spirit and not seing but of his light and who so euer kepeth not this vnitie he kepeth not the law of God he hath no faith and he can neyther haue the life nor the saluation of Iesus Christ It is S. Paul him Ephes 4. self that teacheth this Sacramēt of the vnitie of faith in the vniuersalitie of the Church as there is not saith he but one sole God lord father of all so there is but one faith one hope one trust one bodie one spirit the head of which bodie is the sonne of God Iesus Christ who being him self the spring of lyfe euerlasting doth inspire lyfe to all the bodie doth furnish it dayly with strength by his holy spirit Whosoeuer is not a member of that bodie can not take lyfe of the spirit of Iesus Christ he is a straunger he is prophaned he is an enemie he is dead drye and wythered without moysture of all diuine grace and that no part of the promises and rewards of Iesus Christ he is the braunche Iohan. 11. cut from the true stocke appointed to the fyer to be burned If any of those which were out of the Arcke of Noe vvere saued those also shal be saued which are founde out of the Arke of the Church If the riuer cut from his spring dryeth not vp if the braunche diuided from the tree can bear fruit if the member cut from the bodie can take lyfe of the same bodie then also the man that is diuided and cut from the Church shal liue of Iesus Christ He can not haue God for his father which wil not haue the Church for his mother and he can not be vnited with God which is not vnited with the Church At the same instant that man doth separat him self frō the Church he dyeth from Iesus Christe and leeseth the grace of the holy Ghost For euen as the vniuersal sensible light is tyed to the bodie of the sunne which doth spread and distribute it to all the world in the absence wherof there is nothing but darknes euen so al grace of reconciliation to God was annexed to the bodie of Iesus Christ yea to this bodie of his which dayly groweth by increase of the chosen preordinate to lyfe euerlasting which is the bodie of the Church which he doth gather together taking out from the heape of mankynd al men of good wyl which haue bene are and shal be to the end of the world out of which bodie there is but the wrath and malediction of God Search where you wil out of this Church you shall fynde nothing but death To be short he which is not in the Church hath no God he hath his owne proper iudgement his phantasie and his owne presumption for his God he maketh him selfe an Idol doth worship only his owne imagination in place of God If such a man calleth him self a Christian that is as the deuil often sayth he is Christ and if he be kylled for his heresie that is no martirdom bur the reward of his heresie which is not yet al purged by his owne death Dying he goeth to yeld and ioyne him self eternally to the darkenes which he hath worshiped and to his head which is the deuil There is no martirdom nor death pretious before God but in the catholique Church in the which only is the grace of the Gospel of Iesus Christ the which only she doth preach in sinceritie and truth and without any hazard or possibilitie to erre because she taketh her direction of the holy Ghost of the tradition of the Apostles and of the holy scriptures together which be the three grounds set downe by the holy scripture it self the which doth shew that not shee only buyldeth vp the Churche but is also holpen of the traditions of the liuely voyce of the Apostles to the which she often tymes referreth men Kepe sayeth S. Paul the traditions 2. Thess 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis siue per sermonē siue per epistolā nostrā Act. 15. 16 which you haue learned of me be it by woord or by our epistle and it is written in the Actes of the Apostles that in al places whear S. Paule passed by he recommended to the Churches to kepe the ordinances of the Apostles and of the elders which were things not written When the Apostles had planted the Gospel they did not say al things at one time nor in one howre nor wrote al that they sayed but according as occasion was giuen they planted their doctrine so that the holy scripture which we haue of the Apostles and of the Euangelists is not so muche a full doctrine of faith as a witnes of the faith that they preached Now if wee will goe higher the law of Moyses cōsisted no lesse in tradition than in writting and not only the sense but the letter and text thereof was to be learned by tradition For they had the scriptures in maner but by half the pointing beeing not yet put to the hebrew text But the holy Ghost alwayes hath in formed the Church of the true traditions and the true sense of the scripture in such sorte as the Church and the holy scripture are so linked together that they both be as an indissoluble cheyne of golde The Church is not aboue the scripture but the authoritie of the Church doth shew the true scripture And when the Church hath need of wholsome information she doth goe to the scriprure and if there be any darknes in the scripture the holy Ghoste is giuen to the Church for to interpret the same Euen so in the olde law in al difficulties that rose the law of Moyses ordained that they should goe to the hygh priest for the tyme being and that they Deut. 17. Malach. 