
concurre and conioyne themselues with Caluin and the Caluinists in defence of the Apocalyps 39. And yet I do not perceiue how his Maiesties assertion here about these bookes doth not rather agree with the Lutherans then with the Caluinistes for so much as he holdeth all those bookes for Apocrypha no Canonicall Scripture which are named by Bellarmine to be secundiordinis in which second order as before hath beene declared the Cardinall comprehendeth also these Epistles to wit the Epistles to the Hebrewes that of S. Iames and the Apocalyps and consequently it is necessarily deduced and inferred vpon his Maiestyes wordes and discourse that he houldeth these for no Canonicall Scriptures And this is contrary vnto Caluin and vnto the Church of England and vnto his Maiesty himselfe for he auoucheth them to be Scriptures and so vpon my knowledge doth the present Church of England And lastly his Maiesties so long standing vpon the Apocalyps in this his Premonition doth well shew that he esteemeth it for Scripture and this contradiction also must light vpon him who against knowledge and conscience if he hath eyther wrongfully suggested the place of Bellarmine vnto his Matie 40. But my maine Conclusion of all is this that nothing can be certaine as here it is sufficiently prooued when a man once departeth from the Authority of the Church for this is a certaine rule vnto all such a rule as is authorized by God himselfe for then euery man may make and vnmake Scripture at their pleasure vpon their owne perill But sure I am that he can neyther giue nor take away diuine authority from the Scriptures And if you say that neyther the Church can do this I demaund first who art thou that comparest thy self with the whole Church I graunt it to be true but yet let me tell thee this withall that though the Church cannot giue diuine authority to any writing which from the beginning was not truely Scripture nor take away the same from any part of that which from the very beginning was Scripture yet may the Church declare what bookes were written by Propheticall or Apostolicall men as before hath bene said and consequently by the finger of the holy Ghost and so were Canonicall Scriptures and of infallible truth and this might the Church know partly by tradition others not knowing the same might without suspition of heresy doubt of their authority before the said declaration of the Church and partly also by the euer guiding assistance of the holy Ghost in her Synodes when any such weighty matters for direction of the whole Church were treated in which Councells the said Church after due inquisition made and inuocation of the holy Ghost as her common custome is might no lesse conclude and bind all with Visum est Spiritui Sancto Nobis then did they of the first Councell in the Actes of the Apostles which no priuate man hath authority to do though Luther and Caluin presumed to determine the same The fourth Consideration THE briefe summe of all hitherto treated of in this second Chapter concerning the Scriptures is in effect thus much first euery belieuing appealing vnto Scriptures is not sufficient to proue a man a Christian Catholicke for that ech Sectary doth offer this Secondly that tradition without Scriptures might haue continued as sufficient for instruction if God had so pleased according to that of S. Irenaeus before cited and this is proued for that both the Church vnder the law and vnder the Ghospell were instituted ordayned by tradition without Scriptures as appeareth by the very time of the writing of the Scriptures both of the old and new TestameÌ„t after that the Church was first planted Thirdly the written Scriptures are distinguished discerned what is Scripture and what not what Canonicall and what Apocrypha and that by tradition and this is all about the letter of the Scripture only There resteth yet the greatest point of all and of most importance behind and this is how true Scriptures are to be rightly sensed and interpreted For if that of Tertullian be true in the 17. Chapter of his Prescriptions Tantùm veritati obstrepit adulter sensus quantùm corruptor stylus A false glosse marreth the truth as much as a naughty text Or that of S. Hierome Nec putemus in verbis Scripturarum esse Euangelium sedin sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum foliis sed in radice rationis Neither let vs thinke that the Ghospell resteth in the wordes of the Scriptures not in the sense of the Scriptures not in the rind or barky letter of the wordes but in the marrow of the meaning not in the wordy leaues but in the root of reason by a right vnderstanding thereof Or that of S. Augustine to the same effect Si in Scripturis fanctis profunda sunt mysteria quae ad hoc absconduntur ne vilescant ad hoc quaeruntur vt exerceant ad hoc aperiuntur vt pasâ—ant if there be profound mysteries in holy writ which are therefore hid that they become not vile therefore sought after that men may be exercised and set on worke therefore disclosed that they may feed Lastly Si mare sit diuina scriptura habens in se sensus prosundos altitudinem Propheticorum aenigmatum as S. Ambrose auerreth If diuine Scripture be a sea contayning in it bottomles depth of profound senses that is the depth of propheticall riddles questions and predictions c. Si machera c. as the same author hath it If it be a sword with a sharpe and cutting edge oh then how warily ought we to walke in this way of sensing Scriptures Quae nihil aliud est nisi Epistola quaedam omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam as S. Gregory speaketh which is nothing else but a certaine Epistle of the omnipotent God vnto his owne creature 42. If a subiect should eyther maliciously or negligently misinterprete the letter of his Prince and that in a matter of some great moment should he escape seuere punishment And shall the treacherous hereticke who wilfully and maliciously vpon his owne peruerse choice depraueth corrupteth and misinterpreteth the Scriptures the letter Epistle and proper hand-writing of his God escape deserued condemnation Grande periculum est in Ecclesia loqui ne fortè interpretatione peruersa de Euangelio Christi hominis fiat Euangelium aut quod peius est Diaboli So S. Hierome It is no small hazard to speake in the Church least happily the Ghospell of Christ become the Ghospell of man or that which is worse the Ghospell of the Diuell and all by a peruerse and naughty interpretation Is the Scripture a bottomlesse sea and is there no daunger of drowning nay damning in hell if men be to busy with it to abuse it Is the Scripture a sword as S. Ambrose resembleth it or a two-edged sword for so S.
so much as we heare on the one side the terrible horrour of the said Name and on the other side we see the common and to much vsed familiaryty therof in these our vnhappy tymes later and worser dayes which are so replenished with all kind of Sects and Sectaries as that each one commonly calleth the other Hereticke and that with as great facility and with as litle regard as if the accustomable practice of calling Hereticke had taken away the true sense and reall feeling of an Hereticke or as though he called him good fellow or witty inuentor of new opinions which amongst the Sectaries of our age is rather reputed for a pleasant iest and ingenious cōmendation then for that which in sober sadnes setting all Atheisticall scoffing and iesting in matters of such momēt a part it is to wit a terrible accusation and dreadfull charge of a most high and Capitall crime committed against God his Church his Sauiour and all to the destruction of his owne soule 28. But alas who doth not now adaies delight and esteeme himselfe the more for his sharpnes of wit subtile ingeny for inuenting finding out deuising framing new positions new translations new interpretations and that coyned stamped in the shop of his own braine therby of set purpose to impugne and of desperate malice to withstand some Catholick points of ancient Churches doctrine And if you tell him that he must keep him to the traditiō of the Church deliuer that to the sonnes of the Church which he hath vniformly receiued frō the Fathers of the Church that he must not remoue ancient bands in matters of beliefe for feare of a curse that he must reddere depositum as S. Paul chargeth Timothy and that with a vehement asseueration and what is that reddere depositū that is as Vincentius Lyrinensis excellently expounds it Quod tibi creditum est non quod à te inuentum quod accepisti non quod excogitasti rem non ingenij sed doctrinae non vsurpationis priuatae sed publicae traditionis rem ad te perductam non a te prolatam in qua non author esse debes sed custos non institutor sed sectator non ducens sed sequens that which is committed vnto thee not any thing inuented of thee that which thou hast receaued not deuised a matter of doctrine not of wit not of priuat vsurpation but of publicke tradition a matter brought vnto thee not brought forth of thee wherin thou must be no author but a keeper no maister but a scholler no guider but a follower Lastly tell him that he must content himselfe with being a relator only not presuming to be an author otherwise his position will proue innouation priuate inuention erroneous election and consequently heresy I say tell him all this and what more you can deuise and he will laugh at you for your simplicity in going about to terrify him with such buggs and in tying his spirit to any rule of Church-authority since the wind bloweth where it listeth c. which he fanatically applieth vnto his spirit presuming it to be inspired from aboue And with that spirit if you will belieue him vpon his bare word is he so inspired that he needeth no other direction no further instruction And this is all the accompt that he maketh of being a Catholicke or a choosing Hereticke But reflecting vpon the other syde of the Roman Religion which may truely and only be called Catholicke I experimentally found another kind of reckoning made of both these wordes Catholicke and Hereticke most highly esteeming the one as hath bene formerly spoken and fearfully declining the other as the origen and ofspring of all calamity 26. And first I found in the common doctrine of their Schooles they assigning Heresy for one of the three species or members of infidelity opposite to Christian Religion they hould it to be the worst most heinous of all three in respect of the extreame and desperate malice therof to wit that it is in a degree of euill and sinne worse and more damnable then either Paganisme or Iudaisme not for that all heresie denyeth more parts of Christian doctrine then do the Pagans or Iewes for in this the Pagan sinneth more then a Iew and a Iew commonly more then an Hereticke but because they do corrupt and impugne the Catholicke Christian faith which once they receiued and from which they are now wilfully departed which implieth more malice then can be ascribed to eyther Iew or Gentile that neuer receyued the same In which respect their sinne and damnatiō is more grieuous say Catholicke Doctors then is eyther of the other two Wherupon is inferred by S. Thomas and it is the common opinion that an Hereticke is in worse state then a Iew or Gentile for the life to come 30. Againe for further aggrauation and exaggeration of the horror of this Name and loud-crying sinne therby signified the Catholicke Deuines in a more particuler explication do constantly and with vniforme consent auerre that an Hereticke discrediting or not belieuing as he should any one article of the Catholicke faith doth loose his whole faith and habit thereof in all the rest And the reason herof is assigned by the Schoole Doctors for that the chiefe motiue or formall reason why a man doth belieue any thing in Christian Religion is because it is reuealed by God and propounded by the Church without which Churches propounding and approuing nothing can be securely belieued And therefore when an Hereticke in any one article discrediteth and detracteth from the authority of this Church which is necessary and primary condition in beliefe denying it thereby to be an infallible rule of beliefe in this one article he denieth the same in all the rest As for example if a man should aske a Protestant why he belieueth the Scriptures and S. Matthews Gospell to be S. Matthews Gospell he can answere no otherwise but that God hath reuealed the same vnto vs by the Church which propoundeth these books for Scripture Here then the proposition of the Church appertaineth to the formall reason or cause of beliefe as Deuynes doe tearme it which if once it be denyed or discredited in any one article as the Protestants do when we alledge it against them for Purgatory Prayer for the dead Sacrifice inuocation of Saints and the like then can it not hold in the former about Scriptures or any other article and consequently Hereticks haue no diuyne faith at all about Scripture or any other article but are meere Infidels in all and consequently shal be damned say they not only as chusing Heretickes beleeuing one thing and reiecting the other but as vnbelieuing Infidells deuoid of all faith Which seemed to me to be a very terrible commination and fearfull distriction and yet did I see it substantially grounded and so orderly deduced as that I must ingenuously confesse it so conuinced my vnderstanding and
