to Arrianisme and cast him out of their communion Voluntary and vngrounded separation from the Catholique communion is without doubt a damnable Schisme yet may it bee much mollified or malignified by circumstances Tertullian was a man passionately zealous euen to superstition It appeares in part by his Treatise de Coronâ militis where he justifies the vanity and peeuishnesse of a common souldier who made scruple to weare on his head a Crowne of Lawrell as if the Christian religion had forbidden it And accordingly when the Church thought fit to remit a little of her ancient rigor in the manner and time of her fasts in the receiuing of penitents after publique satisfaction in allowing second marriages and the like Tertullian ill expounding this just relaxation to be a meere dissolution of good discipline hence tooke occasion being also prouoked by some claumnies and contumelies of the Romane Clergy to fall off from the Catholiques to the party of Montanus great pretenders to mortification and in that separation as it is likely he died Yet why may wee not hope that God pardoned the errours of his honest zeale i Nicol. Rigaltius in prefat Obseruat ad 9. libros Tertulliani Quae Tertulliani dicuntur haereses eae vix aliud praecipiebát quà m martyria fortiora jejunia sicciora castimoniam sanctiorem nuptias scilicet vnas aut nullas In quibus quicquid peccauit id omne virtutis amore vehementiore peccâsse videatur Id. mox ibid. Verosimile est Montani dogma quale extitit primordio quidem sui Christianis austerioribus probabili Tertullianum tenuisse non quale posteà quum sequacium quorundam imposturis fraudibus acu Phrygiâ interpolatum ab Ecclesiis passim Catholicis despui caepit his greatest fault being an excesse of indiscreet piety And if separatiō such as hath been said from all visible Churches doe not exclude from heauen much lesse doth a separation from the Church of Rome worke such an exclusion Whilest the Church of Rome stood in her puritie her amity and communion was very much esteemed deseruedly by other Churches yet neuer esteemed by any to be of absolute necessity for saluation Nor did Antiquity beleeue that a separation from the Romane communion in some regards whether actiue or passiue did induce or implie a disunion with the Catholique Church or a rejection from Gods fauor and Kingdome Many proofes here of might be alleaged but these few which follow may suffice When Pope Victor withdrew his communion from the Churches of Asia for their Easter day and Pope Stephen from those of Africa Cappadocia c. for rebaptizing their censures were much slighted and their pride and Schisme in troubling the peace of the Church much condemned by k Euseb lib. 5. cap. 23. z. p. Sec. Lation Cyprian Epist 74. 75. men of the greatest note for learning and piety in those ages S. Austin himselfe and with him 217. Bishops of Africa and their Successors for a hundred yeares together if their owne l Bonif. 2. Epist ad Eulal Alexandi Lindan Panopl Eu. lib. 4. cap. 89. in fine Salmeron Tom. 12. Tract 68. § Ad Canon Sander de visib Mon. lib. 7. num 411. records be true were all seuered from the Romane communion for maintaining the liberties of their Churches against the pretensions and forgeries of the Sea of Rome in the matter of appeales Yet during that separation many holy Soules were sent vp vnto God by Martyrdome vnder the persecution of the Vandales The fifth generall Councell condemned three Chapters casually omitted in the Councell of Chalcedon the Bishop of Rome at length consenting Many Bishops of Liguria and Istria mistaking the Councels meaning imagined the Councell of Chalcedon to be thereby dishonoured m Sigon de Occid Imper. lib. 20. Therefore in a full Synod of their owne they renounce the communion of their owne Patriarch of Rome and erect a new Patriarch at Aquileia which was after translated to Venice and there in name at least continues till this day And the Bishops of Ireland on the same occasion as n Baron Tom. 7. an 566. num 21. Baronius reports when they perceiued that the Church of Rome did both receiue the condemnation of the three Chapters strengthen the fifth Synod with her consent they did all joyntly depart from that Church and cleaue to the Bishops of Italie Africk in that cause Whereby it appeares that they did not take all the resolutions of the Church of Rome for vndoubted oracles but when they thought that they had better reason on their sides they preferred the judgement communion of other Churches before it The most ancient Brittish Irish Bishops did so stiffly adhere to the Churches of Asia in their celebration of Easter that the o Baron ad an 604. num 65. D. Vsher Treat of the Relig. of the ancient Irish Ch. 9. 10. Pope did therefore cut them off from his communion yet they persisted and neglected his anger as vaine and without danger Like Instances might be numberlesse By all which it is cleare that of old a totall Communion with the Church of Rome euen in her good dayes was not accounted so precious and necessary as is now pretended On the contrary men generally beleeued that Christians might liue and dye in the peace of God though they were at warre with the Pope and keepe the vnity of the Church Catholique though they fell off or were cut off from that of Rome The degrees of communion with particular Churches may be many and different The ancient Catechumeni and Penitents by degrees attained the spirituall fauours of the Church being in some respects within her communion without it in others So in the punishment of sinners the Church was wont to temper her censures according to the quality of offences Her censure for the most part was onely medicinall for the sinners benefit to reclaime him from euill by suspending him from her society the comfort of her publique prayers and Sacrament not denying him her inwar◠communion and Charity Sometime was a mortall censure by Anathema against malicious incorrigible wicked nesse In the former shee intended to purge the sinner by depriuing him 〈◊〉 while of her society in the latter to purge her selfe by cutting him off from the body of Christ And this Tertullia◠truly calls p Apologet. cap. 39. maximum futuri judic◠praeiudicium a Sentence which will bee verified in the last judgement according to that of our Lord q Matt. 18. 18. Whatsoeuer yo◠shall binde on earth shall be bound in heauen Whosoeuer is thus cursed justly by the Church shall neuer haue the benediction of God vnlesse hee make his peace by true and timely repentance Particular Churches owe each to other the mutuall offices of loue and communion so farre as may be but they owe onely to the Catholique Mother of all Christians the duty of obedience If then any Particular will deny to her
sufficient to salvation and giue direction sufficient to every good Christian both for his knowledge and for his practise teaching him what to beleeue and how to liue so as he may be saued For Knowledge first it is confessed a very small measure of explicite knowledge is of absolute necessity Some a Apud Greg. de Val. Tom. 3. in Aqu. disp 1. qu. 2. punct 4. v. 10. Bergomens Concordant Contrad dub 419 Schoolemen thinke it needfull to beleeue only so much of the Creed concerning Christ as the Church solemnizeth in her Holidaies his Incarnation Passion Resurrection c. Some require an explicite beliefe of the whole Apostles Creed And some which goe highest adde to that the Nicen and Athanasian to make a compleat belieuer The Iesuite b Vbi supr◠Valentia mislikes this last imposition as too rigorous and seemes most to encline to the first most moderate opinion And c De verb. Dei lib. 4. cap. 11. initio Bellarmine is confident that the Apostles never vsed to preach openly to the people other things then the Articles of the Apostles Creed the ten commandements and some of the Sacraments because saith he these are simply necessary and profitable for all men the rest besides such as that a man may bee saved without them Thus for matter of beliefe Now secondly for matter of practise they cannot except against any part of the publique service of God in our Leiturgy They will grant I suppose that God may be worshipped without an image nay that the interior and spirituall worship is most acceptable to him that a Christian may comfortably and with successe call vpon God alone by the only mediation of Christ seeing the d Sancti caeperunt coli in Ecclesià Vniversali non tam lege aliquâ quam consuetudine Bellarm. de SS Beat. lib. 1. cap. 8. §. vlt. worship and invocation of Saints was brought into the Church rather by custome then any precept that inward repentance and confession of sinnes to God is of absolute necessity not so their auricular * Secret confession abstracting from the abuses of it our Church allowes and inioynes in some cases as very convenient for the comfort of afflicted consciences confession and penall workes of satisfaction that it is necessary to bee really vnited to Christ by his spirit and our faith and very comfortable to receiue both parts of the Eucharist but no way necessary to eat the flesh of Christ carnally in the Sacrament or to want the Sacrament of his bloud that those praiers must needs be most fruitfull and effectuall which are done with vnderstanding and in a knowne language that when a man hath constantly endeavoured with all his forces to obey God in all the duties of Piety and Charity yet it is not amisse for him after all this to confesse himselfe Gods vnprofitable servant and his e Bellar. de Iustif lib. 5. c. 7. §. sit 3. Propositio-Tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sold Dei misericordia benignitate reponere safest course not to trust to his owne merits but wholly and solely to cast himselfe on the mercy of God in Iesus Christ So then by the precepts and conduct of our Religion a Christian is fully instructed in all necessary points of faith and manners and directed how to liue religiously how to dy comfortably and all this without any addition of Popery and all this by the confession of Papists Hence it followes that by their owne Confession the doctrines debated are vnnecessary 3. They are also confessed Nouelties Themselues yeeld that for aboue a thousand yeares after Christ a Bellar. de Rom. Pont. lib. 4. cap 2. §. Secunda opinio the Popes judgement was not esteemed infallible nor his authority b Bellarm. de Conc. lib. 2. cap. 13. aboue that of a generall Councell the contrary being decreed in the late Councels of Constance and Basil constantly defended by the ancient Sorbon and at this day by the c Reuision du Concile de Trent liur 4. best learned in the Gailicane Church d Bellar. de Indulg lib. 2. cap. 17. That Eugenius the 3. who began his Papacy 1145. was the first that granted Indulgences e Bellar. de Sanctorum Beat. lib. 1. cap. 8. §. Dices plur Leo the 3. who liued 800. yeares after Christ the first that euer canonized any Saint That not any f Greg. de Valent. in Thom. Tom. 4. disp 6. p 2. §. Tertio prob one ancient writer reckons precisely seuen Sacraments the first g Bellar. de Sacarm lib. 2. cap. 25. Author that mentions that number being Peter Lombard and the first Councell that of Florence That transubstantiation h Scotus apud Bellarm. lib. 3. de Euchar cap. 23. was neither named nor made an Article of faith before the Councell of Laterane That Antiquity euen till these i Lombard Sent. lib. 4. c. 12. Aqu. 3. p. qu 83. art 1. in corp latter times beleeued the sacrifice in the Eucharist to bee no other but the image or commemoration of our Sauiours sacrifice on the Crosse That in k Lindan Panopl lib. 4. cap. 25. Albaspin Obseru lib 1. cap. 4. former ages for 1300. yeares the holy Cup was administred to the Lairy And diuine seruice celebrated l Nic. de Lyra. in 1. ad Cor. cap. 14. Cassand in Liturgicis cap. 28. for many ages in a knowne and vulgar Language vnderstood by the people That m Polyd. Virgil. de Inuent lib. 6. cap. 13. the Fathers generally condemned the worship of Images for feare of Idolatrie and n Azor. Moral lib. 8. cap. 26. part 1. §. Respondeo allowed yea exhorted the People with diligence to read the Scriptures Many more confessions of this kinde might be produced If now the Mistaker will suppose his Romane Church and Religion purged from these and the like confessed excesses and nouelties hee shall finde in that which remaines little difference of importance betweene vs. But by this discourse the Mistaker happily may beleeue his cause to be aduantaged and may reply If Rome want nothing essentiall to Religion or to a Church how then can the Reformers justifie their separation from that Church or free themselues from damnable Schisme For surely to separate from the communion of the Church without just and necessary cause is a Schisme very damnable All this in effect is formerly answered Yet to satisfie our Mistaker if it may be we will here further say somewhat to the point more plainly and distinctly There neither was nor can be any just cause to depart from the Church of Christ no more then from Christ himselfe But to depart from a Particular Church and namely from the Church of Rome in some doctrines and practises there might be just and necessary cause though the Church of Rome wanted nothing necessary to saluation I said signantèr in some doctrines and practises For there is great
