name of Eleutherius an ancient Bishop of Rome writing vnto other Bishops For this cause Christ hath committed vnto you the vniuersall Church that ye labour for all men and neglect not to helpe all according to necessity Cyprian also affirmeth epist 13. lib. 3 that joyntly with Stephanus Bishop of Rome he did hold the leuell of gouerning the Church And then he addeth The body of the Priesthood is exceeding large and is coupled together with the glew of mutuall concord and the band of vnity therfore if any of our fellowship shall prasume to forge an haeresie or to rent destroy the Church of Christ let all the rest make conuenient helpe And that same Cyprian in very deede often helped troubled Churches euen such as were without the bounds of Africke yea and the Church of Rome it selfe So Polycarpus Irenaeus Osius of Corduba Athanasius Basilius the two Eusebii one of Samosata the other of Vercels Lucifer of Calarie Hilarie of Poitiers Theophilus and Cyrillus of Alexandria Aurelius of Carthage and many other Bishops did painfully labour by vertue of their Episcopall office to helpe the necssities of the vniuersal Church and leauing for a space their own Churches well appointed recōmending them to the ouersight of others they went vnto other afflicted troubled Churches Therefore it is most proper to my calling not without the compasse of it with all my might as Cyprian exhorteth to helpe the Court of Rome which factionously maketh a Sect and deuiding it selfe frō the Church renteth destroyeth the Church of CHRIST and yet mine helpe must not be by approching to it because that is not sure but by a bodily departing from it I would indeed most gladly haue retained mine own Church of Spalate as Osius Basilius the two Eusebii Hilarius others aboue named retained their own Churches returned vnto them after they had ended the publicke businesse of the vniuersall Church But because that my Church with many others groaneth vnder the tyrannie of the Pope who hateth abhorreth Reformatiō and by all his power and the forces of his adhaerent Princes maketh impediment to it And hauing power of life death ouer these who suit vrge reformation suffereth none of them aliue Therefore I could not choose but leaue my Church that I my selfe hauing cast off these bands set at liberty might be the more ready to proclaime the trueth and with greater safety might deplore the desolation of the holy Church which she suffereth of the Court of Rome True it is the majesty of an earthly king is dreadfull because as Tertullian saith he is next vnto God lesser than God only aboue whom as Optatus Milevitanus saith there is none saue God alone Therefore when k. Dauid was to be reproued for his adultery murther neither the high Priest nor any other of the Priesthood nor any Leuit or friend or familiar durst praesume to take that charge vpon him but God vsed his own proper peculiar messenger appointed the Prophet Nathan to rebuke him But there is not now such necessity neither need we expect that God will raise vp extraordinary Prophets appoint peculiar messengers to deal with the Bishop of Rome who is now troubling scandalizing spoyling oppressing the whole Church The majesty of our Rom. Pope is not so great as to affray vs that his temporall hauty majesty is fained vsurped is none at all he is but our Brother Collegue a Bishop with vs a Fellow-seruant in the work and a brother who is holpen of a brother is as a fenced city as Salomon saith in the Prouerbs Wherfore then doe we snort wherfore doe we sleep a Brother perisheth draweth the Churches away with him to perdition we his Brethren neglect the danger doe not occur Let all be silent let all be quiet contemn as they will yet I the least Whelpe among them all with such barking as I can shall wakē those great mastius who are asleep made drowsie by a wōderful policy of the Popedome that according to their charge they may hold back the Wolues saue the flock of Iesus Christ I shall not vse mine own voyce but the voyce of God in wakening the good Dogs and I shall double vpon them the Cry of holy Fathers Councels holy Catholick Church As for these ten Bookes Of the Ecclesiastick Republick which I am shortly to put to light I shall specially endeuour that the errours of the Church of Rome may be detected the trueth and wholsomnes of the Catholick doctrine discipline may be opened these many reformed Churches which by our Romane Church are proudly casten off diuorced may be retained in a Catholik sense and that the way of vnion of all the Churches if not clearly demonstrat may be at least pointed out if by any means we can be broght to that estate all of vs to thinke one thing to say one thing that Schismes may be remedied and all occasions taken away from Christian Princes of plotting the ouerthrow one of another of troubling the common peace of Christian people with vntimous vngodly warres that vnder the praetence of Faith Religion but rather that all their forces may be so directed as the Catholik Church of Christ groaning vnder the tyrannie of those who are Infideles indeed may be restored to her ancient libertie This my departing from my Countrey or rather my going out flight from Babel I will that it want all suspicion of Schisme for I flee from errours