out of the Apostle S. Paul A text for its Clearnes able to Comment its Comment to witt that Christ hath placed in his Church Pastors and Doctors to the Consummation of Saints till wee all meet in the vnitie of the fayth That is as Doctor Fulke à ProtestaÌ„t divine expounds for ever Calvin himselfe expowndinge it thus Concluds in these words The Church cannot at any tyme want Postors and Doctors Now that these Pastors and Doctors must not at any tyme in their office and dutyes be sylent It is not onely witnessed by the Holy Ghost I saye 62. but allsoe besydes the nature of their function requiringe it acknowledged by Protestants And therfore Doctor Fulke sayth well Truth cannot be continued in the world but by the Ministry of the Pastors and Doctors In lyke sort touchinge the administration of the Sacraments the same is more particulerly evicted from the cleare words of our Saviour and S. Paul seinge by the help of them wee shall Shew the Lords death till he come 1. Cor. 11. A point soe evydent that it lyeth out of the way of all contradiction And therfore Willett à Protestante in playne words mayntaineh that the absence of the Sacraments makes à nullity of the Church And againe in Doctor Whittakres phrase That The administration of the word and Sacraments being present Constitute à Church beinge absent doe subuert it And againe as the some Doctor styleth them they are Ecclesiae essentiales proprietates Thus doth Protestants ioyntly with Catholiques teach that not at same tymes onely the Church of Christ beinge his insepable and immaculate Spouse with whom he isto the Consummation of the world is to enioy Pastors and Doctors for the vse of the word and Sacraments at other tymes to be wholly destitute of them ague lyke havinge their accesses and remissions but that at all tymes and in all ages in all seasons the Church without any interruption is to Continew in his full Orbe by ever inioyinge the aforesayd meanes of salvation Hence it is that the Fathers to confound hereticall congregations presse heretickes to shew their contynuall succession of Pastors and professors of their doctrine because if they go to scriptures interpretating it according to their owne iudgement there can be noe determination or end Thus S. Ireneus confounded Valentinus Cedron and Marcion By this ordynation of succession sayth he the tradition which is from the Apostles received into the Church and the publishinge of fayth hath come even vnto vs wee beinge able to shew wee put all those to confusion that through vayne glory ond ignorance broach new doctrines in the Church l. 3. c. 3. 4. 5. For none of these Heretickes can deryue their succession from the Apostles nor shew how their doctrine was received by tradition from thence Thus Turtullian de praes. c. 11. confoundeth Valétinus Apelleus and other heretickes Lett them publishe the Origens of their Church sayth hee let them vnfould the order of their Bishopps soe proceedinge by successions from the begininge so that the first Bishopps haue predecessors some Apostle or Apostolicall man perseveringe with the Apostles in that manner they produce the sence of the Apostolicall Church In this sort doth S. Cyprian confound Novatian because he cannot proue his suâ—cession accordinge to Apostolicall tradition Novatian sayth he l. 1. Ep. 7. is neyther Bishopp nor member of the Church who Contemninge Evangelicall and Apostolicall tradition succeeding noe man is ordayned of himselfe Thus doth S. Augustin l. 2. cont. Retil c. 51. confound the Donatists and Sectaryes of his tyme Number sayth he Your Preists even from the seate of Peter and observe that order of fathers who succeeded one another and the Successions of Bishopps was one thinge amongst others that kept the same S. Augustin gloryous Doctor of the Church from departinge out of the bosome of the Catholique Church for thus he sayth in his Epistle to the Manicheans Many things most iustly retayneinge me in the bosome of the Church the succession of Preists from Peters seate to this present Bishopp keepes me in the Church the name Catholique keepes me c. Fynally hence it is that S. Ierome thus Counselleth In that Church wee ought to abyde which founded by the Apostles to this very day lasteth yea such an evydent veritie it is that Christ true Church shall never want at any tyme Professors and members therof as that it extorts this testimony from her aduersarie D. Whitakre Not without great ioy of mynde wee doe beleive that Christ Church hitherto hath endured neyther shall it perish soe longe as the world stands and the Contrary opinion wee