2. should folow his verdit not turnyng either to the right syde or the left vpon paine of death The Prophets also sent them thether and in the Gospel it self our sauiour commaundeth that if any obey not the Church Matt. 18. he be degraded from the name of Christian and holden for an Eathnike let no man now seeke excuses in a corner God hath appointed at al tymes the priests of the Church present to iudge the present controuersies and willeth that men should repayre vnto them his holy spirit assisteth them to that end He hath not promised vs in them more then in other men example of holynes but he hath promised vs by them the Oracles of his truthe Oh that al those that do erre in faith did know the vertue of the name Catholique and the horror of the name heretike how the Catholique in his faith doeth renounce his own reason his own iudgemēt his vnderstanding his wil and all his senses for to hearken simplie and absolutely vnto that that the Church doth teache how on the cōtrarie side the heretike doth groūde builde his fayth vpon his owne iudgement They should knowe that the name Catholique is a name of
faith of the Romaine Church And it is not many yeres ago syns that some Turkes some Ievves vvere baptized at Rome and other places in the Romain Church The Lutherans Caluinists can not boaste them selues to haue conuerted to their sect neither Panimes nor Turkes nor Iewes vvhervpon it doth appeare that they be of the spirite of the deuil sithens that all their force is no maner of waye to get the Infidels but only to distroy the Christians The seuenth marke is the conformitie of doctrine with the Primitiue Church Now that the auncient fathers did teach the same doctrine that we doe at this day and condemned for heretical that whiche we condemne their bookes beare vvitnes therof of the vvhich I wil say further that who so euer readeth them shal necessarelie frame to him self a catholike spirit and shal neuer after drinke the venim of any heresie For all thies fathers as they vvere well instructed vpon what states the holy Ghost doth rest him self so doe they breathe out nothing but humilitie abatement of presumption abnegation or denial of them selues a soueraigne reuerence to the Church a perpetual flame of charitie and a care of spiritual vnitie and as a man might saye an indiuisibilitie with the Church The eight marke is holines of doctrine that is to saye vvhen the profession of doctrine doth not contein any falsehood concerning matter of faith nor iniustice concerning maners by the vvhich marke it is conuicted that there is no true Church in the vvorld but the catholike Church For there is not a sect in the vvorld be it of the Panimes Iewes Turkes or of heretikes as vvel olde as new but it doth contein in her doctrine some manifest impietie or some iniustice directly contrary to reason as the sect of Caluin doth make God authour of sinne and as much the cause of the treason of Judas as of the conuersion of S. Peter and doth teache that the christiaÌ„ can not do any good worke Besyds that al theyr writings be impugnours of chastitie of virginitie of Religion inveihing against fasting against vovves against all orderlie deuotion in the church establishing all vice prouoking to dispaire laboring to extingwishe the seed of immortalitie in the hartes of men But the Church catholike is perfaictlie holie and immaculate in her doctrine she doth teach many things in her misteries aboue reason but nothing against reason she doth teache to auoide sinne she doth correcte transgressors she doth comfort the penitentes she doth exhorte all her childreÌ„ to walke holilie iustlie religiouslie in all their wayes and to haue their verie thoughts holie purging illuminating making them perfect for to present them holie to God Come sayth S. Augustin to our Churches there is nothing set foorth to see or to follow vvich is impossible nothing vniust nothing impure there be insinuated the comandementes of the true God or his marueilles declared or his giftes praysed or his graces demaunded And ther is no perfect ioye nor true consolation in the vvorlde but there for that there is not any remissioÌ„ of sinnes in the world but there The ninth marke is holines of lyfe aswel in priests as in the people I know that this marke although many doe cauil at it yet is it forceible more notorius in catholikes thaÌ„ in all the sectaries of the world S. Chrysostome sayth that all the kindes of Iustice that the seruants of God haue in truth the seruants of the deuil may haue the same in dissimulation The deuil sayth he hath his meeke men and his humble men he hath his chaste men his almes giuers his fasters and all