Catholique Church is spread and diffused over the Earth among all Nations and may not be inclosed within any one or other society or communion of men whatsoever Wherein he doth as clearely oppose our Romanists who inclose all Catholiques and Christians within the Popes communion as he did the ancient Donatists It is not then resisting the voice or definitue sentence of the Church which makes an Heretique but an obstinate standing out against evident Scripture sufficiently cleared vnto him And the Scripture may then be said to be sufficiently cleared when it is so opened that a good and teachable minde louing and seeking truth cannot gainsay it For some froward and obstinate persons will not bee convicted by any evidence of truth whatsoever And if the authority of a Councell or of some Church doe interpose in this conviction the obstinacy of Gainsayers is the greater because there is the greater reason to perswade them And if any Church doe vpon such conviction excommunicate or condemne any refractary Gainsayer hee standeth guilty of obstinacy and so of Heresy in foro exteriori and for such is to be reputed by the members of the same Church But it is possible such a sentence may bee erronious either because the opinion condemned is no Heresy or error against the Faith in it selfe considered or because the party so condemned is not sufficiently convinced in his vnderstanding not clouded with prejudice ambition vaineglory or the like passion that it is an errour As these Donatists so the Novatians also were Schismatiques for disobeying the publique determination of the Catholique Church in the same Generall Councell of Nice In the first Ages before that Councell the Church was very rigorous in her Discipline Shee vtterly refused as wee haue before observed to admit vnto her Peace and communion f Vide Canones Concil Eliberini Tertull. de pudic Cypr. Epist ad Antonian passim some kindes of sinnners as Idolaters Apostates Murtherers Adulrers and the like though they had done many yeares penance and though they were in their last extremity thinking fit to leaue them to the mercy of God alone and to make their peace with him by inward repentance Afterwards Shee saw it convenient to bee more mild and mercifull in her censures and accordingly declared her selfe in the Great g Nic. Concil Can. 11. 12. 13. 14. Councell allowing to all sinners the hope and comfort of her absolution when they had made her satisfaction by their humility and penance according to her Canons The h Albaspin Sacr. Observ lib. 2. cap. 21. Novatians stubbornely opposed this publike resolution pretending that the judgement and practise of former Agesought not to be altered that this releasing of severe Discipline would open a gap to vice and licentiousnesse that the Church had no power to reconcile or receiue into her society such enormious Sinners though penitent that if she did she was polluted by their communion And vpon these pretences they breake out into a formall Schisme and separation Before the Nicene Councell many good Catholique Bishops were of the same opinion with the Donatists that the Baptisme of Heretiques was ineffectuall and with the Novatians that the Church ought not to absolue some grievous Sinners These errours therefore if they had gone no farther were not in themselues Hereticall especially in the proper and most heavy or bitter sense of that word neither was it in the Churches intention or in her power to make them such by her Declaration Her intention was to silence all disputes and to settle peace and vnity in her governement to which all wise and peaceable men submitted whatsoever their opinion was And those factious people for their vnreasonable and vncharitable opposition were very justly branded for Schismatiques Now for vs the Mistaker nor his Masters will never proue that wee oppose either any Declaration of the Catholique Church or any fundamentall or other truth of Scripture and therefore he doth vniustly charge vs either with Schisme or Heresy Charity mistaken Chap. 6. AGaine the onely right ground and true infallible motiue of faith by which it is produced and on which it relyes is the revelation of God and the proposition of his Church He therefore who beleeues not every particular Article of Catholique doctrine which is revealed and propounded by Almighty God and his Church which Church is absolutely infallible in all her proposalls doth not assent to any one even of those which he beleeues by true faith because he assents not upon the onely true and infallible motiue An assent not grounded on this is no supernaturall divine faith but an humane persuasion or suspicion or opinion And such is the beleefe or faith of Turkes Iewes Moores and all Heretiques and particularly of the Protestants Answer Sect. 5. DIvine revelation the principall motiue last object into which faith supernaturall is resolved The testimony ministery of the Church is of great use for the begetting of faith But the Church hath not an authority unlimited and absolutely infallible in all her doctrines as some Romanists pretend Others of them reasonably and fairely limit the Churches infallibility The Church Vniversall infallible in fundamentall doctrines Not so in points of lesser moment The Mistaker cannot say what he meanes by the Church where of he sayes so much Of the Church represented in generall Councells of which we speak and thinke more honorably then doe our Adversaries Yet we thinke them not absolutely infallible Of the Pope whom they call the Church virtuall How his flatterers speak of his authoritie No Roman Catholique can be assured of his infallibilitie which is at the most and best but problematicall by their owne principles Answer FAith is said to be divine and supernaturall I in regard of the author or efficient cause of the habit and act of divine infused faith which is the speciall grace of God preparing inabling and assisting the soule to beleive For a 1 Cor. 12. 3. 4. faith is the gift of God alone 2. In regard of the object or things beleeved which are b Phil. 1. 29. c. aboue the reach and comprehension of meere nature or reason 3. In regard of the formall reason or principall ground on which faith chiefly relies into which it is finally resolved which is divine revelation or the authority of God who is the first truth If it faile in any of these it is no divine or supernaturall faith Of the two first respects there is no controversie For the 3d that the formall object or reason of faith the chiefe motiue the first and farthest principle into which it resolues is onely divine revelation is a truth denied by some of the c Scotus Durand Gabriel apud Can. loc lib. 2. cap. 8. Schoole indeed some other d Vide passim apud Eckium Pighium Hosium Turrianum Costerum nequiter contumeliosè dicta in S. Scripturas unwise and unwary writers against Luther but yet
descended aliue into the pit of hell is rashly and vncharitably said God is mercifull and who knowes whether some of them did not repent in the last moment All that this example teacheth is that men ought not to rend themselues from the Church of God or joyne in the despising of gouernment with them that seeke their owne glory and not the glory of God It is a certaine truth that m Matth. 28. 20. all things ought to be obserued which Christ hath commanded and that n Mark 16. whosoeuer beleeueth not in Christ shall be condemned But here is no warrant for the Church of Rome to force vpon the world her owne commandements and Creeds in stead of Christs That in S. Matthew o Matt. 18. 17. If thy Brother offend thee tell the Church is nothing to the point in hand Our Lord speakes of a brother wronging his brother and after priuate admonition refusing to obey the Church which may be vnderstood of an assembly as well Ciuill as Ecclesiasticall Howsoeuer it cannot be meant of the Church Catholique which cannot bee told of priuate injuries but of particular Congregations or as p Chrys hom 61. in Matth. vide etiam Tirinum in locum S. Chrysostome expounds it of their Pastors And if any disorderly or obstinato persons wil not be reformed by their good counsels they are to be esteemed as prophane Publicanes and sinners or to be punished with spirituall censures Yet in these censures any Church may erre through misinformation or ignorance and may sometimes strike the innocent as is confessed by Pope q Decretal lib. 5. tit 39. c. 28. A nobis Innocent the third and r Mag. lib. 4. dist 18. lit F. Lombard Whether in points of discipline or doctrine so long as any Church holds to the rule of truth gouernes her selfe by the word of God shee erres not We are to heare the Church our mother true that is not rashly to oppose her especially if shee be carefull to heare God our Father and Christ her Spouse of whom it was said s Matt. 17. 5. Heare him The Mistaker therefore vainly inferres from this place that the iudgement of the Church in all Controuersies is Soueraigne and Infallible and that absolute obedience is due vnto Her no appeale being allowed no not to Scripture though expounded in a Catholique sense and consonantly to the judgement of the most ancient and famous members of the Church The Text euidently speakes of particular Churches to which I suppose he will not easily yeeld these goodly priuiledges After his wont still when he talkes of the Church he meanes his owne and euer mistakes the Romane for the Catholique The Church Catholique or vniuersall is confessed in some sense to be vnerring as shall appeare hereafter and he is little better then a Pagan that despiseth her judgement For shee followes her guides the Prophets and Apostles and is not very free and forward in her definitions All this is as false of the Romane Church as it is true of the Catholique The Treatise of S. Cyprian of the vnity of the Catholique Church for that title a Epist 51. himselfe giues it is directed against the schisme error of the Nouatians who peeuishly seuered themselues from the Communion of Catholiques because they gaue the peace of the Church to such as repented after their fall in times of persecution There is nothing in that Treatise which the Protestants dislike saue onely the corrupting of S. Cyprians text by some Romish zelote b Cap. 3. secund Pam. these words added to the Text. Primatus Petro datur super Cathedram Petri fundata est Ecclesia super illum vnum aedificat Ecclesiam Christus who hath added and fourred in two or three false glosses of his owne in fauor of S. Peters Primacy Contrary to the faith of written copies and of the elder editions which were before Manutius and Pamelius contrary to the constant doctrine of that holy Martyr in other parts of his workes and even in that very place which is corrupted and contrary to the reading of their owne Gratian c Caus 24. q. 1. can Loquitur Dominus ad Petrum corrected by Pope Gregory 13. And in this vnworthy fashion they haue handled many other records and d Vide Rog Withring Apol. Bell. num 450. monumeÌ„ts of Antiquity adding altering razing them at their pleasure Sixtus Senensis highly commends Pope Pius the fift for the care which he had e Epist dedic ad Pium 5. P. M. Expurgari emaculari curâsti omnia Catholicorum scriptorum ac praecipuè veterum Patrum scripta to extinguish all dangerous bookes and to purge the writings of all Catholique Authors especially of the ancient Fathers from the filth and poyson of heresie At Rome they call it heresie not to speake the language of the Court or to say any thing in behalfe of Protestants A few yeares since when the learned Iesuite Andreas Schottus of Antuerpe published 600 Greeke Epistles of Isidorus Ielusiotes out of the Vatican Library never before printed Beyerlinck the Censor of Bookes there was content to passe them to the presse f In approbatione libri editi Antuerp Graecè 1623. because they contained nothing contrary to the Catholique Roman religion It seemes they had not passed but vpon that condition Though since on better consideration that vnwary clause is left out in the Approbation of the last edition of those Epistles in Greeke and Latine at Francfort This by the way Anno 1629. S. Augustine in his Epistle of the vnitie of the Church largely debates that maine controversie betweene the Catholiques and the Donatists concerning the Church Those Schismatiques pretended that the Catholique Church was perished in all other parts of the world and that it remained only in their factious Conventicles in some corners of Rome and Africa or as they loued to speake in the part of Donatus Against this fancy which is the opinion in effect of our Romane Catholiques at this day the learned Father proues that the Catholique Church may not bee confined to any corners or Countries but that it is vniversally diffused thorough all the world And hee constantly fetches all his proofes from the holy Scriptures often protesting that he will not fight with any other weapons g Aug. de vnit Eccl. cap. 6. Dicitis in nullis terris heredem permanere Christum nisi vbi cohaeredem habere potuerit Donatum Legite nobis hoc de Lege de Pâ—opheus de Psalmis de ipso Evangelio de Apostolicis Literis Legite credimus You say ô Donatists that Christ hath no inheritance but in the part of Donatus as now 't is said of the Popes party Read and proue this to vs out of the law the Prophets or the Psalms out of the Gospell or the Apostles Letters Read it thence and wee will beleeue you h Ibid. cap. 3. Non audiamus
disturbed her vnion dissolued Schisme is no lesse damnable then Heresy The old n Vide Optat August passim Donatists did not only vniustly separate from the Catholike Church diffused through the World but most vn reasonably arrogantly esteemed their owne faction to be the only Christians hated and censured all of the Catholique Communion as no better then Pagans and appropriated to themselues alone all the benefits of Christ and all the priviledges of his Church And accordingly in effect they renounced the society of all other Christians vanting that life and salvation was no where to be had but in their assemblies And are not the Iesuiters of our times formally guilty of this Donatisme Doe not the Zelotes of Rome thus speake and thinke of themselues and of all other Christians Witnes our Mistaker and his Pamphlet wherein his designe is to shew that Rome compasseth and containeth all Christendome and that Christ hath no servants the Church no members but only those that liue vnder the Popes obedience Briefly the Vnity of the Church Catholique is not hindred by any diversity of opinions or observations in her severall members so long as the substance of faith and the bond of Charity is conserued among them The Mistaker goes on Out of this one true Church no salvation Ch. Mist â— 5. can be had Every terme is ambiguous and therefore the whole proposition true or false as it may be limited Salvation may be had either by the ordinary meanes or extraordinarily The Church notes either the Catholique or Particulars Hee may be in the one who is outed by the others and an interiour Communion may be without the externall A Church may teach many truths and so farre bee true yet by the addition of many errours and abuses become in regard of them a false Church And it may be one in the faith which is not at one either with it selfe or other particulars in opinions Lastly a man may be out of a particular Church either actiuely by a voluntary separation which is iust or vnjust according to the grounds or passiuely by exclusion or ejection being casâ— out by the Church And that may bee done either vniustly by ignorance malice faction c. or justly and this either by suspension for a time from the society of the faithfull or by vtter and finall abdication from the body of Christ This may better appeare in particular instances Infidels are without the Church They haue no distinct knowledge of Christ or explicite faith in him Yet some a Iustin M. in Apol. vtraque Clem. Alex Strom. lib. 5. 6. 7. Chrysost hom 37. in Matth. c. auncient Doctors and many late b Ludov. Vives in Aug. de C. D. l. 18. c. 47. Andrad Orthod Explic lib. 3. ad axiom 6. Genes à Sepulveda lib. 7. Epist 1. ad Petr. 1. ad Petr. Serramum Franc. à victoria Relect 13. Aquinas Lyra Abulensis Bruno Dionysius Carth. Arboreus Durandus c. apud Casal de quadr iustit lib. 1. cap. 12. Cornelius Mus Claudius Seysellus Ambrosius Catharinus Ioan. Viguerius Bened. Pererius Dom. Soto Alph. Salmeron aoud Franc. Collium de Animabus Paganoium lib. 1. cap. 24. vide eum lib. 5. cap. 7. 8. 22. Sotus Canus Vega Thom. Richardus apud Greg. Val. T. 3. disp 1. qu. 2. punct 4. § secunda vero Romane writers are of opinion concerning Pagans before and since Christ that if their life be morally honest by Gods extraordinary mercy and the merit of Christ they may be saued For say they though God in his wisdome hath tied vs to the ordinary meanes he hath not tied himselfe Let the Mistaker here compare â—heir Charity with his They hope well of honest Pagans He rashly damnes the â—est part of Christians Againe a beleeuer may be in no visible Church and yet in a state of saluation For first the ancient Church whilest shee wanted the assistance of the Civill word vsed a very severe discipline to containe her children in obedience and to prevent scandals Lapsed sinners were not restored to her peace nor admitted into the communion of the faithfull but with great difficulty and after the sharpe penance of many yeares But if any were guilty of crimes such as Tertullian calls non delicta sed monstra monstrous impieties as Apostasy Idolatry Fornication Murther and the like c Vide Canones Concilis Eliberitani Arelatensis 1. Albaspin Obser lib. 2. shee vtterly refused to absolue such persons euen at the last houre of their life notwithstanding their repentance Yet for their comfort though they might not haue her mercy she doubted not but that they were capable of d Concil Valent. 1. Canone 3. Gods and vpon their true contrition might by him bee pardoned and saued Secondly the e Concil Nicen. Can. 5. Churches of those happy times so fairely corresponded in their amitie and justice that whosoeuer was excommunicated by one was not receiued or absolued by any other And hence it followeth that f Potest quis esse in Ecclesia animo desiderio quod sufficit illi ad salutem non tamen esse corpore siue externá communicatione quae propriè facit hominem esse de Ecclesiâ visibili que est in terris Bell. lib. 3. de Eccl. milit cap. 6. § Respondeo cap. 3. § Denique externall communion euen with the truest noblest Churches is not of absolute necessity to saluation When one and so all visible Churches denied their peace in that age to some Sinners yet they denied them not Gods pardon Besides that a man may bee g Saepe sinit diuina prouidentia per nimiuÌ„ turbulentas carnalium hominum seditiones expelli de congregatione Christianá etiam bonoâ— viros August de ver relig cap. 6. In foro contentioso exterion multi sunt Excommunicati quoad Deum qui non sunt quoad Ecclesiam è contrà multi Excommunicats quoad Ecclesiam qui non sunt quoad Deum quia Ecclesia non judicat de occultis Cosm Philiarch de offic Sacerd. Tom. 1. lib. 3. c. 4. p. 89. Frequenter fit n qui per Ecclesiam militantem foras emittitur intus habetur in Ecclefiâ triumphante contrà Gloss in Extra Ioan. 22. Tit. 14. cap. 5. solutum in â—â—â—liâ— a true visible member of the holy Catholique Church who is not actually otherwise then in vow a member of any true visible Church appeareth by these instances The poore man in the Gospell adhered the more closely to Christ when he was cast out of the Synagogue which was then the onely true Church the Heathens being excluded and the Christian Church being not yet founded And with whom of his owne ranke could Athanasius communicate in that generall Apostacy of Christendome when that noble Champion stood single in defence of diuine truth h Vidâ— Baron An. 357. Num. 44. all his Brethren the other Patriarches not He of Rome excepted hauing subscribed
