Heathens Pagans and infidells And in his Apology for the Switzers Churches he defineth Schisme to be a separation from the rest of the body of the Catholike Church Zanchius also in his treatise of the Church cap. 7. reacheth that Schismatikes are not in the Church And suâ—us in his 3. booke of the Church c. 5. approueth the fame of such Schismatikes as separate themselues from the whole Church The strangers in England writing to Beza in the 24 epistle haue these words in their 13. article VVhosoeuer is lawfully excommunicated of a particuler Church or cutteth himselfe of vpon vnlawfull causes and with scandall in that doth loose all priuiledge of the Catholike Church And Beza answereth them in the name of the Church of Geneua in this manner Your thirteenth article we wholy receiue at most orthodoxall Casaubon in his 15. exercitation against Baronius num 6. It is an vndoubted truth that how often soeuer a pious flock is ioyned to a true Bishop there is a Church of God in so much that if any forsake that Church it cannot be doubted but that he is out of the Church Finally Chamier in his epistle to Armand excludeth Schismatikes out of the Church because sayth he they want the sincerity of the Sacraments English ProtestaÌ„ts Amongst our English Protestants his Maiesty in his foresayd epistle to Cardinall Peron All those testimonies of Augustin proue only this that there is no hope of saluation for those who leaue the Communion of the Catholike Church which the King willingly graunteth D. Whitaker in his 2. controuer 5. quest 6. cap. sayth It is false that hereticall and Schismaticall Churches be true Churches Againe The Catholike Church consisteth not of diuided but of vnited members And cap. 2 The true and Catholike Church is that which consisteth of Catholiks D. Fulke in his booke of the succession of the Church VVhat auailed it them to eternall saluation to haue byn sound in Religion and doctrine seing they were cut of from the Communion of the true Church in which alone saluation is and from her true head VVhat skilleth it whether one being drawne by heresy or Schisme from the body of Christ be subiect to euerlasting damnation D. Humfrey in his answere to the 3. reason of F. Campian VVe confesse that he is vndone who is separated from the followship of the Church And D. Feild in his first booke of the Church cap. 7 The name of the Catholike Church is applyed to distinguish men holding the sayth in vnity from Schismatiks And in his 2. booke c. 2. he sayth that Schismatikes are not Catholike Christians Thus we see how Protestants sometymes do teach that the true Church consisteth of Catholiks of members vnited not deuided that it hath no Schismes or Sects That Schismatiks are not Catholiks that their vnity is not true nor Catholike that their Churches ought to be forsaken that they are not vniuocally Churches nor true Churches that they are not members of the true Church but out of the Church altogeather out of the Church and actually neither of the visible nor inuisible Church and that this is an vndoubted truth which coÌ„fession of theirs must be well noted and kept in mind for thereby is ouerthrowne as we shall see in the 2. booke their only argument wherwith they endeauour to proue that their Church was before Luther and also is defaced their only essentiall mark of finding the true Church by the truth of doctrine For Schismatikes as we shall heare them confesse in the 2. booke hold true doctrine and neuertheles as here they acknowledge are not of the true Church They exclude those that deny any fundameÌ„tal article 5. In like manner they do commonly debarre from their Church all such as deny any principall or fundamentall point of fayth Melancthon in his booke of common places in the title of the Church They are not members of the Church who pertinaciously maintaine errours opposite to the foundation And in his answere to the Bauarian articles Saints may haue errours but not such as ouerthrow the foundation In his examen of those that are to take orders Agreement in the foundation LutheraÌ„s is a thing necessary to the vnity of the Church And vpon the 3. cap. of the 1. epistle to Timothy The foundation is held in the Church otherwise there should be no Church at all And in his 79. proposition tom 4 It is most certaine that those companies are not the Church of God who either are altogeather ignorant of the Ghospell or impugne some article of the foundation that is some article of fayth or doctrine of the decalogue or maintaine open idols Chemnitius in his common places pa. 3. title of the Church Neither can these be acknowledged for the true Church who imbrace fundamentall errours And the Lutherans in the conference at Ratisbon Ses 14. Hutter in his Analysis of the Confession of Auspurg Gesner in his 24. place Adam Francis in his 11. place and other Lutherans commonly agree that the Church cannot erre Fundamentally or in the Foundation And the Confession of Saxony giueth this note to know who are in the Church SacrameÌ„taries Those who hold the Foundation As for Sacramentaries Caluin in his 4. booke of Institutions cap. 2. num 1 So soone as a lye hath broken into the castle of Religion the summe of necessary doctrine is inuerted the vse of Sacraments is fallen certainly the destruction of the Church ensueth euen as a mans life is lost when his throat is cut or his vitall parts deadly wounded And soone after It is certaine that there is no Church where lyes and errour haue gotten to the toppe And cap. 19. num 17 VVithout doubt the Church of the faythfull must agree in all the heads of our Religion Sadeel in his answere to the Theses held at Posna cap. 12 I thinke the matter is thus to be defined by the word of God that if any in what Church soeuer dissent in the foundation of sayth and be obstinate in their errours such appertaine not to the vnity of the Church The like he hath in his answere to Arthure cap. 12. Vesinuâ— in his Catechisme quest 54. cap. 4 The whole Church erreth not nor wholly nor in the foundation Polanus in his Thesis of the Church sayth The Church erreth not in the foundation The same teacheth Zanchius in his treatise of the Church c. 7. Lubbertus in his 2. booke of the Church c 3. Vorstius in his Anti-bellarmin pag. 139. Bucanus in his 41. place and other Sacramentaries commonly And with them herein agree our English Protestants English ProtestaÌ„ts For thus sayth his Maiesty in his epistle to Cardinall Peron The Churches are vnited in vnity of sayth and doctrine in those heads which are necessary to saluation And D. Whitaker in the preface of his Controuersies The foundations of sayth are of that nature that one being shaken nothing in all religion remaineth sound And Contr. 2. quest 4. cap.
of heretiks This in summe I will say heretikes are not otherwise to be dealt with all then Infidells 〈◊〉 Iewes Caluin also in his 2. booke of Institution cap. 15. number 1. Rightly Augustin denyeth Heretikes haue the same foundation with the godly albeit they preach tâ—â— name of Christ And in his instruction against the Libertines That we may speake properly Heretikes are not oâ—ly like to wolues or theeues but much worse Beza in his booâ— of punishing Heretiks If one terme Heretikes saithleâ— apostatas he shall giue them their due title And againe Heretikes affirme Christ in word and deny him indeed Danaeus in his 5. Controuersy and 691. pag. An heretike condemned by lawfull iudgement and actually cast out of the Church is not of the visible Church nor of the inuisible neither actually or apparently so long as he remaineth in that state Polanus in his 7. booke which he termeth Syntagma cap. 5. Heretikes whiles they remayne such are not members of the Catholique Church And Vorstius in his Anti-bellarmin pag. 79. The Ghospellers do esteem Antichrist in common to be euery heretike who opposeth himselfe eyther openly and plainly or closely and indirectly to Christ and his doctrine And in the 121. pag. There is no controuersy betweene vs and our aduersaries touching heretikes Schismatikes and Apostatas properly and truly so called that they are altogeather out of the Church of Christ Thus forraine Protestants In England English Protestants his Maiesty in his epistle to Cardinal Peron written by Casaubon The King damneth and detesteth those who either haue departed from the sayth of the Catholike Church and are become heretikes or from the Communion and are become Schismatikes The Apology of the Church of England part 3. diuis 3. VVe condemne all sortes of the old heretiks as the Arians the Eutichians c. and shortly all them that haue a wicked opinion either of God the Father or of Christ or of the holy Ghost or of any other point of Christian Religion for so much as they be confuted by the Ghospell of Christ we plainly pronounce them for damnable and detestable persons and defy them euen to the diuell D. Whitaker in the preface of his Controuersies If we be heretikes it is reason they should warne all theirs to fly from vs. And Controuer 2. question 1. cap. 4. That he proueth heretikes and Apostatas and Schismatikes not to be members of the true Church maketh nothing against vs. None of our men euer taught that The like he hath question 5. cap. 1. and 18. D. Sutliue in his first booke of the Church cap. 1. Heretikes are not of the Church D. Morton in his Apology 1. part 1. booke cap. 3 affirmeth that Heretikes are not to be accounted of the â—hurch in truth but in name not indeed but equiuocally Finally D. White in his way to the Church pag 110. All hereticks teach the truth in some things and yet we deny them to be the Church of God And in the defence of the same way cap. 8. sect 1. There is little or no difference betweene the Diuell and an Apostata or Heretike 4. The same censure they sometymes giue of Schismatikes They exclude Schismatiks as appeareth by the words of his Maiesty D. Whitaker and Vorstius already rehearsed Besides Luther in his great Catechisme tom 5. pag. 628. affirmeth the sense of that article The Communion of Saints to be this I belieue that there is on earth a litle Congregation of Saints agreeing in all things without sectes or Schismes And Melancthon in his book against Swenfeild tom 2. LutheraÌ„s pag. 201. Neither is there more then one Church the Spouse of Christ neither doth this company consist of diuers Sectes Salomon Gesnerus in his Common places the 24. place of the Church Catholiks are opposite to Schismatikes heretiks The same teacheth Schusselburg in his 8. tome of the Catalogue of heretikes pag. 726. 