I flee from abuses that lest I be partaker of Babels sinnes and receiue of her plagues yet will I neuer seuer my selfe from the loue which I owe to the holy Catholick Church and to all and euery one who communicate with her but so far as in me lieth I shall euer bee ready to communicate with them all so long as wee agree in the essentiall articles of our Faith and the Creedes of the ancient Church of Christ if in the meane time we derest abhorre all new articles of Faith which are contrary to holy Scripture or repugnant to the forenamed Creedes and that we admit not in anie case articles indifferent in thēselues as articles of Faith which haue neuer bene sufficiently discussed established and determined by the Church except first they be fully determined or bee showne to haue bene determined of before neither yet that we condemne those articles as haereticall vnlesse we haue sufficient notice that they haue bene condemned by the Church In things therefore indifferent let liberty of opinion and action be permitted to euery Church and let euery of them abound in their own judgement vntill the Church it selfe instructed gouerned by the Spirit of Christ shall put an ende to controuersies and seuer the Chaffe from the true Corne. In the meane time let vs remember that notable saying of worthie Cyprian which hee vsed in
in much patience in tribulation in necessities in straites in laboures through glorie and shame through infamie and good fame for I seeke not my selfe nor mine owne but those things which are IESVS CHRISTS That rather doeth grieue me if I doe not obviate calumnies it may easily come to passe that in the mindes of the Godly a great fruite of aedification shall bee stayed which they might take of my counsell and that many ignorant of the reasons of my departing in place of aedification shall vnwittingly offende at me by vnjust calumnies which they will heare To these I will open the reasons of my departing and make them manifest to all men that I may profite them That this my change of place is of GOD and not of man neither may I neither ought I to call in question I knowe wee should not easily trust euery Spirit but should trye them if they bee of GOD as we are well admonished by IOHN the beloued Disciple of CHRIST Therefore in these tryalls beside the often accesse to the Father of Lightes which I learued of CHRIST in these ten yeeres before named it is most certaine as GOD and my Conscience beareth me recorde that no mans perswasion of whatsoeuer sort came to my eares in this purpose I had none to stirre me vp none to perswade me I had vse of no mans counsell nor did cōmunicat it to any creature Neither yet let any suspect that I did drawe my reasons on t of the Bookes of Protestants which are contrary to the doctrine of ROME for GOD is my witnesse I did vehemently abhorre those Bookes discharged by ROMANE Inquisition which indeed if any Praelate addicted to the Court of ROME did detest I did it out of measure beeing possessed from my childhood with foolish feares and since now I am not a childe but neare vnto threescore yeeres of age let any who listeth assay whereinto he can perswade me without weightie reasons I did euer sway the inclinations thoughts of my heart after the rules which the Holie Spirit in Sacred Scripture did praescribe to the whole Church by whose direction the holie and reuerende Fathers euer much esteemed by the Catholicke Church did instruct the Faithfull which holie Fathers also beside the inward motions of the Holie Spirit were the onlie and chiefe authors of this my purpose Why then should I suspect this worke to bee of an euill spirit From which suspicion that also maketh me free that before GOD who tryeth the heart and reynes I know that in my deliberation I did neuer direct my minde to humane or worldlie respectes not vnto Ecclesiasticall dignities which might beseeme mine estate for I was alreadie a Bishop and that not of the basest sort but the chiefest in my natiue Prouince to wit The Archbishop of Spalato the Primate of two Kingdomes Dalmatia and Croatia of as great aestimation in our Churches Prouinces I am not ashamed to confesse the trueth as anie other And if the dignities of Rome had beene pleasant to me I had euer an easie accesse to them But the manners of the Court of Rome which I euer disliked made me euer to abhorre it Yet not the lesse in great and publicke affaires the Sea of Rome did vse my labours to the Emperour and Archdukes as is manifest by the Popes Brieues and the Letters of the Emperour and Archdukes which I yet keepe My well-deseruing also at the hand of the State of Venice my natiue Soueraigne did procure vnto me their great fauour whereby I might both hope for and expect the benefite of a better fortune if the desire of greater Grandour had possessed me I looked not to worldlie commodities which I had in that aboundance as might more than suffice a moderate spirit such as I euer had which I doe ascribe to the grace of GOD. In this change of my place I doe gladlie embrace the losse of all my dignities and riches because as I haue said I seeke not mine but the thinges of IESVS CHRIST Therefore neither the counsels of men nor the vndaunted affection nor worldlie necessitie nor euent neither