Equals the acts and vnion of Charity because they deny what they owe not to her their subiection and seruice this is an vnsufferable and schismaticall arrogance whereof the Church of Rome hath now for many ages beene deepely guilty Many other things are said against vs but surely the most capitall r Valent. in Th. 2. 2. Tom. 3. disp 1. qu. 1. punct 7. in explic quaest § Quibus amnibus Omninò verè Orthodoxè docetur ad Summum Pontificem pertinere explicationem editionem Symboli fidei id est eorum quae à fid elibus credi debent Quae veritas vsque adeo continet summam caput totius Christianae Religionis vt nemo Catholicus esse possit qui illam non amplectatur neque vllus sit Haereticus qui illam non neget Id. ibid. punct 7. §. 40. Postremo idipsum Ab exordio Ecclesiae constat controuersias omnes de religione motas ex D. Petri Cathedrâ fuisse judicatas eosquo tandem solos communi Ecclesiae judicio Haereticos esse habitos qui repugnârint definitioni ejus Cathedrae Heresy Schisme of Greekes Protestants c. is that they refuse to bee commanded and gouerned by him who will needs be perpetuall Dictator at Rome and from thence giue lawes to all the world Communion with the Catholique Church may bee distinguished and measured according to those different degrees of vnion which men may haue with Christ for vpon this vnion that communion is founded Christ may bee considered either as a King or Ruler in regard of the whole visible militant Church or as a Sauiour and Head in regard of his mysticall body or his true spirituall members Among the Kings liege people that liue in outward obedience to his Lawes some carry in secret euill and disloyall affections to him others loue and obey him with th◠heart So it is with our Lord. All tha◠liue within the pale of the Church professe to honour him as their Prince and Gouernour euen though they deny th◠power of godlinesse by hypocrisy o◠dissolution others constantly and vnfainedly serue him in all the duties of holinesse He rules them all as King they are his Subiects but he is a Sauiour onely to these latter who liue and dye in hi◠true faith and feare who are therefore liuing members of his mysticall body to whom he communicates by his Spirit effectuall graces spirituall motion and eternall life This blessed Company is said in Scripture s Col. 2. 19. to hold the head and is called t Heb. 12. 23. the Church of the first born who are written in heauen and u Gal. 4. 20. the Mother of vs all When some of the Ancients speake of the Catholique Church w Clem. Alexandr Strom. lib. 7. pag. 514. edit Heinsianae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iterum in fin libr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen contr Cels lib. 6. p. 318. Geaec. Haeschel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isidor Pelus lib. 2. Epist 246. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 5. cap. 27. Ecclesiam veram intelligere non audeo nisi in sanctis justis Et sic passim many times they vnderstand it in a strict notion onely for this fellowship of the Saints as it containes all and onely them that haue spirituall vnion and communion with Christ as their Sauiour When Saint Cyprian compares the Church to Noahs Arke the paraleil runnes most fully and properly on the Church in this sence For of the Arke and this Church it is true whosoeuer is without is saued whosoeuer is without perisheth neither of which perhaps is truly said of any visible Church And thus x 1 Pet. 3. 21. S. Peter seemes to apply that similitude and sayes the Arke was a type or representation of the inward Baptisme or the Lauer of regeneration wherein the sprinkling of Christs blood purges the conscience and saues the soule Communion then with this Church is no lesse necessary to Saluation then vnion with Christ nor can he haue God for his Father who hath not this Church for his Mother Which Sentence S. Cyprian the Author y Epist ad Pompeium vses not of the Church of Rome as the Mistaker seemes to beleeue but where he vehemently disputes against it Whosoeuer either wilfully opposes any Catholique veritie maintained by this Church or the Catholique visible Church as doe Heretiques or peruersly diuides himselfe from the Catholique communion as doe Schismatiques the condition of both these is damnable The Scriptures and Fathers cited here by the Mistaker proue this and no more and therefore proue nothing against Protestants who neuer denied it We deny that * What this importeth see the next §. pag. 58. Popery is any part of the Catholique Church or maintaines any one Catholique verity We deny also that Protestants are in any degree dislinked from the Catholique Church or from the Church of Rome it selfe or from any Church or Christian on earth so farre as they communicate with the Catholique The contrary is easily and vsually affirmed but not so easily proved by firme and conuincing Arguments Charity Mistaken Cap 6. 2. THis unity is directly broken betweene Romane Catholiques and Protestants who are not both professors of this one Religion or members of this one Church For they differ in prince and maine points of faith in which the Reformers haue departed from the Church The Protestants are not at unitie among themselues and therefore much lesse with Roman Catholiques Their bitter contentions and speeches one against another declare them to be of different Churches and Religions And hence it followes that R. Catholiques and Protestants are not both saueable in their contrary waies Answer Sect. 3. THe true difference betweene the Romane and Reformed Parts of the church Protestants haue rejected nothing but Poperie that is corrupt superadditions to the faith confessed by learned Romanists to be doubtfull vnnecessary novelties Errors and Abuses of Rome reformed by vs without Schisme Those errors damnable how and to whom Of the dissentions of Protestants among themselues They differ not in any point fundamentall THe a See D. Abbot True ancient Romane Catholique Ch. 2. p. 81. Ch. 3. §. 3. p. 111. p. 113. 114. Protestants never intended to erect a new Church but to purge the old the Reformation did not change the substance of Religion but onely cleansed it from corrupt impure qualities We preach no new faith but the same Catholique faith that ever hath beene preached Whatsoever is good and true in the Roman profession we approue Wee haue abandoned nothing but Popery which is no branch of Religion but the shame and staine of it nor any part of the Church but a contagion or plague in it which dangerously affected the whole body though by Gods great mercy the vitall parts kept out the poison Naaman was still the same man before and after he was cured of his ieprosie
Art 3. Vix vllum peccatum cogitati potest solà Haeresi exceptâ quo illa Sedes Romana turpâ—ter maculata non fuerit maximè ab anno 800. He need not except Haeresy into which Biel In Can. Mass Lect. 23. grants it possible the Bishops of that Sea may fall And Stella in Luc. cap. 22. Almain L. 3. D. 24. q. 1. and Gabr. a Porta a Iesuite now professor at Burdeaux in 2. 2. q. 1. a. 10. dub 1. cited by Aurelius the Sorhonist In octo causas Spongiae praeambulas pag. 560 grants if freely that some of them did fall confessed them to be just but resolved to neglect theÌ„ This forced Luther and his associats to cry out more vehemently not against the Church but her corruptions Yet calmely and without any thought or designe of separation at the first When loe the i Leo. 10. Pope answeres all their iust complaints with vnjust and violent censures Because Luther and his favourers tell him modestly of his faults wishing him to correct foule disorders Hee therefore in a rage beates them out of doores excommunicates and chases them all out of his Romanc communion And his Successors take care to continue the Schisme For yeerly each Maundy Thursday in the Bull called Caenoe Domini all Heretiques are with great solemnity cursed into hell By Heretiques they meane all them that are not of the Romane obedience and such as cannot beleeue the vices of Rome to be good manners or her new inventions to be Catholique and as our Mistaker will say fundamentall doctrines k Cum carpuntur vitia inde scandalum oritur ipse sibi scandali causa est qui fecit quod argui debet non ille qui arguit Bern. ad Hugon de S. Vict. Ep. 78. Heere is the true cause of this miserable Schisme in Christendome the just grievance of all Christians in the world besides their owne zelotes Rome cast vs out before we left her l Non. fugimus sed fugamur Rex Iac. in Epist Is Casaubon ad Perrhon Cardin. Anathematibus diris nos expulerunt Quod satis superque nos absolvit Calv. Inst l. 4. c. 2. § 6. as our late most learned Soveraigne truly obserued It is true when the first Reformers were driven out they were not vnwilling to be gone And when they saw the Church of Rome in loue with her diseases so as shee would not bee cured m Though Israel transgresse yet let not Iudah sinne Hos 4. 15. vide in cum loc S. Hieron other Churches who owed her amity but not obedience vsed their just power and liberty and reformed themselues n Gerson de Concil generali vnius obedientiae part 1. pag. 222. vlt. edit Paris Nolo dicere quin in multis partibus possit Ecclesia per suas partes reformari imo hoc necesse esset ad hoc agendum sufficerent concilia provincialia But the good man complaines this was neglected Heu desolatione desolata est omnis terra quia nemo est qui recogitet corde omnes quaerunt quae sua sunt Concil Tolet. 4. can 3. Si causa fidei est aut quaelibet alia Ecclesiae communis generalis totius Hispaniae Galliciae Synodus convocetur Alb. M. in 1. D. 11. A. 9. vnicuique etiam particulari Ecclesiae licet id quod Catholicum est promulgare Rome her selfe added Filioque to the Creed of a Generall Councell not only without the consent of the Greeke Church but they vehemently opposing it in provinciall or Nationall Synods confirmed by publique Authority Yet with such a temperament of wisdome and Charity especially in the Church of England whereof I especially speake that they left the Church of Rome in nothing which makes her a Church in nothing which she holds of Christ or of Apostolique tradition Not in any part of the Catholique faith or Gods service such as is acceptable to him not in a charitable affection to their erring and seduced brethren of that Church For whilest they hate and curse vs we loue and pitty and pray for them We returne not curses againe our o Luc. 6. 28. Lord hath taught vs otherwise All damnatory and capitall Censures wee leaue to him p Iam. 4. 12 who alone is able to saue and destroy Only wee cannot wee dare not communicate with Rome either in her publique Leiturgy which is manifestly polluted with grosse superstition as themselues in effect confesse by their severall pretended reformations of it or in those corrupt vngrounded opinions which shee hath added to the faith of Catholiques These abuses and errors deface the beauty and taint the purity of divine truth they make vp the Popery of Rome not the Church In them our Communion is dissolued but wee haue still a true and reall Vnion with that and all other members of the Church Vniversall in Faith and Charity The state of the Church vnder the Roman obedience and that part which is Reformed is very fitly q Mr Bedel ag Wadsw cap. 4. resembled to a field overgrowne all with weeds thistles tares cockle Some part whereof is weeded and cleansed some part remaines as it was before which makes such a difference to the eye as if it were not the same corne But being better considered it will be found all the difference is from the weeds which remaine there and here are taken away Yet neither here perfectly nor euery where alike but according to the industry of our weeders or conveniency of the worke with care of the safety of the good corne Those worthy Husbandmen that in these last 600 yeares haue takeÌ„ paines in plucking vp those pernicious weeds out of the Lords field and severing the chaffe from his graine cannot be rightly said in doing this either to haue brought in another field or to haue changed the auncient graine The field is the same but weeded now vnweeded then the graine the same but winnowed now vnwinnowed then Such tares are all those Romane additions which wee haue rejected which the best learned of their owne confesse in effect to bee 1. doubtfull and perplexed opinions 2 doctrines vnnecessary and forraigne to the faith and 3. novelties vnknowne to Antiquity 1 Doubtfull The Romane Doctors doe not fully and absolutely agree in any one point among themselues but only in such points wherein they agree with vs In the other disputed betweene vs they differ one froÌ„ another as much almost as they differ from vs. In each Controversy there is not only variety but contrariety of judgements amongst them and in conclusion nothing but perplexity and vncertainty I appeale for proofe of this to the famous Tomes of Card. Bellarmine where in the front and stateing of every question he hath with great diligence noted the contentions contradictions of his Fellowes 2. They are confessedly Vnnecessary and Superfluous For they confesse that setting aside all matters controverted the maine positiue truths wherein all agree are abundantly
