would and ought to deuide themselues from the Roman Church Behold how their consciences were tossed as with a storme for that they had forsaken the Roman Church Lobechius also disput 10. pag. 224. sayth Our Ancestours did well that they went out of the Roman Babylon SacrameÌ„taryes in generall 8. Of Sacramentaryes also in general thus writeth Zuinglius in Praefat. lib. de ver tals relig fol. 159. VVe were alas long tyme so besieged with the iuglings of men And Caluin in confess Fidel pag. 111. VVe dissemble not that we also were of the number of them who honour Masses vntill the abuses of Masse were discouered And 4. Instit cap. 6. § 6. VVe departed from the Roman church cap. 15. § 16. VVe were christened in the Popes kingdome Respons ad Versipel pag. 360. Of our owne accord we went from the rable of Popery Resp ad Sadoler pag. 122 That I may not make any long role this I say there was none of those who were beginners of this cause but might haue beene in better estate and condition among you then that he needed therefore to thinke of any new kâ—nd of life Peter Martyr in locis col 1459. proposeth this question VVhether the Ghospellers be Schismatikes because they separated themselues from the Papists And col 1465. concludeth thus Seeing there were so many and so iust causes of our departure from Popery our separation seemeth to be very laudable not to be disliked Zanchius tract de Eccles cap. 18. It is manifest that we departed from the Church or rather from the sect of the Pope And this we willingly confesse Bullenger tom 1. decad 5. serm 2. fol. 282. VVe willingly confesse that we went from the Roman Church Musculus in locis tit de Schismate p. 620. VVe are termed Apostataes of the Romanists as many haue forsaken the Communion of the Roman Church This we are so farre from denying as we thinke that we should rather glory theereof Plessie de Eccles cap 11. pag. 361. writeth that Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius Bucer Capito Martyr and others out of whose schoole sayth he the Ministers who gathered the Church from Antichrist did come were Priests Curats Doctours of diuinity c To whome Beza lib. de Notis pag. 8. adioyneth Pellican and Haller and others more D. Whitaker lib. 9. cont Duraeum sayth Luther was a Priest according to your order and such were Zuinglius Bucer Oecolampadious and others without number M. Perkins in cap. 4. Galat. v. 26 All the first renewers of the Ghospell were either Priests or teachers of Schooles Paraeus lib. cit Are we worthy of blame or heretikes because we left the Popes Church And in the end of his booke de Iusticatione Our Ancestours 97. yeares ago had necessary cause for to forsake Popery And Scultet in concione saeculari pag. 4. This is the hundreth yeare since God pluckt our Ancestors out of Popish darknes Finally Polanus in praefat Thes de Eccles VVe haue separated our selues from the false Catholike Synagogue 9. The same also is manifest of the English Protestants by their owne wordes For thus they speake in their Apology part 5. cap. 12. diuis 1. English ProtestaÌ„ts It is true we haue departed from them Item True it is we were brought vp with these men in darknesse and in the lacke of the knowledge of God And part 6. cap. 20. diuis 2. As for vs truly we haue fallen from the Bishop of Rome Causabon also Epist ad Card. Peron cap. 16. The king confesseth that his church hath forsaken no few points of that fayth and discipline which at this day the Roman Church doth professe And pag. 17. The English haue gone from that Church M. Hooker lib. 4. de Polit. Eccles pag. 181. VVe were a part of them M. Powel lib. 1. de Antichristo cap 21. VVe confesse we haue separated our selues from the Bishop of Rome and his Synagogue M. Perkins in cap. 5. Galat. vers 21. VVe haue separated our selues from the Roman Church D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 6. cap. 3. sayth The Roman Church was iustly lest of vs. And D. Morton part 2. Apol. lib. 2. cap. 10. The former booke tould a iust cause of our separation from you In like manner those of Zurich in Sleidan lib. 4. histor say After the rising of the Gospell we haue cast of that burden which the Pope had put vpoÌ„ vs idiots And adde withal that before they had heard nothing of Protestancy Suitzers And the Suitzers in their confess cap. 17. confesse that their Churches had parted themselues from the Roman Church And the Scots in their confess write that the truth was lately borne amongst them Polonians And the Polonians in their consent that God hath deliuered their Churches out of the grosse darcknes of Popery 10. Furthermore of the whole Protestants church or of Protestants in general The whole Protest Church thus they write Lobechius disp 12. pag. 254. Our confession of Ausburg was the beliefe of the whole orthodoxall Church gone out of Roman Babylon And in like sort speaketh Daneus de Antichristo cap. 17. Pareus Proaem l. de Iustificat The Euangelicall Church was compelled aboue 96. yeares ago to make a diuisions from the Popish Church The like he hath lib. 2. cap. 1. lib. 3. cap. 8. Schusselburg tom 8. catal pag. 727. Our Church departed from the Church of the malignant Polanus part 2. Epist ad Bezam The reformed Churches did well that they did separate themselues from the Popish Church Aretius in loc part 2. fol. 10. Our reformed Churches departed from Popery D. Andrewes respons ad Apoll. Bellarm. cap. 14. boasteth that almost halfe of the Christian world is gone out of the Roman Babylon And D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 3. cap. 3. sayth England Germany Scotland long agoe haue fallen from the Pope And the English Apology glorieth in this sort part 1. cap. 1. diuis 3. For they be not all made at this day so many free citties so many Kings so many Princes which haue fallen away from the seat of Rome Daneus cont 4. lib. 4. cap. 12. All Scotland England Saxony Denmarke a great part of Germany all Suitzerland the greater part of the Grisons haue fallen from the Church of Rome D. Sutliue lib. 2. de Eccles cap. 2. p. 251. Our Church hauing shaken off the filth of the Roman church is returned to the Catholike fayth And pag. 254. England Scotland Ireland Denmarke Norwey Saxony Pomerania the chiefest parts of Germany France Flandres Poland haue fallen from the Pope Moalins lib. de fug Arnoldi cap. 2. Our Churches be called reformed because they be Christian Churches purged from Popery D. Rainolds amongst his conclusions putteth this for the sixt That the reformed Churches in England Scotland France Germany and other kingdomes and Common wealths haue iustly separated themselues from the Roman And addeth with all that All reformed Churches haue departed from the Roman Church
followers not knowing the Pope did honour his Kingdome belieuing all things thereof to be good and iust and of God The Magdeburgians in their 12. Century col 1637. speake thus of him He worshipped the God of Maâ—zim they meane the masse till the last moment of his life And in the next columne He was a most eager defender of the seat of Antichrist Melancthon in his booke of the Church and vpon the 14. cap. to the Romanes He yelded to many errours as to the Abuses of the Masse to the Popes power to vowes to the worship of Saints Danaeus in his controuersies pag. 313. sayth He approued the Popery M. Iewell in his defence of the Apology 21. art diuis 8. pag. 450 Bernard was a monck and liuing in a tyme of such corruption and being caryed with the tempest and violence of the same must c. Bale in his 2. century of writers pag. 177 He increased the authority of the bishop of Rome as much as he could D. Feild vpon the 14. of S. Matthew Bernard was deceiued with the errour of Peters superiority And D. Whitaker in his answere to the 7. reason of Father Campian Bernard whome alone your church in many yeares hath brought forth a holy man And in his 4. controuersy quest 2. c. 17. he affirmeth that he endeauoureth to confirme the Popes superiority Seing therefore by the confession of Protestants he was both an earnest Papist vnto his dying day for all his life tyme he honoured masse beleiued the Popes superiority in which two points Protestants say the essence and soule of a Papist doth consist and briefly belieued all things belonging to the Pope to come from God and also was a very holy man in his life tyme and now a blessed Saint in heauen they must needs confesse that euen the most vehemeÌ„t Papist may be of the church because neither true sanctity nor saluatioÌ„ can be found out of the church Whereunto the Protestants in the late Conference at Ratisbon Sess 13. say If they were truly saints then their errour was not of that kind which ouerturneth the foundation For it implieth contradiction that one should be a true Saint and yet foster errour which ouerturneth the ground of saluation In like sort they graunt diuers others to be true saints and yet withall Papists but for breuities sake I will content my selfe with this example of S. Bernard But I will not omit to say that they confesse our Christian forefathers before Luthers tyme to haue byn Papists from the top to the toe from the first to the last as shall be shewed in the 2. booke cap. 3. and notwithstanding dare not say that they be damned yea confesse them to be saued Luther in his booke of priuate masse enquireth what is to be thought of our auncestors who haue founded innumerable Masses and answereth I cannot tell certainly But vpon the 41. cap. of Genesis he sayth Doubtlesse many haue byn saued vnder Popery And vpon the 5. of S. Matthew Our Popish forefathers saued Neither do we condemne the Christians who liued vnder the Pope Brentius in the preface of his Recognition VVe doubt not but that many haue obtayned true saluation in Popery Osiander in his Manual englished VVe do not condemne our godly ancestors who liued in tyme of Popery Zuinglius in his actes of disputation fol. 638 It is impious to pronounce our ancestors to be damned D. Morton in his Apology part 1. l. 1. c. 90 Be this impiety far from vs to adiudge our ancestours to damnation And D. White in his defence pag. 356 I neuer denyed the church of Rome to be the visible church of God wherein our ancestors possessed the true faith and were saued But how could our Popish ancestors be not damned how could they be saued vnles they were in the true church out of which euen Protestants themselues confesse that there is no saluation That they confesse true mission and Pastors in Popery but only damnation 4. Fourthly I prooue that Protestants cannot deny Papists to be of the true Church because they oftentymes both by word and deed acknowledge the vocation and Mission of Popish Pastors to be lawfull and sufficient to make a true Pastour of the Church Luther vpon the 5. cap. of S. Matthew VVe confesse that amongst Papists are pulpits Baptisme Sacraments and all other things belonging to Apostolicall vocation and function And in his booke or priuate masse There remaineth in Popery Vocation Ordination Ministery of the word and keyes to bind and loose Againe Christ hath conserued his Ministery vnder Popery And as is before cited There is all Christian good in Popery the keyes the charge of preaching c. Iohn Regius in considerat Censurae pag. 93 Although it be true that the Popish ministery was depraued with sundry traditions and deuises of men yet had it those things which were necessary to saluation Bucer in Rom. 8. pag. 427. telling vs by what authority and right he preached Protestantisme sayth I had by lawfull meanes already attayned the charge to preach Christ and to teach those things which he commanded Iunius lib. singulari de eccles cap. 17 God calleth the church wherein Popery raigneth by his spirit by his word by the publike instrument of that holy marriage by the ministery by sacred affaires actions On Gods part these things are apparantly in that church Plessy lib. de Eccles cap. 11. p. 361. The vocation of our men is the same that they the Papists boast of Pag. 362 Our aduersaries and our first ministers had the same Ecclesiasticall calling Boysseul in confutat Spondaei pag. 486 It is no reproach for our Pastors to haue issued out of yours or as you say to haue had their vocation from yours Moulins lib. 1. de vocat cap. 5. pag. 20. endeauouring to vphold the calling of their first Reformers sayth They haue that calling which is ordinary in the church of Rome Pa. 21 They had their calling of the Pope cap. 9. pag. 36 They haue the same ordinary calling which our aduersaries haue And lib. 2. tract 1. cap. 1. pag. 172 The calling they had in the church of Rome sufficed to bind them to preach And pag. 173 Their commission was no other then the ordinary charge Serauia in defen Grad minist cap. 2. pag. 31. VVe ought not to thinke that in the church of Rome ecclesiasticall ministery is decayed And pag. 33 I like not their frowardnes who acknowledge no ministery in the church of Rome but deeme all that is there diuelish Ibid Beza doth exagitate Popish orders ouer much wherein I feare least he preiudice a good cause D. Whitaker contr 4. quest 5. cap. 3. pag. 682 The Papists haue some sort of ministery and some preaching of the word which doubtles auaileth many to saluation And other where as is before cited Among the Papists there are the keyes the office of preaching c. M. Bell in his first booke of the Popes funerall cap.