and vniuersall direction Can any rule be more probable and infallible then the rule of the Church And to this do agree both my foresaid Authour in many other places of his workes as also all that succeeded him tooke the like enterprize in hand of writing and prescribing against Hereticks as Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Augustine S. Athanasius Epiphanius Theodoret S. Hierome S. Leo Vincentius Lyrinensis in his goulden booke against the prophane innouations of the Hereticks of his time and diuers others which to auoyd prolixity I omit all these do principally and really prouoke and challenge all the Heretickes of their tyme vnto this only and sure waie of the Catholicke Church in their dayes for the triall of the truth and for discerning what is truly Catholicke and what is Hereticall their seuerall sentences are to prolixe to be conteyned within the strict precinctes and narrow boundes of my briefe intended Confiderations 63. And now to put a period to this my third Consideration least it exceed a due proportion the vpshot is this For asmuch then as this visible Christian Church begun and founded by our Sauiour vnder the Apostles was a visible Church made and consisting of visible men gouerned by visible Pastors hath visibly descended from age to age through the centuries of the Church by all lawfull and ordinary succession of Bishops which Tertullian required of the Hereticks of his time as they would auoid the blot of heresy that haue lineally come downe to our dayes Secondly for asmuch as the authority of his Church was esteemed in euery age to be the same for infallible direction that it was in the former first ages through the assurance of Christ his promise to that effect And lastly for as much as the whole vniuersall Church of the fifteēth age hath in a generall Coūcell examined decyded condēned the doctrine of the Protestants for heresy in more then an hundred maine points by name hath accursed and anathematized both them and all their participants to the pit of hell that according to the very selfe same groūds wherby the ancient Fathers did vse to curse anathematize all ould heresies and Hereticks in former tymes these things when I considered with more attention made a generall reflection thereon a suddaine feare and care astonished yea as it were ouerwhelmed me for that my euerlasting saluation depending vpon this point I had beene so negligent in examining the premises And now I plainely saw as in a perfect glasse of most impartiall iudgment that vnlesse I could imagin with my selfe as diuers others fanatically do that Christes promise had fayled that the first visible Christian and Catholicke Church founded by him and spread ouer the whole world had fayled vanished and perished as being ouercome by hel-gates and ouer growne with the weedes of errour heresy I could neuer haue any hope of saluation as long as I continued in the Protestant Religion And this was the issue of that Consideration The fourth Consideration THERE remaineth now a fourth consideration the subiect wherof which notwithstanding perhaps is of greatest importance of all the rest is this to wit how out of the premisses a man may probably collect nay necessarily conclude whose opinions be Catholicke and whose Hereticall and therevpon may reflect vpon himself in what state or condition he standeth betwixt both as eyther affected to the one or interessed in the other And albeit this hath beene partly discouered by that which hath beene spoken in the first Consideratiō touching the name Catholicke that signifieth Vniuersall and whole and not a part or singularity in opinions by choice of a mans owne will and iudgement for so Hereticke doth signifie as hath beene laid forth in the second Consideration yet shall it be made more manifest by the particular practice of the things themselues when the name shall passe into nature and appellation be turned into application And first to speake to the point in a word the Catholike admitteth all wholy and intierly without addition or detraction which the knowne Catholicke Church proposeth to be belieued of her sonnes as she hath it reuealed vnto her from God her Father But as for the Hereticke and the chooser tamquā Dominus propryiuris as he that will take his owne swing though it be in Schisme and heresy he making himselfe iudge ouer all I meane God the Scripturs and the Church admitteth some and reiecteth the rest as it pleaseth his priuate fancy or displeaseth his peeuish iudgmēt he neither respects the authority of the Church nor regardes his owne obedience due therunto his ground is either Scriptures falsely by him interpreted or a priuat lying spirit such as Micheas the Lords true Prophet prophesied to be in the false Prophets of Baal wherein he is deluded or other arguments of reason nature against faith and the God of nature And thus he is bewitched peruerted contrary to all true and onely sauing Catholicke grounds contrary to that sure certaine and infallible way of triall which erst while we treated of in the third Consideration and purpose now by Gods holy assistance to make vse of all in this 65. Some men I find to intertaine this concepit that English Protestants and Roman Catholickes may liue in their seuerall professions of Religion and be saued togeather and much more they are of opinion that all Protestants of different professions and Sectes as Lutherans and Sacramentaries and much more the different sortes of one and the selfe same sect as Caluinists in England distinguished by the names of Molles and Rigidi moderate Protestantes and feruent Puritans And the reasons for this their opinion are first of doctrine for that euery one of their differences do not make heresies or if they do yet not so grieuous heresies as the Fathers of the Primatiue Church condemned and anathematized they meane such heresies as impugned the persons of the B. Trinity the Natures of Christ God and Man the Incarnation and Passion and the like cōsequently though those ancient heresies were damnable yet are not those of our daies plead the Protestants but that both partes liuing well may be saued as his Matie in this his Premonition to Princes doth testifie that his noble Mother sent him word not long before her Martyrdome by the Maister of her Household a Scotish Gentleman yet liuing that his Matie might persist in his Protestant Religion and yet do well inough if he liued vertuously and gouerned accordingly 66. But surely how farre the credit of that maister of Household being a Protestant as I heare he then was and now is may extend it selfe to be belieued against the mistresse and highest Lady of that Household in a matter of that quality and consequence I know not yet certaine I am of this that the opinion that a man may be so saued is most false and absurd in it selfe and very vnlikely also to proceed from her
Maties wise and religious hart who with that opinion might haue made herselfe a Protestant therby haue escaped the greatest part of her troubles and perhaps also haue auoided the violent stroake of the Axe which is well knowne to haue bene vrged vpon her especially in respect of her Religion and of the feare that was conceyued least in time she might come to the Crowne and defend the same I meane her Religion with publicke authority 67. And now whosoeuer it was wherein I remit my selfe to his Matie as most interessed therin both in Honour body and soule as her only Child and heyre chiefest Iewell in the world euident it is the opinion cannot stand as now hath bene said eyther in reason or religion and may be presumed to proceed from such as haue little care of any religiō at all onely they would liue quietly enioy their sensuality passe the time without any trouble or scruple or repugnant conscience for any thing touching religion or that whole subiect And this if I take not my ayme amisse commeth very neere to the point of secret Atheisme 68. S. Augustine recordeth the like opinion of many in his daies who thought it did not materially import them whether they were Donatists or Catholicks so as they professed the Christian faith Multi sayth he nihil interesse credentes in qua quisque parte Christianus sit ideo permanebant in parte Donati quia ibi nati erant c. Many beleeuing that it concerned them not in what side or part ech man were a Christian so he were a Christian therefore they remayned on the party or faction of Donatus the Hereticke for that they were borne therein But S. Augustine vehemently confuteth this false pestilent and indulgent perswasion aswell in the place heere cyted as in many other places of his workes confidently teaching and auerring that a man is made an Hereticke by houlding any one errour obstinately against the Church and consequently damned also In Ecclesia Christi saith he qui morbidum aliquid prauumque sapiunt si correcti vt sanum rectumque sapiant resistunt contumaciter Haeretici fiunt foras exeuntes habentur inimici Those who in the Church of Christ are infected with corrupt and naughty opinions if being admonished to belieue wholsome and true doctrine they kicke against it with contumacy then do they become Heretickes and going forth of the Church are held for enemies So he And with the same seuerity holdeth he in his booke of heresies intituled Ad Quod-vult-Deum that the belieuing of any one heresy condemned already by the Church or to be condemned if rising afterwards is sufficient to make the belieuer obstinate defender no Christian Catholicke consequently an Hereticke so impossible to be saued 69. To this opinion subscribeth S. Cyprian who shewing that euery least heresy or schisme is able to damne a man that adhereth vnto it writeth expressely thus Beatus Ioannes Apostolus nec ipse vllam haeresim aut schisma discreuit sed vniuersos qui ex Ecclesia exijssent Antichristos appellauit S. Iohn the Apostle himselfe did not put any difference or exception of any heresy or schisme at all but called them Antichrists whosoeuer were gone forth of the Church for any heresy or schisme whatsoeuer 70. And yet this point is pressed further by many other holy fathers yea strained to euery heresie were it but in one word or sillable And this was the opinion of S. Hierome His wordes are these Propter vnum verbum aut duo quae contraria essent fidei multas haereses eiectas esse ab Ecclesia we shall read that many heresies haue beene cast out of the Church for one or two words that were contrary to the receyued faith 71. To this purpose conduceth that of S. Basill registred by Theodoret to wit that a good man ought to loose his life if neede require for the defence of one only sillable pro desensione vnius syllabae diuinorum dogmatum The reason whereof is touched as well by S. Athanasius in his Creed where he saith That he shall most certainely be damned that houldeth not entirely and inuiolably the whole Catholicke faith as also by Nazianzen when he saith That heresy consisteth sometimes in one word His wordes are these Nothing can be more perilcus then Heretickes who running wholy ouer all do notuill standing in some one word as by a drop of poyson infect the sincere simple faith of our Sauiour comming downe by Apostolicall tradition This was the iudgment of Antiquity so seuere Censurers were all those holy Fathers of the least dram of Heresy 72. Thus then you apparently see that for making of an errour or heresie damnable it is not required of absolute necessity that it deny some thing of the blessed Trinity directly or some maine article of the Creed c. as many of the first ould heresies did when the doctrine therof was not so well explaned as now it is though this be a desperate shift of the Protestant and most miserable euasion and yet it will not serue his turne he being guilty of heresy in all those high pointes yea of misbeliefe almost in euery article of the Creed for that as before hath beene touched in the third Consideration the greatnes of the sinne of heresy dependeth more of malice and malignity of the sinner then of the materiall obiect about which the Hereticke erreth for that he sinneth of obstinacy and contumacy by his owne choice and therefore is said by S. Paul to be damned by his owne iudgement quia eligit sibi in quo damnatur saith Tertullian he chooseth to himselfe wherin to be damned or els as S. Leo doth more largely giue the glosse Propria pertinacia perit sua à Christo discedit in sania qui eam impietatem per quam multos ante se scit perusse sectatur religiosum atque Catholicum putat id quod sanctorū Patrum iudicio damnatum esse constat That is he perisheth by his owne pertinacity and through his owne peculiar madnes departeth from Christ who imbraceth that impiety which he knoweth hath beene the destruction of many houlding that for religious and Catholick which manifestly appeareth to be condemned by vniforme iudgment of ancient Fathers So blessed Leo expoūds the place the reason followeth for that such a one preferring himselfe by pride and vanity before the whole visible and Catholicke Church he chooseth to hould that which his owne iudgment and fancy doth lead him vnto VVhence it may come to passe that one man erring with lesse pride and obstinacy about some pointes of the blessed Trinity may sinne lesse damnably then another that erreth in points of lesser moment but with more malice as about the doctrine of the Sacraments or other pointes of the like nature And the reason therof is for that this second erreth with more obstinacy and malice which corroborateth the
