quos sanctos maiores ac patres nostros celebrasse manifestum est Yf that we do by no meanes go backe from those vnderstaÌ„dinges iudgementes whom it is playne our holy aunciettours and forefathers to haue preached and publyshed Of the same antiquitie Saint Paule admonyshed the Corrinthians saying If any man appeare to be contentious he must vnderstand that we haue no such custome nor the church of God whereby it is mooste playne that the church of God in S. Paules tyme dyd much and highly esteame customes how much more then shoulde auncient customes prescryptions and traditions deryued deduced brought from chrystes primatyue Church to the next age and so froÌ„ age to age contynuallye vntyll thys present be much estemed earnestly embraced and reuerentlye obeied of vs in these latter daies wherein many arroganthedes are desyrous of neuer receiued doctrines procedyng of proud singularitie coÌ„trary to our euer approued and r eceyued doctryne religion customes prescriptions and traditions euen from the begynnyng The whych Saint Iherome hauing in muche remembraÌ„ce sayd reuerentlye Ieron ad Oceanuâ— et panâ—â— â—llam senex tenebo fidem in qua puer natus sum I being an olde man wyl kepe that fayth that I a chylde was borne in knowyng ryght well not onely vnyuersalytie but also antyquytie of the vnyuersall Doctryne and relygion to be a sure and an vndouted token of the catholyke Churche and therefore he dyd wryght vnto Theophilus Scito nobis nihilessâ— antiquius quam nec Christi iura Ihero in Theophilum nec patrum transire terminos Knowe thou O Theophile nothyng to be vnto vs more acceptable than not to transgresse passe the lawes of Chryst and the determinations of our forefathers Galat. 1. And no merueyle for Paule hym selffe called immedyatlye by Christ and bountifully breathed wyth the Holye ghoste asceÌ„ded to IherusaleÌ„ to know hys auncyettes and predycesoures the apostles Galat. 2. and to consulte wyth them leste he hadde renne in vayne that is to saye lest he had not beleued as they beleued and had not preached Tertulli contra Merchio nem li. 9. as they preached Forasmuch as Paule so notable Apostle and the chosen vessell of Chryste dyd soo muche esteame the aucthoritie of hys aunciettes with the whyche he desyred to aduauÌ„ce his faith preachinge howe much more then shall it become vs ignorauÌ„tes and graceles in comparison to obeye and folowe the vniuersall antiquitie of the catholyke doctryne an infallible sygne of the catholike Church And not to enclyne to a Doctryne neuer receyued nor practysed in Chryst hys vniuersall church but in all ages and in al countryes professing Christ iustly condempned for heresye Therefore most plaine it is the late Doctryne heare in Englande not to be a sounde but a corrupte Doctryne not catholyke not vniuersal but partyculer and pertiall not acknoledged nor knowen but straunge to Chryst his auncient catholyke Church the onely treasure house of GOD and of the ryght wourshyppyng of God Here bicause I wold be loth to be tedious I wyll surcease to speake any more of antyquyty and procede to the declaration of the thyrde sygne whych is vnytie Vnitie Where is not consent vnytie and agreament in doctryne there is scisme diuision and heresye Wherefore the catholyke Churche whereof Chryst is the hed who is oure peace Ephes 2 and hath made of bothe Iues and gentyles before dyuyded in relygion one bodye is not a myshapen confused disordered multitude but it is a conuocation moste ordrelye shapen of moste consonant ordre and proportion and that of beleauyng people vnyted and lyncked togyther in one religion of our Sauyour Chryste by one fayth and his visyble sacramentes Aug. â—oÌ„t Faust lib 9. ca. 11. and therefore the Apostle Paule taught the Corynthyans broughte then by false teachers into scysme to embrace vnytye saying Obsecro uos per nomen domini nostri Iesu Christi 1. Cor. 1. ut id ipsum dicatis omnes non sint in nobis scismata sitis autem perfecti in eodem sensu et in eadem sententia I exhorte you in the name of our lorde Iesus Chryst that ye all saye one thynge and that there be no scismes among you but be ye perfect in one sence one mynde The same vnytye Paule teacheth by the similytude of a corporall body which as it is compact of many members in such a harmonye that ther is mutual coÌ„munion participatioÌ„ of coÌ„meÌ„ mutual nurriture coÌ„moditi helth among them euen so the mystycall body of our Sauyoure Iesu the Churche is knytte together in one spyrytuall socyetye wyth suche a vnytye that there is a common and a mutuall participation of the whole mystycall body the vniuersal church in those spyrytuall thynges whyche be spyrytual nurriture of the soules in chrystian relygyon vnto the atchyuynge of lyfe eternall scysme and contentioÌ„ be so contrary vnto the vnytye of Chrystes Churche that Paule dyd wryte vnto the Corynthyans beyng in diuisyon and contention these wordes ensuyng 1. Co. 11 Si