saluation wholy ouerturned And lib. de Necess Reform fol. 47. that the safety of the Church dependeth vpon this doctrine no lesse then mans life dependeth of his soule Pareus in Prooem lib. de Iustificat On this alone the hinges of our comfort and saluation do hang. And lib. 2. cap. 2. affirmeth that it was the cheifest cause of the separation of the Protestant Church from Popery And lib. 4. cap. 2. sayth The only doctrine of obtayning iustice and saluation by only sayth and of loosing them by incredulity is the sincere and proper ghospell all other doctrine in the scripture belongeth to the law And those of Geneua Prefat Syntag. Confess auouch that this article is the groundworke forme and soule of Christian religion The soule the summe of Euangelicall doctrine of which men are called faythfull and true Christians without which the knowledge of other articles hath no holesome fruit For it is the substantiall inward and formall cause of saluation of which all Sacraments instituted by God are and were pledges and seales vnto which article all the other do tend as to their center and in which mans felicity consisteth 5. Neither do our English Protestants make lesse account of this their article of iustification by only fayth For D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 6. cap. 3. pag. 562. sayth It seemes to be the cheifest of all and most fundamentall The Prore Puppe as in which the Prore and puppe of our saluation consisteth and who faine any other meanes of Iustification do ouerthrow the foundation and most necessary heads of Christian religion and are fallen from saluation and euerlasting life And Respons ad Rat. r. Camp he writeth thus of their doctrine of Iustification by only fayth If Iames or a heauenly Angell disallow it he is impure wicked and to be detested to hell D. Humfrey in his oration de vitando fermen to calleth this article The cheifest point and hinges of fayth D. Fulke de Success pag. 4. The principall head of the ghospell M. Fox in his acts pag. 440 The foundation of all Christianity And pag. 770 The fouÌ„dation The only principall origen of our saluation And finally M. Powell lib. 2. de Antichristo cap. 5 The summe of the doctrine of sayth Neither is it to be merueiled that Protestants so highly esteeme this their article both because it is the cheifest bait wherwith they draw men vnto them as also because as Luther confessed it is their cheife defence without which they had long since perished and finally because Iustification being one principall end of religion if speciall fayth be the only meanes to attaine to iustification vndoubtedly it ought highly to be esteemed of that religion which belieueth it to be such a meanes ProtestaÌ„ts esteeme of only faith Thus we see that according to the common opinion of Protestants to belieue himselfe to be iustified by only fayth is the cheifest article the foundation the stay the head the fountaine the summe the last end the prore and puppe the hinges the proppe the castle the bulwarck the essentiall difference the definition the soule the forme the formall cause the only rocke the only safegard of Protestancy the only way to heauen which falling the church yea God himselfe falleth But none can be a Protestant without the foundation head soule forme summe definition c. of a Protestant Therefore none can he held for a Protestant vnlesse he professe to belieue to be iustified by only speciall fayth Whomesoeuer therefore Protestants cannot proue to haue held this article they cannot with any reason and coulour challenge for Protestants And because as it shall hereafter appeare they cannot proue that any one before Luther held this article nay on the contrary we will proue that Luther first deuised it they cannot with any appearance of truth auouch that there was any Protestant before him And in like sort whome we can proue not to haue belieued this article we may euidently conclude that they were no Protestants That it is necessary for a Protestant to belieue all the fundamentall articles of Protestancy CHAP. VII â— BESIDE the foresayd article of Iustification by only fayth it is also necessary to the making of a Protestant of a member of the Protestant Church Vâ—â—â—d l. 3. de Eccles c. 2. that he belieue at least all the fundamentall points of Protestancy either explicitly or implicitly so that he obstinatly deny no one of them This is manifest First because as I shewed before cap. 1. it is the common opinion of Protestants that all those are out of the Church whosoeuer deny one fundamentall article Num. 3. Againe because themselues say that the name of a fundamentall article doth insinuate that it sustaineth the Church as the foundation sustaineth the house Besides all Protestants assigne truth or purity in doctrine for the mark of the Church As the Confession of Ausparg cap. 7. The English Confession cap. 19. The Suiâ—zers cap. de Eccles and other Protestants commonly and their meaning is Truth essentiall to the Church that it is the essentiall marck Wherupon D Whitaker Controuers 2. quest 5. cap. 17. pag. 541. sayth that it is absolutely necessary and the essentiall marck And at Rat. 3. Campiani that it is the substantiall note His Maiesty in his epistle to Cardinall Peron that in is the substantiall forme of the Church Caluin epist 190. The purity of doctrine is the soule of the Church And the same say Sadeel ad Sophism Turriani loc 1. Author de Eccles in Danaeo pag. 1029. Vorstius in Antibellarm pag. 145. D. Willet cont 2. quest 3. pag. 102. Yea D. Morton part 1. Apos lib. 1. cap. 6. affirmeth that Protestants account the truth of Euangelicall doctrin the cheifest and almost only essentiall inseparable and perpetuall marck of the Church And hence it proceedeth that they put the truth of purity of doctrine in their definition of the Church as an essentiall part thereof as the French Confession cap. 27. The Magdeburgians Cent. 1. lib. 1. cap. 4 col 140. Melancthon tom 1 in cap. 16. Matthaeâ— D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 20. pag. 552. Sadeel ad Sophism surriani loc 21. and others commonly But this purity of doctrine if it must be in any articles especially it must be in those which are fundamentall as is manifest and the Protestants do graunt For thus writeth D. Morton part 1. Purity in fundameÌ„tal points essential to the Church Apol. lib. 2. cap. 38. Purity in the fundamentall principles of fayth is necessary to the being and making of the Church And D. Feild lib. 2. de Eccles cap. 3 Purity from fundamentall errour is necessarily required to a Church And the like hath Vorstius lib. cit pag. 148. Nay the English Confession art 19. defineth the visible Church of Christ to be a congregation of faythfull men in which the pure word of God is preached and the Sacraments duely ministred according to Christs
that it is one that it is the auncientest of all Churches that it is alwayes visible hath alwayes Pastors and the like And of another principle which may be tryed by our sense and experience as that the foresayd properties agree neither to the Protestants nor to the Anabaptists nor to any hereticall company And therfore these kind of demonstrations moue euen the most obstinate heretiques and are euident euen to the most ignorant and vnlearned persons 3. And hence ariseth a fift cause of handling rather questions of Fact then of doctrin because the fruit of debating those questions is reaped with more facility and of far more For wheras few but diuines do themselues perceaue the true meaning of the testimonyes of Scripture wherwith the questions of doctrin are debated as the true meaning of the law few but lawyers theÌ„selues do see all perceaue the meaning of those testimonyes wherwith the questions of fact are disputed Epist dedicat exercit cont Baron who will affoard an atteÌ„tiue eye to see or eare to heare And heer upoÌ„ Casaubon wrote that for to insinuate into the mind of the Reader any opinion now in controuersie Baronius historyes are of greater force D. Flauignie then Bellarmines disputes And sayd also sometyme as one most worthy of credit who heard him told me that whiles he read Bellarmines disputations he began to doubt of all Religion but whiles he perused Baronius Annales he felt himselfe by little little drawn towards Papistry which thing might wel haue befallen him and such others not because Cardinall Bellarmine proueth lesse soundly for the nature of the matter the truth of Catholik Religion in questions of doctrine then Cardinall Baronius doth the same in questions of Fact but because such is the nature of the testimonyes wherewith the truth of Catholike fayth in questions of doctrine is proued that they are lesse euident then the testimonyes wherewith the Catholike truth in matters of Fact is proued and also haue many thinges which seeme to be contrary and repugnant to them Whereupon it falleth out that some hearing or reading controuersies of doctrine disputed between Catholikes and Heretikes and not being able of theÌ„selues to discern betwixt truth shew of truth either follow neither party but become vncertaine or Atheistes or content with any shew of truth take that part to which any affection of their will doth draw them Whereas none by hearing or reading controuersies of Fact becommeth not more confirmed in the Catholik faith or more auerted from heresy And therefore Tertullian counsaileth vs Praescrip cap. 1â— not to dispute with Heretikes out of Scripture by which questions of doctrine are disputed but aduiseth vs to appeale to antiquity succession and such like which concerne questions of fact 4. Lastly though the fruit of disputing both those kind of questions were equall yet sith the Author by order of nature goeth before the thing whereof he is Authour according to the order of Nature we ought to intreate of the Author of Protestancy before we dispute of Protestancy it selfe For as well sayth Tertullian nothing but God alone is without beginning which how much it goeth before in the state of all thinges so much ought it to go before in the handling of them Lib 5. cont Mar. Lib 3 cont Mar. that the state may be knowne And other where Nothing is knowne before the beginning is knowne Wherfore I will begin my first dispute concerning the Protestant Religion of the Authour therâ—of Yet before I do that I must set downe and determine what a Protestant or the Protestant Church and Religion is and what is necessary for one to be a Protestant and discouer the vncertainty of Protestants And this much touching the matter which I haue made choice of to handle in this little worke and the causes thereof VVhy proued only out of Protestants 5. As for the manner wherwith I vndertake to discusse this question of Fact whether Luther was the first Author beginner of the Protestant Church and Religion I purpose to proue it only out of the confessions of Luther himselfe and of the three sorts of Protestants to wit Lutherans who professe to follow Luther in all points of doctrine Sacramentaries who notoriously dissent from him touching the reall presence of Christs body in the Sacrament and our English Protestants who differ from both the former at least in discipline gouerment of their Church because this kind of proofe out of their owne wordes I find to be both necessary and most effectuall with Protestants Necessary because of this question of Fact neither the Scripture Necessary or the Fathers say any thing as also because seeing Protestants deny part of the scripture and interprete the rest as they please and will not stand to the sentence of the Church Councels or Fathers account reason Sophistrie contem me the testimonies of Catholique writers they haue left nothing but their own coÌ„fessioÌ„s by which we may dispure with them And I pray God they do giue place to their own most frequent and most plaine confessions and not delude them by voluntary and friuolous interpretations for then hope may be that there wil be some end of these controuersies At least we shall reape this profit by this labour that by it shall be manifest to all that either Protestants will heare no testimony admit no iudgement no not their owne which is a most euident argument of a most desperat cause or that they shall be condemned by their owne verdict sentence or lastly that there can be no forme of speech so plaine no words so cleare no sentence so manifest which they with their faigned figures deuises will not wrest frustrate and delude which is in effect to disanull al kind of proofe which is taken out of words or testimonies whatsoeuer For I will bring so plaine testimonies of theirs as plaine can scarce or not at all be deuised I will bring so many as themselues will require no more I will bring so weighty as themselues will demaund none more weighty I wil bring them also most freely and often iterated and repeated lastly I will bring not only those which indirectly and by consequence proue that which I would but those also that especially oftenest which directly testify that which they are brought to confirme Wherfore either they will not delude these words of theirs or they wil delude all wordes whatsoeuer And either they will not refuse these their owne testimonies and confessions or they will reiect all testimonies and iudgements whatsoeuer which is in effect to confesse that their cause is most desperate and most worthy to be reiected and condemned of all Most effectuall 1. This maÌ„ner also of proofe is most effectuall for what can be of greater force to conuince a man then his owne iudgement and acknowledgement of the truth Surely vnlesse a man will professe himselfe to be en enemy