antiquity well the admonition is this Caue Christiane Lector c. Beware Christian Reader of the bookes of Iohn Caluin especially in the articles of Trinity of the Incarnation of the Mediator of Baptisme of Predestination c. for that they doe containe most impious and blasphemous doctrine So he VVhereby is vnderstood not only the censure of the Lutheran Church concerning the Caluinists doctrine but also in what articles the difference betwixt them doth principally consist and these are neither few in number nor meane in nature as you see confirmed by the particular exceptions VVhich articles are reiterated by other Lutheran writers as namely by Albertus Grauerus in his booke intituled The warre of Iohn Caluin with Iesus Christ which booke was set forth in the yeare of our Redemption 1598. wherin he sheweth that the Articles wherby the Lutherans do cheifly differ from the Caluinists hereticall doctrine are of the person of Christ of the Supper of our Lord of Baptisme and of Predestination And Iacobus Halbruneir another Lutheran Doctor published an other booke the same yeare before to proue Caluinisme to be heresy and to the former articles of Albertus he addeth other two wherin Lutherans and Caluinists do deepely dissent which are de Maiestate Christi Ministerio Verbi wherby he maketh it euident that Caluinists are truly and properly Hereticks to Lutherans And this for the second point 80. Yt resteth now that I come vnto the third ranke of English Protestants and Puritans which are two different sects of Caluins doctrine which are found togeather in no state or Kingdome perhaps of Christendome but only in England And although some Protestant writers for dissembling their owne diuisions when they deale with Catholickes will needes forsooth acknowledge them for brethren as not differing from them in any substantiall point of Doctrine yet in all their other writings eyther against them or of them they disclose playnly what they thinke of ech other holding them both for Schismaticks and Hereticks in respect of their Protestant Church Which being presumed by them as they must needes presume to be the only true Catholike Church it must needes follow that Puritans who from their innermost soules detest the same and the communion thereof as Antichristian must needes be Sectaries nay Heretickes to that Church And this is consonant to the doctrine of these Scriptures and most conformable to the opinion of ancient Fathers as is before copiously in the precedent Considerations asseuered 82. For confirmation of which dissention capitall and reall hostility betweene our Puritans and Protestants in sundry mayne points of their Religion I might heere alledge and produce infinite authorityes and innumerable arguments if I should not surcharge my Treatise The two bookes yet extant printed by publicke authority in one and the selfe same yeare I meane the Suruey of the holy pretended Discipline compiled as it is thought by him that is now arriued to the highest pitch of Ecclesiasticall dignity in that Kingdome and the other bearing the inscription of daungerous Positions ascribed to Doctour Sutcliffe both of them receyuing presse at London by Iohn VVolfe Anno Dom. 1593. do sufficiently notifie vnto the world how reconciliable the Puritan position is with the Protestant Religion and that in sundry Articles of great weight and moment And amongst many others which to auoid prelixity I purposly omit the titles of the 22. and 23. Chapters of the Suruey are these That they to wit the Puritans do take from Christian Princes ascribe vnto their pretended regiment the supreme and immediate authority vnder Christ in causes Ecclesiasticall and in the oppugning theros do ioyne with the Papists Whereupon I inferre that if this spirituall Supremacy be any substantiall point of doctrine amongst the Protestants then the obstinate repugnance therof by the Puritans must needes be Schisme and Heresy 82. I pretermit diuers other bookes whereof I haue beene an eye witnesse how purposely and directly they treat of these matters as namely the Answere of the Vicechancelor Doctors of Oxford vnto the petition of a 1000. Puritans Anno Dom. 1603. wherein it is plainely conuinced that the Puritans hould their platforme of Ecclesiasticall gouerment of the gouerment of Christ vpon earth for a thing of no lesse importance then is the Ghospell of Jesus Christ. They hold it further for an essentiall part of their said Ghospell for a matter of faith to be receyued vpon paine of damnation for an essentiall marke of the true Church without the which the Protestants Church is no Church their faith no faith their Ghospell noe Ghospell c. And to conforme to that which M. Rogers writeth in his Preface to the Bishops Articles where he testifieth that the Puritans do hold their platforme differing from the Protestants to be a speciall part of the Ghospell yea the very Ghospell it selfe to be of such importāce as if euery haire of their heades were a life they ought to affoard them all in defence therof So they And in sober sadnes supposing their principles to be true haue they not great reason for that their differences be in so maine very substantiall points if we refere them to their heades wherof there is extant a very substantiall declaration and conuiction as to me it seemeth in the Preface of the Catholicke Deuine in his answere to Syr Edward Cookes fifth part of Reportes whither I referre the ingenous iudicious Reader for further perusall of this point for there it is shewed and irrefragably against all impugners therof proued how essentiall and substantiall difference of doctrine there is about the origen of Ecclesiasticall power and authority betweene the Protestantes Puritans and Catholickes of England the one that is the Protestāt ascribing it to their temporall Prince the other challenging it as most properly pertayning to their priuate Conuenticles Assemblies the last third to the Succession of Bishops from the Apostles the consequence wherof is this that whosoeuer of the three parties haue the right in this point there only is the true Church there alone is the true Ecclesiastiall Authority of preaching teaching or dayning Ministers administring Sacraments exercising Censures and Iurisdiction binding or loosing remitting or retaining sinnes and the like c. And for the other two Churches they do remayne as secular and prophane Congregations without any vitall spirit of Ecclesiasticall power at all Let them then contend neuer so much about the keys of Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction yet the plaine truth is they shall neuer be able to open or shut the gates of heauen vnto their owne friendes or against their enemies 83. And for as much as the Puritans also in their plea do perswade themselues to haue the right on their side they must needes inferre the other consequence against the Protestant Church houlding it to be no Church as the foresaid answere of Oxford Doctors pag. 15. doth confesse that the Brownists do ancrre
against thē saying The Brownists do confidently reproach vs that our Church is no Church our Sacraments no Sacraments our Prince and people Infidells as not being baptized at all our Christiā Congregations prophane multitudes c. Thus write they animated as say these Answerers by the Millenary Puritan Petitioners wherby it may be probably presumed that they also to wit the said thousand Petitioners in most poynts at least are of the same opinion 84. These thinges being so as no man of modesty can deny my demaund is how can these men differing in so mayne a poynt be of the same Church Or how can any man of the meanest vnderstanding so he haue any capacity at all imagine how these and the Protestants can be saued togeather Nay truly the booke intituled The picture of a Puritan licenced to come forth by authority Anno 1605. contayning a comparison of the opinions of the Anabaptists in Germany with those of the Puritans in England in Dialogue wise betweene an English man and a German this booke I say doth pregnantly proue that the Protestants do hold the Puritans not only for Schismatickes and Sectaries but for Heretickes also as the Anabaptists are yea the Author holdeth them farre worse then the Anabaptists Your Ana baptists saith he come not neere to our Puritans in pride and contempt c. And then he proceedeth in comparing and paralleling them as well in their opinions and vse of Sacraments as in many other points of Religion with the said Anabaptists most damned heretickes as all English Protestants themselues generally acknowledge them to be yea this Author called O. O. Emanuel aggrauates the point so much against them that he compareth them with Iewes and other such like Infidells And euery where throughout his whole discourse detecteth and censureth them for obstinate and wicked Sectaries And finally to wast no more labour in a matter so cleare I find them ipso sacto excommunicated by many Constitutions Canons Ecclesiasticall of the Bishops and Protestant Church of England as namely for impugning their Church as also the Rites and Cerimonies established in the said Church for denying the authority of their Archbishops Bishops their consecrating and ordering of the inferiour Clergy for denying of Deanes Collegiate Churches for being Authours of Schisme and separating themselues as Schismatickes for maynteyning of Constitutions made in Conuenticles and the like 75. And to conclude euery where almost throughout the same Constitutions they are sharpely censured for Sectaries and Schismaticks which censure proceeding from the Protestant Church with so full a stroke of authority must of necessity in their owne iudgement depriue the others of all meanes of saluation in that Church they standing out with pertinacy against the same as they doe consequently this doome must needes fall vpon one of their heades that the Protestants and they can in no case be saued togeather The fifth Consideration With the Conclusion of this whole Chapter to his Maiesty NOW therefore to returne with all humble obedience loyalty vnto your Matie conteyning my selfe within all due and iust boundes of duty fidelity obseruance obedience subiection and submission which eyther the law of God of Nature of Nations Reason Religion or of my owne natiue Countrie can require of a subiect towards his Dread Soueraigne I do euen from my innermost and hartiest affections implore this one thing of your sayd Excellency and must euer persist to beg it at your Highnes handes to wit that after these foresaid premised Considerations to the Reader your owne Princely Person would deigne to condescend to enter into some serious Consideration and mature deliberation and that with some earnest attention within the secret closet of your owne most wise iudicious and vnderstanding hart what is and may be the great consequence of all this that hath beene hither so generally discoursed of in the mayne body of the whole as also to weigh ponder the weight and importance of ech particuler treated and inferred in their seuerall passages 87. And first may it please your Highnes to lay togeather and compare the seuerall partes