difference betweene a Schisme from them and a Reformation of our selues And it is one thing to leaue the communion of the Church of Rome another to leaue communicating with her in her errors Whosoeuer professes himselfe to forsake the communion of any one member of the body of Christ must confesse himselfe consequently to forsake the whole And therefore her communion we forsake not no more then the Body of Christ whereof we acknowledge the Church of Rome a member though corrupted And this cleares vs from the imputation of Schisme whose property it is witnesse the o August de Vnit. Ecc les cap. 13. Periisse dicunt de caetero mundo Ecclesiam in parte Donati in solâ AphricaÌ„ remansisse See more of them below Donatists and p Hieron aduers Luciferian initio Dialogi Afferebant Luciferiani vniuersum mundum esse diaboli vt jam familiare est eis dicere factum de Ecclesiá lupanar Et mox Vestra Ecclesia Catholicos alloquens Anti-Christi magis Synagoga quà m Christi Ecclesia debet nuncupari Luciferians to cut off from the Body of Christ and the hope of Saluation the Church from which it separates And if any zelotes amongst vs haue proceeded to heauier censures their zeale may be excused but their Charity and wisedome cannot be justified Vnlesse happily they intended not the Church but the Court of Rome which two if any Romane Catholique cannot well distinguish let him read the French Doctor Peter Charron in his third Veritie q Charr Verit. troisiesme Ch. 14. §. Mais les Schismatiques Il faut prudemment distinguer entre l' Eglise Romaine la Court Romaine Ceste Court demeure se couure se nourrit dedans ceste Eglise ainsi que le ver dedans la pomme comme aussi est elle née de sa gresse de son abondance C'est contrè la Court Romaine què Sainct Bernard en tant de lieux autres Anciens ont crié escrit where he likens the Court of Rome in that Church to a worme in an apple and confesses all the maladies and miseries in the one to flow from the other But to forsake the errours of that Church and not to joyne with her in those practises which we account erroneous we are enforced by necessity r Aug. de â—apt contr Donat. lib. 1. cap. 4. 5. Alia causa est corum qui in istos Haereticos imprudentèr incurrunt ipsam esse Christi Ecclesiam existimantes alia corum qui nouerunt non esse Catholicam For though in themselues they be not damnable to them which beleeue as they professe yet for vs to professe to auow by oath as the Church of Rome injoynes what we beleeue not were without question damnable And they with their errours by the grace of God might go to heauen when we for our hypocrisy and dissimulation without repentance should certainly be condemned to hell It is the doctrine of the Romane Schoole that veniall sinnes to him that commits them not of subreption or a suddain motion but of presumption that the matter is not of moment change their kinde become mortall The like may be said of their errours To him who in simplicity of heart beleeues and practiseth them withall feareth God worketh righteousnes to him they shall proue veniall Such an one shall by the mercy of God either be deliuered from them or saued with them But he that against faith and conscience shall goe along with the streame to professe and practise them because they are but little ones his case is dangerous and without repentance desperate We hope and thinke very well of all those holy and deuout soules which in former ages liued died in the Church of Rome For though they died in many sinfull errours yet because they did it ignorantly through unbeleefe s Cypr. Epist 63. Pam. num 13. Si quis de antecessoribus nostris vel ignorantèr vel simpliciter non hoc obseruauit tenuit quod nos Dominus facere exemplo magisterio suo docuit potest simplicitau ejus de indulgentiâ Domini venia concedi nobis verò non poterit ignosci qui nunc à Domino admoniti instructi sumus not knowing them to be either errors or sins and repenting in generall for all their vnknowne trespasses we doubt not but they obtained pardon of all their ignorances For it were an vnreasonable incongruity to imagine that the God of mercy should not be as ready to pardon errours of vnderstanding as wilfull impieties Nay our Charity reaches further to all those at this day who in simplicity of heart beleeue the Romane Religion and professe it But we vnderstand onely those who either haue not sufficient meanes to finde the truth or else such as after the vse of the best meanes they can haue all things considered finde not sufficient motiues to conuince their conscience that they are in errour But they that haue vnderstanding and meanes to discouer their errour and neglect to vse them wee dare not flatter them with so easie a censure And much lesse them that dare professe the Religion of the Church of Rome when they doe not beleeue it or onely beleeue it because some carnall or worldly respect doth blinde or misleade their vnderstanding Wherefore to that demand of our Romanists If we beleeue their Religion to be a safe way to heauen why doe we not follow it We answer we beleeue it safe that is by Gods great mercy not damnable to some such as beleeue what they professe but we beleeue it not safe but very dangerous if not certainly damnable to such as professe it when they beleeue or if their hearts were vpright and not peruersly obstinate might beleeue the contrary The Iesuires and Dominicans hold different opinions touching predetermination and the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Yet so that the Iesuite holds the Dominicans way safe that is his error not damnable and the Dominicans hold the same of the Iesuites Yet neither of them with good consequence can presse the other to beleeue his opinion because by his owne confession it is no damnable errour For as the Dominicans might vrge the Iesuites after this manner so the Iesuites might returne it vpon the Dominicans and so the Argument being common to both either it must conclude for both and so both parts of a contradiction must be true or else which is most certaine and euident it concludes for neither And if for neither of them against the other then by the like reason it is vaine for Papists to vse it against Protestants All false opinions are not damnable errours to them that beleeue them yet may they be so manifestly false that there can be no wisedome in beleeuing them If one should beleeue that twice two were not foure all would confesse he held no damnable errour But if the same man should thinke all men bound in conscience
to be of his opinion and vrge them as the Romanists doe vs that by their owne confession there were no danger in his way and therefore in wisedome they were to follow it who would not laugh at his ridiculous folly So if they haue no better ground of their beleefe then their Aduersaries charitable judgement of their errours they will be so farre from conuincing their Aduersaries of lacke of wisedome that themselues cannot escape the imputation of folly By all this it is euident that although we confesse the Church of Rome to be in some sence a true Church and her errours to some men not damnable yet for vs who are conuinced in conscience that she erres in many things a necessity lyes vpon vs euen vnder paine of damnation to forsake her in those errours Which is not so much a forsaking of her as a purging of our selues To cleanse some part of the Church from vile abuses is not to goe out of the Church If a Monastery should reforme it selfe and reduce into practise ancient good discipline when others would not in this case could it with reason bee charged with Schisme from others or with Apostacy from its rule and order Or as in a Society of men vniuersally infected with some disease they that should free themselues from the common disease could not be therefore said to separate from the Society So neither can the Reformed Churches especially ours of England be truly accused for making a Schisme from the Church seeing all they did was to reforme themselues yet with resolution to continue in communion as much as in them lay euen with those parts of the Church that would not doe so Indeed if they of Rome could first make it appeare by any sound proofe either that the Church was pure and needed no Reformation or that it is all one to leaue the communion of the Church and to cease communicating with some Churches in their errours or lastly that it is all one to forsake the Church of Rome and to forsake the obedience to that Church as it is now required then the crime of Schisme might with some colour be laid to our charge But all these are groundlesse assumptions talk'd of very freely and commonly but such as neuer will be proued by any one Argument of validity In summe wee can neuer be joyned with Rome in such corruptions as make her Popish But wee were neuer disjoyned from her in those maine essentiall truthes which giue her the name and effence of a Church Whereof if the Mistaker doubt he may be better informed by some late Roman Catholique writers of milder judgement and temper One of t Examen pacifique de la doctrine des Huguenots à Caen. 1590. France who hath purposely in a large Treatise proued as He beleeues the Hugonots Catholiques of that Kingdome to be all of the same Church and Religion because of the truths agreed vpon by both And another of our owne u Syllabus aliquot Synodorum Colloquiorum Doctorum pro pace Ecclesie Aureliae 1628. Countrey as it is said who hath lately published a large Catalogue of learned Authors both Papists and Protestants who are all of the same minde But he is perswaded it seemes that Protestants among themselues are not of the same Church and Religion For he sayes their differences are many and materiall Luther with his followers Schlusselburgius Grawerus Hunnius and their like doe rigorously curse and condemne the Zuinglians Caluinists And some of their harsh censures to this purpose he transcribes out of Brierly who with a curious and I doubt a malicious diligence hath raked vp their intemperate speeches For answer first the Protestants especially we of the Church of England acknowledge not any factious names of Lutherans Zuinglians or Caluinists with which we are injuriously nick-named by our Aduersaries as of old good Orthodox Christians were called a Phot. cod 280. in Excerptis Eulogi◠ad fin libri Cornelians and b Act. Conciliab Ephes in Epist legat Schismat ad suos in Epheso pag. 287. edit Bin. 1618. Cyrillians by the seditious followers of Nouatus and Nestorius With Pacianus wee professe Christian is our name and Catholique our Surname We esteeme of Luther Zuinglius and Caluin as worthy men but we esteeme them not worthy to bee Lords or Authors of our Faith or to lead our vnderstandings captiue Both themselues were farre from affecting such diuine honour and we farre from bestowing it We remember who said of Christ Heare Him not heare them and therefore though these mens reasons may gaine our assent their Testimony is at the best but probable Wee beleeue not what they say but what they proue Much lesse can we endure being once baptized into the name of Christ to be marked with the name of any man as with a note of our seruitude Gregory c Nyssen contr Apollinar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nyssen makes a sore complaint of his times The great and venerable name of CHRISTIAN saith he is neglected men profanely diuide themselues into humane appellations And hee laments the miserable ambition of many Sectaries who surname themselues from their grand Seducers His Brother d Basil in Ps 48. S. Basil giues instance in the Marcionites and Valentinians c Optar lib. 3. Optatus in the Donatists So might wee in them that call themselues Franciscanes Dominicanes Thomists Scotists Iesuites c. To all these we say with f Epiphan haer 70. in fin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphanius The holy Spouse of Christ beares onely her Husbands name And for vs as the same g Idem haer 42. Epiphanius and h Nazianz. orat 31. in fin Nazianzene speake Though we reuerence S. Peter and S. Paul yet we are neither Petrians nor Paulians but Christians Our reason is that which we read in i Lact. lib. 4. cap. 30. Christiani esse desierunt qui Christi nomine omisso humana externa vocabula induerunt Lactantius They are no Christians who seeke after forraine titles And therefore we disclaime the name of Caluinists we owe no seruice we haue no dependance vpon Caluin or any other man as Doctor or Master of our Faith We owe him and the rest of the first Reformers many thankes for their painfull labours which shall remaine of honourable account in all posterity We cannot blesse God sufficiently for such Instruments of his glory Yet we doe not idolize their Persons or adore their dictates and opinions as if they were diuine Oracles as the Romish zelotes doe with their Pope This were not to shake of our old seruitude but to exchange it and for one infallible Pope to set vp many Thankes be to God among the many Idols which we haue cast off this Idoll of humane authority is one which hath robbed God of much glory That Doctor who hath the command of our conscience hath his chaire in heauen We take vp no opinions vpon the credit of
WANT OF CHARITIE Iustly charged ON ALL SVCH ROMAnists as dare without truth or modesty affirme that Protestancie destroyeth Salvation In Answer to a late Popish Pamphlet intituled Charity Mistaken c. By Christopher Potter D. D. Chaplaine to his Maty in Ordinarie and Provost of Queenes Colledge in Oxford OXFORD Printed by the Printers to the University 1633. TO OVR MOST GRATIOVS AND MOST Religious Soveraigne King Charles c. Dread Soveraigne AMongst the many excellent Vertues which have made your Maties Person so deare to God and so precious in the eyes of all your good People the most eminent is your Piety which gloriously shines in the innocency of your Life in the constancy of your Devotions in the justice and mildenesse of Your blessed Government and especially in your tender cares thoughts for the conservation of true Religion and of the Peace of the Church in this crazy quarelling Age. This Piety in your Maty gives me the boldnesse humbly to lay at your Foote this unworthy Piece and the boldnesse also to hope that your Maty will graciously accept it Both because it was undertaken in obedience to your Maties particular Commandement and because in it I plead as well as my Weakenesses will permit for the Faith and Charity of our Church against the Faction of Rome who very falsely pretending to Truth and Vnitie are indeed the true Authors and Continuers of the miserable Schismes of Christendome If here in I have done any acceptable service to God and his Church and to your Maty I have my desire The Father of Mercies crowne Your Maty with all the comforts and Benedictions of Heaven and Earth and continue long the happines of these Your Fortunate Islands in the holinesse and health of their Gratious Soveraigne Your Majesties humble Servant and Chaplaine Ch. Potter Reader THis Answer had beene publique some Moneths agoe if it had not beene delayed partly by sicknesse and the indisposition of my Body and of my Minde also which was ever averse from Contentions in Divinity and now rather desirous to spend in Devotion the few and evill dayes of my life that remaine and partly out of the hope I had to see a second Edition of the Mistakers Work which the strong report of that Part promised or rather threatned But that hope failing and being loath to seeme to faile in my Observance I now commend it such as it is to the blessing of God and to the use and judgement of the Church My Answers without further affectation are true and modest I speake to the Cause not to the Person VVhosoever the Mistaker be he hath my pitty and my prayers He thinkes unworthily of Truth that beleeves it to have need of our Passions My desire is all Personall Defects may be charged on my Selfe none on the Cause I haue not followed the Mistaker in all his wandrings But let Him not take that for a pretext of clamour For if He will be ingenuous He must confesse that I have not omitted without Answer any one thing of moment in all his Discourse Or if He will not Our Readers will confesse it I have onely neglected his repetitions declamatory and injurious speeches and the like impertinencies which being set apart the true Summary of the rest is this that followes Charitie mistaken Chapt. 