of heretiks This in summe I will say heretikes are not otherwise to be dealt with all then Infidells 〈◊〉 Iewes Caluin also in his 2. booke of Institution cap. 15. number 1. Rightly Augustin denyeth Heretikes haue the same foundation with the godly albeit they preach tâ—â— name of Christ And in his instruction against the Libertines That we may speake properly Heretikes are not oâ—ly like to wolues or theeues but much worse Beza in his booâ— of punishing Heretiks If one terme Heretikes saithleâ— apostatas he shall giue them their due title And againe Heretikes affirme Christ in word and deny him indeed Danaeus in his 5. Controuersy and 691. pag. An heretike condemned by lawfull iudgement and actually cast out of the Church is not of the visible Church nor of the inuisible neither actually or apparently so long as he remaineth in that state Polanus in his 7. booke which he termeth Syntagma cap. 5. Heretikes whiles they remayne such are not members of the Catholique Church And Vorstius in his Anti-bellarmin pag. 79. The Ghospellers do esteem Antichrist in common to be euery heretike who opposeth himselfe eyther openly and plainly or closely and indirectly to Christ and his doctrine And in the 121. pag. There is no controuersy betweene vs and our aduersaries touching heretikes Schismatikes and Apostatas properly and truly so called that they are altogeather out of the Church of Christ Thus forraine Protestants In England English Protestants his Maiesty in his epistle to Cardinal Peron written by Casaubon The King damneth and detesteth those who either haue departed from the sayth of the Catholike Church and are become heretikes or from the Communion and are become Schismatikes The Apology of the Church of England part 3. diuis 3. VVe condemne all sortes of the old heretiks as the Arians the Eutichians c. and shortly all them that haue a wicked opinion either of God the Father or of Christ or of the holy Ghost or of any other point of Christian Religion for so much as they be confuted by the Ghospell of Christ we plainly pronounce them for damnable and detestable persons and defy them euen to the diuell D. Whitaker in the preface of his Controuersies If we be heretikes it is reason they should warne all theirs to fly from vs. And Controuer 2. question 1. cap. 4. That he proueth heretikes and Apostatas and Schismatikes not to be members of the true Church maketh nothing against vs. None of our men euer taught that The like he hath question 5. cap. 1. and 18. D. Sutliue in his first booke of the Church cap. 1. Heretikes are not of the Church D. Morton in his Apology 1. part 1. booke cap. 3 affirmeth that Heretikes are not to be accounted of the â—hurch in truth but in name not indeed but equiuocally Finally D. White in his way to the Church pag 110. All hereticks teach the truth in some things and yet we deny them to be the Church of God And in the defence of the same way cap. 8. sect 1. There is little or no difference betweene the Diuell and an Apostata or Heretike 4. The same censure they sometymes giue of Schismatikes They exclude Schismatiks as appeareth by the words of his Maiesty D. Whitaker and Vorstius already rehearsed Besides Luther in his great Catechisme tom 5. pag. 628. affirmeth the sense of that article The Communion of Saints to be this I belieue that there is on earth a litle Congregation of Saints agreeing in all things without sectes or Schismes And Melancthon in his book against Swenfeild tom 2. LutheraÌ„s pag. 201. Neither is there more then one Church the Spouse of Christ neither doth this company consist of diuers Sectes Salomon Gesnerus in his Common places the 24. place of the Church Catholiks are opposite to Schismatikes heretiks The same teacheth Schusselburg in his 8. tome of the Catalogue of heretikes pag. 726. 727. Amongst the Sacramentaries the Switzers in their Confession SacrameÌ„taries article 17. do thus professe VVe so much esteeme the Communion with the true Church of Christ as that we teach that those cannot liue before God who communicate not with his true Church And the French Protestants in theirs article 26. VVe belieue that none can lawfully withdraw themselues from the assemblies Bullinger in his Epitome or Compendium of fayth 6. booke 11. cap They be out of this Church whâ— vpon enuy or contention separate themselues from her withouâ— cause will haue some thing peculiar to themselues Musculus also in his common places in the title of the church The vnity of Heretiks and Schismatikes is bastard and diuided True entier and Catholike vnity is not among Schismatikes And in the title of Schismatikes A Schismatike putteth himselfe in daunger of losse of his saluation in departing from the Communion of the flock of the Lord. For by that departure he is not only separated and diuided from that Ecclesiasticall and externall society of the faythfull but also from participation of the bloud and spirit of Christ Caluin likewise in his treatise of the necessity of reforming the Church VVe do professe the vnity of the Church such as is described by S. Paul to be most deare vnto vs and we accurse all them that shall any way violate it And in his fourth booke of Institutions chap. 1. numb 2 Vnlesse vnder Christ our head we be vnited to all the rest of his members there is no hope for vs of the euerlasting inheritance For we cannot haue two or three Churches vnlesse Christ be torne in pieces And num 4. Out of the lap the Church there is no saluation departure from thence is alwayes pernicious Againe num 10 God maketh so great account of the Communion with his Church as he holdeth him for a renagate and fugitiue whosoeuer obstinatly separateth himselfe from any Christian society which retaineth the true vse of the word and Sacraments And he addeth that the forsaking of the Church Is the deniall of God and Christ The like doctrine he deliuereth in his Catechisme vpon the 1. Cor. cap. 1. and other where Polanus in his Theses part 2. sayth Schismaticall Churches are to be forsaken And Bucanus in his places loc 41. of the Church quest 33. auoucheth Schismatiks to be out of the Church and quest 5. that they are not vniuocally a Church that is they haue not the true nature of a Church The same sayth Danaeus in his treatise of Antichrist cap. 17. And in his 3. booke of the Church cap. 5. writeth thus Schismaâ—ikes actually excommunicated and cast out of the Church by lawfull sentence are no more of the visible Church For sayth he the marke that you be of the visible Church is this that you outwardly professe the fayth and communicate in Sacraments with the rest of the Church And he addeth that such are neither actually of the inuisible Church but only in possibility and that the holy Fathers liken sucâ— to
Heathens Pagans and infidells And in his Apology for the Switzers Churches he defineth Schisme to be a separation from the rest of the body of the Catholike Church Zanchius also in his treatise of the Church cap. 7. reacheth that Schismatikes are not in the Church And suâ—us in his 3. booke of the Church c. 5. approueth the fame of such Schismatikes as separate themselues from the whole Church The strangers in England writing to Beza in the 24 epistle haue these words in their 13. article VVhosoeuer is lawfully excommunicated of a particuler Church or cutteth himselfe of vpon vnlawfull causes and with scandall in that doth loose all priuiledge of the Catholike Church And Beza answereth them in the name of the Church of Geneua in this manner Your thirteenth article we wholy receiue at most orthodoxall Casaubon in his 15. exercitation against Baronius num 6. It is an vndoubted truth that how often soeuer a pious flock is ioyned to a true Bishop there is a Church of God in so much that if any forsake that Church it cannot be doubted but that he is out of the Church Finally Chamier in his epistle to Armand excludeth Schismatikes out of the Church because sayth he they want the sincerity of the Sacraments English ProtestaÌ„ts Amongst our English Protestants his Maiesty in his foresayd epistle to Cardinall Peron All those testimonies of Augustin proue only this that there is no hope of saluation for those who leaue the Communion of the Catholike Church which the King willingly graunteth D. Whitaker in his 2. controuer 5. quest 6. cap. sayth It is false that hereticall and Schismaticall Churches be true Churches Againe The Catholike Church consisteth not of diuided but of vnited members And cap. 2 The true and Catholike Church is that which consisteth of Catholiks D. Fulke in his booke of the succession of the Church VVhat auailed it them to eternall saluation to haue byn sound in Religion and doctrine seing they were cut of from the Communion of the true Church in which alone saluation is and from her true head VVhat skilleth it whether one being drawne by heresy or Schisme from the body of Christ be subiect to euerlasting damnation D. Humfrey in his answere to the 3. reason of F. Campian VVe confesse that he is vndone who is separated from the followship of the Church And D. Feild in his first booke of the Church cap. 7 The name of the Catholike Church is applyed to distinguish men holding the sayth in vnity from Schismatiks And in his 2. booke c. 2. he sayth that Schismatikes are not Catholike Christians Thus we see how Protestants sometymes do teach that the true Church consisteth of Catholiks of members vnited not deuided that it hath no Schismes or Sects That Schismatiks are not Catholiks that their vnity is not true nor Catholike that their Churches ought to be forsaken that they are not vniuocally Churches nor true Churches that they are not members of the true Church but out of the Church altogeather out of the Church and actually neither of the visible nor inuisible Church and that this is an vndoubted truth which coÌ„fession of theirs must be well noted and kept in mind for thereby is ouerthrowne as we shall see in the 2. booke their only argument wherwith they endeauour to proue that their Church was before Luther and also is defaced their only essentiall mark of finding the true Church by the truth of doctrine For Schismatikes as we shall heare them confesse in the 2. booke hold true doctrine and neuertheles as here they acknowledge are not of the true Church They exclude those that deny any fundameÌ„tal article 5. In like manner they do commonly debarre from their Church all such as deny any principall or fundamentall point of fayth Melancthon in his booke of common places in the title of the Church They are not members of the Church who pertinaciously maintaine errours opposite to the foundation And in his answere to the Bauarian articles Saints may haue errours but not such as ouerthrow the foundation In his examen of those that are to take orders Agreement in the foundation LutheraÌ„s is a thing necessary to the vnity of the Church And vpon the 3. cap. of the 1. epistle to Timothy The foundation is held in the Church otherwise there should be no Church at all And in his 79. proposition tom 4 It is most certaine that those companies are not the Church of God who either are altogeather ignorant of the Ghospell or impugne some article of the foundation that is some article of fayth or doctrine of the decalogue or maintaine open idols Chemnitius in his common places pa. 3. title of the Church Neither can these be acknowledged for the true Church who imbrace fundamentall errours And the Lutherans in the conference at Ratisbon Ses 14. Hutter in his Analysis of the Confession of Auspurg Gesner in his 24. place Adam Francis in his 11. place and other Lutherans commonly agree that the Church cannot erre Fundamentally or in the Foundation And the Confession of Saxony giueth this note to know who are in the Church SacrameÌ„taries Those who hold the Foundation As for Sacramentaries Caluin in his 4. booke of Institutions cap. 2. num 1 So soone as a lye hath broken into the castle of Religion the summe of necessary doctrine is inuerted the vse of Sacraments is fallen certainly the destruction of the Church ensueth euen as a mans life is lost when his throat is cut or his vitall parts deadly wounded And soone after It is certaine that there is no Church where lyes and errour haue gotten to the toppe And cap. 19. num 17 VVithout doubt the Church of the faythfull must agree in all the heads of our Religion Sadeel in his answere to the Theses held at Posna cap. 12 I thinke the matter is thus to be defined by the word of God that if any in what Church soeuer dissent in the foundation of sayth and be obstinate in their errours such appertaine not to the vnity of the Church The like he hath in his answere to Arthure cap. 12. Vesinuâ— in his Catechisme quest 54. cap. 4 The whole Church erreth not nor wholly nor in the foundation Polanus in his Thesis of the Church sayth The Church erreth not in the foundation The same teacheth Zanchius in his treatise of the Church c. 7. Lubbertus in his 2. booke of the Church c 3. Vorstius in his Anti-bellarmin pag. 139. Bucanus in his 41. place and other Sacramentaries commonly And with them herein agree our English Protestants English ProtestaÌ„ts For thus sayth his Maiesty in his epistle to Cardinall Peron The Churches are vnited in vnity of sayth and doctrine in those heads which are necessary to saluation And D. Whitaker in the preface of his Controuersies The foundations of sayth are of that nature that one being shaken nothing in all religion remaineth sound And Contr. 2. quest 4. cap.
1. cap. 28. CoÌ„taineth the suÌ„me of doctrine affirmeth that it was inspired from heauen and written by instinct of the holy ghost Nay some Lutherans as testifieth Laskus epist ad Regem Poloniae sayd that they would rather doubt of the doctrine of Paul The Rule of fayth then of the Confession of Auspurg And with the Lutherans herein conspire the Sacramentaries For as Bucer confessed in the Conference of Ratisbon The Protestants condemne all writings Inspired froÌ„ heaueÌ„ which are repugnant to the Confession of Auspurge and the Apology thereof Caluin admonit vlt. ad Westphalum pag. 797. sayth Surius anno 154â— Touching the Confession of Auspurg I answere thus that as it was published at Ratisbon there is not one word in it contrary to our doctrine And epist 236. sayth that be wittingly and willingly subscribed to it Beza epist 1. writeth in this sort I define those to be our Churches which hold the Confession of Auspurg the French Confession c. And Apol. 1. cont Saintem pag. 297 Neither is the Confession of Auspurg such as any pious man may reiect it Zanchius loc cit receiued the Confession of Auspurge as the square and rule of all doctrine And as Vorstius writeth Respons ad epist Parci pag. 91 In the vniuersity of Heddelberg they vsed to sweare to no Confession but to that of Auspurg Or as D. Whitaker affirmeth Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 5. pag. 505 The Confession of Auspurg is receiued of all Protestants vnlesse perhapps it be in one word or two rather then in any opinion And in truth seing all Sacramentaries professe to hold the Lutherans who follow the Confession of Auspurg for their brethren in Christ and besides when we obiect vnto them their dissention in matters of fayth they appeale vnto their harmony or syntagme of Confessions amongst which the Confession of Auspurg is placed as do those of Geneua Prefat Syntagmatis the Switzers Prefat suae Confess Beza epist 1. Sadeel Indice Repetit Turrian pag. 808. and respons ad Theses Posnan c. 11. Vorstius in Antibellarm pag. 168. D. Feild lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 12. 42. D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 8. pag. 521. D. Andrews Respons ad Apol. Bellarm. c. 1. D. Fulke de Success pag. 287. 