kinde of goodnes that god hath created for the saluation of men The deuil hath brought in the same kind for to deceiue them to the end that between the true good and the good faigned there should be a confusion by the which the symple not being easelie hable to discerne the true good from the good faigned whiles they searching the men of God they light vpon men of the deuil and there is not any thing but onlie charitie that the vncleane spirit can not counterfeit All apparence of Iustice is found in deceiuers except onlie charitie which is not found but in the onlie seruants of God The holie Ghoste hath reserued to him self onlie this vertue of charitie in such sort that by no other action of Iustice a man may so wel discerne where the holie ghost is as by the vertue of charitie All heresies at te beginninge come masked with a superficial holines whiche for that it is not of the spirit of God can not soundlie be there setled And as the ape learned by arte to hold the candle after he hath stode some small while in stead of a candelstik at the sight of a nut caste before him leaueth all for to runne after it euen so they can not long time indure without manifesting the spirit wherof they be And as theyr father was a morderer from the beginning so they be come straight waies theeues kindlers of Ioh. 8. discention worse then Panimes and Barbarians and aboue all other vices Pride is to them peculiar whereof S. Augustin sayth Insundrie places there be sundrie heresies but one Aug. l. de past only mother pride hath ingendred them all as also our onlie mother the Catholike Church hath brought foorth all faithfull Christians dispersed throughout the world And all thes heresies doe springe by accident of some euil occasion Egesippus speaking Egesipp apud Eus lib. 4. hist cap. 22. of the first heretike sayth thus then the church was called a virgin not being yet corrupted by adulterous doctrine but one Theobutes for that Theobutes he was denied a bishoprike did beginne to trowble and corrupt all things It apeareth in the ecclesiastical Act. 8. Tert. con ValeÌ„ Epiph. he â—4 Theod. l. 3. 5 historie that SimoÌ„ Magus Valentin Marrian Arrius and all those olde monsters did spring out from theÌ„se for disdeining that others were preferred before them they made a secte for to reuenge them selues Apoc. 16. I. Coch. in actis Luth. 15 17. Luth. in ep ad Argen l. con Aug. l. de missa sing being eloquent and of great witt and of those that S. Iohn calleth false Prophetes issued out of the throat of the dragon vncleane and deuelish spirits practising the kinges of the earth Luther witnessed his owne motiue in the first disputation aginst Ecchius crying out this cause is not begunne for the loue of God Him self hath written that willinglie he would haue denied the presens of Iesus Christ in the Eucharist if the scripture had not bene so cleare for that therby sayth he he did see that he might do much hart to the Papacie He boasteth him self that kinges Princes and Popes were not worthie to vntie the latche of his shoes he sayed that he would that they should holde him for a holie man whether men would or no that he did not
indiuisible than the beames of the sunne it is not to be holden by halues it is a gift of God and a grace infused and the gifts of God are perfite For concerning faith who so euer faileth in one article is culpable in all And he is no lesse drouned which is but two fingars ouer head in water than he which is an hundred fathoms dieper A mans faith eye and honour are thre things that can not endure to be hurt or impared how litle soeuer it be Many of them which haue yet some liuelie roote in the Church and hate heresie doe giue to them selfes some times libertie to blame or contemne certein obseruances and ceremonies of the Church as in their opinions vnprofitable These lo do daungerouslie erre besides that they shew herein their beastlines and ignorance for nothing vniuersallie receiued in the Church is of small consequence or importance And vnwoorthie are they to haue any place in the Church and to be partakers of the Sacraments of euerlasting life which doe disagree with her in the least point that a man can think of Men ought with more reuerence to iudge of such things as are approued and alowed of the vniuersal Church When men debate of humain matters let then humain reason take place but in the doctrine of faith the only authoritie of the Churche ought to rule It is not for vs to take vpon vs to cōfirme and establish that whereunto we must obey We must in al submit our selues wholie to her iudgemēt without exception of any thing what soeuer it be For so soone as faith is seuered from the Sanctuarie of the Church she is out of her natural element she hath no more vital spirit The Church hath secret motiues considerations tending to the vtilitie and preseruation of her vniuersal familie incomprehensible to any one priuate person yet notwithstanding they haue theyr foundacions