727. Amongst the Sacramentaries the Switzers in their Confession SacrameÌ„taries article 17. do thus professe VVe so much esteeme the Communion with the true Church of Christ as that we teach that those cannot liue before God who communicate not with his true Church And the French Protestants in theirs article 26. VVe belieue that none can lawfully withdraw themselues from the assemblies Bullinger in his Epitome or Compendium of fayth 6. booke 11. cap They be out of this Church whâ— vpon enuy or contention separate themselues from her withouâ— cause will haue some thing peculiar to themselues Musculus also in his common places in the title of the church The vnity of Heretiks and Schismatikes is bastard and diuided True entier and Catholike vnity is not among Schismatikes And in the title of Schismatikes A Schismatike putteth himselfe in daunger of losse of his saluation in departing from the Communion of the flock of the Lord. For by that departure he is not only separated and diuided from that Ecclesiasticall and externall society of the faythfull but also from participation of the bloud and spirit of Christ Caluin likewise in his treatise of the necessity of reforming the Church VVe do professe the vnity of the Church such as is described by S. Paul to be most deare vnto vs and we accurse all them that shall any way violate it And in his fourth booke of Institutions chap. 1. numb 2 Vnlesse vnder Christ our head we be vnited to all the rest of his members there is no hope for vs of the euerlasting inheritance For we cannot haue two or three Churches vnlesse Christ be torne in pieces And num 4. Out of the lap the Church there is no saluation departure from thence is alwayes pernicious Againe num 10 God maketh so great account of the Communion with his Church as he holdeth him for a renagate and fugitiue whosoeuer obstinatly separateth himselfe from any Christian society which retaineth the true vse of the word and Sacraments And he addeth that the forsaking of the Church Is the deniall of God and Christ The like doctrine he deliuereth in his Catechisme vpon the 1. Cor. cap. 1. and other where Polanus in his Theses part 2. sayth Schismaticall Churches are to be forsaken And Bucanus in his places loc 41. of the Church quest 33. auoucheth Schismatiks to be out of the Church and quest 5. that they are not vniuocally a Church that is they haue not the true nature of a Church The same sayth Danaeus in his treatise of Antichrist cap. 17. And in his 3. booke of the Church cap. 5. writeth thus Schismaâ—ikes actually excommunicated and cast out of the Church by lawfull sentence are no more of the visible Church For sayth he the marke that you be of the visible Church is this that you outwardly professe the fayth and communicate in Sacraments with the rest of the Church And he addeth that such are neither actually of the inuisible Church but only in possibility and that the holy Fathers liken sucâ— to
contrary opinions Thirdly we see how infamous a society Protestancy is into which all heretikes and Schismatikes likewise Idolaters Infidels Antichrist Atheists are admitted What sinke euer did receiue such filth Surely such a rable deserueth better the name of hell then of the holy Church Fourthly we see how monstruous a company it is which consisteth of so different and opposite members What they meane by a Protestant in tymâ—past Fiftly we may gather what Protestants meane when they say Protestants haue byn alwayes or before Luther For they meane not that there haue byn alwayes some who belieued at least all their fundamentall articles but that there were alwayes some who as they speake opposed themselues against the Pope or his errors whether they were otherwise Schismatiks Heretiks infidels or Atheists Of which kind of men I deny not but there haue byn alwayes some rable but none but a mad man will say that it was the holy Church spouse of Christ Sixtly we see how litle ProtestaÌ„ts account of their Church fayth and religion and belieue nothing lesse then that it is the church of God or fayth of Christ For who doubteth but Schisme heresy infidelity Atheisme are most pestilent plagues and infernall darknesse directly opposite to ecclesiasticall Communion and fayth which are the forme life soule of the Church And who can imagin Note that he can associate and vnite together formes so contrary as are light and darknesse life and death truth and lies or that the society in darknesse lies and death as are the societies in Schisme Heresy and infidelity can become one with the society in light life truth as the Church is If therfore seriously they belieued their Church to be the church of Christ they would neuer thinke that she could become one with the society in Schisme heresy and infidelity And this sometymes Protestants themselues perceiue For Brentius in Appendice Recognit thus speaketh to the Sacramentaries when they desired to be held for brethren of the Lutherans whome yet they condemned of heresy If they iudâ—e our opinion to be impious with what face do they desire to ioyne themselues with that Church which maintayneth impious doctrine and to be held of her for brethren VVhat fellowship sayth Paul is there of iustice with iniustice or what CoÌ„munion of light with darknesse or what agreement of Christ with Belial or what for the saythfull with the infidell VVherefore if they desire this sincerely and in earnest they manifestly shew that they make mockery of religion as if it skilled not which one follow so he may passe his life peaceably and quietly In like manner those of Wittenberge in their Refutation of the orthodoxall consent pag. 636. say VVe cannot wounder inough that seing they not only accuse the doctours of our Church of horrible and damned heresies but also haue long since condemned them to wit of Arianisme Nestorianisme Eutichianisme Marcionisme Manicheisme and the Monothelites heresies neuerthelesse they dare account vs for brethren and desire our brotherhood VVho that is carefull of piety and truth can persuade himselfe that these Sectmasters do in earnest handle religion For if we be such as we are iudged of them our friendship and fraternity is to be detested not desired Thus speake the Lutherans to the Sacramentaries which no whit lesse falleth vpon theÌ„selues because they also challenge the Hussites and other old heretiks whome they cannot excuse from holding vile heresies Finally we see how vncertaine Protestants be in determing what a Protestant is and what is necessary to the essence making of a Protestant consequently how vncertaine they must be whome to hold for one of their houshould whome for a stranger whome for a brother whom for an enemy which church or company they must imbrace which they must fly which they must account the spouse of Christ which the Synagogue of Satan Then the which vncertainty nothing can be more miserable in matter of religion Wherefore sith they are so vncertaine in this matter we must therin setle some certainty and that according to their own principles That it is necessary for a Protestant to belieue with only speciall fayth that himselfe is iustified CHAP. VI. 1. ABOVE all things it is most necessary to an inuisible or true Protestant in the sight of God as they terme him that with only speciall or peculiar fayth he belieue some thing belonging to himselfe to wit that he is iustified in Christ or as they vse to speake that with fayth he apprehend Christs iustice and apply it vnto him elf in particuler And to a visible Protestant in sight of men it is in like sort necessary that he professe himself to belieue with such a fayth that he is iustified in Christ For example For Luther to haue byn a true Protestant before God it is needfull that he haue truly belieued himselfe to be iustified by only the foresayd speciall fayth which he had of his own iustice which faith they call speciall or particuler because it was particuler to Luther no man being bound to belieue Luther to be iustified besides himselfe And for Luther to haue byn a visible Protestant in the sight of men it was needful in like manner to haue professed himself to haue belieued that he was iustified by only the sayd fayth The same I say of Caluin and of euery Protestant in particuler That according to their doctrine it is most necessary to a Protestant that he belieue himselfe to be iustified by only speciall fayth is manifest First because they teach that a man is iustified by only speciall fayth wherwith he belieueth something belonging to himselfe alone not by an vniuersall or Catholike fayth whereby he belieueth the mysteryes of Christian religion common to all and which euery one must belieue for this fayth they call historicall and say it may be in such as are not iust yea in hipocrites and Deuills Seing therefore in their opinion no man is a true Protestant in the sight of God but only he that is iust nor any iust but who hath a speciall or peculiar fayth wherewith he apprehendeth Christs iustice to himselfe it is manifest that according to their principles none can be a true Protestant before God vnlesse he haue the foresayd speciall fayth and in like manner that none can be a visible Protestant before men vnlesse he professe to belieue iustification by only speciall fayth because none can be accounted to be of any religion vnlesse he professe to belieue those meanes of obtayning iustification and remission of sins which that religion teacheth Caluin 3. Instit cap. 2. § 16 None is a true faythfull man None faythfull without speciall fayth but he who with a solid persuasion that God loueth him assureth himselfe of all things from his goodnes c. And § 39. he sayth VVithout this Christianity standeth not And in Rom. 1. v. 7 Hence we gather that none do rightly account themselues faythfull vnlesse
would and ought to deuide themselues from the Roman Church Behold how their consciences were tossed as with a storme for that they had forsaken the Roman Church Lobechius also disput 10. pag. 224. sayth Our Ancestours did well that they went out of the Roman Babylon SacrameÌ„taryes in generall 8. Of Sacramentaryes also in general thus writeth Zuinglius in Praefat. lib. de ver tals relig fol. 159. VVe were alas long tyme so besieged with the iuglings of men And Caluin in confess Fidel pag. 111. VVe dissemble not that we also were of the number of them who honour Masses vntill the abuses of Masse were discouered And 4. Instit cap. 6. § 6. VVe departed from the Roman church cap. 15. § 16. VVe were christened in the Popes kingdome Respons ad Versipel pag. 360. Of our owne accord we went from the rable of Popery Resp ad Sadoler pag. 122 That I may not make any long role this I say there was none of those who were beginners of this cause but might haue beene in better estate and condition among you then that he needed therefore to thinke of any new kâ—nd of life Peter Martyr in locis col 1459. proposeth this question VVhether the Ghospellers be Schismatikes because they separated themselues from the Papists And col 1465. concludeth thus Seeing there were so many and so iust causes of our departure from Popery our separation seemeth to be very laudable not to be disliked Zanchius tract de Eccles cap. 18. It is manifest that we departed from the Church or rather from the sect of the Pope And this we willingly confesse Bullenger tom 1. decad 5. serm 2. fol. 282. VVe willingly confesse that we went from the Roman Church Musculus in locis tit de Schismate p. 620. VVe are termed Apostataes of the Romanists as many haue forsaken the Communion of the Roman Church This we are so farre from denying as we thinke that we should rather glory theereof Plessie de Eccles cap 11. pag. 361. writeth that Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius Bucer Capito Martyr and others out of whose schoole sayth he the Ministers who gathered the Church from Antichrist did come were Priests