that therefore of this part per synecdochen the whole may be tearmed Holy especiallie considering that the faith of this part which was a principall roote out of which their holinesse did spring is all one in substance with the faith which we all professe and therefore we may say that our faith and profession inclineth leadeth to the same holinesse of life that theirs did And therefore though manie through their owne fault faile in the practise of vertue and holinesse yet our profession being all one with the profession of these holy men is to be tearmed holy as theirs was Of which holy profession in some sort all our whole companie may be called Holy as of the art of painting or anie other art all that professe them are commonlie tearmed by a name proper to their profession though it happen that diuers of them be not verie skilfull nor do not much exercise his art And from hence riseth the second difference betwixt Protestants and vs to wit that the verie doctrine it selfe which Protestants teach doth as I shewed before induce men to libertie and consequently to lewde life whereas the Romane faith which we professe both expreslie for biddeth all vice prescribeth lawes contrarie to libertie and loosenesse of life and containeth most soueraigne meanes to incite and mooue a man to all perfect vertue and holinesse of life As for example It teacheth that notwithstanding the prescience or predestination of Almighty God man hath free will wherwith being aided by Gods grace which grace through the merit of Christs Passion is readie for all that with humble deuout and perseuerant praier will aske and by frequenting in due sort the holy Sacraments will seeke for it he may auoid sinne and embrace vertue the which taketh away despaire of shunning euill and doing well which easily followeth of the contrarie opinion It teacheth also that Gods commaundements be not vnpossible to be obserued nay nor hard through helpe of grace which is alwaies at hand to be obserued of one which hath but a good will according as Saint Iohn saith Mandata eius grauia non sunt his commaundements be not heauie yea that they may by the same grace be easily obserued according to that of our Sauiour Iugum meum suaue onus meum leue my yoake is sweet and my burthen light The which moueth a man to conceiue great hope of eschewing euill and liuing well which hope and consequently heart to do well a man cannot haue who perswadeth himselfe that Gods commaundements be vnpossible to be obserued as I shewed before Againe it teacheth that as a man may by grace auoid sinne and easily keepe Gods commaundements and by doing good works liue well so this good life is pleasing and acceptable vnto God and these good workes as proceeding from grace and receiuing vertue from the merits of Christ of which this grace doth depend are meritorious such for reward wherof God will giue to them that perseuerantly do them euerlasting blisse in the kingdome of heauen The which doctrine will doubtlesse if it be duly considered breed in a mans mind great loue and delight to do well as the contrarie must needs breed at least a coldnesse in deuotion if not a contempt and loathing of good deeds and specially of those good deeds which haue any difficultie annexed to them It teacheth also that for sinners are prepared exceeding great punishments in the next life and that though there be meanes in the Church to get remission of sinne and pardon of the paine yet it teacheth that a man cannot ordinarily be absolutely certaine that he hath so vsed those meanes as that he hath thereby gotten that remission or pardon which is a great motiue to make men warie not to fall into sinne and to mooue them Cum metu tremore operari salutem with feare trembling to worke their saluation whereas Protestants vpon supposed certaintie of saluation cast away this wholesome feare and so may easily become carelesse of auoiding any sinne Furthermore it prescribeth wholesome lawes and customes of fasting and praier and of other exercises of vertue and pietie whereby the flesh may be subiect to the spirit and the spirit to God It maintaineth also secret confession of sinnes to a Priest as being a thing necessarie and commaunded by our Sauiour himselfe the which both is a great bridle to hold men backe from sinne as experience teacheth and is a speciall meanes whereby the Pastours of the Church knowing the inward conscience of their flock may better apply fit remedies to their spirituall diseases and prescribe to euery one fit exercises for their practise and progresse in vertue Finally the profession of this Church is such that euen simple Protestants when they see any Catholicke do a thing amisse will ordinarily say You should not do thus or a man of your profession should do otherwise So that those which be sinfull in the Roman Church cannot in any sort ascribe their sinnes to any defect or peruersitie of the doctrine of the Church but must needs acknowledge them to proceed from their owne frailtie or malice contrarie to the teaching of the Church and sometimes euen contrarie to their owne conscience and actuall knowledge Wherefore I may conclude that although there be some sinfull men in the Romane Church yet it may well be called Holy because the doctrine which it beleeueth and professeth of it owne nature inclineth and directeth a man to the true holinesse and consequently is of it selfe Holy and also because there be many holy persons in it some of which are certainely knowne in particular to be such by proofe of miracle Others are onely knowne by this probable reason to wit that they hold the same faith which was holden by those who haue bene certainly knowne be holy men and holding the same faith which must needs be the true faith sith none are truely holy or can possibly please God without the right faith which is but one they haue in them a roote out of which true holinesse is apt to spring And therefore when we see no apparent euill fruit whereby we may discouer some euill roote but onely good which is apt to spring of this good roote and especially when we see the fruite of their good works to be conformable and like to the works of those which are knowne Saints we haue great cause to iudge that they also are iust men and in some sorte holy if not perfectly Saintes Sith therefore many men which haue bene and are members of the Romane Church haue bene are knowne either by absolute proofe of miracle or at least in this other manner to be holy of these as of the better more worthie and principall part the whole may be as I said before tearmed Holy as a tree that hauing a roote apt to giue life to the branches some of which being dead others haue life is absolutely said to be aliue which if we should