and grounds verie firme and sure The most excellent Philosophie that euer was in the worlde is that of Abrahā which Philo describeth Abraham Philo. He reduced all the effects of the second causes to the first cause immediatlie he dyd not attribute to the sunne the light of the day nor to cloudes the rain nor to eyes the sight nor to eares the hearing nor to other next instruments of sense the cause of their facultie not to the feet force to goe not breathing to the lunges not concoction to the stomak not to trees and seeds their yerelie fruits but he reduced all things immediatlie to him onlie which spreadeth abroad his benignitie and beneuolence largelie franklie and freelie in all places he bendeth all his forces to hym alone hoping by hym only to be ayded and staying him self vpon him only neither trusting vpon heauē nor vpon earth ayer beasts plants or rootes with intent to loue them as causes And as a man may say he trauersed through all the rankes and troupes of the host of all second and instrumental causes apperteining to the OEconomie or general disposition of the vniuersal nature for to approche vnto the soueraign head the Creator of substances the giuer of formes the first mouer first cause and cause of causes to the ende to loue him only and to giue him only thankes for all benefits receiued And this Philosophie of Abraham was as a shining beam of the innocencie of nature before sinne which innocencie consisted in cleaning wholie to God and depending vpon God in all things not resting vpō him selfe nor vpon any creature whereupon also God loued him more and was more reuealed to hym than to those that loue the second causes and search deeplie in to them not satisfied otherwise with the first In like maner in matters of faith those which doe rest altogether vpon the Church shal rather be illuminated of the holy Ghost than those which doe not giue credit to her but vpon a caution or condition of some natural reason If any would know the way how to render a reason of his faith and of all obseruances of the Church S. Peter thereunto doeth exhort him And in 1. Petr. 3. dede the studie of such a science is the most noble and most worthie that is in the world only let him be humble and holde this for a principle or maxime though he vnderstandeth not the reason of any obseruances yet notwithstanding the same is grounded vpon some iust reason aboue his capacitie And when he hath layed for his ground this humilitie and comyng afterward to searche the motiues and reasons of the Churche then the knowleige of the general disposition and gouernement of the Church shall teach him considerations more deep more excellent more ample more confortable and shall replenish his mynde with a cleerer light than the knowleige of al Naturs vvorkes and therein he shal take more pleasure than if he had in his head the collectiōs and gatherings of al the knowleige in the worlde fast sowed one to an other and coulde giue a reason of the whole disposition of natural things in al parts of the whole frame of this worlde In the primatiue Church Sinesius the great Sinesius philosopher called by Christians to the state if a Bishop vvould not accept the same but with reseruation of some opinions of the ethnical philosophie The fathers condescended to his desire assuring them selues that so excellent a wit would easilie cast of al those reseruations of his philosophical folie by cōference with wise and learned men of the Church And in dede this learned man being made Bishop did soone cast away al reseruations of his seueral opinions and conformed him selfe in al points to the Church cōdemning him selfe and deriding his own vanitie proceding rather from the root of folie and pryde of a philosopher than of malice And truelie to addict him selfe obstinatlie to some particularities of opinions against the vniuersalitie Genes 27. it is the part of one that is ignorant of the first elements and principles of Christianitie and a token of a short and feeble iudgemen that hath a verie shmal beam of brightnes and is so poore of vnderstāding as he is not hable to conceiue that the riuer which he dwelleth next vnto is much lesse than the Ocean sea and that the sterres be much greater thē they appear to his eyes esteming the greatest things that he knoweth to be the most that God can doe in that kynde and considereth but one thing onlie where he ought to consider an hundred thousand persuading him selfe euermore to haue in the compasse of his brain all that God is hable to doe or wil doe mesuring all things by his own capacitie and sufficiencie which is not onlie an extreme folie but also verie daungerous for such folk vpon the least motion of the deuil wil throw them selues from the high pinacle of the temple down to the ground I mean from the firmament of the Church to the bottomles pit of heresie Wil we then be assured neuer to erre and to