quis autem uidetur contentiosus esse nos talem consuetudinem non habemus neque ecclesia dei Yf any man do appeare to be contentious he must knowe that we haue no suche custome nether the church of God Note here that contention concernyng faythe and chrysten life is not among the catholykes the vniuersall congregation of God accustomed to vnitie and not to contentious diuisioÌ„ And therfore we reade in scrypture Deus qui inhabitare facit vnanimes in domo Psa 67. It is god whych maketh people of one mynd to dwel in his house whych is the Catholike Churche Wherby it is most manyfeste that scysme diuysion and conteÌ„tyon be manyfest sygnes of the vnleafull assembles of heretykes and vnity the most vndouted and manyfest token of the leafull and godly congregation of faythfulles the whych vnitie plainlie to declare the scriptures affyrme to be but one church as ye maye reade in the genesis Gene. 6. We had but one arcke the expresse fygure of the church therfore Chryste hath but one churche that the veryty maye aunswer the figure Also in the seconde booke of Moyses it is written Cipri de coena domini In vna domo commeditur agnus The lambe shal be eaten in one house the which house Saint Cypryan vnderstandeth to be the churche saying Vna domus est ecclesie in qua agnus editur There is one house of the churche in the whych the lambe is eaten The lyke saying hath S. Austen addynge vnto Churche this worde Cotholyke which is thys In una domo agnus comeditur Aug. de sermo de uigil pen tec. quia in una ecclesia catholica uera hostia redemptoris immolatur The lambe is eaten in one house bycause the true and very hoste and oblation of our redemer is offered in one catholyk Church Thus Saynt Austen teacheth to be but one churche and the same to
and wyth her contynuallye no lesse tyme. No man can but beleue it excepte any be so peruerse that wyll denye the Churche to be hys mother To whom S. Cypryan saieth Non potest habere deum patrem Cipri de simpl prâ— qui non habet ecclesiam matrem He cannot haue GOD to be hys father whych hath not the Churche hys mother Lyke wyse in not beleuing the church our mother we do not beleue god our father so coÌ„sequently we do degeÌ„dre from all filiall nature to the abrydgement of our lyues here in earth and to the achiuing of the loÌ„g endles death in hel wherfore let vs with humble obedience honour our sayde holy mother the Catholyke Church in embracing her preceptes that we may be longe lyuyng not onely beneth heare in Earthe but attayne also to the longe lyfe aboue in Heauen Hytherto I haue declared the Church not to erre bycause some euyll persones be therein wherewyth yf any be not satisfied but doth further affyrme euery membre of the churche to be a lyer and therefore doth infer the whole vnyuersall churche to lye and erre To them Saynt Austen shall make aunswere as foloweth Deus per seipsum uerax Augu in pist Ioh. tract 1 tuper deum uerax nam per te mendax God is by hym selfe true but thou art tru by GOD for by thy selfe thou art a lyer so that although euery person of hym selfe Psa 115 and by his vityat nature be a lyer yet by the pertecipation of goddes grace and truthe in the Churche manye are true as well appeared by the holye Patryarches Prophetes and many others before Chryste his incarnation and since that time by the Apostles Dyscyples and holy Martyres wytnessyng the truthe wyth theyr bloude For elles Dauyd hymselfe had lyed in sayinge Euery man is a lier the Euangeliste Paule and other the Apostles had lyed in their preachynges and erred in theyr wrytynges the whych no chrystyan harte can suffer to be affyrmed but admyt that the Deuyl is some time permitted to haue power on a synguler and pertyculer persone in the Churche yet it followeth not that he hath powre to seduce the vnyuersal congregation of chryst his vnyuersal churche For where Chryst is there cannot the Deuyl be coÌ„syderynge that no agreament is or can be 1. Cor. 6 betwene Chryste and Belyall But in the vnyuersall catholyke church is Christ therefore is not therein the deuyl Christ is therein for he promysed vnto the sayd catholyke churche not onelye the spirite of truth to teache it all the trueth but promysed hym selfe also verye verytye therein to be continually euen to the worldes ende For that cause Paule calleth the church the temple house of god Apo. 20. In the Apocalipse moreouer it is wrytten the deuyll to be tyed and shutte vp in hell that he nether myght nor maye seduce the peoples and nacions Wherevpon S. Austen wryteth iÌ„ his boke de ciuitate dei these wordes Au de ciuitate dei li. 2. ca. 7 Ad hoc ligatus est diabolus in abisso ut iam non seducat gentes ex quibus constat ecclesia Furthermore the deuyll was tyed and shutte vp in hell that he myghte not seduce the peoples of whom consisteth the church Here ye may learne of Austen that the deuyll hath not power to seduce the peoples and multitudes of faithfulles of whom the