esteeme as à prophane heresie From this established foundation is erected this discourse for my purpose Note The true Church of Christ which is but one shall in all ages ever inioye à succession of Pastors and Doctors for the administration of the worde and Sacraments Therfore the true Church of Christ hath ever remayned without interruption of such Pastors and Teachers from the Apostles tyme even vntill this daye But noe Church extant in the world can be assigned to haue remayned without interruption of Pastors for the administration of the worde and Sacraments saue only the Roman Church Therfore irrefragablie it followeth that the Roman Church only and those which haue CoÌ„munyon of fayth with her to be the only true Church of Christ or else which is most absurde and Blasphemous that Christ hath noe Church vpon earth but that the gates of hell to her destruction hath prevayled against her contrary to Christ promyse That there is noe Christian Church extant but the Roman Church that hath withont interruption in all ages enioyed both Pastors and Doctors is esilie demonstrated for neyther the Protestant Church nor the Iewes nor the Arians Donatists Manicheans Pelagians Wicklefians Graecians Mahometans or any other Church can be assigned but the Roman Therfore c. First concerninge the Protestant Church it is but new and began from Luther from whence it is called Lutheran and reformed which is manifest by the restimonies of the learned Protestants and Luther himselfe which I will here inserte Let then first their ChamppoÌ„ of the Englishe Church Iuell speake in the first place he in his Apologie of the Church of EnglaÌ„d in the fowerth parte and fowerth Chapter And in his defence of the Apologie Anno 1571 pag. 426. Truth sayth he was vnknowne all that tyme and vnheard of when Martin Luther and Vldericke Zwinglius first came into the knowledge and preachinge of the Gospell M. Perkins sayth in the exposition of the Creed and in his Reformed Catholicke Wee affirme sayth he that before Luthers dayes for many hundred yeares our Church was not visible to the world an vniversall Apostasie over spredinge the whole face of the earth In soe much as Bucer in his epistle to the Bishopp of Hereford calls Luther The first Apostle of the reformed Gospell whose vocation sayth Conradus Sohlussburg by reason of the
then generall defection of all ProtestaÌ„t Pastors was immediate and extraordinary and againe sayth the same Author had Luther had any Orthodox predecessor ther had needed noe reformation Doctor Whitackres Con. 4. qu. 5. C. 3. In tymes past noe Religion sayth he had place in Churches but Papisticall And therfore in another place he thus write h wee acknowledg Luther to be our father Brocarde in the 2. C. Apocal. sayth thus when the preachinge of the Gospell was allowed in Luther and his first onsett against the Papasie the knowledg of Christ was fownd missinge in all and every of his members D. Bancrofte in his Survay c. 4 hath these words both the Preists of all sorts and lykewise the people began in tyme to be drowned in the puddles of Poperie all of them together from the topp to the toe Calvin who in his Epistles affirmes that they weere inforced to departe from the whole world in his booke of the necessity of reformation thus writeth It is manifest that the whole world was bewitched with these wicked opinions before Luther appeared Morgastren in his Treatise of the Church avouâ—heth that it is ridiculous to thimke that in the tyme before Luther any had the puritie of doctrine and that Luther should receive it from them and not they from Luther Consideringe it is manifest to the whole Christian world that before Luthers tyme all Churches weere overwhelmed with more then Chimerian darknes and that Luther was divinely raysed vp to discover the some and to restore the light of true doctrine And Luther himselfe in the preface of his 1. Tom. Here see even by my case how hard it is to get out of errors which are confirmed by the example of the whole world and by longe custome as it were changed into nature And To 2. This is written his Epitaph Oh Christ he shewed thee when all the world was overwhelmed with darknes And li. 1. de captiu Babil beinge to wright against the Masse he sayth neyther lett it move thee that the whole world hath the Contrary opinion and custome And fo. 68. Ther is allmost this day nothinge more received or more settled in the Church then that Masse is à sacrifice Againe I sett vpon à thinge which beinge approud by the custome of soe many ages and consent of all is soo ingrafted as it is needfull