CERTAINE TREATISES OF THE LATE REVEREND and Learned Divine Mr Iohn Downe Rector of the Church of Instow in Devonshire Bachelour of Divinity and sometimes Fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge Published at the instance of his friends Opera eorum sequentur cos OXFORD Printed by Iohn Lichfield for Edward Forrest A.D. 1633. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD the Lord Bishop of Exeter his worthy Diocesan AS ALSO TO HIS FELLOVV BRETHREN THE REVEREND DIVINES of that Diocesse THE PVBLISHER OF THESE ENSUING WORKES makes bold to dedicate them in the name of his deceased Friend The Contents of these treatises 1 The funerall Sermon on behalfe of the author of these ensuing workes 2 A letter of the Lord Bishop of Exeter concerning the Author of these workes 3 A treatise concerning the force and efficacy of reading 4 Christs prayer for his Church 5 A Godly discourse of selfe-denyall 6 An apology of the justice of God 7 An Amulet or preservatiue against the contempt of the Ministry 8 The Dowe-like serpent 9 Subiection to the Higher Powers 10 A defence of the lawfulnesse of Lots in gaming against the arguments of N.N. 11 The reall presence by Transubstantiation vnknowne to the ancient Fathers 12 A defence of the former answere against the replie of N.N. THE FVNERALL SERMON ON BEHALFE OF THE AVTHOR OF THESE ensuing workes PREACHED BY GEORGE HAKEWILL Dr OF Divinity and Arch-deacon of Surrey a neere neighbour and deere friend vnto him OXFORD Printed by I.L. for E. F. 1633. DAN 12.3 They that be wise or teachers shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many vnto righteousnesse as the Starres for ever and ever WORDS worthy to bee drawne out in Capitall letters of Gold to bee written with a beame of the Sunne or as Chrysostome speakes in another case with a quill taken from the wing of a Seraphin words which as I am now informed this deare and Reverend Brother of ours deceased the occasion of this present meeting aboue twenty yeares since made choice of vpon the like occasion at the funerall of a worthy divine well knowne to a great part here present so that I cannot but herein obserue the speciall favour of God pointing mee as it were with the finger of his providence to the very same text which himselfe made choice of vpon the like occasion but my doubt is that neither the straits of time nor my slender abilities will permit mee to handle it as I am assured hee did though I heard him not They are the words of the Lord of hosts the great Iehovah sent by an Angel to the Prophet Daniel highly favoured of his God and as highly commended for his singular vprightnesse and great Wisdome and by him as a principall Secretary of the holy Ghost left vpon record to posterity for the Churches vse so that whether we regard the matter of them or the Author from whom they are sent or the Person to whom wee haue every way great reason to afford them our best attention Now that we may somewhat the better conceaue the sense of them it shall not perchance be amisse a little to reflect vpon the words going before from the beginning of the chapter 1 At that time shall Michael stand vp the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be deliuered every one that shall be found written in the booke And many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt Where by Michael as I take it mystically at least if not historically Christ is meant hee being the great Prince both of his and Daniels people which is his Church by his standing vp his comming to judgement by the time of trouble the day of the worlds dissolution which shall be indeed terrible and troublesome to the vnbeleevers and impenitent but to the righteous a day of refreshing and deliverance whose names are written in the booke of life Then many that is all of them that sleepe that are dead and buried and it may bee rotten in the dust of the earth shall be awaked or raised vp by the power of God some that is the godly to everlasting life a life of ioy and happinesse and some that is the wicked to everlasting shame and contempt not only so but to everlasting paine and torment To which very words our Saviour seemes to allude The houre is comming in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce And shall come forth they that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life and they that haue done evill vnto the resurrection of damnation The day of judgement and the resurrection of the dead thus described then follow the words of my text resuming the former branch of the precedent division They that are wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many vnto righteousnesse as the starrs for ever and ever Which without straining kindly enough and of themselues fall asunder into two parts the Persons to be rewarded and the Reward In the persons rewardable we haue a gift required and two acts issuing from this gift The gift is wisedome the first act issueing there from is teaching the second turning of men