and distinct pertyes of different Professions in Religion all dissenting frō the English Protestant Church and doctrine therein established as before hath beene sufficiently proued The instances we bring for a plenary and particuler confirmation are these As first the ROMAN Catholickes which possesse the greatest part of Europe Secondly the Lutherans professing throughout Saxony Denmarke Suecia and some other States in Germany Thirdly the Sacramentaries Zuinglians and rigid Caluinists tearmed by vs for their moteferuēt supposed zeale Puritans and these be dispersed throughout Suitzerland Sauoy Germany Hungary France Holland Scotland and some parts of England All these I say conioined togeather and compared only with the English Parliament Protestants do make often partes of Christendome nyne at the least which proportion or rather disproportion as indeed it is especially in Religion when I seriously consider and weigh it in the euen and impartiall ballance of an indifferent iudgement I can in all duty do no lesse but most humblie propose vnto the Christiā Prudency and Religious Piety of your Matie to consider of what importance this is in regard of life euerlasting that nine partes of ten should hould the English Protestant religion for damnable heresy by which your Matie expecteth to receaue an eternall neuersading crowne of glory awarded by Almighty God the most righteous iudge of all the world 88. Yf in a sumptuous and Royall banquet prepared of purpose to intertaine the person of a King or potent Monarch there were neuer so many pleasing and alluring dishes neuer such great store of delicate viandes fetched from the sea or prouided by land neuer so great appetite in the Princely party inuited if often learned Phisitions that were then present attending vpon the person of this Prince to consult and prouide for his bodily health and welfare nyne of them should confidently auouch vpon their learning and iudgement nay life it selfe that all those daynties and pleasing dishes were infected with the drugges of some mortall and deadly-killing poyson some one dish only excepted which they could not also well discouer I thinke it would make the party inuited to looke about him to stay himselfe and examine well the matter before he would desperately aduenture to please his palate Or if in a great suite of law concerning the interest to a Princely inheritance pretēded by the plaintife it should be eyther by Parliament or vnder the great Seale or by some other Statute enacted yea and without faile executed that if the plaintife fayled in his suite being either dryuen to non-suite or ouercome in his suite that then he should vndergoe extreme misery be exposed to infinite calamities most certaynely incurre euerlasting bondage and slauery though some one lawyer of ten that were of his counsaile should animate and giue him all the encouragement that possibly he
the Anabaptist can euer be conuinced of his heresies by any groundes of Protestant Religion VVill the Protestant appeale him to the Scripture The Anabaptist can produce more texts and alleage more plentifull places of Scripture then he can Will he referre the interpretation of the places cyted on both sides to the spirit The Anabaptist presently presumeth and braggeth of a greater measure of the spirit then he Will the Protestant accuse his spirit as erroneous and authour of a wrong interpretation as Micheas truly charged the false Prophets of Iezabel when he could them that Sathan had offered vnto Almighry God that he would go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all Achabs false prophets Then will he reply againe as Zidkiah did And when departed the spirit of the Lord from me to speake in thee VVill he conuent him before the Consistory and sribunall of the Protestant Church Bishops therof as diuers haue bene and were burned by them The Anabaptist presently complayneth and in this very iustly that it is no indifferēt kynd of tryall to be iudge in their owne cause Finally will the Protestant remit it to the vmpiring of any other present Church or be content that all Controuersies betwixt them shall fall to the decision of the Fathers The Anabaptist kicketh against that cutteth of all meanes of triall with this text of Scripture Spiritualis homo omnia dijudicat ipse à nemine iudicatur The spirituall man iudgeth all thinges and needeth not to be iudged of any Thus we see euen amongst Sectaries thēselues Controuersies grow endlesse by Scriptures though all pretend to belieue Scriptures and plentifully to cyte the same 12. Moreouer where the Puritans actiō in England swaicth most as very vsually in good towns great citties it doth there shall you find all their Preachers of this humour they haue nothing in their mouthes but the Ghospell of Christ the Ghospell of Christ the pure Word of the Lord as though their false corrupted Geneuiā Translatiō were eyther part of the Ghospell or Word of God And they seeme so farre forth to confide to their English translatiō as that they affect to alleage Scriptures only putting one vpō the necke of an other disdayning as it were to quote any Father or ancient writer for interpretation of Scriptures or confirmation of their doctrine esteeming their own expositions though neuer so vaine and impertinent to be firme groundes for building any thing thereon as out of the Scriptures 13. And here I remember that not many moneths past perusing priuately with my selfe the foresaid booke of O. O. Emanuel written by a Protestant against the Puritans he among other things discouereth vnto the German with whome he maketh his Dialogue some 15. seuerall places of Scripture so falsely and impertinently alleadged by Puritan writers that the German is inforced to conclude Thus I see already how ridiculous they are And verily he that shall read the places alleadged weigh them with any iudgement will confesse that they are ridiculously applyed indeed and yet with their followers all must be Scriptures which they speake and the pure word of God vttered by the instinct of the spirit be it neuer so fantastically or fanatically applyed 14. VVell then to come to the Conclusion when I saw and considered all this and had weighed the same with that indifferency of iudgement that I possibly could as in a matter so much impotting my soule it stood me vpon I began first to suspect this spirit of Luther that auerred so confidently his assurance of the Scriptures and true vnderstanding thereof against a thousand Cyprians a thousand Augustines hauing no other ground thereof then his owne particuler perswasion to that effect which perswasion notwithstanding was and is in many points held proued to be erroneous by such as followed his breach and namely by the Church of England in which I saw many that reiected him to be as confident in their owne perswasion and to auerre for Scriptures and the true Word of God whatsoeuer themselues did found out of the Bible in their owne sense and consequently I did inferre as a most certayne sequele that this profession of admitting beleeuing or following Scriptures ech man out of his owne sense and iudgement without any certayne rule band or limit of exposition cannot be sufficient to proue a man a Christian Catholicke and no Hereticke for that it may open the way to be an Hereticke if his choice of interpretation be erreneous And thus much of this first Consideration There followeth the second The second Consideration VVHEN Almighty God of his infinite goodnes mercy after that immeasurable space of eternity wherein the Blessed Trinity had raigned gloryously triumphed without any creatures condescended to make a world and to create man and consequētly vouchsafed therby to institute a visible society company or Church vpon earth to acknowledge serue and honour him leauing vnto them sufficient directions whereby they might accomplish their seruice to him and thereby to arriue to the hauen of happines the same most wise God gouerned the said Church for more then two thousand yeares without any writtē word that is now extant And after this large space when it pleased the Diuine Maiestie that the history of the worlds creation mans propagation c. should be committed to writing for the benefit of succeeding posterity he stirred vp that great gouernour of his people and Prophet Moyses inabled him with a great measure of his principall and propheticall spirit inspired him and then appointed him to compyle those famous bookes commonly called in Greeke Pentateuch the first fiue bookes of the Byble to wit Genesis the booke of creation Exodus the booke of their departure out of Egipt Leuiticus the booke of Priests and Sacrifices Numeri the booke of numbring the people and Deuteronomy the booke of the lawes repetition 16. In like manner the same God whose pleasure was euer to be with the sonnes of men houlding the high hand of his diuine prouidence ouer his Church inspired likwise and appointed others also after the example of Moyses holy men to compose and write other bookes afterwards vpon diuers and sundry occasions offered as in the ould Tement may be seene But yet we shall not find that any of those bookes of Moyses or any of the rest that were written by the other Authors were digested and collected in manner and method of orderly institutions as in all other arts and sciences is wont to be done but rather by peece-meale and by parts as occasion fell out the Authors therof principally intending an historicall narration rather then any exact doctrinall instruction and the reason is this for that the ordinary institution and instruction of euery man how he ought to beleeue liue feare and serue God was for all this tyme before the law written to be taken only from the Church by traditions of Fathers to their
children and after the said law was written also euery man and woman was not remitted promiscuously hand ouer head to the reading of those bookes but he was sent to take his instruction and institution from the ordinary Superiours Doctors Gouernors of that Church and these were to expound the law vnto him For which direction and tradition we find this warrant and commaunding yea prescribing authority Aske thy Fathers and they will tell thee thy elders and they will declare vnto thee Againe The lipes of the Priest preserue knowledge And yet in a third place I know that Abraham will demaund and teach his sonnes and househould that they walke in my wayes c. 17. And now to come from the law to the Ghospell from Moyses vnto Christ and so to proceed orderly with the history of the Church as God is no changling but euer like himselfe euen so the beginning proceeding establishing of the new Christian faith and Church was not much vnlike if not altogeather resembling the former For first this Church was planted by our Sauiour at Hierusalem and speedily by the industrious ministery of the holy Apostles assisted by the instinct of the holy Ghost spread ouer the face of the earth and yet neyther the Church nor the Apostles the principall pillars of the Church had as at this time any written instruction or methodicall institution deliuered vnto them concerning their teaching preaching or beleeuing except only the articles of the Creed deliuered by tradition in the Church as will appeare in the subsequent Considerations Secondly the institution that they had they receyued it by instruction from our Sauiour his mouth and from the immediate instinct suggestion and inspiration of the holy Ghost who was promised by Christ himselfe who could not lie nor deceaue to assist the Church continually vnto the worldes end and by this institution and inspiration alone they taught and conuerted both Iewes and Gentils instituted Churches establishing lawes and orders of life by word of mouth and tradition only from hand to hand before any thing of the new testament was committed to writing And this was the condition of the Church for some yeares and that in the infancy and purity of Christian Religion as the Protestant must perforce confesse Thirdly when the Wisdome of heauen thought it expedient that somthing should be written the first thing cōmitted vnto writing in the new Testamēt was the Ghospell of S. Matthew and this was collected and digested in that very order as it is now presented to the Church and that some eight yeares after the ascension of our Sauiour then the Ghospell of S. Marke some fiue yeares after that then that of S. Luke written twelue yeares after the former wherin diuers thinges omitted in the other Ghospell of are recorded And last of all was written the Ghospell of S. Iohn conteyning in it many great and important matters which are not found in any of the