to change almost the whole face of the Church But by the way will yow knowe by whose instigation and what spiritt moved him ther vnto Let Hospinian à learned Protestant speake Hist. Sacram. part ult. Luther Confesseth sayth he that he was taught by the Divell that Masse and cheifly private Masse is nought and that beinge overcome by the Divells reasons he abolished it And therfore noe marvaill if Luther li de Abrog Miss. fo. 244. thus writeth How often did my tremblinge hart quake and reprehendinge me obiected that their strongest and onely Argument Art thou onely wise what did all erre were soe many ages ignorant Behould how Luthers hart and conscience did tell him that he aloue knew Protestancie and was the first Pastor and Preacher therof Hence in his Epist. ad Argent Anno 1525. he maintaynes this point against Zwinglius sayeinge wee dare boast that Christ was first published by vs Soe playnlie doe the Protestants and Luther himselfe frely confesse an vtter defection and want of their Churches Pastors and preaches for administration of the word and Sacraments before Luther And indeed this manifestly appeareth out of the name of reformed Church For it is impossible the Church should be reformed except it first had perished and been deformed soe that Protestants teach and professe à Fayth formerly decaied and deformed afterward restored and reformed But the Catholique fayth of Christ Church foe firmely built on à rock that Hell gates shall never prevayle against it is an incorruptible Fayth of all tymes and consequently cannot be deformed or decay at any tyme and especialy in such essentiall matters which the reformers pretend the Catholique Church to haue been deformed Note Wherfore Protestants that doe teach à fayth which heretofore was deformed and decayed doe not professe nor teach Catholique fayth but à novitiall innovated Religion Seeinge then Luther was the first Pastor and teacher which reformed it it is evident that imediately before Luther they had noe Pastors nor Doctors of their Church But peradventure yow will saye that the Apostles Evangelists and all the auÌ„cyent Fathers pillars and lights of Gods Church of the first sixe hundred yeares were all Protestant Pastors and teachers of the reformed doctrine but afterward for the space of nine hundred yeares ther were none extant till Luther But this answere satisfieth not my argument but rather Confirmeth it to witt that the Protestant Church hath not in all ages ever enioyed Pastors and Doctors for the administration of the word and Sacraments Which is an insepable Marke of Christ true Church for were Protestants Christ true Church then should they haue had in all ages Pastors and Doctors to haue taught their fayth and not decline the Iudgment of the Pastors and Doctors of the Church which lived in the nyne hundred yeares before Luther and coÌ„municated realy with those of the 600. Secondly the answere is false if they will either be tryed by expresse Scripture or Fathers as it will appeare by the revnnige through of the principall points which are now controverted betwixt Catholiques and Protestants First then by Scripture Catholiques doctrine is there playnly confirmed and the reformers condemned for example Catholiques haue expresly If thou wilt enter into life keep the CoÌ„maundements Mathew 19 17. And that his Commaundements are not heavie 1 10. 5. 31. And againe In this wee know that wee haue knowne him if wee observe his Commaundements He that sayth he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commaundements is a lyer and the truth is not in him But he that Keepeth his word in him in very deed the Charity of God is perfected in this wee know that wee be in him 1. 10. 2. v. 3 4. 5. and 10. 17. 6. Protestants who brage they know God better and that they are Dearer to the spiritt then other men haue noewher any playne Scripture that they are either intollerable or impossible to be kept or that they may haue life everlastinge without keepinge of them Catholiques haue expresly whose sinns ye forgiue are forgiven whose sinnes ye retaine they are retayned Iohn 20. Protestants haue noewhere that Preists on earth caÌ„not forgiue sinns or retayne sinnes Catholiques haue expresly That à man is Iustified by workes and not by fayth only I am 2. and that the doers of the lawe shal be Iustified Ro. 2. Protestants haue noewher that man is Iustified by fayth alone noe nor that he is Iustified by fayth without works speakinge of workes that followe and presupposeih fayth of which the Controversie only is nor that the Law required at Christians handes is impossible and that the performance