vnto righteousnesse by vertue of teaching As our wisedome is from God so it should be in part referred to the teaching of others and our teaching be directed to the converting or iustifying of sinners as the Hebrew hath it In the Reward we haue the condition of it shining the different degrees of this shining resembled by the brightnesse of the firmament and that of the starrs the latter farre surpassing the former and lastly the perpetuall duration of both these degrees for ever and ever I will beginne with the gift to be rewarded wisedome Wisedome is of all vertues the most eminent and excellent the most soveraigne and divine making vs most like vnto him who is the only wise God shee is the Mistres the Lady the Queene the crowne of them all and where shee is none of them can be wanting Nullum numen abest si sit prudentia If they were all compacted into one body one chaine one ringe the eye of this body the medaile of this chaine the gemme of this ringe could be none other then wisedome The kinds thereof are diverse being taken in the better sense I will reduce them to foure heads Intellectuall Morall Civill and Spirituall whereof the first consists in the activity of the rationall powers of the minde in the knowledge of the languages and the liberall arts and sciences the second in a gracefull a comely and discreet carriage of our selues the third in an orderly government of corporations and societies committed to
Scripture vnto all which I briefly answer thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I looked that they should punctually conclude Ergo Reading is no kind of Preaching but they insteed hereof substitute another conclusion Reading is not all that Preaching that is required in a Minister which who denies For wee freely confesse more is required then ability to Read except only then when sufficient Ministers or there where sufficient maintenance cannot be had In such a case better a Reader then none to publish Gods word to baptize children to administer the Communion and to performe other necessary duties which but by a Minister may not be done As for the descant vpon this plainsong what did Christ command no more then to come with a book in ones pocket and to read fairely from what spirit it proceeds I will not say sure I am it is a stale popish iest Thinkest thou saith Stapleton vnto Whitaker when Paul preached vnto the Gentiles to convert them hee deliuered them the booke of the old Testament or recited and read the same vnto them But besides testimonie of Scripture they vouch the authority of the booke of Homilies and Canons whereof the one distinguisheth Readers from Preachers which were great wrong vnto them if they be Preachers The other forbiddeth Ministers to preach in private whereby I may not so much as read a chapter in my house if Reading be Preaching This argument I thinke themselues make as little reckoning of as they doe of the authority whereon it is grounded For it is a plaine fallacy of Equivocation and they must needs be very blinde if they discerne it not For when our Church putteth a distinction betwixt Readers and Preachers shee vnderstandeth Preaching in the strict and speciall signification for one kinde of Preaching namely interpreting or making of Sermons And in this sense it is most true Reading is not Preaching and very simple must he be that holdeth bare Reading to be the making of a Sermon But when we say Reading is Preaching we vnderstand Preaching in a more large and generall signification as by and by you shall heare wherevnto because they speake not they speake not to the purpose Furthermore this doctrine say they is a maintainer of Idlers and dumb dogs and soule murtherers what not Pax mifrater good words I pray you for these are but the evaporations of a hot braine Farre be it from vs by any meanes to maintaine any such kinde of Cattle Wee wish with all our hearts that not only all Ministers but all the people of God could prophecie Howbeit were there not an idler nor dumb dog nor soule-murtherer as these men are pleased to tearme them in our Church yet if publicke Reading continue and I hope it will continue so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth Reading will ever bee a kinde of Preaching In the meane season I could wish that they who are so eager against dumbe dogges would sometimes remember to turne the edge of their tongues against bawling curres also with whom the Church of God is as much pestered as the other those I meane who behaue themselues so audaciously confidently in the pulpit yet haue neither the learning nor the wisdome to speake humbly discreetly and to the purpose One argument yet remaines Preaching was before the word written but before writing Reading could not be Reading therefore cannot be Preaching Pardon me my brethren if I call a spade a spade and in plaine English say this is a meere Popish argument For in like manner reasoneth Charron a French Papist to proue that Faith is not taught by Writing or