haue our spirite quiets peacible amōg all the wherl wyndes and tempests of heresies this is the onlie mean he that walketh in the spirit of the Church is in the high way he goeth not in darknes he goeth by day and setteh sure footing The church is to him a bulwark of quietnesse a wall of brasse a stay more sure then the firmament of heauen yea I say truelie more sure than the firmament of heauen For rather the heauen shal fall in pieces and all the whole frame of the worlde shal fall into cōfusion and nature shal erre rather than the Church shal come to errour in that doctrine of the saluation which she doeth teach her children And good reason for her vnderstanding his higher than the vnderstāding of all nature for it is the vncreated vnderstanding the holie Ghost God him self which doth gouerne the same immediatlie And for the Churches sake heauē earth and all Nature haue bene made and doe consist without whose prayers the frāe of the whole worlde could not stād one moment The Angels them selues as S. Paul sayth are all Hebr. 10 to minister to them which receiue the inheritance of saluation which are the childrē of the church But I will no forther open the priuileiges of Grace the heauenlie and liuelie comforts which the children of the catholike Church haue The catholike Church is the onlie fortresse impregnable the wiseman to her wil haue his recourse and shal be saued She is the strong fort of the citie of God founded vpon the rock whiche can not be vndermined Genes 27. fortified by the inuincible force of the holie Ghost garded by heauenlie armies vvhich are camped round about cōpassed of all sides with the fauour of the almightie She is the true earthlie Paradise where the tree of lyfe is planted which all of her house may freelie vse and thereby receiue nourishment of lyfe euerlasting She is the true house of God where he doth dispose his graces and all his goodes and the souueraign felicitie And who euer can taist of the fruit of the name Catholike he shal fynde hem selfe happie and shal perceiue in that he is a Catholike he is as it were weeded out of him selfe to be transplanted in God and being lostin him selfe he shal fynde him selfe grafted and rooted in God in whom he shal stand more surelie more liuelie more happilie and be more his own man thau standing in him selfe where vpon his soule shal be filled with true sound parfite soueraign diuine and euerlasting ioye I doe not call in question whether the catholike Churche be visible nor where she is being a societie not of Angels or of soules separated from the bodie but of men She must necessarilie be visible that one may say there is the Church pointing to her with the fingar and shewing her to the eye otherwyse sayth S. August Aug. tract 1. 2. in 10. no man could be assured of the vnitie in the which men must necessarilie enter and holde them selfes to the ende they may be ioyned to the head communicate with all the other members thereof And our lord should in vain haue bidden men resort to the Church and obey it if it were inuisible to the face of the whole worlde so that she can not by any manner of wayes be hidden nor darckned in the earth no more than the sonne in heauē Yea sayth S Iohn Chrisostom S. Chrys ho. 4. in cap. 6. Efa it were more easie to put out the light of the sonne than to darcken the Church And those which say that the Church which was planted of the Apostles and dyd lighten the Gentiles is no more extant and that she is lost many a day agoe and that strayght after the Apstoles she was eclipsed of her light and became an Apostata in such sort as the worlde is entered in to darknes as before and those which doe compare her to the Sinagogue in the time of Eli those I say are verie impudent and their impudencie can not be heard with out indignation for that it is contumeliouse to the sonne of God as if the sonne of God which sayd that he is the light of the world and that he came to renew all to destroye the vvorkes of the deuil and to dispossesse him of his raign had not doen that vvhich he promised nor that vvhich he came for and as yf his light had bene as a flash of lightening vanishing avvay and not as a sonne rising to chase out effectuallie the darknes of the vvorld This is a moost vile and shamefull abasing of Christs honour and estimation this is to take from him the deserued inheritance of all Nations vvhich GOD the father promised vnto him this is as it vvere to spoyle him of his dignitie and the royal scepter and to plucke him downe frō his throne and to take from him his royal Diadem vvhich the father gaue him and to make that GOD hath not kept his promisse They vvhich vse thies vvoordes are not in the Church them selues sayth S. Augustin Aug. in psalm 101. Thou sayest that the Church is not extant because thou art not in her Look vvell to the matter thou art not in dede in her but she is and shal be extant though thou art not Al that the scripture doth teach Numer 20. 3. Reg. 8. Math. 18. Acto 15. 18. 