grosse survay of Poperie is soe bould to nickname antiquitie the alleagtion of the holie Councell vnder S. Silvester aboue thirtene hundred yeares agoe hestilles Thevaine shew of Moath worme Antiquitie and wheras Bellarmin thinketh it à probable opinion that Antichrist shal be of the Tribe of Dan For that manie of the Auncient Fathers probablie soe held namely S. Ireneus Hippolitus Ambrus Augustine Prosper Theodorett S. Gregory c. M. Willett without ever strayninge of Curtesie calleth them playne Hereticks It is à verie fable and Couseninge device of Heretickes quoth he to make men beleive that Antichrist shall come of the Tribe of Dan. Surly D. Parkes in his rejoinder pa. 7. pa. 365. had good reason to tell him lyke à brother of his yow haue committed such faults even in that great worke wherof yow bragg soe much as yow can neyther defend with honestie nor with modestie excuse yea the same D. Parkes his fellow Minister as Willett himselfe recounts in his Lodoromast Chardgeth him with folly Hipocrisie falshood lyeinge Infidelitie Impudencie Machivilisme Athisme c. And iudeed who but à Machauilian Athist if really he had thought that there had been à God after this life to haue punished durst haue made such à protestation And to omitt the lyke vaine cracks of M. Vsher copiously discouered by Mallone in his replie to his answere It is most true that which Zantius à great Protestant ingeniously confesseth of Protestant writers viz Scriptures at our pleasures wee detorte to our dreames wee boast of Fathers when wee will followe nothinge lesse then their doctrine soe he in his Epist. 10. to Sturmius But is not Luther then the author of the Protestant reformation with his brethren to be esteemed for havinge endeavoured to reforme the Church in diverse manie points of Fayth wherin they affirme for manie ages she hath erred Surlie noe except wee should honnor and esteeme those who renew Auncient condemned heresies and hereticall manners wherof Luther and his sectaries are in à heigh degree guiltie But as for reformation in matters of fayth wherin they pretend the Church hath erred They are rather to be avoyded who glories in any such title Note Seinge that herein they destroy the Godhead of Christ and make him an imposture for if the Church of Christ which he promised soe firmely to build on à Rocke as that Hell gates should never prevaile against her and vnto the Pastors wherof he promised that he would assist to the Consummation of the world and give them the spiritt of Truth to abyde with them forever for the teachinge of them all truth If I saye the Church of Christ could or had erred in matters of fayth as the pretended reformers affirme Then doth it follow that they make Christ not ominipotent able to vphold his Church against her enemies and soe destroy his Godhead or an imposteur in not fullfillinge what he promised because the Church for Errors of fayth and want of truth is as much destroyed as à man if he wanteth or is deficient in any one of his essentiall parts to witt if he be not à livinge or à reasonable Creture The defect of any of these destroyes him Soe in lyke manner if the true Church of Christ could Erre in fayth or fayle in truth which is essentiall to the Church it could not subsist possiblie For accordinge to themselues the Church essentiallie is à Congregation of faythfull where truely the worde of God and the Sacraments are administred wherfore if the worde and Sacraments haue erroniously been administred for soe many ages as they pretend then Consequentlie of necessitie hath the Church of Christ perisht and Hell gates prevayled against her And soe by this doctrine it followeth that Christ is not God and that the Iewes may well reiect him and the Gospells anounceinge and speakinge of him as à grande impostour which is most blasphemous And this doctrine of the Churches error in fayth by which Protestants pretend to iustifie their revolte and speration of there reformed congregation from the Catholique Church is the maine motive why I ame averted from their societie and relinquish their Communion And soe much in proffe that the Protestant Congregation wants the insepable marke of Christ his true Church and in confutation of there shufling evasions Secondly the Iewes haue not inioyed in all ages Pastors and Doctors to administer truely the word and Sacraments for their Church at this present is not Christian nor the Arians Pelagians Manicheans Donatists Wicklifians c. for they haue all perished and that in such serte as had not Catholique Doctors