304. D. White in his way to the Church pag. 138. and others commonly When as I say the SacrameÌ„taries do thus they must needs approue the Confession of Auspurg at least in all the principall and fundamentall points thereof For I hope they will not hold theÌ„ for brethren in Christ whome they see to dissent from them in fundamentall points of Christian fayth nor say that those Confessions agree which are repugnant in the very foundation of beliefe VVhich the coÌ„fess of Ausp accouÌ„teth fundameÌ„tal articles 2. But this Confession of Auspurg so generally receiued and of so high account with Protestants as we haue rehearsed hath set downe and declared which be the fundamentall points of Protestancy For in the beginning thereof is set this title The principall articles and after that many Protestanticall opinions are rehearsed thus it sayth of them cap. 21. The suÌ„me of Protest doctrine This is the summe of the doctrine which is deliuered in our Churches And â—fterward naming certaine controuersies of Indulgences Pilgrimages the like it sayth of them These kind of matters we haue let passe that those things which are the cheifest in this cause might be easierly knowne Againe Cheifest points those things only are rehearsed which were necessary to be told And finally VVe would present these articles before written in which our Confession might be extant Only necessary and the summe of their doctrine who teach vs might be seene And in another edition of this Confession in Melancthon tom 3. thus is written in the end thereof VVe haue comprised the summe of Euangelicall doctrine necessary to Churches SuÌ„me of doctrine necessary Wherefore vnlesse Protestants will reiect their first and most maiesticall Confession of Auspurg they must needs confesse that the articles thereof are the summe of Protestant doctrine the principal articles of their fayth are they only which are necessary to be told and the summe of Euangelicall doctrine necessary to Churches But surely such are fundamentall articles 3. Neither doth the sayd Confession alone but also many other great Protestants acknowledge the articles of it to be fundamentall For thus hath the Apology of that Confession in Melancthon tom 3. fol. 91 Truth necessary to the Church VVe haue comprised in the Confession of Auspurg almost the summe of all Christian doctrine And Melancthon himselfe in the preface of that Apology writeth that that Confession is truth necessary to the Church And likewise in the preface of his 3. to me I gathered together the heads of confession comprising almost the summe of the doctrine of our Churches The whole forme of the Confession was after sent to Luther who wrote back that he had read and allowed this Confession And tom 4. Respons ad Staphylum pag. 817. sayth that the Confession of Auspurg contayneth the whole body of doctrine And in Prefat 2. tom Luther 11 The summe of doctrine which our Church preached is publikely comprehended in the Confession of Auspurg The whole body of doctrine Likewise the D. of Wittemberg in the preface of his Confession speaking of the Confession of Auspurg sayth thus VVe commanded our preachers to write the summe of their doctrine And the Ministers of the Elector in colloq Aldeburg scrip 3. pag. 21. say VVe doubt not but the summe of doctrine reuealed from heauen is dextrously plainly and most sweetly contayned in the Confession of Auspurg And pag. seq VVâ—â—â— the Confession of Auspurg we comprehended the summe of doctrine Kemnice Praefat. lib. de coena The summe of holesome doctrine is comprehended in the Confession of Auspurg out of the word of God Westphalus defens altera cont Laskum sayth It containeth in briefe the summe of Christian doctrine Iames Andrews lib. cont Hosium pag. 22 The summe of pious doctrine is contained in the Confession of Auspurg Finally the Lutherans as the Sacramentaries of Newstad write in Admonit de lib. Concord cap. 4. Note pag. 116 do place in the role of heretiks as erring in the foundation of sayth and saluation all those who find any sault with the Confession of Auspurg or dissent from it in any article And as touching the Sacramentaries themselues the Palatin Confession pag. 198. sayth thus That Confession of fayth which was presented at Auspurg and the Apology annexed thereto was taken out of the doctrine of the Apostles Prophets and the foresayd Creed as a certaine litle summe Caluin lib. 1. de Lib. arbit pag. 142 VVhen at Auspurg there was to be exhibited a forme of Confession Melancthon the Author thereof would not make any stay but only in that doctrine Doctrine necessary to saluation which alone is proper to the
masses and bookes Thus Luther 2. In like manner the Protestants in Sleidan lib. 1. fol. 258 The Pope made lawes by which true knowledg was vtterly oppressed Melancthon tom 2. Lutheri fol. 192 Scholasticall diuinity being receiued fayth was destroyed the doctrine of works being admitted The Magdeburgians Praefat. Centur. 5 Extreme abolitioÌ„ of religion There was an extreme abolition of true Religion and the word of God vnder Popery Caluin Praefat. Institut In former ages men had extinguished the light of God And 1. Institut cap. 11. § 9 Many ages since true religion was drowned and ouerthrowne 4. Institut cap. 2. § 2 The substance of Christianity buried Vnder Popery that doctrine without which Christianity cannot consist was all buryed and shut out Respons ad Sadolet pag. 128. he sayth that the necessity to leaue the Roman Church was That the light of diuine truth was extinct the word of God buryed c. And p. 130. Cheifest points of doctrine ouerthrowne from the root maketh this speach vnto God in defence of his forsaking the Roman Church There were not a few profane opinions which euen by the ground ouerthrow the cheifest points of that doctrine which thou diddest deliuer vnto vs by word Lib. de necess Refor pa. 49 VVhen the word of God was choaked with these so many so thick darknesses Luther stept forth c. pag. 62 None prayed to God with assured sayth that is in earnest neither could they for Christ being buryed in that manner as he was c. Word of God ended Respons ad Versipell pag. 358 They haue extinguished the doctrine of saluation In Psycopan pag. 388 The word of God being ended by peruerse vse and sloth now returneth to light In Rom. 11. vers 22 The truth was taken away The light put out S. deel de vocat Minist pag. 552 God suffered that light to be put out which should perpetually haue lightned vs in gouerning our life Pure worships banished Crispin Praeâ—at operum Occolampadij Both the doctrine of saluation and piety were taken away they banished out of the Church all pure worship of God Celius secundus Cario de amplitudine regni Dei lib. 1. pag. 33 True Christ taken out of the world And so by litle and litle true Christ was taken out of the world and Antichrist put in his steed And Hospin part 1. Histor lib. 4. pag. 291. writeth that after 800. yeares after Christ the light of the holesome and true doctrine began to be darkned till it was vtterly put out The light cleane put out Thus forraine Protestants both Lutherans and Sacramentaries 3. Amongst English Protestants thus writeth M. Bale Cent. 4. c. 6 Holesome truth perished from the earth Cent. 1. pag. 69 From this tyme anno 607 purity of heauenly doctrine vanished out of the Church The truth perished froÌ„ earth In his Apology against Priesthood and vowes fol. 3 Two things haue cheifly byn the cause of the vtter decay and full destruction of Christian religion c. Vanished out of the Church M. Powell in â—tinerarium Cambrâ—ae lib. 2 cap. 7. sayth that about the yeare 1189 There was the cheife raigne of darknesse in so much that not only preaching of the true word but also the true religion was banished and scarce the name of Christianity remayned Vtter decay full destructioÌ„ of religioÌ„ M. Fox in the Protestation before his Acts affirmeth that about the yeare 1215. and 1080 Christian sayth was extinguished And pag. 840. that Christian Religion was wholy changed into Idolatry D. Fulke ad Cauillat Sâ—apletoni Scarse name of Christianity remayned Scarce could he fiue hundred yeares after banish the true doctrine of saluation out of the Churches of Europe And finally the Apology of the English Church part 5. cap. 13. diuis 1. sayth that Papists haue broken in peeces all the pipes and conduicts haue stopped vp all the springs and choaked the fountaine of liuing waters and by damning vp all the fountains of Gods word haue brought the people into a pittifull thirst Item Not a sparck of diuine light found VVith great distresse went they scattering about seeking some sparck of heauenly light to refresh their consciences withall but that light was already throughly quenched out so that they could find none This was a rusull state this was a lamentable forme of Gods Church It was a misery to liue therein without the Ghospell ProtestaÌ„ts light thoroughly quenched out without light without all comfort Thus write these learned Protestants both English and strangers of the destruction of their doctrine their fayth their religion and Ghospell before Luther arose which do so plainly testify the substantiall destruction therof as I may well vse S. Augustins words in the like occasion If I should speake thus they would resist and cry Lib. 1. de pec mer. c. 9. that I speake not truly thought not truly For in these words if they were spoken by others they would imagin no other meaning then that which in the foresayd Protestants they will not vnderstand 4. ProtestaÌ„ts confesse their lundam art perished Neither write they otherwise of the destruction of their principall and most fundamentall article of Iustification by only fayth For thus the Confession of Anspurg cap. 20 VVhen the doctrine of fayth which ought to be principall in the Church lay so long vnknowne Sole faith vnknown as all must needs confesse that there was a most profound silence of the iustice of fayth that in sermons only the iustice of works was spoken of in Churches c. And tit de bonis operibus pag. 25 Horribly ouerwhelmed In tymes past certaine absurd opinions horribly ouerwhelmed this doctrine in which the vnlearned faigned that men did satisfy the law of God In the meane tyme there was great silence how Christ is to be apprehended by fayth And pag. 27 The was no word of fayth which is necessary for remission of sinnes And pag. 19 In tymes past there was great silence in Churches of the exercises of sayth And Praefat. Apol. Confess August in Melancthon tom 3. fol. 27 All Churches Monasteries schooles briefly all bookes of late diuines No man taught c All Prot. coÌ„fort vnknown were before mute of the iustice of fayth No man taught sinnes to be forgiuen by fayth in Christ Sacraments were impiously profaned after that opinion that they iustify by the work wrought was receiued And this opinion did wholy oppresse the doctrine of saith Praefat. Conf. Saxoniae All this comfort which is necessary to euery one how a man conuerted to God is iustified was vnknown The Protestant Princes and Cities in Sleidan lib. 21. fol. 240 The contention is about the doctrine of sayth and of the true knowledge of God which is the cheifest head of Christian life and of pure religion Vtterly extinct And it cannot say they be denyed that this doctrine was vtterly extinct and
12. VVhat as Tertullian sayth meane they otherwise then they write masters of deceit not of truth 10. If any demaund how it came to passe that Protestants should so often and so plainly say that their Church and religion was perished before Luther appeared Wherfor Protestāts say their Church was perished I answeare that there were many causes thereof First because it was so euident that their Church and religion was not at all when Luther began that as themselues haue confessed they cannot deny it It cannot be denyed If any deny it he may be conuinced All men must confesse it The matter it selfe proclaimeth and proueth it Num. 1.4.5.7 And finally that it is manifest both to learned and vnlearned Secondly they sayd so for to moue men to hate the Pope and Papists whome they affirmed to haue destroyed the fayth and Church Thirdly for to purchase the loue of the people as who had restored to them againe the Church and Religion Fourthly they sayd so for to excuse their preaching and playing the Pastours without ordinary calling as if forsooth when they began there had byn no church which could giue them cōmission Finally as phrantike men so Protestants sometymes are in good fittes in which they see and confesse the truth But at other tymes when Catholiks out of this perishing and destruction of their Church and religion do inferre that it is not the Church or religion of Christ Matth. 16. against which as he hath promised the gats of hell shall not preuaile but some other Church religion either first began by Luther or else restored and renowed by him after that it was substantially perished and destroyed then they mollify and glose their former sayings deuise strange violent senses of their words and euery way seeke out shiftes and sleights whereby they may auoyd the force of their owne testimonies which we shall rehearse and refute in the next chapter The Protestants shiftes for to delude their foresayd Confessions touching the substantiall decay of their Church and Religion refuted CHAP. II. 1. ALBEIT the foresayd confessions of the Protestants touching the substantiall decay of their Church and religion before Luther arose be so plaine and euident as we may well say with Tertullian VVho will not acknowledge these rather then expound thē De Resur c. 21. Yet because the obstinacy of heretiks is so great as it may be sooner ouercome then persuaded is wont to seek out all shifts to auoyd the force euen of their owne words I will heare set downe their shifts and confute them 2. Their first shift is Their first shift that the forenamed Protestants by the words of fayth religion and the like when they say that they perished did not meane the inward fayth of the heart as if no man in his heart had held the Protestant fayth or religion but only the outward profession thereof and so meane only that the outward profession of Protestancy was perished or that none professed it I graunt indeed that somtyme they speake of outward profession of faith but this commeth all to one purpose That they say inward faith perished Because the profession of faith can no more perish in the church then the fayth it selfe as hereafter we shall proue by the confessions of Protestants themselues But that they speake not also of the inward fayth or of fayth it selfe is most false First because they say so without all proofe neither can they proue it otherwise then because perhaps the same Protestants haue other where sayd the contrary which kind of proofe we hereafter shew to be nothing worth Lib. 2. c. vl Againe it is credible vnlesse one will belieue what he list that by so many words of light clarity religion worship of God truth of God Ca. 1. n. 2. 3. sayth true knowledge knowledge of fayth Christian fayth knowledge of Christ as they haue vsed and we repeated they meant not fayth it selfe but only the outward profession of faith Besides they sayd plainly That none belieued to be iustified without workes That the doctrine of Iustification by sayth was blotted out of the memory of men Cap. 1. nu 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 that holesome truth perished from earth and that it was taken from men that Christ was buryed and taken out of the world and the Church that all Protestant consolation was vnknowne that without Luther one iot had not byn knowne that the knowledge of Christ the knowledge of sayth fayled and lastly that Christ was not vnderstood but vtterly vnknowne Which words are manifestly spoken meant of true or inward fayth I adde also that it is a rule of ciuil law approued by Luther and Protestants Luther de abrog mis epist ad Amsd. Schusselb tom 4. Catal haeret that who cold speak clearely and yet spake obscurely should haue his words expounded against him Seeing therefore Protestants could haue spoken farre more clearly if they had meant only that outward professiō of faith had perished we may lawfully expound their words against themselues 3. To this shift is another like wherewith they say that the foresayd testimonies of Protestants touching the destruction or decay of their Church are not to be vnderstood of their inuisible Church The secōd shift which they say is the company of only true faythfull and predestinate men but of the decay of their visible Church which they say is the company of al those that professe true doctrine and is the Church not in the sight of God but only in the eyes of men I do not deny that sometymes they speake of the visible Church notwithstanding as before I sayd it comes all to one purpose because as shall be proued hereafter there can be no inuisible Church without a visible nor a company of faythfull and predestinate men but they must professe their fayth The Protestāts say the true Church hath perished But most false it is that they speake not also of the true Church which they will haue to be inuisible to any but to God alone For first as before I argued this cannot be proued otherwise then that perhaps the same men haue at other tymes sayd the contrary which will proue that they like lyers haue contradicted themselues not that they haue not sayd this which they haue as clearly sayd as euer they sayd any thing else Besides in saying according to their meaning that the Church hath not perished or cannot perish they do not indeed cōtradict themselues when they say that it hath or can perish For when they say that the Church cannot perish by the name of the Church they vnderstand not the Catholike Church that is the Church spread throughout the world Cap. 1. n. ◠for as we saw they teach that the Church may consist or be reduced to one or two and that Elias thought there was none of the Church but himselfe Whereupon D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 3. pag.