1. 2. ROman Catholiques judge that Protestancie unrepented of destroyes Salvation For this judgment the Protestants charge them with want of Charity This charge saith the Mistaker is 1. improbable 2. untrue 1. Improbable For the Catholique Church expresses and diffuses her Charitie for the temporall and spirituall good of men in all imaginable sorts Shee is charitable to their bodies in her Monasteries Hospitals redeeming of Captives providing for Orphanes c. and to their soules by converting of Heretiques and Infidels by teaching the ignorant by directing the scrupulous with books of Cases of Conscience c. Charitable to very Protestants their heresies are onely condemned and it is not said that they sin against the Holy Ghost because they may be converted to the faith reconciled to the Church and so may be saved Answer Sect. 1. SOme Roman Catholiques judge charitably of the Reformed Iesuiters furious and destructive in their censures against all that are not of their faction That Faction infamous for their cruelties charged with want of Charity not the Catholique Church The Catholique Church and the Romane ignorantly or cunningly confounded The Catholique truly and really charitable and so the English but not so the Romane not to her owne Children especially not to Protestants Of whom the Mistaker and Others speake and thinke no better then of Infidels Though we entirely professe and embrace the Catholique Faith in all the parts of it Charity mistaken Cap. 3. 4. 2. VNtrue The former judgement proceeds not frō want of Charity but from truth Which may appeare by these grounds of truth which follow 1. Almighty God hath founded but one Church and ordained but one Religion wherin he will be served and out of the communion of this one Church there is no salvation This Vnity of the Church is proved by many testimonies of Scripture and by the consent of the Fathers of the East and West And it is likewise proved by the same authorities that out of the Communion of this One Church salvation cannot be obtained Wherefore all Heretiques and Schismatiques being out of this Church Communion must needs eternally perish Answer Sect. 2. OF the Vnity of the Church VVherein it consists How it is violated Each discord in Opinion dissolves not the Vnity of Faith The Communion of the Church in what sence and how farre necessary Charity mistaken Chap. 6. 2. THis Vnity is directly broken betweene Roman Catholiques and Protestants who are not both Professors of this One Religion or members of this One Church For they differ in prime and maine points of Faith in which the Reformers have departed frō the Church Besides the Protestants are not at Vnity among themselves and therefore much lesse with Romane Catholiques Their bitter contentions speeches one against another declare them to be of different Churches and Religions Whence it followes that Roman Catholiques and Protestants are not both saveable in their contrary wayes Anwer Sect. 3. THe true difference betweene the Roman and Reformed Parts of the Church Protestants have rejected nothing but Popery that is corrupt superadditions to the Faith confessed by learned Romanists to be doubtfull and unnecessary novelties Errors and Abuses of Rome reformed by us without Schisme Those errors damnable how and to whom Of the dissentions of Protestants among themselves They differ not in any point fundamentall Charity mistaken Cap. 6. FVrthermore the Protestants are properly Heretiques at least if not Infidells Heretiques because they reject and disobey the judgement of the Catholique Church For it is not the matter or quality of the doctrine but the pride of the man who prefers his owne opinions before the
decrees of the Church that properly makes the Heretique The Heretiques recounted by S. Augustine Epiphanius and Philastrius in their Catalogues were condemned not so much for their errours which were many ofthem not very materiall as for their contempt of the Church S. Cyprian and the Donatists differed not in the matter of their errour but the obstinacy of the Donatists and their disobedience to the Church made them to be condemned for Heretiques when S. Cyprian was absolved because the Church in his time had not declared her selfe And in the like manner the Novatians were condemned on the same grounds Answer Sect. 4. OF the nature of Heresie The Church may declare convince an Heresie but cannot properly make any Doctrine Hereticall unlesse it be such in the matter of it The words Heresie and Heretique very ambiguous How commonly used by the Ancients Of their Catalogues of Heretiques S. Cyprian though erring in the point of Rebaptization justly absolved from Schisme and Heresie The Donatists guilty of both And the Novatians of Schisme Charity mistaken Chap. 6. AGaine the onely right ground and true infallible motiue of faith by which it is produced and on which it relyes is the revelation of God and the proposition of his Church He therefore who beleeves not every particular Article of Catholique Doctrine which is revealed and propounded by Almighty God and his Church which Church is absolutely infallible in all her proposalls doth not assent to any one even of those which he beleeves by divine faith because he assents not upon the onely true and infallible motiue An assent not grounded on this is no supernaturall divine faith but onely an humane suspicion or opinion or persuasion And such is the faith of Turkes Iewes Moores and all Heretiques particularly of the Protestants Answer Sect. 5. DIvine revelation the principall motiue last object into which faith supernaturall is resolved The testimony and ministery of the Church is of great use for the begetting of faith But the Church hath not an authority unlimited and absolutely infallible in all her doctrines as Some Romanists pretend Others of them reasonably fairly limit the Churches infallibility The Church Vniversall infallible in fundamentall doctrines Not so in points of lesser moment The Mistaker cannot say what he meanes by the Church whereof he sayes so much Of the Church represented in Generall Councells of which VVe speak and thinke more honorably then doe our Adversaries Yet we thinke them not absolutely infallible Of the Pope whom they call the Church virtuall How his Flatterers speake of his authority No Roman Catholique can be assured of his infallibility which is at the most and best but problematicall by their owne principles Charity mistaken Chap. 7. PRotestants object that Roman Catholiques are not at unity among themselves as appeares by many questions wherein their Writers are at variance Answer Catholique Doctors differ onely in matters of Opinion not decided by the Church not in any point of Faith And besides their differences are all fairely carried without any breach of Charity If it be againe objected that learned Catholiques beleeue more then the unlearned Answer This hinders not their Vnitie It suffices the Vulgar to beleeve implicitly what the Church teaches And by vertue of such implicite faith a Cardinall Bellarmine and a Catholique Collier are of the same beleife Answer Sect. 6. DIssentions in the Church of Rome of greater importance then any among the Reformed They differ not onely in Opinion but in matters of their Faith As about the Popes authority and the Popes themselves about their vulgar Latine Bibles Discords among Them uncharitably pursued Some patterns of their mutuall bitternesse and revilings Implicite faith in some points and in some persons admitted VVhat it is which we dislike here in the doctrine of some Romanists Charity mistaken Chap. 8. 9. THe Protestants pretend to be at unitie with the Ancient Church with the Lutherans and even with Roman Catholiques in fundamentall points That distinction so ordinary with them betweene fundamentall points and not fundamentall is vaine without ground No Protestant Writer none of their Vniversities Colledges or Societies of learned men amongst them can or dare define what doctrines are fundamentall or give us in a List or Catalogue of Fundamentalls Some say they are contained in the Creed But those men may be ashamed of that opinion seeing in the Creed there is no mention of the Canon of Scripture or of the number or nature of the Sacraments of justification whether it be by faith alone or by workes or of that doctrine of devills forbidding marriage meats which was the doctrine of the Manichees and not of Roman Catholiques as Protestants perversly affirme and finally since there is such great differences between them and us about the understanding of the Articles of Christs Descent into Hell of the holy Catholique Church and the Communion of Saints Others say the Booke of the 39 Articles of the Church of England declares all the fundamentall points of faith But that also is most absurdly affirmed That Booke declares onely and that in an extreamly confused manner what the Church of England beleeves in most things And in many Controversies betweene them and us it speakes obscurely not touching the maine difficulty of the questions As in the points of the Visibility and infallibility of the Church of Freewill and of the Canon of Scripture Answer Sect. 7. THe distinction between doctrines fundamentall and not fundamentall avowed as most necessary It hath ground in reason and in Scripture The Creed of the Apostles as it is explained in the later Creeds of the Catholique Church esteemed a sufficient Summary or Catalogue of Fundamentals by the best learned Romanists and by Antiquity The Mistakers exceptions to the contrary answered As also his exceptions against the Confession of the Church of England The Conclusion ANSWERE TO Charity mistaken Charity mistaken Chap. 1. 2. ROmane Catholiques judge that Protestancy vnrepented of destroies saluation For this judgement the Protestants charge them with want of Charitie This charge saith the Mistaker is 1. improbable 2. vntrue 1. Improbable For the Catholique Church expresses and diffuses her Charitie for the temporall and spirituall good of men in all imaginable sorts Shee is charitable to their bodies in her Monasteries Hospitals redeeming of Captiues prouiding for Orphanes c. and to their soules by conuerting of heretiques and infidels by teaching the ignorant by directing the scrupulous with bookes of Cases of Conscience c. Charitable to very Protestants their heresies onely are condemned and it is not said that they sinnâ— against the holy Ghost because they may be conuerted to the faith reconciled to the Church anâ— so may be saued Answere Sect. 1. SOme Romane Catholiques judge charitably of the Reformed Iesuiterâ— furious and destructiue in their censures against all that are not of their faction That faction infamous for their cruelties charged with want of Charitie
not the Catholique Church The Catholique Church and the Romane ignorantly or cunningly confounded The Catholique truely and really charitable and so the English but not so the Romane not to her owne children especially not to Protestants Of whom the Mistaker and others speake and thinke no better then of Infidells Though we entirely professe and embrace the Catholique faith in all the parts of it ROmane Catholiques affirme that Protestants cannot bee saued It matters not much what Romane Catholiques affirme They can affirme much more then they can proue many dreames and fancies are at this day affirmed to be Catholique verities and affirmed with great confidence For want of truth is vsually attended with want of modesty None so forward to affirme as they that haue least reason for their affirmations But strong affirmations are but weake proofes In the meane while the boldnesse of these Dogmatists in affirming so many things in Religion vpon so feeble grounds hath miserably distracted Christendome and lost vs the peace of the Church But doe all Romane Catholiques affirme this So the Mistaker seemes to implie by his indefinite assertion But sure the man is much mistaken It is indeed an old tradition in the Popes Court one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Maximes of the Iesuiticall Cabale subesse Romano Pontifici est de necessitate salutis that none but perfect Papalins can be saued But all Papists are not Courtiers nor as yet I hope fully Iesuited without doubt many learned and moderate men liuing in the outward Communion of that Church among the French Venetians and elsewhere doe beleeue that it is possible enough for Protestants to be saued since they beleeue in Iesus Christ though they beleeue not in the Pope Many of thē haue said so much in effect many more would happily say more if they might speake freely But though their thoughts are free their tongues are not Yet the Mistaker beleeues his masters the Iesuits who haue told him that God will exclude out of heauen all sorts and sects of men that are not as themselues fully and furiously Romanized No Protestant can be saued Here is a quicke purging Index for the Booke of Life Woe were it with mankinde if the Fathers of the Society had the keeping of that Booke Their sponge would quickely make it a blotted Catalogue Out into hell must all but themselues and their disciples so many as will not worship the I doll at Rome But our comfort is these men shall not be our Iudges at the last day Thankes be to God and our Lord Iesus Christ we shall stand or fall to our owne Master in whom we beleeue whom we desire to obey and whose we are who will blesse vs the rather for their vniust maledictions and censures These Fathers may doe well and so may their children and clients who are so fierce in passing such capitall sentences against vs to looke well to their owne finall great accounts What will become of them God onely knowes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to his judgement we leaue them Onely this we know that hee shall haue judgement Iam. 2. 13. without mercy that hath shewed no mercy And sure it will goe hard with them if that be true which the prudent Cardinall d'Ossat lieger for K. Henry IV. in the Epist 8. ◠Villeroy Court of Rome collected from their wicked doctrines and practises that notwithstanding their great pretensions of zeale yet indeed they beleeue neither in Iesus Christ nor the Pope For whatsoeuer he be Tros Tyriusue Catholique or Heretique if their Generall haue him in a jealousie hee must bee cut of from Earth and Heauen Witnesse Henry the Great of France who after his conversion to the Pope was strucke first in the mouth by one of their Disciples and at last in the heart by another And in that See Anticoton black Powder plot the eternall shame of Popery for the advancement of the Catholique cause Papists and Protestants both together since they could not be seuered pell mell must all bee blowne vp And that by the warrant and advise of these conscientious Casuists the Fathers But happily though they meant to kill their friends in that massacre yet they meant afterwards to put them in the Kalender intending first to martyr then to worship them which had beene honour and recompence sufficient for their slaughter But for all Protestants dying there or elsewhere they are sent packing to Hell for their doome is no Protestant can be saued But why may not a Protestant be saved There is no good Protestant but for matter of practice hee a Nehem. 1 11. desires to feare Gods name b Hab. 6. 1. repents for sinnes past and for the time to come hath a sincere c Act. 11. 23. purpose of heart to cleau vnto the Lord d Heb. 1◠18. willing in all things to keep a good conscience and to liue honestly obeying God in all his Commandements so far as humane frailtie will permit and for matter of faith he beleeues entirely the Scriptures the Catholique Creeds and whatsoever the Catholique Church in all ages hath beleeued as necessary to salvation All Papists in the world shall never be able to proue the contrary Eyther that we walke not according to these rules or that so walking mercy and peace shall not be upon vs as upon the Israel of God Nay since we are no further departed from the present Romane Church as our late most learned Soueraigne K. Iames professed then shee her selfe is departed from Scripture from Antiquitie and from her selfe in her best times shee is most vncharitable in condemning vs to Hell because we refuse to yeeld a blind obedience to her new dictates And the same damnatorie sentence which shee darts against vs involues equally and alike all truely Catholique Christians in the world with whom in substance we fully consent Surely in this furious rashnesse and rigor there is nothing of that sweet vertue of Charity which e 1. Cor. 13 4. 5. 6. S. Paul describes by other properties quite contrary to these But this is the wont of factious Zelotes to hate and damne all that approue not their fantasies and this angry vnmercifull passion they call Zeale to the holy cause and that which is meere malice must passe for pure Charity So it fares with the Mistaker and his fellowes the Iesuiters They take it ill that we charge them with want of Charity when in their hopes and desires for blessed be God they can doe it no otherwise they barre vs out of Heauen It seemes they would haue vs patiently to receiue their bloudy sentence of damnation and though they pronounce it against vs without authority and without reason yet wee must beleeue it is not without Charitie But he much mistakes Charity and the Iesuites who can beleeue thē to be Charitable Nay he must be a stranger in Europe in the world who can beleeue it Their owne