20. feighteth against this impudent saying It hath bene foretold that the glorie of the secound house of GOD shal be greater then the glory of the first that she shal reach from one sea to an other from the Orient 1 Tim. 3. Psal 1◠Esa 2 Dan. 2. Mich. 4. Math. 7. to the Occident that she shal fill Asia Affrica Grece Italy all tounges all nations and the Iles ferre of and that the sauiour shal make as it vvere nevv heauens and nevv earth so that the Sinagogue in comparison of the Church is no more then one starre in comparison of the Sonne and had but fevv litle spartles of that light whre of the full brightnes is spred vpon the Church Origin sayth that the first signe Iud. 6. giuen to Gedeon of the flyse only devved from heauen the earth round about remaining all drye did prefigure the Sinagogue and the secound signe of all the earth bedevved the flyse contynevving drie did prefigurat the Churche In Daniel also the Church vvas prefigured by the Dan. 2. litle stone cut from the mountaine vvithout hand of man the vvhich hauing broken the Image of Gold of Syluer of brasse of Iron and of clay vvhich did represent the Empires of the vvorld became a great mountaine and did fill the vvhole earth vvhere vpon sanct Augustin doth argue against the heretikes If the Ievyes be sayd to be blinde for not hauing seene the stone being but litle what blindnes is that in them which can not see the same being a mountaine so those saith he which denie the Church dispersed
Irâ—n lib. 1. ca. 20. Chrisostome The sectes say they be called of the name of the arche heretike but to vs no man hath giuen a name faithe it self which is catholike surnameth vs so and S. Ierome If thou S. Hieron cont Luciferanos heare those which are called Christians to beare a name not of our lord Iesus Christ but of some other as Marcionites Valentinians know ye certenly that they are not the Church of Iesus Christ but a Sinagoge of Antichrist Now yow poore abused Lutherans and Caluinists be holde the horroure of your bothomlesse pitt you are no more Christians and you haue no part in the saluation by Iesus Christ All aucient Fathers do witnesse with one consent that the only Catholike is in the Church of Iesus Christ and all that bear the name of one particular man be heretikes and excluded from the kyngdome of Iesus Christ Those witnesses can not be reproued and this is one marueilous iudgement of God against heretikes and a comfort for the Catholikes by the Creed of the Apostles it is a necessarie consequens that any Church if it be a true must needes be catholike but there is not a societe in the vvorld which doth possesse the name Catholike saue only the Romain Church All others will call them selues Arrians Lutherans Caluinists the reformed Church Gospellers ProtestaÌ„ts and such other kinds of special names as they haue but Catholikes doe not so for in all parts of the vvorld vvhere the name Catholike Church doth sounde it is intended and vnderstood to be the Romain Churche yea by the heretikes them selues A maÌ„ that passeth by Geneua being asked what he is if he answere I am a Catholik is taken of no man there for a Caluinist Seek not here to blynde your selues against so manifest a trueh but forsake both the sect and also the name of these wicked deceiuers the Archeheretikes of this tyme which will draw you with them selues in to their bottomlesse pitt of euerlasting damnation if you do not enter again in to the Church and mount vp in to the firmament of Catholikes The secound marke of the true Church is the succession of Bishoppes sithens S. Peter to this day which neuer hath bene interrupted the vvhich succession the fathers haue alwayes obiected against heretikes of their tyme as an inuincible argumeÌ„t for euen as to the propagation of mankinde mariage is necessarie so to the procreation of the children of God according to the spirit the order of preisthood is instituted vvhich can not be continewed perpetuallie but by spiritual propagation from those priests whom Iesus Christ did first institute It is not so of kings as it is of preistes for if all the kings of the earth should faile at once the people might create new But if all the priests of the world should happen to fayle it is not in the power of all mankinde to make new Their institution is diuine and not humain Iesus Christ him selfe must come again in person in to this vvorld for to institute som new S. Ireneus Iran li. 3 c. 3. sayth that by this succession all heretikes be coÌ„founded for neuer heretike could shew his next predecessor in communion of doctrin And to proue that the Romain Church is the true Church he rekeneth the Bishoppes of Rome from S. Peter vnto S. Eluther the Pope of his tyme vvhich vvas the twelveth Tertullianus Eusebius Prosper S. Hieronimus S. Augustin Epiphanius Optatus and all the auncient fathers haue vsed this argument against heretikes Tertullian sayth shew the Tertul. lib. de praescr beginÌ„ing of your churches and the orderlie succession of your Bishoppes deriued by succession