man that is to saie a veritable man and then that a Church leaues not to be truly a Church although she be not a true Church it is a Sophisme of the truth of the essence to the truth of the word and of the word verus to the word Verax there being none so young a scholler but knowes that to speake vniuocallie whosoeuer is truly a man is a true man for as much as being and truth are conuertible from whence it is that sainct AMBROSE vseth these wordes true Israelite and trulie Israelite as termes equiualent And that sainct AVGVSTINE saith Euerie soule is by that a soule by which it is a true soule And therefore as the Fathers affirme that there is none but the Catholicke Church that is a true Church From thence saith sainct AVGVSTINE it appeares that the true Church is concealed from noe bodie Soe they also saie that there is none but the Catholicke Church that is truly a Church If you did teach saith sainct AVGVSTINE to the Manichees that mariage were good but virginitie better as doth the Church which is trulie the Church of Christ the bolie Ghost had not predesigned you And whereas it is replied that a man for being lesse or more sound leaues not to be a man and soe that a Church for being lesse or more pure leaues not to be a Church it is an other manifest Sophisme for health is not the essentiall forme of a man nor sicknes the priuation of the essentiall forme of a man but an accident which consequentlie may receaue more and lesse whereas puritie of faith according to his maiesties owne confession is the essentiall forme of the Church and the impuritie of Faith the priuation of the essentiall forme of the Church By meanes whereof noe Societie can hold among the conditions of her Communion and doctrine impure in Faith and contrarie to saluation but shee looseth at the same time the being and title of a Church And therefore the diuersitie of the communions whereinto the Church was deuided when Luther rose must not be alleadged for a pretence to be ignorant where the true Church then was For since the Church ought to be perpetually visible and eminent and that then there were noe Christiā communions visible in the world but ours that of the Grecians vnder which are cōprehended the Muscouites the Antiochians that of the Egiptians Ethiopians which is but one that of the Armenians that of the Nestorians that it is of the essence of the necessirie of the Church that she should be pure and impolluted in faith and that all those others by the common confession of vs and of the Protestants are heretickes and corrupt it is not needefull to goe to Delphus to learne that either the Church was perished which as wee haue aboue shewed could not be or that it was our communion which was the Church Of the qualitie wherein the Catholick Church attributes to herself the name of the whole CHAP. VIII The continuance of the Kings answere AND therefore the most excellent King is much amazed when hee sees the Churches which haue bene members of the whole Bodie drawe to themselues all the right of vniniuersalitie THE REPLIE IT hath alreadie bene aboue shewed that by the Catholicke Church the Fathers neuer intended the Masse and totall conclusion of the multitude of Christians but a speciall societie distinct from the beleefe and from the communion of all hereticall and schismaticall sects and which in regard of the Masse and generall confusion of all the multitude of Christians held actuallie but the place of a part and held only the place of the whole actuallie in regard of the particular Churches which were comprehended in deede in her communiō For there was neuer anie age since the apostles built the church but there haue bene some heretickes which haue gone forth from the Bodie of the Church neuerthelesse making profession of the name of Christ They haue gone forth from vs saith S IOHN but they were not of vs. And S. IVDE Cursed bee they for they perish in the contradiction of Chore people which separated them selues men animalls hauiug not spiritt And S. AVGVSTINE All hereticks and Schismaticks are gone forth from vs that 〈◊〉 to saie saith hee are gone sorth of the Church But amongst this difference of societies making profession of Christian Religion there was alwaies one more eminent in multitude then the rest which hath alwaies remained in her stocke and roote and from whence all the rest are gone forth to whom also the name of Catholicke nath bene preserued not because she held actuallie the place of whole in regard of the rest but onlie of all habituallie as the stocke in regard of the boughes which haue bene pluckt off for as much as in all the separations she remained in the same estate wherein all the Bodie was before the separation and consequentlie hath iustlie inherited the name of totall Church and succeeded onelie in the right and application of the whole as being she alone that represents it The Church saith S. AVGVSTINE Combating against all heresies may be resisted but she cannot be ouerthrowne all heresies are gone forth from her as vnprofitable branches cutt off from their vine but she remaines in her roote in her vine in her charitie the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her Which amazeth me that is maiestie should be amazed that the Churches which haue heretofore bene members of the whole Bodie should drawe to themselues all the Right of the vniuersalitie For the word Catholicke was neuer common to all Christians but onely to a part of Christians to witt to that wherein there remained the actuall totalitie of that which rested in the iust possession of the title of the Church and which in regard of the partes separated retained noe more the effect but only the right of the whole as representing her that before each separation was the whole And therefore so farr was S. AVGVSTINE from extending the totalitie of the Catholicke Church to the multitude of all the sectes of Christians as contrariwise after hauing reported the opinions of the eightie eight heresies he adds What the Catholicke Church holdes against all these thinges is a superfluous demaund since it is sufficient for to knowe that she holdes the contrary to these thinges And a while after There may also be or be made other heresies besides these which are reported in this worke of ours whereof who shall holde anie one shall be noe Catholick Christiā And elsewhere The Catholick and the heretick are deuided the one against the other And againe They cannot beginn to be Catholick till they haue left to be hereticke And therefore when the hereticall Sects separate themselues from the Catholicke Church and deuide themselues from the part that consents not to heresie they hinder not the title os Catholicke nor the Right of vniuersalitie from being preserued in her
2. Decemb. 1631 F. Leander de S. Martino sacrae Theologiae Doctor Hebraeae linguae in alma Academia Duacena professor Regius Benedictinorum conuentus S. Gregorij Angliae Prior. THE LETTER OF THE LORD CARDINALL OF PERRON SENT TO MONSIEVR CASAVBON INTO ENGLAND SIR the letter that you deliuered to Monsieur de la Bodery was deliuered to me by him euen as I was vpon my departure for a voyage into Normandy and since my returne from thence I haue bene almost perpetuallie sicke which hindered me from answering with more speede Now that my disease begins to be at some truce with me I will paie the arrerages of this delaie and will first thanke you for the good office that you haue done me in shewing the letter I writt to you to the most excellent king of great Brittaine and in procuring me an interest in his fauour I will striue so to husband it by my humble seruice s and particularlye by celebrating his prayses which is the only fruite that good and vertuons kinges such as hee doe gather from allthe labours and thornie cares that the burden of a kingdome loades them with as his maiestie shall haue noe cause to be sorrie that it be declared to after ages how he hath honord mee with his well wishes ād how I haue had his 〈◊〉 in reuerence and admiration As for the translation of the verses of Virgill whereof you writt to me that he desires a Copie that which I sent you being lost I deferr yet for some daies to acquit myself of that dutie because I haue put it to the presse with the addition of a part of the fowrth which I haue ended expresselie for his maiestie sake to inlarge my presēte to him As soone as those few Copies which are in doing shall be finished I will not faile to addresse one of them to you to offer vp to him on my behalfe The third point of your letter yet remaines which is that his Maiestie was astonisht at those wordes in my letter That excepting the title of Catholicke I knew nothing wanting in him to expresse the figure of a perfect and compleate Prince and that he pretendes that since he beleeues all thinges that the Ancientes haue with an vnanimous consent esteemed necessarie to saluation the title of Catholique cannot bee donied him Now as on the one side I can not but greatlie praise his maiesties pietie and Christian humilitie in not disdayning to submitt his iudgement adorned with so manie lightes naturall ād acquired to that of those cleare beames of antiquitie imitating therein the wisdome of that great Emperor Thodosius who thought there was noebetter meanes to agree the dissentions which disturbed the Church of his time then to exact from either part an answere whither thy beleeued that the Fathers which had flourish'd in the Church before the separation had bene orthodoxall and that being confessed to summon them to submitt themselues to whatsoeuer they should be found to haue beleeued so on the other side there are manie obseruations `to be made vpon this Thesis before wee passe to the hypothesis which since I Cannot represent to his maiestie I shall be gladd to informe you of them for your particular satisfaction The first is that the name of Catholicke is not a name of beleefe simplie but of Communion also else antiquitie would not haue refused that title to those Which were not separated from the beleefe but from the Communion of the Church nor would they haue protested that out of the Catholicke Church the Faith and Sacramentes may be had but not Saluation Out of the Catholicke Church saith S. Augustin in his treatie of Conference with Emeritus a man may haue orders hee maie haue Sacraments he may sing Alleluya he may answere A men he may keepe the Gospell he may haue and preach the faith in the name of the Father of the Sonn and of the holie Ghost but he can no where finde Saluation but in the Catholicke Church And in the Booke De vtilit credendi There is a Church as all men graunt if you cast your eyes ouer the extent of the whole world more full in multitude then all the rest and as those that know themselues to be of it affirme more sincere in the doctrine of truth But of the truth that is an other question that will suffice for this search that there is one Catholicke Church vpon which seuer all heresies impose seuerall names whereas they are all call called euery one by his particular name which they dare not disauow from whence it may appeare to the iudgment of anie arbiter that is not prepossessed by fauour to whom the name of Catholicke where of all are ambitions ought to bee attributed And in the Booke against the fundamentall Epistle Then to omitt this wisdome which you denie to bee in the Catholicke Church there are manie other things which doe most iustlie retaine me in her bosome the consent of people and nations retaine me therein the authoritie begūn by miracles nourished by hope increased by charitie confirmed by antiquitie retaines me therein the succession of Prelates euen from the verie seate of Peter to whom our Lord deliuered his sheepe to be fedd after his Resurrection euen to the present Bishops seate retaines me therein and finallie the verie name of Catholick retaines me therein which not without cause this Church alone amongst so manie heresies hath in such sorte obtained as though all heretickes would be called Catholiques neuerthelesse when a stranger askes where the Catholicke Church doth assemble there is not one 〈◊〉 that dares shew his 〈◊〉 or his howse And in his treatise of Faith and of the Creede Wee beleeue the holie Church and that Catholick for heretickes and schismatickes call their Congregations Churches but hereticks beleeuing of God false thinges violate faith and Schismatickes separate themselues from brotherly charitie by vniust diuisions allthough they beleeue the same things that we beleeue and therefore neither can the hereticke belonge to the Catholicke Church because she loues God nor the schismaticke because she loues her neightour And in the Booke Of the vnitie of the Church All those that beleeue as hath bene said that ouer Lord IESVS is come in the flesh and is risen againe in the same flesh wherein he was borne and hath suffered and that he is the sōne of god god with god ād one with the Father and the onlie immoueable word of the Father by which all things haue bene made but yet dissent so from his bodie which is the Church that theire communion is not with the whole or is spread in deed but yet is in some part found to be separate it is manifest they are not in the Catholick Church And Prosper his scholler Hee saith hee that Communicates with this vniuersall Church is a Christian and a Catholicke but he that communicates not therewith is an hereticke and Antichrist And for this cause wee see that the Fathers denied the title
shall remaine trulie vniuersall and Catholicke that the most eminent Fathers of the times of the fowre first Councells haue taught in seuerall regions of the earth and against which none except some persons noted for dissention from the Church hath resisted or that the Fathers of those ages doe testifie to haue bin beleeued and practised by the whole Church in their times And that shall remaine trulie antient and Apostolicke that the Fathers of those ages doe testisie to haue bin obserued by the whole Church not as a thing sprung vp in their time but as a thing deriued downe to them either from the immemorial succession of former ages or from the expresse tradition of the Apostles For these thinges hauing bin holden vniuersallie by the Catholicke Church in the time of the first fowre Councells they could haue noe other originall but from an vniuersall authoritie for as much as in the Catholicke Church which did then so strictlie obserue the rule mentioned by Saint Vincentius Lirinensis of opposing vniuersalitie to particularitie a doctrine or obseruation from a particular beginning could not be slipt in ād spread into an vniforme and vniuersall beleefe ād Custome through all partes of the Earth and principallie soe as the Fathers that were next after these vniuersall innouations could not perceiue it but it must needes be that all that was then vniuersallie obserued in the Church must haue come from an vniuersall beginning Now there were in those ages according to the beleefe of your ministers but two beginnings of vniuersall authoritie in the Church to wit either the Apostles or the generall Councells for they Will not yeild that the Sea Apostolicke had then anie vniversall authoritie And therefore whatsoeuer was vniuersallie and vniformly obserued in the Church by all the Prouinces of the Earth in the time of the first fowre generall Councells and had not begun in that time but had bin before practised that is to saie before there had bin anie generall Councell in the Church must necessarilie haue bin from the tradition of the Apostles following these rules of S. Augustin Those thinges said hee which we obserue not by writeing but by tradition which are kept ouer all the extent of the earth must be vnderstood to haue bin retained from the appointemēt and institution either of the Apostles themselues or from the generall Councells whose authoritie is most wholsome in the Church And elsewhere what custome soeuer men looking vpward can not discerne to haue bene instituted by those of later times is rightlie beleeued to haue bin instituted by the Apostles and there are manie such which would bee too longe to repeate And againe If anie one herein seeke for diuine authoritie that which the vniuersall Church obserues and which hath not bin instituted by the Councells but hath alwaies bin held is iustly beleeued not to haue bin giuen by tradition but by Apostolicall authoritie c. Which Rules of S. Augustin if they haue place in those things which the Fathers of the time of the first fowre Councells testifie to haue bin obserued iu the Church before the fowre first Councells how much more ought they to haue it in those things that the same Fathers affirme not in termes equiualent but expresslie to haue bin instituted and ordained by the Apostles These fiue obseruations then made vpon the theses I will saie to passe vnto the hypothesis that your ministers to whose societie his Maiestie outwardlie adheres are so farr from holding all the same thinges that the Fathers haue beleeued and practised as necessarie to Saluation that in the only Synaxis or Church Lirurgie which is the Seale of Ecclesiasticall Communion the fowre principall thinges for which they haue seperated themselues from vs which are the reall presence of the Bodie of Christ in the Sacrament the Oblation of the Sacrifice of the Eucharist prayer and oblation for the dead and the prayers of the Saints the Fathers haue all vniuersallie and vniformely beleeued holden and practised as things necessarie but in different kindes of necessitie vnto saluation By which meanes if your ministers had bene in the time of the Fathers as 〈◊〉 haue for these thinges renounced our Seruice and our Communion so must they for the same causes haue renounced the Seruice and Communion of the Fathers and Consequently the title and Societie of the Catholicke Church I haue said the reall presence of the Bodie of Christ in the Sacrament not but that I could haue gone farther and said the Substantiall transition of the Sacrament into the Bodie of Christ which wee call transubstantiation but I haue been content to saie the reall presence because it is not precisely and particularlie vpon the transubstantiation but vpon the reall presence of the Bodie of Christ in the Sacrament that we ground the importance and necessitie of this Sacrament to Saluation to witt the Communion and Substantiall vnion to the Bodie of Christ which S. Cyrill calls the knott of our vnion with god Nor is it particularly and precisely vpon transubstantiation but vpon the reall presence that the two inconueniences depend for which your ministers in this article seperate themselues from our Lyturgies which are one the adoration of the Bodie of Christ in the Sacramēt which they will haue to be only sought and adored in heauen and the other the pretended distraction of the vnitie of the Bodie of Christ by existence in manie places in the Sacrament Neither haue I spocken of the prerogatiue of the Roman Church which all the Fathers haue holden for the center and roote of Episcopall vnitie and of Ecclesiasticall Communion because I will beleeue you are sufficientlie read in antiquitie to knowe that the first Fathers Councells and Christian Emperors haue perpetuallie granted therevnto the primacie and supereminent ouersight ouer all religions and ecclesiasticall things which is all that the church exacts as a point of Faith from their confession that enter into her communion to the end to discerne her societie from that of the Greekes and other complices of their Sect wich haue deuided themselues for some ages from the visible and ministeriall head of the Church These fowre points then which are the principall Springes of our dissention and which being agreed vpon it would be easie for vs to agree vpon the rest I saye that the Fathers of the time of the fowre first Councels haue all holden and practised as necessary to Saluation though with diuers kindes of necessitie The reall Presence of the Bodie of Christ and the oblation of the sacrifice they haue holden as necessary with necessitie of meanes for the Bodie of the Church absolutely and for euery particuler person conditionnallie Prayer and oblation for the dead they haue holden as necessarie by necessitie of meanes for those for whom it is done that soe their deliuerace from temporall paines which remaine after this life for sinne cōmitted after baptisme ād for which thy haue not done such penances
and the moderne CHAP. XXII The continuance of the Kinges answere Flourishinge vnder the Emperors vvhose dominion vvas extended from the East to the VVest and 〈◊〉 the Northe to the South THE REPLIE THE Church was spread much beyond the boundes of the Roman Empire for it was extended in Africa besides the Roman prouinces vnder many barbarous Kinges to the 〈◊〉 of Arabia vnder Mauuia Queene of the 〈◊〉 in Persia vnder the Kinge of Persia in Gothland vnder the Kinges of the Gothes where she was cruelly 〈◊〉 in saint AVGVST 〈◊〉 and the vnitie of the Empire was not alwaies an 〈◊〉 on to make her more flourishinge and distinct but oftentymes caused her to be the more oppressed For vnder the Emperors that were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as was Julian all kinde of heresies tooke hart to assaile her and vnder the hereticall Emperors that heresie which they professed 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 her as Arrianisme vnder Constantius whose Sectaries did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Catholicke Church was reduced into narrower 〈◊〉 then she was when the separation of these last ages began And to proue that it was soe Socrates and Sozomenus doe note that the Catholike prosession remained almost shutt vp within the boundes of the Patriarckshipp of the Latine Church and on this side the mountaine of Tusc is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Illyria the greater parte of the Bishops of the Easterne Empire beinge either Arrians or banisht from theire Seates In such sorte as the Catholicke Communion was then farr from beeinge soe 〈◊〉 as she was when the last diuisions were raised For besides that at 〈◊〉 comeinge all the RegioÌ„s of Europe except some partes of Greece 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Catholicke coÌ„munion and that in Asia not onely since the expulsion of the Successors of Godfry kinge of Palestina and of Boemond prince of Antioch the guarde of the holy Sepulcher of Ierusalem did alwaies remaine to the Latines and that yet to this day the Patriark of the Maronites which is one of the branches of the diuision of the Patriarkeshipp of Antioch with all the Bishops of his iurisdiction hath alwaies liued and perseuered to liue in the Communion of the Latine Church and that in Armenia the greater vnder the Kinge of Persia before he was driuen thence by the Turkes there were and yet are manie Christians of that communion which is Called the Latine and manie Monasteries of Saint Dominicke And that in the Isles of Cypres Candia Zante Chios Naxos And other grecian and Asian Islandes the Roman communion had place and hath yet at this day for the most part and that in Africa the Kingdome of Congo whose Embassador came and dyed a fewe yeares agone in Rome made profession of the Catholicke Religion from before Luthers tyme Besides that I saie the ChristiaÌ„s that inhabited in all the borders of Africa vnder the conquest of the kinge of Portugale and in those of Asia at â—rmus at Calicut at Goa at Cochin and in all the east Indias and those which liue at this day vnder the king of Spaine in whose Estate all is reunited in the Acores in the fortunate Islandes in the Islandes of Hispaniola and Cuba in the Continent of America in the Phillippinas in the Molucas and in other places suffice to supplie the fall of the Roman Communion in the East Together with this that all that the ancient Emperors possessed was not peopled onely with the Catholicke communion but there were infinite other Sectes which although euery one taken aparte none of them did equall her neuerthelesse all ioyned together would haue surmounted her witnes the Donatistes wordes aboue recited by Saint AVGVSTINE how can you saie that the whole world is replenished with your communion wherein there are soe manie heresies whereof noe one communicates with you Soe as it may bee seene that the Church in Saint AVGVSTINS tyme for beinge vnder the Roman Emperors was noe more distinct nor easier to be discerned from hereticall Sectes by externall notes then she was when the last diuisions were formed but contrarywise much lesse principally in the west for as much as the watch fullnes of the westerne princes in publishinge teÌ„porall lawes against heretickes hath caused the Catholicke Church to remaine alonge tyme alone in Europe without the concurrence of anie other Sect whereas before there was scarce anie cittie that was not infected with diuers kindes of heresies and of which we might not saie with Saint PACIAN Entringe in these daies into a populous cittie and findinge there Marcionites Valentinians Appllecians and other such like plagues which call themselue Christians how should J know the Societie of my people if she were not intitled Catholick Of the communion that the Bishops of the East had by letters with those of the west CHAPT XXIII The continuance of the kinges answere THen there might be seene the Bishops of the East and the VVest communicatinge by theire letters and by theire Messengers euery daie and when neede required lendinge helpe the one to the others THE REPLIE IT is true but of those letters the principall were the consultations of the Synodes with the Popes and the answeres of the Popes to the Synodes whereof Saint IEROM speaketh when he saith that he had serued Pope 〈◊〉 for a Secretary to answere the Synodicall consultations of the East and the West And whereof Pope INNOCENT writes to Saint AVGVSTIN and to the other Bishops of the Mileuitan Councell Through all the prouinces there run alwais the answeres from the Apostolicall springe to those that 〈◊〉 them And Saint AVGVSTINE himselfe in his Epistle to SIXTVS Of this there was also sent the relation of the two Councells of Carthage and Mileuis to the Apostolicall Sea And in the Epistle to OPTATVS Wee haue bad care to conuay to you the letters which haue bene sent from the Apostolicall Sea vpon this subiect either especially to the Africans or vniuersallie to all the Bishops for feare least 〈◊〉 they be not yet come to your Holynesse And Pope IVLIVS recited by Saint ATHANASIVS Are you ignorant said hee to the Arrians that the custome is first to write to vs and so from hence may proceede the iust decision of thinges Of these wordes of the constitutions of Saint Clemen the vniuersall Episcopat is Committed to Bishops CHAP. XXIII The continuance of the Kinges answere FOR that that is read in the Constitntions of 〈◊〉 that the vniuersall 〈◊〉 is committed to Bishops and by consequence that they are all in some sort 〈◊〉 now amazed wee read it and beleiue it not THE REPLIE NEither is the booke that beares the title of ClemeÌ„ts Constitutions of such creditt as it can haue aucthority to decide in matters of Religion For be it that it was from the beginninge supposed vnder Clements name or that it were since alter'd and falsified by heretickes it is certaine that the authority thereof is suspected Saint EPIPHANIVS makes mention of a booke soe intitled and saith that