rest and this was not written of 66. yeares after the first visible Christian Church was planted and established by the comming of the holy Ghost 18. And now as all the rest were written vpon particuler occasions so especially was this famous Ghospell of S. Iohn which is the very key opening the dore vnto the vnderstanding of all the rest and particulerly vpon the occasion of Ebion and Cerinthus their heresy which impugned the Diuinity of the Sonne of God Whereupon I do inferre that for that which concerneth the new Testament the Church was for diuers yeares without any Scriptures at all and for 66. yeares which is the age of a man the points related by S. Iohn more then were vttered in the other Ghospells which are many and most important were receiued and belieued in the Church by tradition onely And now for Conclusion of all I would demaund but one thing of the Protestants that make such shew of appealing vnto Scriptures and the Primitiue Apostolicall Church this was demāded aboue 1400. yeares agoe by S. Irenaus before cyted who liued in the very next age after the Apostles vpon the very like occasion Sineque Apostoli Scripturas reliquissent nobis c. If the Apostles had left vnto vs no Scriptures at all yet ought not we to follow that order of tradition which they left to those to whom they committed their Churches So that holy Bishop and Martyr especially ought we not to follow that order of tradition since the true worship of God and the sauing doctrine of the Ghospell of Christ cōtinued for 2000. yeares in the time of the law and for many other yeares in the dayes of the Ghospell and that in the brest of the Church to be deliuered by tradition only without the help of any word written 19. Wherby we cannot but discerne and must acknowledge that Scriptures or the written word of God were not so absolute necessary for the reuealing of God his will vnto man kind and the continuing of man in that sauing knowledge of him but that his Diuine Maiesty might haue propagated and preserued his doctrine and man in the truth by tradition only of word of mouth without any Scriptures at all if it had so pleased him as he did for many ages and generations togeather both before the first great diluge by water in the dayes of our first Patriarkes vntill Abrabā his time whome he chose for the head of his people as also afterwardes when he directed the same people by like tradition as well in Egipt where they remayned in most cruell bondage for 400. yeares as else where before Moyses wrote his forenamed bookes And the like he might haue done with Christiās to the worlds great generall consummation last inundation by a flood of fire according to S. Irenaeus his sentence if he had listed as hauing instituted a more orderly exact and authorized Church yea and hauing indued it with greater priuiledges according to the perfection of the new law aboue the old then he had done vnto the former of the Iewes Whereupon it must needes follow by force of necessary consequence that the tradition of this Church and pure authority therof both in propounding Scriptures vnto vs and discerning the same which are truly Scriptures and which are not as also for deliuering vnto vs the true sense and meaning therof in their interpretation and exposition is much more to be respected by vs then was that of the Iewes Forasmuch as Christ our Sauiour promised the continuall assistance of his spirit vnto this Church and that in such measure as that it should alone be able to withstand all the infernall power of Sathan and the gates of hell idest the very entrance of all kynd of errour or herely into it whatsoeuer 20. These then that neuer so solemnely and neuer so confidently professe that they for their partes do belieue and follow the Scriptures without due reference or respect to the Church forsomuch as all Sectaries and Heretikcs that
point thereof not only of those articles which he there setteth downe principally against the Arians and other heresies as did also the Councell of Nice for that otherwaies some man might obiect and say that the ninth article of the Apostles Creed I belieue in the holy Catholick Church the Cōmumō of Saints which S. Athanasius mētioneth not were no article of beliefe and that a man may be saued without the faith therof especially for so much as the said article with the other three next ensuing to wit I belieue the remission of sinns the Resurrection of the flesh and Life euerlasting togeather with the fifth article he descended into hell all which are permitted by the Nicen Creed do not belong to the integrity of the whole Catholick fayth which were an Heathenish absurdity to imagine 18. S. Athanasius then as also that ancient Orthodox Councell of Nice albeit they set downe and expounded those articles in their Creedes which the Churches necessity instantly required to be explayned in those tymes against the heresies which then most infested and troubled the Church yet were they ioyntly euer of this opinion and beliefe that whosoeuer did not belieue all and euery point of the whole Catholicke fayth and that firmiter fideliterque that is both firmely and faithfully as S. Athanasius his wordes are shall most certainely be damned euerlastingly And conforme vnto this I haue shewed before in the first Chapter of this booke the vniforme consenting seuerity of all antiquity that any the least heresy or errour defended obstinately and with pertinacity against the Church be it but one sentence word fillable nay letter is sufficient to cast a man out of the bosome of the Churches vnity into hereticall prauity and Diabolicall nouelty and consequently to bring a man vnto euerlasting perdition and destruction both of body and soule And this we haue already proued by the vnanime verdict of S. Athanasius S. Basill S. Nazianzen S. Hierome S. Augustine and others which S. Augustine in the very closing period of his booke of heresies directed to Quod-vult Deus pronounceth bouldly and denounceth confidently against all heretickes and heresy that whosoeuer doth hould any one of these heresies registred in that booke of his or any other that should spring vp afterwardes he cannot be a Catholicke Christian and consequently cannot be saued for that he houldeth not the whole Catholicke fayth entirely and inuiolably 19. And now to descend from the generall to the speciall and to make iust proofe of all the former accusations and imputations laid vpon the Clergy of England first the Ministers of that Church do stiffly hould sundry of those heresies which S. Augustine hath recorded for heresies and as condemned of the Church in his tyme in that booke of his before cited 20. And for example it cannot be gainesaid but they deny all externall Sacrifice and Prayer for the dead with the Hereticke Aerius this is one heresy and a capitall one too if we do belieue S. Augustine Secondly the Protestants fall into another heresy of Aerius for they deny Statua solenniter celebranda esse ieiunia sed cùm quisque voluerit ieiunandum ne videatur esse sub lege that solemne fasts appoynted by the Church were not to be obserued but that euery man should fast when he would least he may seeme to be vnder the law These are the words of S. Augustine out of Epiphanius and is not this the very speach of our Ministers Preachers of England at this day Nay I haue heard some of them my selfe proceed so earnestly in their rayling humour against this sacred and Angelicall abstinence that they haue not sticked to condemne the holy time of Lent as Popish and superstitious tending quite to the ouerthrow of mans health and bodily constitution and therfore that the authors therof said they wanted wisdome and discretion for instituting it in such a time of the yeare as the spring is when man his body requireth the best and purest nutriments 20. Thirdly there is also recorded by S. Augustine haeres 69. the heresy of the Donatists that affirmed that the Vniuersall Church was wholy corrupted and perished except only amongst their followers And do not the Protestants to auoid the iudgement of the Church vtter the same contumelious slaunder at this day condemning all others to iustify themselues 21. Againe do not the Protestants fall into the heresy of the Iouinianists as it is registred by the same S. Augustine haeres 88. that held the equality of sinnes and did equall marriage with Virginity And therupon was the cause saith S. Augustine that diuers sacred Virgins consecrated to God by the holy and lawfull vow of sacred single life left their profession and married And is not this also practized and defended by protestants at this day do they not deny all Euangelicall Counsailes of perfection deluding Scriptures and reiecting Fathers though neuer so many neuer so pregnant for prouing and conuincing of this Witnesse a Treatise lately published by a former Minister of your Church in defence of the doctrine of Euangelicall Counsailes not long since preached by him in the Vniuersity of Oxford 22. I pretermit the heresie of the Manichees that denied Free-will and of the Nouatians who would not grant that Priestes had authority in the Church to remit sinnes All which ancient heresies with many more which I purposely omit being held in like manner in some degree or other yea defended with great resolution by our English Ministers they cannot be accompted to belieue entirely and inuiolably the Catholick faith and Creeds which condemne all these for heresies 23. And furthermore if besides this we will but consider the variety and multiplicity of other new sects of these our dayes with which our English Ministers do participate and make open profession to communicate as with their brethren we shall diserne clearely that they cannot so much as pretend to hould the sincere integrity of one only faith And the reason is for that they haue euer hitherto admitted for brethren and men of one faith the Lutherans for example who expressely condemne them for hereticks and professe in the open eares of the world themselues to dissent really from them in diuers weighty and capitall pointes as touching the Reall Presence the person of Christ Iustification freewill the law the Ghospell and many other more of like nature as by their owne bookes and writings doth appeare And how then may they be sayd to agree with the sense and meaning of S. Athanasius his Creed which pronounceth damnation against all such as do not faithfully and firmely hould the whole entyre Catholicke faith without any violation in any one article at all And so let vs passe vnto the two other Creedes to wit vnto that of the Councell of Nyce and the Apostlicall 24. In the Nicene Creed for the better and further explication of Christ his Godhead and equality with his Father against the Arian heresie there
by Moyses the first pen man of the holy Ghost and so successiuely vpon sundry occasions continued 49. M. Rogers his first proposition is That the markes and tokens of their visible Church are the due and true administration of the VVord and Sacraments but these markes are not admitted by the Catholickes but worthily reiected for that they are as hard and obscure to find out and as much controuerted as the thing it selfe whereof they should be markes for that all partes yea all sectes and heresies doe pretend to haue due and true administration of the word and Sacraments and it is as hard a matter to determine this controuersy as the other viz. to find out which is the true Church But the Markes of Antiquity Vniuersality Vnity and Succession before mentioned and giuen by Catholickes for such were Tertullians 1400. yeares ago when he wrote that excellent booke of Prescriptions and Vincentius Lyrinensis 1200. years since to take away your late imputation and denomination of Papist vnto Catholickes are so cleare and euident in themselues that presently they will distinguish betwixt one Church and another betwixt Roman Catholickes and all hereticall Sectaries And albeit some Sectaries being pressed therewith will pretend to haue these markes in their Church and will set a good face vpon the matter and challenge them also yet are these wordes out before they be aware for the matter being so euident against them they presently giue ouer their clayme they are content to hold hāds of running to other obscure markes the common Plea of all condemned Heretickes of the due and true administration of the Word and Sacraments when God wotteth they haue neyther Word nor Sacrament according to the Catholicke integrity and sincerity 50. M. Rogers sixt proposition about the Church is That the visible Church to wit the true Catholick Church may and hath from time to time erred both in doctrine and conuersation which assertion the Catholick in his sense doth hold for so blasphemous and absurd yea ridiculous also as nothing can be more For if this be true that the true visible Catholicke Church spread ouer the whole Christian world can erre and induce into errour then is there no surety or certainty in the world no not in the promises of Christ and his Apostles who assured vs the contrary 51. But let vs take a view of M. Rogers proofes out of Scripture for confirming this his sixth assertion which surely are so fantasticall and impertinent for any consequence to be drawne from them so absurd in reason and ridiculous in religion that no man of iudgement or conscience can read them without indignation and laughter as by the view will appeare For thus he setteth them downe in his owne wordes only I will add the inference vpon euery probation out of Scriptures His first place is Take heed Matth. 