anie miserable accident which vseth to ranuerse men and their estate moued mee to depart but whence it was I will ingeniously declare without faining or dissimulation For the most part from my childhood I was brought vp among the Iesuits in holy study according to the common doctrine of the Schoole-men and the receiued opinions of the Church of Rome for which opinions proper to Rome imprinted and fixed in my mind more by authoritie than by reason with the miserable captiuing of my vnderstanding I was for a long space most resolued to die for I counted it execrable about these opinions to admit the smallest doubt or ambiguitie of mind or thought let be of speaches and being bound vp in this cōmon reuerence of them if at any time any thought had crept in against them or my studies had suggested any doubt I resolued to vse violence against mine owne reason as the custome is in matters of Faith and to turne my minde and thoughts another way rather than I should admit the least doubt against these articles of Faith which I tooke for certaine and were set out to vs by our teachers to bee moste certaine I confesse I did feele continually some sparks of the inward Spirit which neuerthelesse I resisted yet I could neuer freely acquiesc neither free my selfe of a great suspicion which held me in perplexitie after I had made some progresse in the studies of Diuinitie Which suspicion was greatly augmented in mee by so exact so rigorous and intestine businesse of Rome whereby I perceiued they did moste narrowly take heede that no booke written against our doctrine should bee helde or read by any of vs for I supposed that these bookes were justly discharged the common sort lest the people who are destitute of judgement and discretion shold be exposed by reading of them to the danger of drinking in of Haeresie But in that they were altogether discharged Students and men of great learning and well affected to the Catholicke Religion I did euer judge as reason will teach euery man that matter was greatly to bee suspected especially seeing the Court of Rome suffered vs not to haue any vse of these bookes euen after wee had compleet our course in the studie of Diuinitie and taken degrees therein yea and after our promotion to Bisshoprickes This suspicion did yet more increase where I sawe our Masters and Professors in their publicke handling of the controuersies by word or writ claime this authoritie to themselues to bee trusted in all that they sayde that those wordes and sentences which they did repeate were the wordes and sentences of the aduersaries and in the meane time the hearers were discharged vnder the fearefull paine of Excommunication to reade the vvritinges of the Aduersaries In ryding suppressing and destroying vvhereof they make so great businesse as justlie it is to bee
suspected some thing lurketh in them which our doctrine is not able to confute From the first yeeres wherein I rendered my selfe to be a Clergie man I fostered an in-borne desire to see the vnion of all the Churches of Christ could neuer patiently thinke vpon the division of the Westerne Easterne Churches the South North in matters of faith I desired earnestly to know the causes of so many and so great Schismes and to search if possibly any way could be found out to bind vp again all the Churches of Christ in the true ancient vnion I was also tormented with heauy dolour which I conceiued at the dissentions of Professors of Christian Religion and the coate of Christ so miserably rent asunder which dolour and too great heauinesse did wonderfully afflict mee and yet more and more vexeth me daylie Thereafter now some twenty yeeres agoe I was promoued to the gouernement of the Church and made Bishop of Segnat which thing my Fathers the Jesuits tooke heauily because they knew by experience that I was not ydle not improfitable for their societie but that their account I doe not much regard for I contemne all humane aestimation vnlesse it make some furtherance to diuine obedience they had found me I say profitable for them for in the time of my tryall when I was but young they praeferred mee to a publicke profession of HVMANITIE in the Colleges of VERONA And before I was a Priest they placed mee in the Publicke Chaire for the profession of the MATHEMATICKES at PADVA vvith great concourse of hearers They made mee Professor of RHETORICKE first and then of the LOGICKE and PHILOSOPHIE in the Publicke Schooles of BRESCIA and often on the Festuall dayes would needes haue mee making Sermon in their Churches They enjoyned mee the dispatch both of priuate and weightie Affaires And in all the seruices of their societie they found my diligence Why then should they not haue taken heauily my promouing to a Bishoprick which was vnto me the first occasion to come downe to the earth from the subtill and airie or improfitable disputations of the Schoolmen and to turne my contemplation in wholesome practise of the cure of soules and of the Church And because I did acknowledge the proper taske of a Bishop was to preach the Word I set my selfe to reade Sermons and such Bookes as are appointed for Lent which did soone beget in mee a loathing and detestation for I sawe in them and that easilie a filthie abuse of Scripture