Curats Doctours of diuinity c To whome Beza lib. de Notis pag. 8. adioyneth Pellican and Haller and others more D. Whitaker lib. 9. cont Duraeum sayth Luther was a Priest according to your order and such were Zuinglius Bucer Oecolampadious and others without number M. Perkins in cap. 4. Galat. v. 26 All the first renewers of the Ghospell were either Priests or teachers of Schooles Paraeus lib. cit Are we worthy of blame or heretikes because we left the Popes Church And in the end of his booke de Iusticatione Our Ancestours 97. yeares ago had necessary cause for to forsake Popery And Scultet in concione saeculari pag. 4. This is the hundreth yeare since God pluckt our Ancestors out of Popish darknes Finally Polanus in praefat Thes de Eccles VVe haue separated our selues from the false Catholike Synagogue 9. The same also is manifest of the English Protestants by their owne wordes For thus they speake in their Apology part 5. cap. 12. diuis 1. English ProtestaÌ„ts It is true we haue departed from them Item True it is we were brought vp with these men in darknesse and in the lacke of the knowledge of God And part 6. cap. 20. diuis 2. As for vs truly we haue fallen from the Bishop of Rome Causabon also Epist ad Card. Peron cap. 16. The king confesseth that his church hath forsaken no few points of that fayth and discipline which at this day the Roman Church doth professe And pag. 17. The English haue gone from that Church M. Hooker lib. 4. de Polit. Eccles pag. 181. VVe were a part of them M. Powel lib. 1. de Antichristo cap 21. VVe confesse we haue separated our selues from the Bishop of Rome and his Synagogue M. Perkins in cap. 5. Galat. vers 21. VVe haue separated our selues from the Roman Church D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 6. cap. 3. sayth The Roman Church was iustly lest of vs. And D. Morton part 2. Apol. lib. 2. cap. 10. The former booke tould a iust cause of our separation from you In like manner those of Zurich in Sleidan lib. 4. histor say After the rising of the Gospell we haue cast of that burden which the Pope had put vpoÌ„ vs idiots And adde withal that before they had heard nothing of Protestancy Suitzers And the Suitzers in their confess cap. 17. confesse that their Churches had parted themselues from the Roman Church And the Scots in their confess write that the truth was lately borne amongst them Polonians And the Polonians in their consent that God hath deliuered their Churches out of the grosse darcknes of Popery 10. Furthermore of the whole Protestants church or of Protestants in general The whole Protest Church thus they write Lobechius disp 12. pag. 254. Our confession of Ausburg was the beliefe of the whole orthodoxall Church gone out of Roman Babylon And in like sort speaketh Daneus de Antichristo cap. 17. Pareus Proaem l. de Iustificat The Euangelicall Church was compelled aboue 96. yeares ago to make a diuisions from the Popish Church The like he hath lib. 2. cap. 1. lib. 3. cap. 8. Schusselburg tom 8. catal pag. 727. Our Church departed from the Church of the malignant Polanus part 2. Epist ad Bezam The reformed Churches did well that they did separate themselues from the Popish Church Aretius in loc part 2. fol. 10. Our reformed Churches departed from Popery D. Andrewes respons ad Apoll. Bellarm. cap. 14. boasteth that almost halfe of the Christian world is gone out of the Roman Babylon And D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 3. cap. 3. sayth England Germany Scotland long agoe haue fallen from the Pope And the English Apology glorieth in this sort part 1. cap. 1. diuis 3. For they be not all made at this day so many free citties so many Kings so many Princes which haue fallen away from the seat of Rome Daneus cont 4. lib. 4. cap. 12. All Scotland England Saxony Denmarke a great part of Germany all Suitzerland the greater part of the Grisons haue fallen from the Church of Rome D. Sutliue lib. 2. de Eccles cap. 2. p. 251. Our Church hauing shaken off the filth of the Roman church is returned to the Catholike fayth And pag. 254. England Scotland Ireland Denmarke Norwey Saxony Pomerania the chiefest parts of Germany France Flandres Poland haue fallen from the Pope Moalins lib. de fug Arnoldi cap. 2. Our Churches be called reformed because they be Christian Churches purged from Popery D. Rainolds amongst his conclusions putteth this for the sixt That the reformed Churches in England Scotland France Germany and other kingdomes and Common wealths haue iustly separated themselues from the Roman And addeth with all that All reformed Churches haue departed from the Roman Church
sooner giue him interest in the couenant then the child that is descended of him For how can the fathers beliefe lay hold on the promises and couenant of God for his children and cannot do it for himselfe 6. These allegations demonstrate The suÌ„mâ— of Protestants ConfessioÌ„ touching Papists that by the Confession of the Protestants the starkest Papists such as are of beliefe that the masse the Popes primacy and all things else of his are good vpright and of God are soldiers vnder Christ may attaine to saluation may be Saints yea that there are among them both many and great Saints That there is in the Church of Rome what so is necessary to saluation the summe of fayth the ground-works the essentiall ground-works the principall grounds of fayth the cheife articles the fundamentall heads the necessary heads the cheife parts the Ghospell of saluation the kernell of Christianity and all Christian good Lastly that the Church of Rome Is a limme and member of the vniuersall Church of the Catholike Church a member of the true Church and is of the family of Iesus Christ that it is mother to the children of God that it is the Church of God the temple of God the body of Christ the Spouse of Christ that it abides yet in the couenant is not yet cast of or put away is not yet killed but is yet aliue Which words plainly import that the Roman or Popish Church is a true Church in the sight of God 7. But is it credible Note that such as make profession of Christian religion should mount to that height of impiety as dare to reiect diuorce themselues from that Church which they confesse remaynes yet in the couenant of God which Christ hath not yet reiected Is it credible that they feare not to impugne to make bitter inuectiues to disgorge curses and execrations against her whom they acknowledge to be their Mother which bore them to Christ to be the Church of God to be the body and Espouse of Christ What can be more lewd and impious then to rage and raile against their owne mother against the Church of God against the very body and Espouse of Christ What strang and monstrous blindnes is it not to perceiue that whiles they confesse the church of Rome to be the church of God Espouse of Christ they acknowledge their owne to be the Synagogue of Antichrist and strumpet of the Diuell For Christ cannot haue two Espouses repugnant each to other Now the Protestant church and church of Rome are parts so opposite as can neuer make one For they iarre and disagree mainely in diuers weighty points as namely touching the canon and exposition of the Scripture touching sacrifice and the Sacraments touching the worship of God his Saints touching the meanes to obtaine remission of sinnes and many the like Whereupon Beza in Confes cap. 7. pag. 56 VVe dissent sayth he from the Papist about they very summe of saluatioÌ„ And others say no lesse as shall be shewed hereafter in the 2. booke and 6. cap If ours be true Religion sayth S. Augustin to the Donatists which yet came nearer to Catholiks then Protestants do yours is superstition Lib. 2. coÌ„t Gaud. c. 11. Againe If our communion be the Church of Christ yours is not Christs Church Lib. 1. de Bapt. c. 11. for that is but one which so euer it be And in another place VVhen they approue that Church which as is manifest we communicate with all and they do not by that their testimony they acknowledge themsâ—lues conuinced Lib. ad Donat post codat and giue you plaine notice if you be wise what you ought to forgoe and what it behoues you to cleaue to and retaine And S. Cyprian epistle 76 If the Church were on Nouatus side it was not with Cornelius Num. 4. 8. The Protestants now and then perceiue as much when they acertaine vs as hath byn shewed in the first chapter that who so seuereth himselfe from any particuler congregation which is a true Church excludes himselfe wholy from the church Caluin saw it when 4. Insti c. 2. § 10. he wrote thus VVe cannot graunt them Papists that they are the church but the necessity of subiectioÌ„ obedieÌ„ce will befall vs. If they be churches the power of the keyes is in their possession If they be churches that promise of Christ VVhatsoeuer ye bind on earth shall be bouÌ„d in heauen takes effect in them M. Perkins perceiued it to when in his explicatioÌ„ of the Creed col 794. he sayd Zanchiuâ— lib. 1. de Eâ—cl c. 7. As long as any church forsakes not Christ we may not withdraw our selues from it The reason is apparant because in so doing we should depart from Christ or Christ shold be parted euen as we are rent and disioynted from the church wherein he is And in his Reformed Catholike tract 22. col 470. Whâ—re he sayth VVe ought not to deuide our selues from any nation or people which hath not before cut it selfe of from Christ D. Feild likewise saw it in his 3. booke of the Church c. 47. Where he makes this acknowledgement Surely if he can proue that we confesse it the Church of Rome to be the true Church he needeth not vse any other argument But we haue clearely prooued it by sundry plaine confessions of many famous Protestants And hitherto we haue discouered how they sometyme harbour and receiue Papists into their church now we will shew that they vse the like curtesy towards the rest CHAP. III. That Protestants acknowledge for members of their Church sometyme those that deny as well fundamentall as other articles of their fayth sometymes Heretiks Schismatiks yea their profest and sworne enemies THAT they esteeme all such to be members of their Church as swarue from the Christian fayth only in points not fundamentall themselues in the preface of the Switzers Confession declare in these words Mutuall consent and agreement in the principall points of doctrine in orthodoxe sense and brotherly charity was of religious antiquity thought abundantly sufficient And D. Whitaker cont 4. quest 1. c. 2. pag. 527 God forbid that they should be no longer of the number of the faythfull who are in some points of a contrary opinion so they assent in the cheife and principall and necessary matters And for as much as the Protestants opinion herein is well knowne for whâ—Ì„ it is obiected vnto them that their churches disagree in points of fayth this serues them for excuse I think it needlesse to alleage any more of their sayings He that will may looke the Confession of Saxony cap. de Eccles Luther tom 7. lib. de not Eccles fol. 149. Melancthon tom 4. in ca. 3. 1. Cor. Kemnitius 1. part Examinis tit de bonis operibus pag. 332. Zuinglius tom 1. in Prefat lib de Prouident Caluin 4. Institut cap. 1. § 12. and cap. 2. § 1. Beza epist 2. Zanchius in prefat lib.