Reading The Scripture saith he came but late into the world and the world had beene without it for the space of two thousand fiue hundred yeares namely all the time from Adam to Moses If then in the meane while the Faith was published to the world and receaued by it it could not bee by the word written or read which then was not but onely by the word preached and heard But in the same sort as Francis Iunius confronteth Charron so will I answere these men First although before Moses no part of the Canon was written yet happily there might be other godly and holy bookes penned out of which the true faith might be learned Secondly grant that at that time nothing at all was written yet the argument followeth not The world was a long time without Scripture Ergo neither now is it the purpose of God to teach by Writing or Reading For contrarily seeing it hath pleased God of his goodnesse at length to commit his word vnto writing it is manifest that he now intends men should learne the knowledge thereof even by Reading also Wherefore I conclude that as before Writing there was happily but one kinde of preaching namely speaking to the eare so now since the time that Gods word hath beene written there are more kindes then one namely speaking to the eye too Thus hauing remoued these rubs as it were out of our way let vs proceed in Gods name to maintaine the truth propounded that Reading is a kind of Preaching wherein I must intreat you againe againe not to mistake me as if I held bare Reading to be all that Preaching which is required in a Minister or that it is the making of a Sermon that is the expounding of a Text deducing of doctrines and particular application of the same by way of exhortation Farre be such vanitie and folly from mee What then Surely by Preaching generally I vnderstand the publishing or notifying or making knowne of Gods word Which seeing it may be done by sundry waies meanes as inwardly outwardly publikely privately by word by writing by speaking by reading by Catechizing by conference and the like I boldly affirme that there are diverse kinds of Preaching and that Reading is one of them And least any man should thinke I stretch the word Preaching too farre bee it knowne vnto you that I doe no more then Martin Bucer sometime Divinity Reader in Cambridge as he is cited by D. Whitgift hath long since done before me for as he granteth that there are sundry sorts of Preaching so among them he reckons Reading for one And whatsoever some punies avouch to the contrary I dare engage all the poore skill I haue in languages vpon it that the originall words vsually translated Preaching as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the old Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the new are not in Scripture no nor in other writers restrained vnto the mouth or scholying vpon a Text but are of far larger extent and capacitie even such as wee haue aboue deliuered So that to come to an issue when we say reading is a kinde of preaching our plaine meaning is that it is a way or meanes by which the word of God is pubâ—lished and made knowne Which being so what is it my bretheren that so much offendeth and angreth you Is it the inconvenience of the
tearmes or the vntruth of the proposition For indeed I finde you so variable and vncertaine that I know not well where to finde you Is it the language that seemeth so harsh and jarring to your eares It seemed not so vnto the ancients who made no scruple to speake so Learned Hooker who carefully inquired into this businesse hath obserued to my hands divers passages The Councell of Vaux saith If a Presbyter or Minister cannot through infirmity preach by himselfe he may preach by his Deacon reading some Homily of the Fathers Where note by the way that if reading an Homily bee Preaching Reading of Gods word is much more The Councell of Toledo also calleth the Reading of the Gospell Preaching So doth Isidor and Rupertus likewise the reading of a Lesson in the Church And a right learned Lawyer of our own country hath obserued it also in the Law Quae Prophetae Vaticinati sunt populis praedicare id est legere to preach that is to read vnto the people what the Prophets haue foretold Thus they But if it be so inconvenient to say Reading is Preaching why doe you yourselues call Preaching Reading For doe you not in ordinary speech call your Preachers Lecturers And what is that but Readers And when you would knowe who preaches is it not your manner to aske who reades And the Sermons of a Preacher doe you not style them his Lectures or Readings But to leaue descanting besides that the Originall words as we haue said include both Reading and Sermoning let it in particular be observed that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Scripture indifferently vsed for either As namely in one place of Esay it is said The book is deliuered to him that is not learned saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Read this I pray thee but in another