while it is throwne to vaine improfitable impertinent yea and a pernicious sense I saw Examples and Miracles propounded either false and fained or at least ridiculous and not worthie of credite I sawe the people miserablie deceiued and the inuentions of auarice and ambition superstitiouslie forced vpon them vnder colour of articles of Faith These thinges I was astonished to consider and therefore I resolued to leaue these troubled Streames and to take my selfe to the Fountaines of the Fathers in reading of whose works I beganne to delyte for Sermons and holy Canons and Church Gouernement From this course now and then some beames of new light did shine vnto me as yet vnwilling and repining for on the one part I did obserue the sayinges of the Fathers in verie manie thinges contrarie to the common Doctrine which I had learned in the Schooles and I did perceiue that they were either passed by in silence by my Masters or not faithfully alledged or not sufficientlie or which is worse sinistrously expounded On the other part I did see and that not without great wondring that the Rule of Church Discipline and Spirituall Gouernement of our time was exceeding farre different from the ancient practise whereby my forenamed suspicions were greatly augmented and I perceiued a farre off that we did not faithfully handle the Doctrine and Affaires of CHRIST and his Church but sluffed our THEOLOGIE rather with the quicke inuentions of humane speculations and Philosophie than with the wholsome wordes of holy Scripture exactly considered and expounded whereof there is a grosse ignorance amongst vs. From a Bishoprick I was aduanced to an Archbishoprick wherby a new and more vrgent occasion grew vnto me to renew my studies and to labour in them more earnestly for whereas the troubles of the Suffragane Bishops of my Prouince but much more the excessiue power of the Court of Rome encroching vpon my Metropolitane Iurisdiction began to injure mee I proponed to my selfe to search out and throughly to knowe the Root and Fountaine of Church degrees Iurisdictions callings offices and dignities and chiefely of the Papall greatnesse A little after the State of VENICE was by the Pope put vnder Interdiction and scoffing Pamphlets sent dayly from Rome ceased not to oppresse vexe and slander all of vs who were Bishops of the SEIGNORIE of VENICE as Beastes Dolts Ignorantes and men of euill Conscience Whereof for the better instructing our lawfull defences and for the better knowledge of the quaestion debated betwixt the Venetians and the Pope new occasions were giuen to mee of a new and more earnest studie The holy ancient Canons the Orthodox Councels the Discipline of the Fathers and the ancient customes of the Church were often and againe turned ouer by me Whereto shall I say more I found aboundantly in these only all that I sought and a great deale more than I sought Then it was easie with opened eyes to obserue that the doctrine of these Reformed Churches which in great numbers Rome maketh enemies to her selfe and which are bitterly reproued and impugned by our THEOLOGS did in little or nothing at all differ from the true and ancient doctrine of the pure Church I did also perceiue that their doctrine both at Rome and among vs is abhorred and repelled rather than lawfully impugned not for that it is indeede Haereticall and false but only because it is contrary to the corrupt sense and manners of the Court of Rome and to her fleshly plottes and inuentions which is nowe turned into a temporall estate I saw also perceiued most clearly that at Rome without any lawfull ground yea by extreame violence innumerable new articles of faith were daily coined forced vpon vs that in such things as not only appertaine nothing to diuine faith but also containe in themselues manifest falsehood Which articles that corrupt Court will neither suffer to be discussed by any nor be brought in a due consultation of the Church but pursueth euen to the death all those who dare whisper against them They haue now for a long time smoothered the sacred Councels and so haue put out the eyes of the Church of CHRIST that nowe vnhappie shee as another Sampson made blinde and depriued of her owne strength captiued and made vyle is able only to groane It was sometimes an article of Faith that the vniuersall Church dispersed throughout the whole worlde is that Catholicke Church of CHRIST whereunto CHRIST himselfe doeth promise his
perpetuall assistance which PAVL calleth the Pillar and ground of Veritie But now our Romanistes haue drawne this article of Faith in lesser bounds That the Catholicke Church now is to be taken for none other than the Court of Rome it is propounded to be beleeued by a firme Faith that in it only yea in the Pope alone the whole Spirit of CHRIST maketh residence and whatsoeuer of old time hath bene said for the honour of the vniuersall Church of CHRIST with great injury to the Church is wholly applyed to the Court of Rome many things are reduced to the articles of Faith wherof we neuer had any institution of CHRIST wherby the soules of the Faithfull are miserably deceiued and so the Blinde with their blind leaders rush headlongs in the gulfe of perdition These things among many other haue grieued me