man Sonis Respons ad Spondeum c. 10. pag. 365. Heretiks are within the Church Lubbert lib. 2. de Eccles cap. 3 It is manifest that heretikes are some as yet in the visible Church some also in the church of the elect Iunius lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 4 Heretiks absolutely are of the Church vnlesse they be such as ouerthrow fundamentall articles of religion Cap. 3 n. â—â— Bullinger teacheth the same Decad. 2. serm 8. and it is the common doctrine of the Protestants who as is before proued exclude none from being members of their Church that deny only such articles as are not fundameÌ„tall Howbeit some of them vpon hereticall priuiledge as Tertullian speaketh will not haue such called heretiks Lib. de carne Coâ—isti cap. â—5 being indeed more ashamed of the name then of the thing it selfe Zanchius likewise lib. 1. epist ad Dudit pag. 150. sayth that hereticall and Schismaticall sects are within the Church Tilenus in Syntag. disput 14 Heretiks euen those that subuert the foundation and Schismatiks in regard of outward Communion are in the Church till either of themselues they go to the enemies side or are cast out by the lawfull iudgement of the Church And D. Feild in his first booke of the Church cap 14 Seing God gaue the power of the keyes and the dispensation of his word and Sacraments only to his Church if Heretiks be not of the Church they do not then baptize And cap. 7 They that are partakers of the heauenly calling and sanctified by the profession of diuine truth and the vse of the meanes of saluation are of very diuers sortes as heretikes Schismatiks hypocrites and those that professe the whole sauing truth in vnity and sincerity of a good and sanctified heart All these are partakers of the heauenly calling and sanctified by the profession of truth and consequently are all in some degree and sort of that society of men whome God calleth out vnto himselfe separateth from Infidels which is rightly named the Church D. Whitaker contr 4. quest 5. c. 3. pag 679 All heretiks are within the Church Hooker in his 3. booke of Ecclesiasticall policy pag. 128 VVe must acknowledge euen heretikes themselues to be though a maymed part yet a part of a visible Church Againe If an Infidell should pursue to death an heretike professing Christianity only for Christian Prosession sake could we deny vnto him the honour of Martyrdome By which words it is plaine that they admit heretiks not only into the visible Church but into the inuisible also or company of the elect and predestinate to saluation And D. Andrews in his answere to Bellarmines Apology cap. 5. pag. 121. denyeth that the words Catholik and Heretike are opposite wherefore vnlesse he will debarre and shut out some Catholiks from the Church he must needs giue admittance to heretiks seing by his owne verdict they may be Catholiks D. White in defence of his way cap. 38. pag. 367 The second sort of the militant Church are hypocrites and vnsound members that are not called effectually but disobey the truth whereof they make profession such are heretiks schismatiks c. Touching their acceptations of Schismatiks besides what hath byn already alleaged D. Feild in his first booke of the Church cap. 13. Writeth thus They challenge Schismatiks The departure of Schismatiks is not such but that notwithstanding their schisme they are and remaine parts of the Church of God Iunius in the place before quoted layeth clayme to those Schismatikes VVho sayth he seuer not themselues from the whole Church but only from a part thereof But D. Mortoâ— in the 1. part of his Apology lib. 1. cap. 2. sayth absolutely without any acception or restraint at all Schismatiks are of the Church And lib. 2. cap. 10. pag. 288 Variances sayth he and schismes do not betoken the false Church And D. Willet in his Synopsis cont 2. quest 3. pag. 104 VVe say that Schismatiks though they hold some false points of doctrine yet if their errours be not fundamentall and if they retaine the purity of doctrine in all points necessary to saluation and the administration of the Sacraments may make a particular Church by themselues These are their acknowledgements touching Heretikes and Schismatikes in generall They acknowledge the Grecians Let vs now descend to particularities and see the courteous admission they giue to some of them by name 8. The Grecians and other Easterne Schismatiks yea heretiks to for the most part find that fauour at their hands as they vouchsafe to account them members of their Church His Maiesty epist ad Card. Peron pa. 13 hath thus The Churches of Rome Greece Antioch Aegipt Aethiopia Muscouy and others more are members of the Catholike church D. Whiâ—e in defence of his way c. 37. pag. 355 The visible churches of Greece Aethiope Armenia and Rome with the nations contayned therin haue in them the true church of God wherin men may be saued D. Morton in his answere to the Protestants Apology lib. 4. cap. 2. sect 7. sayth that the Assyrian Churches keep the true foundation of Christian fayth The same especially of the Grecians teacheth Luther tom 2. lib. de captiu Babylon fol. 65. in Assert art 37. fol. 114. Innius cont 4 lib. 4. cap. 6. Sedeel Respons ad Thes Posnan cap. 12. D. Whitaker lâ—b 7. cont Duraeum sect 3. Bucanus loco 41. quest 5 D. Feild lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 5. 28. D. Fulke de Success pag. 120. Burhill pro Tortura Torti c. 15. and others 9. And sometymes they are not lesse free-harted towards westerne heretike Melancthon in locis à Maulio editiâ—tit de Eccles pag. 491. writeth that two girles who were burnt as he sayth for Anabaptisme They challenge the Anabaptists held the foundation of sayth and died in a good Confâ—ssion And Zuinglius tom 2. lib. de Author sedit fol. 134. seq exhorting his fellowers not to reuolt from his doctrine for the debates and quarels between the Protestants and the Anabaptists calleth both parts most learned and sonnes of the same Father Neither must thou sayth he giue any man way to shake and weakeâ— thy sayth although thou see that men of the greatest learning moue disputes and fall by the cares with much â—agernesse of contention touching externall matters he meanes baptisme but let this be rather thy stedfast persuasion that by the Sonne of God we are all made sonnes of the same Father Againe Neither am I wont to speake these things for that I am so greatly moued with the baptisme of children And ibidem lib. de Baptismo fol. 96. he sayth that baptisme is a matter of ceremony which the church may omit or take quite away Oecolampadius in his 2. booke of epistles p. 363. sayth baptisme is an externall thing which by the law of charity may be dispensed withall And Musculus in locis tit de haeresi pag. 605. reckons the Anabaptists amongst those who
by externall profession they are all whose marke of recogniscance hath in it those things which we haue mentioned yea although they be impious idolaters wicked heretikes persons excommunicable Againe Those whose knees were bowed vnto Baal euen they were also of the visible Church of God Boysseul in Confut. p. 822 answering to the place where Spondeus obiected that if the Church of Rome be an Idolatresse as Boysseul had auouched it is not the Church of Christ makes this reply And why not as well as Israel And D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 3. cap. 3. pag. 475. saith Although this errour Idolatry in adoring the calfe were most grieuous yet it destroyed not the whole nature of the Church 2. And Infidells That they sometymes comprize also Infidels in the Church is manifest first because they affirme that such may be saued For M. Fox in his Martyrologe pag. 495. reporteth that a certaine Protestant Martyr whole learning piety zeale he greatly commendeth taught that a Turke Saracen or any Mahamet an whatsoeuer may be saued if he trust in one God and keep his law M. Bale in his 6. Century pag. 464. bids vs beware that we condemne not rashly any Turke And Zuinglius tom 1. lib. de prouid fol. 370. sayth It is not vniuersally true that who so hath no fayth is damned Againe As for the damnation of vnbelieuers it is meant only of those who heard and did not belieue And tom 2. declarat de peccat orig fol. 118 This saying who so doth not belieue shall be condemned must in no wise be absolutely vnderstood but it is to be vnderstood of those See Homiâ—â— in Specim Contr. art 27. who hauing heard the ghospell would not belieue And ibidem in exposit fidei fol. 559. he sayth that in heauen Christians shall meet many heathens whose names he there sets downe and amongst the rest that cruel Theseus and Magician Numa the founder of heathenish superstitions amongst the Romans Which opinion of his those of Zurich in Apolog. Gualter in prefat tom 1. Zuinglij Simler in vita Bullengeri and others seeke to patronize and make good Now it were folly and madnes to auouch that these men were of the number of the faythfull They belieue then that infidels may be saued But S. Augustin was of a farre different beliefe lib. 4. cont Iul. cap. 3. where he writes thus VVhat one of those who would be accounted Christians will say an Infidell is iust be it euen Fabritius 3. Secondly their doctrine touching the predestinate carrieth with it a necessary acknowledgement of their Communion with Infidels For they teach that who so is predestinate is alwayes a member of the Church Hus his first article condemned by the Councel of Constance was this The predestinate remayneth euer a member of the Church And Luther tom 2. in Assert art 30 I say the opinions of Iohn Hus are all Euangelicall and Christian Againe I admit all the condemned articles of Iohn Hus. And tom 1. in disput Lypsic fol. 254. he maintaineth openly this article of Hus The Church is the whole multitude of the predestinate Vorstius in Anti-bellarmine page 125 VVe affirme that the Councell of Constance which condemned the doctrine of Hus that who so is predestinate is alwayes a meÌ„ber of the Church was surely in this respect Antichristian Danaeus in Resp ad Bellarm. Contr. 4. lib. 3. cap. 2. sayth The first opinion which was the opinion of Hus is true and is ours Againe our opinion is that the Church is the whole company of men whome God hath predestinated to saluation And cap. 7 It must be answered that Paul was alwayes but not alwayes apparently in regard of men of Gods true Church Againe Such Turkes and Iewes as God hath predestinated to saluation are of the Church euen now at this tyme in regard they are predestinate and in respect of God but they are not yet of Gods Church apparently and in respect of vs for as much as they lack yet those marks whereby God doth heere shew vs men who are of the church And Cont. 4. lib. 3. cap. 12 The true definition of the true church is this The company and multitude of those whome God hath chosen to saluation And Iunius lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 7 Paul was alwayes of the church according to predestination from which sayth he the church taketh her being or formal definition but not according to the outward forme of the church What can be more apparent then that these men teach that the predestinate are members of the church according to the true being therof and in the sight of God euen during the tyme of their infidelity 4. Thirdly this followeth necessarily vpon that which they teach concerning infants especially such as are descended from faythfull parents departing this life vnbaptized For they affirme that the children of the faythfull are actually in the Church as the French Confession article 35 Togeather with the parents God accounteth also their ofspring in the church And the Zuitzers cap. 20 VVhy should not they the children of the faythfull be ingrafted by sacred baptisme who are Gods proper possession and within his church Caluin in Instruct cont Anabap. art 1 Vnspotted infants are in the Communion of the church before they come forth of their Mothers wombe And Pareus lib. 3. de Iustificat cap. 4. pag. 884 Caluin on good reason determineth that the children of the church are borne cittizens of the church Their doctrine also hath the same issue who teach that infants at leastwise the children of the faythfull are saued without baptisme as the Protestants in the colloq Ratisbon And Zuinglius tom 2. Declarat de peccat orig fol. 119 Concerning Christians children we are assured that they are not damned for originall sinn of others we haue not the like assurance howbeit to confesse ingenuously the opinion we taught heretofore to wit that we ought not to iudge rashly of heathens children seemes to vs the more probable Voritius in Anti-bellarmine pag. 542 Zuinglius and some other ghospellers auouch that all children whatsoeuer are by the grace of Christ saued others for the most part hold that at leastwise all the elect whether extract from faythfull or other parents do euen vnbaptized attaine to saluation Whereof he sayth The opinion of these later is surely the safest and yet the first opinion is probable inough and ought not to be rashly condemned Now as D. Whitaker sayth Cont. 2. quest 1. cap. 5. 