A BRIEFE collection of the Church and of certayne Ceremonies thereof gathered by Thomas Sampson LONDON Printed by H. Middleton for George Bishop ANNO 1581. TO THE RIGHT worshipful Master Francis Hastinges Sheriffe of Leicestershire IN the French historie which you did leaue with mee I did find the whole historie of the Colloquie had at Poissie much more largely written in French than euer I did see it in Latine At this Colloquie the Cardinal of Loraine being the chiefe and capitaine on the part of the Papists made an oratiō more glorious in shew thā sound in trueth The which to doe hee had both the aduise and prompting of the papistes assēbled vnder him as of that subtill Sorbonist Despense of that little furie Xaintes with their mates Thus being vnderpropped this Cardinall made an oration touching two pointes The one was of the Church the other of the Sacrament which with thē is called the Sacrament of the Altar This later point by him handled after his sort did so please our Papistes that some of them did both translate and publishe it in English being as it were taken hott out of the Cardinalls mouth The seconde part touching the Church he handled like a Cardinall painting Rome so cunningly as he coulde vnderpropping it with the holow and rotten postes of Visibilitie of personall succession and ordinarie calling as they call it and such like stuffe And therewith did he driue with might and maine to deface the true Church of Christe into which it hath pleased God to call vs to whome he hath giuen grace to professe his holy gospell Our Church hee woulde deface because wee haue not those rotten pillers of visibilitie personall succession and ordinarie calling in such sorte as he claimeth them for Rome I founde in your booke a verie short but a pithie answere made to this latter part of the Cardinalls oration touching the Church the which because I had not read it before did easily holde me in it I liked it well and so I thinke will you I haue not the skill to be a perfect translator out of the French tongue neither doe I take vppon me so to do But yet I haue truely set downe in English the whole matter conteined in the answere That little which I haue added to that which is in the French is not from the purpose I trust This I giue to you now as I did before A briefe confession of the christian faith which I founde in that booke And one thing more by the grace of God I intend to giue hereafter if I may see the other volumes accordinge to your promise This little scrappe taken out of the large French booke I sende to you not that you neede it for you doe vnderstand the French tongue much better than I but I giue it to you to the ende that it may remaine with you as a testimonie of my dutie of thankefulnesse to you for your great good will alwayes borne towards me that by these Englished scraps you may be prouoked at your leasure to reade the whole booke your selfe and in the meane time you may communicate in Englishe some part of that good which is in the French booke to such as you thinke good Accept my poore labour in good part I pray you I shall indeuour to doe more God of his goodnes ayding me to whose goodnes and direction I doe commende you Yours in Christ T. S. A BRIEFE COLlection of the Church Gathered by T.S. THE name of the church is in greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche worde is also taken out of an other Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to call a man from one place or state of life to another And we doe finde in the holy scriptures that there are two kinds of calling The one is ioyned with the efficacie power and worke of the holy ghost Of which kinde of calling the Apostle doth speake in the Epistle to the Romans where he saith that God doth iustifie them whom he hath called Rom. 8. The other calling is of lesse force efficacie because men are deafe and dul such as wil not heare nor vnderstande Of this kinde of calling doth the Lorde Iesus spake saying Manie are called but few are chosen This name Church Matt. 20. therefore in the cause which we haue in hande doth signifie the companie of them which are called and gathered together by the voice of God who doth by his owne word call them In the which company we do see two sorts of men For taking the word Church generally to comprehende all them which are called and doe make an outwarde profession to obey the voyce of God wherby they are called doubtles among them many hypocrites are to be founde and reprobates as both the holy scripture speaketh of the Church and experience doth declare to be true But if you will take this worde Church more properly and straitly as oftentime it is to be taken then wee must say that it signifieth only the assembly of the elect of God and of those his children whom God hath predestinate to life euerlasting This church is called and is the body of Christ members of his bodie bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh In which number the reprobate cannot be conteyned For they are the members of the diuel It is vnpossible for one to be a member of Christ and a member of the diuel at one time as Augustine well noteth Lib. 2. cont Cresc ca. 21. This distinction of the name of the church the same father vseth writing vppon the threescore and fourth Psalme when he sayeth that the Church which is signified by Hierusalem had the beginning in Abel and that which is signified by Babylon did begin in Cain And yet in his booke written of baptisme against the Donatistes Lib. 1. ca. 16. taking this word Church in the more general significatiō he sayeth that it is it which engendred Abel Enoch Noah Abraham the Prophets also that it engendred Cain Ismael Dathan and such other like to them To conclude this matter let vs take that which Augustine writeth in that same treatise Lib. 7. ca. 19. that other place which is taken out of Hierome and is cited in the decrees 24. Q. 1. Omnibus consideratis where it is said that there are two sortes or manners of men in the Church One sort are the members of Christ and the verie true Church and are in such sort of the house of God that they are the house of god it selfe whereby it may be gathered that the other sort are in the house of God but are not of it at all They are as chaffe mingled with the Wheate vntill they be fanned out of it Hereof nowe will arise this question Visibilitie of the Church that is whether the church be visible or not Truely God alone doth know thē which are his electe and we do professe that we doe beleeue
the substantiall pointes of trueth touching our saluation shall alwayes be buryed in the whole church but the Lord will haue alwayes some number in it sometime litle sometime great which shal vnderstand that which they ought to vnderstande and follow that which they ought to followe So did it come to passe in the time of the Prophet Eliah in Israel and in the captiuitie of Babylon and also in the time of the comming of our sauiour Christ For euen then was founde a number though but a litle number of them whose hearts were touched with the knowledge and taste of trueth as Zacharie Elizabeth Iohn the Baptist Ioseph the virgin Marie Simeon Anna. These did knowe and had the right and sure vnderstanding of the certein fulfilling of the prophecies of the comming of the promised Sauiour And yet they liued in the midst of the corruptiōs of the Scribes Pharisees Sadduces priestes Such interruptions of open professing the trueth happen in the church of God proceeding of the iniquitie of men as a thick mist which after vanisheth away by the heat of the Sunne of the doctrine I meane of the worde of God when it pleaseth God according to his secrete ordinance iudgement wisedome to suffer the same Sunne of his worde to shine foorth with power maiestie then trueth is seen embraced professed of the elect children of God Thinke you now that we will or that we doe reiect al the old Councels Nay verily but this I say that if all the rules giuen in the eldest best of them were put in execution at this daye they woulde make a greater change in the popish or Romish church called catholike than they would or could doe in the church which is nowe reformed by the gospell of Iesus But let the holy word of God be the touchestone to trye examine all that is sayde or done in the church and then it will be easily seene where the true church is Count not this a straunge thing that I require For it is an olde saying receiued before our times of the most catholike doctors Augustine writing to Maximinus the Arrian Li. 2. ca. 14 Is there any generall Councell more allowed or approued than that first Councell which was holden at Nice I trowe not sayeth he And what is that Councell which was holden at Ariminum It was a Councell reiected condemned for good cause Augustine there handleth a principall point of our Christian faith that is the diuinitie of Christ our Lord Sauiour And yet Augustine saith that for his part he wil not be boūd to the Nicene councell neither wil he haue the Ariā bound to the Councell holden at Ariminum but he wil haue the matter tried by the holy scriptures which are the meetest witnesses for both partes It may be that these Romish mē which doe runne away from the scriptures will say that there is great darknesse in the holy scripture I answere that it is most true which saint Paul saith that the naturall man perceiueth not the thinges of the spirite of God 2. Cor. 2. It is true also that saint Peter sayth 2. Pet. 1. that no prophecie in the scripture is of any priuate interpretation But yet this obscuritie is not so great but that the scriptures can expound them selues And therfore doeth our Lord and chiefe master Iesus send vs to the scriptures to nothing else but to the scriptures Search you the scriptures sayth he Ioan. 5. Luc. 16. Abraham beeing required by the damned rich man to sende some one frō the dead to admonish