froÌ„ some one of the Apostles as vve doe shew the orderlie succession in the Romain Church from S. Peter Account sayeth 8. Aug. epist 165. in psal S. Augustin the priests sithens the state of S. Peter and look in to that order of fathers vvhich haue succeded one an other and you shal fynde that the Romain Church is the same stone that the proud gates of hell can not vanquish And he sayth further that the Aug. cont ep fundam succession of priests in the romain Church by one continual line holdeth him in that Church Likerwise Optatus Shew sayth he the first beginning of your chayer you which wil Optatus lib 2. chalenge the holy Church vnto your selues And Epiphanius hauing orderlie recited the names of all the Bishops from S. Peter vnto Siricius then Bishop which was the thirtie eight Epiph. har 27. he addeth Let no man meruail if we be so exact in this recital for by thies things the euident trueth of the Church doth alvvayes shevv it self If then those auncient fathers haue so greatlie estemed that continuation of twelue twentie or forty souerain bishops successors of S. Peter how much stronger is that argument at this day for vs which shew the continuacion of more than two hundred thirtie thre without exception This argument is insoluble and all the heretikes of the worlde caÌ„ not answer the same for the Church can not be without priests nor without Bishops and pastors There must needes be as S. Paul sayth some for the edefying of the body of Iesus Christ Ephe. 4. vntil he come to iudge the worlde And as S. Hierome sayth the Church which is without priests is not a Church and none S. Hierom. can be priest if he be not ordeined by a Bischop being successor of the apostolike priesthode This marke is not only most certain most euident but forcible to know Con. Laud. con 12 do 61. c. the true Church for where the succession of priesthode is there is the succession of doctrine Moyses the prophets our sauiour him selfe in the Gospel doth affirme the same Deut. 17. Math. 2. Now then we shew the succession of priesthode of the soueraign Bishop of this tyme by ascending froÌ„ predecessor to predecessor vpward vntil we arriue at S. Peter and enter as it were in to the side of Iesus Your Caluin seing him selfe by this argumeÌ„t so intangled Caluin that he could not slip away he striueth he wringeth him selfe he tourneth and tosseth he broyleth with so great rage as he speweth out a whole flud of iniures against Popes priests and Bishops Oh the madde dogge seing cleerlie that succession is a verie certein signe of the true Church to which he could not answer whereby he is proued to be a deceiuer sent of the deuil he casteth from the poysonful pit of his harte iniureis sufficient to darken the heauen O ye Lutherans and Caluinists if you be capable of reason if you may be taught by the holie Ghost if you be touched with the desire of your saluation then examin you without passioÌ„ this argument hearken to that which your own consciences shal teache you and be ye not enemies to your own saluation For sithins that you haue not the order of priesthood from any Bishop successor
Emperours by kynges by lerned men making innumerable books out of the vvhich a man vvoulde haue sayed that they could neuer be blotted And notwithstanding by the wonderfull prouidence of God thei be so weeded out of the earth that there remaineth nothing at all nether of the followers nor of their bookes nor of theyr doctrine nor any signe at all but that which is found in the bookes of catholikes who if they had not written their names in their books vve had not knovven that such heresies had euer bene in the vvorld and there is no doute but the flouds of heresies of theis tymes vvil also slyde avvay shortly The fyueth marke of the true Church is the largenes of the raigne And this marke is verie euident in the Catholike Church the which doth fructifie throughout the vniuersal vvorld in both the hemispheres And the sunne doth not streache his beames further then she I know vvel that she hath not the temporal regiment of external Iustice throughout the whole vvorld but she hath euerie where obedient childrē So that there is no tonge nor people nor climat of countrie inhabited vvhere if perhaps the most parte be not carholikes yet at the leaste there are some I say some notable number which assamble them selues in the Church and cōmunicate Catholiklie in the Sacraments of the Church among the Turkes among the Persians among the Tartarians among the Panymes throughout the compasse of the earth for the carholike Church is not restreined vvithin the bonds of Italie Fraunce Spaine Germanie England Polland Rome Hungarie Greece Siria Armenia Ethiope Egipt and other countries vvherof the names are vvel knovvn vnto vs and where the Catholikes be in infinite number but she doth spread her self in to the new world and in all those foure partes of that nevv vvorld vvhere she hath many Churches without mingling of heresies of the East syde in the Indians of the west syde in America towardes the north in Iapon towards the south in Brasilia what heresie is that that euer had such largenes As for the sectes of Lutherans and Caluinists they haue not passed in Asia nor into Africa nor in to Grece nor into many prouinces of Europe Yea euen in the verie springs of mischief in the North where heresies haue most might there are not two townes neighbours possessed of one self sect All heresie is as a serpent A serpent neuer S. August lib. de pasto ca. 8. lib. de vtil credendi cap. 14. 