caused the diuision of the Church especiallie in the West for whatsoeuer multitude of gouernments haue had place there vnder the title of Empire Kindome Principalitie and Common wealth and whatsoeuer difference of manners languages lawes and institutions that haue raigned there the Church hath bene no more visible in the tyme when the Empire was one and ruled ouer all the East and west then it hath bene vnder this diuersitie of Princes and gouernments Also the vnitie of the Church was not foretold by the Prophets only for the time wherein there should be but one tēporall monarcke in the world if euer that title could haue belonged to anie Prince but also for that tyme wherein there should bee seuerall kinges and Administrators of Estates according to this Prophecie of the Psalmist The Kings and Kingdomes shall agree in one to serue our Lord. Which caused S. AVGVSTINE to saie vnder colour that in the whole world Kingdomes are often deuided yet for all that Christian vnitie is not 〈◊〉 for as much as the Catholicke Church remaines on either part And indeede that the vnitie of the Church depends not from the vnitie of the Empire but from the relation to a visible center of the Ecclesiasticall communion it appeared sufficiently euen in the time of the greatest vnitie and extent of the Empire when the Christians which were vnder Firmus King of the Barbarians in Africa vnder Mania Queene of the Sarazins vnder Cosroes King of Persia states all distinct yea the most part of the time enemies to the Romane Empire And after in Damascus and other neighbouring Prouinces vnder the Kings of the Agarenians did all agree in the vnion and communion of the Catholicke Church For as for the deuisions which are at this daie in the East euery one knowes that that of Egypt and Ethiopia hath begun from the time of the vnitie of the Empire And that of the Armenians likewise as appeares by the decisiōs made against them in the Canōs of the Coūcell holden vnder Iustinian 〈◊〉 And that of the Nestorians and Iacobites which haue yet to this day their sect in Mesopotamia other partes of Asia likewise And as for the Greeke Church it is certaine that although it began to be diuided since the separation of the Empire neuerthelesse the cause of the diuision was not the diuision of the Empire vnder which it perseuered yet manie yeares in vnitie with the Latine but the Schisme betweene the two competitors of the Patriarkship of Constantinople Ignatius and Photius to which to make it the more lasting heresie was added and which the Emperors according as they haue bene good or euill haue indeuoured themselues to fomēt or stopp and there haue not wanted generall Councells euen of the two seuerall Churches to extinguish this diuision when they haue desired it For histories are full of these examples witnes that which was holden at Constantinople vnder the Emperor Basilius for the restitution of Ignatius that which was holden vnder Pope Innocent the third which wee call the great Councell of Lateran to reunite the Greeke church with the Latine and that which was holden for the same effect at Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth at which the Emperor and the Patriarke of Greece assisted in person As also the diuision of the Empire and the rule of the Greeke Emperors after of the Mahometan Princes did not hinder the Churches that acknowledged the Patriarke of the Syrian tongue whom we call Maronites from perseuering in the communion of the Roman Church In such sort as this varietie and diuision of sects in the East can not be attributed to the defect of the vnitie of the Empire since in the time that the Empyre was most vnited these troubles and innouations had such place therein as Socrates and Sozomene doe in the tyme of the Emperor Constantius set the mount Tuscis in Illiria for a bound betweene the quiet peace of the Church and the tempest and turbulencie of hereticks But it ought to be attributed to the want of constancie of the Easterne people or rather to the blessing of God vpon the Roman church which would shew that this prophecie Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it hath had some more speciall effect for the Sea of S. PETER then for those of the other Patriarkes according to that oracle of the great Leo Besides the stone that our Lord hatt sett for a foundation noe other building shall be stedfast Of the interpretation of these vvords Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church CHAPT III. The continuance of the Kings answere SINCE that time the Catholicke Church in truth hath not ceast to be for it shall allwaies bee and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her who is founded on Christ the true stone and in the faith of PEETER and of the other Apostles THE REPLIE THat some times the Fathers expound these words Vpon this Rock I will build my Church of the Faith of S. PETER and say that the Church was built vpon the confession of PETER And that some times they expound it of the person of PETER and saie that the Church hath bene founded vpon the person of PETER they are not contrarie expositions the one excluding the other but conioynt the one including the other for they intend the Church to speake the Schoole language is built causallie vpon the confession of PETER and formallie vpon the ministrie of the person of PETER that is to saie the confession of PETER was the cause werefore Christ chose him to constitute him for the foundation of the ministrie of his Church By that saith saint HILLARIE the blessed Confession hath obtained his reward and that the person of saint Peter hath bene that vpon which our Lord hath properlie built his Church Soe as to saie that his Church is built vpon the confessio of PETER is not to denie that it is built vpō the person of PETER but it is to expresse the cause wherefore it is built vpon him noe more then to sale with saint HIEROME that PETER walked not vpon the waters but Faith is not to denie that saint PETER walked trulie properly and formallie vpon the water but it is to expresse that the cause that made him walke there was not the actiuitie or naturall vertue of his person but the faith that he had giuen to the words of Christ. And therefore as these two propositions the faith of PETER walked vpon the waters and the person of PETER walked vpon the waters are both true but in a different sence for the faith of PETER walked vpon the waters causallie as the Schooleme sare that is to saie it was the cause that the person of saint PETER walked there and the person of saint PETER walked there trulie properlie and formallie so these two propositions the Church was built vpon
that in Christ there is but one Nature that is to saie confound and steepe the Essence of the humanitie in that of the diuinitie Doth not sainct AVGVSTINE crie out Those that beleeue not that Christ is come in the fleshe c. and that he is risen againe in the same Bodie wherein he hath bene crucified and buried although they should be in all the countries ouer the which the church is spread are not in the Church How can then the true Church haue cōmunion with this Sect and how can this Sect bee a member and a true part of the Church And how can it bee that of the Roman Church which holdes the contrarie doctrine and of this Sect there should be framed one common Bodie of the 〈◊〉 Church and to goe about to ioyne them together in one selfe-same Societie of a catholicke Church and more to add vnto them all other hereticall and schismaticall sects How is it anie other thing then to goe about to ioyne like Mezentius dead bodies with liuing bodies and to make of the spouse of Christ of the doue of Christ which is the only catholicke Church a monster and a Prodigie compounded of all the impious horrible and contradictorie heresies that haue rent the Coate and mysticall Bodie of Christ and to putt communion betweene Christ and Beliall and betweene light and darknes The Catholicke Church then is not a Masse and common Societie which containes in it the confusion of all Sects and of all the multitude of those that are called Christians but it is a particular Societie amongst all those Societies which beares the name of Catholicke or totall Church not because it containes in deed all the rest You will saith Optatus Mileuitanus to the Donatists bee alone all the whole 〈◊〉 are not so much as in the whole And saint AVGVSTINE Whosoeuer defends a part separate from the whole cannot vsurpe the title of a Catholick but because she containes them in right and holds habituallie the place of the whole in regard of them For the Church holds the place of the whole habituallie in regard of hereticall and schismaticall Sects and by her eminencie for as much as none of the other considered euerie one a part equalls her in number and in multitude Howbeit saith Saint AVGVSTINE that there are manie heresies of Christians which would be all called Catholickes There is neuerthelesse one Church if you cast your Eies vpon the extent of the whole world more aboundant in multitude and because vnto her alone belonges the prerogatiue of being successiuely spread ouer the whole earth in beginning from Hierusalem whereas none of the others hath the priuiledge but that the most part of them like that kinde of Ape which the Greekes call Callithrix cannot liue but in that climate and vnder the same influence wherein they were bredd And beyond this because all the rest hauing gone forth from her and she hauing as saint AVGVSTINE saith still remained in her stock and roote holdes the places and right of the whole in regard of all the rest noe more nor lesse then that part of the tree in which the life stood and roote rests holdes the place of the whole habituallie in regarde of those that haue bene separated from it They vnder st and not saith hee that amongst the Sects of the Christians there is one true and wholesome and in sort Germinall and radicall Christian societie from whence they haue separated themselues And finallie because all the rest are obliged if they will obtaine saluation to reinsert and reincorporate themselues into the bodie of the Catholick Church Holde most stedfastlie saith FVLGENTIVS that noe heretick or schismatik if he bee not reconciled to the Catholick Church before the end of his life can bee saued Otherwise if all the hereticall and schismaticall Societies which professe the name of Christ might iustlie enioy the title of the Church and were actuallie parts of the Church wherefore had the Fathers imployed these sentences against hereticks and schismaticks That 〈◊〉 of the Church there is noe saluation that out of the Church there may be had the faith and Sacraments and all thinges else Saluation excepted that who hath not the Church for his Mother cannot haue God for his Father that hee that communicates with the vniuersall Church is a Catholicke and he that communicates not therewith is an hereticke and Antichrist And howe could the excellent King himselfe haue protested That he beleeues without colour or fraude that the is one only Church in deede and in name Catholicke and vniuersall spread ouer the whole world out of which there can be 〈◊〉 Saluation hoped for and condemneth and detests those that heretofore or since haue seperated themselues either from the Faith of the Catholicke Church and are become heretickes as the Manichees or from her communion and are become Schismatickes as the Donatists if the Catholicke Church did comprehend all the Hereticks and all Schismaticks among which there was neuer anie more pernicious then those that destroy the human nature of Christ the only organ of our Saluation as the Egiptians and Ethiopians doe For whereas his maiestie auowes that the frame contexture of the Church is alreadie longe agoe dissolued dissassēbled betweene thē vs but adds in regard of externall forme S. IOHN in saying to vs If anie one bring thee not this doctrine saie not so much to him as well bee it with thee for whosoeuer shall say to him well be it with thee shall communicate in his wiched works forbidds vs all communion as well internall as externall with thē And elsewhere we haue alreadie shewed that when externall and Sacramentall communion is interdicted on both sides that is to saie where there is a reciprocall excommunication and an erection of Altar against Altar there cannot be vnitie either internall or externall If wee be in vnitie said S. AVGVSTINE what makes two Altars in the Cittie And Sainct CYPRIAN The Church which being Catholick is one maintaines herself whole and is ioyned together with the cement of Prelates adhering to one another But against these decisions of the scripture and Fathers there doe arise fowre obiections The first that the word Church doth grammaticallie signifie assemblie and consequently that all assemblies are Churches and so all Christian assemblies are Christian Churches Now this obiection is good in gramar and to interpret prophane authors but not in diuinitie nor to interpret christian Authors amongst whō the word Church hath noe more this vast and large Grammaticall signification as it had before For as when Hormodius and Aristogiton had freed the common wealth of Athens from the slauerie of the thirtie tyrants the Athenian Senate to consecrate their names and to make them reuerenced to Posteritie ordained that from thence forward they should neuer be imposed vpon or communicated to anie other Soe after our Lord had giuen to his
the contrarie heresie confuted by Scripture only destitute of the helpe of tradition And although Optatus Mileuitus in the beginning had attempted it neuerthelesse the successe hath made saint AVGVSTINE who hath gone further in this question see and confesse that to compose it there was a necessitie of hauing recourse to the vnwritten Apostolicke tradition And what saint AVGVSTINE alleadgeth in generáll against Petilianus must not be obiected against this If anie one of Christ or of the Church or of ought belonging to the faith or to life declare 〈◊〉 then this that you haue receaued in the legall and Euange licall scriptures let him be anathema For himselfe declares elsewhere as it shall appeare hereafter that this word of S. PAVL further signifies against or to the preiudice of The Apostle faith hee hath not said more then but further for if he had said more then hee had condemned himselfe He that desired to come to the Thessalonians to supplie what was wanting in their Faith Now hee that supplies adds that which was not in the thing but takes not awaie what was therein before Of the vnderstanding of the words of S. Chrysostome in the thirtie third homilie vpon the Acts. CHAP. XIX The continuance of the Kinges answere EVEN soe S. CHRISOSTOME as well elsewhere as of deliberate purpose in the thirtie third homilie vpon the Acts handling this question how the true Church may be discerned amongst manie Societies which attribute this name to themselues doth teach that there are two instruments to iudge and decide this question First the word of God and afterward the antiquitie of the doctrine not inuented by anie late bodie but alwaies knowne since the beginning of the Church when she was but breeding THE REPLIE THERE are fowre 〈◊〉 to be made vpon this Article the first that sainct CRYSOSTOME giues not this Rule to discerne the true Church from all societies that differ from her in what point soeuer but onlie to discerne her from those that differ from her in the point of Christs diuinitie wherein it is noe wonder if the scripture be more cleere and expresse then in anie other The second that this marke to discerne the Church he giues not to those that are alreadie preoccupated with the opinion of anie of the Christian sects but to the Pagans which were not anticipated with passion for anie of the parties that combated about the pointes of Christs diuinitie and for this reason might seeme to iudge the more impartiallie The third that sainct CHRYSOSTOMES ayme is not to treate seriouslie there of the markes of the Church with the Pagans but to stopp their mouthes and to shew that whereas they said that they would turne Christians but that they knew not on which part to range themselues these were but pretences and not true language The fowrth that hee stopps not there but acknowledging that this meanes because of the subtletie and shiftes of hereticks is not sufficient requires and exactes an other that is to saie that hee reduceth in the last instance all the summe of the question to this point that that is the true Church which hath remained stedfast and immutable in her communion and from whence all the others are gone forth and that came forth from none A Pagan saith hee comes and saith I would turne Christian but I know not to whom I ought to adhere for there are amongst you manie strifes seditions and tumultes I know not which opinion I should choose nor which I ought to preferr euerie one saith I followe the truth whom shall I that am vtterlie ignorant in the Scriptures beleeue seeing both sides as well the Catholickes as the Sects of the Arrians as it shall appeare heereafter protest the same thinge That certainly answereth hee makes much for vs for if wee saie wee must beleeue reasons thou shalt not without cause be troubled but if wee saie wee must beleeue the Scriptures and they be simple and true it is easie for thee to iudge thereof if anie one conforme himselfe to them he is a Christian if anie striue against them he is farr from this rule But what will become of it saith the Gentile if the other coming also saie the scripture affirmes this thinge and thou saist it affirmes an other thinge and that you wrest the scripture into diuers parts each drawing the vnderstanding of the words thereof to his owne side c. Then saith S. CHRISOSTOME we will inquire of the Pagan if what he saith be pretences and excuses and aske him ifhe condemne the Gentiles Hee must saie some thinge for he will not desire to come to vs till first he condemne them wee will aske him then for what cause 〈◊〉 condemnes them for he will not condemne them without cause It is manifest that he will saie because their Gods are Creatures and are not the vncreated God This 〈◊〉 well answere wee for if this 〈◊〉 found in other heresies a clause which euidently shewes that he spoke onely of those heresies which opposed the 〈◊〉 of Christ which were those where with the East was afflicted and wee affirme the contrarie what neede more words Wee all confesse that Christ is God but see who combats against it and who combates not against it wee call him God and pronounce of him thinges worthie of God that he hath power that he is not seruile that he is sree that he doth all thinges of himself and they the contrary And then finallie seeing that this attempt succeeded not sufficiently It is not possible saith hee but he that heares without preoccupation should be perswaded For as if there were a Rule according to which all thinges should be squared there were noe neede of great consideration but it would be easie to discerne him that should make wrye lines Euen soe is it nowe But wheresore then would he saie doe they not see it Preiudication and human causes doe manie thinges that replies 〈◊〉 they saie also of vs. And how can they saie it for wee haue not seperated ourselues nor haue made noe schisme nor diuision in the Church Wee haue noe heresiarchs wee name not ourselues after the name of anie man wee haue noe leaders as to one Marcion to another Manicheus to an other Arius to an other an other heresi-founder But if wee take the appellatiō of anie particular it is not from those that began anie heresie but of those that preside ouer vs and gouerne the Church Wee haue noe doctors vpon earth God forbid wee haue one alone in heauen This also will hee saie the others likewise affirme it but the name that they beare answereth hee to witt of Marcionites or of Manichees or of Arrians conuinceth them and stopps their mouthes By which words it appeares that the last analysis and resolution of the question is all determined in this point that that is the true Church which hath remained vnmouable and stedfast in her communion from whom all the
of Catholique to the Donatists because of the separation of Communion and yet graunted it to those from whom the Donatists had taken their doctrine because of the vnitie of Communion Cyprians people saith S. Pacian hath neuer bene called otherwise then Catholicke And Sainct Vincentius Lerinensis O admirable change the authors of one selfe same opinion are adiudged Catholickes and the Sectaries heretickes And S. Augustin Dissention and diuision saith hee makes you heretickes and peace and vnitìe makes Catholiques And that in the fowrth Coūcell of Carthage this article was inserted into the triall of the promotion of Bishops whither they beleeue that out of the Catholicke Church none cā be saued And that in the Epistle of the Councell of Cyrtha it was repeated by S. Augustin who was Secretarie thereto in theses wordes Whosoeuer is separated from this Catholicke Church how praise-worthie soeuer he conceaue his life to bee by this onlie crime that he is separated from the vnitie of Christ he shall not haue life but the wrath of God shall remaine vpon him And after by Fulgentius in these wordes Beleeue firmelie and doubt it not at all that no hereticke or Schismaticke baptized in the name of the Father of the sonne and of the only Ghost if he be not reconciled to the Catholicke Church what almes soeuer he may giue yea though he should shedde his blood for the name of Christ can in any sort be saued That I say was against or principallie against the Donatists And neuerthelesse the Donatists agreed in all the doctrine of the Creede and of the Scripture with the Catholicks Your are with vs saith S. Augustine in Baptisme in the Creede and in all the other Sacraments of our Lord but in the spirit of vnitie and in the bond of peace and finallie in the Catholicke Church you are not with vs And yet they differed only in one pointe of vnwritten tradition which as S. Augustin himself who principallie triumphes ouer this heresie confessed could not be demonstrated by Scripture This saith hee in the Booke of the vnitie of the Church neither thou nor I doe euidentlie reade And in the first Booke against Cresconius though for this there be noe example in the scriptures yet euen in this wee follow the truth of the Scriptures when wee doe that which hath pleased the vniuersall Church which the authoritie of the same scriptures doth recommend And in the secōd Booke of Baptisme against the Donatists And ourselues saith hee durst affirme no such thing but that we are upheld by the vnanimous authoritie of the Church And in the fift The Apostles haue in this prescribed vs nothing but this custome which was opposite to Cyprian ought to be beleeued to haue taken it's originall from their tradition as manie other things which the vniuersall Church obserues and for this cause are with good right beleeued to haue bene commaunded by the Apostles although they haue not bene vvritten From whence it appeares that to obtaine the name of Catholicke it sufficeth not to hold or rather to suppose to hold the same beleefe that the Fathers held vnlesse they communicate with the same Catholicke Church wherewith the Fathers did communicate and which by succession of persons and as wee pretend of doctrine is deriued downe to vs and if she haue lost anie thing of her extent in our hemisphere she recouers as much and more daily in the other hemisphere that these prophecies may be fulfilled In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed In the last daies the mountaine of the howse of our Lord shall bee vpon the topp of mountaines and shall be exalted aboue all the highe hills and all nations shall come vp to her This Ghospell of the Kingdome must be preached ouer all the world and then the end shall come and such like in right whereof the Church as saith S. Augustin hath obtained the title and the marke of Catholicke The SECOND obseruation is vpon the restriction in Cases necessarie to saluation For besides pointes necessarie to saluation there are two other degrees of thinges the one sort profitable to saluation as it is according to the opinion of your owne ministers to sell all our goods and giue it to the poore to fast in affliction to appease the wrath of God to pray our Bretheren in the faith to praie to God for vs and the other sort lawfull and not repugnant to saluation as to fly from persecution to liue by the Altar since we serue at the Altar to putt awaie our wiues for adulterie and other the like for I alleadge these for examples and not for instances Now it is needefull to be cōformable to the integritie of the beleefe of the Fathers to beleeue all thinges that they haue beleeued according to that degree wherein they haue beleeued them to witt to beleeue for thinges necessarie to saluation those thinges that they haue esteemed to be necessarie for saluation and for thinges profitable to saluation those things that they haue esteemed to be profitable to saluation and for things lawfull and not repugnant to saluation those thinges that they haue holden to be lawfull and not repugnant to saluation and not vnder colour that the two last kindes are not things necessarie to saluation but only profitable or lawfull to condemne them and to separate ourselues for their occasion from the Church which then had thē in practise and still practiseth thē to this day The third obseruation is vpon the ambiguitie of the word necessarie to saluation which because of the diuers kindes of necessitie which haue place in matters of religion is capable of diuers sences for there is an absolute necessitie and a conditionall necessitie a necessitie of meanes and a necessitie of precept a necessitie of speciall beleefe and a necessitie of generall beleefe a necessitie of act and a necessitie of approbatio I call an absolute necessitie not simplie but by vertue of Gods institution that which receiues no excuse of impossibilitie nor anie exception of place time or persons as in regard of those that are of age capable of knowledge the beleefe in Christ mediator betweene God and man for neither the circumstance of being in a place where wee cannot be instructed in that article nor the preuention of time in dying before wee are informed thereof nor the condition of being an ignorant person vnlearned dull not apt to comprehend a sheepe and not a shepheard can warrant those from damnation that beleeue it not actually for as much as who beleeues not in the onlie Sonn of Gods is alreadie iudged And in regard of little Children baptisme only according to our doctrine may supplie the defect of Faith in Christ in their behalfe agreeing with that sentence of S. Augustin Doe not beleeue doe not saie doe not teache if thou wilt be a Catholick that little children which are 〈◊〉 by death from being
as it hath pleased God whollie to accept may be hastned by the prayers and sacrifices of the Church and necessarie with necessitie of precept and to exercise christian charitie and pietie both to the Church that offers them and to the ministers and Pastors by whom she offers them The prayer of the Saintes they haue holden as necessarie to the bodie of the Church and to the ministers by whō they are made with necessitie of precept to exercise the commerce betweene the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant and to particular persons out of the offices of the Church and in their priuate deuotions not neeessary with necessitie of act but only profitable that they may the more easilie obtaine pardon for their sinnes by the concourse of their prayers who are alreadie in the per fect and assured possession of the grace of God but necessary to them and all others with nessitie of approbation that is to saie they are obliged not to contradict them and not to condemne the custome and doctrine of the Church in that article and not to separate themselues from her vpon this occasion vnder paine of falling into Anathema and to be holden for heretickes All which things I will not now stand to proue least I make a Booke of a letter but I doe oblige myselfe to iustifie them when soeuer you shall desire it and to make it appeare both by the vnanimous consent of the Fathers that haue flourished in the time of the first fowre councel's and by the formes which remaine to vs in their writings of the ancient Church Seruice that all the Catholicke Church of their times hath vninersallie and vniformely beleeued holden and practised them throughout all the regions and prouinces of the earth I oblige myself I saie to make it appeare to you that she hath holden these fower thinges in the same sence and in the same forme and for the same end as our Lyturgies are and not as obseruations that then sprung vp but as things that the same Fathers testified to haue bene beleeued and practised from all antiquitie and to be deriued to them by an vninterrupted continuance from the tradition or approbation of the Apostles Soe as they cannot renounce the Communion of our Church vnder pretence of anie of these fowre points without renoūcing the Communion of the ancient catholick Church and consequently the inheritance of saluation and that by authors and testimonies all able to abide the touch as you know I am curious to make vse of noe other and with cleare and ingenuous answeres to all obiections collected out of the Fathers of the same ages or of ages before them A thing that will be the more easie for me because the proofes that wee will avouch out of the Fathers are proofes which containe in expresse termes the affirmatiue of what wee saie whereas our aduersaries cannot finde one only passage which containes in expresse terme the negatiue but only in termes from whence they pretend to inferr it by consequence and which at a iust tribunall would not merit so much as to be heard For who knowes not that it is too great an iniustice to alleadge consequences from passages and euen those euill interpreted and misvnderstood and in whose illation there is alwaies some paralogisme hidd against the expresse wordes and the liuely and actuall practise of the same fathers from whom they are collected and that may be good to take the Fathers for Aduersaries and to accuse them for want of Sence or memorie but not to take them for Iudges and to submitt themselues to the obseruation of what they haue beleeued and practised To this I will also adde whensoeuer you shall desire it the present Conformitie of all the other Patriarchall Churches in these fowre cases with the Roman and of all those which haue remained euen to this daie vnder their iurisdiction to witt those that are vnder the Patriarchall iurisdiction of the Patriarck of Constantinople as the Grecians Russians Muscouites and Asians of Asia-minor separate from vs neere eight hundred yeares Of those that are vnde the Greeke Patriarch of Antioch as the Syrians Mesopotamians and others yet more Easterne nations for those that obey the Syrian Patriarch as the Maronites perseuer in the Communion of the Roman Church of those that relye vpon the Egiptian Patriarch of Alexandria as the Egiptians whom they call Cophtites and the Ethiopians which haue bene diuided both from vs and from the greekes more then eleuen hundred yeares euen from the time of one of the fowre first Councells to witt of the Councell of Chalcedon For all these hold these fower pointes yea with more iealousie if it be possible then the latine Churches and particularlie the article of the Sacrament where of they doe not only beleeue transubstantiation which the greekes at this daie call in the very self same sence and phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but also exercise the adoration with externall gesture more full of humilitie then ours A manifest proof that these fowre pointes were vniformely holden and obserued by the ancient Cahtholicke Church since all the partes whereinto the ancient Catholicke Church is dismēbred doe retaine them vniformly to this daie notwithstanding soe manie distances separations and diuisions through all the regions of the Earth These are in generall the causes that haue moued me to vse that exception in my letter that you obiect to me in yours whereof if the Excellent King of great Brittaine had as well leasure to heare the particularities as he hath capacitie to comprehend them I assure myselfe he would not thinke it strange that I should desire in him the title of Catholique but he would desire it himsefe and put himsefe in state to obtaine it and to cause it to be obtained by those that are depriued of it that is to saie he would add yet to is other Crownes that of making himsefe a mediator of the peace of the Church which would be to him a more triumphant glorie then that of all the Alexanders and of all the Caesars and which would gaine to his Isle noe lesse an honor in hauing bredd him thē to haue bredd great Constantine the first deliuerer and pacifier of the christian Church I praie god that he will one daie Crowne all the other graces wherewith he hath indowed him with that and heare to this effect the prayers of his late Queene Mother whose teares like those of S. Augustins Mother doe not onlie intercede for him in heauen but her blood also And likewise keepe you Sr. in his safe and holie protection From Paris 15. Iulij 1611. AN ADMONITION TO THE READER This letter to Mons. Casaubon occasiond the whole discourse ensuing For the letter being shewed to his most excellent maiesty our Souuerain Lord king Iames of glorious memory it pleased him not only to read it but to take paines to answer it as he thought most conuenient To which answer of his maiesty the Cardinall replieth