well make an end of answering to this treatise because I haue ouerthrowne the maine strength of your discourse and discouered to all men that will not be wilfully blind the weaknesse of your reason but for the better satisfaction of the vnlearned I will follow you from Chapter to Chapter that the truth may the more easily be discerned A. D. CHAP. XI That the Church whose doctrine must be to vs the rule of faith must alwayes continue without interruption from Christ his time till the worlds end A. W. That there alwayes hath bene since the beginning of the world excepting perhaps the time betwixt the fall of our first parents and their faith in the Messiah that there is and alwaies shal be a Church viz. certaine men that are predestinate to life and actually beleeue in Iesus Christ it neuer came into any of our minds to be doubted of that there should be such a companie as you conceipt all the Papists in the world cannot proue A. D. §. 1. Considering what hath bene proued in the former Chapter about the infallible authoritie of the doctrine of the true Church I hope no Christian will deny but that so long as this Church doth continue we haue of it a sure pillar and a firme foundation whereupon we may safely build our beleef For either a man must deny that euer our Sauiour did make any such promise gaue such charge and commission left any such warrant set forth such a commaundement or thundred out any such threats as before is rehearsed which were to denie the Scriptures which scriptures are generally receiued by all Christians no otherwise then as they are the vndoubted word of God or else he must wrest the interpretation thereof both from that which the words of themselues naturally yeeld and also from the common sense and vnderstanding either of all or the most learned and almost of the vnlearned also of the whole Christian world or else he shall be forced to confesse that which not I but Saint Paul hath said Ecclesia est columna firmamentum veritatis the Church is the pillar and ground of truth Onely it may perchance seeme to some of those that doe at this day oppose themselues against the authority of the Church that this was true for Saint Pauls time and perhaps for some three foure fiue or six hundred yeares after but not to be presumed vpon in latter times and namely when Luther began his reformation as they tearme it or now adaies A. W. Considering how weake your proofes haue bene as in the former Chapters so namely in the last about the infallible authoritie of the doctrine of the true Church I hope there is no reasonable man not only no Christian that will build his faith and saluation vpon so tottering a pillar and so slipperie a foundation But because you seeme to dote so much vpon your last Chapter I wil once againe be content to examine the substance of it as it is here repeated by you with some litle alteration Either we must denie that our Sauiour hath so promised charged warranted threatned or we must falsely interprete the scriptures or else we must grant that the authoritie of the Church is a sure pillar and firme foundation whereupon we may safely build our faith But we neither may denie that our Sauiour hath so promised charged warranted commaunded threatned neither may we falsely interpret the Scriptures Therefore we must grant that the authoritie of the Church is a sure pillar and firme foundation whereupon we may safely build our beleefe First in general for your whole syllogisme if the cōclusion you intend were no other thē that you pretēd propoūd that the Church is the pillar groūd of truth as S. Paul saith there would be no question in this matter betwixt vs. For we haue learned to acknowledge the truth of all and euerie part of the scripture But the beginning of this Chapter sheweth that you meane by the Churches being the pillar and ground of truth that we may safely build our beleefe vpon the Churches authority which as I prooued in my answer to that Chapter is no part of the Apostles meaning In this sense must we take your conclusion Secondly in particular I denie your Maior because your disiunction is naught presuming a necessitie where there is none For neither we need to denie that our Sauiour hath so promised charged warranted commanded threatned neither is there any cause why we should falsely interprete the Scriptures and yet we haue no reason to grant that our faith may safely be built vpon the authoritie of the Church No such thing as I haue shewed can follow vpon the words of scripture alledged by you Therefore we need not denie the promises charge warrant commandement or threatning of our Sauiour or else grant the Church such an vnlimited authority Neither will the true sense of those Scriptures either enforce or beare any such illation or conclusion touching the infallible authoritie of the Church And whereas you thinke to face out the matter with naming the common sense and vnderstanding either of all or the most learned and almost of the vnlearned also of the whole Christian world my answer propounding the iudgement of many excellently learned and ancient writers of those places prooueth that to be but a vaine popish brag without all likelihood of truth especially since you that spare not to heape vp testimonies of Fathers when they are needlesse and to quote their bookes and chapters sometimes for a bare phrase alledge not so much as the name of any one author for the proofe of your interpretation of twelue seuerall places of scripture Your proffered seruice in helping vs with this distinction hath more shew of kindnesse then good meaning For it is not brought in to confirme our answer but to giue your selfe occasion of vttering that which you are taught to vrge for proofe of this question But we neither need your aide and haue good cause to suspect your fauours In a word your distinction is such as none of vs euer brought or would bring to answer those places of scripture We confesse that whatsoeuer was promised to the Church in those texts was promised for continuance to the end of the world but we say that the first promise was not concerning the Churches not erring the three last are particular to the Apostles at least for such a measure of teaching But what should I repeat that which was deliuered in the verie last Chapter The thing you harpe vpon though vntunably is that your Romish church or rather the Church of the East West were indeed the pillar and ground of truth for the space of some 600. yeares after Christ but afterwards fell away from that soundnesse of doctrine which before it had cleaued vnto Such a matter there is acknowledged by our Diuines yet no man saith either that the Church erred not in any point during that