6 All that are saued are really and actually in the church And D. Morton part 1. Apol. lib. 1. cap. 4 To be of the church in possibility sufficeth not to saluation Lubbertus lib. 2. de Eccles cap. 2 Neither can any one be saued except he be actually and really in the church Whence Martyr in 1. Cor. 7. fol. 177. sayth Infants must of necessity appertaine vnto the church seing there is no saluation without it They teach moreouer that Infants haue
of the building is set vp And Zuinglius Respons ad Billi tom 2. fol. 261. When one obiected vnto him the dissention amongst the Sacramentaries in expouÌ„ding Christs words of the supper answereth No man ought to be offended with this diuersity more then with the difference among many captaines Tertull. praes c. 41. Athanas orat 1. coÌ„t Arian Hieron ad Cresiphont August in Psal 80. Beda l. 1. in Iob. c. 7. who go about to conquer a castle whiles one would haue it battered another vndermined and a third would haue it scaled For all agree to destroy the castle the difference is only about the way not about the summe of the matter And so concludeth that if any SacrameÌ„taries haue erred They erred sayth he in the letter not in spirit in the summe they agree all The summe therefore wherein all Protestants agree is to ouerthrow the Popish castle and Catholike fayth in which also the ancient heretikes agreed amongst themselues as the holy Fathers do testify and who attempteth that by what meanes soeuer erreth not in spirit but in letter only not in the summe but in some circumstance only of ProtestaÌ„cy But with what spirit they are led herein let them heare of their owne Prophet Luther defens verb. coenae tom 7. l. 411 VVhat a kind of spirit is that sayth he which hath no other end but to weaken the aduerse party without all doubt it is no other spirit then the Diuell 3. Fourthly because they describe paint name a Protestant by departure from the Pope and Popish doctrine The Confession of Wittenberg in Prefat describeth Protestants to be such as haue changed in their Churches a kind of Popish doctrine which had byn vsed for many yeares and some other ancient ceremonies M. Perkins in the Preface of his Reformed Catholik sayth By a Reformed Catholike so he termeth a Protestant I vnderstand any one that holds the same necessary heads of Religion with the Roman Church yet so as he pares of and reiects all errors in doctrine whereby the sayd religion is corrupted D. Willet in the Preface of his Synopsis A Protestant is he that professeth the ghospell of Iesus Christ and hath renounced the iurisdiction of the Sea of Rome and the forced and vnnaturall obedience to the Pope Schusselburg tom 13. Catal. Haeret. pag. 23 A Lutheran or true Christian is he who hath seuered himselfe from Papists c. And tom 8. pag. 363 True Lutherans are they who imbrace the doctrine of the ghospell amending Popish abuses You see how in all these descriptions of a Protestant the denyall of the Pope and Popish doctrine is put as a certaine difference which concurreth to the making and distinguishing of a Protestant from all others Hereupon D. Audrews Apol. Cont. Bellarm. cap. 1. sayth Sauing this Protestation that they will not suffer certaine Popish errors and abuses our fayth is no other then yours is or ought to be And he addeth that they call their religion reformed only because it is purged from certaine deuises and corruptions which had crept into it And sayth that Bucer and Peter Martyr did only pluck vp certaine cockle which Papists had sowed In like sort Boysseul in his Confutation of Sponde pag. 724. sayth Take away your Popery that which dependeth thereof and you and we shall be but one church because we shall haue but one Confession of fayth Moreouer Plessy in the forefront of his mystery of iniquity painteth a Protestant with a torch in his hand setting fire to the tower of Babylon by which he vnderstandeth the Popedome And finally Luther in exempl Theol. Papist tom 2. fol. 401. calleth himselfe an Anti-papist as of his principall end or office and sayth that he was called by diuine reuelation to destroy the Popes Kingdom D. Humfrey also termeth Ochinus a stout Anti-papist as if to be a Protestant and an Anti-papist were all one 4. Fiftly because the same opinions which in Papists they detest in other who are opposite to the Pope they dissemble or extenuate Lubbert lib. 1. Replicat cap. 4. sayth The Lutherans dispute not with vs about the Canon of Scriptures nor we with them And lib. 4. de Concil cap. vlt VVe contend not with the Churches of Saxony which keep images in the Churches And yet they dispute most eagerly against Catholiks about the Canon of scriptures and images The Scots in their general Confession professe to detest Popery for maintayning the reall presence of Christs body in the Eucharist for making the signe of the Crosse for denying infants without baptisme to be saued And in their other Confession c. 22. they say they shunne the Communion of the Popish Church Conf. Augustus â—visit â—axon Liturgia Augliaâ— Conference at Hampt Court because her ministers are not Ministers of Christ because the permitteth women to christen in case of necessity and yet dissemble that the Lutheran Protestants allow all these points and that the English Protestants admit Popish Priests for sufficient ministers command the making of the crosse in baptisme allow womens baptisme in case of necessity but because they are against the Pope as well as the Scots their opposition to the Pope like sole fayth couereth all and maketh that the Scots impute not these matters to them And if at any tyme the Catholiks do set before their eyes the errors or dissentions amongst them either they impudently (a) Laâ—ko Erastus in Schussel l. 4. Theol. Caluin p. 310. Feild l. 3. of the Church cap. 24. deny them or greatly extenuate them saying that they are not about the (b) Apol. Anglis foundation not of (c) Whit. CoÌ„t 2 q. 5. cap. 8. weighty matters of light matters not of the (d) Bucer in Schussel lib cit Caluin de rat concord p. 862. matter but of the manner of (e) Epist Monitor things indifferent of I know not what titles and finally only of (f) Mart. in loc tit de Euchar. §. 65. Hosp part 2 fol. 134. 163. 109. BruÌ„sfeld resp ad Erasm words Surely I imagine as they say that all sinnes in the elect faythfull are veniall but in others all are mortall so they deeme that all errors in those that are opposite to the Pope are veniall and light but in Papists all are haynous and mortall So much the alteration of the person changeth the case with them Hereupon Q. Elizabeth enacted not that it should be treason for any one to dissuade froÌ„ that religion which she had established vnlesse it were done with intention to induce him who was dissuaded to the obedience of the Bishop of Rome And hereupon also some of them openly professe that they more esteeme Turks then Papists forsooth because the Turke agreeth with them in hatred of the Pope and Popery in respect whereof they little regard the consent in the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation and Passion and other articles of Christian fayth Sixtly they make the forsaking of Popery an
ensnared in those traditions of men but rather snares of the deuill whiles all were persuaded that in keeping them they obtayned saluation in omitting them sell into damnation And serm de Simulacris fol. 277 All the world was filled with the other abuse of images For who would haue put images in Churches if thereby he had not thought that he did seruice to God Thus much Luther 2. And in like manner speake the Lutherans The Confession of Auspurg cap. 20 No man admonished of the difference betwixt humane traditions and Gods law no man taught how good works did please The Magdeburgians Praefat. Centur. 5 All alike were drowned in the impieties and Aegiptian darknesse of Antichrist All alike And Praefat. Centur. 8 Antichrist had brought vnder his yok all Europe that we may say they speake nothing of other parts of the earth All Europe Melancthon tom 4. Prefat in Act. Ratisbon pag. 730 Only Luther durst touch the errours of the Popes schooles Our Churches follow him rather then the consent of so many ages Popes and schooles Lobechius disput 29 The Roman tyranny hath ouerwhelmed the Church and held the Christian world in thraldome Huber in Antibellarm lib. 4. The Christian world cap. 3. Our Church hath a new forme not vsed at that tyme when the Pope possessed all Morgestern tract de Eccles pag. 145 The whole Christian world knoweth that before Luther all churches were ouerwhelmed with more then Cymmerian darknesse All churches Hitherto the Lutherans 3. Amongst the Sacramentaries Caluin 2. Institur cap. 2. § 4 All All eueÌ„ to the common people euen to the common people are embâ—ed with this principle that man hath free will Lib. 4. cap. 18. § 18 The Abomination of Masse profered in a golden cuppe hath made so drunke all Kings and people of the earth from the highest to the lowest that they put the whole hope of their saluation in it alone Al people on earth from the highest to the lowest Which very words are repeated by Lobechius disput 26. and by Hospin epist dedicat 1 part Histor and part 2. fol. 25. And the sayd Caluin lib. 4. cit cap. 10. § 5 The whole world was couered with a most thick mist of ignorance And lib. de Coen pag. 10 VVith how thick a mist of darknes was the world beseiged Againe VVhen Luther began to teach he so handled the matter of the supper as that what belongeth to the corporall presence he seemed to leaue such as all then receiued And lib. de Necess Reform pag. 46 It is manifest that the whole world was bewitched with these wicked opinions before Luther appeared The whole world And Respons ad Sadolet pag. 130 All things were stuft with pernicious errours There was none which truly esteemed that only sacrifice of Christ none which so much as dreamed of his eternall Priesthood and the intercession which dependeth thereupon none rested in his only iustice No maÌ„ so much as dreamed of c. But now whereas all did put their trust in good works when they went about by good words to purchase thy God he speaketh to grace to obtaine iustice to purge their sinnes to satisfy thee All which sayth he do dash out and annihilate the vertue of the crosse of Christ Respons ad Veâ—â—pel pag. 354 Seeing the whole VVâ—sterne hurch as he calles it defendeth obstinatly all the inipiety which we iustly detest c. All the weâ—terne Church And epist 141 VVe are compâ—â—en to make a separation from the whole world Bucer lib. â—0 vâ—â—â—â—â—â—su Ministerij pag. 602 It is plaine that for many ages past God reuealed to no nation the doctrine of our saluation and all things belonging to his Kingdome so farre as he hâ—â—â— dâ—â— in our age Lâ—b de Concord pag. 660 This error of the reall presence preuailed with all Nations of the whole world D. 