Epithete to distinguish the Christian Church from her for as the starr that the authors call Lucifer although it be the same with that that is called Vesper yet when it goes before the Sonne it beares one name and when it followes him it hath an other soe although the Iewish congregation hath bene in some sorte one same societie with the Christiā Congregatiō neuerthelesse whē this societie hath gone Before her SVNNE which is CHRIST she hath borne one name to witt the Synagogue and when she followes him she beares an other to witt the Church And therefore when our Lord said to S. Peter Dic ecclesiae tell it to the Church and if he heare not he Church let him be to thee as an heathen or a publican And when S. LVKE relates that HEROD sett himselfe to Persecute quosdam de ecclesia some of those of the Church and when saint Paul writes I teach it so in all the Churches And againe bee without scandall to the Iewes and to the Gentiles and to the Church of God And when S. Iames proclaimes If anie one be sicke lett him call the priestes of the Church And when S. Ireneus saith there haue bene sacrifices among the people there are sacrifices in the Church they thought they had sufficiently distinguished without anie other additiō the Christian Church frō the Iewish Synagogue And contrariwise when the Church of SMYRNA in an age neighbouringe vpon that of the Apostles intitles her Epistle to the Church of PHILOMILION and to all the a Diocesses of the Catholique Church that are throughout the world And when CLEMENT ALEXANDRINVS writes There needes not manie wordes to shewe that the mocke-Councells of heretickes are after the Catholicke Church And when TERTVLLIAN saieth Marcion gaue his money to the Catholique Church which reiected both it and him when he strayed from our truth to heresie And when sainct CYPRIAN aduertised the Bishops of Africke that passed in to Italie to acknowledge and hold fast the roote and matrice of the Catholicke Church And when Saint EPIPHANIVS reporteth that vnder the persecution of DIOCLESIAN those that held the ancient Churches called themselues the Catholicke Church and the Militians the Church of the martyres And when the Emperor CONSTANTINE ordained that all the Oratories of the Heretickes should be taken from them and presently after deliuered to the Catholicke Church they pretended not by the word Catholicke to distinguish the Christian Church from the Iewish but to distinguish the great and the originall bodie of the Church from the particular and later sectes Yet wee acknowledge that the word Catholicke in distinguishing by hervniuersalitie the true Church from the hereticall and schismaticall sectes distinguisheth her alsoe by accident from the Iewish Synagogue as a speciall difference in distinguishing her species from other species of the same genders doth also distinguish it from that of other genders though that be not her proper office for the word reasonable discerninge men from birds fishes serpentes and other beastes leaves him not vndiscerned accessarily from plantes metalls and stones But we maintaine the expresse and direct end for which the Surname of Catholik hath bene added to the Church I saie to the Church and not to the figures of the Church hath bene to distinguish it from hereticall and Schismaticall sectes If I should this daie by chance enter into a populous towne saith S. PACIANVS an author celebrated by sainct Ierom and finde there Marcionistes and Apolinarians it must be reade Apellecians Cataphrigians Nouatians and other such like which call themselues Christians by what surname should I knowe the Congregation of my people if it were not intitled Catholicke and againe Christian is my name Catholicke is my Surname that names me this markes me out by that I am manifested prodor non probor by this I am distinguished And sainct CYRILL of Ierusalem an author the same age expoundinge the creede For this cause saith he thy faith hath giuen thee this article to holde vndoubtedlie and in the holie Catholicke Church to the end thou 〈◊〉 flie the polluted 〈◊〉 of heretickes And a little after And when thou comst into a towne inquire not simplie where the temple of our Lord is for the other heresies of impious persons doe likewise call theire dens the temples of the Lord neither aske simplie where the Church is but where is the Catholique Church for that name is the proper name of this holie Church And sainct AVGVSTINE in his booke of the Faith and the creede Wee beleeue saith he the holie Church and that Catholicke for the heretickes and Schismatickes name also theire Congregations Churches but heretickes beleeuing in God in a false manner violate the faith and Schismatickes by theire vniust Diuisions seperate themselues from brotherlie Charitie although they beleeue the same thinges that we beleeue therefore the hereticke appartaineth not to the Catholicke Church because she loues God nor the Schismaticke because she loues her neighbour So that it amazeth me that I haue had soe little industrie to explaine myselfe as to haue giuen his Maiestie occasion to answere that the reason for which I had said in the beginninge of my first obseruation that the word Catholicke was not a title of simple beliefe but of communion was not enough manifest For hauinge alleaged these fower places of sainct AVGVSTINE Schismatickes appertaine not to the Catholicke Church although they beleeue the same thinges with vs. Those that disagree soe from the bodie of Christ which is the Church as theire communion is not with all or that it spread it selfe but is found separate in some part it is manifest they are not in the Catholicke Church There is a Church if you cast your eyes ouer the extent of the whole world more aboundant in multitude and also as those that know themselues to be of it affirme more sincere in truth then all the others but of the truth is an other disputation Diuision and dissention makes you heretickes and peace and vnitie makes vs Catholickes And hauinge accompanied them with these wordes of sainct VINCENTIVS 〈◊〉 O admirable conuersion or change the authors of one selfe opinion are called Catholiques and the followers of it beretickes And with those of sainct PROSPER 〈◊〉 that communicates with the vniuersall church is a christian and a 〈◊〉 catholicke and he that communicates not therewith is an hereticke and Antichrist It seemed to me that I had sufficiently shewed that the title of Catholicke is not a simple title of beliefe but of communion also It is true I expected not that a question that had bene anciently moued and adiuged euen with the interuention of the authoritie of Emperors should againe haue bene contested against and put into dispute For in the controuersie of Catholickes and Donatistes vpon the word Catholicke before the decision whereof as sainct Austin saith the Church was neuer
perfectly treated of no more then before the questions of the Arrians the Trinitie had neuer bene perfectlie treated of the thesis or tenet of the Catholickes was that the word Catholicke was a word of Communion and not a word of Simple beliefe The Christian Africans are called saith Saint AVGVSTIN and not with out good right Catholickes protesting by theire proper Communion the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And againe wee shew by the testimonie of our Cōmunion that wee haue the Catholicke Church the thesis of the Donatistes contrariwise was that the word Catholicke was not a word of Cōmunion but of beliefe and obseruation of precepts The Donatistes saith Saint AVSTIN answered that the word Catholike was not deriued from the vniuersalitie of nations but from the fulnes of the Sacramentes that is to saie from the integritie of the doctrine And in the Epistle to VINCENTIVS Rogat Thou thinkest said he then to saìe some subtile thing when thon interpretest the name of Catholicke not from the Communion of the whole world but from the obseruation of all the preceptes and diuine Sacramentes And againe you are those that hold the Catholicke faith not from the Communion of the whole world hut from the obseruation of all the preceptes aud diuine Sacramentes And the iudgement that was made vpon this difference was that the word Catholicke was a title not of simple beliefe but of Communion also After a contention of 40. daies saith OPTATVS Mileuit speaking of the first disputation of the Donatistes the finall sentēce of the Bishops Eunomius and Olimpius whcih were the Bishops deputed to iudge the possessiō of the word Catholicke betweene the Catholickes of Africa and the Donatistes was that that was Catholicke that was spread throughout the world And Saint AVSTINE speaking of the Conference of Carthage The Commissarie said he answered that he could not by 〈◊〉 attribute the name Catholicke to anie other then to those to whom the Emperor from whom he had his Commision had attributed it And in an other place citing the law of the Emperors made vpon this Conference The Emperors said he haue forbidden that those that vsurpe the name of Christians out of the Communion of the Catholicke Church and will not in peace adore the author of 〈◊〉 should dare to possesse anie thing vnder the title of the Church And againe The Emperors of our Communion haue ordained lawes against all heretikes now they call heretickes those that are not of theire Communion amongst which you are And after disputing with the same Donatists Thou askest said he of a stranger whether he be a pagan or a Christian he answeres thee a Christian thou askest him whether he be a catechumenus or one of the faithfull least he should intrude himselfe vnlawfullie to the Sacraments he answers thee one of the faithfull thou askest him of what Communion he is he answers thee a Christian Catholicke CHAP. II. Of the Conditions of the Catholicke Church The pursuite of the kings answere NOw the King belieues simplie without colour or fraude that the Church ōf God is one only by name and effect Catholicke and vniuersall spread ouer all the world out of which he affirmes himselfe there can be noe hope of Saluation he condemnes and detestes those which either heeretofore or since haue departed from the faith of the Catholicke Church are become heretickes as the Man ichees or from her Communion and are become schismatickes as the Donatists Against which two kindes of men principally sainct AVGVSTINE hath written the things alleaged in this obseruation THE REPLIE TELESIVS a Stripling of Greece hauing won the prize and victorie of the Combate in the Pythian games when there was question of leadinge him in triumph there arose such a dispute betweene the diuers natiōs there present euery one being earnest to haue him for theire owne as the one drawing him one waie the other an other waie insteed of receiuing the honor which was prepared for him he was torne and dismembred euen by those that stroue who should honor him most Soe happenes it to the Church All those that beare the name of Christians auow that to her only appertaines the victory ouer hell and that whosoeuer will haue parte in the prize and glory of this Triumph must serue vnder her ensigne But when they come to debate of the true bodie of this societie then euery sect desirous to draw her to themselues they rent and teare her in peeces and in steed of embracing the Church which consistes in vnitie they embrace schisme and diuision which is the death and ruyne of the Church The cause or rather the pretext of this euill comes from two faultes that the aduersaries of the Church commit in the distinction of the word Ecclesia or Church which makes the possession vncertaine and disputable The one is the fraudulent restriction of the terme of the Church to the only inuisible number of the predestinate by which when they feele themselues pressed to represent the succession of theire Church they saue themselues like Homers Aeneas or Virgils Cacus in obscuritie and darknes The other is the equiuocall and captious extension of the same word Church to all Sectes which professe the name of Christ by which when they see themselues excluded from the refuge of theire inuissble Church they haue recourse from darknes to confusion and confesse that there hath bene alwaies a visible Church but sometymes pure in faith and sometymes impure that is to saie now a Church and now noe Church And therefore I attribute it to a singular care of the prouidence of God that his Maiesty saying he beleeues the catholicke Church hath added as to preuent all theses shiftes without colour or fraude For to beleeue the catholicke church without colour or fraude is to beleeue her in the sence that the Fathers haue beleeued and vnderstood her the Fathers I say which haue lest vs these sentences pronunced sometymes as in the hypothesis against the Manichees and Donatists but as in the thesis against all kindes of heretickes or schismatickes in generall that out of the Catholicke Church there is noe saluation that whosoeuer is separate from the Catholicke Church cannot haue life and other such like which his Maiestie protested to approue Now first by the word Catholicke Church these Fathers haue beleeued and intended such a Church as these wordes of Esay 〈◊〉 In the last daies the Mountaine of the Lord shall be on the topp of all the Mountaines and all the hills shall flowe to her The people shall walke in thy light and the kings in the brightnes of thy Orient Theire seede shall be knowne amongst the people and theire kinge in the middest of the nations And these of our Lord The Citie built vpon the mountaine cannot be hid Tell it to the Church and if he heare not the Church let him be to thee as
a heathen or publican that is to saie a Church visible manifest and eminent and not a Church either perpetually inuisible or as if she had Giges ring now visible and now inuisible The Church saith Sainct CYPRIAN clothed with the light of our Lord sheds her beames through the whole world And S. CRISOSTOME g It is more easie to extinguish the Sunne then to obscure the Church And againe h The Sunne 〈◊〉 not soe manifest nor the ligh thereof as the actions of the Church And Sainct AVGVSTINE a The Church is not hidden for she is not put vnder a bushell but in a Candlesticke that she may giue light to all those which are in the house And of her our Lord hath said The Cittie built vpon the Mountaine cannot be hidd And in an other place b It is a condition common to all heretickes not to see the thinge that is in the world the most manifest and built in the light of all the Nations out of the vnitie whereof all that they doe though they seeme to doe it very exactly can noe more warrant them against the wrath of God then the Spiders webb against the rigor of the cold And againe he hath this most certaine marke that she cannot be hidden she is then knowne to all nations The sect of Donatus is vnknowne to manie Nations then that cannot be she And in deede how could it be that the Fathers had not had neede to be purged with Hellebore who imployed these sentences against the here tickes and Schismatickes of theire ages to presse them to returne to the Church That he shall neuer come to the rewardes of Iesus Christ that hath abandoned the Church of Christ d that he shall not haue God sor his Father that hath not the Church for his Mother e That he cannot liue that withdrawes himselfe from the Church and buildes to himselfe other seates and other dwellinges f That Christ is not with those who assemble themselues out of the Church g That he who shall not be in the Arcke shall perishe at the comminge of the floud h that he which eates the lambe out of his howse is prophane i That out of the Catholicke Church none can be saued k whosoeuer is separate from the Catholicke Church cannot haue life l That the Catholicke Church alone is the body of Christ m That out of this bodie the holy Ghost quickens none n That whosoeuer then will haue the holy Ghost should take heede of beinge separated from her and likewise take heede of entring into her fainedly if they had beleeued that the Catholicke Church had bene an inuisible flocke of predestinate persons knowne only to God and into whose Rolle as appointed from all eternitie none could enter or be added thereu nto SECONDLY by the word Catholicke Church the Fathers did not intend the Chaos and generall Masse of all Christian Sectes Societies as well pure as impure as well heretickes as Schismatickes as our aduersaries doe when they feele themselues excluded from theire refuge of an inuisible Church but by the word Cacholicke Church the Fathers intended a Societie such both for doctrine and Communion as these propheticall Oracles painted her forth o Thou art wholie faire and there is noe spott in thee p Thou shalt be called the citie of Iustice the faithfull citie q Through thee shall noe more passe anie that is vncircumcised or vncleane r I will espouse thee in faith and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And these Euangelicall decrees s The gates of Hell shall not preuaile against her t The Church is the pillar and soundation of truth u There is noe communion of Christ with Belial nor of light with darknesse x If anie one bring not this doctrine saie not to him so much as well be it with thee for whosoeuer shall saie to him well be it with thee communicates in his wicked workes that is to saie they vnderstood by that terme socitie of Christians extracted and contracted by the iust and sufficient meanes of externall vocation to saluation and distinct and purified from the impurity and contagion of all the hereticall schismatical sectes y If thou hearest in any parte saith saint IEROM of men denominated from anie but from Christ as Marcionites 〈◊〉 Montayners or Campites know that it is not the Church of Christ but the Synagogue of Antichrist OPTATVS Mileuitanus z besides the only Church which is truly Catholicke the others amongst the heretickes are esteemed to be but are not soe indeed And againe The Church is one which cannot be amongst vs and amongst you it remaines then that it be in one only place And Sainct AVGVSTINE to Honoratus Although there be manie heresies of Christians and that all would be called Catholickes yet there is alwaies one Church if you cast your eies vpon the extent of the whole worlde more abundant in multitude and also as those that know themselues to be of it more sincere in truth then all the rest but of the truth that is an other Dispute That which sufficeth for the question is that there is one Church to which different heresies impose different names whereas they are all called by there particular names that they dare not disauow from whence it appeares in the indgment of anie not preoccupate with fauour to whom the name of Catholicke whereof they are all ambitions ought to bee attributed And in the booke of the true Religion Wee must holde the Christian Religion and the Communion of that Church that is called Catholicke both by her owne and by strangers for whether heretickes and Schismatickes will or will not when they speake not with theires but with stranges they call the Catholickes noe otherwise then Catholickes And in the Comentary vpon the 149. Psalme The Church of the Saints is the Catholicke Church The Church of the Saintes is not the Church of heretickes she hath bene marked out hefore she was seene and she hath bene exhibited to the end she should be seene And in the booke of Faith and of the Creede Wee beleeue one Church and that the Catholicke for the heretickes and Schismatickes call also theire congregations Churches but the hereticke beleeuinge of God false things violate the Faith And Schismatickes by vniust dissentions separate themselues from brotherly Charitie although they belieue the same thinges that we belieue and therefore neither the heretickes doe appertaine to the Catholique Church because she loues God nor the Schismatickes because she loues her neighbour And certainly how could the Fathers without making themselues ridiculous te theire auditors beate downe the heretickes and Schismatickes with these sentences That out of the Catholicke Church there is noe Saluation that whosoeuer is not in the Catholique Church canot haue life that he shall not haue God for
For first the word Ecclesia Church is deriued from a verbe which signifies to call and not to predestinate frō whence S. Paul confirming the vse of this etymology inscribes his first to the Corinthians To the Saints called And in the epistle to the Ephes. he saith One bodie and one Spirit as you are called in one hope of your vocatiō And in the epist. to the Coloss. Lett the peace of Christ rule in your harts by which you are called in one-selfe bodie And secondly the Church is a Societie and there is this difference betweene a simple multitude and a societie that the societie adds to the partes of the multitude a condition and a certaine caracter as it were in vertue whereof they may cōmunicate together Now predestination as it is simple predestination puts nothing into the persons of the predestinate and is not made in them but in God only and by consequent doth not make them actually partes of the Church Our predestination saith S. AVGVST is not made in vs but in God the three other things are made in vs vocation iustification and glorification For that that is alleadged out of saint Paul that God knowes those that are his and hath marked them with his signet must be vnderstood that he hath marked the predestinate in himselfe that is to saie in his eternall determination and not in them as an Architect who designes in his spirit certaine stones that he will imploy in his building markes thē not by this mentall designation in them but in himselfe and makes thē not by this simple determinatiō actuall partes of his building I meane to be briefe that the vniō that cōstitutes men in the Church is in thē now the vnion that the predestinate haue in God as they are simplie predestinate is not in thē but in God alone And so it is not the vnion of predestination but that of vocatiō that cōstitutes men in the Church Thirdly S. Paul teacheth vs that the Church is the bodie of Christ and that by analogie to an organicall body God saith he constituted him head ouer all the Church which is his bodie And againe I accomplish that which wātes of the passions of Christ in my flesh for his bodie which is the Church Now it is of the essence of an organicall bodie as it is organicall to be composed of diuers offices members and parts If all the members saith S. Paul were one member where should the bodie be And by this reason the schoolemen proue that the heauens are not animated or liuing bodies because they are not organicall bodies and they proue they are not organicall bodies because they are not made vp of heterogeneall and different partes in cōposition and cōplexiō And therefore it is of the essence of the Church to haue distinction of members organs and offices is the Church doth not arise from the hidden and eternall predestinatiō for then the not predestinate could not be ministers and pastors of the Church but from externall and tēporall vocation And by consequent it is in the externall visible and temporall vocation and not in predestination which is internall to God hiddē and eternall that the being and essentiall forme of the Church consists Fowrthly the same Saint Paul saith that God hath tempered the honor of the members that there might be no schisme in the body Now the predestinate are not capable of schisme as they are predestinat but as they are called so it is not predestination but vocation that frames the bodie of the Church Fiftly he affirmes the Church to be our mother the superior Ierusalem saith he that is 〈◊〉 saie Ierusalē taken not accordinge to the lowlynes of the legall 〈◊〉 but according to the height of the Euangelicall sense is free which is our mother And he addes that it is of her that 〈◊〉 writes Reioyce thou barren woman that bringst not forth children Now the Church doth not engēder vs by predestination for God alone is the author of predestination and not the Church but by vocation and consequently it is vocation and not predestination that cōstitutes the Church in the state of a Church mother of the faithfull Moreouer the knowledge of being Children to the mother is before the knowledge of being Children to the father by the interposition of the mothers authoritie saith saint AVG wee are perswaded of the true Father For that that Aristotle writes That in certaine partes of the vpper 〈◊〉 where women were common they discerned the children by the resēblance they had to theire fathers was good for those people where that similitude had place but we in whose nature the image of God is soe defaced by the spott of originall sinne as we can noe more be knowne to be his children by vertue of naturall similitude only there is noe other meanes for vs to pretend to this quality but that we are regenerated by him in our spirituall mother which is the Church his only spouse And for this cause the Ancientes are soe carefull to saie that he shall not haue God for his Father that denies the Church for his mother and that if any be out of the Church he shall be excluded out of the mumber of the children and to exhort the Christians to doe like the Xanthians in taking the Surname of theire mother that is to say the title of Catholicke We receiue the holy Ghost saith Saint AVGVSTINE if we loe the Church if we be knitt in one bodie by charitie if we reioyce in the Catholicke name and faith Now the certaintie of being Children to the Church cannot serue vs for a meanes and path way to come to the perswasion of being the children of God if the definition of the Church consist in the hidden and inuisible secret of predestination For by this definitiō contrarywise we must be assured to be Children of God and comprehended in the Rolle of the predestinate before we can be assured that we are the Children of the Church So the definition of the Church ought to consist not in the hidden and inuisiblie condition of predestination but in the externall and visible condicion of vocation Also we see that our Lord who was the God-father of this Societie and gaue it the name of the Church in that sense that she ought to beare it hath neuer vsed that name neither he nor his Apostles but to designe a visible Societie constituted by externall and temporall vocation For when he saith Vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her And I will giue thee the keyes of the the kingdome of heauen this word in the future tense I will build shewes he speakes of a Church constituted not by prestination which was established from all eternitie but by externall and temporall vocation And the word keyes which signifies the authority of the ministery confirmes it