impugned them in their wrightings and that these present reformers haue here and there renewed some of their heresies ther had scarcely remained any memory of them Neither also the Graecians for they were in Communion with the Roman Church of and on about one thowsand yeares Soe that for such à space since the Apostles tyme they cannot be sayd to haue bin à distinct Church from the Roman Church from whom the Patriarke of Constantinople was Confirmed and the Bishopp of Rome by himselfe or his legate presided in all lawfull generall Councells Celebrated formerly in Greece although now vnfortunatelie as all knowes they be sepated by reason of the heresie touchinge the Holie Ghost c. Mereouer their successiō hath bin interrupted by the intrusion of maine hereticall and not lawfully ordayned Bishopps as confessedlie is auerred by all Catholiques and cannot be denied by Protestants Neyther the Turkishe Mahometans for they haue not had existance in the world ever since Christ his tyme and soe cannot glorie of their Antiquitie professinge Christian fayth as indeed also not beinge Christians and soe consequentlie comes not into question For here wee treat of the perpetuall existence and Antiquitie of à Church professinge Christian Doctrine accordinge to the Markes which insepablie accōpaine Christ his Church as in the begininge was established Finally the lyke may be demonstrated of any other Christian Church that may be assigned to witt that they want the insepable Marke of Christ his Church that is the enioyinge of à continuall succession of Pastors in all ages to administer the worde and Sacraments On the contrarie by the confession of the Protestants the Romaine Church many hundred yeares was the true Church of Christ and noe Protestant is able by evidence of any Authenticke Ecclesiasticall historie to shew any Christian Companie or Church In rerum natura more Auncient of different fayth from whence the Romane Church departed Therfore as yet she is and ought to be esteemed and consequentlie must enioye in all ages Pastors and Teachers for the administration of the worde and Sacraments beinge the true Church cannot fubsist without them Heer then I vrge that if the Romane Church whose fayth as testifieth the Apostle Ep. ad Rom. c. 1. was published and renowned throughout all the world that is with whom all the Christian world had Communion of fayth here I
Controversies of Religion are on the Catholiques side for which reason they Censure them For example to begin with S. Peters primatie M. Fulk when the consent of auncient Fathers were alleeged against them to that purpose vpon the words of Christ Then art Peter and vpon thee will I build my Church Answereth it Cannot be denyed but divers of the auncient Fater otherwise goodly and learned were deceived in opinion of Peters prerogatiue And Zantius another great Protestant sayth the Fathers exposition vpon this Rock that is vpon Peter is not admitted And Luther the great Apostle of Protestancie sayth Heare all eyther Fathers or Doctors as manie as hitherto haue interpreted Scriptures haue stumbled as when that of Math 16. Then art Peter c. they interpret of the Pope Kemtius CoÌ„c Tr. p. 3 sayth hat most of the Fathers as NazianzeÌ„ NisseÌ„ Basill Theodorett Ambroi Ierome Augustine did not dispute but avouch the soules of Saints and Martyrs to heare the petitions of those that prayed vnto them they went often to the monuments of Martyrs and invocated Martyrs by name Whitgifte defen. p. 473. All the Bishopps and learned wrighters of the Greek Church and Latins allsoe for the most part wree spotted with doctrines of frewil of merit of invocation of Saints and such lyke Doctor Whitakers de Sac Script p. 655. 678. 68. besyde that he sayth of Dionisius S. Paules disciple that he was a great patron of traditions and of S. Basill that he beleived Limbus Patrum and vnwritten traditions he confesseth generallie of all the auncient Fathers that they held Limbus Patrum free will merrits of good workes invocation of Saints Single life of Bishopps c. And that the Popish Religion is patched out of the Fathers errors D. Homph in his Iesuitis part 2. p. 930. teacheth that it may not bé denyed but that Ireneus Clement and others called Apostolicall haue in their wrightings the opinions of free will and merrite of workes Lascitius à Protestant of noe meane ranke would haue vs to beleive in his defen. pa. 146. that the Fathers devised Purgatorie that they were of opinion that prayers and Sacrifice of the Masse was to be offered vp for the dead that they bereaved the lay people of the