〈◊〉 â—it de Antichristo cap. 26 At length antichrist and his doctrine ouercame all men holding their peace shamefully and basely submitting themselues vnto him vntill Iohn Vâ—iâ—lâ—s arose who stoutly opposed himselfe against him Sâ—eidan epâ—â—t â—ed 〈◊〉 Hâ—â—tor The beginning of Protestancy was slender and almost contemptible One only man and one only bare the haâ—â—â— and brunt of the whole world Bibliander Orat. ad Pâ—â—â— oâ—eâ— Germ VVe put it as a thing knowne by it selfe most cleare and out of all doubt Al people from the first to the last that after Gregory the great his death the Pope of Rome was Antichrist who with his abom nations blâ—sphemies and idolatries did so besot all Kings and people from the first to the last that they became more blockish then â—rute beasts Zâ—â—inglius lib. de vera falsa relig cap. de Eâ—char The whole body of Christendome I think no man will deny this that we all ran to masse as to a sacred refuge Daniel Camier epist 49 Errour possessed noâ— one or two small parcels but Apostasy turned the very whole body away from Christ Hospin Praefat. part 2. Histoâ— None stroue against From Gregories tyme no man stroue against superstition but all added and put to what strength each one could And ep dedicat part â— This most grosse and more then Cymmerian darknesse endured in the whole Christian world these 6. hundred years last past Viretus in Hospin part 2. fol. 224 The whole Christian Nation The whole Christian Nation vtterly bewitched as it were with sorceries and alienated from God and true religion c. Praefat. Syntag. Confess VVhen all was couered with most grosse darknesse of ignorance and idolatry Gualter Praefat. Comment Epist ad Rom In the point of the reall presence the whole Christian world was greatly deceiued And Praefat. in â—om 2. Zuinglij The whole world was before bewitched with trust in outward signes Iezler de bello Euchar. fol. 24 The former age was euery where drowned in most thick darknesse which no man in his witts can deny Brocard in c. 2. Apocal. fol. 41 Al euery meÌ„ber of Christ VVhen the preaching of the ghospell was allowed in Luther and his first onset against the Papacy the knowledge of Christ was sound missing in all and euery of his members 4. Amongst our English Protestants thus speaketh the Author of the Apology of the English Church pag. 38 VVe are indeed departed from him who we saw had blinded the world for many ages His Maiesty in his Mâ—nitory epistle pag. 37 In those ages a thicker and more blind ignorance of truth possessed the world Pag. 100 How many ages was the Christian people held in so great blindnes and ignorance of holesome doctrine And pag. 160 A darck night of Popish doctrine possessed the world D. Whâ—taker Conâ— 2. eâ— 3. pag. 467 The plague of Popery at last went through the whole world Pag. 468 That Antichristians plague raged through all parts of the world and through all visible Churches And Cont. 4. quaest
22 I deny sayth be this Succession of Pastors to be alwayes notorious to the world And in his answere to Stapletons Cauillat who will acknowledge that she alone it the true Church who can shew her Pastors in a continuall succession D. Humfrey to 3. Reason of F. Campian p. 288. confesseth that not so much as the names of the Pastors who taught their Church were extant D. Whitaker Cont. 2 quest 5. cap. 6. page 508. thus writeth VVhat then was the succession of our Pastors alwayes visible No. For this is not needfull Though therefore our Pastors were not in tymes past manifest neither can we name then yet c. D. Morton in the first part of his Apology lib. 1. cap. 21. sayth that the Catholike church cannot alwayes shew the ordination of Pastors D. White in his way to the church pag. 410 I haue shewed the teachers of our fayth do lawfully succeed and so alway haue done though not outwardly and visibly to the world The like he hath pag. 411. and 436. Sadel wrote his book de vocatione MinistroruÌ„ against such Protestants as thought that their ministers wanted all lawfull calling because sayd they they haue no perpetuall visible succession from the Apostles vnto these tymes And himselfe there pag. 560. confesseth that visible succession hath byn broken of for many years in the church Thou seest good reader how they plainly confesse that before Luther start vp their Pastors were vnknowne to the world not manifest their succession not always visible their names not extant nor they can be named of Protestants And indeed and effect they all confesse the same when as none of them can produce any one man worthy of credit who heard any Protestant preacher who before Luther arose preached iustification by only fayth and the other fundamentall points of Protestancy 2. Secondly Luther eyther complaineth or boasteth for sometyme he alone preached Protestancy In his Preface vpon his 1. tome At first I was alone Luther alone And in his booke of the captiuity of Babylon tom 2. fol. 63 At that tyme I alone did role this stone And against the King of England fol. 497 I alone stood in the battell I alone was compelled to cast my selfe vpon the weapons of the Emperour and the Pope I stood alone in danger forsaken of all helped of none And vpon the graduall psalmes tom 3. fol. 5â—5 In the beginning of my quarrell I took all the matter vpon my selfe and did think that by Gods help I alone should sustaine it And otherwhere as before is reported he sayth that without him others should not haue knowne one iot of the Ghospell Melancthon in the Preface of the Acts of Ratisbon tom 4. pag. 730 sayth Luther alone durst medle with the errors of the Popes schooles Zuinglius in his Exegesis to 2. termeth Luther Ionathas who alone durst set vpon the campe of the Philistians And Caluin in his Admonition to Westphalus pag. 787. saith Luther alone doubted not to set vpon all Popery Besides Luther as before we haue rehearsed writeth that the only scripture was left whereby men might recouer the fayth But if at that tyme there had byn other Protestant Pastors the scripture had not byn alone and without Luther men might haue learnt the gospell Neither had Luther byn left alone and forsaken of all The Protestant Ministery wholy perished but some of them would haue stept out and seconded him especially after they saw that the preached without all danger 3. Thirdly Protestants do sometyme plainly say that their ministery was wholy perished before Luther arose Taken away Luther in his booke of priuate Masse tom 2. fol. 249 Papists haue taken out of the Church the true Ministery of the word And of the Institution of Ministers fol. 372. Aboloshed he writeth that Protestant ordination was by Papists abolished and extinguished And vpon the graduall psalm tom 3. fol. 568 The Church had no true Ministry vnder Antichrist No true Ministery Vpon the 25. of Genesis tom 6. fol. 319 In our tyme after those Popish monsters the true knowledge of the word and of diuine ordination was extinguished And vpon the 49. chap. fol. 655 Extinguished VVe are not the church for any ordinary succession Caluin epist 290 Because the true ranck of ordination was broken of by the tyranny of the Pope now we need haue new help to raise againe the Church BrokeÌ„ of And in Answere to Sadolet pag. 132. he writeth that when the supremacy of the Pope was set vp the true order of the Church perished Perished And of true reformation p. 322 Not without cause do we auouch the Church of God for some ages to haue byn so ioâ—ne and scattered that is it was destitute of true Pastors Beza in his Catechisme Destitute of Pastors title of the Church cap. 5 sect 18 In our tyme it came to passe thinges being so fallen downe that there was left no place for ordinary vocation And epist 5. pag. 39 In our tyme ordinary vocation Ordinary vocation no where which no where was neither could nor ought to be expected And Epist 24 Ye know being taught by fresh examples how the publike ministry being as it were ouerwhelmed for a tyme yet the church of God remaineth And epist 81 The matter came to that passe Ouerthrown to the grouÌ„d that the Ecclesiasticall order was wholy ouerthrowne euen to the foundation the vaine names therof only remayning And lib. de Notis Eccles pag. 82 They who in our memory haue freed the church from the tyranny of Antichrist had none of whome they might lawfully aske or receiue imposition of hands And epist 86 It is maniâ—est that for some ages lawfull order was quite abolished in the Church Quite abolished none not so much as the slenderest shadow of the cheifest part of ecclesiasticall calling remayning The French Confession art 31 Sometymes as in our age the state of the Church being interrupted it was needfull that some Pastors should be extraordinarily raysed of God Sadeel also de Vocat Ministrorum p. 556. sayth that true Order of Pastors was interrupted D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 5. cap. 6. pag. 510 VVe say that our mens calling was not ordinary but extraordinary Wholy corrupted because ordinary calling was wholy corrupted Againe The state of the Church was fallen and wholy ouerturned And pag. 612 VVhen ordinary succession was corrupted God found an extraordinary way by which the Church might be restored For God would that this restauration should be made not in the old foundation that is in succession of Bishops but after a certaine new extraordinary manner And D. White in defence of his way cap 49. pag. 421 Finding no other kind of Pastors sayth that the Protestant Pastors were euen those who liued in communion of the Roman Greek Armenian and such like Churches and addeth that his aduersary doth deceiue the reader when he intimateth that Protestants goe