they should be vnderstood rather according to Saint Hieromes meaning then according to their owne most proper most plaine and most frequent words especially when as Luther sayth tom 1. fol. 414 Many thinges are borne withall in the Fathers who were knowne to be orthodoxe which we may not imitate 8. Wherefore out of all which hath byn rehearsed in this chapter I thus frame my second demonstration If so be that before Luther arose there were not one only Protestant in the whole world but that all euery man followed a different Religion Luther was the Author and beginner of the Protestant Church and Religion But that is true as manifestly appeareth by the manyfold and open confessions of Luther and many and most famous Protestants Therefore c. That Protestants confesse their Church and religion to haue byn altogeather inuisible before Luther appeared CHAP. IV. 1. THE fourth demonstration wherewith we will proue Luther to haue byn the Author of the Protestant church and religion we will draw out of that which they confesse of the inuisibility thereof before Luther brake out And by the way I must aduertise the Reader of two things The one is that by the name of the Church is not to be vnderstood only the men who are of the Church but their society in religioÌ„ wherby they make a church wherefore those Protestants speake not to the purpose who to excuse the absurdity of their doctrine touching the inuisibility of the Church say they meane not that the men whereof it consisted were inuisible men for it sufficeth that they confesse that they were inuisible worshippers of God according to the Protestant manner or that their society in this kind of worship of God was inuisible Note The other point is that in these kind of questions VVhether before Luther the Protestant Church were VVhether it were visible Colloq Batisban Ses 1.6 10.17 Iuel Def. Apol. par 5. c. 15. d. 1. VVhither it had Pastors and the like the Catholiks hold the negatiue part and Protestants the affirmatiue and that it belongeth to the affirmer to proue what he affirmeth wherein if he faile he is ouercome and it is not needfull for the denyer to proue his denyall but is sufficient reasonably to answere the proofes of the affirmer which if he performe he hath wonne the cause As if one like Anaxagoras would say that there were many worlds besides this or that such and such things haue byn done in tymes past he were bound to proue what he sayth he that should deny such matters were not bound to proue his denyall but only reasonably to answere his aduersaries arguments And the reason is manifest because for to affirme or belieue any thinge we must haue reason or proofe thereof bur for the not belieuing of it we need no other reason then to shew that there is no sufficient reason why it should be belieued Hereupon Luther in his booke against Henry 8. King of England tom 2. fol. 340 sayd He must be taught the principles of disputation who hauing to proue his affirmation vrgeth his aduersary to proue his denyall And Vorstins in his Antibellarm pag. 464 It is inough for the denyer probably to deny Wherefore in these kind of questions Protestants ought to be vrged to performe their part that is to proue what they affirme to wit that before Luthers tyme their Church was had Pastors and the like which if they cannot do they must needs confesse that in this debate they haue lost their cause And they ought not to presse vs to proue that before Luther their Church was not had not Pastors c. Because as I sayd herein we are only the defenders and denyers Tom. 1. fo 389. 473. and therefore it sufficeth for vs to shew that no reasons which the Protestants alledge conuince a reasonable man to belieue that there was any such Church before Luther appeared which if we do we haue wonne the cause That the ProtestaÌ„ts Church was inuisible to strangers Neuerthelesse that I may vse Luthers words in the booke before cited Albeit it belong not to vs to proue the negatiue let vs do it 2. First therefore touching the inuisibility of the Protestant Church before Luthers tyme Protestants confesse that it was inuisible to Papists to enemies to the world and to all that were not of it For thus sayth Sadcel in his Refutation of the 61. article pag. 538 VVe deny not that the Godly men lurcked vnder Popish darknesse and we giue God thanks that such persons families Inuisible to Papists and companies were for a tyme inuisible and vnknowne to the Pope and all his Catchpoles seing they were for a long tyme like sparckles couered with much ashes The same he sayth in his answere to Arthur cap. 8. and to the Sophismes of Turrian loco 10. and to the Repetition of them pag. 706. Danaeus in his booke of Antichrist cap. 38. writeth That there were very few Protestants and those dwelling in wildernesses and also vnknowne to others vnknown to others Iunius in his 4. booke of the Church cap. 5. speaketh thus of Protestants before Luther They professed their sayth amongst themselues but not before dogges wild beasts who would runne vpon them D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quaest 2. cap. 2. pag. 458. VVas it the Protestant Church manifest to all No but to those only who had eyes And pag. 468 There was no true Church on earth Knowne only to ProtestaÌ„ts which appeared to all And quest 6. cap. 2. pag 359 VVe care not for their obiecting solitude vnto vs. For we are not ashamed to haue recalled our Church out of this kind of solitude D. Fulke to the Cauillations of Stapleton The whole forme of the Church was for some ages vnknowne to the vngratefull world And in his booke of succession pag. 118 They confessed Christ but not alwayes before heretiks but before themâ—elues and the Church And in his notes vpon the 11. cap. of the Acts If by visible you vnderstand that which is seene and knowne to the whole world it is not true that the Church was alwayes visible D. Morton in the 1. part of his Apology booke 1. cap. 16. sayth They professed secretly not publikely D. White in his way to the Church pag. 95 That they professed among themselues Osiander in his Manuel pag. 59 In the visible Church of Rome there was the inuisible company of belieuers hidden to the eye of the world Caelius secundus Curio in his booke of the lardgnes of the Kingdome of God pag. 212 It came to passe that for many yeares the Church lay hid and that the Cittizen of this Kingdome could scarce or not at all be discerned from others And the Scots in their generall confession VVe say that this is the only true Christian sayth which is now reuealed to the world Thus they acknowledg that before Luthers tym Protestants were vnknown to the Pope and his officers to their
that is to be iustifyed by good works For thus sayth Luther of them in his table-talkes chap. of Suermers The VValdenses are holy workmen and belieue not that sayth without works doth iustify and know nothing at all of imputatiue iustice Cocciuâ— 10.1 lib. 8. And Bennet Morgenstern in his treatise of the church p. 1â—4 speaketh thus vnto them Yee confirme the doctrine of Antichrist touching good works iustification c. And theÌ„selues in their Apology printed at Hanow togeather with the history of Bohemia pag. 256. plainly shew that they belieue a man to be iustified by fayth charity hope penance and works of mercy and do say That deuout prayer doth purge and pennance cleanse a man 4. Thirdly the Waldenses are condemned of Protestants both Lutherans and Sacramentaries Melancthon in his Counsailes part 2. pag. 152. writeth See Refut Orthod Consensus pag. 418. I reioyce that you agree with vs in the summe of doctrine I know the VValdenses are vnlike And in Carions Chronicle printed at Paris 1357. he sayth that they sowed errors denyed all oathes and all forme of prayer besides the Lords prayer Morgenstern in his fornamed booke pag. 79. giueth this verdict of them They haue proudly neglected the light of doctrine which is kindled from heauen in this age haue with tooth and naâ—le by writing among their own men secretly defended those most grosse erros which in the year 1523. were discouered by Luther Besides Selnecer as he reporteth affirmed that they had grosse errors and such as were not to be borne withall Leonicus Antisturmius also in Danaeus in his answere to his Sonde pag. 1516. pronounceth them to be impious and Schusselburg in his 3. tâ—me of the Catalogue of heretiks pag 188. reiecteth them as heretiks Camerarius in his booke of the Church in Bohemia Poland c. pag. 273. writeth thus VVe can say that the VValdenses were neuer one with our Churches nor our men would euer ioyne themselues to them Whereof he giueth these two reasons because the Waldenses would not haue extant any publike declaration of their fayth and for peace sake did vse the Popish masse For these two causes sayth he our men did not ioyne themselues to them neither did they think that they could so do with good conscience Caluin also epist 278. thus writeth to the Waldenses themselues VVe abide in one opinion that the forme of your Confession cannot be absoluâ—ely admitted without danger And M. Iewell also in defence of the Apology part pag. 48. sayth plainly of the Albigenses They are none of ours D. Humfrey to the third Reason of F. Campian pag. 371 They are not wholy ours And Osiander in his 13. Century lib. 1. cap. 4. Pantaleon in his Chronicle pag. 98. Melancthon in the foresayd Chronicle of Carion reckon them amongst heretiks But the Albigenses were all one for religion with the Waldenses as D. Fulke sayth in these words lib. de Success pag. 332 That epistle of the Arch-bishops doth proue that the Albigenses VValdenses were all one The same also confesseth Illyricus in his Catalogue in 4. to pag 536. Where also pag. 561. he speaketh in this sort The VValdenses or Albigenses Yea the Waldenses themselues in the Bohemian Confession if it be theirs do insinuate that they are condemned of the Sacramentaries wheras they say in the 13. article that they who deny the supper of the Lord to be the true flesh and bloud of Christ do call them Idolaters Antichrist and men branded with the marke of the beast Besides Illyricus in his forecited catalogue writeth that the Thaborites who indeed sayth he followed the opinions of the Waldenses were grieuously vexed and persecuted of Rokesana and other Hussites Wherefore sith Protestants commonly challenge the Hussites for their brethren they ought not to claime also the Waldenles whose doctrine the Hussites did persecute Certainly the Confession of Bohemia which is sayd to be theirs doth plainly distinguish them from Protestants especially from Sacramentaries For art 2. they say VVe must keep the commandements in hart deed Art 5. that those which repent must confesse their sinnes to a Priest and aske absolution of him Art 9. that Priests ought to be single Art 11. that Sacraments are necessary to saluation And art 13. that the Eucharist is the true body of Christ as say they Christ plainly sayth This is my body of which word we ought to belieue the plaine sense not decliming to the right or left Whereupon it is no meruayle that Caluin in his 249. epistle denieth it to be lawfull for a Christian man to imbrace the Waldenses Confession in these words Consider you whether it be lawfull for a Christian man to imbrace the forme of the Confession of the Waldenses who without any distinction bind vp all in one bundell of damnation who precisely confesse not the bread to be presently the body of Christ Surely we think not 5. Fourthly I proue the same because the Waldenses hold many errors which the Protestants condemne Illyricus in his foresayd Catalogue pag. 545. relateth out of an ancient writer aboue 300. years agoe that they taught that a Priest being in mortall sinne cold not consecrate the Eucharist that euery oath is a mortall sinne that they disallowed matrimony And likwise out of Aeneas Syluius that they sayd it was lawfull for euery one to preach that he who was guilty of mortall sinne was not not capable of any secular or ecclesiasticall dignity Neither auayleth it any thing that now in the CoÌ„fession of Bohemia which is sayd to be the Waldenses Confession there is found the article of iustification by only fayth because that Confession was presented in the yeare 1525. as the very title thereof declareth in the Preface mention is made of Charles 5. Emperour which was after Luther had preached some years As also because Hospinian part 2. Histor fol. 11. sayth SacrameÌ„taries haue corrupted the Waldenses CoÌ„fessioÌ„ that the Waldenses Confession was renewed or rather corrupted by the Sacramentaries as the Waldenses themselues say in the Preface of their Confession printed anno 1538. as witnesseth Schusselburg lib. 2. Theol. Caluin art 6. fol. 55. Moreouer Illyricus in his Catalogue in fol. col 1502. writeth that after Luther was knowne the VValdenses did greedily purchase greater knowledge Morgenstern in his foresayd booke pag. 79. sayth that they borrow the best part of their doctrine from the Lutherans And D. Fulke in his booke of Succession pag. 360. that they learnt of those of Basle to amend certaine errors which they had receiued from their ancestors Why then shall we not think they receiued the doctrine of iustification by only fayth from Luther especially sith as I befor sayd there is no mention of it amongst them in former tymes Againe Iurgenicius in the 2. chap. of his warre of the 5. ghospell affirmeth that the Authors of the Bohemian Confession do professe in the beginning thereof that they would neuer conioyne themselues to
God And Beza wrote a booke of this title Of the true and visible marks of the Catholike Church D. Whitaker in answere of the 3. reason of F. Campian That we iudge to be proper to the true Church that it increase and conserue Christs word that it vse the Sacraments entiâ—rly and purely These we defend to be the most true and essentiall properties of the Church Take these away and you will leaue nothing but the carcasse of the church Againe They containe the true nature of the church which if they be present they make the church and take it away if they be taken away And D. Feild in his 1. book of the church cap. 11 VVe say that that society wherein that outward profession of the truth of God is preserued is that true church of God c. Finally to omit the words of others the same teach Wigand in his method of doctrine cap. 19. Gesner in his 24. place of the Church The Magdeburgians in the Preface of their 6. CeÌ„tury Heshusius in cap. 1.1 ad Cor. Soterius in his method title of the church Pelargus in his Compend of diuinity loc 7. Sohnius in his Thesis of the Church Bullinger in his Catechisme fol. 44. Aretius in his places part 3. fol. 50. Theses of Geneua disput 74. SummeoiÌ„ Protest former CoÌ„sessioÌ„s Thus thou seest good reader that according to the manifold iudgement of Protestants a part of the definition of the essence the marke of the Church in this life of the Church militant of the Church which is belieued of the proper Church of the Church whereof the Scripture properly speaketh when it calleth her the spouse of Christ the body of Christ of the true Church of the Church properly so termed and finally of the Catholike Church that I say it is of the definition and essence a marke of this church to be a visible company professing the faith partaking the Sacraments mutually confirming themselues and that otherwise it is as they say but a carcasse of the Church Wherefore it implieth manifest contradiction that there should at any tyme haue byn a true Church and not a visible company because nothing can be without all its essentiall parts The Protestant Church therefore which as we head was before Luthers tyme altogeather inuisible was no true and proper Church but to vse their termes a Platonicall idaea or a carkasse of a Church If any reply that when Protestants affirme the foresayd definitions properties and marks of the true Church they meane not by the name of the true Church that which is simply and absolutely the true Church but that which is the true visible Church I aske why then do they simply call it the true Church if they do not so meane why are not their words conformable to their meaning Besides the Church wherof they giue the foresayd definitioÌ„s and marks they call not only the true Church but also the Church properly so termed the spouse and body of Christ the Catholike church and such like which cannot agree to any which is but a Church in appearance only and in the sight of men but only to that which is the Church in very deed and in the sight of God Further more according to the opinion of Protestants these two termes True and Visible in the nature