place the Lord hath annointed me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to preach or proclaime the acceptable yeare Neither is it to bee neglected that from the selfe same root commeth also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scripture Thus the ancients sticke not to call Reading Preaching Neither sticke they to call Writing Preaching Iustin Martyr saith that the very writings of the Gentiles preach iudgement to come Clemens of Alexandria Ambo verbum praedicant c. Both preach the word one by writing the other by voice and the science of Preaching availeth both waies whether it worke by the hand or by the tongue S. Augustine also They who vnderstand these things produnt ea caeteris notific or preach the same vnto others either by speaking or writing Vnto these ancients our moderne writers agree Duplex est praedicandi modus Sermo Scriptio there is two sorts of Preaching Speech and Writing saith Iunius And againe who dare say S. Paul preached not when as he wrote vnto the Corinthians woe is me if I preach not the Gospell Dr Fulke S. Paule did preach the Gospell also by writing Dr Whitaker The Apostles were commanded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to preach or make Disciples tum voce tum scripto both by voice and writing Dr Iohn Reynolds I who now cannot with my voice as heretofore through the infirmitie of my body evangelizo manu ac scriptione preach yet with my hand and writing as well as I can Gomarus There are two kinds of Preaching Enuntiation and writing Zanchie not only approueth it but proueth it too Goe teach all nations saith Christ here is a dutie commanded Lo I am with you to the end of the world this is a promise annexed With whom is he with the Apostles How long vnto the end of the world Therefore must they preach to the end of the world They cannot by word of mouth for they must die By Writing therefore Finally the booke of Homilies and the learned Translators of our last Bible affirme the same The booke of Homilies in the Law written with his owne finger that in the first table in the beginning thereof is this doctrine against Images not briefly touched but at large set forth and preached The Translators The seaventie Interpreters prepared the way for our Saviour among the Gentiles by written Preaching as S. Iohn Baptist did among the Iewes by vocal And thus if either ancient or later Divines knew how to speake fitly it cannot be inconvenient or scandalous to call Reading or Writing Preaching What then Is there vntruth in the proposition If so then haue all those worthies aboue cited spoken not only inconveniently but vntruly also But I beseech you my brethren doe you indeed thinke Reading is no way a publishing or making knowne of Gods will I can hardly beleeue it When God first commanded the law and afterward the Sermons of the Prophets and successiuely the whole Canon of Faith to be written the old Testament in the vulgar language of the Iewes the new in the tongue that then was most generally vnderstood what was his intent and purpose therein Was it not to endoctrinate his Church that we through patience comfort of the Scripture might haue hope When the Septuagint by the speciall providence of God translated the bookes of the old Testament out of Hebrew into Greek and the whole body of Scripture vnder Christianity was so carefully turned into all languages was not the one done for the information of those Iewes that were Hellenists and vnderstood not Hebrew and the other for the instruction of such Christians as knew no other but their mother tongue Doubtlesse it was For translation say our last learned translators is it that openeth the window to let in the light that breaketh the shell that wee may eat the kernell that putteth aside the curtaine that wee may looke into the most holy place that remoueth away the couer of the well that we may come by the water Furthermore what is the reason that so many graue and learned men haue in all ages published so many excellent bookes and that Preachers also not content to haue spoken by word of mouth vnto their auditory cause their Sermons to be set forth in print vnto the world Is it not that they who never knewe nor heard them may yet reape benefit by their writing True it is that neither Originall nor Translation nor any booke whatsoever can availe if it be locked vp in a chest or laid on a deske and never be opened or looked into God therefore commanded in the old Testament that the law should be read both publikely privately and Christ hath ordained the same in the new And S. Paul when he wrote his Epistles meant not that they should lie still vnder seale but saith he when this Epistle is read among you cause that it bee read also in the Church of the Laodiceans and that yee likewise read the Epistle from Laeodicea And againe I adiure you by the Lord that this Epistle be read vnto all the holy