corrected or explained it both in the conference that he had with them in Carthage and in his retractations as there remaines noe more colour to abuse it For Saint AVGVSTINE in his first disputatiōs against the Donatistes finding himself pressed with the arguments that they brought to proue that baptisme could not be giuen by heretickes because heretickes were out of the Church aduised himselfe and particularlie in the worke of the seuen bookes of baptisme from whence this distinction of people knowne in the eyes of God and in the eyes of men is principally taken to helpe himselfe against them not with the formall definition of the Church by which onely infidells and hereticall and Schismaticall Christians are excluded but by the finall definition of the Church that is to saie by the definition of the Church considered according to the finall and future number of those of whom she should be constituted in the other world from which wicked Catholickes are also excluded to the end to inferr from thence against the Donatistes that as euill Catholickes though they were out of the Church defined according to her future permanent and principall being did truly baptise soe heretickes and Schismatickes though they were out of the Church defined according to her present and passant being yet might administer true baptisme And for a foundation of his definition he made vse of Epithetes of Salomon and S. Paul hauing noe spott nor wrinkle and 〈◊〉 her such like elogies of the Church which appertained either to the state of the other world or to the puritie of doctrine But after that the Donatistes abused both this definition and the testimonies from whence it was taken to inferre from thence that the Catholicke Communion which was mingled with wicked men was not the Church he changed his proceding in the conference that he had with them at Carthage and declared that this definition belonged not to the Church considered according to the present and formall being which she hath in this world but accordinge to the future and finall being which she shall haue in the next The Catholicks saith he made it appeare by many testimonies and examples of holy Scriptures that wicked mē are now so mingled in the Church that although Ecclesiasticall discipline ought to be watchfull to correct them both in words and by excommunications and degradations neuerthelesse not onely being hidden they are vnknowne but euen being knowne they are often tollerated for the vnitie of peace and shewed that the testimonies of scriptures did in that manner well agree together to witt that the places whereby the Church is represented with the medly of the wicked signisie the present tyme of the Church as she is in this world and the places whereby she is designed to haue no wicked persons mixt with her signifie the future state of the Church such as she shall eternally haue in the world to come And a little after so the Catholickes refuted the calumny of the two Churches declaring expressely and instantly what they intended to saie to witt that they had not pretended that that Church which is now mingled with wicked men should be an other Church then the kingdome of God that shall haue no wicked pesons in it but that the same one and holy Church is now in one sorte and shall be then in an other now she is compounded of good and wicked men and thē she shall not be soe And in the worke of the Cittie of God made by him after the Conference of Carthage there where the one and other kinde are found that is good euill there the Church is as 〈◊〉 is at this present but where the one only shal be there is the Church such as she is to 〈◊〉 when there shal be no wicked men in her And in the answere to the second Epistle of Gaudentias written also after the said Conference You see that the Church according to Cyprian is called Catholicke by the name of all and it is not without manifestly-wicked men And in the second booke of his retractations I wrote said he 7. bookes of Baptisme against the Donatistes attempting to defend themselues by the authority of the most happie Bishop and Martyr 〈◊〉 in all those bookes where I haue described the Church without wrinckle or spott it must not be takē of the Church as shee in her present being but as being 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 such whē she shall appeare in glorie And againe In my writings to an vnknowē Donatist speaking of the multitude of cockle I said by which are vnderstood all heretickes there wantes a Coniunction which is necessary for I should haue said by which are also vnderstood all beretickes c. whereas I spake as if there were onely cockle out of the Church and none in the Church And neuerthelesse the Church is the Kingdome of Christ from whence the Angells in the haruest tyme will plucke vp all Scandalls which caused the Martyr Cyprian to saie Although we see tares in the Church yet ought neither our faith nor our charitie to be so diuerted as because we see tares in the Church we should therefore seperate our-selues from the Church Which sense we haue also followed els where and principallie against the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 present in the act of the Conference From whence it appeares how much it is to abuse Saint AVGVSTINES wordes against the sense whereto himselfe intendes they should be either corrected or explained to transferr as the protestantes doe that that he spake of the Church considered according to her future and finall being in the other world and applie it to the Church considered accordinge to her actuall being heere and to inferr from thence that she may consist in this world formally in the onely mumber of the predestinate and remaine hidden and visible To the fift obiection which is that Saint Ierom writes vpon the Epistle to the Ephesians The Church is glorions wthout spott or wrinkle or anie such like thing he then which is a sinner and soyled with anie spott cannot be called of the Church of Christ neither subiect to Christ We answere that he meanes not to saie that wicked men are not of the Church which is the body of Christ which fightes heere below but that they are not of the number of the Church which is the bodie of Christ which shall raigne in heauen For soe farr of is it from Saint IEROM to belieue that the promise to be without wrinkle or spott of manners appertaines to the Church considered as she is in this world that he cryes out quite contrarilie against the Pelagians That what the Apostle writes that our Lord will make his Church holy and without spott or wrinkle shall be accomplished at the end of the world and in the consummation of vertues And againe True perfection and without soyle is reserued for heauen when the bridegrome shall say to the bride Thou art wholie saire my
aduauncinge towards the liuing God And in the volume vpon the psalmes all those who perferr earthlie felicitie before God all those which seeke themselues and not Iesus Christ belonge to that onlie Cittie which is mysticallie called Babylon and hath the diuell for her kinge And to this it is noe impediment that she is described to be clad in purple fore there purple signifies not the coulour of purple but temperall powers dignities and authoritie which are for the most parte in the hands of the wicked rather then of the good the white and shining linnen wherewith the bride is clothed signifieth not the stuffe and colour of linnen but the iustification of the saintes As little is it repugnant to this that she is described to be sett vpon 7. Mountaines for that which followes imediately after and those are 7. kinges shewes that the word Mountaines ought not in that place to bee literally taken but allegorically whether for the seuen sinnes that wee call mortall or for anie other septenary mumber ruling ouer the societie of the wicked The second interpretation celebrated by the Fathers is to expound the destruction of Babylon described in the Reuelation to be destruction of Paganisme and of the honor of the false Gods and the descent of heauenly Ierusalem to be the propagation of Christian Religion for as much as in the tyme of the prophetes from whose wordes this verse of the Reuelation goe out of Babylon my people is taken Babilon was as it were the head of Pagan superstition and also that the word Babylon signifyinge Confusion is more proper then anie other to designe the Religion of the Pagans which was a Confusion of Religions because Rome which in the age of the Apostles was become the head of Paganisme had receiued into her Common-wealth and Religion the worship and Religion of all the Prouinces that she had ouercome From whence it is that Saint AVGVSTINE attributes by a particular title the word confusion to the Religion of the Pagans when he saith We must seeke for Religion neither in the confusion of the pagans nor in the refuse of heretickes nor in the lāguishing of Schismatickes nor in the blindenes of the Iewes And it is noe contradiction to this that the Angell cryes goe out of Babylon my people And a little after and recompence her double for what she hath done to you For this cry is addressed to the elect which were not yet the people of God in act and vocation but in power and in predestination whom God soe calls to drawe them from paganisme and to make them actually his people and Commands them to repay or returne what she hath done to them that is not what she hath done in theire persons for they could not be persecuted by her for the faith if they were not yet seperated from her in faith but in the persons of theire predecessors And therefore Saint AVGVSVINE saith Marke how the people of Babylon are put to death the double of what she hath done is rendred vnto her for soe it is written of her recompence her the double of what she hath done c. And how is the double recompenced vpon her when she might persecute the christians she slewe theire bodies but she brake not theire God Now she is recompenced double for we roote out the pagans and breake theire Idolls And how sayest thou are the pagans put to death how else but in beinge made Christians For if some ancient Fathers haue interpreted the word Babylon to be the Cittie of Rome because of this epithet drunck with the bloud of the Saints and the martires of Iesus whose sufferinges were soe frequent at Rome in the first ages of the Church that it hath bene iustlie said that Rome was not so much a cittie of men as a Church-yard of martires It was the pagan Rome that they intended as the Capitall Seate of the heathen Religion and of the Empire of the Gentiles and not of any Church neither particular nor vniuersall as it appeares by these wordes of Saint IEROME I addresse my speeche to thee ô most puissant towne which hast wiped out the blasphemies written in thy forehead by the confession of Christ Which shewes vs that whilst Rome was pagan she was the same to the Christians as Babylon was in the tyme of the old Testament to the Iewes but that becomeinge Christian she had ceased to be soe and was transformed from Babylon into Ierusalem If any replie that in his epistle to Marcella the same Saint IEROM hath gone soe farr as to applie the name of Babylon to Rome after she was Christian it was not to Rome as the Seate of Religion but to Rome as the seate of the Empire not to the Ecclesiasticall communion of Rome but to the politicke State of Rome not to the Church of Rome but to the Imperiall Court to the Senate to the Pallace and to the troupe of Courtiers Solicitors and Negotiators of Rome and not in matter of Faith but in matter of manners and not in regard of Secular Christians but in regarde of the monkes to whom Rome was a kinde of Babylon because of the diuersions that the noyse the confusion the tumult of men and affaires in soe great a Cittie brought to monasticall deuotion as it appeares by what he adds presently after It is true that in that Cittie there is the holie Church it is true that there are the trophies of the Apostles and of the martyres it is true there is the true confession of Christ it is true there is the faith celebrated by the Apostle and the Christian name euerie day exalted by the depression of paganisme troden vnder foote but the ambition the power and greatnesse of this Cittie to visitt and to be visited to salute and to be saluted to flatter and detract to heare and speake nay to see though vnwillingly so great a multitude of men are thinges farr from the purpose and quiet of those that would followe a monasticall life And againe notinge the same discomodities in the dwelling in Ierusalem If said hee the places of the Crosse and Resurrection were not in a famous towne where there is a Court where there is is a garrison of Souldiers where there are common woemen players ieasters and all thinges which vse to be in other Citties c. it would certainly be a dwellinge much to be desired by Monkes Now if some-times he haue chanced to make vse of this word in his writinges against certaine Priestes and Deacons of the Clergie of Rome who iealious of his fauour with Pope Damasus persecuted him with slanders reproching to him that he had translated the treaties of Didymus an hereticall author that he had conuersed too familiarly with the deuout ladies of Rome and perswaded them to quit theire countrie children and kindred that is the confusion and tumulte of the world to goe as recluses into the Monasteries of
light more splendid then the Sunn whose rayes From the ethereall desert first doe springe And that the rest of the seede of the woman were those of whom our Lord said shewing his disciples See heere my mother and my bretheren For though Saint Iohn make mention of the paines of childbirth neuerthelesse those wordes may be vnderstood to be spoken accordinge to the ordinarie custome of the childbirth of wemen as it is written that the daies of the purification of the childbirth of the virgin were accomplished and that she presented our Lord in the temple to obserue the lawe that commaunded that euery male that opens the wombe shall be holy to the Lord. Now if the mention of the paines of childbirth keepe vs from expoundinge this passage of the virgin and obligeth vs to transferr it to the Church what shall hinder vs from interpretinge still the wildernesse to be heauen and from sayinge that the wildernesse whither the woman fled was heauen into which the first of the faithfull persecuted and martyred fled euery day by theire death and the Church in theire persons from before the face of the serpent and were deliuered from his Snares persecutions and temptations followeinge this exclamation of Saint IOHN Blessed are those that dye for the cause for the Lord for they shall rest from thence forward from theire labors Or if wee will not by the word Wildernesse vnderstand heauen who shall hinder vs frō sayinge that this woman was the Church who haueinge bene once amongst the Iewes after she had brought forth Christ by the preachinge of the Ghospell was persecuted by the Iewes that is to saie the people of the Gentiles which is often vnderstood by the wildernesse from whence it is that S. AVG. interpretinge these wordes of the Psalmist Whē I passed through the wildernesse the earth trēbled writes the wildernesse were the natiōs that 〈◊〉 ignorant of God the wildernesse was there where there was noe lawe giuen from God where noe Prophetes had dwelt which had foretolde that the Lord should come And who can hinder vs from Supposeinge that the relicks of the seede of the woman were the Iewes who were conuerred to the Christian Religion and whose generall reunion with the Church shall be made before the end of the world or who can forbidd vs to interpret this wildernesse to be the exclusion from ciuill and politicke charges from which the Church was soe banished vnder the pagan Emperors that the Christians were not admitted to anie parte of the administration of the Common wealth For our aduersaries will not haue that the number of three yeares and a halfe to which this flight is limitted should be taken accordinge to the ordinary and literall accompt Or finally if it permitted to the last commers to hope to finde the diuination of the passages of the Reuelation in theire coniectures as the cupp of prophecie in Beniamins Sacke Who shall hinder vs from applyinge this allegory to the Conuersion of the Countries newly discouered and to in terpret the wildernesse to be the Indias and the other hemispheare which had bene soe longe tyme left waste and desert from the knowledge of the true God and from saying that the two wings are the two nauigation of the East and west by which the Church that the diuell vnder the ensignes of Mahomet striues to driue from our hemispheare is gone to visite those regions conformable to the stile of the Grecians which call the sailes of shipps wings and say winge a shippe in steede of settinge to the sailes and who shall hinder vs from interpretinge the Eagle from whence these two winges preceede to be the westerne part of the Roman Empire whereof these two nauigations are partes and from expoundinge the relickes of the woman to be the Catholickes that remaine vnder the tiranny of Mahomet For to expound the woman to be the secret mumber of the predestinate and the wildernesse to be inuisibilitie and obscurity how can it agree with that that our Lord Cryes If they tell you heere is Christ beholde him in the desart goe not forth beholde him in the secret places belieue them not And S. AVGVSTINE after him It is not an obscure question and wherein they can deceiue you of whom our Lord foretolde that they should come and saie see heere is Christ beholde he is there see heere hee is in the wildernesse that is out of the frequency of the multitude And a while after that is then the Church that is not in anie one parte of the earth but which is well knowne ouer all And how can it be that the woman beinge retired into the wildernesse that is to saie the Societie of the predestinate beinge shadowed hidden and obscured from before the face of the Dragon shall quit the pursuite of the woman to goe make warr with the relickes of the seede of the woman for if the woman be inuisible how can the relickes of the woman be visible And if from that that is said that the woman flied into the desert it be permitted to conclude that the Church shall be inuisible wherefore shall we not by the same reason conclude that the Babylon of the Reuelation shall be inuisible seeinge Saint IOHN writes And he carried me in the spirit into the desert and I saw the woman sitt vpon the beast And this wee saie not that we pretend to warrant this interpretation more then the rest but to shew how weake foundation such allegoricall allegations are to builde a reuolt and an alteration of Religion vpon and to ouerthrowe soe manie euident and literall promises of perpetuall beinge visibilitie eminencie and purity as God hath made to his Church Of the consequence of the places alleadged by the fathers for the aucthoritie of the Catholicke Church CHAPT XVI The continuance of the Kinges answere NOw to come neerer the point the kinge denies that this exact collection of places out of Saint AVGVSTINE doth in anie sorte touch him THE REPLIE IN truth if the most excellent Kinge can proue that the Church to which he adheares hath bene perpetually visible and eminent aboue all other Christian Societies as Saint AVGVSTINE puts this condition for one of the necessary markes of the Church when he saith she hath this most certaine marke that she cannot be hidden she is then knowne to all nations the sect of Donatus is vnknowne to manie nation then that cannot be she And if he can shew that she hath bene not onely perpetuallie visible and eminent but also perpetuallie pure from all contagion of Schisme and heresie as Saint AVGVSTINE protestes that to be of the essence of the Catholicke Church when he writes noe hereticke belonges to the Catholicke Church because she loues God nor noe Schismaticke because she loues her neighbour And againe The Church of the Saintes is the Catholicke Church the Church of the Saintes is not the Church of the hereticke she was
predesigned that she might be discerned and hath bene exbibited that she might be seene And if he can proue that she neuer went forth from the Communion of anie other but that all other went forth from her and shee alwaies remained in her roote visible eminent perpetuall immutable and exempt from all interruption which is a marke which Saint AVGVSTINE testifies to be inseperable from the Church when he writes The Catholicke Church fightinge with all heresies may be opposed but she cannot be ouerthrowne All heresies are come out from her as vnprofitable branches out from the vine but she remaines in her vine in her roote in her Charity In truth I saie if the excellent kinge can shewe these 3. thinges I confesse freely that this Collection of passages that out of the Catholick Church none can be saued that whosoeuer is separate from the Catholicke Cburch how laudable soeuer he presumes his life to be for this only Crime that he is separated from the vnitie of Christ he shall not haue life but the wrath of God shall remaine vpō him that he shall not haue God for his Father that will not haue the Church for his mother and that it shall nothinge auaile him to haue 〈◊〉 or done such and soe many good workes without the end of the soueraigne good that out of the Catholicke Church all thinges may be had but saluation that he that Communicates with the the generall Church is a Christian and a Catholicke and he that communicates not therewith is an hereticke and Antichriste that it must be 〈◊〉 and vndoubtedly held that euery hereticke or Schismaticke baptised in the name of the father the Sonn and the holy Ghost if before the end of his life he doe not 〈◊〉 himselfe to the Catholicke Church what almesdeedes soeuer he doe yea though he should 〈◊〉 his blood for the name of Christ can in noe sorte be saued makes not against his Maiestie But if contrarily the excellent kinge cannot proue that the Church to which he adheres hath taken the originall of her visible Communion continued and not interrupted from aboue 60. or 80. yeares and that betweene the tyme of the Fathers from whom that collection of passages hath bene extracted and the tyme of Caluins pretended reformation there hath neuer bene anie Church anie communion anie Societie anie person that hath held iointlie vniuersally those thinges for which England hath deuided herselfe from the visible Communion of that Church wherein she was before then I had need be instructed to apprehend how these passages make not against his maiestie Of the distinction of heretickes and Schis matickes CHAPT XVI The continuance of the kinges answere FOr from all these testimonies there followes onely this consequently that there remaines noe hope of saluation for those who are seperated from the faith of the Catholicke Church or from the Communion of the same Catholicke Church which the kinge as we haue said before grauntes himselfe THE REPLIE THe Collection of the passages that I haue produced doe not put this alternatiuely that amongst those that are seperated either from the faith of the Catholicke Church or from her Communiō there is noe saluation Otherwise in a thinge that the Fathers would should be cleere and manifest they had a perpetuall ambiguitie to witt what it were to be seperated from the faith of the Catholicke Church For there would remaine alwaies this questiō whether the pointes of separatiō were pointes of Faith and the separation might be made vpon such a pointe as the one side would say it were a pointe of Faith and the other that it were not As the Pellagians disputinge against the Catholickes said theire difference was not in a pointe of Faith And the Catholicks said the contrary and as yet to this daie the Zuinglians and the Caluinistes disputinge against the Lutherans theire contestation is not about a point of faith and the Lutheranes saie the contrary But the Fathers absolutely sett Downe this Maxime that out of the Communion of the Catholicke Church there is nōe saluation reducinge all the certainly and euidence of this proposition that out of the Church there is noe saluation to the seperation of Communion It is true that the seperation of Communion may proceede from either of these two causes to witt either from an error in faith in which case those that forsake the Church are called heretickes or from defect in Charity in which case they are called Scismaticks But because those that sinne either in the one or in the other cannot be soe easily conuinced either of the one or of the other as of the seperation of the Communion of this visible Church eminent aboue all hereticall and Schismaticall sectes whom God would be exposed to the view of all Nations and called Catholicke and to whom he hath affected the promises and prerogatiues of the perpetuall assistance of his holy Spirit For this cause the Fathers and the Councells of Africa Saint AVGVSEINE beinge theire Secretary haue pronounced this sentence soe often before particulariz'd by the penns of the precedinge authors that out of the Catholicke Church there is noe saluation without makinge distinction betweene those that seperate 〈◊〉 from the faith of the Church and those that seperate themselues from her communion for as much as all those that seperate themselues visiblie from the faith of the Church seperate themselues also frō her Cōmunion For there are noe declar'd heretickes but they are withall Schismatickes also Onely there is this difference that heretickes seperate themselues from the Faith and Communion of the Church both together and the Schismatickes onely seperate themselues from her communion although there are fewe Schismatickes who to the separation of communion add not the separation of some pointe of faith For as Sea-crabbs when they see oysters open cast in litle stones within theire shells to keepe them from shuttinge againe that they may haue tyme to deuowre them soe when Schismatickes see a breache made in the Church to hinder it from closeinge againe they caste pointes of heresie into theire Schisme and from Schismaticks become accessorily heretickes Wee esteeme said Saint IEROM the difference betweene heresie and Schisme to be that heresie holdes a peruerse doctrine and Schisme for Episcop all dissention seperates men equallie from the Church which difference may well haue place a while in the beginninge but in tract of time there is noe Schisme that doth not forge to it-selfe some heresie to seeme to haue the iuster cause to seperate it selfe from the Church And therefore when the Emperors speake of the Donatists who are those principally for whom his Maiestie added this clause or haue seperated themselues from her communion they taxe them accessorilie of heresie From thence saith the lawe it is happened that from Schisme heresie is bred And when Saint AVGVSTINE disputes against them he proues to thē that they are not onely