of the Church do one destroy the other as these two True and Painted exclude each other in the nature of a man For they imagine that the true Church is a society in something that is inuisible to wit in iustification and predestination Wherupon they deny any ill or reprobate Christians to be of the true Church Wherefore as he should speake fondly who should say A true painted man so according to their owne opinion they speake as fondly when they say The true visible Church But as we can only say the true picture of a man attributing the word True to the picture not to the man so they should only The true appearance or shew of the Church gâ—uing the word True to the shew not to the Church it selfe But they are ashamed to speak so least when they inquire the marks of the true visible Church Why ProtestaÌ„ts somtyme call the visible visible Church the true Church it should appeare that they seeke not the marks of the true Church indeed but only of the shew shadow or shape of the Church And yet in very truth they seeke but the marks of the shadow of the church For the inuisible Church consisting only of the iust and elect which alone they will haue to be the true Church hath no certaine marks else we should know certainly who were the iust and elect And this themselues confesse for thus writeth D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 8 ProtestaÌ„ts giue no marks of the true Catholike Church The question is not of the marks of the inuisible Church Againe VVe say the marks of the Catholike Church simply so called are knowne to God alone And D. Humfrey to 3. reason of F. Campian pa. 281. sayth that the marks do not reach vnto the nature of the true Church And the reason is manifest because as I sayd otherwise we should know who were the iust and elect 4. If any againe reply that when Protestants say The true visible Church they meane the visible Church true in doctrine in which speach there is no contradiction according to their owne opinion because they admit that the visible Church that is the society in true doctrine and right vse of Sacraments into which Church or society the wicked or reprobate may enter may be true in doctrine though they graunt not that such a Church or society be the true Church in nature or essence Which perhaps Vorstius meant in his Antibellarm pa. 180. when he sayd The outward Church is not without cause called the true church of Christ by reason of the prosession of true doctrine I answere if they so meant why did they not speak so were they ignorant that it is one thing to be true in doctrine or in speach and another to be true in nature as a lyer is a true man in nature of man but not true in his speach Or if they did know this why did they abuse the words and their hearers Moreouer though in this sense their words did not destroy themselues as they did in the former yet fondly should they as they vse to do assigne the truth of doctrine for the marke of the true Church in doctrine For this were to assigne a thing for a mark of it self as if to know a true man of his word one should giue this marke that it is such as speaketh truth Besides this were rather to define what is a true man then to giue the marke to know who is a true man And yet marks are giuen to know which is the true Church not what is the nature of the true Church 5. If yet any reply that the visible Church or
22 I deny sayth be this Succession of Pastors to be alwayes notorious to the world And in his answere to Stapletons Cauillat who will acknowledge that she alone it the true Church who can shew her Pastors in a continuall succession D. Humfrey to 3. Reason of F. Campian p. 288. confesseth that not so much as the names of the Pastors who taught their Church were extant D. Whitaker Cont. 2 quest 5. cap. 6. page 508. thus writeth VVhat then was the succession of our Pastors alwayes visible No. For this is not needfull Though therefore our Pastors were not in tymes past manifest neither can we name then yet c. D. Morton in the first part of his Apology lib. 1. cap. 21. sayth that the Catholike church cannot alwayes shew the ordination of Pastors D. White in his way to the church pag. 410 I haue shewed the teachers of our fayth do lawfully succeed and so alway haue done though not outwardly and visibly to the world The like he hath pag. 411. and 436. Sadel wrote his book de vocatione MinistroruÌ„ against such Protestants as thought that their ministers wanted all lawfull calling because sayd they they haue no perpetuall visible succession from the Apostles vnto these tymes And himselfe there pag. 560. confesseth that visible succession hath byn broken of for many years in the church Thou seest good reader how they plainly confesse that before Luther start vp their Pastors were vnknowne to the world not manifest their succession not always visible their names not extant nor they can be named of Protestants And indeed and effect they all confesse the same when as none of them can produce any one man worthy of credit who heard any Protestant preacher who before Luther arose preached iustification by only fayth and the other fundamentall points of Protestancy 2. Secondly Luther eyther complaineth or boasteth for sometyme he alone preached Protestancy In his Preface vpon his 1. tome At first I was alone Luther alone And in his booke of the captiuity of Babylon tom 2. fol. 63 At that tyme I alone did role this stone And against the King of England fol. 497 I alone stood in the battell I alone was compelled to cast my selfe vpon the weapons of the Emperour and the Pope I stood alone in danger forsaken of all helped of none And vpon the graduall psalmes tom 3. fol. 5â—5 In the beginning of my quarrell I took all the matter vpon my selfe and did think that by Gods help I alone should sustaine it And otherwhere as before is reported he sayth that without him others should not haue knowne one iot of the Ghospell Melancthon in the Preface of the Acts of Ratisbon tom 4. pag. 730 sayth Luther alone durst medle with the errors of the Popes schooles Zuinglius in his Exegesis to 2. termeth Luther Ionathas who alone durst set vpon the campe of the Philistians And Caluin in his Admonition to Westphalus pag. 787. saith Luther alone doubted not to set vpon all Popery Besides Luther as before we haue rehearsed writeth that the only scripture was left whereby men might recouer the fayth But if at that tyme there had byn other Protestant Pastors the scripture had not byn alone and without Luther men might haue learnt the gospell Neither had Luther byn left alone and forsaken of all The Protestant Ministery wholy perished but some of them would haue stept out and seconded him especially after they saw that the preached without all danger 3. Thirdly Protestants do sometyme plainly say that their ministery was wholy perished before Luther arose Taken away Luther in his booke of priuate Masse tom 2. fol. 249 Papists haue taken out of the Church the true Ministery of the word And of the Institution of Ministers fol. 372. Aboloshed he writeth that Protestant ordination was by Papists abolished and extinguished And vpon the graduall psalm tom 3. fol. 568 The Church had no true Ministry vnder Antichrist No true Ministery Vpon the 25. of Genesis tom 6. fol. 319 In our tyme after those Popish monsters the true knowledge of the word and of diuine ordination was extinguished And vpon the 49. chap. fol. 655 Extinguished VVe are not the church for any ordinary succession Caluin epist 290 Because the true ranck of ordination was broken of by the tyranny of the Pope now we need haue new help to raise againe the Church BrokeÌ„ of And in Answere to Sadolet pag. 132. he writeth that when the supremacy of the Pope was set vp the true order of the Church perished Perished And of true reformation p. 322 Not without cause do we auouch the Church of God for some ages to haue byn so ioâ—ne and scattered that is it was destitute of true Pastors Beza in his Catechisme Destitute of Pastors title of the Church cap. 5 sect 18 In our tyme it came to passe thinges being so fallen downe that there was left no place for ordinary vocation And epist 5. pag. 39 In our tyme ordinary vocation Ordinary vocation no where which no where was neither could nor ought to be expected And Epist 24 Ye know being taught by fresh examples how the publike ministry being as it were ouerwhelmed for a tyme yet the church of God remaineth And epist 81 The matter came to that passe Ouerthrown to the grouÌ„d that the Ecclesiasticall order was wholy ouerthrowne euen to the foundation the vaine names therof only remayning And lib. de Notis Eccles pag. 82 They who in our memory haue freed the church from the tyranny of Antichrist had none of whome they might lawfully aske or receiue imposition of hands And epist 86 It is maniâ—est that for some ages lawfull order was quite abolished in the Church Quite abolished none not so much as the slenderest shadow of the cheifest part of ecclesiasticall calling remayning The French Confession art 31 Sometymes as in our age the state of the Church being interrupted it was needfull that some Pastors should be extraordinarily raysed of God Sadeel also de Vocat Ministrorum p. 556. sayth that true Order of Pastors was interrupted D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 6. pag. 510 VVe say that our mens calling was not ordinary but extraordinary Wholy corrupted because ordinary calling was wholy corrupted Againe The state of the Church was fallen and wholy ouerturned And pag. 612 VVhen ordinary succession was corrupted God found an extraordinary way by which the Church might be restored For God would that this restauration should be made not in the old foundation that is in succession of Bishops but after a certaine new extraordinary manner And D. White in defence of his way cap 49. pag. 421 Finding no other kind of Pastors sayth that the Protestant Pastors were euen those who liued in communion of the Roman Greek Armenian and such like Churches and addeth that his aduersary doth deceiue the reader when he intimateth that Protestants goe
about to shew any other kind of Pastors Finally all those who affirme that the vocation or Mission of Luther and their first Ministers was extraordinary must needs say that there were no former Protestant Pastours of whome they could haue byn sent or approued ProtestaÌ„ts say the Church may be without Pastors 4. The same also they insinuate when they teach that the Church may be without Pastors which they affirme that thereby they may defend the being of their own Church before Luther when it had no Pastors Luther in cap. 4. Oseae tom 4. fol 295 As if the Church were tyed to any certaine order of Ministery The Confession of Saxony cap. 12 God estsoones restoreth the Ministery Caluin of true Reform pag. 332 I graunt indeed that it can neuer fall out that the Church perish but when they referre that to Pastors which is promised of the perpetuall continuance of the church in that they are much deceiued For the Church doth not perish streight if Pastors he wanting Beza of the notes of the Church pag. 55 Ordinary succession and vocation of Pastors was not always needfull or perpetuall Sadeel in Answere to the abiured articles pag. 533 It is false that the outward Ministery must be perpetuall The same he hath in Repetit Sophism Turriani pag. 763. Iunius and Danaeus lib. 4. de Eccles cap. 8. Bucan in his 41. place de Eccles quest 19 Sometyme the outward and vsuall ministry of the church being interrupted the Church is extraordinarily nourished of God as it were in the desert Keckerman in his Theologicall Systeme lib. 3. pag. 397 The Church is often pressed so that the order of succession of Pastors must be somewhat interrupted And Vorstius in his Antibellarm pag. 158 The ordinary succession vseth oftentymes to be interrupted for some tyme. Luâ—bert in his 5. booke of the church cap. 5 VVe say that the church may for a short space be depriued of Pastors D. Whitaker c. 6. before cited pag. 510 I gather that true and lawfull succession may be broken of and that it is not a true but only an accidentall note of the Church because it pertaineth not to the essence of the Church but only to her externall state And pag. 512 VVe say that ordinary succession hath oftentymes byn interrupted and cut of in the true Church D. Morton lib. cit cap. 17. writeth thus The matter of the proposition to wit where there is no succession there is no Church ye know to be weake And cap. 18. he affirmeth this saying to be false Succession of doctrine cannot be deuided from succession of persons And cap. 23. sayth Succession of fayth may be without succession of doctrine and succession of doctrine without succession of persons D. Fulke lib. de Succes pag. 319 Yea euen the very publike preaching of the word may be silent for a tyme and the Church being depriued for a tyme of this ordinary meanes of her saluation may be preserued so long of God And D. VVhite in his way to the Church pag. 87 All the externall gouernment of the Church may come to decay in that the locall and personall Succession of the Pastors may be interrupted And pag. 403 For the externall Succession we care not it is sufficient that in doctrine they succeded the Apostles and primitiue Churches and those faythfull witnesses which in all ages since imbraced the same 5. By the foresayd Confessions of Protestants it is most cleare that when Luther began to play the Pastor there was no Protestant preacher at all For they acknowledge that they are no Church for any ordinary succession that the true order of the church perished that the true Ministery was taken out of the Church true knowledge of diuine ordination was extinguished and ordination abolished and decayed That the Church had no true Ministery and that she was destitute of true Pastors And that they meane these words both of a substantiall vniuersall destruction of true Ministry is manifest both by the selfe same words and others also For they adde withall that the state of the church was quite ouerthrowne ordinary vocation wholy corrupted that ordinary vocation was no where no place left for ordinary vocation and there were none of whome those who freed their Church from Popery might receiue imposition of hands that the state of the Church was so interrupted that God must raise vp Pastors extraordinarily that the true ranck of ordination was so cut of as that their needed a new succour and a new foundation lastly that the Ecclesiastical order the vaine names therof only remayning was ouerthrowne from the foundation and lawfull order quit abolished that there was not left so much as the slenderest shadow of the cheifest parts of ecclesiasticall vocation In which words either they say that there was neuer a Protestant Pastor at all or that can be sayd by no words whatsoeuer And such was the state and condition of the Protestant church not for a small tyme but as themselues say for some ages And for this cause vsually they call Luther his first partners their (a) Plessie l. 1. de Eccl. c. 11. Napp in 14. Apocal. first ministers first (b) Sadeel de Vocat pag. 556. teachers first (c) Gâ—alt Praefat. in ep ad Rom restorers of the ghospell first (d) Perk. in â— Galat. cap. 11. preachers of the ghospell first restorers of the house of God Apostles and Euangelists 6. Finally I proue that there was no true Protestant preacher before Luther out of the reall coÌ„fession of all Protestants For none of them all can by any sufficient testimony or argument proue that there was any such Pastor Wherefore this is rashly affirmed and fondly belieued 〈◊〉 Marc. â— Either proue sayth Tertullian that which thou belieuest or if thou prouest it not how doest thou belieue it And that common argument of theirs wherewith they vse to proue that they had a Church and Pastors at all tymes because they bring the Scripture to proue their doctrine to be true we shall hereafter shew to be a most vaine Sophisme And besides themselues do ouerthrow it in teaching as we haue seene that the Church may be without Pastors wherby it would not follow that they had Pastors albeit they could by the Scripture proue that before Luther they had a Church Moreouer then those who endeauour to name some Protestant preachers or Pastors before Luthers tyme do plainly shew that there was no true and absolute Protestant Pastor to wit such as taught iustification by only faith and the rest of the fundamentall opinions of Protestancy For the Apology of the Church of England pag. 103. sayth That they gaue not so cleare a light but lightned as it were some sparck The Confession of Saxony cap. 12 That they ioyned stable vnto the foundation Cruciger and Rorarius in Luther tom 1. fol. 202 That they had some litle light D. Fulke of Success pag. 131 That perhaps in all points