exceedingly doe yet stir vp in my spirit an incredible dolour But I wil cease now particularly to recount the innumerable nouelties of the Court of Rome and these moste pernicious erroures whereby a Boucherie of soules is wrought the vigour of Church Discipline is broken the propagation and purging of Religion is hindered and innumerable offences are brought in the Church the ciuill peace of Christians is troubled bloody warres stirred vp amongst them kingdoms are ouerthrown horrible schismes are made in the Churches and most grieuous calameties do arise which all I haue exactly obserued I will cease now I say to recount them because I haue fully treated of all these matters in my large worke Of the Ecclesiasticke Republicke which I haue in readinesse and shall giue to bee Printed in Germanie as first commodioufly occurreth to mee in this my journey all that worke Of the Ecclesiasticke Republicke I comprehende in ten Bookes In the first whereof I search out the forme of this Republicke and doe determine that the Church vnder CHRIST appertaineth to a most perfect Monarchie and that not the lesse the Ministers of CHRIST on earth by CHRISTS own institution are most farre from an earthly Monarchie do gouerne the Church with an Aristocratie or choise gouernment not without some mixture of a democratie or popular gouernment and consequently I shew that the Primacie of Peter is contrary to the Euangel institution of Christ In the second booke I consider the gouerners Ministers of the Ecclesiasticke Republick who they are what succession can be giuen to the holy Apostles what is the institution of Bishops wherein they differ from Presbyters who are the inferiour Ministers and what force holie Order haue in this Republicke In the thirde I doe expound what is the Hierarchie to bee found among the Bishops and Gouernoures of this Republick and I do teach that there is no praeheminence nor subjection among Bishops by diuine right but that degrees of places among them are distinguished by the constitutions of the Church only And consequently I doe treat of the Election Confirmation Consecration or Ordination of Bishops and of the power of Metropolitanes Primates and Patriarches In the fourth I examine the Priuiledges of the Church of ROME and doe proue that neither in her selfe nor in her Bishop nor Clergie shee hath anie praeheminence giuen her of CHRIST aboue other Churches but if anie shee hath had or nowe hath shee hath taken it from the helpes and furtherances of men In the fifth I doe vndertake to search out the proper power of the CHVRCH and doe prooue that it is meerelie Spirituall and so I remooue farre from the CHVRCH all Earthlie IVRISDICTION And then consequently I dispute of the force and operation of Sacramentes and of Ecclesiasticall Censures In the sixth I compare the power of the Laitie and of the Church that the difference betwixt the Ecclesiasticke and Temporall Republicke may appeare and I doe shewe that Christian temporall Princes may doe many thinges in the Church but the Church in temporall thinges and especially towards Kings may doe nothing at all I treat also of the temporall Kingdome of CHRIST of the power of the Laitie whence it is and of how large extent of the Immunities of the Church and Church-men of Inuestitures of the Monarchie of SICILL and such like In the seuenth I consider the inward direction of the Ecclesiasticke Republicke which is by faith and I inquire for the true rule of faith and so I dispute of the Word of GOD of the authoritie of the Church and of the Pope ouer it of Councels of Haeresie of Schisme and such like In the eight I consider the externall gouernement of the Church by Lawes Canons and Iudicatories Thereafter I discusse howe farre Canons doe oblish of dispensations of commandes enjoyning fasting prayer and such like In the ninth I come to the temporall goods of the Church and I expound at length how sparing the sustentation of the Ministers should bee whence it should bee taken and howe Church goods should be guided I treat also of Tithes of Benefices of dominion ouer Church-goods of the vse and abuse of Church-rents of Pensions of Commendas and Testaments of the Clergie In the tenth and last I vndertake to expound the libertie of the Church that wee may see what way this Republicke is free And consequently I treat of Priuiledges and persons priuiledged of the abuse of priuiledges of exemptions and persons exempted of the subjection of Moncks and such like This was the fruit of my painfull studies for while vpon the occasions before named I did griedily reade holy Scripture the Orthodox Fathers the holy Canons and Volumes of Councels mine eyes being opened and I inflamed with a zeale to explaine the trueth to others and to my selfe I could not but write those thinges I obserued and this my much writing hath begotten this worke the summe whereof I haue rehearsed I saw therefore plainly and did perceiue that in our Churches wee had gone farre astray from the right path both in Doctrine and Discipline What then should I doe more in the mids of a wicked froward nation If as reason craueth I would haue gouerned mine owne Church according to the ancient discipline of the Catholick Church and propone true and Catholick doctrine I should by that meanes hasten vpon mine head great stormes horrible tempests frō Rome for euē already at Rome great hatred was hatched fostered against mee because they had vnder-smelled my labours in writing against their opinions for which I was often admonished rebuked by the Popes Nuncio lying at Venice it was therfore much better to take the wings of a doue to withdraw my selfe fly away to the wildernes where I might wait vpon him who will deliuer me from the weaknes of spirit from the tempest rather than remaining among the blind willingly blinding my selfe I should leade the blind to perdition What are the Bishops vnder the Romane Popedome In temporall things indeed where the benefices are fat they shine in wordly dignitie they are