Schismatickes but alsoe heretickes Thou art said he to Gaudentius both a Schismaticke by sacriligious dissention and an hereticke by sacriligious doctrine But the principall difference that wee obserue is that all call those that haue begunne with dissention in faith and to whom Schisme hath but the place of an accessory heretickes and those that haue begunne with schisme and to whom heresie is come accessorily after the schisme as the feuer after the wound Schismatickes Of the agreement of the ancient Catholicke Church with the moderne CHAP. XVIII The continuance of the Kinges answere ANd heere most Illustrious Cardinall his Maiestie requires from you that you will represent to your selfe how great Difference there is betweene Saint AVGVSTINS tyme and this of ours how the sace and all the exterior forme of the Church to saie nothinge of the interior is changed THE REPLIE THis is the request that I would myselfe most humblie make to his Maiestie to witt to sett before his eyes the estate of the Catholicke Church in the tyme of Saint AVGVSTINE and of the fower first Councells A Church that belieued a the true and reall presence and the orall manducation of the Bodie of Christ in the Sacrament vnder the kindes and within the Sacramentall kindes as Zuinglius the principall Patriarch of the Sacramentaries acknowledgeth himselfe in these wordes From the tyme of Saint AVGVSTINE that is 1200. yeares agoe the opinion of corporall flesh had alreadie gotten the masterie A church that in this qualitie adored the Eucharist not onely with thought and inward deuotions but with outward gestures and adorations actually reallie and substantiallie the true and proper bodie of Christ. For I will not speake now of Transubstantiation for which I reserue a treatise apart A Church that belieued the bodie of Christ to be in the Sacramēt euen besides the vse and for this cause kept it after Consecration for domesticall communions to giue to sicke persons to carry vpon the Sea to send into farr prouinces A Church that belieued that the communion vnder both kindes was not necessary for the integritie of participation but that all the Body and all the blood was taken in either kinde and for this cause in domesticall communions in communions for Children in communions for sicke persons in communions by Sea in communions of penitentes at the hower of Death in communions sent into farr prouinces they distributed it vnder one kinde A Church that belieued that the Eucharist was a true full and intire Sacrifice it alone succeedinge all the Sacrifice of the lawe the newe Oblation of the newe Testament the externall worshipp of latria of the Christians and not onely an Eucharistiall Sacrifice but alsoe a Sacrifice propitiatory by application of that of the Crosse and in this qualitie offered it as well for the absent as for the present aswell for the communicantes as for the non-communicantes as well for the liuinge as for the dead A Church that for the oblation of this sacrifice vsed Altars both of wood and stone erected and Dedicated to God in memory of the martyrs and consecrated them by certaine formes of wordes and ceremonies and amōgst others by the in shriuinge theire relickes A church wherein the faithfull made voyages and pilgrimages to the bodies of the said Martirs to be associated to theire merites and helped by theire intercessions prayed the holy martyrs to pray to God for them celebrated theire Feastes reuerenced theire relickes made vse of them to exorcise euill spirites kissed them caused them to be touched with flowers carried them in clothes of silke and in vessells of gold prostrated themselues before theire shrines offered sacrifices to God vpon theire tombes touched the grates of the places where theire relickes were kept tooke and esteemed the dust from vnder theire relickaryes and went to pray to the martires not onely for spirituall health but for the health and temporall prosperity of theire families carried theire Children yea theire sicke cattell to be healed And when they had receiued some helpe from God by the intercession of the said martyrs hunge vp in the temples and vpon the Altars erected to theire memory for tribute and memoriall of the obtayninge of theire vowe images of golde and siluer of those partes of theire bodie that had bene healed And when the godly and learned Bishops of the ancient tyme reporte these thinges they celebrate and exalt them as soe many beames flashes and triumphes of the glory of Christ. A Church which held the apostolicall traditions not written but cōsigned viua voce and by the visible and ocular practise of the Apostles to theire successors to be equall to the Apostolicall writinges and held for apostolicall tradions all the selfe same thinges that we acknowledge and embrace in the qualitie of apostolicall traditions A Church that offered prayers both priuate and publicke for the Dead to the end to game ease and rest for them and to obtaine that God would vse them more mercifullie then theire sinnes deserued and held this custome for a thinge necessary for the refreshinge of theire soules and for a doctrine of apostolicall tradition and placed those that obserued it not in the Cataloge of heretickes A Church that held the fast of the 40. daies of Lent for a Custome not free and voluntary but necessary and of Apostolicall tradition and reckoned amongst heretickes those that obserued it not and duringe the tyme of Lent as in a generall mourninge of Christians forbadd the Celebration of weddinges and the solemnisations of marriages A Church that out of Pentecost held the fast of all the Fridaies in the yeares in memory of the Death of Christ except Christmasse day fell vpon one which she excepted namely as an apostolicall tradition For I speake not of wednesdaies supplyed in the west by satturdaies A Church that held the interdiction made to Bishops Priestes and Deacons to marry after theire promotion for a thinge necessary and of apostolicall tradition A Church that held marriage after the vowe of virginitie a sinne and that by apostolicall tradition and reputed religious men and religious weemen that married after the solēne vowe of single life not onely for adulterers but for incestuous persons A Church that held the l minglinge of water with wine in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist for a thinge necessary and of diuine and Apostolicall tradition A Church that held the exorcismes exsufflations and renunciations which are made in baptisme for sacred Ceremonies and of Apostolicall tradition A Church that besides baptisme and the Eucharist which were the two initiatinge-Sacramentes of Christian Religion held Confirmation made with the Chrisme and the signe of the Crosse and allowed onely to Bishops the power
to conferr it Marriage for a true and proper Sacrament Pennance for a true and proper Sacrament and vocall Confession to the Pastors of the Church for one of the Conditiōs necessary to this Sacrament Order for a true and proper Sacrament and Extreame Onction for a true and proper Sacramēt which are the seuen Sacramentes that the Roman Church acknowledges and the Greeke Communion alsoe makes profession to embrace with vs. A Church which in the Ceremonies of baptisme vsed oyle salte waxe lights exorcismes the signe of the Crose the word Epheta and other thinges that accompanie it to testifie by oyle that in baptisme wee are made Christians that is partakers of the vnction of Christ by salte that God contracted with vs in baptisme an alliance for euer followinge the stile of the Scripture which calls eternall alliances alliances of salte by the light that Christ is the light that enlightens all men commeinge into the world by exorcismes that baptisme puts vs out of the Diuells possession by the signe of the Crosse that it is the Death of Christ that giues strength to all Sacramentes by the word Epheta that God accomplisheth spiritually in vs by baptisme what he wrought corporally in the deafe and dumbe man A Church that esteemed baptisme for persons of full age necessary with a conditionall necessitie and for children necessary with an absolute necessitie and for this cause permitted lay men to baptise in danger of death A Church that vsed holy water consecrated by certaine wordes and ceremonies and made vse of it both for baptisme and against inchantments and to make exorcismes and coniurations against euill spirits Frō whence it is that S. Gregory the great who though he were after the first fower Councells yet not to be excepted against by English men who tooke the originall of their mission from him ordained when Englad returned backe from paganisme to Christiā Religiō that the temples should not be demolished but expiated by the sprinkling of holy water A Church that in the oeconomy of Ecclesiasticall ministrie held diuers degrees the Bishop the Priest the Deacō the Acolite the Exorcist the Reader and the Porter and consecrated and blessed them with diuers formes and ceremonies And in the order Episcopall acknowledged diuers seates of iurisdictīo of positiue right to witt Archbishops Primates Patriarckes and one supereminent by diuine law which was the Pope without whom nothing could be decided appertayning to the vniuersall Church the want of whose presēce either by himself or by his legates or his confirmation made all Councells pretended to be vniuersall vnlawfull A Church wich held a succession of Bishops not interrupted since the first mission of the Apostles for an essentiall condition of her reputed those who had it not or that communicated with those that had it not for Schismatiks and cul pable of the same Curse with Core Dathan and 〈◊〉 A Church that held the distinction of Bishop and Priest and namely in the acte of ordinatiō for a thing of diuine law and Apostolicall tradition and condemned as hereticks those that held it not A Church that held free will for a doctrine of faith reuealed in the holy scripture that held that faith onely without Euāgelicall works is not sufficient for saluation that wicked men perseuering to the end were reprobates but not predestinate to euill that the certainty that particular men presumed to haue of their predestination was a rashe bouldnes A Church wherein their seruice was said throughout the East in Greeke and through the west aswell in Africa as in Europe in Latine although that in none of the prouinces neither of Europe nor Africa except in Italie in the citties where the Roman colonyes resided the latine were vnderstood by the simple people but onely by the learned In briefe a Church that vsed either in gender or in species either informe or in analogie the very same ceremonies vvhich are the vvords vvell knovven the all men vvhich the Catholique vseth vniuersally at this 〈◊〉 obserued the distinctīo of the Feasts and ordinary daies the distinction of Ecclesiasticall and lay habits the reuerence of sacred vessells the custome of shauing and vnction for the collation of orders the ceremonie of vvashing their hands at the Altar before the consecration of the mysteries the kisse of peace before the 〈◊〉 pronounced a part of the seruice at the Altar vvith a lovv voice and vvheard made processions vvith the relickes of the martyrs accompained the dead to their 〈◊〉 vvith vvax tapers in signe of ioy and future certainty of their resurrectiō had the pictures of Christ and his Saînts both out of Churches and in Churches and vpon the very altars of martyrs not to adore them as adoration signifies di nine vvorship but to reuerence by them the souldiers and champions of Christ vsed the signe of the crosse in all their conuersations imprinted it on the forehead of their catechumenists painted it on the portall of all the hovvses of the faithfull gaue the blessing to the people vvith their hand by the signe of the Crosse imployed it to driue away evill spirits proposed in Ierusalē the very Crosse to be adored on good friday vsed incense in their Synaxes not particularly incēse of Arabia but indifferently odoriferous gummes for they held not incense for sacrifice as in the tyme of the lawe but for a simple ceremony designed to represent the effect of prayers described by these wordes of Dauid Let my prayer arise euen as incense into thy presence And by these of the Reuelation The smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended from the hand of the Angell before God And finally a Church which held that the Catholicke Church had the infallible promise that she should be perpetually visible and eminent in her communion perpetually pure and vncorrupted in her doctrine and in her Sacramentes and perpetually bound and cōtinued in the succession of her ministrie and that to her onely belonges the keeping of the Apostolicall traditions the authority of the interpretation of scripture and the decision of controuersies of Faith and that out of the succession of her Communion of her doctrine and of her ministrie there was neither Church nor saluation Beholde what the excellent King when it shall please him to consider it at sufficient leasure shall finde the Catholicke Church to haue bene in the tyme of saint AVG. and of the 4 first Councelles Let his Maiestie see whether by these features he can knowe the face of Caluines Church or of ours Of the conformitie or inconformitie of the sense wherein the word Catholicke hath bene cōmon to the ancient Catholicke Church and to the moderne
is deriued And in vertue of what power did he solicite Pope STEPHEN to write letters to the Gaules whereby he should depose Martian Bishop of Arles Thou shouldest saith he write letters into the prouince and to the people inhibiting in Arles by which Martian being deposed an other might be substituted in his place And why then when the same Saint CYPRIAN and the councell of Africa had embraced the error of rebaptising heretickes which since the Donatistes haue conuerted into an heresie did Saint VINCENTIVS 〈◊〉 say then Pope Stephen of happie memorie prelate of the Apostolicke Sea with 〈◊〉 before his other colleagues resisted it esteeming it a thing worthie of him to surpasse all others as well in deuotion of faith as he surmounted them by aucthoritie of place For as for the angrie words that Saint CYPRIAN lett slip against Pope STEPHEN which Saint AVSTIN iudges vnworthie to be reported they shall be spoken of hereafter And why then the same Pope STEPHEN had depriued of his communion Firmilianus Arch-Bishop of Cappadocia and the other Bishops of the Religions of Cappadocia Cilicia and Galatia for the same error of S. CYPRIAN but more obstinately defended did Firmilianus amongst his other wordes of fury which bare with them their owne confutation that he spued vp against the Pope reproch to him that he was soe senselesse he that boasted soe much of the place of his Bishops Sea and gloried that he had the succession of Peter vpon which the foundation of the Church had bene established as to introduce many other Peters and to cōstitute a plurality of Churches I am angrie said he not without cause with soe manifest and euident a follie in Stephen that he that glorifies himselfe soe much for the place of his Bishops Sea and maintaines that he hath the succession of Peter vpon which the foundation of the Church hath bene sett hath introduced manie other Peters and constituted new buildings of manie Churches in sustaining by his authoritie that baptisme is amongst heretickes And why then when DIONISIVS Patriarch of Alexandria had seene that Pope STEPHEN had shut the gate of his communion from Firmilianus and the other Bishops of Cappadocia Cilicia Galatia and the other neighbouring nations did he write to him letters of intercession and of intreaty vpon this subiect I writt to him said hee beseeching him for them all or praying him concerning all these things For as for that that Saint BASILL Archbishop of 〈◊〉 in Cappadocia omitted not to reckon Firmilianus amongst his Catholicke Predecessors notwithstanding his staine it was because he repented afterwardes as Saint AVGVSTINE witnesseth in these wordes Those of the East that had held the opinion of Ciprian corrected their iudgement And Saint IEROM in these Finally the Bishops themselues that had conceaued with Cyprian that heretickes should be rebaptised returning to their ancient custome published a newe decree saying what doe wee soe to them and to vs their Elders and ours haue giuen it by traditiō And why then whē the same DIONISIVS Patriark of Alexandria was fallen into suspition of heresie did the Catholickes of Alexandria in steed of hauing recourse to the Synodes of their prouinces come to accuse him at Rome before DIONISIVS Bishop of Rome They went vp said saint ATHANASIVS to Rome to accuse him before the Bishop of Rome being of his owne name And a while after And the Bishop of Rome the translator hath falsely reported the surname to that of Alexandria sent to Dionisius that he should cleere himselfe from those things whereof they had accused him and suddenly he answered and sent his bookes of defence and apologie And in an other place Some hauing accused the Bishop of Alexandria before the Bishop of Rome to holde the Sonne for a creature and not consubstantiall with the Father The Synod of Rome that is to say the consistory of Rome compounded of the Bishops neighbouring vpon the 〈◊〉 of Rome without whom the Pope iudged nothing of importance and of the principall Church men of Rome was offended with him and the Bishop of Rome writt to him the opinion of all the assistants and he iustifying himselfe addressed to him a booke of defence and apologie And why then when the councell of ANTIOCHE twice called from the prouinces of Pontus Capadocia Cyria Cilicia Lycaonia Palestina Arabia and from all the other Prouinces of the East had deposed Paulus Samosatenus Patriarke of Antioche and substituted Domnus in his steede And that Paulus would not quitt the possession of the Church did the Emperor Aurelian though a Pagan ordaine And that saith EVSEBIVS verie fitlie that it should be deliuered to him whome the Bishops of Italie and of Rome that is the Bishops of Italie assembled with the Pope should direct it to by writing For for what cause should EVSEBIVS who was one of the Bishops of the Patriarkship of Antioche and besides as an 〈◊〉 not well affected to the Roman Church and this word verie 〈◊〉 but to shewe that the Emperor had in this action followed the order of the church and that it was a thing fitt for the Ecclesiasticall lawes that the 〈◊〉 of Rome should iudge the affaires of the East euen after the 〈◊〉 of the East and synodes compounded of a farr greater mumber of Bishops and Prouinces When Paule saith EVSEBIVS would not quit the 〈◊〉 of the Church the Emperor Aurelian being called to this businesse ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it should be deliuered to him to whom the Bishops of Italie and of Rome of the same lawe should write backe And the Greeke manuscript of the 〈◊〉 of the councells kept in the priuate library of the most Christian kinge The Emperor Aurelian although a Pagan sent backe the question of Paul to the Bishop of Rome and to those that were by him that when they had examined whether he were iustlie deposed he might be dispossessed of the Church And Zonaras and after him Balsomon not onely Grecians but schismatickes The Emperor Aurelian enioyned the Bishop of Rome and the Bishops that were with him to examine those things wherewith ` Paul was charged and if he were iustly deposed to cast him out of the Church of the Christians Which alsoe since the 〈◊〉 councell of Ephesus did imitate when it reserued as shall appeare hereafter the iudgement of Iohn Patriarck of Antioche to the Pope and that Iuuenall Bishop of Ierusalem saied that the ancient custome and the 〈◊〉 tradition bare that the Church of Antioche was alwaies to be ruled by the Roman And after the councell of Ephesus the sixth oecumenicall councell of Constantinople when they sent backe the cause of Macarius Patriarck of Antioch to the Pope And why then when the Arrians held their false councell at Antioch 1270. yeares agone did Socrates an ancient Greeke author of 1200 yeares standing write IVLIVS Bishop of Great Rome was not there nor sent he anie in his steede
reuerence to the Apostolicke sea it shall turne you to great honor And a while after But what neede was there to exact from me the deposition of Timothy since hee was longe since deposed here with his Master Apollinarius by the iudgement of the Apostolicke sea and in the presence of Peter Bishop of Alexandria For whereas the demaund of this confirmation is not to be found in the Epistle of the councell of Constantinople reported by THEODORET it is because that Epistle is not the letter of the coūcell of the one hundred and fiftie Fathers but of an other councell celebrated the yeare following at Constantinople by some of the same Fathers either called backe againe as THEODORET pretends or remayning of the former councell as it appeares by the tenor of that letter And why then when the same councell had confirmed the election that the Syrians had made of Flauianus insteede of Miletius competitor of Paulinus to the Patriarkshipp of Antioch and had reunited in Flauianus person both their Rightes did the Pope call the cause to Rome before a councel that hee assembled there and by his letters accompained with those of the Emperor GRATIAN sent for the councell of Constantinople which had confirmed this election to cause them to come and put it againe to triall at Rome and gaue assignation to both parties to appeare there whereof one to witt Paulinus appeared but Flauianus distrusting the equitie of his cause had recourse to excuses and delaies The Ecclestasticall necessitie saith saint IEROM drew me to Rome with the holie Bishops PAVLINVS and EPIPHANIVS whereof the one gouerned the Church of Antioch in Syria and the other the Church of Salamina in Cypres And againe When the Emperiall letters had drawne to Rome the Bishops of the East and west Paul sawe there the admirable men and Bishops of Christ Paulinus Bishop of Antioch and Epiphanius Bishop of Salamina in Cypres And Sozomene the Bishop of Rome said he and all the westerne Praelates bare the ordination of Flauianus verie impatiently And a little after And therefore because it should be 〈◊〉 they together with the Emperor 〈◊〉 writt and called the Bishops of the East into the west And the same Fathers of the councell of Constantinople excusing themselues to the Pope and the councell of Rome that they could not come to Rome moued said they with brotherly charitie you haue called vs as your members by the letters of the most religious Emperor c. But besides that our Churches but a while before beginning to be restored if we should haue done this had bene 〈◊〉 abandoned it was a thing which many of vs could noe way put in execution for asmuch as we trauelled to Constantinople vpon the letters of your Reuerence sent the last yeare after the councell of Aquilea to the most religious Emperor Theodosius hauing prepared vs for none but that onely yourney of Constantinople and hauing gotten the consent of the Bishops remayning in the Prouinces for none but that And towardes the end of the Epistle speaking of PAVLINVS whom they belieued Pope DAMASVS fauored as hauing bene created Patriarcke of Antioch by Lucifer Legate to the Pope LIBERIVS his predecessor we 〈◊〉 you not to preferr the fauour or friendship to one particular man before the edification of the Churches that by this meanes the Doctrine of saith and Christian Charitie being confirmed amongst vs that is to saie of those of the East amongst themselues we may ceasse to haue in our mouthes these wordes condemned by the Apostle I am of Paule and I of Apollo and I of 〈◊〉 that is to saie we should cease from saying I am a Miletian I am a Paulinist I am an Appolinarist For that it is which those signifie I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Cephas which doe not designe as our aduersaries pretend the Pope and the Bishops of the Empire of the hast but the three factions whereinto the Churches of the Easterne Asia had bene deuided and rent vnder Paulinus Miletius and Appollinarius And indeede how could those of the East meane by those wordes amongst 〈◊〉 the Pope and themselues they that were soe tied in communion to the Pope as they had not bene restored to their seates as Theodoret said but euen nowe but vnder condition to communicate with the pope but that is so cleere as it needes noe proofe let vs goe on And why then when the euasions of Flauianus who withdrew himselfe because he knew he had bene ordered against the oath made betweene Miletius his predecessor and Paulinus that the longest liuer of them two should remaine the sole Patriarck had bene discouered and that the complaintes thereof were arriued to the Emperor THEODOSIVS then only Emperor who resided at Constantinople did the Emperor make him come from Antioch to Constantinople and pressed him to goe to Rome euen after the departure of the councell of Rome The Emperor said THEODORET often called vpon made Flauianus come to Constantinople and commaunded him to trauaile to Rome but Flauianus answering it was winter and promisinge to performe his commaund in the returne of the Spring returned into his countrie And a while after the Emperor hauing againe made him come to him againe commaunded him to transport himselfe to Rome For that THEODORET Suffragan of the Patriarkship of Antioch and creature to one of Flauianus successors adds that the Emperor touched with the second answere of Flauianus sent him backe to his prouince and tooke vpon him protection of his cause is a testimonie that hath more relation to fauour then to truth as it appeares by these wordes of saint AMBROSE written after the councell of Capua which was holden vnder Pope SIRICIVS Successor to DAMASVS Flauianus hath cause to feare and therefore he flies a triall And againe one onely Flauianus not subiect to lawes as it seemes to him appeares not when we are all assembled And a while after Flauianus only is exempted as he pretendes from the conditions of the Sacerdotall Colledge who will neither exhibite his presence to the Sacerdotall assemblie nor to the imperiall decrees And why then when Paulinus was dead and that Euagrius was substituted in his steed did the same councell of Capua which the third Councell of Carthage calls an vniuersall councell and that S. AMBROSE describes as assembled from an infinite mumber of Prouinces continue the first proceeding of the Pope and seeing that Euagrius had appeared and that Flauianus perseuered in his contempt delegated THEOPHILVS Bishop of Alexandria whose Patriarkship bordered vpon that of Antioch to examin it The sacred Synod saith saint AMBROSE in his Epistle to Theophilus hauing committed the right of examining this affaire to your vnanimitie and to our other colleagues of Egipt it is necessarie that you cite againe our brother Flauianus And why then when the councell of Capua had giuen this commission to THEOPHILVS Patriarke
the East that is to saie of the Asian East after conuerted into the gouermnent of Siria and other Easterne prouinces and that of Rome which was the head of the westerne Empire from whence the ancient Iewes called Rome the Empire of Edom that is the Empire of the West by allusion to Idumea which was situate toward the West from the Southerne Judea And they called Titus who sackt Ierusalem Titus the Idumean a thing which gaue occasion to the latter Rabbies to deriue the race of Titus from Idumea and that the 〈◊〉 Paraphrast turnes these wordes of Jeremias He will visit thee daughter of Edom into these I will visit thee impious Rome For the diuision of Alexanders Empire hauing been finallie reduced to two principall Empires the one the Empire of Egipt holden by the posteritie of Ptolomeus sonne of Lagus whereof Alexandria was the head the other the Empire of Asia possessed by the Successors of Seleucus who after he had conquered Demetrius king of Asia made saie Eusebius and saint IEROM of the two Kingdomes of Syria and Asia one Empire whose capitall cittie was Antioch Then when those two Empires came to be vnited with that of the common wealth of Rome which before held the Empire of the West there where three principall Citties Metropolitā and capitall in the Empire two subalterne to witt Alexandria which was head of the Empire of the South that is the Empire of Egipt and Antioch which was the head of the Empire of the East that is the Empire of Asia And one 〈◊〉 to witt Rome which was particularly head of the Empire of the West and besides had the superintendencie ouer the heades of the other two Empires For I doe not reckon Carthage for so much as she was long before made a member of the Westerne Empire For these causes then as the Church cast her first roote in Asia saint PETER also first planted his Episcopall Sea at Antioch the capitall cittie of the East where he was resident comprehending his voyages into the neighbour prouinces seauen yeare and there foūded a successor or rather a succession which was after the death of the Apostles head of all the Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction of the Easterne Asia from whence it is that in the Councell of Chalcedon the Patriark of Antioch intitleth his Sea the Sea of S. PETER of the great cittie of the Antiochians that S. CHRYSOST citizen of Antioch cryes God shewed by the effect that he had great care of the cittie of Antioch for hee ordained that Peter the superintendent of the whole world hee to whom he had consigned the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen hee to whom he had committed the dispositiō of all things should be a long tyme resident there that S. INNOCENT the first of the same tyme with S. CHRYSOSTOME writes to Alexander Patriark of Antioch The Sea of Antioch had not giuen place to the Sea of Rome but what that obtained onlie by the waie this obtained absolutelie and finallie From whence the same saint PETER seeing that the Church began to growe further and to spread her rootes through all the world he trāsported himselfe to Rome which was both in particular head of the West in generall head of the world held there the Episcopall Chaire cōprehending manie voyages 25. yeares Simon Peter saith saint IEROM sonne of Jona of the prouince of Galilee of the borough of Bethsaida brother to Andrew the Apostle and prince of the Apostles after the Episcopate of the Church of Antioch and the preaching of the dispersion of those of the Circumcisiō who had belieued in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithinia came to Rome the second yeare of the Empire of Claudius to ouerthrow Simon the Magician and there held 25. yeares the Episcopall Chaire And S. LEO the first addressing his speech in the forme of Apostrophe to the same S. PETER Thou hadst said hee alreadie founded the Church of Antioch in which the word Christian first receiued birth thou hadst alreadie replenished Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithinia with the lawes of the Euangelicall preaching Then finallie hauing established the superintendēcie of the Easterne Church at Antioch and of that of the West at Rome and considering he had still one of the three capitall citties of the Empire to prouide for to witt that of Alexandria which was the head of the Empire of Egipt he appointed placed there his second selfe that is to saie his Ghostlie childe and welbeloued disciple S. Marke the Euangelist From whence it is that Julius the first reported by S. ATHANASIVS writes of Alexandria it was not a common Church but of the number of those that the Apostles themselues had instituted And S. IEROM The Church of Alexandria doth glorie that she pertakes in the faith of the Roman And againe that the Chaire of the Apostle Peter confirmeth by his preaching the preaching of the Chaire of Marke the Euangelist And saint LEO the first writing to Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria Since that the most blessed Apostle Peter hath receiued from our Lord the principalitie of the Apostleship and that the Roman Church remaines in his institution it is vnlawfull to beleiue that his holie disciple Marke who first gouerned the Church of Alexandria hath formed his decrees vpon anie other rules of tradition And frō thence tooke beginning these three Patriarchall Seas correspondent to the three Imperiall Seates vnder which the generall vnion of the Empire was made but not so yet equall but that amongst these three first Churches that is to saie first in regard of the Churches of their diuisions there was one first of the first exalted superintendent ouer both the others to witt the Roman From whence it is that the Councell os Sardica the Councell of Chalcedon and the Emperor Iustinian S GREGORIE the Great call her the head of all the Churches that the Emperor Valentinian intitles the Pope The Rector of the vniuer salitie of Churches And that the Councell of Chalcedon qualifies him him to whom the guarde of the vine is committed by our Sauiour And that the Emperor Constantine Pogonat and the sixth Councell of Constantinople call him the Protothrone of the vniuersall Church the Presidēt of the Apostolicall height the Soucraigne Pope the Capitaine of the sacred warfare and the vniuersall Patriark and Arch-pastor and call the other Patriarkes Sinthrones of the Pope aster the Pope For I will not add that which some Catholickes vse to alleadge of Cassiodorus to witt that he attributed to the Pope the title of Bishop of the Patriarkes as well because Cassiodorus there speakes not of Patriarkes properlie taken but extends the word to Primates and Metropolitans as because I doubt it must be read disiunctiuelie Papam vel Patriarchalem Episcopum and not explicatiuely Papam vel Patriarcharum Episcopum It sufficeth me to saie that as