they knew not the Apostolicall doctrine And D. Whitaker de Scriptura lib. 2. cap. 8. sect vlt Howsoeuer they were enuironed with most grosse darknesse yet they told some sparckes of truth and shewed them to others And what other thing I pray you is this but to confesse that such were but Protestants in part and in some sort Yea they name some whome they confesse to haue reprehended only certaine abuses amongst the Papists as Melancthon in his Answere to the Bauarian articles tom 3. fol. 369. and Illyricus in his Catalogue lib. 15. confesse of Hilten It remayneth yet for the accomplishing of this demonstration that we also shew by the Confessions of Protestants that the true Church of God can neuer want Pastors as they haue confessed theirs to haue wanted for the space of some ages That the true Church cannot be without Pastors CHAP. VIII 1. THAT the Church can neuer be without Pastors I proue first out of the Confessions of the Protestant faith For thus professe they to belieue in the Confession of Saxony cap. 12 The Sonne of God hath giuen ministers of the Ghospell vnto the Church to the end it do not quite perish Againe He would haue alwayes a company in mankind in which the Sonne himselfe appointed and conserued the Ministery of keeping and spredding his doctrine The Confession of Suitzers cap. 18 God hath alwayes vsed ministers for to setle and gather him a Church and also for to gouerne and preserue it and vseth the same now and further will vse them whiles the Church shall be on earth The French Confession art 25 VVe belieue the Church cannot consist if it haue not Pastors who haue the office of teaching The Confession of the low Countries art 30 VVe belieue that the true Church ought to be gouerned and ruled by that spirituall policy which God hath taught in his word so that there be Pastors and ministers in it And the Confession of Strasburg Seing the â—hurch is the Kingdome of God it hath diuers functions of ministers 2. Secondly I proue it because for the church to be without Pastors is to want some part of the essence and definition giuen by the Protestants themselues For Luther Proposition 15. to 1. fol. 385. thus defineth a Church It is a number of baptized persons and belieuers vnder one Pastor And tom 2. fol. 366. he sayth The publike Ministery of the word whereby the Mysteries of God are dispensed must be instituted by holy ordination as the thing which in the Church is the cheifest and principallest of all Kemnice in his Common places title of the Church pag. 146 The Church consisteth of Pastors and learners Gerlachius in his 22. Disput pag. 966 The Church is not a company meeting by chance or disordered but called by the voice of the cryers of the word for to heare the doctrine of the Ghospell Caluin 4. Institut cap. 2. § 7 The Ministery is the cheifest sinew and soule of the Church Beza of the Notes of the Church pag. 9 By the name of the Church properly taken it is certaine that not only Pastors but also stocks are vnderstood Iunius Cont. 5. lib. 1. cap. 15 God instituted orders in the Church for the essentiall outward constitution therof D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 6. pag. 508 The Church cannot subsist without Pastors of whome it is taught For doctrine doth make and constitute the Church and is her soule and life And cap. 18. pag. 546 The Church is no other number then that which holdeth the pure preaching of the word and right vse of the Sacraments And cap. 17. dag 541 Syncere preaching of the word and lawfull administration of the Sacraments do make the church in so much as whersoeuer they be there the Church is and where they be not the Church is not D. Feild in his 2. booke of the Church cap. 6 The Ministery of Pastors and teachers is absolutely and essentially necessary to the being of the Church And lib. 1. cap. 10 Bellarmine laboureth in vaine in prouing that there is and alwayes hath byn a visible Church and that not consisting of some few scattered Christians without order of Ministry or vse of Sacraments for all this we do most willingly yield vnto Yea the Philosophers by the light of reason perceiued that it is impossible they should be a Common wealth without Magistrates This same also is manifest by many other definitions which Protestants haue made of the Church and we haue rehearsed them before in which they place true preaching and administration as essentiall parts of the true Church which yet cannot be without Pastors 3. Besides this were against the definitions of the Church giuen by the holy Fathers For thus writeth S. Cyprian epist 79 The Church is the people vnited to the Priest and the flock cleauing to the Pastor And this he proueth out of those words of our Sauiour Math. 16 Thou art Peter and vpon this rock will I build my Church S. Hierome also in his dialogues against the Luciferians It is no Church which hath no Priest S. Ignatius in his epist ad Trallianos VVithout these Priests the elect Church is not no congregation without these no meeting of Saints And whereas Danaeus lib. 4. de Eccl. cap. 8. sayth that these Fathers define only a visible church that auaileth nothing because indeed there is no Church on earth which is not visible in profession of faith Againe Pastors shall be at least of the essence of the visible Church and consequently the Protestant Church which before Luther wanted Pastors was no visible Church Furthermore S. Cyprian proueth his definition out of those words of Christ Matt. 16. which as is certaine and Protestants confesse are spoken of the true Church in the sight of God And S. Ignatius sayth that there is no elect church no congregation of Saints without Priests which he must needs meane of the true Church And Saint Hierome simply sayth it is no Church which hath no Priests which he could no wayes say if the true Church in the sight of God could be without Priests And hereby also is refuted Sadeel in Repetit Sophism Turriani pag. 652. when he sayth The definition of S. Cyprian is not essentiall nor properly teacheth what the Church is but what a one it ought to be For S. Cyprian inferreth out of his definition that if one be not with the Bishop he is not in the Church And Saint Hierome pronounceth one Hilaries sect to haue perished with him because he left no Pastor behind him And for this cause the Fathers do still obiect vnto heretiks the want of succession of Pastors as an euident marke that they are not the Church as euen Protestants themselues confesse For thus writeth D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 6. pag. 509 The Fathers rebuked heretiks that they wanted succession of Bishops Sadeel of Vocation of Ministers pag. 546 S. Augustin oftentyms opposed this succession against the Manichees and
the Pope is that Antichrist wherof S. Paul speaketh 5. The third argument they wring out of the 12. Apocal. where it is sayd that the dragon shall cause the woman that is the Church to fly into the wildernesse This also is a fallacy not vnlike to the former First because it is more vnknowne that the Protestant church is the woman or the true church or the Pope that Dragon or the Popery the desert heÌ„ that Protestants were heretofor amongst Papists Againe there is no speach at all that the Church shold be so long tyme and so secret as Protestants say their church was in Popery Yea the tyme which this woman was to abide in the wildernesse is set downe to be 1260 dayes or as it is sayd cap. 20. a small tyme. And as Luther vpon Daniel tom 4. fol 265. and Bullinger conc 46. in Apocal. write Almost all Doctours attribute but 3. yeares and halfe to the persecution of Antichrist Wherefore these kind of testimonies by which Protestants make shew to proue that their Church was heretofore in Popery are but as S. Augustin speaketh of the like testimonies vsed by Donatists De vnit c. 19.23 Slender snares of delayes wherewith you vnderprop an euill cause by delaying But we demaund some manifest testimony Therefore bring out some manifest produce some thing that needeth no interpreter or if you cannot performe that which so iustly we demaund of you belieue truth hold your peace sleep a nap and after waken to saluation 6. Their 4. Sophisme they draw out of reason in this sort As soone as Protestancy was publikly preached many came out of Popery and followed it Therefore there were who in Popery did belieue it This fallacy is nothing better then the former For if it be reduced to a Syllogisme it will be found to rely vpon this principle If any in a company do follow the preaching of a new doctrine there were some therin that before tym belieued it which principle is manifestly false For neuer any heretiks preached whome some vnsetled Christians did not follow and yet who will say that there was neuer any heresy preached which before had not byn belieued of some Christians Epist Monitor pag. 107. Whitak cont 2. q. 5. c. 6. Pless de Eccles c. 11. Sadeel Refutat Posnan c. 10. Besides Protestants account it for a wonderfull miracle that at the beginning so many Papists came out of Popery vnto them but it had byn no shadow of miracle if before they had byn ProtestaÌ„ts Morouer the number of Papists forsaking Popery argueth not that before tymes they had byn Protestants but that they were vnsetled Papists who as the Scripture speaketh were carryed about with euery wind of doctrine Ephes 4. and that protestancy is a voluptuous and licentius doctrine because as Caluin sayth deceitfull doctrines do soone bewray themselues whiles they are admitted of all men with gentle cares Praef. Inst and are heard of the world applauding thereto 7. Of all which hath byn sayd in this and the former chapter I frame my fift demonstration in this manner If the Protestant Church and Religion were no where before Luther arose it was not all But before him it was no wher Therfore not at all And by him it got to be some where Therefore by him it got to be The minor is manifest by all that hath byn sayd in the former chapter The case of the protestant Church before Luther And the maior is euident by it selfe For no company of men much lesse a Catholike or vniuersall Church can be and be no where And these 5. demonstrations which hitherto we haue made haue byn taken out of the state wherein the Protestants confesse their Church to haue byn before Luther arose For by them hath beene shewed that before him according to the most free most frequent and most euident confessions of the famousest Protestants it had no (a) Cap. 8. Pastours to gouerne no (b) Cap. 3. sheep to be gouerned no (c) Cap. 5. appearance to be seene no (d) Cap. 9. place to abide no (e) Cap. 1. being to be What then could it be but a fiction of lying men or an imagination of phrantike men vainely deuised vntruly auouched and foundly belieued That all the Protestants first heard of had beene in former tymes Papists CHAP. XI THE 6. demoÌ„stratioÌ„ for to proue Luther to haue bin the Author of ProtestaÌ„cie shall be grounded vpon that all ProtestaÌ„ts who were first heard of had bin al Papists before Luther began to teach Luther before a Papist Of himselfe thus writeth Luther Prefat in tom 1. Before all things I request the godly reader that he read all with iudgement and consider that I was once a monck and a most madde Papist when I began this cause so druncken and drowned in Papistry that I was most ready to kill all if I had bin able c. And in psalm 45 tom 3. fol. 441 I was baptised in the Popes house I was catechised c And in psalm 51. fol 476 I wholy liued so in trust of my iustices as if any had then â—aught that which I now teach I thinck I should haue torne him with my teeth And in cap. 1 Galat. tom 5. fol. 291 If any at anytime surely I before the light of the gospell did thinck piously and was zealous for Popish lawes and traditions of Fathers and did in great earnestnes vrge and defend them as holy and the obseruation of them as necessary to saluation I purely adored the Pope and what soeuer I did I did of a simple heart a good zeale and to the glory of God The authority of the Pope was so great with me that I iudged it a crime worthy of eternall damnation to dissent from him and would haue subministred with fire and sword for the defence of the Popes authority 2. Melancthon who as Caluin writeth was a principall Minister of God in doing great matters and was indeed Luthers chiefest instrument in his dispute of Matrimony tom 2. Luther fol. vlt. giueth God thaÌ„ckes Melancthon first a Papist that he was deliuered out of the kingdome of Antichrist and Poposh errors and sayth as reporteth Scusselburg tom 13. Catal. Haer. pag. 625. of himselfe I moued not these controuersies but fell into them after they were moued which being many and not explicated I began to consider them with a desire of truth And the Saxonicall Ministers in the CoÌ„ference of Alburg Scrip. 7. pag. 349. write that Melancthon of his owne accord acknowledged himselfe a scholler of Luther yea the whole Vniuersity of Witterberg The Vniuersity of Witterberg first Papist out of which almost al Luthers first champions came was in former times Popish as appeareth by their epistle ad Milititium tom 1. Lutheri fol. 205. where thus they write VVe are so affected both to all the Christian Religion and the sea Apostolike and holy Church of Rome that if we
were certaine that D. Martin Luther were fallen into so foule and impious errours we first of all would not only yield him vp to the law but also would punish him and cast him out And in their Epistle to Pope Leo 10. ibid. fol. 206. Most holy Faoher we deuout and obedient children of your Holynes do most humbly earnestly beseech c. And below Neither would we euer seeme such as would pertinaciously hold any opinion contrary to the Catholike doctrine ready at all tymes to obey yours and the holy Churches behests in Christ And in another letter to Fredericke the Elector fol. 227. Aboue all thinges we exceedingly like that your highnesse simply and purely honoureth the holy Church and the Pope Neither will we euer be of any other mind VVe preferre nothing before the iudgment of the Roman Church And not only the Vniuersity but the people of VVittemberg were also Catholiks as Luther declareth in these wordes to Fredericke Elector fol. 330. It cannot be denyed that the Reformation of doctrine and religion in this Church of VVittemberg began by me 3. Fredericke also the Elector Frederike Elector first Catholke and Luthers chief Patron was a Papist For thus himselfe writeth to Cardinall Raphael tom 1. Lutheri fol. 228. Your kindnes God willing shall neuer see that I haue any other mind or will then to shew my selfe obedient and officious vnto the Catholike Church And his Counsailers tom 2. fol. 116. professe that he is an obedient sonne of the Holy Catholike Church And likewise tom 1. fol. 101. Fredericke the Elector aboue all loueth the Catholike and Apostolike truth Besides as Luther writeth tom 7. sermone de simulacris he put siluer statuaes in the Church thinking thereby to merit at Gods hands And tom 2. lib. de abroganda Missa fol. 268. He deceaued by Papists did greatly increase and adorne the house of All Saints He founded also a Colledge of Canons where he kept Masse vntill the end of the yeare 1524. as Chytreus testifieth lib. 11. histor Saxon. and Luther intimateth in formula Missae tom 2. fol 387. saying Be not you or any other afraid that in our VVittemberg that sacrilegious Tophee remayneth as yet which is the wicked and lost mony of the Princes of Saxony I meane the temple of All Saints 4. Pomeranus Bugenlage the Pomeran and first Protestant of VVittembrge had beene before a Papist For as Scultet concione saecul pag 15. reporteth when he first read Luthers booke de captiu he sayd Since the beginning of the world the Sunne neuer beheld a greater heretike then Luther Of Osiander Osiander thus writteth Danaeus respons ad Leonicum pag. 1518. He was a most wicked Frāciscan Erier His proper name was Hosen that is hose or hosier but of hosier he would be called Hosion that is a holy man 5. The same also we manifest of the Captains of the Sacramentaryes among whom Zuinglius Zuinglius writeth thus of himselfe epist ad Fratres tom 1. fol. 341. I will not deny that in tymes past I receaued guists of the Pope For then I thought it lawfull to vse the Popes liberality when I thought it a pious and godly matter to defend to my strength his Religion and fayth And Luther lib. de Coena writeth that Zuinglius was become seauen tymes worse then when he maintayned Popish religion Likewise Oecolampadius