the Councill of Carthage Wee judge no man saith he neither debar we any man from the Communion albeit he haue an opinion diuerse from vs for none of vs all hath made himselfe Bishop of Bisshops or compelleth his collegues by a tyrannicall force to the necessitie of obedience because euery Bishop according to liberty and power hath his own arbitriment as though hee might not bee judged by others neither hee himselfe may judge another but let vs all await vpō the judgement of our Lord Iesus Christ who one and alone hath power to prafer vs to the gouernment of his Church and to take an account of all our proceedings At that time Cyprian disassented from the Church of Rome almost from the vniuersal Church about the Baptisme of Haeretickes and being confirmed in his own opinion hee judged Stephanus Bishop of Rome who mightily resisted him therein and all other to bee in a manifest errour yet hee neuer suffered the band of vnion Ecclesiastick Charity betwixt them to be brokē lest a Schisme the most noysome pest of the Church should atise among them And in this Cypr. to his great cōmendation did ouercome the not-all-wise-discrete zeale of Stephanus for while as Steph. by his excōmunications did rush headlongs to the inconuenience of a Schisme Cyprian by his patience and charity excellent wisdome eschewed a separation Therfore S. Augustine did oftē commend Cyprian and propounded his actions as a rule and examplar of Imitation to all the Churches And among other thinges which Augustine considereth of this proceeding strife betwixt Cyprian Stephanus hee saith in his fifth booke against the Donatists chap. 25. Yet the peace of Christ did so praeuaile in their hearts that in such a quaestion no Schisme did arise betwixt them for Cyprian had surely concluded with himselfe that Steph. did grosly erre while he receiued poenitent Haereticks returning to the Church without rebaptizing yet hee choosed to cōmunicate not only with Stephanus himselfe who thought and did contrary to him but also with those whom he judged to be altogether vncleane and that only because Steph. had receiued them to the Communion rather than to rent the Church with a Schisme And this example Augustine propoundeth to the Donatists and vs all to be followed Therefore most holy Father you Fathers Brethren and holy Collegues let vs imitate Cyprian follow the counsell of Augustine that aboue all things Schismes be remoued for as August obserueth Cyprian replenished with the bowels of charity aestimed that euen they who haue diuerse opinions should abide in vnitie Let vs also among vs haue diuerse opinions of thinges not as yet determined till they be fully determined And in the meane time let vs abide in vnity for albeit that you thinke otherwise yet as th'Apostle admonisheth God will reueale that to you Make not greater diuisions than are already Take heed also that with Stephanus ye break not the band of charity by vntimous excommunications lest by such contentions that great ill of diuision arise which August did fore-eschew Restore peace and charity to all the Churches of CHRIST who according to the Tenor of the ancient Creedes doe professe IESVS CHRIST and bee assured of this that Schisme in the Church is a farre more grieuous euill than Haeresie Haue your Communion ready for all without praejudice of the liberty of opinions remouing in the meane time all falsehoods in doctrine Leaue the examinations of the Trueth to those lawfull accustomed formes of the holy Church for so I hope through the assisting grace of CHRIST who vseth not to denie himselfe to them who seeke him sincerely that full peace and concord and a necessary vnion of the holy Churches shall follow that we all think one thing abide all in one rule Let vt not stirre vp amongst vs the fire of hatred and secret grudges but of Religion and Catholicke instruction Let the Word of GOD bee a Lanterne to our feete and let vs followe the foot-steps of our holy Ancestors who haue beene excellent Lightes in the Church of CHRIST Let vs breake asunder without pertinacie the darknesse of errour and falsehood by the light of the trueth of the Gospel and let vs depart farre from Nouelties which haue almost quite exstinguished the Doctrine and Discipline of the holie Church that the Church of CHRIST on earth may bee one coupled together with the glew of concorde wherein to let vs all with one spirit and one mouth prayse our GOD and the Father of our LORD IESVS CHRIST AMEN Giuen at VENICE the xv of September ANNO 1616.