no repugnācy in that that the historie of the Acts following the custome of the Scripture which is often to recite immediatly things farr from that tyme placeth the voyage of saint PAVL to Ierusalem presently after the prophecie of Agalus for saint LVKE speaking of the famine foretould by Agabus adds which also happened vnder Claudius 〈◊〉 to shew that the prophecie had bene longe before the Empire of 〈◊〉 by meanes whereof betweene the prophecie of Agapus and the tyme of the famine which began but the second yeare of the Empire of 〈◊〉 there were past many yeares nether that the same historie notes that PAVL and BARNABAS conuersed a yeare at Antioch for that should not be taken from their arriuall vntill the voyage of the 〈◊〉 which was executed manie yeares after the prophecie of Agabus but it is meant that they staide a whole yeare at Antioch without departing from it and then came againe nor that it saith that Agabus came at the same tyme to Antioch for this note of tyme is refer'd in generall to the tyme before the Empire of Claudius and it is put to discerne the tyme of the pronunciation of the prophecie which was vnder the Empire of 〈◊〉 from the tyme wherein it was accomplished which was vnder the Empire of Claudius To the second obiection which is that Saint PETER assisted at the Councell of Ierusalem which was celebrated twenty yeare after the Death of Christ and consequentlie could not bee arriued at Rome the second yeare of the Empire of Claudius which was the eleauenth after the Death of Christ neither could then haue bene Bishop there twentie fiue yeare 〈◊〉 answere there is nothing incompatible betweene these two histories For Suetonius writes that Claudius draue the Iewes out of Rome which moued 〈◊〉 said hee at the instance of Christ. Now Orosius notes and that as he saith after Iosephus that this banishment happened the ninth yeare of the Empire of Claudius which was the eighteenth yeare after the Death of our Lord that is to saie as wee haue demonstrated in the solution last past the same yeare of the Councell of Ierusalem And saint LVKE consirmes who writes that saint PAVL being come to Corinth a little after the Councell of Jerusalem found Prisca and Aquila there who were said hee new returne'd out of Italie because Claudius had commaunded all the Iewes to goe forth of Rome And therefore what wonder is it that saint PETER beiug ariued at Rome the second yeare of the Empire of Claudius and hauing bene constrained to auoid Rome with the other Iewes seauen yeare after that is to saie the ninth yeare of the Raigne of Claudius because of the Edict publisht by him against the Iewes were in the East at the Councell of Jerusalem which was celebrated that same yeare and afterward the heate of the Edict being cooled returned to Rome To the third obiection which is that saint PAVL writing to the Romans saluted not saint PETER which he could not haue forgotten to doe if he had bene there wee answere that the Epistle to the Romans was written in the time of the Iewes exile from Rome and during saint PETERS being in the East to wit betweene the Councell of Ierusalem and the death of Claudius for it was written at Corinth when saint PAVL passed by there to make his last iourney to Jerusalem And therefore although 〈◊〉 and Aquila and some other lesse notable Iewes were alreadie returned to Rome neuerthelesse it followes not that saint PETER who was the principall author of the Iewes conuersion for which their nation was banisht should so soone returne Iointlie that if this argumēt were of weight we must withall conclude that Timothie was not Bishop of Ephesus for S. PAVL writing to the Ephesians makes no mention of him and that saint James was not Bishop of Ierusalem for in the Epistle to the Hebrewes written in saint Iames his life tyme as appeares by these 〈◊〉 know that the brother Timothie hath bene licenced with whom if he returne 〈◊〉 I will visit you there is no mention made of saint James And therefore so farr is Theodoret an author of the same tyme with the Councells of Ephesus and Chalcedon and one of the most famous writers of the Ecclesiasticall historie from takeing one argument from the Epistle to the Romans as the Popes aduersaries doe to call in question S. PETERS staie at Rome as contrariwise commenting the Epistle to the Romans he saith that saint PAVL there vseth the word to confirme for as much as S. Peter had alreadie founded the Ghospell amongst them Because saith Theodoret that the great Peter had alreadie declared to them the euangelicall doctrine therefore saint Paul necessarilie adds to confirme you To the fourth obiection which is that S. PAVL writing from Rome not onely toucheth no word of S. PETER but also in the epistle written to the Philippians from Rome saith that all sought that which was of themselues and none sought which was of Christ And in the second to Timothie written from the same place that all had forsaken him Wee answere that in the one he speakes of those that he might haue sent to the Philippians and that in the other he speakes either of his familiars as S. CHRYSOST saith and of those which were accustomed to follow him or of those that had power to defend him at the Emperiall Tribunall of which number S. PETER was like to be none And besides wee maintaine that S. PAVL speakes by Synecdoche saying all insteede of saying many as S. IEROM acknowledgeth in these words For as much as saint Paul had bene forsaken by manie hee therefore writes that all had forsaken him And Bullinger minister of Zurich In these I doubt not but the Apostle vsed a Synecdoche in this passage saying he had bene forsaken of all when as onely some had sorsaken him And finally wee will adde that if from the silence of S. PAVL it be permitted to inferre that saint PETER was not at Rome when saint PAVL writt these epistles wee must then also conclude by the same argument that saint PAVL was not there For in anie one of the epistles that S. PAVL hath written from Rome he neither makes mention of the cittie nor Church of Rome and wee onely know that he writt them from Rome because in the epistle to the Philippians hee speakes of Cesars howse and because in the epistle to the Ephesians and to the Colossians and in the second to Timothie he speakes of his prison To the sift obiection which is that when saint PAVL arriued at Rome the bretheren went to meete him amongst whom there is no mention of S. PETER Wee answere that all the Roman Church went not to meete S. PAVL but some particular Christians the Church then not being so free and quiet at Rome as they could make those publicke demonstratiōs but contrarily so
if there had bene any generall Councell holden vnder the Pagan Emperors the Christians had bene obliged in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church though it had not bene called by them And that if the Turke should euer make himselfe vniuersall monarch of the world and that there should be a generall Councell holden vnder 〈◊〉 Empire the Christians should be obliged in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church though it were not called by him And then if the authoritie necessarie to make generall Councells obligatorie in conscience ought to be perpetuall and alwaies to haue place how can that be by imperiall authoritie which hath bene deuided into soe manie parcells as at this daie in a manner the least part of it belonges to the Empire For the conuocation of the pluralitie dispersed must depend from an vnitie and from an vnitie that hath authoritie ouer euerie indiuiduall of the pluralitie as the ancient Emperors themselues acknowledged that of the Pope to be when they ordayned That euery Bishop that being called to the Popes iudgment should 〈◊〉 to come should be constrained by the Gouernor of the Prouince to appeare And therefore as often as our aduersaries crie out such an Emperor called such or such a Councell so often they loose their tyme and their labour For wee are agreed that whilst the Emperors were Monarchs of the world or of the greater part of the world they called them all in regard of temporall authoritie but we saie besides the secular authoritie of the Emperor which was necessarie to make the conuocations of Councells authenticall temporally must an other authoritie interuene to witt a spirituall and ecclesiasticall authoritie to make it lawfull and authenticall spirituallle and to make that the Councells may be said to be called from God and obligatorie in conscience and to the Spirituall Tribunall of the Church Now that we maintaine to haue bene the authoritie of him who was the principle center of ecclesiasticall vnitie and the head of all the Bishops and without whose sentence it was vnlawfull to make definitiue lawes in the Church to witt the Pope whose authoritie for this regard ought to concurr with the authoritie of the Emperors either actuallie or virtuallie I said either actuallie or virtuallie for as much as it sufficed for the spirituall validitie of the conuocation of Councells that the Popes did either call them or cause them to be called or approued their conuocation For when the Emperors called them either at the Popes instance or with the consent and approbation of the Pope the spirituall conuocation of the Pope was alwaies reputed to interuene as also the Catholicke Emperors and which abstained from tyranizing ouer the Church neuer called them but whē the Pope required it of them or they required it of the Pope And when they were required by the Pope they were alwaies readie to call them although that for the places where they should be celebrated the Emperors because of the commodities or incommodities of the State reserued the election to themselues For whereas the Emperor Constantius refused Pope Liberius who demaunded of him that a generall Councell might be holden for saint ATHANASIVS cause it was the refusall of an Arrian Emperor noe lesse an enemie to the Sonn of God then to saint ATHANASIVS And whereas the Emperor Arcadius refused Pope Innocent who sent saith Sozomene fiue Bishops and two priests of the Roman Church to the Emperors to demaund of them a Councell for the cause of saint Chrisostome and sent saint CHRISOSTOME into a more remote banishment it wasatyrannicall act of an Emperor possest by the Enemies of this holy man For this then the temporall conuocation of the Emperors was necessary to wit that the ministers of the Empire who were obliged by the politicke and imperiall lawes not to suffer anie assemblies without the Emperors permission should not hinder them that the Estate should haue noe colour of iealousies and that the officers of the cittie should furnish the charges Staples and transportations of the Bishops and that the Councells should be kept at the expences of the imperiall Exchequer and that finallie the decrees of Councells might be obligatorie to the secular Tribunall and executory temporallie and by the Ministrie of the politicke Magistrate but not that the conuocation of the Emperors was of the essence of the Councell as that of the Popes was nor serued to make them obligatorie in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church noe more then the Presidency of the same Emperors at the Councells either by themselues or their Officers was of the essence of the Councells as that of the Pope was but onely for comelynes and ornament and for keepeing order and temporall policie witnes this language of the Councell of 〈◊〉 to Pope LEO the first Thou didst preside by thy legates in the Councell as the head to the members and the Emperors presided there for seemelynesse and ornament striuing with thee as Zorobabel with Iesus to renew in doctrine the building the Ierusalem of the Church For what meanes this comparison of Pope LEO with Iesus high Priest of the Iewish lawe and of the Emperor Marcian with Zorobabel Prince of the Iewish people but that there was like analogie in Christian Religions betweene the Pope and the Emperor for the holding of Councells as there was in the Iewish Church betweene the high Priest which was Iesus and the Prince of the people which was Zorobabel for the building of the Temple that is to saie that the one to witt the Pope should concurr there as head of the Priesthood and spirituall iurisdiction and the other to witt the Emperor should concurr there as head of the politicke and temporall iurisdiction and therefore when there is question of the calling of Councells there must be a distinction betweene the spirituall calling of Councells and the temporall calling of Councells that is to saie betweene the conuocation necessarie to make their assemblie authenticall temporallie and the conuocation necessarie to make their assemblie authenticall in conscience and spirituallie In the first case there was nothing to be determined betweene the Popes and the Emperors for none doubtes but the authoritie necessarie to call generall Councells temporallie and to make them executory by the secular arme was the authoritie of the Emperors noe more then at this daye anie doubtes but the authority necessary to make the conuocation of Nationall Councells authenticall temporally must be that of the Kings or Princes within whose estates they are to be holden In the second case there was yet lesse for as much as it is euident that the authoritie necessarie to legitimate in conscience the conuocation of Councells and to make them obligatorie spirituallie must be a spirituall and ecclesiasticall authoritie a temporall Magistrate not being able to conferr anie spirituall authoritie to Councells And indeede when the Emperors haue pretended
confirmed also by the fowrteenth of the same Canons which makes mention of Syricius and of Simplicianus which were not Bishops together but vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus The third reason is that Fulgentius Ferandus citeth these two Canons to witt that of the reading of the canonicall bookes and that of the reading of the passion of Martyrs as two consequent canons and the one vnder the title of the fortie fifth and the other of the fortie sixth Canon of the Councell of Carthage in these wordes That there should be nothing read in the Church but the canonicall scriptures the Councell of Laodicea Canon fiftie sixth and the Councell of Carthage Canon fortie fifth That it shall be also lawfull to reade the Martirs Passions on the daies of their Martyrdome the Councell of Carthage Canon fortie sixth Which cannot be meant but of the third Councell of Carthage as well because the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage contayneth but thirtie three Canons as because the last of these two Canons is not found in the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage and that there is but onely in the third councell of Carthage where they are couched one next after the other And the fowrth finallie because saint AVSTIN teacheth vs. that the first amongst the councells of Carthage wherein the rolle of the canonicall bookes was published was the third Councell of Carthage and not the sixth for he writes in the Epistle to Quintianus That in the same Councell where the rolle of the canonicall bookes was entered it was also ordained that a Bishop should not vsurpe the clerke of an other Bishop I am amazed said he that thou dost admonish me to commaund that those that come from your quarters into our Monasteries should not bee receiued that that which hath bene decreed in the councell by vs may be obserued and that thou remembrest not that in the same councell it was determined what the canonicall Scriptures are which ought to be read to the people Then reuiew this councell and bring to thy memorie all things that thou shalt reade there and thou shalt perceaue it was so decided onely of the clergie and not of the laitie that coming from other dioceses they should not be receiued into our Monasteries not that there is a word of a Monastery but because it hath bene decreed that none should receiue the clerke of an other Now the canon that prohibits Bishops to receiue the clerkes of other Bishops is in the third Councell of Carthage but not in the sixth Moreouer he adds that in a later Councell it had bene ordained that those that departed from a monastery should not be admitted to be clerkes or superintendents of an other monasterie In the Coūcell said he where it was determined what were the canonicall scriptures there was noe mention made of a Monastery onely it was ordained that none should receiue the Clerke of an other but in a later Councell it hath bene decreed that those that haue retired themselues or haue bene expelled out of any monastery should not be made clerkes in anie other place or superintend anie minasteries which shewes againe that the Councell of Carthage where the catalogue of the canonicall Bookes was published where of saint AVSTINE speakes was the third Councell and not the sixth for the canon that forbidds to receiue a Religious man that retires from a monastery and to make him clerke or superintendent of an other monastery was instituted in the fifth Councell of Carthage which preceded the sixth neere eighteen yeares The third controuersie is concerning the fowrth Councell of Carthage holden vnder the consulship of Honorius and of Eutychianus that is to saie the next yeare after the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus the which not the Illustrious cardinall Baronius but the new publishers of the greeke edition of the Councells of Africa race from the number of the ancient Councells moued thereto because it is not inserted into that Rapsodie of the Councells of Africa that we call the African Councell Now this coniecture is soe weake that it is not worth the confutation For besides that the collection that we call the African Councell is farr from comprehending either in generall all the Councells of Africa witnes the Councell of Suffetula the Councell of Septimunica the Coūcell of Marazan the Councell of Tusdra the Councell of Macri the Councell of Zelles the councell of Tunis the coūcell of Iuca or rather Tuca cited by Fulgentius Ferandus which are not spoken of in the bodie of the African rapsody or in particular all the councells of Carthage and principallie if we belieue the edition of the same Ferandus who alleadgeth the fifth canon of the fiftie fift Councell of Carthage There are two euident reasons wherefore the fowrth councell of Carthage ought not to be inserted into the collection of the councells of Africa that we call the African coūcells the one that he that collected them had restrained himselfe of deliberate purpose as it appeares by the diuision of the nintie ninth canon of his rapsodie which is the last of the seauenth Councell of Carthage which to finde the rekoning iust he diuides in two to make but one century of African canons within which the fowrth Councell of Carthage which onely contayned a hundred and foure canons could not enter and the other that the fowrth councell of Carthage hauing prescribed the lawes vnder which all the ecclesiasticall persōs of Africa ought to be promoted to the order of Priestood there was noe neede to inserte it into the bodie of this Rapsodie to keepe them frō wandring frō the matter for as much as all ecclesiasticall persons and particularly Bishops were obliged to keepe it in their hands To those two reasons I will yet annex two others which conuince that it is truly ancient and due to the age whereto wee attribute it the one is that the things there decided agree wholie to the Estate of Africa in S. AVG. tymes as the profession which this councell obligeth Bishops to make coming to the Bishops Sea That one selfe same God is the author of the old and new testamēt and that the diuell is become ill by the libertie of his will to exclude the Maniches as the beleefe that is exacted from them that out of the Catholicke Church one is saued to exclude the Donatists as the prohibition that he made to driue the Gentills or the Jewes or the hereticks out of the Church before the masse that is to saie the dimission of the catechumens which shewes that this councell was holden while paganisme lasted Yet amongst the prouinces of the Christians or as the canons that he instituted that the Clerkes should not nourishe either their haire of their head or their beard and might gett their meate drinke and cloath by a trade or by husbandrie without derogating from their
Lord alleadgeth for his testimonie c. But it hath bene receiued by the Church not vnprofitable if it be read or heard soberlie In which passage that saint AVGVSTINE saith that the Iewes hold not the Scripture of the Machabees in the same ranke as the Lawe the Psalmes and the Prophets is not to weaken the authoritie of the Scripture of the Machabees for the Jewes doe no more hold the booke of Wisdome in the same degree of the Lawe the Psalmes and the Prophets and our Lord hath noe more alleadged it amongst the Testimonies then that of the Machabees And neuerthelesse S. AVGVSTINE saith The booke of WISDOME hath merited after so long a continuance of yeares to be read in the Church of Christ by the Readers of the Church of Christ and to be heard by all Christians euen from the Bishops to the lowest laymen faithfull penitents and catechumens with the reuerence of diuine authoritie And againe All the Doctors neere the tyme of the Apostles making vse of the testimonie of the Bookes of WISDOME haue beleeued that they made vse of none but a diuine Testimonie but the reason why saint AVGVSTINE said that the Jewes held not the Scripure of the Machaebees in the ranke of the lawe the Prophetts and the Psalmes was to shew the Donatists who were seperated from the Church and yet made vse of her owne weapons to oppose her that this Scripture hauing bene receiued into the Canon not by the Jewes but by the Church they could not imploy it against the sence and Doctrine of the Church And that he adds that it was receiued by the Church not vnprofitablie prouided it be read soberly it is not to the end to diminishe the credit which ought to be giuen to it but to represse the furious consequences that the Donatists inferred vpon it and signifies no other thing but prouided it be read with setled sences and not with madnesse and frensie as the Donatists read it who tooke occasion from the example of Sampson in the history of the Judges and from the example of Razias in the historie of the Machabees whose zeale and not his act is commended to kill and precipitate themselues which he confirmes a while after in these words Wee ought not then to approue by our consent all things which wee reade in the Scriptures to haue bene done by men euen adorned with prayses by Gods owne testimonie but to mingle our consideration with discretion bringing with vs iudgment not of our authoritie but of the authoritie of the holie and diuine Scriptures which permitt not vs to praise or imitate all the actions euen of those of whom the Scripture giues good and glorious testimonie if they haue done anie thing that hath not bene well done or that agreeth not with the custome of the present time It appeares sifthly by the Catalogue of the Canonicall bookes that Pope Innocēt the first tyme fellowe with S. AVSTINE sēt to Exuperius Bishop of Tholosa where the two Bookes of the Machabees are expressely contained For whereas Pope Gelasius in renewing the decree of the Canonicall bookes makes vse of the history of the Machabees but for one only booke it is because he speakes according to the Stile of S AMBROSE who reckons the first and second of the Machabees for one and the same Booke And whereas saint GREGORIE the great in his commentary vpon Iob compounded neere two hundred yeares after the Canon of the African Fathers cyting the Bookes of the Machabees adds although not canonicall yet written for the edification of the Church that is because the first draught of this comentary was made in the East For saint 〈◊〉 was not yet Pope when he first composed the comentarie vp on Job but a simple deacon exercising the 〈◊〉 of Nuntio at Constantinople amongst the Greekes For this occasion then speaking in the East of the Bookes of the Machabees he added in the forme of a case put and not granted If not canonicall yet written for the edification of the Church that is to 〈◊〉 the which if they were not canonicall neuertheles had bene writtē for the edification of the Church It appeares finally by the very continuance of the African canon inserted into the Greeke Rapsody which is Wee haue learnt from our Fathers that those are the bookes that ought to bee read 〈◊〉 the Church For not only all the ancient African Church but also all the ancient Westerne Church had holden from age to age the Bookes of the Machabees to be canonicall as it appeares in regard of the ancient 〈◊〉 church by the testimonie of saint Cyprian who calls the Machabees 〈◊〉 scriptures and in regard of the other partes of the westerne church by the testimonie of saint AMBROSE who cryes out Moyses saith as it is written in the bookes of the Machabees And by that of the great defender of the Catholick Faith Lucifer Bishop of 〈◊〉 who writt to the emperor 〈◊〉 The holie scripture speakes in the first booke of the 〈◊〉 And by an infinite number of others whose names I will not 〈◊〉 particularly to report Only I will saie in generall that there was 〈◊〉 anie latine Author which tooke liberty to remoue the authoritie of the Booke of the Machabees before saint HIEROME and Ruffinus 〈◊〉 him while he was his disciple Whereupon there are three 〈◊〉 to be made The first obseruation is that as saint HIEROME before the perfect maturitie of is studies for afterward he changed his opinion ecclipsed from the canon of the old testament the historie of the Machabees so did he also shake in the canon of the new testament the epistle to the 〈◊〉 The latine custome saith hee receiues not the Epistle 〈◊〉 Hebrewes amongst the canonicall scriptures And againe If anie one will 〈◊〉 the Epistle which vnder Paules name hath bene written to the Hebrewes And 〈◊〉 where Paule in his Epistle which is written to the Hebrewes though 〈◊〉 of the latines doubt of it By which meanes if the authoritie of saint HIEROME not yet fullie instructed in the sence of the Church be 〈◊〉 for the exclusion of one of these pieces it is also auaileable for the 〈◊〉 of the other The second obseruation is that saint HIEROME 〈◊〉 induced to remoue this stone by the commerce that he had with 〈◊〉 Iewes of Palestina amongst whom hee inhabited and from whom he 〈◊〉 the Hebrew letters For Istdore Bishop of Seuilla who writt a 〈◊〉 yeares agoe reportes that the Iewes in hate of our Lord reiected 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Booke of Wisedome The Hebrewes said Isidore as some of 〈◊〉 sages haue noted it receiued the Booke of Wisdome amongst the canonicall 〈◊〉 but after they had taken Christ and putt him to deach remembring that 〈◊〉 were in the same Booke so manie euident testimonies of Christ c. they made 〈◊〉 together and least ours should conuince them of so manifest a 〈◊〉 they