his brethren which yet liued in his old house answered thus They haue sayth Abraham Moses and the Prophets If they will not beleeue them they will not beleeue any that shall come to them from the dead And howe did all those moste auncient and godly Christians before vs which had among them only the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles before that any commentarie or explication was written vppon any of them by the olde writers did they not then fetche all their light of the holy scripture onely A Romish man will here drawe vs to receiue the traditions Apostolicall for a moste sure interpretation of the holy scripture Traditions And by Apostolicall traditions he wil meane that which hath beene always receiued in the church through all the church and by them all which haue beene of the church But nowe who can assure vs that these three pointes are to be founde in any of these traditions which they do call Apostolicall traditions I doe not knowe who can doe it There is great diuersitie to be founde in the bookes and writings of the auncient fathers and that in some pointes touching faith And againe touching these wordes alwayes and of all let the Romish men tell vs at what time wee shall begin the account of this alwayes If wee will do well wee must fetch the beginning of this time euen at the church Apostolike And who shall be the firste in this account verily the Apostles them selues must be the first that shal begin this account the historie of whome is faithfully written by S. Luke and by their owne writings wee must take knowledge of them their doctrine and their doings All trueth commeth of God And God hath chosen his Prophets and Apostles to speake in his name vnto vs all that trueth which doeth appertaine to our saluation Therefore wee must alwayes haue and make our recourse to the holy scriptures And yet wee doe not vtterly cast away the aduice of Councels nor of the auncient fathers Wee doe proue that which they do saye by the holy scriptures The which holy scriptures as Augustine doeth saye truely are so tempered by the holy spirite of God that that which is obscurely spoken in one place is clearely expressed in another place of them Some of the Romish rout haue sayd that the whole wil of God touching all that which doeth appertaine to our saluation is not all written by the Apostles and Euangelists By this wicked false saying they make an open way to bring in al that falsehood error vntrueth which men list to deuise And it is the way by which Satan hath entred to destroy the vineyard of the Lorde to sowe therein his darnell of damnation and cockle choking true doctrine and Christian faith I graunt that before the time of Moses God gouerned his church by heauenly visions inspirations and reuelations But the Apostles planted the churches of God by his holy worde written And the malice of men growing with the number of them and the better sort of men decaying together with goodnes it was the good pleasure of the Lorde our God that this doctrine shoulde be written in a tongue common and knowen by which plaine trueth Gods children might receiue all that doctrin which concerneth saluation and might also withstand all subtilties creeping in vnder the couler of traditions or reuelations or custome or other
did in Iurie and is in our time come to passe in Barbarie In some other place he doth so destroy that yet hee leaueth there some little trace and token of a church as now we may see in al Graecia and in some other places also more neare to vs. Sometimes also the Lorde doeth cut off the personal succession of Pastors by the fault corruption negligence and sluggishnesse of the Pastors themselues or by such violence as is vsed against those pastors which are good Of the firste wee may take example of the church of Antioche in which Samosatenus an euill heretike did thorowe corruption and ouersight succeede good fathers going before him Of the seconde the church of Alexandria may giue vs an example out of which when good Athanasius was banished Arians did succeed The like is to be seene also in moe other churches by him that will marke the histories of the church Such a cutting off and breaking of personall succession was euen in the church of Rome more than once or twise As when Honorius the first of that name being Pope and Bishoppe there was condemned for partaking with the horrible heresie of Eutiches about the yeare of our Lorde 623. And when Iohn the xxii of that name was by a general coūcel condēned for heresie Likewise was the personal successiō cut off in Rome when that womā Pope Anno Do. 854. whom in her popedome they called Iohn who before was called Agnes was Bishoppe of Rome as Ioannes Chemensis Episcopus doeth report in his booke intituled Onus Ecclesiae So was it cutt off also in the person of Siluester the seconde and of Gregorie the seuenth and in a number of such necromanticall Popes Likewise it was cut off in the times