not perceiue those things which are of the Spirit of God For sith none by the onely power of naturall wit which in vnderstanding vseth the helpe of outward senses can obtaine the supernaturall knowledge of diuine mysteries which we beleeue by our faith neither doth the Spirit of God who as the principall cause infuseth this gift of faith into our soules ordinarily instruct any man in the knowledge of true faith immediatly by himselfe alone or by an Angell sent from heauen we must needs if we will haue true faith seeke first for that which it pleaseth Almightie God to vse as the ordinarie instrument and as a necessary meanes by which men may learne true faith the which is no other but the preaching and teaching of the true church according to that saying of S. Paul Quomodo credent ei quem non audierint quomodo audient sine praedicante quomodo praedicabunt nisi mittantur How shall they beleeue him whom they haue not heard how shall they heare without a Preacher how shall they preach vnlesse they be sent Therefore the true Church which only hath preachers truly sent of God must first be found out that by it we may heare and know which is the true faith Therefore of the two the true Church is rather a mark whereby we may know the true preaching and consequently the true doctrine of faith then contrarie that as heretickes say the doctrine should be a marke whereby all men must know which is the true Church A. W. Belike as you had good cause you suspected your abilitie to proue simply that the true preaching of the word in all matters fundamentall and the right administration of the sacraments are not a good marke of a true Church And therefore you rather chose to proue by way of comparison that the true church is rather a marke to know true doctrine then true doctrine a marke to know the true Church by For so runs your conclusion directly If the end of seeking the true Church say you be principally that we may by it as a necessarie and infallible meanes learne true doctrine in all points to which otherwise we cannot attaine then the true Church is rather a marke to know true doctrine then true doctrine a marke to know the true Church by But the end of seeking the true Church is principally that we may by it as a necessarie and infallible meanes learne true doctrine in all points which otherwise wee cannot attaine to Therefore the true Church is rather a marke to know true doctrine then true doctrine a marke to know the Church by Though the conclusion as I said be not directly to the question which is not comparatiue but simple whether true doctrine be a good mark to discerne a true Church by or no yet I will take it as it is and answer to the parts of it Your maior in the antecedent may haue a double meaning First that we cannot in any point learne true doctrine but by the Church and then I denie the consequence For true doctrine in the fundamentall points of Religion may be a good marke of the true Church though we seeke the true Church because there are many points which we cannot learne without it But howsoeuer you vnderstand the maior the minor is euidently false First because the principall end of seeking the true Church is that we may truly worship God in the assembly of his children to his greater glorie and our farther assurance of his loue to vs as we may see euery where in the booke of the Psalmes Secondly because we are not to learne of the true Church as a necessarie and infallible meanes but of the ministers thereof who are appointed by God to giue vs knowledge of the meanes of saluation by expounding the word of God to vs not to binde vs to beleefe by their authoritie Your minor you offer to proue in this maner If no man without faith can obtaine the supernaturall knowledge of diuine mysteries and faith be not to be had but by the teaching of the true Church then the end of seeking the true Church is principally that we may learne by it as a necessarie and infallible meanes true doctrine in all points to which otherwise we cannot attaine But no man without faith can obtaine the supernaturall knowledge of diuine mysteries nor faith be had but by the teaching of the true Church Therefore the end of seeking the true Church is principally that we may by it as a necessary and infallible meanes learne the true faith in all points to which otherwise we cannot attaine The consequence of your maior is naught It doth not follow that we seeke the true Church to learne of it as a necessary and infallible meanes because we cannot know the mysteries of Religion without faith which commeth by the teaching of the true Church For there may well be teaching and learning without any such authoritie in the Church that teacheth Your minor is very doubtfull as I will shew in answering seuerally to the parts of it First then whereas you say that no man without faith can obtaine the supernaturall knowledge of diuine mysteries if you meane that a man cannot acknowledge the truth of such mysteries without faith your minor in that part is true but if your meaning be that a man cannot vnderstand what the meanes of saluation appointed by God are without faith I take your minor to be false For though those meanes be indeed such as no discourse of man euer could deuise or thinke on being vtterly supernaturall yet it is possible for a meere naturall man to learne what they are out of the Scriptures and that without faith because the Scriptures may be vnderstood by such helpes of the tongues and arts as humane learning doth affoord vs though to the sauing knowledge thereof the especiall grace of God be absolutely necessarie The other point that faith cannot be found but by the teaching of the true Church may also haue a double sense The first that faith cannot be wrought in any mans heart but by the preaching of some man authorized to that purpose by the true Church and this as I shewed before is not alwayes true for faith may be and hath bene begotten in some by the reading of the Scriptures where the ministery of the word was not to be had and by the teaching of ordinarie Christians not set apart to preach the Gospell The other meaning is this that faith cannot be attained to but by our hearkning to the voyce of such a Preacher as we alreadie know to be sent by the true Church And this indeed specially fits your purpose but hath no likelihood of truth in it For they that came to faith by the Apostles preaching did not beleeue them as men autorized for their instruction by the true church but as being conuinced in their consciences by the euidence of the truth they deliuered without