24. 4. therefore the Church may erre Belieue it not Matth. 23. 26. therefore the Church may erre Beware of the leauen of the Pharisyes and of the leauen of Herod Mar. 8. 15. therefore the Church may erre Many shall be deceiued yea the very elect were it possible Matth. 24. 11. therefore the Church may erre Shall he find faith vpon the earth Luc. 18. 8. therefore the Church may erre VVe know in part 1 Cor. 13. 12. therefore the Church may erre Beware of Dogges therefore the Church may erre Beware of euill workes beware of concision Philip. 3. v. 2. therefore the Church may erre God shall send them strong illusions that they should belieue lyes 2. Thess. 9. 10. therefore the Church may erre And is not this a sound proofe out of the Scriptures 52. These are those cleare texts that M. Rogers bringeth forth to proue that the vniuersall Christian visible Catholicke Church for that only we now treat of may be deceiued and hath erred determining matters of doctrine and yet as you see here is not one word that is spoken or may be applyed to the said vniuersall Catholicke Church but only caueats giuen to the Church to beware of particuler deceauers Heretickes Pharisies Herod the like And consequently these places are so idly vrged and so absurdly applied by the Authour that I should wast time in spending any more labour about perusing them any further Only one of his places I will but touch in one word Many saith Christ shall be deceiued yea the very elect if it were possible out of which place for the ouerthrowing of M. Rogers proposition and inferring the cleane contrary assertion I reason thus and let Tribunal Syllogismi vmpire betwixt vs both which is the better and fitter consequence deduced out of this place if it be impossible that the elect shall be deceiued though many be deceiued then the Church comprehending the elect as a part of her cannot be beceiued sed verum primum for truth it selfe hath spoken it and this is the true meaning of those wordes if it were possible c. ergo secundum The like consequence I would inferre out of all the rest but the places are so absurdly and against all common sense and reason vrged that they are not longer to be stood vpon 53. The like miserable course or rather more pitifull if possibly it may be doth he take to proue the second part of his proposition which is that the said Catholicke visible Church may erre in determining matters of life and manners for that is the question and not his ydle word of erring in conuersation And first he doth alleag the words of Christ Iniquity shal be increased and the loue of many shall wax could Matth. 24. 12. therefore the Church may erre in determining matters of life and manners Secondly he citeth that of S. Paul Restore c least thou also be tempted Gal. 6. 1. therefore the Church may erre in determining matters of life and manners Thirdly I do not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I if I doe that which I would not it is no more I that do it but the sinne that dwelleth in me Rom. 7. 19. 20. therefore the Church may erre in determining matters of life and manners Fourthly There is a fight euen in the best men and mēbers of Christ Rom. 7. 23 therfore the Church may erre in determining matters belōging to lyfe and manners for this must be his conclusion out of euery one of these places as his former of doctrine was out of the other And are not these goodly argumentes to proue his assertion His assertion as you haue often heard was that the visible Catholicke Church might erre in determining matters belonging to manners to wit in defining and finally determining this is good that is bad this is lawfull that vnlawfull and the like and he commeth in with his misapplied texts to proue that particuler men may haue infirmities in them and fight of their passions or concupiscence Doth he not hit the naile on the head
Psalme did forsee this abominable and detestable voyce of some that should say that the Catholicke visible Church had perished and fallen into Apostacy a speach full of presumption and falshood susteyned with no truth inlightened with no wisdome seasoned with no salt a vaine temerarious headlong pernicious speach So S. Augustine And then further some few lines after the same Father bringeth in the said visible Church of his age to expostulate with those furious and franticke Donatists in this manner Quid est quod nescio qui recedentes à me murmurant contra me quid est quòd perditi c. What is the cause I know not why certaine people that go forth of me doe murmure against me What is the cause why certaine lost fellowes do contend and say that I am perished For this is their saying that I was the true Church but am not now c. The Scriptures say they haue bene fulfilled for that all nations haue belieued but the Church hath Apostated and perished throughout the world c. VVhen we vrge the promise of Christ Behold I am with you vnto the consummation of the world here they say that Christ promised to be with the Church vntill the end of the world for that he did foresee that they the factiō of Donatus should arise and continue the true Church vpon earth So. S. Augustine of and to the Donatists And surely nothing can occurre and be represented vnto our vnderstanding more conforme and answerable vnto the sense iudgment voyce agreement and speach of the Sectaries of these our times concerning their false imputations and most vniust calumniations against the present Roman Church 17. Now if this graue and holy Father S. Augustine one of the chiefest pillars of the latyn Church in his dayes speaking in the voyce and sense of the said vniuersall Catholicke Church in his age doth so grieuously and dreadfully censure this speach and blasphemous slander of the Apostacy of the visible Church so triuiall and familiar vnto Protestants now adayes as that he calleth it impudent abhominable detestable presumptuous false foolish rash temeratious and pernicious as you haue heard If he condemne euen to the lowermost pit of hell all those that frequent the same calling and accompting them for perditos lost and damned people recedentes ab Ecclesia Apostated from the Church vpon a false surmise of their owne foolish fancy supposing that the Church it selfe hath Apostated or may fall into Apostacy what shall we say of Protestants that do the same and stand in the very same case 18. But here it may be perhaps some man will reply that S. Augustine in the place before cyted sayth not that the visible Church cannot Apostate or perish but that it had not so done and fallen away in his time when the Donatists did falsly impute the same vnto it but that it might erre and fall away from truth in time to come that S. Augustine doth not deny 19. To this I answere that albeit S. Augustine totidem verbis do not say in so many wordes the Church in time to come may not Apostatate yet in pure force of argument and true substance of matter he doth affirme it in that he alledgeth against the Donatists and vrgeth to conuince thē the very promise of our Sauiour made vnto his Disciples and in their persons vnto the Church for euer Ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque in consummationem saeculi Behold I am with you vnto the consummation of the world which promise holdeth for all times in S. Augustine his iudgment euen vntill the worlds generall consummation and therfore the same Father in another place writing vpon another Psalme hauing first shewed how the Church is the Citty builded vpon an hill he further addeth Sedfortè ista Ciuitas quae mundum tenuit vniuersum aliquando euertetur Absit Deus enim fundauit eam in aeternum Si ergo Deus fundauit eam in aeternum quid times ne cadat But happily this Citty that hath possessed the whole world shall in time to come be ouerthrowne God forbid for God hath founded the same for euer as the Psalmist speaketh If therefore God hath founded the same for euer why dost thou feare least this foundation may fall Which very poynt S. Augustine repeateth againe in his first booke de Symbolo and the fifth Chapter to shew his constant and vnuariable resolution in this matter of the Church 20. And here I might alledge Father vpon Father Greeke vpon Latin and produce so many testimonies of the ancient Worthies and ancient Fathers as might suffice to fill a large volume and all of them tending directly to this effect to wit that the visible Church planted by our Sauiour he being the foundation stone and by his Apostles and spread ouer the face of the whole earth shall neuer perish or Apostatate from Christ by any the least damnable errour or heresy vnto the end of the world Christ his second comming vnto iudgement And to proue this they do all of them alleage and bring many pregnant and euident places of Scriptures 21. As for example these two heere vrged by S. Augustine as also that plaine text vttered by way of promise vnto his disciples Matth. 16. by our Sauiour portae inferorum non praeualebunt aduersus eam The gates of hell shall not preuaile against this Church on this place S. Chrysostome dilateth himselfe much as be by occasion treateth vpon the 148. Psalme and in an homily made at that tyme when he was to be expelled from Constantinople he inferred these wordes vpon that place Quòd si non credis verbo rebus ipsis operibus crede if you will not belieue Christs wordes the things themselues here spoken belieue his workes How many Tyrants haue gone about to impugne the Church c. Where are they that went about these things Quomodo impurissime Diabole Ecclesiāte putas posse deijcere How doest thou think thou most impure Diuel that thou canst ouerthrow the Church c. Which demaūd this blessed Father would neuer haue vrged vnto the wicked spirit if the Diuell might haue replyed that in tyme to come he should be able to ouerthrow it by sowing the tares of ignorance errour and heresy in it And now that S. Chrysostome meāt of the externall visible Church it is more then euident by the instāces that he bringeth of the horrible and inhumane persecution raysed and stirred vp by infidels and hereticall Emperours against the same most holy Church 22. And S. Cyprian that ancient and renowned Martyr treating of this argument soundeth forth this Eulogy in praise of the Church Adulterari non potest sponsa Christi incorruptaest pudica est domum vnam nouit vnius cubiculi sanctitatem casto pudore custodit The spouse of Christ cannot be adulterated she is vnspotted she is chast she knoweth one house she keepeth the sanctity of one chamber one bed and that