of the romish schismes and when schismaticall Popes who were in those schismes helde the helme and did sit as they say in Peters chaire when Pope was against Pope euen in Rome one Pope cursing an other Pope chalenging to each of them Peters chaire that for the space of many yeares And sometimes they all that thus chalenged were turned out of the seat of Rome and that by decree of a generall councel As at Constance three Popes were vnpoped at once and at Basill one This proueth sufficiently the of cutting of the personall succession in the Popes and Bishoppes of Rome To this also may be added the tragedies which Pope played against Pope from the time of pope Formosus which was about the yeare 893. vntill the time of Pope Leo the viii of that name The wise reader shal easily perceiue how Pope sought to cutt off Pope both in person and proceedings one condemning that which an other had decreed besides cruelties exercised on the bodyes of some of them being deade This schisme in the church of Rome is noted haue bene verie long therewith most cruell So that if there were want of other helpes the Popes themselues haue holpen vs plentifully to see how the personall succession in the church of Rome hath beene cut off by Popes themselues The cruel and popelike tragedies in Rome doe so displease the Papistes themselues that one of them Fascicul temp writing the history of this time bursteth out into this exclamation O most cursed times Nauclet to 2. And one other hath it in horror to report howe many things were wickedly done by no fewer thā 28. popes one succeeding an other Let the godly reader also wey what cutting of ther was of this personall succession whē by the pott of poyson Pope after pope was cutt off by that cunning poysoner Brazutus which yet at the length made some stay in one of the worst that euer did sit at Rome Gregorie the seuenth as no lesse man of credite than a Cardinall doth write Beno So that if either cutting off persons or cutting off the doctrines degres of popes may bee taken to bee a cutting off the personall succession in Rome then was it cutt off many yeares since Therefore without looking to this personal successiō which doth oftē and by many occasions faile a godly christian may full well know the true church of Christ And so shall he doe if hee will obserue when and where the true doctrine of God is taught and the syncere administration of the holy Sacramentes is obserued They are to be taken for the successors of the Apostles which being lawefully called to this ministerie do build vpon the foundation of the Apostles and doe enter into their labours whether they haue among thē a personal succession in perpetuitie or that it hath bene cut off for a time or that themselues bee the first that preach the Gospell in the place to which they are called to exercise the office of a true minister of Christes church And on the contrary part those pastors in place which do not preach the gospell of God at all or which in steade of preaching the doctrine of the Apostles do preach their own doctrine by themselues inuented though they doe alleadge a thousand of their predecessors which folowed one an other in personall succession yet are they not to bee taken for true pastors but are wolues and so to be takē neither are they nor can they be reputed nor taken to bee the true pastors of Christs church how largly soeuer they account of personall succession His worde is not in their mouthes neither are the congregations which are misseled with such wolues to bee taken to bee the true church of Christ For the true church of Christ doeth not heare the voyce of a stranger But this misseled church doeth both heare and receiue the voyce of a straunger and straunge doctrines They haue not the worde of Christ taught They wil not heare it neither will they haue his holy Sacramentes syncerely administred to them If any man wil aske whether it be lawful for euery mā that wil of his own priuate authoritie to preach the gospell to minister the holy sacramentes I aunswere no truely For all thinges in the house of God must be done in good and comely order as the Apostle doth teach vs. 1. Cor. 14. Who then will you say are the verie true pastors and teachers Euen they which are lawfully called to that office and doe it faithfully Now then we must knowe what a lawfull calling is There is a forme Of calling or maner of calling ordinarie Ther is also a form or maner of calling extraordinarie That is rightly ordinarie in which that order is obserued which God hath established in his worde and church In this order is first right assigning of men to do the office truly to which by the worde of God they are called Then a triall must be had of their habilitie in doctrine and examination of life Then a lawfull election or choosing Last of all followeth the imposition of handes This is to be seene by the example of the practise of the Apostles themselues For so was Mathias