brethren According to this commandement hath the practice both of the Iewish and Christian Church ever beene and is duly continued amongst vs to this day Now all this cui bono and to what end such a world of bookes but that by reading them we may attaine to knowledge Surely if wee poore schollers were no better furthered in our studies by Reading then by Sermons small would bee our knowledge and poore God wot the entertainment yee were like to receiue from vs. Our Saviour Christ thought that Reading might instruct when hee said Qui legit intelligat let him that readeth vnderstand and Saint Paul when he wrote By reading ye may vnderstand my knowledge in the misterie of Christ. But what need wee to multiply arguments seeing it is not only confessed that Reading is after a sort a publishing of Gods word but also such a publishing as prepareth way vnto faith and furthereth it when it is obtained which cannot bee but by teaching and notifying the truth I conclude therefore that reading is a meanes whereby the will of God is made knowne and consequently is Preaching Which if any yet againe purpose to gainesay let me intreat them not to say one thing to wit that Reading is not Preaching and to meane another thus Reading is not Sermoning or all the Preaching required but to speake to the purpose and punctually to demonstrate that reading is not a publishing of Gods word which I know they can never doe and I thinke they will bee ashamed to goe about And so I passe from the second vnto the third part The third and last Quere is touching the vertue and efficacie of Reading whether it be an ordinary meanes to beget faith and to convert a soule That it should haue such a faculty is with much confidence denied Faith and conversion by all meanes must be restrained to Sermons and the Preachers mouth Some little of their holy water sprinkle are they content to bestow vpon reading It may pretily fit a man to heare a Sermon and further him when he hath heard it may serue to nourish set forward and increase faith when it is gotten but to begin to breed to worke faith where it is not that belongs vnto a Preacher nothing can effect it but a Sermon If wee say many haue beene converted by reading only as namely St Augustine if either we may beleeue himselfe or Martyr Iewell and others testifying of him and Antonie the Eremite who as Hierom saith was brought to the faith lectione Evangelicâ by reading the Gospell and Iohn Isaac a Iew both by his birth and religion who professeth that he became a Christian by reading the 53. of Esay and Iunius who if I misremember not imputeth his owne conversion to the reading of Saint Iohns Gospell and finally many of our fore-fathers vnlesse wee will damne them all into the pit of hel who liuing in the blind times of Poperie came to the light of the truth as Mr Foxe saith either by reading themselues or hearing others read yea as Hieron himselfe confesseth by parcels of Scripture the writings of good men conference with others though seldome and secret nay by knowing little more then the Lords prayer these I say and sundry others if we obiect vnto them their answere is ready it was Extraordinarie it was miraculous For ordinarily reading saith T. C. cannot deliuer a soule from famishment from the wolfe from destruction yea saith Hieron knowledge so gotten is but vaine iangling and swimmeth in the braine but converts not the heart So that had wee verbatim written all those heavenly Sermons which St Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles preached among them had we that famous Sermon of St Peter by which three thousand soules at once were added to the Church nay had we all the gratious words sanctified by our blessed Sauiours owne mouth while he liued here in the flesh yet could they not beget faith or convert a soule but only extraordinarily and by way of miracle A strange and incredible assertion and they had need to be armed with mighty demonstrations to persuade it Let vs therefore examine the force of them First they vrge that of Elihu in the booke of Iob If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew vnto man his righteousnesse then is he gratious vnto him and saith deliuer him from going downe to the pit I haue found a ransome Here deliuerance is by a messenger this messenger is a minister and that not a Reader but Preacher there being in Iobs time no Scripture and consequently no reading Wherevnto I answere first that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also an Angell that therevpon some interpret it of a good Angell others of the Angell of the covenant rendring the words thus If there be an Angell speaking for him and shewing for man his righteousnesse If so as it is very probable then is the argument of no force here being no speech of a Minister but mediator nor of a Preacher speaking to man but of an advocate interceding for man Secondly be it that a Preaching Minister is meant yet not every one but one among a thousand For to say that not one among a thousand Ministers but one Minister among a thousand men is vnderstood is too sleight