these that made vse of the Hebrew tongue in their Synagogues set twentie two Bookes into their canō according to the nūber of the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet And the others to witt the Hellenist Iewes that is to saie those that vsed the Greeke tōgue in their Synagogues sett in twentie fower according to the nūber of the Greeke Alphabet which cōtaines twentie fower letters But at the least will some man saie there are amongst the monuments of the Greeke Church catalogues wherein the six postume Bookes of the old Testament are omitted Now this is a case apart for the dispute which now is treated of is not of the custome of the Greeke Church but of the the oustome of the Latine Church and particularly of the African in the times of the Councells of Carthage Neuerthelesse for as much as this chance may be mett in our waie wee will furnish it with fower aduertisments The first aduertisement shal be that of the Greeke canons where these bookes are omitted there are manie which haue bene supposed by the later Greekes as amongst others the Synopsis which beares the title of S. ATHANASIVS the which also Beda and the copies of Basile cast into the Tome of the Bookes falsely imputed to S. ATHANASIVS For the Synopsis intitled from saint ATHANASIVS defalketh Wisedome from the number of the Canonicall Bookes and setts it into the 〈◊〉 of the Bookes that were read by the Catechumens only directly against saint AVGVSTINE who saith That the bookes of Wisedome had merited by so long a continuance of yeares to be read in the Church of Christ by the Readers of the Church of Christ and to be heard by all the Christians from the Bishops to the lowest laymen faithfull penitents and 〈◊〉 with reuerence of diuine authoritie And against saint ATHANASIVS himselfe who cryes out They feare not what is written in the holy letters the false witnes shall not be vnpunished and the lying mouth slayes the soule The second aduertissement shall be that although the neighbourhood and the confusion of dwelling with the Iewes hath sometimes hindred the Greeks principally the Asians from setting the posthume bookes of the old Testament into their Canons neuerthelesse there are none of those bookes but haue bene imployed by diuers Greeke Authors in the qualitie of a sacred and canonicall booke as the booke of wisedome by Melito Bishop of Sardes by S. ATHANASIVS and all the Synod of Alexandria which saith speaking of the Arrians They feare not that which is written in the holy scriptures the false witnes shall not remaine vnpunished and the lying mouth slayes the soule The booke of Tobias by the same Sainct ATHANASIVS and the same Synod which saith It is written that the misterie of the King must be concealed The booke of Iudith by the Councell of Nicea which is read saith S. HIEROME to haue reckoned the volume of Iudith amongst the holy Scriptures The bookes of Wisedome and of Ecclesiasticus by S. EPIPHANIVS who writes against Aetius Thou must turne ouer the two Wisdomes that of Salomon and that of the sonne of Syrach and in summe all the diuine Scriptures And finallie the booke of the Machabees by the three first and greatest Antiquaries of the Greeke Christendome Clemens Alexandr Origen and Eusebius For Clemens Alexandr reporting the historie of the Scriptures saith In the captiuitie were 〈◊〉 and Mardocheus whose historie is currant as that of the Machabees And Origen in the second booke of the worke of Principles disputing against the here tickes of the sect of Marcion who placed matter as coeternall to God willing to proue to them that God had created the world of nothing cryes out And that we may proue it to be so by authority of Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the booke of Machabees to the mother of the seauen martyrs And in his commentarie vpon the Epistle to the Romans expounding this verse of S. PAVL None dyes for the iust and disputing against the same Marcionites who interpreted it of the God of the old lawe he askes But what will they doe For we finde in the 〈◊〉 manie martyrs lett them reade the bookes of the Machābees And Eusebius in the worke of Euangelicall preparation comparing the points of the doctrine of Plato with the diuine Oracles of the Hebrewes setts downe among the examples of cōformitie the place where Plato writes that the soules of the iust after their death helpe the liuing with the place where the booke of the Machabees quots that Jeremy was seene after his death praying for the people The twelfth booke of the Euangelicall preparation saith Euselius shall containe the rest of the conformitie of the doctrine of Plato with the oracles of the Hebrewes And a little after reporting the articles of this conformitie Plato saith hee writes that the soules of the deceased are endued with a certaine vertue and haue a care of the affaires of men c. And in the booke of the Machabees it is written that the Prophet Ieremy after his departure out of this life was seene praying for the people And from this it doth not derogate that Origen alleadged also in the second booke of his worke of principles the volume of Pastor which manie of the auncient held for canonicall for he adds in the fourth booke of the same worke that some despised it which he noe were notes of the booke of Machabees Contrariwise in his apologie against Celsus he cryes out that the historie sf the Machabees is testified by the witnesse of two whole nations that is to say of the Iewes and the Christians Frō whence it is also that the Greeke doctors hold it for so au thēticall 〈◊〉 as they affirme that the things therein described the holy Ghost had long before foretolde by the mouth of Dauid the other Prophets The Prophet saith S. CHRISOS hath indited the 43 th psal not in his person but in the person of the Machabees describing and prophecying the things that 〈◊〉 happe in their times And S. ISIDORE of Egipt time fellow with the same S. CHRYSOS saith The Angell that discoursed with 〈◊〉 spake of Antiochus Epiphanes that he should be manifestlie conquered and dispossessed by the Machabes And Theodoret contiguous in tyme to both of thē The holie Ghost saith hee hath writtēn by the diuine Dauid the fortie third psalme of the 〈◊〉 The third aduetisment shal be that not only diuers Greeke authors 〈◊〉 often the same Greeke authors in speaking of the Bookes of the old testament follow according to the occasion of their speeche sometimes the primitiue computation of the Iewes the Rabbinicall tradition of the canon of Esdras of the bookes inclosed in the Arke answerable to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in which the posthumall bookes of the old testament were not cōprehended somtymes the accessory cōputation of the
Constantinople calls a most diligent Writer of the life of S. CHRISOSTOME And George Patriarke of Alexandria who liued a thousand yeare agoe witnesse not only as hath aboue appeared that the Canon of the Councell of Antioch that the Schismatickes of the East produced against S. CHRISOSTOME had proceeded from the Shopp of the Arrians but also that it had bene abrogated with the common voice of the Greeke and Latine Bishops by the Canons of the Councell of Sardica This Canon saith Palladius and after Palladius George Patriark of Alexandria and after George Patriarke of Alexandria Photius Patriarke of Constantinople was as impious and the worke of impious men abrogated in the Councell of Sardica by the Romans Italians Illyrians Macedonians and Greekes The second that Sozomene an antient Greeke historian and who liued neere an hundred yeares before Iustinian reportes for the defence of the same S. CHRISOSTOME an Epistle of Pope Innocent the first to the Constantinopolitans where hee writes speaking of the canons of the Councell of Antioch We saie not onlie that they are not to be followed but also that they must bee condemned with heretic all and Schismaticall doctrins as was done in the councell of Sardica by the Bishops that haue bene before vs. The third that Balsamon Patriarke of Antioch and guardian of the charters of the Church of Constantinople notes after all them that the 〈◊〉 canon of the Coūcell of Antioch was abolished by the fowrth canon of the Councell of Sardica Note saith Balsamon commenting the fourth Canon of the councell of Sardica that by this Canon the fifteenth Canon of the coūcell of Antioch was abrogated And comenting the fifteēth Canon of the councell of Antioch This Canon saith hee was disannulled by the fourth canon of the councell of Sardica The fowrth counterbattery is that the greeke edition of the Canons of the coūcell of Sardica is not a translation of the antient latine edition which was currēt whether in the time of Pope Zosimus or whether since in the time of Dionisius Exiguus but that it is a greeke edition primitiue and originall which was made in the councell itself whereof as holden vpon the confines betweene both empires the Canons were publisht from the beginning in both tongues This appeares by manie differences which are betweene the old latine edition and the greeke edition nor in substance but in the order in the phrases formes and circumstances and amongst others in the seauenth Canon of the latine edition which is the fourteenth in the greeke for the latine edition produced by Pope Zosimus his legates in the sixth councell of Carthage and inserted into the collection of Dionisius Exiguus and into that of Isidorus Mercator hath Osius saith If a Bishop moued with choler against a priest or deacon of his would cast him forth of the church it must be prouided that being innocent he be not condemned or excommunicated and therefore the excommunicated person shall haue power to interpeale the Bishops of the next Prouince and procure his cause to be heard by them And the greeke edition besides manie other differences hath it thus The excommunicated person shall haue power to haue recourse to the Bishop Metropolitan of the same Prouince and if the Bishop Metropolitan be absent to addresse himselfe to the Metropolitan of the next prouince and to require that his cause may be diligentlie examined A thing which euidently sheweth that the Greeke editiō was not taken from the latine edition which was curret be it in the time of Pope Zosimus be it in the time of Dionisius Exiguus but it is the antient originall greeke edition of the councell of which some clauses were lost in the latine edition from the time of Pope Zozimus and Dionisius Exiguus The fifth counter-batterie is that not only all the greeke editions as that of Photius Simon Logotheta Zonara Balsamō Alexius and other greeke canonists containe the same canons of the councell of Sardica but also all the other Easterne editions aswell Russian as Syrian Armenian Egiptian and Ethiopian as it appeares for the Syrian editions by the Syriack collections of the canons which is at Rome in the Bibliotheque of the great Duke Cosmo yet liuing whither the great Duke Ferdinand his Father made to be brought all the Syrian bookes that he could recouer in the East And in regard of the Ethiopian Edition by the Code of the Ethiopian canons which is at Rome in the howse of the Ethiopians and for the rest by the copies which are to be found in all the prouinces of the East by meanes whereof the canons of the Councell of Sardica must haue bene currant in the East longe before Justinians tyme the naturall Egiptian Churches which wee call Cophtichs and Ethiopians hauing seperated themselues from the greeke and latine churches from the time of the councell of Chalcedon and haue had since the time noe communion with them And finallie the sixth counterbatterie is that Theodoret who liued neere one hundred yeare before Justinian and that Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople who liued in the same age with Iustinian inserted into the collection of the Greeke Councells the canons of the Councells of Sardica with the other canons of the Greeke church for in the greeke Librarie of Queene Catherine of Medicis which was brought from Constantinople to Florēce by Demetrius Gara Lascaris other greekes 〈◊〉 frō the sack of Conctātinople and which is now vnited with the librarie of the most Christian kinge there is found an old Synagogue a manuscript of the canons reduced into fiftie titles by Theodoret Bishop of Cyre vnder which there is annexed a concordance of the imperiall lawes of Iustinian with the canons contained in these fistie titles made by Iohn Scolasticus Patriarke of Constantinople in both which workes the canons of the couūcell of Sardica are quoted and inserted equallie with the other canons of the Greeke church Now that this Synagogue which was the name that they gaue to the antient collections of councells as it appeares by the report of Socrates who cites the collections of Councells made by Sabinus vnder the title of a Synagogue of the councells is truly antient and certainly Theodorets is not to be doubted For besides this that the manuscript which is verie antient beares this title Synagogue of the Canons reduced into fiftie titles by Theodoret Bishop of Cyre And besides that the stile of the author is wholie agreeable to the stile of Theodoret there are manie thinges to shewe that this collection could not but bee made in Theodorets time that it is so first the author testifies in his exordium that there were but ten Synods celebrated since the Apostles to his time There haue bene said hee ten great Synods of the Fathers since the Apostles And propounding a while after in the forme of a table the canons of the same ten councells whereof his worke is compiled he placeth that of
Disciples And Optatus Mileuit In the Roman Chaire there is sett Peter the head of all the Apostles And againe Against the gates of hell we reade that Peter our Prince hath receaued the wholesome keyes And S. CYRILL of Alexandria Peter as the Prince and head of the rest first cryed out thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Euen vntill then it was a thing so well knowne vnto antiquitie that sainct PETER was the visible head of the Church and of Christian religion as the verie Pagans and Porphirius amongst the rest as sainct HIEROME reportes it reproched it to Christians that S. Paul had bene so rashe as to reproue Peter the Prince of the Apostles and his master And they fained as saith sainct AVGVSTINE that the Oracles of their false Gods hauing bene inquired of concerning Christian Religion answered this blasphemie that Chrict was innocent of the imposture of the Christiās but that Peter who was a Magitian for the loue he bore to his Master had inuented Christian Religion And this may be said of the comparison betweene PETER and the other Apostles for I will not now treate of the other frequent markes of the preheminēce and authoritie of S. PETER which are in the Euangelicall and Apostolicke historie As that our Lord commaunded him to paie the tribute for himself and for him that he vndertooke the care of the replacing of an other Apostle in Iudas his steede all the Colledge of the Apostles suffring themselues to bend and to be lead by his words that he is nominated as for preheminence and ranked a part Peter and the Eleuen that they bore the sicke into the Apostles waie that Peters shadowe might passe ouer them that that he alone iudged Ananias and Saphira to death that to him alone is reuealed the introduction of the nations into the Church and other the like for as much as it is not my purpose to examine the other places of scripture but onely those that his maiestie hath alleadged and to examine those not by scripture but by the Fathers whose obiection me thinkes I haue sufficiētly satisfied And as for Origēs interpretatiō which extends this text to all Christians in generall and saith that whosoeuer confesseth that Christ is the Sonn of God is made a foundation of the Church it is an interpretation morallized from this passage to bring it into sence although strained and wrested whose fruite may be applied to all the hearers and not a serious and litterall interpretation as the same Origen that makes vse of it testifies when he expounds it expressly and literallie of the persō of Peter There remaines the third point which is that the Church is built vpon Christ now in this point we are all of accord with his Maiestie but yet wee graunt not that S. PETER leaues to be the visible and ministeriall Foundation of the Church for the Philosophers teach vs that thinges subordinate combat not one an other but imbrace presuppose one other therefore to saie that Christ is the foundation of the Church and to saie that S. PETER is the foundation of the Church are not repugnant propositions but vnanimous and compatible For wee doe not pretend that they are foundations of the Church after one and the same sort but we hold that Christ is the foundation of the Church by himself and by his owne authoritie and S. PETER only by commission no more then to saie with Moyses that God only was the guide of the people of Israell in their passage from Egipt to the land of Chanaan and to saie with S. STEVEN that Moyses guided the people in the Wildernesse This was he said he that was with the Church in the desert Are not things incompatible for god was the guide of the people of Israel by his proper vertue and Moyses by commission and lieuetenancie from God Likewise to saie that the Vice-Roy of Ireland is the foundation of the gouernment and policie of Ireland And to saie that the excellent Kinge of Great Brittaine is the foundation of the state and policie of the same Ireland are not things incompatible for the excellent King of Great Brittaine is so by his proper authoritie and the Vice-Roy is soe by commission lieuetenancie and representation Although notwithstanding that the literall intention of this passage Vpon this Rock I will build my Church is no way to designe by the word Rock the person of Christ but that only of Peter as it appeares by six euident reasons THE first that our lord hauing foretold to S. PETER that he would change his name not by the attribution of a simple Epithete as he did to the Sonns of Zebedee whom he called the Sonns of thunder but by the imposition of a name ordinarie and permanent in saying to him Thou shalt be called 〈◊〉 puts him noe where in possession of this promise nor explaines to him noe where the cause of the imposition of this name but in this passage Thou art Peter vpō this Rock I will build my Church Now this passage cānot explaine the sence of the word Peter if in the secōd part of the passage the word Rock be not taken in the same sence and for the same subiect for which it is taken in the first and by consequence this clause vpon this Rock I will build my Church cannot there be interpreted of the person of Christ but on the only person of S. PETER The second that our Lord meanes in this place to render an exchange for the words that S. PETER spake of him as may appeare by this preface And I tell thee which for this cause Beza hath translated into these words And I tell thee reciprocallie Now S. PETER in his propositiō had done two things the one to declare the appellatiue name of our Lord which is Christ the other to explaine the sence and energy of the same name of CHRIST in saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God And therefore the lawe of the Antithesis correspōdencie wills that not only our lord should declare the name that he had promised to giue him in saying to him Thou art Peter but also should explaine the sence energy of this name in saying to him and vpon this Rock I will build my Church Which could not be vnlesse by the word Rock in this second clause there were literally vnderstood the person of S. PETER and not that of CHRIST THE third that it had bene a thing extremely from the purpose to haue made mention of the name of Peter for the language that our Lord meant to speake to S. PETER if by this clause and vpon this Rock he had not intended to speake of the person of Peter For the word Rock hath no metaphoricall relation to the keyes but to the building The fourth that it had bene an inconstant grammaticall consequence and euil knitt to saie And I
Church the priuiledge to conquer Hell and to deliuer mankinde from the tyrannie and oppression of the deuill that name is become consecrate and affected to her alone and it hath bene forbidden to communicate it anie more to anie other Societie either Paga hereticall or Schismaticall Let not the Conuenticles of hereticks saith the fowrth Councell of Carthage be called Churches but Mock-Councells And the verie lawe of the Emperors That the Donations made to hereticall Conuenticles which they presume rashlie to call Churches be applied to the reuerend Catholick Church THE second that S. PAVLE writing to the Galatians and to the Corinthians calls their Societies Churches and neuerthelesse the Galatians erred in faith imbracing the circumcision with the Ghospell and the Corinthians in not beleeuing the Resurrectiō but the snare here is manifest For there is great difference betweene the doctrine of a Church and the doctrine of anie particular person which is deuided from the doctrine of the same Church The doctrine of a church is that which is held by the bodie of that Church vnder the codition whereof either expresse or tacite she receiues men into her comunion not the doctrine which euery particular mā straying fro the commo doctrine of the same church holdes against the opinions of the Bodie Now it cannot be found that the Societie of the church of the Corinthians did euer hold that the dead did not rise againe nor that she had exacted that beleefe from those that entred into her communion but onelie that amongst the Corinthians there were some that did not beleeue the resurrection of the dead If Christ saith S. PAVLE be preached to haue risen againe from the dead how is it that there are some amongst you that saie there is no resurrection of the dead And that S. PAVLE made his remonstrance in common it was to hinder them from being seduced by them which spake this language Suffer not your selues said hee to bee seduced euill words corrupt good manners But not that he supposed they beleeued it contrarywise hee exhorts them to remaine firme in that which they beleeued And therefore my Bretheren said hee be stedfast and vnmoueable And for the Galatians soe farr off was it that that error which sainct PAVL cryed out against was the doctrine of the Church of the Galatians as it was the doctrine of those which rebelled against the faith of the Church of the Galatians which doctrine sainct PAVL disputes as if all the Galatians had imbraced it not that they did doe soe but to hinder them from doeing soe as he testifies to them in these wordes I haue this confidence of you in our Lord that you will haue noe other beleefe but that he that troubles you shall beare his iudgement whosoeuer hee be And againe If a man be found in anie crime doe you which are spirituall instruct him in the spiritt of mildness And that this is the true intent of sainct PAVL sainct AVGVSTINE teacheth vs when hee writes to Vincentius Rogatist Thou might'st saie euen as well that manie of the Churches of Galatia were not when the Apostle cryed out O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you And a while after The Canonicall scriptures haue bene wont to make their reprehcnsion in such sort as it may seeme the word is addressed to all and neuerthelesse it concernes but some fewe THE third is that sainct AVGVSTINE disputing against the Donatistes writes That the Church begetts all Christians by Baptisme from whence they would inferr that all those then that are baptized as well Catholiks as hereticks are in the Church but he bringes with it expressely this distinction either in her selfe or without her selfe to shewe that the Church begetts none but Catholicks onely in her selfe as Sara begate but Isaack onely in herselfe and that the rest the Church begets without her selfe For although Ismael were not begotten in the Bodie of Sara but in the bodie of Agar yet he was in a sort begotten by Sara for as much as he was begotten by her that belonged to Sara and was Saras nuptiall right to witt by the seede of Abraham Soe then the hereticks be begotten by Baptisme out of the Church neuerthelesse it is the Church that begetts them euen out of the Church for as much as the baptisme whereby they are begotten and which those that baptise them haue carryed out of the Church belonges to the Church and is of the coniugall rightes of the church and not heresie By which meanes when they returne to the church there is noe neede that the church should baptise them againe The Church saith hee begetts all Christians by baptisme be it in her-selfe that is to saie in her bowells or without her selfe that is to is to saie of her husbands seede be it in her selfe or in the bond-woeman Whereby soe farr is hee from teaching that heretickes are in the church as contrarywise he plainelie affirmes heereby that they are out of the church For the thing wherein catholicks and the Donatists were at agreement was that hereticks were out of the church and the thing where about they disagreed was that the Donatists held that Baptisme could not be out of the church and consequently that heretickes could not haue it And catholicks contrariwise maintained that Baptisme might to be out of the church and consequently that hereticks though they were out of the church left not to haue it The Church saith sainct AVGVSTINE compared to Paradise teacheth vs that Baptisme may be had without her but the Saluation of the beatitude none can receaue or haue out of her for the floods of the fountaine of Paradise rann abouudantlie forth of it And in the Booke following What is saith hee this doctrine that an heretick is pretended to haue noe baptisme because he hath noe Church And againe It is a wonder that there are some that saie that baptisme and the Church cannot be separated and deuided the one from the other And elsewhere But of the Church and against the Church they haue holden the sacraments of Christ and as in a ciuill warr they haue fought bearing our owne Banners against vs. From whence we may discouer the impertinencie of those that conclude that because hereticall Sects haue baptisme therefore they are Churches THE fowrth 〈◊〉 is that sainct HIEROME speaking in the person of the Church saith to Hilarie a Luciferian Deacon I am a harlott but yet I am thy mother I committ adultrie with Arius and I did soe before with Praxeas 〈◊〉 Cerinthus But it shal be heereafter manifested that this is a ridiculous equiuocation by which they attribute that to S. HIEROME as spoken in his owne sence which he spake according to the sence of his aduersary that is to saie according to the sence of the hereticke against whom he disputeth For to this that some add that a lying man leaues to be trulie a man although he be not a true
that the Church was then perished for since the excellent King will haue it that the only assured marke to discerne which either of the Church which hee calls English or of ours is the true Church be it that which is the essentiall forme of the Church and that he pretends to be doctrine it is necessary that he suppose that the difference which are betweene the Church that hee calls English and ours be questions which take awaie the essentiall forme of the Church and destroy the being of a Church And by consequence that that of the one or other Societie which errs in these pointes shall bee depriued of the essentiall 〈◊〉 of a Church and destitute from the being of a Church And then if when Luther came into the world there were noe Societie neither visible nor inuisible which held that that the English Church holdes at this daie in the pointes disputed betweene her and vs it followes there was then noe Church Of the authoritie of the worke intituled imperfect CHAP. XVII The Continuance of the Kings Answere AND therefore the excellent King thinkes that he ought with soe much the more Care in so great a floud of different opinions withdrawe himselfe into the mountaines of the holie Scripture THE REPLIE WHEN Nauplius King of the Island of Euboea now called Negrepont would at the returne frō the Seige of Troy cause the fleete of the Greekes to be shipwrackt to reuenge the death of his Sonn Palamides hee sett by night torches in forme of a beacon vpon one of the mountaines of his Island at the foote whereof the Sea was full of bankes cliffes and rockes so to drawe their shipps by the hope of a safe hauen to runn hazard and perish in those shores Soe whenantient heretickes whom saint AVGVSTINE calls mountaines for Shipwracke would cause the Catholickes to make shipwracke in Faith the more their doctrines haue bene pernicious and mortall the more they haue adorned and illustrated them with texts and lampes of the scripture This appeares in the heresie of the Arrians who painted and coloured their error with more then fortie passages of the Bible and by this art attempted to call men backe from the externall and sensible markes of the Church which could not bee pretended by false ensignes by those who had them not to reduce them to the only marke of the scripture the interpretation whereof by their subtletie they made subiect to as manie deceipts as there were wordes But aboue all this is verified in the writer from whom his Maiestie borrowes this language who was one of the most passionate Champions of the Arrians For though he cites these wordes without naming the Father neuerthelesse both the termes wherein they are couched and the tracke of those who haue alleadged them before him to witt Caluin in some of the prefaces to his institution the author of the Booke of the Eucharist in the preface to his worke cannot suffer vs to doubt but that they were taken from the author of the worke intituled Imperfect falselie attributed to Sainct CHRYSOSTOME Now that this Author was not onelie an open Arrian but one of the most eager and violent Champions of the Arrians it appeares by this that he calls the Trinitie triangular impietie and the doctrine of the homousians that is to saie of those that held the Consubstantialitie of the Father and the sonne Heresie Not but that I knew well that he is sometimes alleadged euen by Catholickes with the title of saint CHRISOSTOME vnder whose name he had bene first printed at Basle But because it is one thinge to alleadge him in places where hee disputes not against the Church wherein he is excellent and aboue all in the discourse of manners and an other to alleadge him in the places where hee combates with deliberate purpose against the doctrine of the Catholicke Church of his age as he doth in that from whence the words are taken which his maiestie produceth For behold the expresse termes of the passage When you shall see the impious heresie which is the armie of Antichrist sett in the holie places of the Church then let them which are in Iudea flie into the Mountaines that is to saie let them that are in the christian Societie haue recourse to the scriptures And a little after The Lord then knowinge that so great a confusion of things should arriue in the last daies for this cause commaunds that the Christians who are in the Christian Societie being willing to receaue the stedfastnes of the true faith should haue recourse to noe other thing but to the Scriptures otherwise if they cast their eyes elsewhere they shall be scandalized and perish not discerning which is the true Church Now that by this impious heresie and by this Armie of Antichrist he intends the Catholicke Church and the communion of them which beleeue the equalitie of the Father and the sonne he plainelie shewes when he saith in the same Homilie that the great spirituall euills which haue come vpon the Church haue happened in the time of Constantine and Theodosius and that the armie of Antichrist is the heresie and the abhomination of desolation which hath since them possest the holie places of the Church that is to saie the Basilickes that Theodosius cōmaunded to be deliuered vp to the Catholickes And whē he saith in the former Homilie that the heresie of the Homousians that is to saie of those that hold Christ to be consubstantiall which his Father Fights not only against the Church of Christ but euen against the other heresies which hold not the like And in the nineteneth Homilie when hee calls the worshippers the Trinitie Those that honor the triangular impietie Whereby it appeares that this passage if so farre from giuing fauour to his Maiesties intention as contrariwise it manifestes how dangerous a thing it is to seeke to reduce the markes of the Church to the onelie doctrine drawne from the scripture by the interpretation of euerie particular person since the Arrians in the point which of all others should be most expresse in the scriptures for the catholickes to witt in the point of the diuinitie of Christ for if there be anie thing cleree in a Testament it should be the qualitie of the testator refused all the other markes of the Church and all the other waies of disputation and burnt with desire to fight by the onely texts of the Scripture disarmed from the traditions of the Church Of the vnderstanding of these words of S. Augustine to seeke the Church in the words of Christ. CHAP. XVIII The continuance of the Kings answere AND to seeke according to the Councell that S AVGVSTINE heretofore gaue to the Deuatists the Church in the Words of Christ. THE REPLIE WHEN S. AVGVSTINE said in the booke of the vnitie of the Church there is a question betweene the Donatists and vs where the Church is what shall wee thē doe shall wee seeke her