churche coÌ„sisteth After it foloweth Nec enim dictum Aug ibi ut non seduceret aliquem sed non ut seduce et iam gentes in quibus ecclesiam procul dubio uoluit intelligi It is not sayde that he shoulde seduce no manne but that he shoulde not seduce nowe the peoples in whom vndoubtedlye he would to be vnderstand the churche Note here that s Austen wryteth that it was not spokeÌ„ that the deuell shuld seduce no man for so promysed not Chryst but that he shoulde not seduce the peoples that is to saye the whole congregation of the church to whom only the spyrite of truth was promysed to contynue for euer Thus playne it is that the deuyll maye deceyue and seduce some certayne persones of the churche and yet cannot seduce the whole multitude and congregation therof For so longe as an army standeth together in aray it is impregnable and inuincible but deuyded disseuered and scattered abroade it is moost easye to be vanquysshed Lykewyse Chrystyans singularlye and priuately may sometyme take an ouerthrowe of Sathan but the mayne army host of Christ the vniuersal militaunte churche hath so valyanut puyssaunt and experte a captayne in the myddes therof and that continually that it cannot goo out of araye at any tyme to take any notable discomforte or ouerthrowe 1. Co. 10 Non enim patietur uos tentari supra id quod potestis sed faciet etiam cum tentatione prouentuÌ„ ut possitis sustineri For he will not suffre you to be tempted assauted aboue youre power but so wyll do in the temptation that you shal be able to sustaine it escape it and to haue good successe therin so that he can and will kepe his promise which was Mat. 16. that Hel gates should not preuayle agaynst the churche Whiche promyse he made not to the perticuler members thereof seuerallye but to the whole churche vnyuersallye Therfore although some straglynge waueryng and wanderynge Christians do at any tyme erre yet the whole congregatioÌ„ doth at no time erre in the weyghtye matters of Christianitie Yf the churche maye erre then maye Chryste and the holy ghost erre which be resyaunt therin then is not the Churche buylded vpon an immoueable rocke stone Mat. 16. and fundatyon accordyng to scripture then is not the Churche the pyller and fyrme vpholder of trueth 1. Tim. 3 then cannot the churche say truely it pleaseth the holye Ghoste and vs then is not Chryst the Sauyour and preseruer of the Churche hys body whych to beleue were to muche vngodlye but Chrysostome sayth Homini si bellum inferas Act. 15. Ephes 5 Chris to 2. ho. 20. forte uinces aut forte uinceris ecclesiam uincere nulla uis poterit yf thou warre vpon a manne perchaunce thou shalte ouercome or be ouercommed but no power forse or strength can ouercome the churche Wherebye you maye wel vnderstand that a perticuler persone of the Churche maye be conquered but not the whole catholycke churche Non deâ—rit enim dominus ad tuendam ecclesiam suam Au. to 2. epis 169 For our lord wyll not be wantyng to defeÌ„d hys churche whych he bought and purchased wyth no lesse then wyth hys owne moste precyous bloude the infallyble euydence of hys deare loue towarde it which will not suffer it vnarmed and withoute his defence Vayne therefore be al scysmatycall rebellyons conspirynge against the same Thus thys fynyshed I thinke it expedient to open to you the infallyble tokens whereby ye may know and infallyblye discerne the catholyke Churche
from the factious churche of scysmatiks which tokens amoÌ„gest others that I do ommit bycause oure aduersaryes moste vntruelye do chaleng to be among them where in dede they nother are nor can be but in the catholike churche be these thre vniuersalitie antiquitie and vnitie ¶ The fyrste token whyche is vniuersality Vniuersalitie although I haue proued sufficyentlye before in declaryng where the Churche is the whyche I praye you nowe in thys poynte also to haue in memorye yet I wyll bryfely saye somethynge more for it The scysmatycall churches be but partyculer multytudes in partyculer places as the donatystes in Affryke the hussytes in beame the Lutherans in some certeyne prouinces of Germany and the Sacramentaryes of late heare in Englande wherfore it is most certaine that our late particuler church was not the church of Chryst whyche is catholike that is to saye vnyuersal thoroughoute all the vnyuersall world as ye may perceyue by the promyse of God made to Abraham whych is thys In semine tuo benedicentur omnes gentes All natyons shal be blessed in thy sede Gen. 22. that is to sai in Christ as interpretethe it Gal. 3. S. Paule in hys Epystle to the Galathians so that by God his benediction through al nations A solis ortu vsque ad occasum 〈…〉 nomen domini From the rysyng of the sonne to the goynge downe of the same Psa 112 the name of our lorde is praysed and gloryfyed as wytnesseth the Prophet Dauyd Accordynge wherevnto Chryst sayde to hys Apostles Et eritis miâ—i testes in Iherusalem Actes 1. et in omni