any reply that those Papists in whom the Protestant Church of old tyme did consist did not belieue all fundamentall points of Popery nor were absolutely Papists but only in part and in some sort first he mocketh the Reader in saying absolutely that the Protestant church was in Popery because Popery absolutely taken doth signify absolute Papists or Papistry Besides he feigneth and deuiseth those Papists in part in some sort and cannot proue by any sufficient testimony that there were any such Wheras according to S. Augustin He must proue not speake at random Nor can he say 2. Cont. Petil. c. 18. that the Protestant Church consisted of such who though they belieued litle or no Papistry at all yet outwardly professed it For if outwardly they professed only Papistry how know you that inwardly they belieued Protestancy Will you as S. Augustin sayd to the Donatists Lib. 2. de Baptis c. ◠iudge of mens harts and not of their open deeds Besides such Papists are feigned and not at all proued And if there had byn any such they should haue byn termed Denyers not Protesters Lastly such men cold not haue byn the visible Church of Protestants because they denied their fayth and professed Antichristianity and consequently were no holy men of whom only their inuisible Church consisteth 8. Tenthly I argue by enquiring the manner how the Protestant church in former tyms was in Popery to wit whether it professed the substance of the Protestant fayth or no and whether it communicated with Papists in their Popish worship or not Protestants like men vncertaine answere diuersly to this question D. Whitaker Cont. 2. quest 3. cap. 3. pag. 474. sayth Our Churches were alwayes in the middest of Papists churches distinct from Papists in Communion and Profession But this is soone refuted First because it cannot be proued Cont. Parmen ca. 38. And to cast out words and proue naught what is it as S. Augustin sayth but to dote Besides if the Protestant Church had professed Protestancy she had byn knowne to Papists and the same had also byn if she had not communicated with them For as D. Andrews writeth of the Catholikes in England They come not to seruice they heare not sermons they refuse to take the Communion without this or any other oath one may know them to be Papists But she was not knowne to Papists because not only all Papists but also Protestants deny that Besides otherwise Catholiks would not haue so earnestly enquired of Protestants where their Church had byn heretofore Moreouer Catholikes had persecuted them as they persecuted Luther so soone as he was knowne for a Protestant Lastly because Protestants cannot name any Papists who knew of their Church before Luthers tyme. Others therefore say that those imaginary Protestants professed their fayth if not at other tymes yet at least at the point of death D. Whitaker loc cit pag. 473 Many at the point of death if not before prosessed their fayth The same sayth Luther of priuate Masse tom 7. fol. 237. and Lobechi is Disput 10. To which D. White in defence of his way cap. 4. pag. 424. addeth that they renounceth Papistry also in the agony of their conscience And Hunnius before cited not knowing what certainly to determine sayth that they did either openly gird at Papistry or secretly with themselues detest it or at least in the last examen of tentations the stuble of errour being fired did hold the foundation of saluation But to speake with S. Augustin VVho sayth this but he that sayth what he will lib. 5. cont Iul. c. 4. and will not heare what is true They say that in the Scripture alone that saying of Pythagoras Schollers he sayd it taketh place Bulling in Compend fidei ◠1. c. 3. But if they vsed not this Pythagoricall priuiledge they would be more dumbe then fishes What man or diuell told them this professiō of their men at the houre of death How learnt they that which at that tyme no man could fish out Againe if only at the houre of death they professed Protestancy they were Protestants no longer then they lay a dying and consequently the Protestant church endured no longer then some of her children were dying A strange Church certes that liued no longer then her children dyed nor at any tyme drew breath but whiles they gaue vp the ghost Wherefore they find out other deuises to say that those feigned Protestants communicated with Papists and professed their fayth in things lawfull as in Baptisme reading of the Scriptur and such like but not in things vnlawfull Thus Reineccius in the 4. tome of his armour cap. 4. Thou seest reader that as these Protestants had their being only by these mens imaginations so they did or did not what or in what manner they will haue them O great fabulosity that I may cry out which S. Epiphanius of them who vtter these things so manifest it is that this is a shop rather of iuglers then of those who haue the shape of the promise of life and of vnderstanding For who besides his owne imagination told Reineccius that those Protestants deuided thus their Communion with Papists who besides himselfe heard euer of such a halfe-halfe-communion 9. Wherefore others of them do absolutely say that their imaginary Protestant Church in Popery communicated with Papists How impious their church in Popery was and professed their fayth For thus writeth Luther in psalm Grad tom 3. fol. 568 The Church vnder Antichrist had no true Ministery or worship but was forced to keep the very Babylonicall and heathenish rites of Papists The same he intimateth tom 7. lib. de Missa priuata fol. 236. 237. and lib cont Papatum fol. 456. Osiander also in the epist dedicatory of his 8. Century sayth of those Protestants that although from their heart they disallowed the Popish errors yet they durst not professe their owne opinions but neglected not the externall rites and were carryed away with the common custome as it were with a torrent for to do those things which others did whose weaknesse sayth he God did beare withall and pardon And the same pardon Luther de Missa priuata fol. 237. bestoweth vpon them saying No sinne could hurt them but God must pardon the miserable afflicted oppressed and captiue Church Thus these men haue Gods pardon in their hands that when they please God must pardon those who all their life tyme denyed their faith and serued Antichrist and idolatry Iunius also lib. 4. de Eccl. cap. 5. sayth that the Church in former tyms was all one with the Roman Againe She communicated with the Roman Church in worship of God euery where so long as she was suffered to communicate in pure worship in right fayth and good conscience Forsooth the Synagogue of Antichrist as they account the Roman church vseth pure worship or the Church of Christ communicateth with her in right fayth and good conscience And D. Whitaker Cont.
4. quest 5. cap. 3. pag. 682. writeth that those feigned Protestants Perhaps vsed Popish ceremonies for customes sake And pag. 689 Antichrist deceiued the elect and seduced them The very elect erred And Cont. 2. quest 3. cap. 3. pag. 474 In Popery there were many Protestants who communicated with Papists Gerlachius tom 2. disp 22 They were driuen into the common opinions with an vniuersall and fatall ouerflow of superstitions And Casaubon epist ad Peron pag. 10. writeth that the godly communicated with Babylon D. Feild lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 13 The authors of those Popish errours and those that were free from them were of the same Communion D. White in his way pag. 171 The children of God abode in the communion of the Roman Church And in the defence cap. 44. pag. 394 VVe do not hold a definite number of persons distinct from the members of the Church of Rome and liuing apart in another society by themselues in secret as it were the 7. sleepers lying hid in a mountaine but we affirme this company liued in the middest of the Church of Rome it selfe and were the visible Prosessors therof This also is that which Caluin would when 4. Institut cap. 2. § 12. he sayth that his Churches in Popery were prophaned with sacrilegious impiety corrupted and almost killed with pernicious doctrines in which lay halfe buryed the ghospell ouerwhelmed godlines banished and all things so out of order as there seemed rather the face of Babylon then of the citty of God And vpon the 23. of the Acts VVe complaine that the Church was corrupted of them Papists the temple of God prophaned Li. 2. cont Cresc c. 17. that it differed litle from a swinescot See sayth S. Augustine to what a precipic◠the difficulty to find where to get out hath brought these men They sayd their Church was in Popery and afterward found not how to creep out but by this most steep craggy precipice For what steeper precipice what greater absurdity can there be then to say that the church of God which the Protestants will haue theirs to be for many ages denyed her fayth professed infidelity forsook Christ worshipped Antichrist or to vse their owne words Did vse very Babylonicall and Antichristian rites was corrupted with pernicious doctrine prophaned with sacrilegious impiety Epist 40. Epist 27. and out of which godlines was banished God forbid sayth S. Cyprian that a company of fallen persons should be called the Church Againe God forbid his mercy and inuincible power neuer permit Epist 1. that a company of fallen persons be called the Church And Beza himselfe The Church is a community of Saints not a company of excommunicated or sacrilegious persons And shall we think that before Luther arose the Church of God for many ages was nothing else but a company of fallen sacrilegious hypocrites denyers of Christ and worshippers of Antichrist Is such a company the holy Church Is the Communion of such the Communion of Saints which we belieue in our Creed Is such a society the spouse and mysticall body of Christ the wife of the lambe the Kingdom of God Surely a fit Church for protestants and a fit company to which the forsakers of the Catholike Church may adioyne themselues and most worthy to be eschewed detested of all that loue Christs or their owne honour For who is he either pious or well in his wits who will make himselfe of that company which for many ages consisted all of lapsed Hypocrites denyers of Christ and worshippers of Antichrist The whole Scriptures and Fathers say that the spouse of Christ is honest and chast and cannot be deflowed But this protestant harlot did for many ages prostitute her selfe to Antichrist 10. Moreouer this kind of company which thus communicated with Antichrist and professed his doctrine could not be the visible Protestant Church Conf. Anglic art 19 For her they define to be a company which professeth Christs true doctrine and rightly vseth his Sacraments But this foresayd company as themselues write Durst not prosesse their opinion had no Ministery did obserue Babylonicall and heathenish rites Nor were they their inuisible Church which alone they will haue to be the true Catholike and proper Church because she according to all their opinions is the company of Saints elect only The Confession of Auspurg art 7 The Church properly so called is the congregation of Saints who truly belieue and obey Christ. And D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 1. cap. 3 Thus we define the Catholike Church It is a company of holy men whome God hath chosen in Christ to euerlasting life This definition sayth he excludeth all hypocrites But those who worshipped Antichrist were no Saints obeyed not Christ were hypocrites Therefore they were no Catholike or true church Againe it is the common doctrine of Protestants that naughty great sinners are no mē ers of the true church For thus the Confession of the Low-countries art 29 Hypocrites belong not properly to the Church Caluin 4. Ill mē not the true church by Protestā◠Institut cap. 1. § 7 Into that Church which is indeed before God none are admitted but such as both by grace of adoption are the sonnes of God and by sanctification of the spirit true members of Christ Peter Martyr in his places tit de Eccles col 1368 VVe affirme that such wicked men are not indeed before God members of the Church Arctius in locis part 3. fol. 50 The Church properly so called consisteth only of the true members of Christ Bucer lib. de vi vsu Ministerij pag. 558 The true Church consisteth only of those that are borne a new D. Whitaker cap. 3. cit VVe all belieue that Catholike Church which we professe in our Creed to consist of no euill or reprobate persons but only of the elect iust and holy And c. 7 VVe deny ill men to belong to the Church which is the body of Christ M. Perkins in his exposition of the Creed col 795 An ill man cannot be a member of the Church Adā Francis loc 11. de Eccl Ill men are only in name members of the Church And finally Musculus in locis tit de Eccl. pag. 299 Not so much as the name of the Church ought to be giuen to the wicked But they who were such as the Protestants before described were no Saints were not iust were not sanctified but ill wicked hypocrites if euer there were any therefore they could not be the true Catholike and proper Church before God Furthermore Protestants vse to teach that those who communicate with Papists do cut themselues from the true Church The French Confession art 28 VVe think all those who adioyne themselues to these Popish actions and communicate with them do separat themselues from the body of Christ Luther in cap. 13. Genes tom 6. fol. 163 VVho acknowledgeth the Pope for master he hath no part with Christ And in cap.