reason not only against Scripture were ordained properly as the ministery of the word the seruice of Angels for their sakes that are to be saued according to the election of God Secondly and as it were accidentally for the hardening of them that will not beleeue to leaue them without excuse To make your matter the more likely you tell vs of our Sauiours loue to mankind which in your diuinity is without exception or respect of persons How then can it sute with the purpose of God his Father who hath chosen some to glory refused other meerly of his owne iust will without respect of difference in the parties so chosen refused As for I that loue of mankind wherupon some men conclude that either all or the greatest part of men are loued by God to eternal life it is not to be vnderstood by comparison of men to men but partly of men to the Angels that fell in which respect the Apostle amplifies the mercy of God to vs He tooke not the Angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham partly of men to all other creatures none of which besides man is vouchsafed the honour to be ioyned in vnity of person with the Sonne of God and so to be made heire of euerlasting glory It is needlesse to repeat what I answered before to this place of Isay onely I will say thus much of your exposition that though all that see the Church may know it yet it doth not follow that therefore all men may see it which you make the end of planting a visible Church that euerie man may learne how to be saued We denie not that the markes of the Church are such as that any man who hath the meanes and will vse them with conscience and diligence may come by the grace of God to the acknowledging of it and by the ministerie of it to saluation Such is the truth of doctrine wherein euerie man may be instructed who will submit his reason to the euidence of truth conteined in the holy Scriptures and not wilfully resist or carelesly neglect the worke of the spirit in the ministerie of the word The bands and chaines Austin speaketh of are not said to draw a man out of the world vnto the Church but to hold him in it that is in already And surely he were vnreasonably absurd that being borne in the profession of Christianitie or by any other occasion brought to ioyne himselfe vnto this or that Church would not cōtinue his beleefe vpon those groūds that Austin there mentions as long as there could be no sufficiēt reason brought to the contrarie yea though he could not discerne the truth of many points which he held as he had bene taught But Austin in the same place professeth that the markes he names and all other whatsoeuer whereby he is held in the Catholicke Church are nothing worth in comparison of truth manifestly prooued out of the Scripture But of this matter I shall haue occasion to speake againe hereafter where you propound some of Austins words more at large A. D. §. 2. Of these markes diuers authors haue written at large I for breuitie sake haue chosen out onely these foure Vna Sancta Catholica Apostolica One Holy Catholicke Apostolicke because I hope these will be sufficient and because I finde these especially set forth in Scriptures commended by Councels and generally admitted of all sorts both Catholickes and Protestants as now I am to declare First for the generall admittance of these properties of the true Church I need no other proofe but that both Catholicks and Protestants allow of the Nicene and Constantinopolitane Creed wherein we professe to beleeue the true Church the which Church is there described with those onely foure properties which before I named as though by those onely euery man might sufficiently know that Church which in euerie point they are bound to beleeue Now if besides this proofe out of the generally receiued Counsels some precise man would haue me prooue these properties to agree to the true Church out of the Scripture it selfe this also I may easily doe A. W. So many and diuers are the markes of the Church propounded by your Popish writers that you had good cause to giue some reason why you cull these foure out of all the rest First you alledge breuitie wherof if you had beene so desirous you would not so often haue repeated the same matters You adde the sufficiencie of these their being mentioned in the Scripture commended by Councels and generally admitted by all sorts both Catholickes and Protestants All which taking them in your sense are generally false as shall appeare in the particular handling of them But indeed the true cause is though you will not be knowne of it that Bellarmine out of whom you haue patched vp your whole discourse though he bring fifteene yet confesseth that they may all after a sort be reduced to these foure There are two faults in this proofe whereby you labour to perswade vs that these properties are generally admitted both by Protestants and Papists First though both admit them yet in diuers senses we according to the true meaning of those Councels you according to those phantasies you haue deuised for the establishing of your Apostaticall Synagogue Secondly we admit them not all as markes of the or a visible Church but as hidden properties of the Catholicke Church the mysticall bodie of Iesus Christ which are not to be discerned by the eye of the bodie but by the light of faith as all other articles in the same Creed are What though there be no more properties but those foure there set downe will it follow thence that therefore they are named as though by those onely euerie man might sufficiently know the Church Is that the vse of those points which are deliuered concerning the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Or rather are they not set before vs as principall matters to be beleeued of them So are also these properties of the Church If any man be so simple as to take your former proofe for good whereas it faileth in the chiefe point you would prooue by it as I haue shewed he is fitter to be pittied then instructed But is it a note of precisenesse to desire proofe for matters of faith out of the scripture Doubtlesse it was then no lesse precisenesse to appoint the scripture for a rule of our faith and as great for our Sauiour Christ and the Apostles to confirme their doctrine out of the scripture For this course of theirs makes vs the bolder to require the like of you whose authoritie we more doubt of whereas if they had stood vpon their priuiledge and neuer troubled themselues with proouing that they deliuered or leauing their doctrine in writing we should easily haue perswaded our selues to rest vpon mens authoritie and not to looke for any proofe by scripture But giue me leaue a little to consider of this