Iudea et samaria et usque ad ultimum terre You shall wytnes me in Ierusalem in all Iurye Samatye and so in all places vnto the vttermost partes of the worlde Thus ye maye perceyue that our hed Iesus Chryst renewed not nor newely builded his mysticall bodye the churche to be included wythin any pertyculer corner or part of the world but to be vnyuersall in Iherusalem in all Iury in Samarie and from thence in all realmes and countreyes euen to the extreme partes of the Earth after the auncyent prophecy of the sayd good kynge and prophete Dauyd Psa 71. whych is thys Dominabitur a mare usque ad mare et aflumine usque ad terminos orbis terrarum He meanyng Chryst shal rule from sea to sea and from the sea vnto the extreame endes of the worlde and therefore Saynte Ihon the Apostle sayeth Ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris 1. Ioh. 2 Aug. tra 5 in epist Iohan. 2. non pro nostris tantum sed pro peccatis totius mundi he meanynge Chryste is the propitiatioÌ„ for our sinnes and not for our synnes onleye but for all the synnes also of all the whole world that is to saye of all faithfulles dyspersedde thorough the world as vnderstandethe it S. Austen The same doctryne S. Paul taught the Romaines Per quem accipimus gratiam et apostolatum ad obediendum fidei in omnibus gentibus pro nomine eius Rom. 1. Bye whom we haue receiued grace and thapostolicall embassye That by fayth hys name may be obeyed in all nations and countryes by these and other greate nomber of scryptures all and euery catholyke writer affyrmethe the Churche to be vniuersall and not nacyonall not I saye affyxed to this or the nacyon Whereof ye shall here that olde aucthor Ireneus Iren. li. 1. cap. 2. Ecclesia per vniuersum orbem vsque ad fines terre seminata et ab apostolis â— Discipulis eorum accepit eam fidem quae est in vnum deum The Churche beynge sowen and planted thorowe out the vniuersall world to the furthyest endes of the same receyued of the Apostles and of theyr dysciples that faieth whych is in one God The selfe same saying hath Epiphanius in hys fyrst boke of his second Tome so that I shal not nede to rehearse it but nowe here that greate clerke Saint Austen Aug. to 2. ad bâ—ni ep 50 Ecclesia catholica sola est corpus Christi cuius ille caput et saluator corporis sui extra hoc corpus neminem uiuificat spiritus sanctus The vnyuersall Churche onelye is the body of Chryst wherof he is the hed and the Sauiour of hys body out of this body the holy Ghost gyueth lyfe to no man By this we are taught corner partyculer churches not to be the bodi of christ but the catholyke vnyuersal Church onely that out of the same catholik vniuersal churche the holy Ghost gyueth lyfe to no man Let vs therefore beware of corner churches wherin is not the lyfe gyuing spirit and earnestly followe the counsayle giuen by the same AusteÌ„ Augu. de agone Christia cap 29 whych is thys Nec eos audiamus qui sanctam ecclesiam quae vna catholica est negant per orbem esse diffusam Let vs not here them whych do deny the holye Churche whych onely is vnyuersall to extend thorough the whole world wherefore it is manyfest that corner Churches in thys or that nation dyssentyng in relygyon froÌ„ the whole not to be the churche nor of the church of christ for Chryst sayd not that Geneua or thys or that countrye is the fielde Mat. 13 but sayd the vniuersal world is that fylde wherin the sede of god vniuersalli is soweÌ„ doth and shall growe vntyl haruest the worldes end which if they dyd remembre they wuld not saye that Geneua or thys or that country onely hadde receyued gods worde but that in euery countrye through all the vnyuersall worlde it is embraced consyderyng that by SalomoÌ„ In multitudine populi est dignitas regis Pro. 14. The honoure of a Kynge is in the ample multytude of people and contraryly in paucitye or fewe is the debilitie weakenes of a king if we therfore wyll acknoledge our heauenly kyng to be of honoure puissaunce we muste confesse hym not to be a pertyculer or a nacionall king and hed of this or that nation onelye but to reygne in euery countrye thorough the whole world Psal 2. except we shoulde saye that Chryste hath lost hys inherytaunce the vnyuersall churche spred thoroughe the vnyuersal worlde and that he is dryuen to a corner of Germanye to be but a dymye anguler kyng or countye whych were a playne blasphemye soo that whatsoeuer multytude settythe fourthe a doctryne dyssentyng from the vnyuersall doctryne of the vniuersal Churche maye well be iudged not to be of the catholyke Churche of Chryst Of the whych churche we be sayeth Vincentius Lirinensis Lirineâ—â— Si hanc fidem ueraÌ„ esse fateamur quam tota per orbem terreÌ„ confiretur ecclesia Yf we confesse thys fayth to be true whyche the whole Churche through the whole worlde dothe confesse Agayne Si id teneamus quod ubique creditum est Yf we holde kepe that whiche is euerye where and in euery country beleued Some