with a chast shamefastnes and loue So S. Cyprian in that excellent Tract of his devnitate Ecclesiae which Tract alone though it be but a very short one yet is it sufficieÌ„t to be the bane of all heresies and to keepe any man desirous of truth within the bosome of Catholicke vnity 23. With S. Cyprian agreeth S. Hilary writing to the same effect in expresse wordes affirming Hoc Ecclesiae proprium est vt tum vincat cùm laeditur tum intelligatur cùm arguitur tum obtmeat cùm deseritur This is peculiar vnto the Church that when she is hurt by persecutions then she winneth and ouercommeth when she is reprehended by heretickes then is she perceiued that is to say when she is misconceiued she maketh her selfe in her doctrine to be better vnderstood by declaration of matters called into question when she is forsaken eyther by rebellious children that go out from her or by Gods permission exercising her by tribulation then doth she obteine the victory and gloriously triumph So as here you see that they spake not only of the Church of their time but of all other ensuing ages that it cannot perish or be corrupted And with these agree S. Ambrose saying Haec ergo nauis Ecclesia est quae si quotidiè saeculum istud tamquam aliquod pelagus sortitur insestum numquam eliditur ad saxum numquam mergitur adprofundum So speaketh S. Ambrose in his booke intituled de Salomone the 4. chapter that is to say This ship therefore of the Apostles that was tossed vpon the seas of this world as the true Church of Christ which albeit it do dayly find and feele the world to be troblesome vnto it as a certaine tempestuous and stormy sea yet doth it neuer dash and split in peces by striking against any rock nor yet is it euer dryuen and drowned to the bottome All which priuiledges could not be verified of the said Church if it were possible that the spouse of Christ could become a harlot or fall away from Christ by intertayning any damnable errour or heresy 24. And as S. Ambrose so speaketh S. Hierome in his commentary vpon the fourth chapter of Isay his wordes be these Super petram sundatur Ecclesia nulla tempestate concutitur nullo turbine ventisque subuertitur The Church being founded vpon a rock is shâ—uered with no tempest is ouerwhelmed and ouerthrowne by no fury violence of windes whatsoeuer And the same holy Father in another place putting a reall distinction betwixt the Synogogue of the Iewes the Christian Church but especially betwixt the promises of God made vnto both assumeth the speach of Christ and speaketh to the Iewes in the person of our Sauiour Linquetur domus vestra deserta your house your Church your Synagogue shal be left desolate and empty vnto you But as for the Christian Church saith he aeternam habebit possessionem for that Christ promised vnto his disciples behould I will be with you or as other Readings haue it I am with you to the consummation of the world And the same speaches are reassumed and reiterated by him in his Commentaries vpon the ninth of the Prophet Amos and vpon the 28. of the Ghospell of S. Matthew 25. And here I might tyre out both the reader and my selfe also with alleadging the vnamine consent of all the ancient Fathers to proue that the visible Catholicke Church of their dayes could neuer perish Apostatate or fall away from Christ to the end of the world in regard of Christ his promise made vnto it and yet the contrary hereticall tenent is a common receiued doctrine in the Protestants schooles in this last worst age of the world For do not the Protestants pro aris focis as though it were a matter of the life or death of their Religion as in very deed it is no lesse stifly peremptorily defend that the visible Church that held these foure generall Councells which are admitted by his Matie and the Church and Parlament of England and fourteene other no lesse Generall from that of Chalcedon to the last of Trent this Church say I descending by succession of Christian people and by lawfull and Ecclesiasticall ordination of Prelats Pastours and Bishops for gouernement of the same hath after the aforesaid Councell of Chalcedon by little little say the Protestants Apostated from Christ and his true doctrine and hath left their roome and place for Protestants to enter and supply their defects And this is iust like the allegations and pretences of the Donatists in S. Augustines time And no maruaile that Protestants and Donatists thus conspire against the true Church for surely the right of the Donatists is as good to lay clayme thereunto as the interest of the Protestants for ought that I can see to the contrary And let this suffice for my first Consideration The second Consideration MY second Consideration concerning this present subiect of the foure first Generall Councells receaued by the Protestants lay Parlament as is already premised shal be this that for as much as this Ecclesiastical deuise and inuention of calling generall Councels and this spirituall authority in erecting this great consistory and supreame tribunall of the Church for the deciding and determining of all doubts and controuersies that may possibly arise therein eyther by the friendes or rather enemyes of the Church must be presumed to haue come peculiarly and proceeded originally from the holy Ghost partly for that the first forme origen and practice therof was prescribed by the Apostles themselues as you shal read Act. 15. according to that which we haue formerly noted and partly and especially in regard of the infallible assistance of the said holy Ghost that euer-blessed and neuer erring spirit of truth testified by the words of high and soueraigne commaunding authority vsed by the Apostles in that first Councels decree visum est Spiritu Sancto nobis it seemeth good to the holy Ghost and vs why I say this being so haue the Protestants in our dayes hauing now almost had a full age since their defection from Catholicke Roman Religion neuer as yet called a generall Councell amongst themselues to repaire their owne breaches reconcile their owne emnities determine and decide their owne controuersies which as before I haue shewed are both many and waighty implacable and irreconciliable Truly it seemeth vnto me that if they had beene of the same spirit with the ancient Apostolicke Church that gathered these foure first generall Councels to hould all in one vnion and communion nay if they had not bene led or rather misled with a contrary spirit of schisme heresy and diuision they would haue troden in the steeps of these ancient Fathers and haue imitated them in applying the soueraigne remedies of generall Councells for curing the woundes of their owne home-bred diuisions and damnable dissentions at least wyse they would without faile in a whole age haue called some one forasmuch as
that it was plaine madnes in the hereticke to make so small accompt of them Nay he further resolued and with mature deliberation concluded that the dogma ticall faith and belief of all these Fathers conspiring and agreeing togeather in one was to be defended against him and against all other such like hereticks as he was no other waies then Christs Ghospell was to be defended against Infidels His words are these 20. Aduersus hanc autem miserabilem quam deus auertat insaniam sic respondendum video libris tuis vt fides queque aduersus te desendatur istorum sicut contra impios Christiprofessos inimicos etiam ipsum defendetur Euangelium Against this miserable desperate madnes of thine which God turne from thee I do see that I must so answere to thy bookes that the faith of these Fathers be defended against thee as the very Ghospell it selfe of Christ is to be defended against impious men and as against the very professed enemies of Christ. So he And yet in another place pressing againe the authority of the said Fathers he doth intreat his aduersary Iulian to belieue these holy Fathers and by them to be made friendes with him yea to be reconciled vnto him and to the Catholicke Church from which he stood as yet separate And is not this the very same offer we make to the Protestants at this day And then S. Augustine going on forwardes in ratifiing their authority saddeth presently for further corroboration of the Doctrine and tradition of antiquity Quod credunt credo quod tenent teneo quod docent doceo quod praedicant praedico istis crede mihi credes acquiesce istis quiesces à me c. What these fathers do belieue I do belieue what they hould I hould what they teach I teach what they preach I preach yeald vnto these and you will yeald vnto me haue peace with these and you will haue peace with me And last of all saith he If you will not by them be made friendes with me at least wise be not you by me made enemy vnto them a goulden sentence and then he goeth forward saying shall Pelagius and Celestinus the Authours of your heresy be of such authority with you that you for their society will leaue the fellowship and company of so many and so great Doctors of the Catholicke faith and Church dispersed from East to West frō North to South and those both ancient and neare vnto our age partly dead and yet partly liuing So he 21. Which speach of S. Augustine doth seeme vnto me so fitly and properly to touch and concerne the Protestants of our dayes who for the loue of Luther Caluin Authors of their nouelties do forgo all the Doctors of the Catholicke Church not only ancient but moderne also as that nothing in my iudgment can be produced of nearer affinity to hould greater correspondency or be more like or more semblable 22. Neither yet doth S. Augustine determine only that the Doctors of the Church are absolutely the best witnesses and iudges in matters of Controuersy that arise and spring vp after their dayes but togeather with his authority which had bene alone sufficient he yealedeth a very substantiall and conuincing reason for the same and it is this that the Fathers could not be partiall iudges of such causes as came into Controuersy after their deaths for that they gaue forth their verdict and iudgment before any controuersy was stirred or moued about the same And thus much do his wordes import as they follow 23. Tunc de ista causa iudicauerunt saith S. Augustine quando cosnemo dicere potest perperà m quicquam vel aduersari velsauere potuisse Nondum enim extiteratis c. The Fathers did iudge of this cause at that time when no man can say that they did wrongfully fauour or disfauour any party For that you Pelagians were not then in the world with whome we might haue contention about this question c. They did not attend vnto any friendship eyther with vs or with you they did not exercise amity or emnity with eyther of vs they were angry neyther with you nor with vs neyther yet had they commiseration towards any of our partes that which they found in the Church they held that which they learned they taught that which they recyued and learned from their Fathers by tradition they taught and left vnto their children We did not as yet plead with you before these Iudges yet by them was our case decided and determined nor you nor we were knowne vnto them and yet do we out of their workes produce their sentences against you VVe had as yet no strife with you nor pleaded any cause and yet haue we conquered you by their verdicts Hitherto are the wordes of S. Augustine 24. VVhich when I had considered pondered well with my selfe as also reflected vpon all S. Augustine his former sentences compared them all togeather and conferred them with the state of our present time and manners of men therein I seemed to behold as in a cleare glasse before the eyes of my vnderstanding the very person and selfe same cause of S Augustine to be in the Catholicke writers of our dayes as contrariwise also that of the Pelagians and of other old heretickes to be in the Protestants the one and the other making like accompt of the ancient Fathers I meane the Catholickes esteeming them highly and standing to their iudgment the others reiecting them where they make against them which as it hath bene sufficiently proued before so might I here adioyne also many other proofes therof if I would spend more time in alleaging their sentences Let M. VVhitakers assertion speake for all who of this matter writeth thus If you argue from the witnes of men be they neuer so learned and ancient we yeeld no more to their wordes in cause of sayth and religion then we perceaue to be agreeable to Scripture Neyther thinke you your selfe to haue proued any thing although you bring against vs the whole consent swarme of Fathers except that which they say be iustified not by the voyce of men but of God himselfe The second Consideration AS my first consideration was wholy conuersant about the iust deserued credit of ancient Fathers agreing to geather in generall eyther in the full voice of all or in the greatest part and consent of them so was my second imployed about the same credit authority of particuler Fathers eyther one or two or more auerring any thing which was not reprehended by others in matters of religion About which poynt I saw lesse ascribed in his Maties Booke vnto their promerited estimation then Catholickes do hold in their Orthodox assertions and much lesse then I my selfe had purposely read and obserued in the former mentioned holy Father S. Augustine concerning that poynt For as his Maiesty yealded lesse to the common consent of Doctors which must