is your purpose in this place to prooue that the Church is holy A labour that might well haue bene spared for who euer denied it or doubted of it But let me againe put you in minde that when you haue prooued the Church to be holy you haue got nothing because euerie qualitie of the Church is not by and by a marke whereby it may be knowne It may be proper to the Church so that it can neuer be found but in the Church and yet not be alwaies there to be found It may also be true alwaies and yet not be alwaies visible But let vs see your proofe The Temple of God is holy The Church is the Temple of God Therefore the Church is holy The holinesse you meane as you expound your selfe is true and inward sanctitie which you say is wrought by the Sacraments And this indeed is the holinesse which onely can make a man a Christian For Thomas truly saith He that is not annointed with the grace of the holy Ghost is not a Christian Hereupon before I answer to your Syllogisme I will make it manifest by your owne argument that holinesse is no good marke to know the Church by Euerie good marke of the Church must be easier to be knowne then the Church it selfe True inward sanctity is not easier to be known thē the Ch. it selfe Therefore true inward sanctitie is no good marke of the Church The Maior is yours in plaine words generally deliuered The second thing required in a good marke is that it be more apparent and easie to be knowne then the thing is The Minor is prooued by these words of yours in the same place The secret disposition of a mans heart is harder to be knowne then the man himselfe how then shall true inward sanctitie be easier to discerne then the men in whom it is If by Temple you vnderstand the whole company as you plainly auouch and by holinesse true inward sanctity I denie your Maior Because the whole companie makes not one person or subsistence wherein onely there is place for such habits or qualities True inward holinesse is a qualitie no where resident but in some speciall substance and therefore if the whole companie of the Church haue not a generall soule as Auerrois dreamed of the world it is vnpossible it should haue true inward holinesse It should seeme also you saw as much your selfe and therefore giue vs an other exposition of the place that the whole companie is to be termed holy In this sense you must conclude thus The Temple of God is to be termed holy The Church is the Temple of God Therefore the Church is to be termed holy But this prooueth not that the Church is holy Do you thinke that the Nicene Councell when it deliuered it as an article of faith that we are to beleeue One holy Church meant nothing but that the Church was to be termed holy Yes they meant to teach vs that the true Church is truly holy being purged from the guilt of sinne by the sacrifice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and indued with true habituall righteousnesse by the spirit of sanctification It is a poore marke to know the Church by to tell vs it is a companie that is to be termed holy What then is the Apostles meaning when he saith the Temple of God is holy Many interpreters take this whole passage of the Apostle frō the beginning of the 16. verse to be a reproofe particularly of the incestuous person and generally of all vncleane liuers and they by Temple vnderstand seuerall Christians sanctified by the Spirit of God who dwelleth in them and maketh them holy Thus do Cyrill Irenaeus and Cyprian apply the place Other whose iudgement in this text I rather follow thinke that the Apostle in these verses continueth his former discourse concerning the ministerie of the word diuersly vsed by diuers teachers some building vpon the foundation gold siluer and pretious stones other laying on it timber hay or stubble A third kind destroying the foundation by false doctrine of whom the Apostle here speaketh threatning them destruction because they destroy the Temple of God The reason whereof one of them giues in these words The Temple of God is holy To defile that which is holy saith Catharin deserueth destruction euen among the heathen For if any man hurt the walles of the Citie which the heathen accounted holy he was to die for it Now if this law were executed for the prophaning of walles and temples made with hands how much more ought the destroying of Christians who by faith and loue haue receiued the Lord Iesus be so seuerely punished Euen so much more saith Lyra as spirituall things are to be preferred before corporall By the Temple of God then the Apostle meaneth the congregations or Churches of professed Christians such as that of Corinth was These he saith are holy that is either consecrated to the worship of God which is the professed end of Christian assemblies or truly holy in regard that they make profession and so in charitie are to be taken but where the contrary euidently appeareth of being iustified and sanctified by the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ You giue two other reasons of their being termed holy the one that the profession of religion of itselfe wholy tendeth to holinesse How can this be a good mark to know the true Church by when euery company wil say their doctrine hath the same end and he that will beleeue it of any company must know and be able to iudge of euery point they maintaine Your second is that the Sacraments worke in vs as instrumentall causes true and inward sanctitie I will not enter into the question about the Sacraments what or how they worke it is nothing to the purpose But to the point what hereticall Church will not or may not say the like whether truly or falsely it skils not because that will aske a new examination such as euerie one that must know the Church cannot make Therefore this marke of holinesse is not a good marke to know the true Church by being inward and claimed by all companies of Christians Not onely some but all the members of the true Church of Christ are inwardly and outwardly holy being purged by his bloud and spirit And this their holinesse is so manifest ordinarily that there need none of your counterfeit miracles for the countenancing thereof especially since God neuer tooke that course in his Church to approoue any mans holinesse by the gift of miracles the vse whereof is to confirme doctrine when need requireth neither can any man from miracles conclude that he which worketh them is inwardly truly sanctified Was not Iudas one of them to whom power was giuen euen ouer the diuels Yet was he a thiefe a traitor and a diuell Many wil say vnto me in that day saith our Sauiour Lord haue we not by