Mercer is of another minde and Oecolampade conceiues it of a graue intelligent and wise teacher such as is rarely to be found And so by this reckoning Faith should be tied very sâ—ort and the Sermons of vulgar and ordinary Preachers should not be able to beget Faith Lastlie he that attributeth such efficacy to Sermons doth not so doing deny it vnto other meanes and who saith Iunius hauing any Christian sense or zeale dare say that Faith is not to be advanced by all meanes yea but in Iobs time Reading could not bee a meanes True yet it followeth not but now it may bee a meanes Then it was not when there was nothing to be read now it is as we haue shewed the whole Canon being written In the next place they vrge that of Solomon where there is no vision there the people perish Heere by vision vocall preaching is meant but without vision no saluation Ergo nor without Preaching or Sermons I answere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or vision imports not the act of the seer or a SermeÌ„ but the obiect or thing which he sees Otherwise when it is said the vision which Isaiah saw we might read it thus the Sermon which Isaiah saw so to see a vision shall be no other then to make a Sermon which is absurd By vision then are we to vnderstand the law as it is in the latter clause of the verse or the revelation of Gods will as if the wise man had said where God revealeth not himselfe there the people perish which is vndoubtedly true And as vndouted is it that God revealeth himselfe
Ierusalem behold now and knowe and inquire in the open places thereof if yee can finde a man or if there bee any that executeth judgement and seeketh the truth and I will spare it According wherevnto as it is recorded by S. Luke all those that sailed with S. Paul being in number two hundred seaventy and six soules were giuen vnto him that not one of them in that exceeding dangerous tempest lost so much as a haire from his head When Augustus the Emperour had conquered Mark Antonie and taken the Citie of Alexandria and the Citizens looked for nothing but extremitie the Emperour in the hearing of them all freely pardoned them for Arius sake a Philosopher of that Citie one whom he honoured much for his learning and loved for his vertue If the heathen who knowe not God can for one friends sake remit the offences of many shall not God doe much more for their sakes whom he calleth and counteth his friends Certainely hee will Egypt shall fare the better for Ioseph and the very remembrance of Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall moue God to persist in doing good to their rebellious posterity The charity of the Saints towards the wicked is very great and the praiers they make vnto God for them are many and so available are they that by them oftentimes the arme of God is held from striking them oftentimes his hand is opened to blesse them And thus sometimes God prospereth evill men for a few good mens sakes that liue among them Sometimes againe hee dealeth otherwise with these mixt companies and when he punisheth a wicked nation nor will be perswaded to spare them hee preserueth the godly that they tast not of the common calamitie For sometime he preventeth them by death and taketh them into his rest before the misery come Thus all the Fathers died before the floud came vpon the world and good Iosiah according to the prediction of Huldah the prophetesse was gathered to his fathers and laid in his graue in peace that his eyes might not behold all the evill which God resolued to bring vpon his kingdome For as it is in the booke of Wisdome Because the Lord loueth the soule of the righteous therefore he hastneth to take them away from the wicked and the righteous that is dead condemneth the vniust man that is liuing for God will shake his foundations and lay him vtterly wast they shall be in sorrow and their memoriall perish So that as it is a great signe that God intends to continue his mercies to a nation while as good men remaine among them according to that of old Althes in the Poet Non tamen omnino Teucros delâ—re paratis Cum tales animos iuvenum tam certa tulistis Pectora I see God hath not determined vtterly to destroy the Troians seeing such valiant hearts and braue spirits still rise vp among them so is it as great a token of imminent destruction when the good are taken away and as the Psalmist speaketh their signes are no longer to be seene among them Now as sometimes hee preventeth the righteous by death that they partake not in the punishment of the wicked so sometimes hee prolongeth their life to see it but withall sendeth them strange and miraculous deliverance that they feele it not Thus was Noah delivered by an Arke when all the rest of the world were drowned Lot and his family by a gard of Angells when Sodom and the neighbour Citties were consumed Israel by a speciall protection when the Egyptians were many waies plagued Rahab by a cord of red thred when all the rest of the soule in Ierico were put