Oecolampadius Zuinglius his cheifest partener thus witnesseth of himselfe respons poster ad Porkey merum pag. 108. I entred into a Monastery being of a good age and a man Doctor and with mature aduise To which Hospin addeth part 2. hist fol. 35. He entred two yeures before into the Monastery of our Sauiour neere to Auspurge and there became a Monke fearing some danger of the common wealth by Luthers writings Pelicanus And ibidem fol. 42. he sayth that Pellican was a Franciscan And fol. 213. that Bucer Bucer became a Dominican in his childhood of whome also and Peter Martyr D. Andrewes Respons ad Apol Bellar. sayth They left their monkish life 6. Of Caluin Caluin thus testifyeth himself lib de scandalis pag. 100. Vnder the Popes tyranny I was free to marry since God deliuered me from thence c. And respons ad Sadolet pag. 122. If I would haue prouided for my matters I should neuer haue left your faction In his Testament God deliuered we from the deep darknes of Idolatry wherein I was drowned And Pareus lib. 2. de amiss grat cap. 1. VVhence were Luther and Caluin but of Papists The same appeareth out of his life written by Beza where he sayth that he had a benefice in the Cathedral Church of Noyon and the cure of a Parish thereby and that he was first put in mind of Protestancy by Robert Oliuetan That Peter Martyr Peter Martyr was long tyme both Catholike and Canon regular Simler testifyeth in his life which also he affirmeth of Zanchius Zanchius saying that he was one of the 18. companiōs that forsaking Popery followed Peter Martyr who also in his preface de Natura Dei sayth that he was 35. yeares of age when he left Babylon 7. Concerning the Lutherans in generall Lutherās in general thus writeth Luther epist ad Erford fol. 500. In which errour of Antichrist we being all stifled enthralled wlth a grieuous and miserable slauery did serue the God and Prince of this world seruing the same in sinnes and all kind of impiety And tom 4. in cap. 43. Isaiae fol. 179. VVe are accounted heretikes of the Pope as who haue deuided our selues from that Church wherein we were baptized and instructed In cap. 4. Galat. tom 5. fol. 377. VVe old men were brought vp in that Popish fayth and haue so swallowed it that it hath entred the most inward sinewes of our harts And therefore we forget it with no lesse paynes then we learne the true sayth Ye heare how hardly the very first Protestants could become Protestants leaue to be Papists And in cap. 11. Genes tom 6. fol. 129. he thus boasteth VVe are holy Apostataes for we haue fallen from Antichrist and the Church of Satan Melancthon likewise in cap. 7. Math. tom 1. fol. 406. VVe were heeretofore subiect to the Popes kingdome Tom. 2. cont Suenefeld pag. 200. VVe departed from the Popes Churches Tom. 3. ad Art Bauar fol. 364. There was necessary cause that we should forsake the Papists And tom 4. in Act. VVormat pag. 403. VVe haue iust cause of departure from the Popish congregation and with good conscience we forsooke the consent of so many Nations Iames Andrewes cont Hosium pag. 332. The more aged doe gratefully acknowledge that they came from you that is lest you and your doctrine And Schuffelburg in Epist dedicat tom 8. Catal. haeret hath these wordes It is behoofull to haue before our eyes the causes whereon our consciences may in the stormes of tentations rely why in this our age Ancestours
ready to proue out of the scripture that we professe the same doctrine of fayth and manners which Christ would haue to be perpetuall by euident reason our succession is manifest althogh all Historyes were silent of the names of the Persons and continuation of succession And the like he hath pag. 154. and 331. D. White in his way pag. 403. sayth he knoweth his Church was alwayes because it holdeth the fayth of the Scripture which cannot be extinguished The like he sayth pag. 320. 326. Likewise Luther de notis Eccles tom 7. fol. 149. Caluin in Matth. cap. 24. vers 28. and generally al of them whiles they make the truth of doctrin the infallible marke of the Church Lib. 2. contra Arian O proofe that I may cry out in S. Augustins words O errour o dotage And with S. Athanase A worthy heresy which wanteth probable reasons to vnder proppe it For this argument on which all their belief that their Church was before Luther doth rely is a most fond sophisme and most counterfait syllogisme as manifestly appeareth whether it be framed in that forme wherein D. Whitaker hath proposed it or whether it be reduced to this forme That Church which holdeth the true doctrine of Christ hath alwayes beene and consequently before Luther The Protestant Church holdeth the true doctrin holdeth the true doctrin of Christ as say they we will proue by scripture Therefore it hath bin alway 3. I answere that this argument is a manifest sophime for many causes For if the Maior be particuler so that the sense thereof be Some Church which holdeth the true doctrine of Christ hath alwayes beene it is true because the catholik church which holdeth Christs true doctrine hath alwayes been but then the Syllogisme is sophism for want of due forme inferring a conclusion out of particuler propositioÌ„s But if the Maior be vniuersall according as it is made of D. Whitaker then so farre is it from being out of controuersy as he affirmeth that it is manifestly false and no way true but only apparant and therefore vnfit to make a true syllogisme but only a counterfait and a sophisme ProtestaÌ„ts assume a manifest falsity That it is manifestly false is euident because that Church or company of ChristiaÌ„s which is strictly and properly termed schismatical holdeth the true doctrine of Christ as both the Fathers teach and the Protestants themselues doe also most plainely affirme yet it is not the true church of Christ Wherefore sith as the Philosopher teacheth those thinges are probable which seem true to all or to most or to wise men and those either al or most or most approued and such as are not probable serue only to make sophismes The foresayd Maior not seeming true to all or most or the wisest Christians yea not euen to the Protestants themselues it is manifest that it is no probable propositioÌ„ but only apparent and therefore not fit to make a true syllogisme but only an apparent and counterfait 4. That the Fathers teach that a Schismatical Church holdeth the true doctrine of Christ is manifest by S. Augustine who lib. quest Euang. pag. 28. tom 4. sayth It vseth to be enquired wherein Schismatickes differ from heretâ—kes That Schismatikes hold true doctrine and this found that no difference in faytht but breach of society in communion maketh Schismatikes And lib. de fide Symbolo cap. 10 Heretikes by belieuing wrong of God violate the fayth but Schismatickes by wicked diuisions leape from fraternall charity albeit they belieue aright those thinges which we belieue And lib. cont Gaud. cap. 9. refuteth him because he had sayd that Schismatikes and Heretikes are the same against which he sayth Thou art a Schismatike by sacrilegious diuision and an heretike by sacrilegious opinion And lib. 1. cont Cresc cap. 29. and de gest is cum Emerito affirmeth that the same fayth is had out of the Church S. Hierome in Tit. 3. VVe iudge this difference to be between heresy and schism that heresy holdeth a naughty opinion schisme separateth from the Church by dissention of Bishops S. Gregory lib. 18. Moral cap. 14. Some doe belieue false thinges of God others by Gods help belieue rightly of God but keep not vnity with their brethren these are diuided by schisme S. Isidor lib. 8. Origin cap 3. Schisme tooke its name of breach for it beleeueth the same religion and rites that others do only is pleased to keep company a part The same teach S. Ireneus lib. 4. cap. 62. S. Chrysost hom 3. in 1. Cor. S. Optat. lib. 1. 4. 5. cont Parmen and others And it is manifest by reason For if Schismatikes did erre also in Fayth they should not differ from heretikes And it is grauÌ„ted both of old and new Heretikes For thus sayth Faustus in S. Augustine lib. 20. cont Faustum cap. 3. Schisme if I be not deceaued is to belieue the same to worship God in the same manner that others do only to be delighted with diuision of assemblyes Caluin 4. Institut cap. 2. § 5. Austin putteth this difference betwixt heretikes and schismatiks that they corrupt the sincerity of the fayth with false doctrines these sometymes euen hauing the like saith breake asunder the band of society And in 1. Cor. cap. 11. vers 19. It is known in what sense the ancient vsed both these nams schisme heresy they put heresy in difference of doctrine but schisme rather in alienation of minds to wit when any either vpon enuy or hatred of the Pastours or of frowardnesse departed from the Church Beza libro de puniendis Haereticis pag. 89 Shism properly is the diuision of those who belieue the same things And pag. 150. Let them remember that we terme them not heretikes who are properly called Schismatiques The same he hath in 1. Cor. 1. v. 10. and other where Plessie lib. de Eccles cap. 1. pag. 16 VVe call erroneous Churches either heretikes or schismatikes according as they erre either in fayth or in charity And pag. 32. VVhat pertaineth to schismaticall Churches either they are simply schismaticall or when heresy also is adioyned as it vseth after schisme as an ague after a wound And cap. 10. pag. 340. True and pure Schismatiks are those who holding the same doctrine yet make meetinges a part Peter Martyr in locis tit de Schism pag. 618. I thinke it more plaine to define Schisme to be a cutting a sunder of the Ecclesiasticall peace vnity And pag. 619 There may be schisme in the Church without heresy Aretius also in locis part 2. fol. 10 Schisme sometymes in the same doctrin breaketh society Bucan in loc quest 33. de Eccl. affirmeth that shismatiks differ from heretiks because heresy properly is dissention in doctrine Polâ—n part 2. Thes de notis Eccl. Albeit schismatical Churches agree in the doctrine of truth c. Zanchius tract de Eccles cap. There may be breach in the symboles of Charity that is in
participation of Sacraments communication of publike prayer and such like other Ecclesiasticall exercises to wit when one thought he agree with the rest of the Church of Christ in the principall heades of Christian fayth yet I know not for what light causes withdraweth himselfe from the rest of the Church and communicateth not with her in the sacraments Such sayth he are properly called schismatikes M. Perkins in cap. 5. Galat. vers 21. Heresy is in doctrin Schisme in manners order and gouernement D. Fulke de Success pag. 165 There may be schisme in the Church where the same doctrine is held on both partyes the one wanteth lawfull succession D. Field lib. 1. of the Church cap. 7 Some professe the whole sauing fayth but not in vnity as schismatiks Dancus in August de haeres cap. 3. He is a schismatike who retayning the same doctrine of fayth and that entire yet without probable and better reason followeth not the decent rites of the Church The same he hath Apol. pro Heluet. Eccles pag. 1485. Bullinger tom 1. Decad. 5. serm 2. Vorstius in Antibellarm pag. 190. D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 5. cap. 10. D. Rainolds Praelect 1. col 2. Heshusius in 1. Cor. 1. and others 5. Now that proper Schismatikes to wit such as willfully separate themselues from the Communion of the Church be not members or parts of the Church is cleare by the testimony of the Fathers That Schismatikes are out of the Church the confessions of Protestants and manifest reason S. Augustin lib. de fide symbolo cap. 10. sayth Neither doth an heretike belong to the Catholike Church nor a schismatike Tract 3. in 1. Ioan. All heretikes all schismatikes are gone out of the Church Lib. 3. de Baptism cap. 19. All heretikes and schismatikes are false Christians And lib 2. cont Crescon cap. 29 I thinke not that any so doteth to belieue him to belong to the vnity of the Church who hath not charity The like he hath in many places S. Ambrose lib. 7. in Luc. cap. 11. Vnderstand that all heretikes and schismatikes are separated from the kingdome of God and from the Church S. Optatus lib. 2. The Church cannot be with any heretikes or schismatikes S. Fulgentius de fide ad Petrum cap. 38 Belieue most stedfastly and doubt nothing that not only all Pagans but also all Iewes Heretiks schismatiks which end this life out of the church are to go into euerlasting fire The same teach S. Hierome S. Chrysostome loc cit S. Ignatius Epist ad Smyrnens S. Iren. lib. 4. cap. 62. S. Cyprian lib. de vnit epist 42.51.55 S. Prosper de vocat Gentium cap. 4. and the rest The protestants confessions of this matter we related heeretofore amongst whome say Lib. 1. c. â— num â— that this is an vndoubted truth Reason also conuinceth the same for as Caluin confesseth 4. Institut loc cit The coÌ„munion of the Church is held with two bandes to wit consent of doctrine and fraternall charity But Schismatikes breake the band of fraternall charity therefore they are not within the Church Againe Danaeus lib. 3. de Eccl. c. 5. sayth This is the marke that thou art of the visible Church that outwardly thou professe the fayth communicate with the rest of the Church in the same SacrameÌ„ts but schismatikes doe not communicate in Sacramentes with the rest of the Church And D. Feild lib. 2. of the Church cap. 2. sayth Communion in Sacramentes vnder lawful Pastours is an essential note of the true Catholike Church but Shismatiks want this communion And Casaubon epist ad Card. Peron pag. 9. The true Churches of Christ are vnited in the vnity of fayth and doctrine and coniunction of minds and in true charity and offices of charity especially of mutuall prayer But Schismatikes are not vnited in charity and offices of mutuall prayer Finally only Catholikes are members of the Catholike Church as is euident and (a) VVhi. conc 2. q. 5. cap. 3. Protestants confesse But Schismatikes are not Catholiks as the very name doth declare the Fathers doc teach and (b) Gesner loc 24. Field l. de Eccles c. 7. Protestants acknowledge 6. By this it appeareth that the foresayd Maior which is the foundation of Protestants in this matter is not only false but also so manifestly false as out of this question it is commonly denyed of Protestants themselues Besides it is not only false but also so improbable that neither it is proued of Protestants nor can be any other wayes then by proofe of fooles or willfull men that is by their owne saying For D. Whitaker as we haue seene proueth it no other wayes then by saying it is out of controuersy D. Fulke that it is manifest But Luther more boastingly sayth l. de Missa priu tom 7. f. 247. This is our solid foundation and most stedfast rocke VVhersoeuer true doctrine of Christ or the Ghospell is preached there is necessarily the true holy Church of God And who doubteth of this sayth he may in like manner doubt whether the Ghospel be the word of God A notable proofe surely and fit for Pythagoras schoole and a sound foundation on which to fayned a Church should rely and a fit rock for them to build vpon who haue left the rocke vpon which Christ built his Church Wherefore that I may imitate S. Augustine in the like matter Lib. 1. cont Gaudent cap. 33. I aske whether God or man hath told them that wheresoeuer true doctrine is there is the true Church If God let them read it out of the Scripture where indeed we read that where the true Church is there true doctrine is but contrarywise that where true doctrine is there the true Church is there we neuer read If men haue told you this Behold a fiction of man behold what you belieue behold what ye serue behold for what ye rebell ye run mad ye burne Againe what kind of men were they surely no other then your selues And what is your authority I say not with vs but euen with your selues Is as one of your part sayd the iudgement of Lutherans or Sacramentaryes the square of truth Moreouer Pareus l 3. ce â—â—stifie cap. 13. seeing that three things are essential or substantial to the true church to wit true doctrine lawfull Pastours and people following their Pastours nor any thing can be vnles all the essentiall parts be it is sophistry and madnesse to inferre that that company is the true Church wherin one only of these parts is to be found If they say that by the true Church they meane not her which is true in nature or essence of the Church but only her which is true in doctrine of whose essence is only truth of doctrin First they deceaue the Reader For we speak only of the Church true in essence not of that which is only true in doctrinâ— as a schismaticall Church may be Besides if they meane such