did borrow the propagation of faith and seeds of doctrine I make bold to alter your translation let the skilfull Reader iudge whether I haue cause or no. But what of all these Tertullian doth not say that no Church is to be accounted Apostolicke but that which can without interruption shew her descent from the Apostles nor that euery Church is true that can make such proofe of her original But whereas the hereticks against whom he there dealeth reiected and receiued Scripture at their choise and would neuer leaue wrangling Tertullian appeales to the iudgement of those Churches which were knowne to be founded by the Apostles and in which the truth was most likely to be found As for your argument of succession you shall heare Tertullians iudgment of it Let hereticks saith Tertullian in the same book faine a succession from the Apostles they shall get nothing by it For their doctrine compared with that the Apostles taught by the diuersitie and contrarietie thereof will declare that it came not from any Apostle or Apostolicke man because as the Apostles would not teach contrary one to another so Apostolick men would not deliuer doctrine contrary to the Apostles vnlesse they were such as were fallen away from the Apostles to preach otherwise then they did So then the chiefe triall of a true Church is by the doctrine of the Apostles and their successors in the truth because it is possible for hereticks to shew their descent from the Apostles or some Churches which had their beginning from the Apostles or Apostolicke men Yea it is manifest that the greatest heresies as the foure maine ones condemned in the foure first generall Councels had their beginning of them who could shew their pedegree step by step from the Apostles in respect of outward succession We haue soone how weakly you haue proued that personall succession is a thing belonging to the true Church it remaines that you proue it to be proper to the church and not common to it with heretickes To which purpose you thus reason No vpstart noueltie contrary to the former faith of the Church can haue any Apostle or Apostolicke man for founder thereof Euery heresie is an vpstart noueltie contrary to the former faith of the Church Therefore no heresie can haue any Apostle or Apostolicke man for the founder thereof How much more truly and reasonably spake Tertullian of the like matter when he said that no Apostolicke man taught contrary to the Apostles vnlesse he were such a one as was fallen from the Apostles He saw and acknowledged that it was possible for a man instructed by the Apostles themselues to forsake the truth of doctrine and become an author or maintainer of heresie Doth not Saint Iohn speake of some who being bred vp in the church by heresie departed from it What should I name Hymenaeus Alexāder Phygellus Hermogenes Nicolas and such like Hardly can you name me any heresie that euer tooke rooting but the first plant of it sprung vp in the nursery of the Church Therefore your maior is altogether vntrue being vnderstood as it is of Apostolicke men in respect of personall succession not of succeeding the Apostles in truth of doctrine But you thinke to make good your proposition by Tertullians authoritie who challengeth the heretickes to shew the beginning of their Churches from some Apostolicke men Is it possible you should either write or reade that sentence of Tertullian and not perceiue that it cuts the very throate of your cause Doth not Tertullian in the sentence alledged by you directly confirme our opinion and ouerthrow yours Let them shew vs their beginning saith Tertullian from some Apostolicke man Is that enough I if we beleeue you who define Apostolicknes by personal succeeding the Apostles But what saith Tertullian He in plaine termes requires such an Apostolicke man as perseuered with the Apostles and forsooke them not Now that by this perseuering with the Apostles and not forsaking them he meanes agreement in doctrine I proue it euidently by that which followeth in the same Chapter First Tertullian shewes that it is in vaine for them to pleade succession in place if their doctrine be found contrary to that which the Apostles deliuered I set downe the sentence before Secondly he doubts not to say that by the hereticks disagreeing from the Apostles in doctrine those Churches which cannot proue themselues to be Apostolicke by naming any Apostle or Apostolicke man as the first founder of them may yet conuince them not to be Apostolicke and are themselues to be counted Apostolicke because of their consent in doctrine with the Apostles This is the summe of Tertullians words the words themselues run thus To this triall namely by doctrine as the next sentence before sheweth shall the hereticks be called by those Churches which though they cannot alledge any Apostle or Apostolicke man for their founder as being of late and now daily planted yet agreeing in the same doctrine are neuerthelesse counted Apostolicke by reason of their agreement in doctrine Do you not see that Tertullian disputeth for vs against your pretended succession That he confesseth heretickes may alledge personall succession That he acknowledgeth those Churches for true which cannot deriue their pedegree from the Apostles or any Apostolicke man That he maketh the truth of doctrine agreeing with the Apostles a certaine and necessarie marke of the true Church And are you not ashamed for all this to bring Tertullian for an author of so grosse an error VVere you so blinde that you discerned not this your selfe or did you so despise your Readers that you presumed they would neuer haue the wit to see your ignorance or craft It is now discouered sufficiently and yet this one point more must be added that Tertullian requireth this shew of their Churches beginning not of all heretickes as you deceitfully alledge him if you read him your selfe and tooke him not vpon credit at some other mans hands but onely of those who pleade their continuance from the time of the Apostles If any heresies saith Tertullian dare fetch their continuance from the Apostles time that therefore they may seeme Apostolicke because they were while the Apostles liued we may say let them shew the beginning of their Churches let them vnfould the succession of their Bishops c. With such learning and conscience doe you Papists alledge the Fathers that he must needes be honester and wiser then you that will not beleeue you vpon your bare word VVe see then that to be Apostolicke in your sense is no good marke of a true Church because Hereticall Churches may so be Apostolicke and true Churches not Apostolicke and contrariwise that to be Apostolicke in doctrine as we expound it is a most certaine note whereby a true Church may be knowne and the same that we onely allow of A. D. §. 7. It appeareth therefore plaine enough that these foure properties One Holy