say it is in jeast to shew the Sorbonists the iniquity of their censures As if Iesuiticall Libells and Pamphlets were to bee parallel'd with the Apostles Creed or this as justly censurablea as the other God in justice may giue ouer these men to Atheisme in earnest who dare so prophanely dally with the Capitall Principles of our faith By the profession of this faith and by the bond of loue wee are linked in communion with the Catholike Church and all her true members in the world and doubt not of Gods mercy in Christ if to our holy faith we adde an holy conversation For the Church of Rome in those Catholique truths which shee maintaines we are not at oddes with her nor need any reconciling for that masse of errours and abuses in iudgement and practise which is proper to her and wherein she differs from vs wee iudge a reconciliation impossible and to vs who are convicted in conscience of her corruptions damnable Hitherto the Mistaker hath declamed for the Charity of his party Hee will now declare the truth of his assertion that no Protestant can be saved Vpon examination wee shall finde as little truth in the substance of his discourse as there is in the designe of it little judgement or conscience or modesty Charity mistaken Cap. 3. 4. 5. 2 VNtrue The former iudgement proceeds not from lacke of Charity but from truth Which may appeare by these grounds of truth which follow 1 Almighty God hath founded but one Church and ordained but one religion wherein he will be served and out of the communion of this one Church there is no salvation This vnity of the Church is proued by many testimonies of Scripture and by the consent of the Fathers of the East and West And it is likewise proued by the same authorities that out of the communion of this one Church salvation cannot bee obtained wherefore all Heretiques Schismatiques being out of this Church and Communion must needs eternally perish Answere Sect. 2. OF the Vnity of the Church Wherein it consists How it is violated Each discord in opinion dissolues not the vnity of Faith The communion of the Church in what sense and how farre necessary TO the first ground No Protestant denyes the Catholique Church to bee one They all deny the present Romane to be that one Catholique If the Mistaker could proue this his paines were to some purpose But his labour is lost in prouing the vnity of the Catholique Church where of there is no doubt or Countrouersie Wherefore we might passe ouer this impertinent discourse but that some things are here and there intermingled which merit our consideration That place of a Deut. 17. 8 9. Deut. 17. alleaged by the Mistaker makes little for the vnity of the Church and much lesse for the Popes pretence of soueraigne power All Controuersies ciuill or ceremoniall are there referred not to the high Priest alone as the Mistaker thinkes but to the great Tribunall called the Sanhedrim mixt of Priests and Iudges in which all harder causes Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill should be determined without further appeale And therefore in respect of the two kindes of causes there were ordained two sorts of men to heare them Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill the Ciuill meant by the Iudge and the Ecclesiasticall by the Priest And though sometimes amongst the Iewes both the offices did meet in one person as in Eli yet this was very rare and extraordinary Ordinarily they were distinct and in the place which we haue in hand many learned b Oleaster Lyra. Cajeta apud Bonfrer in loc Sigon de Rep. Heb. libr. 6. cap. 7. The Dowists in their Marginall note on 2 Chron. 19. vers 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Romanists affirme that by the Iudge is meant the ciuill Magistrate who is directly distinguished and seuered from the Priest both in the c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 originall Hebrew and in the d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuagint And by the Priest not the high Priest alone but as may appeare by this e Deut. 17. 9. Text and another f Deut. 2. 1. 5. parallell to it the Priests the sonnes of Leui. It is true amongst those Priests there was one Chiefe in this matter of highest judgement in doubtfull causes So also was there one principall among the Iudges in g 2 Chron. 19. 11. matters of the King that is in ciuill causes And therefore if the Mistaker imagine that Christians must haue one soueraigne Bishop ouer all because the Iewes had one chiefe Priest it may bee inferred by as good consequence that Christians must haue one Soueraigne Prince ouer all because the Iewes had one chiefe Iudge And as all harder causes of religion must be referred to the Pope so all ciuill matters must be referred to the Emperour And as amongst the Iewes the Priest and Iudge were resident in the place which the Lord had chosen so the Pope and the Emperour must both abide in Rome These Inferences are all of equall validitie that is of no validitie at all The Mistaker will here haue it further well considered that the whole people was to submit to the determination of the high Priest or of the Iudge as the Vers 12. Text hath it vpon no lesse then the paine of death True and there was reason for it For 1. the sentences of them that are in authority and iudge soueraignely without appeale should bee obeyed or submitted vnto though they be vniust A lawfull power though vnlawfully abused must be obeyed A man fined or censured in the Star-chamber high Commission or other Courts of Iustice may not pretend for his contempt the error or misinformation of the Iudges But though Inferiours be alwaies bound to obey the sentences of their Gouernours yet they are not bound to beleeue them alwayes to be just Those Priests and Iudges had a rule to gouerne their judgements by they were to giue sentence h Vers 11. Eze. 44. 24. according to the Lawe If they erred frō this rule as sometimes i Es 28. 7. Ier. 2. 26. 27 Ezek. 22. 26. Mal. 2. 7 8. Act. 23. 3. Vide Tirin in loc Deut. 17. they did the errour might bee obserued though the authority might not be disobeyed 2. The high Priest in cases of moment had a certaine Priuiledge from errour if he cōsulted the k Exod. 28. 30. Numb 27. 21. diuine oracle by the judgement of Vrim or by the brest-plate of judgement wherein were Vrim and Thummim whereby he had an absolutely infallible direction If any such promise frō God to assist the Pope could be produced his decisions might then justly passe for oracles without examination till then his words with vs weigh so much as his reasons no more The sinne of l Numb 16. Korah Dathan and Abiram was a rebellion yea treason against Moses the civill Magistrate as well as a schisme from Aaron the Priest That they with all their company
haec dâ—co haec dicis sed audiamus haec dicit Dominus Auferantur illa de medio quae adversus noâ— invicem non ex divinis Canonicis libris sed aliundè recitamus Let vs heare no more Thus I say or Thus thou saist but let vs heare Thus saith the Lord. Away with those arguments on both sides which are not taken out of the Divine and Canonicall Scriptures i Ibid. cap. 2. Inter nos quaestio eist vbi sit Corpus Christi id est vbi sit Ecclesia Quid ergo facturi sumus in verbis nostris eam quaesituri an in verbis Capitis sui Domini nostri Iesu Christi Puto quòd in illius verbis potius eam quaerere debemus qui veritas est optimè novit Corpus suum It is questioned between vs where the body of Christ is that is where his Church is what then must be done shall we seeke it in our owne words or in the words of Christ the head of the Church I trow rather in his word who is Truth and best knowes his one body k Ibid. cap. 4. Ipsum Caput de quo consentimus ostendat nobis corpus suum de quo dissentimus vt per ejus verba jam dissentire desinamus Let this head of which we agree shew vs his Body of which we disagree that our dissentions may by his word be ended l Cap. 19. vid. etiam cap. 7. 18. passim That wee are in the true Church of Christ and that this Church is universally scattered over the earth we proue not by our Doctors or Councells or Miracles but by the divine Scriptures The Scriptures are the only documents and foundations of our cause Hither is his refuge and appeale from all other sentences The Mistaker was ill advised to send vs to this Treatise which both in the generall ayme in the quality of the arguments and proofes is so contrary to his pretensions If the present Roman Church could with S. Austine and all Antiquity submit to this Iudge or rather Rule of controversies both this in hand of the Church and all the rest of our contestations might bee quickly ended Before I leaue this piece of S. Austine I will leaue this passage out of it to the Mistaker to ruminate vpon m Ibid. cap. 4. Whosoever beleeue aright in Christ the Head but yet doe so dissent from his Body the Church that their communion is not with the whole wheresoeuer diffused but with themselues seuerally in some part it is manifest that such are not in the Catholique Church The Protestants communicate with the Catholique Church in what part or place of the world soever They of Rome say the Church is no where to be found but in their faction none can bee saued but Romanists What will follow from hence He hath so much Logick that he cannot mistake The Herefies recounted by Epiphanius Philastrius and S. Austin in their Catalogues were many of them wild wandring conceits of heads crazed in the Principles of vnderstanding rather frenzies and dotages against reason then false opinions in faith tending to breake the vnity of the Church And iustly said S. Austine No Christian Catholique hee might haue said no rationall creature beleeues them It is true divers of those Heretiques as the Arrians Photinians Macedonians Nestorians Eutychians c did disturbe that vnity by maintaining obstinately their errours against the common rule of faith But they were convicted not by their disobedience to the Church as the Mistaker beleeues but principally by the evidence and authority of Scripture and then after that by the attestation of the Catholique Church which is the faithfull keeper of all Scripture and divine verities as appeares clearely in those Councells and Fathers which haue opposed those Heretiques Epiphanius alone of the three aboue named disputes the matter with the Heretiques and profesfes to fetch his arguments from Scripture n Haeresi 65. Pauli Samosateni num 6. edit Petau 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide cund Haer. 76. pag. 989. Haer. 78. pag. 1047. The divine goodnesse saith hee hath fore-warned and fore-armed vs against Heresies by his Truth For God fore-seeing the madnesse impietie and fraud of the Samosatenians Arrians Manichees and the other Heretiques hath secured vs by his divine word against all their subtleties And elsewhere to the same purpose Where by the way the Mistaker must needs obserue as hee saies that the Protestants hold divers ancient heresies and particularly that of denying Prayers for the dead He is very much mistaken in his observation The commemoration of the deceased in the ancient Church which o Ap. Epiphan Haer. 75. Aerius without reason disallowed was a thing much differing from those Prayers for the dead which are now in vse in the Church of Rome Our Roman Catholiques beleeue at least they say so that some soules of the faithfull after their departure hence are detained in a certaine fire bordering vpon Hell till they bee throughly purged and their prayers for them are that they may bee released or eased of those torments On the contrary the generall opinion of the ancient Doctors Greeke and Latine downe almost till these last ages was and is the opinion of the p Graeci in Concil Flor. ante Sess 1. in Quaest de Igne purgat apud Bin. Tom. 4. part 1. pag. 421. edit vlt. Greek Churches at this day that all the spirits of the righteous deceased are in Abrahams bosome or some outer Courts of heauen where though they liue in a blessed condition of peace and ioy and refreshing being secured of glory and the beatificall vision yet they expect the full perfection and consummation of their happinesse till the last day Some of their Testimonies to this purpose are collected by q Spalat de Rep. Eccl. lib. 5. cap. 8. num 98. Sixtus Senens Bibl. S. lib. 6. annot 345. Antonius de Dominis and Sixtus of Siena wherevnto many more might easily be added This opinion seemes directly to overthrowe two new doctrines of Popery Purgatory and invocation of Saints Such Invocation I meane as is intended to the Saints as a worship due vnto them and when they are invocated as Commissioners vnder God to whom he hath delegated the power of conferring sundry benefits deposited in their hands and to bee bestowed at their pleasure which is properly new and Popish Invocation Which r De Beatitud Sanct. lib. 1. cap. 4. 5. Bellarmine well perceiuing passionately labours to overthrowe it and to proue that the Ancients were not of this minde But his proofes are feeble and fall short of the thing in question and being a man of so great reading it may be thought hee spake against his knowledge and conscience Now conformably to this opinion the Ancient s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Liturg. Basil Chrysost vide Clem. Const lib. 8. cap. 12. Chrysost Liturg Gr. Epiphan Her 75. Cyril Hier. Catech. 5.