to the sword the Christians by oracle at Pella in the generall vastity and desolation of Iudea So that God knoweth well how to separate betweene the pretious and the vile and in the greatest perplexities if he please can find an issue and enlargement for all such as he loueth Howbeit almighty God doth not alwaies thus deliuer his Saints but sometimes involueth both good and bad in the same calamity And even as the evill because they are mingled with the good partake with them of temporall benefits as the shining of the Sun the showres of raine so the good also because they are mingled with the evill partake with them in temporall afflictions Aliquid mali propter vicinum malum the neighbourhood of evill cannot but worke them some evill Both good and bad are one common flesh common flesh as Cyprian saith is subiect to the same common inconveniences and ever will be vntill corruption be swallowed vp of incorruption Hence is it that in the time of famine or pestilence there is a common mortality in hostile impressions and conquests a common captivity in shipwracke at sea a common drowning If then the Sodomites loose the day and bee made prisoners vnto Chedor-laomer so is Lot also if Nebuchadnezzar King of Babilon lead away the Iewes into captivity Daniel and Ezechiell and the three children are lead away also If Totilas overflow Europe with his barbarous troopes Christians are not freer then Gentiles Behold saith the Lord by the prophet Ezechiell I come against thee and will draw my sword out of his sheath and cut off from thee both the righteous and the wicked Also by Saint Iohn he straitly chargeth his people to depart out of Babylon least they be partakers in her plagues Nay if one Achan only trespasse in the execrable thing hee alone perisheth not but wrath falleth on the whole congregation which the heathen poet also obseruing said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many times a whole citty smarts for the offence of one But this specially if any publike man commit some notorious wickednesse for as when the head akes or is distempered the arme vaine many times is opened so for the offence of Kings and Princes the people oftentimes are punished as appeares in Davids case for whose sinne in numbering the people seaventy thousand of his subiects perished That all these were wicked men and that none of them feared God it is both vnreasonable and vncharitable to imagine and therefore not doubting but that good and bad pell mell were cut off in that pestilence I conclude this point with that aphorisme of the Rabbins When once the sentence of punishment is pronounced and resolued by God and power is given to the destroyer to execute the same he from thence respecteth the person of no man nor putteth difference betweene the iust and the vniust And thus yee see how diversly God dealeth with these mixt societies let vs before we proceed vnto the next point make some vse of what hath beene deliuered First then doe the wicked fare the better for the godly that liue among them and are their prosperities and deliverances to bee imputed vnto them Oh then the extreame folly Oh the monstrous ingratitude of wicked men folly in imputing all the crosses and
cause to bee confident vpon them then your selues but only to vindicate the honour and dignity of the Scriptures which of your side are too basely sleighted and neglected And as touching this particular place of Saint Augustine notwithstanding all the flourish you make therewith yet shall you never be able to proue what you intend thereby as I come now to demonstrate This booke de vtilitate credendi I haue now twice for your sake throughly read ouer and with the best attention I could In it I find the authority of the Catholik Church made the first motiue or meanes vnto Faith by which we doe beleeue but not the first principle and reason of faith for which wee doe beleeue The occasion of writing it was this Saint Augustine hauing lately through Gods grace escaped out of the toiles of the Manichean Heretiks in which for the space of nine yeares hee had beene entangled is very desirous to recouer from them his friend Honoratus also as yet continuing in his error and held fast by them This he doubteth not through the same grace of God soone to effect may hee but find him duly prepared and disposed For vntill hee be wrought from his hereticall pertinacy and stifnesse vnto a more Christian moderation and equability he shall with all his arguments but wash a bricke as they say and spend his oile and labour to little purpose That which made him so vntoward and hard to be wrought vpon was the faire and plausible insinuation of the Manichees that they pressed no man to beleeue vntill they had first cleared and manifested the truth whereas others terrified men with superstition and commanded Faith before they tendred any reason vnto them Wherefore to remoue this preiudice and to frame him vnto a more indifferent temper he employeth in this booke all his strength