beginning of these last diuisions either perswaded in some pointes by the innouators or ioyned to the partie of the innouators themselues haue attempted to seeke out some accommodation in matter of doctrine and of the vniuersall Religion of the Church to come to a reunion perswading themselues that as the Poet saith all men doe Sinn Without the walls of Troy and 〈◊〉 within It will bee alwaies easie for vs to shew that the desire of reconciliation rather then the knowledge of antiquitie and truth hath caused them to speake this language Of the agreement or disagreement of the English reformers with the Donatists CHAP. XXXI The continuance of the Kinges answere AND therefore the English Church feareth not that she can seeme in the iudgment of sincere arbitrators to haue done anie thinge like to the 〈◊〉 in this separation They out of a iollitie of harte and without anie cause abandoned the Catholicke 〈◊〉 approued by the consent of all nations whereof they could neither blame the faith nor the discipline THE REPLIE NEITHER was the Catholicke Church then actuallie approued by all nations for these prophecies In thy seede shall all nations be 〈◊〉 and This Ghospell must be preached ouer all the world shall not be fullie accōplisht as S. AVGVSTINE notes till the end of the world But it might well be said by 〈◊〉 in regard of other Christian sectes to be spread ouer all nations because the extent thereof was more eminont as it is nowe then that of anie other Christian Societie Neither was she approued by 〈◊〉 men of all the Christian nations For who knowes not how great the multitude of other heresies was when the sect of the Donatists sprange vp and how much greater then when the passages of the Fathers cited in the beginning of this obseruation were pronounced against them Of one side the Arrians possessed almost all the East of the other side the number of the Donatists was such in Africa as they held all at a time Councells of three hūdred Bishops yea euē in the time of S. AVGVSTINE there where whole natiōs that professed christianitie which did not acknowledg 〈◊〉 Catholick Church as that of the Gothes Vandalls And in breefe elghtie or an hundred other sects of Christiās which were then in the world diuided like Sāpsons Foxes by the heads but tyed together by the tayles did all agree to reproue the Catholicke Church And whereas the excellent king addeth that the Donatists could blame neither the faith nor discipline of the Catholicke Church if by blaming his maiestie intend to blame with reason that is not particular to the Donatistes for neuer anie Sect either Schismaticall or hereticall could blame with reason the faith or discipline of the Church But if by blaming he intend accusing and slandring her and beleeuing that they had iust occasion to doe soe who euer blamed the faith and discipline of the Catholicke Church more then the donatists who called themselues the Bishops of thē Catholicke truth and obiected to the Catholickes that they erred in faith in beleeuing that the holy Ghost resided out of the Church and in holding that Baptisme which cannot be administred but by the operation of the holy Ghost might be conferred out of the Church and in the Societie of hereticks who reprocht it to them thāt they violated these oracles One faith one Baptisme It is lawfull to be baptised if thou dost beleeue be yee euery one of you baptised in the remission of Sinnes Christ purgeth his Church by the washing of water in the word Who heares not the Church lett him be as a publican and as a heathen Baptisme is the washing of the regeneration of the Ghost The Church is the close Garden and the sealed Fountaine Who gathers not with Christ scatters And other such like alleadged by them in so great number as Vincentius Lyrinensis cryes out But perchance this new inuention that is to saie the heresie of the Donatists will want defences nay she was assisted with soe great strength of spirit with so many flouds of Eloquence with so great a number of protectors with so much likelyhood with so manie oracles of diuine lawe but expounded in a new and naughtie manner that it seemes to me that such a conspir aice could neuer haue benē destroyed if this same imbraced this same defended this same extolled profession of noueltie had not in the end left the cause of soe great a motion alone and abandoned And as for the discipline of the Church did not they blame it who taxed the discipline of the Church to haue receiued without expiation of preceding pennance those that in the persecution time had denied Christ and communicated in the sacrifices of the Pagans and consequently to haue bene polluted with the contagion of the Pagans who accused her for hauing receaued conuerted heretickes into her communion without giuing them true Baptisme which could not be giuen according to them but in the Church and consequently to haue polluted her communion with the contagion of vnbaptised or vncircumcised spirituallie and so to haue lost the being of the true Church which could not subsist without the true vse of the sacramēts Who made profession in manners of a conuersation of life much better ruled more reformed then that of the Catholickes from whence it is that S. AVGVSTINE forbidds the catholicks to reproche the Donatists with anie other thing but that they were not Catholickes Who called themselues the little flocke of the lord the two tribes of the Kingdome of Iuda who said we hauing nothing and possessing all things wee account our soule to he our riches and by our paines and our blood we purchase the treasure of heauen And in breese who supposed themselues to haue such reason for their separation as they reputed the Catholickes not to be worthie of so much as the name of Christians as hauing lost the true vse of Baptisme whereby men are made Christiās when they spake to them they said Caius Seius Caia Seia O man 〈◊〉 thou be a Christian O woeman wilt thou be a Christian And cryed to them Come o yee ignorant and wretched people who are commonlie called Catholickes And called the Chaire of Rome the Chaire of pestilence and called the Catholicke Church an Harlott and an Adulteresse and chose rather to suffer all kindes of persecutions and false Martirdomes then to communicate with her If I persecute saith Saint AVGVSTINE iustlie him that detracts from his neighbour why should I not persecute him that detracts from the Church of Christ and saith this is not shee but this is an hatlott And againe If the punishment and not the cause made Martirdome heauen should be full of your martirs And against whom contrariwise the Catholickes in matter of doctrine had not one passage of scripture for them but only the Apostolicall vnwritten tradition as S. AVGVSTINE
drawne from this example for the desertion of the Catholicke Church God saith saint AVGVSTINE bad that these tribes should be separated not to diuide the Religion but the Kingdome and that 〈◊〉 this meanes vengeance might be taken vpon the Kingdome of Iuda But for as much as the ordinarie refuge of those that separate themselues from vs is to haue recourse to the Symptomes of the Iewish people and to inferr from thence the same conclusions of possibilitie of errour and licence of separation for the Christian Church and that to contradict this wee haue not onely promised to shew that there neuer happened anie accident to the visible Iewish Church wherefore they either ought or could separate themselues from her communion but also that if anie such thing had happened the cōsequence thereof could not bee applied to the Christian Church which is grounded vpon other contracts and vpon other prerogatiues It is best for vs here to quitt vs of our promise and to search the question to the bottome both concerning the Thesis and the Hypothesis In regard then of the Thesis the aduersaries 〈◊〉 Catholick religion set this foundation that the Church in all times is subiect to the same Symptomes and to the same accidents there vpon argue thus The visible Church hath had three periods the first vnder nature the second vnder the lawe and the third vnder Grace Now vnder the two first she hath bene corrupted and consequētly vnder the third she may be soe Which is as if one should saie there are three periods in the progresse of the generation of man The first during the which man liues onlie the life of plantes and is yet touched with noe other instinct then simple appetite which the Philosophers call naturall common to herbes aud trees which seemes to correspond to the condition of the first period of the Church wherein she had yet noe lawe or rule but the simple lawe of nature The second during which he liues an animated and sensitiue life which is proportioned to the state of the people of the Jewes because as man in this second progresse harh noe other knowing facultie but that of the sence which is common to him with beastes so all the obiects which were manifestlie propounded to the Iewes and all the promises which were literallie made to them were of sensible thinges And the last wherein man takes possession of the life trulie human and reasonable and is adorned and enobled with intellectuall knowledge which hath analogy with the state of the Christiā Church where the faithfull are consecrated to God by a perfect lawfull forme of religion and sticke noe longer in terrestriall and materiall obiectes but exalting their thoughtes and their hopes doe nourish intertaine themselues with spirituall and incorruptible promises Now vnder the first and second of those periods the imperfect soule of man which wee call an Embricn is subiect to perish corruptible and mortall the soule of man therefore vnder the third period is not incorruptible immortall For to preduce for a reason of exception and dissimilitude that the forme of a man during all the three periods of this progresse is not one selfe same forme the reason of the 〈◊〉 is void for as much as the diuersitie of Gods promises where it so falls out hath noe lesse power to varie the Symptomes of the Church during the three periods of her being then the diuersity of formes to varie the conditions which accompanie the three periods of the generation of man Now that the promises made to the Church vnder the last period which hath bene establisht as S. PAVL saith vpon better promises then the former be wholie different both in eminencie perpetuitie from those that haue bene made to her vnder the two first what Christian can call it in question God first in regard of eminencie and multitude did he not saie to Abraham in thy seede that is to saie as S. PAVL expoundes it in Christ shall all generations be blessed And againe thy seede shal be as the starrs of heauen and as the sands of the Sea And Aggeus describing the future estate of the Church vnder the Enigma of the re-edification of the temple doth hee not saie The glorie of this last howse shall be much greater then that of the first And the Spouse in the canticles speaking of the Jewish Church doth she not singe our Sister is little and she hath yet noe breasts that 〈◊〉 to saie is not yet in state to bringe forth and nurse vp children And doth not 〈◊〉 crie out Reioyce thou barren woman that bearest not children and thou that art no mother cast forth cryes of ioy For the children of the forsaken shall be much more in number then hers that hath a husband And a while after Lengthen the cords of thy pauillions and settle their posts for thou shalt penetrate on the right band and on the left and thy seede shall inheritt the nations And againe Cast thine eyes about thee and behold all these are assembled for thee they are come for thee thy sonns shall come from farr and thy daughters shall be borne vpon shoulders And doth not S. AVGVSTINE disputing against the Donatists crie out Feare you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Jews should aske you where is that accomplished that your Paul hath 〈◊〉 of your Church reioyce thou barren woeman that thou bearest not and cast out cryes of ioy that thou hast noe children for the children of the forsaken are more in number then hers that hath a husband Preserring the multitude of the Christians before that of Iewes if your little number be the Church of Christ. And S. HIEROME against the Luciferians Where are these too Religious or rather too prophane persons that affirme there are more Synagogues then Churches And therefore doth not the same S. AVGVSTINE elegantlie compare the historie of the different times of the Church to that of the birth of Iacob for as much that as Jacob in his Birth thrust forth first one arme and then his head and then all his Bodie so the Church before she was borne first thrust forth one arme that is to saie a little part of her societie which was the Synagogue and then her head which is Christ and then all her Bodie which is the Christian Church But against that the aduersaries of the multitude of the Church alleadge that our Lord calls his Church A little flocke cōmaūds to enter into the straight gate it is true but it makes nothing for them for that our Lord calls his Church a little Flocke it is in regarde of her birth at the time where of she was the least the basest and most contemptible of all societies and not in regard of her progresse which himselfe compareth to that of a graine of mustard-seede which being at the beginning the least of all seedes becomes in the increase the greatest of all plantes We
the world But who sees not that this was in the time wherein 〈◊〉 contract was expired and that of the Christian Church did beginne The lawe and the prophetts saith our Sauiour Vntill Iohn And sainct PAVLE Blindnes is partlie fallen vpon Israel that the fullnes of the Gentiles might be introduced Now the lease that God had made of his vine to the Iewish Church hauing bene but for a time what wonder is it that when this lease is come to expire the prerogatiue that she had by vertue of her contract should cease and that the master of the vineyard should lett forth his Vineyard to other 〈◊〉 and this fufficeth for the comparison of the Christian Church with the Iewish For to ascend to the time before the lawe of Moyses and to alleadge the little mention that is made there of the continuance of the Church it is clere that it had bene a thinge superfluous for the Scripture to haue represented particularlie the estate of the Church of those ages the knowledge of the succession of the Church not hauing bene necessarie but after the last institution of the lawe for the seruice whereof she is establisht as to the Iewes after the institution of the lawe of Moyses and to the Christians after the institution of the Euangelicall lawe Although both before and after the floud there are manie monuments of it For both before the floud this that the sonns of God knew the daughters of men shewes that there was an especiall people which boare the title of the children of God which title the interpretors would haue to be taken by the posteritie of Seth to distinguish themselues from the posteritie of Cain when Seth had begotten Enos and that they began saith the Scripture to all chemselues by the name of the Lord And the vniuersall corruption which fell out in the end vpon all the other families descended from Seth except that of Noe was a corruption of manners and for which if wee beleeue saint HIEROME all those that perish with a temporall death in the floud perisht not with an eternall death And after the floud that Noe liued almost to the sixtith yeare of Abraham And Sem the Sonn of Noe whom Luther calls the Pope of his Age till after the death of Iacob And that Melchisedech kinge of Salem was priest of the most high and in his qualitie blest Abraham that Rebecca wife of Isaach wēt to enquire of God vpon the misterie of her childrē shewes that euē thē the true worship visible seruice of God had place both before elsewhere thē in the familie of Abrahā Butto cōclude grant all the hypothesis to be such as the Protestāts pretend that the Church had bene interrupted both before the lawe vnder thelawe what would that make against the christiā church to whō Christ held this language As in the daies of Noe I swore that I would neuer againe bringe the waters of the Floud vpon the Earth soe I haue sworne that I will noe more be angrie against thee Thou shalt noe more be called the forsaken I will noe more doe to this people as in former daies I will contract a new alliance with them not according to the alliance I contracted with their Fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egipt The cittie of the Lord shall noe more be pulled vp nor destroyed The glorie of this second howse shall bee much greater then that of the first The cittie built vpon the mountaine cannot be hidden The gates of Hell shall not preuaile against my Church I am with you to the consummation of ages This Ghospell of the Kingdome must be preached through the whole world and then the end shall come Hee hath placed in his Church the Apostles Prophetts Pastors and Doctors c till wee all shall meete in the vnitie of faith The Church is the firmament of truth and other such like Of the comparison of the Charitie of the antient African Church and the moderne Roman Church CHAP. XXXVII The continuance of the Kinges answere AND surely the antient Church to recall the Donatists that were refractory to her communiō had accustomed by an admirable Charitie to prouide euen for the te mporall commodities of the Bishops that should be conuerted and of others also And the Roman Church to knitt againe the loue and good will betweene her and the English Church hath first employed the thunderboltes of Bulls and afterward of force sometimes openly and sometimes vnder-hand THE REPLIE THE antient Catholicke Church of Africa offered for the good of Charitie and of the Ecclesiasticall communion to yeeld vp the Bishoprickes of Africa not to those Donatist Bishops which still remained on Donatus his partie but to those that would returne to the communion of the Catholicke Church And the Roman Church hath excommunicated by her Bulls not those that will returne from the English diuision to the Catholick communion but those that after many admonitions are obstinate still to remaine in the separation And therefore there is in this no Antithesis betweene the proceedings of the antient Catholicke Church and those of the moderne For as concerning this word the thunderboltes of Bulls by which some thinke to make the Popes censures the more odious his maiestie may remember if 〈◊〉 please that it is an antient phrase of speeche that the Grecians vse who called the condemnations euen of secular iudgementes thunderboltes and to expresse that one was condemned in iudgment they would saie he was Thunder-strucken Of the innocencie of the Church in the matter of conspiracies against his maiestie CHAP. XXXVIII The continuance of the Kings answere TRAYTORS manifestlie culpable of the paricide vndertaken in this prouince she hath receiued into her lapp and still wholie protects them those that haue suffered iudgemēt for the same cause she Inrolles in the Catalogue of martyrs and propugneth from daie to daie their innocencie against all lawes diuine and humane THE REPLIE IF anie of those that were partakers of the abhominable cōspiracie proiected against his maiestie be receiued at Rome it is an error of fact and not of Right founded vpon a false information that is to saie vpon the beleefe that they haue imprinted there that they are not culpable of that attempt as Princes are accustomed to receaue in the qualitie of innocent persons those that haue recourse to them out of other Prouinces if the verball processe of the crime be not sent to them that they may informe themselues of the truth or falshood of the imputation And this lawe is a lawe of resuge and freedome cōmon to the Estates of all Princes But to beleeue that the Pope protects them in the qualitie of being culpable of this conspiracie I know to well how much I haue heard him detest it with his owne mouth For as touching those that haue bene excluded in England that that
called by him or at his instance but for 〈◊〉 much as that Councell which was a particular Councell had vndertaken as compounded of Arrian Bishops who violated all order and discipline to decide things that concerned the vniuersall Church ordayning in hate to saint ATHANASIVS That euery Bishop that after he had bene deposed by a Synod should continue still to performe episcopall functions without hauing bene first reestablisht by an other greater Synod should be incapable of restitution and that the lawes of the Church bore that there could noe decrees be made in the Churches that is to saie as Caluin himself interprets it for things regarding the vniuersall Church without the Sentence of the Bishop of Rome he reproacheth it to them that they had exceeded the power of a particular Councell That is to saie had decided the affaires which concerned the generall gouernement of the Church without hauing inuited him to assiste at it either by himself or by his Legats A thing that if we were stript of all other argumentes would sufficiently shewe the Popes authoritie for if the absence of the Pope alone and not of anie other Patriarke or Metropolitan were an impediment to the makeing of decrees to oblige the vniuersall Church how can it bee but the Pope must be head of the Church and Superior of the other Patriarkes To the third obiection which is that saint IEROM speaking of a certaine Councell holden amongst the Gaules cryes What Emperor hath commaunded this Synod to he assembled From whence they inferre that the Emperors onely called the generall Councells Wee answere it is a very Sophisme for the Councell whereof saint IEROM spake was not a generall Councell but a particular that Ruffinus pretends to haue bene holden in Gaule against saint HILLARY Nowe wee agree of all sides and Caluin himselfe confesses it that the Metropolitans Primates and Patriarkes called particular Councells And the Councells of the westerne Church holden at Rome by Pope DAMASVS in the tyme of the heresie of the Macedonians by Pope Celestine against the heresie of the Nestorians by Pope LEO against the heresie of the Eutychians by Pope Agatho against the heresie of the Monothelites inforced the most obstinate to confesse that the Pope if not as head of the vniuersall Church yet at least as Patriarke of the West called the Patriarchall Councells of the westerne Church and not onely called the Patriarchall Councells of the Westerne Church but alsoe when there was neede caused to be called extraordinarily the nationall or prouinciall Coūcells of such a Natiō or Prouince of the West as he thought to be necessarie as it appeares for Africa frō these wordos S. AVGVSTINE The Ecclesiasticall necessitie enioyned vs by the Reuerēd Pope Zosime Bishop of the Sea Apostolicke had drawne vs to Caesaria And for Macedonia Achaia and Thessalia from these of Pope LEO to Anastasius Bishop of Thessalonica his Legat in those prouinces If There be anie maior cause moued for which it shal be necessarie to cause an Episcopall assemblie to be called let it suffice thee to call two Bishops of euery Prouince such as the Metropolitans shall choose And for Spaine from these of the same LEO Wee haue sent letters to our bretheren and fellow Bishops of Arragon of Carthagena of Portugall and of Galitia and baue declared to them the assemblie of a generall Councell that is to saie generall for Spaine In which place they must not cauill vpon the word Councell and conuert it into Counsell For the first Councell of Bracara reporting the same historie saith By the commaundement of Leo the Bishops of Arragon Carthagena Portugall and Andaluzia held a Councell amongst them But besides the spirituall authoritie were it of Metropolitans Primates and Patriarkes for the calling of particular Councells be it of the Popes as wee pretend for the calling of generall Councells the temporall authoritie of the Emperors was alsoe requisite aswell to auoid state iealousies and hinder suspitions of conspiracies against the Empire as to take order for the Charge of transportations Staples and prouisions and to furnish the costes of the voyages which the Churches then newlie out of the persecution of the Pagans could yet hardlie beare And therefore when there was question of calling not onely generall Councells of all the Earth but alsoe the generall Councell of the Westerne Church the temporall authoritie of the Emperors concurred with the Spirituall authoritie of Popes for the execution of the conuocation The Emperor Valentinian saith Pope Sixtus the third tymefellowe to saint CYRILL hath commaunded by our authority that the Synod should be called And when there was question of calling Nationall Synods if it were within the countries of the Empire the authoritie of Emperors or of their lieuetenans was allso required and if it were within the ecclipsed countries or not depending from the Empire that of the Kings of the nations where it was to be celebrated must be ioyned thereto as when the first Councell of Bracara in Spaine was called it is said it was called by the commaundement of the glorious King Ariamira or according to others Theodomina And when the second Councell of Tours speakes of the first Councell of Orleans holden vnder Clouis it is said it was done at the request of the most inuincible king Clouis And when the second Councell of Mascon was holden vnder King Gontran it was ordained that the ordinarie Nationall Councells should be celebrated from three yeare to three yeare and that the care to cause them to be assembled appertained to the Bishop of Lion and the disposition to the most magnificent Prince Now if the temporall conuocation of Nationall Councells made by the Emperors or by the Princes of the Nations were 〈◊〉 impediment but that the spirituall conuocation of the same Councells might be due to the Primats of the Nations Why should the temporall conuocation of generall Councells made by the Emperor be an impediment why the authoritie to call them spiritually that is to saie in behalfe of spirituall and ecclesiasticall power might not belong to the Pope For that then as we haue newlie said the authoritie of Emperors was necessary and 〈◊〉 to make the decisions of Councells executorie by the Secular arme and by the ministers and officers of temporall iustice who otherwise would not haue labored to punish corporallie those that should contradict And that is the cause wherefore the Fathers of the Councells were soe carefull to sett this title in the forefront of their acts The most holie and generall Councell called by the authoritie of the most religious Emperor to the end to make their decrees executorie temporallie and by the ministrie of the Secular Tribunall but not to make them obligatorie in conscience and spirituallie For when was it saith saint ATHANASIVS that the iudgement of the Church hath euer taken authoritie from the Emperor And indeede who can doubt but that