of Christ for thus he writeth Popery as Iudaisme heretofore signifieth that company which at least in her tyme had the true Church with it Such were the Iewes before the comming of Christ and the Papists before the comming of Luther His meaning as I suppose is that as the Christian Church is in state another church from the Synagogue because it hath other Sacraments other Sacrifyce and more points of fayth and Christ another founder of the Church distinct from Moyses so the Protestant Church is a distinct Church from the ancient Christian Church and Luther not only another Elias as they call him but also another Messias a founder and beginner of another Church distinct from that of Christ at least as far as his church differed from the Synagogue Behold Christian Reader wherto all their winding turning and doubling about the being of their Church in Popery is come Surely as S. Augustin sayd L 20. cont Faust c. 12. against the Manichees their imaginations haue lost all wayes For they are nothing bâ—â— the visions of frantike men For their remayneth no probable way to defend that their Church was heretofore in Popery It is mere frenzy to think that it waâ— in Popery virtually and implicitly like as a plant iâ— in the seed or a man in a child at the Christiaâ— Church once was in the Synagogue or that it waâ— openly distinct in Communion and Profession froâ— Papists or that it consisteth of such which either iâ— hart or at least in Profession were Papists or finally that the Church of God such as they will haâ—â— the Protestant to be was for many ages in a differeÌ„t yea a most opposite church where neither by diuine nor humane testimony it can be proued to haue byn neither can there any way be imagined by which it may with any appearance or probability be sayd to haue byn there Thus sayth S. Augustine do they dote lib. 20. coÌ„t Faust c. vl who not abiding true doctrine turne to fables 12 And out of these wherewith we haue shewed that the Protestant Church heretofore was not in Popery is refuted also Zanchius Praefat. lib. de Natura Dei where he sayth that their brethren in tymes past liued in some obscure vallies and Mountaines and met at night And D. Fulke lib. de Succes pag. 324. saying that in Europe the Church was by Antichrist thrust into obscure places but least they should be tript in their lying they name neither those mountaines nor vallyes nor places nor their night-owle-brethren nor finally proue any thing L. 14. cont Faust c. 9. But as S. Augustin sayd of Faustus They say it away they neuer seeke to proue it Or as Christ sayd of the aduersary man they sow cockle and depart It sufficeth for these new Pythagorians to powre out lyes like oracles for they assure themselues that with retchlesse men they will find credit of themselues like weeds grow without tilling Hence also is refuted the same Fulke in cap. 10. Apocal. Where he affirmeth his brethren hertofore haue liued in the Alpes in the Appenine Mountaines and in the Hereinian Forest He might better haue sayd they liued in the Wildernes of Vtopia for he proueth nothing L. 16. cont Faust c. 26 O man that I may cry out which S. Augustine thincking only of his owne talke and not thinking of any gainesayer Againe Doest thou not know lib. 4. cont Cres c. 54. or doest thou not feele with the heart of what man soeuer that in dispute where truth is sought where proofe followeth not the talke is vaine and foolish Wherefore now let vs heare their arguments or rather Sophismes wherwith sometymes they endeauour to proue that their Church was in tymes past in Popery The Sophismes wherwith some Protestant make shew to proue that their Church was heretofore in Popery refuted CHAP. X. 1. THE first argument wherewith Protestants would seeme to proue that their Church in former tymes was in Popery is grounded vpon that saying Apocal. 18 Goe out of her Babylon my people Therefore Gods people were in Babylon that is say theâ— in Popery Thus argueth Luther in cap. 12. Genes tom 6. fol. 144. And in cap. 19. fol. 234. The Magdeburgians in Praefat. Centur. 8. Plessy lib. de Eccles cap. 10. and others commonly Yea M. Perkins in his reformed Catholike tract 22. writeth that by this commandement it may be gathered that the true Church is and was long tyme in the Roman Church Wherein he speakes more truly then he meant For the true Church is and was alwayes in the Romane but the Protestant neither is nor was there To the argument I answere that this place can be no sufficient ground of fayth among the Protestans because their Angel their Apostle and Euangelist Martyn Luther denyeth the Apocalipse to be Canonicall Scripture Againe though indeed it be canonicall Scripture yet for the most part it is so obscure as but very few places therof are fit to grouÌ„d any point of fayth as is euident both by the booke it selfe which is well nigh all Mysticall and allegoricall and by the iudgement of the Fathers and confession of Protestants Euseb l. 7. cap. 20. For thus sayth S. Denis Patriarch of Alexandria of the Apocalipse I verily think that almost in euery sentence there lyeth some mysticall and merueilous sense Likewise S. Hierome Epist ad Paulin. The Apocalipse hath as many mysteries as words And S. Augustin In the booke of the Apocalipse many obscure things are told and there are few things therein lib 20. de Ciuit. c. 17. by light whereof the rest may be sought ought with labour And with Protestants D. Andrewes in his answere to Bellarmines Apology cap. 9 Is he ignorant that concerning the Apocalipse nothing certaine or of fayth is yet prescribed by the Church that it may be lawfull to vse one only kind of interpretation and no other as if it were so cleare and euident that it were a hainous offence to leaue it or to dissent any way from it Yea as any may with greatest probability shew the prophesies there to be fulfilled so is it free for any to vse his iudgement to follow his own opinion in explicating them And D. Whitaker Cont. 4. quest 5. cap. 3 pag. 677 It is well inough knowne that Iohn in the Apocalipse speaketh not of cleare and open matters but of obscurt and hidden M. Brightman in his Preface of the Apocalipse In so great abundance of ancient and new expositions the Apocalipse yet as all agree needeth an Apocalipse And M. Sheldon in his booke of the miracles of Antichrist cap. 4. pag. 54 calleth it a darck Mysticall prophecy in which sayth he quot verba tot latent Mysteria And pag. 226 The Apocalipse is a booke wholy mysticall which doth excepting some few doctrinall rules and exhortations to vertue in types figures formes and resemblances describe and foretell the future euents of the
participation of Sacraments communication of publike prayer and such like other Ecclesiasticall exercises to wit when one thought he agree with the rest of the Church of Christ in the principall heades of Christian fayth yet I know not for what light causes withdraweth himselfe from the rest of the Church and communicateth not with her in the sacraments Such sayth he are properly called schismatikes M. Perkins in cap. 5. Galat. vers 21. Heresy is in doctrin Schisme in manners order and gouernement D. Fulke de Success pag. 165 There may be schisme in the Church where the same doctrine is held on both partyes the one wanteth lawfull succession D. Field lib. 1. of the Church cap. 7 Some professe the whole sauing fayth but not in vnity as schismatiks Dancus in August de haeres cap. 3. He is a schismatike who retayning the same doctrine of fayth and that entire yet without probable and better reason followeth not the decent rites of the Church The same he hath Apol. pro Heluet. Eccles pag. 1485. Bullinger tom 1. Decad. 5. serm 2. Vorstius in Antibellarm pag. 190. D. Whitaker cont 2. quest 5. cap. 10. D. Rainolds Praelect 1. col 2. Heshusius in 1. Cor. 1. and others 5. Now that proper Schismatikes to wit such as willfully separate themselues from the Communion of the Church be not members or parts of the Church is cleare by the testimony of the Fathers That Schismatikes are out of the Church the confessions of Protestants and manifest reason S. Augustin lib. de fide symbolo cap. 10. sayth Neither doth an heretike belong to the Catholike Church nor a schismatike Tract 3. in 1. Ioan. All heretikes all schismatikes are gone out of the Church Lib. 3. de Baptism cap. 19. All heretikes and schismatikes are false Christians And lib 2. cont Crescon cap. 29 I thinke not that any so doteth to belieue him to belong to the vnity of the Church who hath not charity The like he hath in many places S. Ambrose lib. 7. in Luc. cap. 11. Vnderstand that all heretikes and schismatikes are separated from the kingdome of God and from the Church S. Optatus lib. 2. The Church cannot be with any heretikes or schismatikes S. Fulgentius de fide ad Petrum cap. 38 Belieue most stedfastly and doubt nothing that not only all Pagans but also all Iewes Heretiks schismatiks which end this life out of the church are to go into euerlasting fire The same teach S. Hierome S. Chrysostome loc cit S. Ignatius Epist ad Smyrnens S. Iren. lib. 4. cap. 62. S. Cyprian lib. de vnit epist 42.51.55 S. Prosper de vocat Gentium cap. 4. and the rest The protestants confessions of this matter we related heeretofore amongst whome say Lib. 1. c. â— num â— that this is an vndoubted truth Reason also conuinceth the same for as Caluin confesseth 4. Institut loc cit The coÌ„munion of the Church is held with two bandes to wit consent of doctrine and fraternall charity But Schismatikes breake the band of fraternall charity therefore they are not within the Church Againe Danaeus lib. 3. de Eccl. c. 5. sayth This is the marke that thou art of the visible Church that outwardly thou professe the fayth communicate with the rest of the Church in the same SacrameÌ„ts but schismatikes doe not communicate in Sacramentes with the rest of the Church And D. Feild lib. 2. of the Church cap. 2. sayth Communion in Sacramentes vnder lawful Pastours is an essential note of the true Catholike Church but Shismatiks want this communion And Casaubon epist ad Card. Peron pag. 9. The true Churches of Christ are vnited in the vnity of fayth and doctrine and coniunction of minds and in true charity and offices of charity especially of mutuall prayer But Schismatikes are not vnited in charity and offices of mutuall prayer Finally only Catholikes are members of the Catholike Church as is euident and (a) VVhi. conc 2. q. 5. cap. 3. Protestants confesse But Schismatikes are not Catholiks as the very name doth declare the Fathers doc teach and (b) Gesner loc 24. Field l. de Eccles c. 7. Protestants acknowledge 6. By this it appeareth that the foresayd Maior which is the foundation of Protestants in this matter is not only false but also so manifestly false as out of this question it is commonly denyed of Protestants themselues Besides it is not only false but also so improbable that neither it is proued of Protestants nor can be any other wayes then by proofe of fooles or willfull men that is by their owne saying For D. Whitaker as we haue seene proueth it no other wayes then by saying it is out of controuersy D. Fulke that it is manifest But Luther more boastingly sayth l. de Missa priu tom 7. f. 247. This is our solid foundation and most stedfast rocke VVhersoeuer true doctrine of Christ or the Ghospell is preached there is necessarily the true holy Church of God And who doubteth of this sayth he may in like manner doubt whether the Ghospel be the word of God A notable proofe surely and fit for Pythagoras schoole and a sound foundation on which to fayned a Church should rely and a fit rock for them to build vpon who haue left the rocke vpon which Christ built his Church Wherefore that I may imitate S. Augustine in the like matter Lib. 1. cont Gaudent cap. 33. I aske whether God or man hath told them that wheresoeuer true doctrine is there is the true Church If God let them read it out of the Scripture where indeed we read that where the true Church is there true doctrine is but contrarywise that where true doctrine is there the true Church is there we neuer read If men haue told you this Behold a fiction of man behold what you belieue behold what ye serue behold for what ye rebell ye run mad ye burne Againe what kind of men were they surely no other then your selues And what is your authority I say not with vs but euen with your selues Is as one of your part sayd the iudgement of Lutherans or Sacramentaryes the square of truth Moreouer Pareus l 3. ce â—â—stifie cap. 13. seeing that three things are essential or substantial to the true church to wit true doctrine lawfull Pastours and people following their Pastours nor any thing can be vnles all the essentiall parts be it is sophistry and madnesse to inferre that that company is the true Church wherin one only of these parts is to be found If they say that by the true Church they meane not her which is true in nature or essence of the Church but only her which is true in doctrine of whose essence is only truth of doctrin First they deceaue the Reader For we speak only of the Church true in essence not of that which is only true in doctrinâ— as a schismaticall Church may be Besides if they meane such