and skill labouring to demonstrate the Vtility of beleeuing and how requisite it is to yeeld to authority before with pure minds we can discerne the truth And this is the only drift and scope he aimeth at in this booke neither medleth hee therein with any of the Manichean heresies but reserueth the confutation conviction of them vntill some other time as appeareth by the very closing vp thereof where he willeth Honoratus to remember that he hath not yet begunne to refute the Manichees nor to seâ— himselfe against those toies nor hath opened any great matter touching Catholike Doctrine Whence thus I argue If S. Augustin in this booke dispute against Honoratus from the Churches authority as the last resolution of Faith then hath he opened therein the greatest point of Christian religion and confuted thereby the Manichean heresie inasmuch as the Catholike Church vtterly condemned it But S. Augustin in expresse words affirmeth that he hath not so much as begun to refute the Manichees nor opened any great matter touching Catholike doctrine Therefore he disputeth not from the Churches authority as the last resolution of Faith True it is he is much in commending authority setting forth the benefit of beleeving it But what authority What beleeuing that authority which is grounded vpon the Generall opinion fame and consent of people nations that Beleeuing which is Morall and only prepares the minde to divine illumination If so then certainly cannot St Augustins authoritie be the last Principle of Faith For this is infallibile and absolutelie necessarie as well to the wise as vnwise that but an vncertaine step or staire to raise vs vp vnto God not necessarie to them that are wise What then is it in S. Augustins iudgment Surely the first inducement or Introduction to the search of divine Mysteries For saith he it is authoritie only which moueth fooles to hasten vnto wisdome And againe to a man that is not able to discerne the truth that he may be made fit for it and suffer himselfe to be purged authority is at hand Had hee thought it to be more then so he would never haue considered it without certainty of truth Yet so doth hee even in the passage by you alledged They saith hee that know the Church affirme her to be more sincere in truth then other sects but touching her truth is another question In a word as in other arts and sciences He that will learne must beleeue his teachers so in these heavenly mysteries also would Saint Augustine haue all those that are not initiated such as his friend Honoratus was to beginne with Authority Not that it is a sufficient warranty for whatsoever we learne but for that it is the readiest and likeliest way to bring vs vnto learning N. N. Thus Saint Augustine teaching his friend how he might both know and beleeue the Catholike Church and all that she taught simply and without asking reason or proofe And as for knowing or discerning her from all other Churches that may pretend to be Catholike wee heare his marks that shee is more eminent vniversall greater in number and in possession of the name Catholike The second that shee may be beleeued securely and cannot deceiue nor bee deceiued in matters of Faith he proueth elsewhere concluding finally in this place If thou doest seeme to thy selfe now saith Augustine to haue beene sufficiently tossed vp downe among Sectaries and wouldst put an end to these labours and turmoiles follow the way of Catholike discipline which hath flowne downe vnto vs from Christ by his Apostles and is to flow from vs to our posterity I. D. Out of that passage of St Augustine you obserue two things first what be the Marks by which the Catholike Church may be discerned secondly that shee may be beleeued securely as one that can neither deceiue nor he deceiued As touching the former you say Saint Augustines Markes are these foure Eminence Vniversality Multitude and Possession of the name Catholike Wherevnto I answere first that Saint Augustine maketh none of these things Notes of the Church For three of them namely Eminencie Vniversality and Possession of the name Catholike he doth not at all mention Eminencie I confesse is foisted into your translation but no where appeares in the Originall Of the fourth to wit Multitude all that he affirmeth is this that in his time there were more Christians then of any other religion and that among all Sects of Christians there was one Church consisting of a greater number then all the rest which is not enough to establish it for a marke of the Church Where by the way giue me leaue to demand why whereas Saint Augustine saith Christians are more then Iewes and worshippers of Images put together you render it the Iewes and Gentiles put together For what the reason should bee I cannot conceiue vnlesse it be the same for which you raze out of your Catechismes the second Commandement But I answere secondly that as St Augustine maketh none of them Marks so neither are they Markes for Proper they are not nor Perpetuall and