magis auari magis ab omni misericordia remoti magis immodesti indisciplinati multoue deteriores quà m fuerunt in Papatu Men are now more reuengefull more couetous more vnmercifull more vnmodest and vnruly and much worse then when they were Papists The like testimonie you may find giuen by another of their Doctors called Smidelinus which for breuitie sake I omit But chiefly their company is not holy because there was neuer yet Saint or holy man of it neither is their doctrine such as may of it selfe leade the most precise obseruers of it to holinesse but doth by diuers points which haue bin taught rather incline men to libertie and loosnesse of life As for example it inclineth them to breake fasting dayes and to cast away secret confession of sinnes to a Priest both which are knowne to be soueraigne remedies against sinne Also it inclineth them to neglect good workes for they hold them either not to be necessary or not meritorious of life euerlasting which must needs make men lesse esteeme the practise of them Also it maketh men carelesse in keeping Gods commaundements because diuers Protestants if not all hold them vnpossible to be obserued and as it is said impossibilium non est electio No man chooseth or laboureth to atchieue that which he thinketh to be altogether vnpossible It maketh men also not to feare or not to be carefull to auoid sin because it is held among them that whatsoeuer we do is sinne and that we cannot chuse but continually sinne and that all sinnes are of themselues mortall which whosoeuer thinketh how can he be afraid to sinne sith stultum est timere quod vitari non potest it is foolishnesse to feare that which no way can be auoided Finally their doctrine of predestination is able to make men carelesse or desperate in all actions and consultations sith some of them hold all things so to proceeds of Gods eternall predestination that man in matters of Religion at the least hath no free-will to do well or to auoid ill but that God himselfe is author and moueth them effectually and forcibly not only to good works but in the same sort vnto the act of sinne Lo whither this doctrine leadeth a man which giueth grounds which of themselues incline a man to neglect all indeuour in the studie and practise of vertue and to cast away care of auoiding sinne and vice and consider whether this can be a good tree which of it owne nature bringeth foorth so badde fruite And see whether this companie which teacheth and beleeueth such pointes of vnholie doctrine can possiblie be a Holy Church In the Romane Church I confesse there be some sinfull folke all in it are not good For the Church is called nigra formosa blacke and faire in it are mixed good and bad as out of diuers parables of our Sauiour I prooued before But there are two differences betwixt the sinfull which are in the Romane Church and those which are among Sectaries The first difference is that among hereticks there are none which we may call truly holy of which as of the better or more worthie part their congregation may be termed Holy as the Romane Church may It may be perhaps that one may finde diuers of them who abstaine from grosse outward sinnes as stealing swearing c. And that some of them do many workes morally good as to giue almes to the needie and that they liue at least in outward shew in vpright moderate sort But alasse these be not sufficient or certain signes of sanctitie all this and perhaps farre more we may reade of heathen Philosophers These outward actions may proceed of naturall and sometime of sinfull motiues and consequently they may be verie farre from true holinesse which must be grounded in true charitie for as Saint Paule saith to distribute all that one hath to feed the poore or to giue ones bodie to burne doth nothing auaile without charitie which charitie must proceed de corde puro conscientia bona fide non ficta out of a pure heart and a good conscience and an vnfained faith The which things being most inward and consequently hidden in secret cannot sufficiently be shewed to others by those outward actions which may come from other causes as soone as from these Nay they cannot be knowen certainely of the partie himselfe For nescit homo vtrùm odio vel amore dignus sit a man knoweth not whether he be worthie of hate or loue and quis potest dicere mundum est cor meum Who can say my heart is cleane but these things are reserued to him onely qui scrutatur corda who searcheth the hearts to with Almightie God and it cannot be perfectly knowne of men who haue them truly and consequently who be truly Saints vnlesse it please him to reueale it by miracle or some other certaine way vnto vs. But hitherto it was neuer heard that Almightie God did by miracle or any such certaine way giue testimony that either Luther or Caluin or any of their fellowes or followers had in thē this true holinesse or that they were saints but rather while as they presumptuously attēpted to work miracles it hath pleased God by giuing either none or euill successe to testifie that they were not Saints Whereas on the contrarie side it hath pleased God to giue testimonie by miracles of the faith and holinesse of life of diuers which professed the Romane faith of which sort I might bring in many examples but I will at this time onely name Saint Bernard Saint Dominicke Saint Francis who on the one side were certainly knowne to haue bene professors of that religion which was then and is now professed at Rome as may appeare both by that which is left written of their liues and also by this that they were chiefe fathers and founders of certaine Religious orders of Monkes and Friers which yet continue there and on the other side they are certainly knowne to be holy men partly by their sober chast and vertuous life partly by the gift of miracles in so much that euen Luther himselfe and other of our aduersaries confesse them to haue bene Saints The which being confessed of these must needs inferre the like confession of the sanctitie of mante other who were also professors of the same Romane faith whose names we may finde registred in the Calender euen in bookes set out by Protestants and whose vertuous life holie death and miraculous deeds we may finde in good Authors See Saint Athanas in vita S. Antonij apud Surium S. Bernard in vita S. Malachiae S. Antoninus 3. parte hist titulo 23. 24. Surius throughout his large volumes of the liues of Saints and others Now this being confessed that diuers whom we know to haue bene members of the Romane Church are Saints we may well inferre that at least some part of this Church is holy and