Cupp called vpon dead Saints and brought in such lyke errors Calvin allsoe sayth it was à custome one thowsand three himdred yeares agoe to pray for the dead but all of that tyme I confesse were carried away into errors Those things which occurre here and ther abont satisfaction in the writings of all those in ould tyme moved me little I see indeed some of them I will speake playenly allmost all whose bookes are extant haue eyther slipped in this point or spoken too rigorouslie and too harshly But will yow see how Luther betramples the Fathers in his Colloq. Mensal Cap. de Patribus Eccles. Note In the wrightings of Ierome ther is not à worde of true fayth in Christ and sounde Religion Tertullian is veri superstitious Of Chrysostome I make noe accoumpt Basill is of noe worth he is wholie à Monke I weigh him not à hayre Ciprian is but à weake divine c. Thus your grande Apostle Luther who therfore readeth this lesson to all his followers Lay aside all such weapons as the auncient Orthodoxall Fathers Schooles and Divines authorities of Councells and Popes the consent of soe many ages and of all Christian people doth afforde Note Wee receive nothinge but Scriptures but soe that wee alone may haue the approued authoritie of interpretinge them Note as wee expownd them soe was the meaninge of the holie Ghost what others bringe be they never soe great be they never soe maine it proceedeth from the spiritt of Satan and from à madd and alienated mynde Peter Marter one of the principall of the reformed Church li de votis sayth soe longe as wee doe insist vpon Councâ—lls and Fathers wee shale allwayes be conversant in the same Errors Duditius sayth If that be the truth that the Fathers haue professed with mutuall consent it is altogether on the Papists side Alas what ment M. Iewell then with such deep dissimulation to the preiudice of his owne and others soules by solemne acclamation in à publique Sermon at Paules Crosse to vtter these words Oh Gregoire Oh Augustin Oh Hierome Oh Chrisostome o Leo o Dionisius o Anacletus o Calixtus o Paule o Christ If we be deceived ye haue deceived this yow taught vs had not M. D. Humphrey in the life of Iewell good reason to reprehend his bould appeale affirmeing therin that he granted over much and yelded more then of right vnto the Papists and iniured himselfe over much c. And in à manner spoyled himselfe and the Church c. what haue wee to doe whith the Fathers with fleshe or blood had not D. Steephens his intimate freind better reason to abandon the Protestant Religion when vpon M. Iewells intreatie he had revewed his booke and admonished M. Iewell of his Manifould falsifications of the Fathers he obtained nothinge at his handes but diabolicallie persistinge tould him they would disgrace soe the Papists that they should not be beleived against him though they discovered never soe many of his falsifications Had not allsoe M. Wallsingham iust reason to leaue the Church of England when he fownd soe many corruptions and falsehoods in this their greatest ChaÌ„pion of their Church Soe heighly honored by Protestants as that he hath been kept in diverse Churches as à pullpitt booke Alas what ment M. Doctor Whitaker allsoe with the lyke damnable hipocrisie soe confidently to saie The speech of M. Iewell was most true and Constant when provokinge yow to the Antiquity of the first sixe hundred yeares he offerred That if yow could shew but any one cleare and playne sayinge out of any Father or Councell he would graunt yow the victorie T is the offer of vs all the same doe wee all promise and wee will performe it what ment he I saye seinge he himselfe contrary to himselfe in another place de S. Scrip avoucheth that the Popishe Religion is à patcht coverlett of the Fathers Erros Note For I will demaund of him whether the Popishe Religion be à patcht coverlett of the Fathers Errors in these points of Religion where both Catholiques and Protestats agree or in the other controverted points If he saye the first then is his Religion lykewise the Errors of the Fathers If the second then accordinge to himselfe the Fathers be of the Catholiques syde in the points of Controversie What ment likewise M. Willett in his Antol. pa. 263. diabollicallie against his owne Conscience with such impudence to protest in this manner I take God to witnes before whom I must render an accoumpt that the same fayth and Religion which I defend is taught and Confirmed in the most substantiall points by those histories Councells and Fathers that lived within five or sixe hundred yeares after Christ When as he himselfe in his