duty is only to e Bâ—larm lib. 2. de Concil cap. 12. Concilia quùm definiunt non faciunti liquid esse in fallibilis veritatis sed declarant Gers de err circ praecâ—â— Non occides part oper 1. pag. 406. vlt. edit Papa vel generale Comlium determinando de fide nihil faciunt aliud nisi declarare talia esse fide Canus lib. 2. cap. 7. Ingenuè fatemur non esse nunc novas revâ—â—tiones expectandas five à summo Pontifice five à Concilio five a Ecclesiâ totâ Vide Th. 2. 2. q. 1. A. 10. ad 1. explaine and declare the truth according to Scripture and from thence to draw all her conclusions f Aquin. 2. 2. q. 1. A. â— in corp For the Articles of the faith cannot encrease in substance bâ—â— onely in explication Hence it followes that all necessary or fundamentall truth is contained in Scripture which is the rule according to which the Church is to judge of g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist lib. 1 de Anim. truth and errour Her declaration is only to fetch out that truth which is in the Scripture her exposition of the Text must not be an addition to it It is a faulty and erronious declaration which in stead of declaring giues another See the learned Answere to Fishers Relation of his 3. Confer pag. 9. and a contrary sense Neither is any doctrine necessary or true because the Church declares it such but because it is such in it selfe by warrant of Scripture If the Church walke not by this rule h Mag. 1. D. 11. lit C. Qui pretergreditur fidei regulam non incedit in via sed recedit à viâ Quod volumus Sanctum est Ticonius Donatista apud S. Aug. cont Epist Parmen lib. 2. c. 13. she is out of her way And in this by-way never any Church hath wandred so farre as the Church of Rome which hath defined or declared very many things to be fundamentall Truths or Heresies which are nothing lesse following herein no other rule but her owne fantasy As in Truth so in Heresy the Church may declare what is Heresy shee may convince and censure it but still according to her Rule the Scripture Neither is any doctrine Hereticall because it opposeth the definition of the i Alph. à Castro lib. 1. adv Haeres cap. 8. Ecclesia sâ—â— definitione non facit talem assertionem esse Haeresim cùm eâ—amsi ipsa non definivisset esset Haeresis Sed id efficit Ecclesia vt nobis per suam Censuram pate at illud esse Haeresim ibid. Ideò dicitur veritas aliqua Catholica quia à Deo in Scripturis revelata est è contra Church but because it opposes that Scripture on which the Church grounds her definition The doctrines of Arrius Macedoâ—ius Nestorius Eutyches were in themselues Hereticall even before they were solemnely condemned in the 4 generall Councells But saith the Mistaker the Heresier mentioned by Philastrius Epiphanius and S. Austin in their Catalogues were many of them errours in themselues of no greaâ— moment or importance yet they were alâ— esteemed Heresies because they were helâ— in disobedience to the Church So likewise the errour of rebaptization was for the matter of it the very same in S. Cyprian and in the Donatists yet the Donatists were accounted Heretiques for despising the iudgement of the Catholique Church and S. Cyprian not so because hee conserved himselfe within the amity and communion of the Church Therefore properly and formally he is an Heretique that contradicts the definitions of the Church Answ In all ages almost the imputation of Heresy hath beene too too frequent and familiar among Christians and in this age aboue all wherein Christendome is so miserably broken into numberlesse fragments and pieces It is a thing purely impossible for the learnedst man in the World exactly to recount all the severall Sects and subdivisions of Christians or such as pretend to Christianity And every Sect hath some Zelotes so passionately in loue with their owne Opinions that they condemne all others differing from them to be Hereticall So there liues not a Christian on earth who in the judgement of many others is not an Heretique I speake not this in favour of any Heretique or Heresy justly so called ancient or new But surely as this imputation is a grievous crime where it is true so it is no lesse grievous a calumny if it bee vngrounded And it is good counsell which k Cont. Haeres lib. 3. lib. 1. cap. 7. Qui tà m leviter de Haeresi pronunciant saepè fit vt suâ ipsorum feriantur sagittâ incidantque in eam foveam quam alijs parabant Alphonsus à Castro giues let them consider who pronounce so easily of Heresy how easy it is for themselues to erre Very good advise though Alphensus himselfe makes very little vse of it and forgets it too often As all Truth is not of equall moment or necessity so al errors are not of the same malignity and danger Every Heresy is an error but l Aug. de Haeres in praef Non omnis error Haeresis est quamvis omnis Haeresis errore aliquo c. Jd. alibi Errare postium Haereticus esse nolo Bellar. lib. 3. de Euchar. cap 8. §. Ac primum Haeresis est cuius contraria est veritas fidei à Deo revelata each error is not Heresy What Heresy is properly or what it is that makes an Heretique is a thing either meerely impossible or extreamely difficult to define in the opinion of m Quid faciat Haereticum regulari quadam definitione comprehendi sicut ego existimo aut omnino non potest aut difficilimè potest Id. vbi suprà Sâ— Austine who promised and n In fine libri ad Quodvultdeum intended a treatise purposely of this matter buâ— his death or other thoughts prevented him But it is most evident that those o Bellar. de Script in Philastrio Observandum est multa a Philastrio inter Haereses numerari quae verè Haereses non sunt Dion Pctau Animad in Epiphan initio de Inscript operis Haeresis nomen latissimè ab Epiphanio vsurpatur nec ad Theologorum normam vocabuli istius vsus exigendâ—â— est ancient writers in their Catalogues and elsewhere doe not vse the words Heresy or Heretique in their exact oâ— proper notion but in a very large anâ— generall signification not distinguishing betweene Heresy and errour Whatsoever opinion they conceived to bee contrary to the common or approved opinion of Christians that they called as Heresy because it differed from the received opinion not because it opposed any formall definition of the Church This may appeare by many circumstances 1 St Austin was desired by his Frienâ— Quodvultdeus to set downe all p Praefat. lib. de Haer. ad Quodv Petis exponi omnia omninâ— quibus à veritate dissentiunt opinions of Heretiques differing from
but beleeued not that it was necessarie and therefore did not proceed rashly and peremptorily to censure others but left them to their libertie and finally he had a teachable and tractable minde willing to alter his Opinion if hee had seene reason and to yeeld to Truth if it had beene cleared vnto him or if hee had liued to heare the judgement of the Nicene Fathers And this good disposition kept him from falling further into such errours as the pride and obstinacy of the Donatists plunged them For contrarily the Donatists whilest they suriously contended for one false Opiniō fell by degrees into many more and worse Such as were these doctrines of theirs That u Aug. Ep. 167. De Bap. tismo dicere solent tunc esse verum Baptismum Christi cum ab homine justo datur vide evnd de vnit Ecclesiae cap. 21. the efficacy of Sacraments depends on the dignity of the Minister that being no true Baptisme which is not giuen by a just man That w Aug. cont Epist Parmen lib. 3. Passim the Church ought not to tolerate evill persons in her communion That communion with such persons pollutes and prophanes the Church and makes it no Church That therefore x Aug. de Haer. ad Quodvultd cap. 69. Donatistae pertinaci dissensione in Haeresin Schisma verterunt tanquam Ecclesia Christi propter crimina Caeciliani seu vera seu quod magis judicibus apparuit falsa de toto terrarum orbe penerit vbi futura promissa est atque in Africa Donati parte remanserit in aliis rerrarum partibus quasi contagione communionis extincta all the Churches of the World were perished because they communicated with Caecilianus Bishop of Carthage whom they accused y Vide Gesta purgationis Faelicis Opt. lib. 1. falsely too to haue beene ordained by such as were Traditors or had giuen vp the Bible to bee burn't in times of persecution Consequently z Aug. de vnit Eccl. cap. 13. perijsse dicunt de caetero mundo Ecclesiam in parte Donati in sola Africâ remansisse ibi mox totus mundus inquiunt apostatavit nos autem in Ecclesia remansimus iterum suam paucitatem commendare conantur in sanctis Ecclesiae multitudinem toto orbe diffusam blasphemare non cessant that the Church remained only with them in the part of Donatus and that themselues were the only Christians Now to omit the rest this last errour was in the matter and nature of it properly Hereticall against that Article of the Creed wherein we professe to beleeue the holy Catholique Church For by limiting the Church only to such as were of their owne communion in Africa Rome or elsewhere excluding all others they denied the Church to be Catholique And when they were pressed with this absurdity by the Catholiques for a shift they divised a new and vaine interpretation of the Word Catholique saying that the Church was called Catholique a Aug. Ep. 48. ad Vincentium Acutum aliquid videris dicere cùm Catholicae nomen non ex totius orbis communione interpretaris sed ex observatione omnium praeceptorum divinorum omnium Sacramentorum Brevic. Collat. cum Donatistis die 3. cap. 2. Donatistae responderunt non Catholicum nomen ex Vniversitate gentium sed ex plenitudine Sacramentorum institutum Et Gaudentius Donatista Coll. 3. cap. 102. Hoc est Catholicum nomen quod Sacramentis plenum est quod perfectum quod immaculatum not because it is spred over the whole World or to import the Vniversality of Nations but because their Church retained all the Sacraments and observed all Gods Commandements and was perfect and unspotted This perverse confining of the Catholique Church was the principall Heresy of the Donatists which the Catholique Writers Optatus St Austin and others did most of all detest and oppose in them And in their disputations of this point they convince their Adversaries not by any authority or definitions of the Church as our Mistaker pretends but by testimonies of Scripture as hath beene obserued before b Aug. Collat Carth 3. cap. 187. Sola divina testimonia ad Ecclesiam demonstrandam sufficient mox Sola divina loquatue authoritas sola Dei Scriptura cui vtrique subdimur in medium proferatur Et ib. cap. 155. volumus optamus negotium Ecclesiae non nisi divinis eloquijs terminare Id. de vnit Eccl. cap. 3. Non audiamus haec dico haec dicis sed audiamus Haec dicit Dominus sunt libri Dominici ibi quaeramus Ecclesiam ibi discutiamus causam nostram Auferantur illa de medio quae adversus nos invicem non ex divinis Canonicis Libris sed aliunde recitamus fic passim and every where summon them to the judgement of Scripture alone St Austin purposely debates this matter with them in his Treatise de unitate Ecclesiae and therein professes almost in each page that he will waue all other reasons or arguments and confute them only by Scriptures And that not by Scriptures c Aug. de vnit Eccl. cap. 5. Illa interim sunt seponenda quae in Scripturis obscurè sunt posita figurarum velaminibus involuta secundum nos secundum illos possunt interpretari anted iam praedico propono vt quaecunque aperta manifesta eligamus mox Prorsus quae alicuius interpretationis indigent seponamus vide c. 24. darke or doubtfull but so d Aug. ib. c. 19. Aliquid proferte quod non contra vos veriùs interpretetur quod interprete omninò non egeat Sicut non eget interprete in semine tuo benedicentur omnes Sicut non eget interprete terra tua orbis terrarum Sicut non eget cap. 20. Nullo interprete indigent Canonicarum Scripturarum testimonia quae commendant Ecclesiam in totius orbis communione Et cap. 25. Ostendant Donatistae aliqua manifesta de Canonicis libris testimonia cap. 4. notissimis apertissimis testimonijs contradicunt cap. 15. Manifestissimis testimonijs asservimus Ecclesiam toto orbe diffusam cleare that they need not to be expounded so full and expresse that they cannot be avoided or eluded Briefly such as the Donatists could not resist without wilfull e Aug. vbi supra cap. 1. De Scripturis sanctisita sunt omnia prolata probata vt ea negare non possit nisi qui illarum Scripturarum inimicum se esse profitetur ib cap. 7. Quis tam surdus tà m demens tà m mente caecus vt his tam evidentibus testimonijs obloquatur Sed ad manifestiora veniamus ib. cap. 11. Istae divinae voces de vniversa Ecclesia ita manifestae sunt vt contra eas nisi Haereticè animosa perversitate caeco furore latrare non possint malice and blindnesse Now the point which hee proues by so many cleare and full Scriptures is this that the
to erect her own absolute soveraignty over the consciences and faith of Christian people Whatsoever these Masterly Doctors shall define or prescribe in matters of faith that they say must be received without c Greg. de Valentia Anal. fid lib. 8. cap. 6. §. Quòd verò Sine contradictione ulla obedire iussi homines sunt Sacerctoti judicanti-Quod ipsum persuadere nobis de summo Ecclesiae Pastore nunc jubemur contradiction yea without d Bellarm. de verbi Dei interpret lib. 3. c. 10. §. SeptimuÌ„ arg Christiani tenentur doctrinam Ecclesiae recipere non dubitare an hâ—c ita se habeant Et ib. §. Addo Debet Christianus sine examine recipere doctrinam Eccles Et ib. ad arg 16. Doctor non proponit sententiam suam ut necessariò sequendam sed solùm quatenus ratio suadet at Judex proponit ut sequendam necessariò Patres sunt Doctores Concilia verò Pontifices sunt Judices examination yea though it be e Tannerus in Colloq Ratisbon Sess 9. Si Praepositi Eccles in aliquo dubio definiendo errarent populus Christianus vi talis regiminis errare posset imò deberet false and erroneous This indeed is a sure meanes to keep the Court of Rome in quiet possession of her tyranny and errors if men may be persuaded to resigne unto her their judgement and reason and yeeld her a blind and brutish obedience in all things The colour is that in all doctrines she is assisted with an infallible Spirit and therefore being all divine truths and inspirations they may not be inquired into The ordinarie pretence of Deceivers of f Dictum Apellis apud Euseb Hist Eccleslib 5. cap. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apelles the old heretick in Eusebius of Mahomet the great impostor and of some Others besides the Romanists in this age But as a learned man hath well observed g Ludov. Vives de verit fidei Christ li. 4. pag. 478. contra errores Mahumetis Tutissimum mentiendi genus est nolle rationem eorum quae dicas reddere veritatem dictorum ad Deum referre authorem quem nemo de veritate possit interrogare The safest way of lying is for men to entitle God to their owne dreames and for all reason to say they are heavenly verities which may not be examined It is very meet that the ignorant people should obey h Heb. 13. 17 their overseers in the Lord and submit themselves to the Ministry and direction of the Church in many profound doctrines above their reach But it behoves them to have a distinct comfortable knowledge of the essentiall points of faith and not securely to rest in a babish simplicity but so far as God hath enabled them to i Heb. 6. 1. be led on to profection To which purpose they are commanded to k Joh. 5. 39 search the Scriptures that they may l 2 Pet. 3. 18. grow and m Col. 1. 10. encrease in knowledge that the n Col. 3. 16. word of Christ may dwell richly in them and that they may be able both to beleive o Rom. 10. 10. with the heart and confesse with their mouth and render p 1. Pet. 3. 