of the first fiue hundred yeares which his sayd Maiesty most Royally offereth to follow For opening the window vnto which light I haue thought it my bounden duty both before God and man to take this small labour and to lay these few heades of Considerations before the eyes of his Highnes most wise Iudgment and vnderstanding THE SIXT CHAPTER CONTEYNING A BRIEFE CONTEMPLATION of what hath beene hitherto sayd with the Conclusion of the whole to his most Excellent Maiesty AND now hauing handled these points at some more length then at the beginning I had purposed I hope the benignity and Clemency of his Maiestie will take in good part that leauing the Reader I do returne vnto him againe as vnto my most dearly beloued reuerenced and dread Soueraigne to lay before the eyes of his Prudent Consideration the summe of that which hitherto hath beene considered of 2. First then the point of being a true Catholicke according vnto the name and nature of the word is of such importance necessity and consequence as hath beene shewed in the first Chapter that no riches in this world no wealth no treasure no state no power no policy no human felicity may be compared with it as rightly S. Augustine doth intimate And for that your Maiesties eternall weale after the briefe and transitory passage of this life dependeth therof I cannot but most humbly most hartily and most dutifully falling prostrate at your feet beseech you to giue some serious attendance and attention to this high and mayne point of euerlasting saluation to seeke out what is truely Catholicke both in the Church for whose Epitheton the Name was first by the Apostles inuented as also in particuler men who is a true Catholicke and who followeth the rule which the Name describeth to wit he that in Christian Religion followeth vniuersality and not singularity the whole and not a part ancienty and nouelty that which hath bene deliuered and conserued from time to time and not inuented framed and set sorth in later times 3. And for that on the other side heresy is the opposite and contradictory vnto Catholicke Religion for that it maketh choyce of a part to it selfe and therby is held to be the highest sin in the sight of Almighty god that is or can be committed vpon earth for that it ouerthroweth the very foundation of fayth vnder pretence to establish and reforme fayth My desire is so ardent in this point that your Matie should enter into due consideration therof as almighty God beareth wirnesse vnto my soule and spirit that nothing in this life stādeth more neere my hart considering the eternity of the next world the immutable weale or woe therof the vae or euge that ech man is to receaue as well Princes as others and that these earthly Princedomes will seeme but shadowes at that day and not worthy one houre of that glory or misery that is to be gotten or lost by Catholick Religion or heresy in this life And this is my first contemplation and I shall pray Almighty God that it may be also your Maiesties 4. The second is about those foure wayes proposed by your Maiesty for auerring Catholicisme and clearing frō heresy which are the admitting and belieuing of all Canonicall Scriptures the receauing of the three Creedes the approuing the foure first Councells and the acceptance of the Ancient Fathers of the first foure or fiue hundred yeares In all which if with the admitting in words there be also a true Catholicke sense no doubt but they do make a man to be a Catholicke and do condemne heresy But the importance of all standeth in the exposition for to belieue the Scriptures in the sense that I thinke best my selfe or to acknowledge them for Canonicall or not Canonicall as I or some few with me of later times shall please to prescribe or to admit the three Creedes with that exposition of the articles as I and mine shall best allow or the first foure Councells in some thinges and not in other or the first foure hundred yeares of Fathers so farre forth as they in my censure do agree with Scriptures is to reduce all to my owne iudgment a thing most opposite to Catholicisme and proper to heresy as we haue at large declared 5. Wherefore vpon my knees I do most humbly supplicate your Maiesty to consider well of this and especially of the last poynt concerning the ancient Fathers which doth in effect cōtaine all the rest for that these men deliuered vnto vs the Scriptures togeather with the true vnderstāding therof according to the sense of the Church in their dayes these men deliuered vnto vs the three Creedes the first as from the Apostles the other as from the Church the third as from a priuate man but yet approued by the Church these men deliuered vnto vs the first foure generall Councells wherein diuers of themselues sate as Iudges and Bishops and had voyees and suffrages in the same these men were they that examined the controuersies determined the Catholicke doctrine condemned heresies an athematized hereticks and cleared the coastes of all these wicked and turbulent incumbrances which seditious and headstrong spirits had raysed in the Christian world by their contentions 6. And finally these were they whom our Sauiour Christ did vse as sannes to winnow his corne to purge the flore of his Church separating the chaffe from the wheat and eroneous doctrine from the truth wherin they were so zealous and diligent labourers as not the least weed could spring vp in this field of the Church but that these carefull good watchmen and faithfull gardeners did presently note and pursue the same vntill it was eyther rooted out or condemned by the Church and therby as branches cut of from the body of the vine suffered to wither away and to consume of themselues For proofe wherof we may alleadge as many examples as there haue bene different heresies and hereticks in the Christian Church for the space of fifteene hundred yeares which albeit they ruffled much mightily for the time and had often great Princes Kinges Emperors and Potentates to fauour and patronize them as the Protestants haue now your Matie yet are they so consumed in tyme and by vertue of the holy Ghost as the very names of many of them are now scarce remembred and much lesse their arguments reasons proofes and Scriptures which they brought for the same and were it not that in these Fathers bookes who were their enemies some mention is made therof we should scarce know that there had bin such men in the world 7. But on the contrary side the Church that condemned these men and the Fathers and Doctors liuing therin remayned euer both then and after victorious and shal do to the worlds end and still by succession and continuatiō the same Church hath come downe frō age to age one age giuing testimony to another of the purity of the said Church
of the place aboue cyted The excuses of Protestants refuted Bern. ser. 17. sâ—per Cant. Tit. 3. 10. 11 S. Pauls iudgment of an Hereticke 2. Tim. 2. 17. Ep. Iudaâ— S. Iudes sentence of Heretickes The detestation of hereticks and heresies by ancient Fathers 2. Iohn 1. 10. 11. De Scriptor Eccle. in Ioan. Lib. 3. aduers haeces cap. 3. Irenaeus ibidem ☞ Cyprian l. 3. cp 1. ☞ Athanasin vita Antonii ☞ The senerity of S CypriaÌ„ S. Athanas. S. Antony in auoyding Hereticks Leo ser. 18. de passions Christicap 4. That Hereticks are no Christians Lib. 2. aduers haereses cap. 9. That Hereticks by no good works can be saued De vnitate Ecclesiae Ibidem Aug. l. 1. de ser. Dom in monte c. 4. et ep 24. ad Donat. presb l. 4. de bapt contra Donat c. 17. et tract 6. in EuaÌ„g loaÌ„ et l. 2. cont Petil. c. 98. et l. 1. cont GaudeÌ„t c. 33. et alibi Heresy the greatest sinn of all other How a maÌ„ may discerne betweene Catholick religion Heresie Aug. de verb. Apost serm 1. In CommeÌ„tar in 24. Matt. v. 36. De praescrip c. 34. The necessity of cleere and vniuersall rule in matters of beliefe Isa. 38. Num. 23. 19. How this generall rule may be found out Ioan. 3. 20. The way of euery mans priuate spirit Whether only scripture be the infallible way Isa. 35. 8. Cont. haer cap. 2. August tract 18. in IoaÌ„ lib 7. in Gen. ad litâ— cap 9. 2. Cor. 2. 16. De praescript cap. 17. Ibidem Ibidem Labor lost to deale with Hereticks by only Scripture Cap. 20. De praescript c. 17. Ibid. c. 39. A perspicuous example In Epist. ad Paulin. Presb. Presumption of Hereticks in the Scriptures The only true way of iudging by the Church Aug. in psal 44. et 47. l. 2. cont Petil. c. 32. de vnit Eccl. c. 14. in Epist. IoaÌ„ tract 1. 2. in Breuic collat 3. diei c. 4. Matt. 5. 14 Ibidem 15. Exod. 13. 12. Iud. 6. 37. 38. 39. 40. Matt. 16. 18. De praesctipt c. 14 The authority of the primitiue Church Ibid. v. 28. Matt. 28. 20. 2 Cor. 11. 16 Dan. 6. 15. Mat. 16. 19 Iren. lib. 3. cont haeres cap. 4. A notable testimony of S. Iren. for the authority of the Visible Church To what triall the ancient Fathers prouoked the heretickes of their tyme. Videsupr The issue of this Consideration How out of the premises euery maÌ„ may iudge in what state he standeth for being Heretick or Catholicke 3. Reg. 22. Whether men may be saued in distereÌ„t Religions Premonit pag. 34. M. Meluin Secret Atheisme Aug. epist 48. ad Vincent Aug. l. 18. de ciu Dei cap. 5â— Lib. 1. epist. epist. 1. ad Magn. Hierom. l. 3. Apol. aduersus Ruff. post medium Basil. apud Theod. l. 4. bist c. 17. NazianzeÌ„ tract de fide Ruff. interprete noÌ„ loÌ„gé ab initio What sort of heresy is more daÌ„nable Leo tract cont Eutich That Protestants opinions are truly heresies Luther in art ad Louaniens Luther condemneth all ZuingliaÌ„s and Caluinistes for hereticks Beware of Iohn Caluin The Caluinists coÌ„demned for heretickes by the Lutherans The war of Iohn Caluin with Iesus Christ. Of the dissention disagreement of ProtestaÌ„ts and Puritans whether they be he resies one to the other Answere pag. 20. The different origen of Ecclesiastical power in the Protestant Puritan and Catholick Church Barorwes booke c. Perpetuall gouerment of the Church The Puritans excoÌ„municated as schismatickes and Hereticks by the Protestants Constitut. Can. 4. 56. Can. 7. 8. Can. 9. 10. 12. English ProtestaÌ„ts do not make one part often of those Christians which coÌ„deÌ„ne thé for heretickes Two important Considerations Hester 1. 1. Cor. 15 28. Act. 26. 9. The daily conuersioÌ„ of so many learned men in EnglaÌ„d Cyprian l. de vnit Eccles Premonit pag. 36. Premonit pag. 36. The belieuing of Scriptures not sufficient to make a man a Catholicke An example of the Authors case himselfe Luther l. cont RegeÌ„ Angliae f. 342. tom 1. The straÌ„g presuÌ„ptuous speach of Luther Luther not euer belieued by vs although he cyte the Scriptures De praescript cap. 42. Abuse of Scriptures by Heretickes Cont. haer cap. 35. See the place it is well worth the reading De praescript c. 4. Controuersies grow endles by appealing only to Scriptures 3. Reg. 22. 20. 21. 22. 23 Ib. v. 24. â— Cor. 2. 25. Scriptures ridiculously alleadged by the Puritan That Scriptures were not writteÌ„ for many yeares after their Church began How Scriptures were first written Deut. 2. 7. Gen. 18. 19. Matt. 23. 20. The Church continued many yeares without written Scriptures Iren. lib. 3. cont har cap. 4. How Hereticks do handle Scripturs How to know what is truly Scripture The place is aboue cited How to know what is Scripture and what is not Apud TrenaeuÌ„ l. 1. c. 20. 22. 29. A pud Aug. l. 32. coÌ„t Faust. c. 2. l. 334 cap. 3. What books are now in Controuersy Hos. 13. ProtestaÌ„ts follow their own choice or electioÌ„ in admitting or reiecting Scriptures 2. Cor. 2 15. 16. Premonit pag. 36. Dan. 6. 15. Bellarm diuision of the bookes of Scripture A sufficieÌ„t Prescription for authorizing these books for Diuine Scripture being 1200 years agoe Touching the Epistle of S. Paul to the He. brewes How Caluin opposeth himselfe to Luther yet agreeth not with the Catholickes Why the Apocalips reiected by Luther is accepted of Caluin Caluinists The conclusion of this Consideration How the true sense of Scripture may be tryed 1. 2. 3. 4. Hier. c. 3. in epist. ad Ephes. Aug. in psal 140. praef prope initiuÌ„ Lib. 3. Ep. epist. 19. Constant. Ambros. l. 3. c. 3. in Lucem Lib. 4. Epist. regist epist. 40. The danger of rash vsing or abusing the Scriptures In CoÌ„mentar ad Galat 2. Lib. 3. in LucaÌ„ c. 3. prope fineÌ„ lib. cap. Cap. 39. praescript The cause of Heresies The hereticall obiection that the Scripture is easy open answered Psal. 1 8. Cont. haer cap. 35. Aug. l. 1. de doctrina Christiana cap. 6. De praescript c. 9. S. August would not haue belieued the Ghospell but for the authority of the Church The difference betweene Catholickes and ProtestaÌ„ts in gathering the sense of Scripture S. Augustines positions of the church Aug. l. 2. cont Petil. c. 33. lib. devnit Eccles c. 14. Aug. in ep loan tract 2. That it â— visible Aug. ibib That it coÌ„sisteth of good and bad That it canot faile or perish Aug. coÌ„c 2 in psal â—01 S. August fully agreeing with the opinion of the moderne Catholicks Aug. l. 21. deciuit c. 13. l. 6. cont IuiiaÌ„ cap. 5. In Psal. 31. prope init Enchir. c. 67. 68. l. de fid oper c. 25. l. 21. de Ciuit. Dei c. 21. 26. The conclusion of this chapter consideratioÌ„ Vincent cont haer cap. 36.