we said as you slaunder vs that whatsoeuer we do is sin are there therefore no degrees in sinne or is it all one to sin by infirmitie and wilfulnesse What if a sicke man cannot by any meanes recouer his perfect health againe shall he therefore refuse to keepe a good diet and grow to as much strength as for his weaknesse he can attaine to But what Protestant euer said that whatsoeuer we do is sinne It is one thing to say as we do that sinne by our corruption cleaues fast to our best works another thing to auouch as you falsly charge vs that all we do is sinne Neither is it foolishnesse to feare that which cannot be auoided if by our feare we can make it lesse hurtfull to vs. Yea it is a point of great discretion to labour all we can against sinne though we cannot wholly rid our selues of it because by this meanes our actions shall be free from the imputation of those sins and receiue an vndeserued reward at the hands of God our mercifull Father in Iesus Christ You vndertooke to proue that the doctrines of our Church are vnholy now you tell vs that some Protestants hold this and that Is this to make good that you propounded But what Protestants can you name that euer taught that God moueth men effectually and forcibly not onely to good workes but in the same sort to the act of sinne Is it your ignorance or your malice that maketh you charge vs with that which we alwayes denie and refute We say there is no force or coaction either in good or euil actions and distinguish betwixt necessitie and constraint All things come to passe necessarily in regard of the euent according to the prouidence and predestination of God But this hinders not the working of secundary causes according to their seuerall natures Besides though we hold that there is a necessitie of infallibilitie as well in good actions as in sinnes so that whatsoeuer God hath decreed and he hath decreed all things that come to passe shall certainly fall out according to his decree yet we make a great difference betwixt good and euill actions by teaching that the one are done by the worke of Gods spirit in our hearts the other by the corruption of our nature without any warrant or motion in vs from God Further in those good actions which we performe the Lord doth not onely worke by vs as by instruments without sense or reason but according to our nature enlightening our vnderstanding and sweetly inclining our affection without any force against our nature to the approuing of that which he would haue vs do and following vs by the perswasion of his spirit till he haue brought vs ineuitably to the performance of that which he hath decreed So that wee doe nothing but willingly but to good we are made willing by God both for the power and act to euill we need no assistance but the corruption of our owne hearts and the temptations of the diuell Lo whither the malice of Antichrists vassals driues them both to auouch that for truth against the Church of God which is vtterly false and to gather leud consequences of true doctrin and consider whether they haue cause to brag of holinesse who will do nothing that is good but for hope of hire and aduance their owne deseruings aboue Gods bountie and then tell me if you can perswade your conscience that such a companie of Pharisaicall merit-mongers are likely to be the true Church of God You confesse there be some sinfull folke in the Romane Church but your confessions if a man might haue the hearing of them would testifie that there are none but sinfull folk amongst you It is rehearsed by the secretary of Sixtus 5. for a singular commendation of Pius the fift that the Cardinall of Theano and the Bishop of Bagnarea who had bin his confessors many yeres affirmed that he neuer accused himselfe in confession of any mortall sinne And do you come out with There are some sinfull folke and all in it are not good Call to minde what I alledged before out of Bernard against your whole Cleargie that is as you count your whole Church Or let that passe and heare him speake more generally From the head to the foote saith Bernard of your Church there is no part whole And againe The whole multitude of Christian people hath conspired against Christ In another place he saith that a filthy contagion had spred it selfe ouer the whole Church The law saith Breiden bachius is departed from the Priests iustice from the Princes counsell from the auncient faith from the people loue from parents reuerence from subiects charitie from prelates religion from Monks good order from yong men Neither was it thus onely in places farre distant from your holy Fathers sight but in his court vnder his nose in his bed chamber and studie There saith Bernard of your Popes palace the wicked grow forward the godly grow backward Whatsoeuer perfidiousnesse and deceit saith Petrarke who liued in Rome perhaps secretary to the Pope whatsoeuer vnmercifulnesse and pride whatsoeuer impietie and leudnesse of behauiour the world hath or hath had scattered here and there all that you may see and find heaped vp together in the citie of Rome Iohn Boccace who liued at the same time complaineth that not onely the courtiers but also the Pope Cardinals and Prelates liued most filthily and sinned not onely by naturall lust but by that too which is against nature without bridle remorse of conscience or shame I forbeare to set downe any particulars whereof Platina and other that write the liues of your Popes are full because I take no pleasure in laying open your shame and it is alreadie performed in diuers of our writers Only I must needs say that I cannot sufficiently wonder at your boldnes who talke to Englishmen of your holinesse when there is no man of our nation so yong or so ignorant but is able to conuince the Pope himselfe and his Priests and Iesuites of horrible rebellions and treasons against our late Queene of blessed memory and our whole estate But what shall I need to seeke far off Was there euer the like monstrous and vnnatural example of treason murder among the most sauage of the heathen to that incredible attempt of your holy ones for the destruction of King Queene Prince Nobilitie Counsell Iudges Gentrie and Commons all at one blow Barbarous and bloudie Nero is abhorred by all men because he did wish that all the Senators of Rome had but one necke that he might cut them all off at once But your sauagenesse iustifies his crueltie he was but a pidler to your Iesuites and Papists who with one cracke would haue taken away both Senate and people There is more cause of feare that posteritie will neuer beleeue the true report of this execrable attempt it is so like rather to a