15. a reason of that hope that is in them The words of q Lactantius lib. 2. cap. 8. Oportet in ea re maximè in qua vitae ratio versatur sibi quemque confidere suóque judicio ac proptiis sensibus niti ad investigandam perpendendam veritatem quà m credentem alienis erroribus decipi tanquaÌ„ ipsum rationis expertem Quare cùm sapere id est veritatem quaerere omnibus sit innatú sanientiamsibi adimunt qui sine ullo judicio inventa majorum probant ab aliis pecudum more ducuntur Lactantius to this purpose are observable In those things which concerne our welfare and life especially that of our soules it is fit for every man to make use of his owne discretion in the search and triall of truth rather then without reason to relie upon the credit of others that may abuse him Every man by nature desires to be wise and to know the truth And therefore they befoole themselues who without judgement follow the judgement of their leaders which is the propertie of sheepe rather then of reasonable men And by that of n Theodoret Graec. Affect Curat Serm. 5. sub fin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret we learne what kind of knowledge the ancient Church required in Christians Every where saith he you may see the points of our faith to be knowen not onely by them who are Masters in the Church and Teachers of the people but even of Coblers Smiths and Weavers and all kind of Artificers and of women also which get their living with their hands yea Maid-servants and Waiting-women Husband-men also do very well know them and Ditchers and Neate-herds and Woodsetters All these may ye find discoursing of the Trinitie and the creation of things and as skilfull in the nature of man as Plato or Aristotle Charity mistaken Chap. 8. 9. THe Protestants pretend to be at unitie with the Ancient Church with the Lutherans and even with Roman Catholiques in fundamentall points That distinction so ordinary with them betweene fundamentall points and not fundamentall is vaine without ground No Protestant Writez none of their Vniversities Colledges or Societies of learned men amongst them can or dare define what doctrines are fundamentall or give us in a List or Catalogue of fundamentalls Some say they are coÌ„tained in the Creed But these men may be â—shamed of that opinioÌ„ seeing in the Creed there is no mention of the Canon of Scripture or of the number or nature of the Sacraments of justification whether it be by faith alone or by workes or of that doctrine of devills forbidding marriage meats which was the doctrine of the Manichees and not of Roman Catholiques as Protestants perversly affirme and finally since there is such great differences betweene them and us about the understanding of the Articles of Christs Descent into Hell of the holy Catholique Church and the Communion of Saints Others say the Booke of the 39 Articles of the Church of England declares all the fundamentall points of faith But that also is most absurdly affirmed That Booke declares onely and that in an extreamly confused manner what the Church of England beleeves in most things And in many Controversies betweene them and us it speakes obscurely not touching the maine difficultie of the questions As in the points of the visibility and infallibility of the Church of Freewill of the Canon of Scripture Answer Sect. 7. THe distinction betweene doctrines fundamentall and not fundamentall avowed as most necessary It hath ground in reason and in Scripture The Creed of the Apostles as it is explained in the latter Creeds of the Catholique Church esteemed a sufficient Summarie or Catalogue of fundamentalls by
qu. 2. punct 4. in fin Articuli fidei in Symbolo contenti sunt veluti prima principia fidei Christianae in quibus continetur summa Euangelicae doctrinae quam omnes tenenrur explicitè credere Ita judicant Sancti Patres quum affirmant ab Apostolis compositum esse illud Symbolum fidei ur omnes haberent brevem summam corum quae sunt credenda sparsim continentur in Scripturis Gregory of Valence The Articles of the Creed are the first principles of Christian doctrine wherein the summe of the Gospell is comprized which all are bound expressely to beleive So say the Ancient Fathers that this Creed was framed by the Apostles to the end that all Christians might have a short abridgement of those things that must be beleeved f Vinc. Filiucius Moral Quaest Tract 22. c. 2. num 34. Nulla brevior accommodatior assignari potest regula in Ecclesia unde scire possunt fideles quaenam credenda sint populo Christiano explicitè eâ quae continetur in Symbolo cujus Articuli sunt prima rudimenta fidei Vincentius Filiucius There cannot be assigned a shorter and fitter rule of faith in the Church by which Christian people may be instructed in matters to be explicitely beleived then that which is contained in the Apostles Creed the Articles whereof are the first rudiments of our faith g Puteanus in 2. 2. Qu. 2. Art 3. Dub. ult Concl. ult Ideo Symbolum hoc fuit ab Apostolis compositum ut Christiani formam aliquam haberent quâ possent se Catholicos profiteri Ita D. Th. art 5. qu. hujus Puteanus late professor at Tholouse This Creed was made by the Apostles purposely that Christians might by this forme of faith professe themselves to be truly Catholiques as Aquinas here saith The great Cardinall of France h Instruction du Chrestien Leçon premiere Le Symbole des Apostres est le sommaire l'abbregé qu' ils ont faict de la foy necessaire au Chrestien Ces saincts personnages ayant receu commandement de Jesus Christ de s' espandre par tout le monde pour y prescher l'Evangile y planterla foy de toutes parts estimerent qu'il estoit du tout necessaire de reduire en abbregé ce que tout Chrestien doit sçavoir à fin que separiez en diverses parties du monde iâ—â— preschassent vne mesme chose ce d'autant plus aisé à retenir qu' elle seroit reduitte à peu Pour cét effect ils appellerent cét abbregé Symbole qui signifie marque signe parce qu' il leur servoit de marque pour distinguer les vrays Chrestiens qui l'embrassoient des infidelles quila rejettoient Richelieu in his Homelies published for the instruction of his Diocesse The Apostles Creed is the abridgement of that faith which is necessary for a Christian For those holy persons being by the commandement of Iesus Christ to disperse themselves over the world and in all parts by preaching the Gospell to plant the faith esteemed it very necessary to reduce into a short summe all that which Christians ought to know and believe to the end that being separated in diverse quarters of the earth they might all jointly preach one and the same faith in a forme short and briefe that it might be the better remembred Therefore they called this abridgemeÌ„t the Symbole that is a marke or signe which might serve to distinguish true Christians which embraced it from Infidels and misbeleevers It were easie to multiply testimonies to this effect out of their late ancient Schoole-Doctors if it were not tedious All agree that the Creed briefly comprehends all fundamentall principles or rudiments of faith that it is a distinctive note or Character severing Orthodox beleevers from Infidels and Heretiques that it is a full perfect and sufficient summary of the Catholique faith And their judgement herein seemes full of reason For how can it be necessary for any Christian to haue more in his Creed then the Apostles had and the Church of their times May the Church of after ages make the narrow way to heaven narrower then our Saviour left it Shall it be a fault to streiten and encomber the Kings high way with publique nuisances and is it lawfull by adding new Articles to the faith to retrench any thing from the latitude of the King of Heavens high way to eternall happinesse The yoke of Christ which he said was easie may it justly be made heavier by the Governours of the Church in after ages The Apostles professe they revealed to the Church the i Act. 20. 27. whole Counsell of God keeping backe nothing needfull for our salvation what tyranny then to impose any new unnecessary matters on the faith of Christians especially as the late Popes have done under that high commanding forme Qui non crediderit damnabitur If this may be done why then did our Saviour reprehend the Pharisees so sharpely for k Mat. 23. 4. binding heavy burdens and laying them upon mens shoulders And why did he teach them that in l Mat. 15. 30. vaine they worshipped God teaching for doctrines mens traditions And why did the Apostles call it a m Act. 15. 10. tempting of God to lay those things upon the neckes of Christians that were not necessary It is true to guard the depositum committed to her charge and to defend it and every part of it from the incursion of heretiques and to maintain the ancient sence of it against their new and adulterate glosses the Church hath authority and hereto shall not faile of assistance But to adde to it is high presumption almost as great as to detract from it All that can be replyed to this discourse is this that the whole faith of those times is not contain'd in the Apostles Creed which is all one as if a man should say This is not the Apostles Creed but a part of it For the Apostles and the Church of their times in giving it this name doe they not plainly tell us that the summe and substance of their Credenda is comprized in it For to call it Creed and to leave out of it any necessary Article of faith what had it been but to deceive the world The Ancient Church appointing her Infants to be instructed for matter of beleefe n De consecrdist 4. can Ante viginti Symbolum Baptizandos Nonliceat onely in the Creed admitting her Catechumens upoÌ„ their professioÌ„ of the Creed to baptisme into the nuÌ„ber of the faithfull exacting of strangers the same profession before they could be received into the CoÌ„munion of Catholiques did she not by all this evidently declare her judgement that the profession of this Creed and these Articles alone was an absolute profession of the Catholique faith Nay whereas the laudable custome of the Catholique Church required that each new o Marcus Ephesius in Concil Florent Sess
12. pag. 480. ex edit Binn ann 1618. Colon Gr. Lat. Olim quilibet Arcl â—episcopus Patriarcha literas quae Synodicae appellantur inter se dabant nihil aliud continentes quà m rectfidei suique sensus confessionem quod in Orientalibus Ecclesiis hodiéque fit usque ad hoc tempus Patriarch immediately after his assumption to a place of so great trust and authority in the Church should render an account of his faith by his Synodicall or Circular letters called otherwise p Optat. Milevit lib. 2. Siricius hodiè Episcopus Rom. noster est Socius cum quo nobis totus orbis commetcio Formatarum in una communionis societate concordat literae formatae and q Aug. Epist 162. Communicatorias literas jam olim propter suam perversitatem ab unitate Catholica quae toto orbe diffusa est non accipiunt Donatistae Et saepe de illis in ea Epistola communicatoria directed to his Peeres and Companions in that dignity that by the sight of his profession his faith might be judged whether he were a sound Catholique or tainted with heresie and so whether he were fit or unworthy to be admitted into their Communion If in those Letters he did professe entirely to adhere to the Catholique Creeds his profession person was accepted as sound Orthodox The Circular Epistles yet extant of r Extant Concil 6. Gener Act. 11. Sophronius Patriarch of Hierusalem of s Conc. 7. sive Syn. 2. Nic. Act. 3. Tarasius Patriarch of Constantinople of t Apud Baron ad ann 556. num 33. Pelagius Patriarch of Rome of u Extat inter Epistolas Photii MSS. Graecè in Bibl. Bodleiana Photius of Constantinople and many others testifie this So truly said S. Austin w Aug. Epist 57. Regula fidei pusillis magnisque communis that the Creed is a rule of faith common to great and small The meanest Catechumen must beleeve so much and the greatest Patriarch can beleeve no more In those old and golden times those Articles were thought abundantly sufficient and it was thought a great sacriledge to adde any thing to them or diminish them No Catholique in the world was then required to beleeve the Popes Supermacie or his Indulgences or Purgatory or Transubstantiation or any doctrine now debated betweene us and Rome No such matter These things were brought in long after the beginning the Church of Christ was long without them and was well without them and happy had she been whether we regard truth or peace if she had still so continued Nor can it be reasonably said that all or any of these things though not expressed in the Creed are yet contained eminently in the beliefe of the Catholique Church For to omit that these are no traditions or doctrines of the Catholique Church but onely the partiall and particular fancies of the Romane unlesse happily the opinion of Transsubstantiation may be excepted wherein the later * Vide Nicetae Thesau Orthod Gr. Ms in Bib. Bodleiana Euthym. in panoplia tit 21. Hierem. Patr. CP in Resp 1. ad Lutheranos cap. 10. Resp 2. cap. 4. § 3. Nichol. Episc Methon Samonam Arch. Gaz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inter Liturgica Graecè edita Parisiis 1560. Greeks seeme to agree with the Romanists 1. what reason can be imagined why amongst many things of equall necessity to be believed the Apostles should so punctually and distinctly set downe some and be altogether silent in others As well nay better they might have given us no Article but that and sent us to the Church for all the rest For in setting downe others besides that and not all they make us beleive we have all when we have not all 2. I suppose no learned Romanist will say that in the beleife of the coÌ„munion of Saints all the new doctrines of the Romane Church are virtually contained Yet the learned y Replique ch 1. Card. du Perron thinks it probable that the Article of the Catholique Church and the Communion of Saints is all one this latter clause being onely an explication of the other 3. Many of the Ancient Doctors have left us their expositions on the Creed Ruffinus S. Augustin Cyrill of Hierusalem Chrysologus Maxim Taurinensis others Where they speake of the Catholique Church all say we must beleive the unity universality perpetuity sanctity of the Church none at all say any thing of any soveraigne infallible power in the Church to prescribe or define what she pleases 4. Lastly Azorius the Iesuite gives a faire meaning to this Article of the Catholique Church and such as little favours the conceit of our Mistaker z Azor. paâ— 1. lib. 8 cap. 6. §. Sed mibi probabilius Substantia articuli quo credimus unam Sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam est neminem posse salvum esse extrà congregationem hominum qui Christi fidem religionem profitentur susceptam posse salutem obtineri intrà hanc ipsam congregationem hominum piorum fidelium I beleive the holy Catholique Church that is saith he I beleive that none can be saved out of the Congregation of those men who professe the faith and religion of Christ and that within that company of holy and faithfull people salvation may be obtained Now to the reasons alleaged for the full and formall sufficiency of this rule of faith to which nothing essentiall can be added or may be detracted we may adjoine the full consent of the Ancient Doctors Greeke and Latin who come in with one voice each one almost contributing his suffrage to testifie for this perfection of the Creed that in their dayes it was so acknowledged a Iren. lib. 1. cap. 2. 3. Ecclesia per universum orbem seminata ab Apostolis corum discipulis accepit eam fidem quae est in Deum omnipotentem Hanc fidem diligenter custodit Ecclesia in Celtis in Oriente Aegypto Cùm enim una eadem fides sit neque is qui multùm potest de ea dicere superfluit neque is qui parùm imminuit Irenaeus having repeated the most important Articles of it saith It is the faith which the Church throughout the world hath received from the Apostles being every where one and the same admitting neither addition nor diminution Therfore it is called by b Tertul. de vel virg cap. 1. Regula fidei una omninò est sola immobilis irreformabilis Hâc lege fidei manente caetera admittunt novitatem correctionis Tertullian one onely immoveable and unreformable rule which remaining safe other matters of discipline may be altered or corrected as occasion requires And the same Author againe c Id. de Praescript cap. 13. 14. Haec regula null as habet apud nos quaestiones nisi quas herefes inferunt quae haereticos faciunt manente form âejus in suo ordine quantumlibet quaeras tractes Fides in