17. departeth farre of from his denne And S. Augustine sayth very wel that the Church is euery where heresie also euery where But the Church is one and the self same euery vvhere where as heresies be not the same euery where but be of great diuersitie the one not knowinge the other Wherof it doth appeare sayth he that none of those is the Catholike Church And he compareth heresies to boughes cut from the vine which abide in the place vvhere they fall vvithout fructifying wher as the Church is the liuelie stocke which doth bring fruit in all hir braunches throughout whereso euer she doth extend her self The sixt marke is the conquest of the world by efficacie of doctrine which is the doctrine of the true Church being liuelie mightie more pearsing then any two edged swoord and cōuerting effectuallie the soules to God The Philosophers sayth S. Athanasius with loftines of learning and magnificence of speche could neuer perswade any one citie to take their laws of them for that sayth he their doctrine was dead and without force and their speche did not proceed of the spirit of God but of the spirit of man Neither did any man euer read that the heretikes conuerted Idolators or Iewes to the faith Their care sayth Tertullian is not to conuert straungers to Iesus Christ but to peruert hys domesticals Tert. lib. de presc har and those which he alredy gotten to him not to geue lyfe to the dead but to giue deadlie poison to the liuing not to lifte them vp which be on the grounde but to make them fall that stand vpright The efficacie of their doctrine is not to edifie it serueth but to distroy and this marke doth shew it self very openlie in thies our dayes Here is now the very large harvest of the new world in ripenes It behooueth to send workmen but from whence doth the Lord of the haruest take them The Church catholike and heresie making both profession to be of Iesus Christ their dueties are to increase the howsehold of Iesus Christ asmuch as they can by conuerting the infidels to the faith This notwithstanding because IESVS CHRIST vvil not be planted in the hartes of straungers by other handes then of his deare spouse therfore the catholikes only are they which preache the Gospel to Idolators and gaine them to Iesus Christe The heretikes haue neuer drawn the least prouince from Paganisme to Christianitie when we haue conuerted thē to Iesus Christ the heretikes come afterwardes to deceiue them But men see that God doth not permit the worke of conuerting them to any other then to his true Church as we being those Soc. l. 4. c. 27. Soz. l. 6. ◠37. Theod. l. 4. only which be the fishers of men those alone which draw the soules of men from the sea of infidelitie to the shoar of Christianitie The heretiks neuer throwe their nettes in sea but after that we haue put the fish vpon the shoar then they put all their gloire to rob and carie away some litle fishe as theues not as fishers Euen so the Gothes being alredy made Catholike demaunding Catholike Bishops for to gouern their churches Valence sent them Arrians for to subuert them The cause why the heretikes can not conuert the infidels to the faith is for that propounding the scripture they doe not propound the true sense vvhich is properlie the svvoard of the spirit The vvordes of the scriptures are but as the sheath which holdes the sworde of the spirite They then fighting not vvith the sworde but vvith the sheath onlye it is no merueil if they doe not pearse the hartes of Infideles Besydes that the heretikes and Idolaters belonge all to one self maister But in the Romain church not onlie at the beginning but euen at all tymes this efficacie hath bene found This is the Romain Church vvhich did first conuert the Englishe men to the faith in the tyme of S. Gregorie the Pope This is the Romain Church vvhich did conuert the Saxons and the vvhole coutrey of Almains in the times of Pope Conon and of Pope Zacharie This is the self same Church that conuerted the Vandales Bulgarians Sclauonians Polonians Danes Norwaies Hungarians Morauians vvith infinite kinges people And it is not past twoo hundred yeares ago syns rhat one only mounke S. Vincent of the order of S. Dominike did conuert to the faith 25000. as vvel Iewes as sararins It is in our tyme that the new vvorlde receiued the
that they vvould leaue their confederates in peace touching the point of their faith vvithout adding this vvords true indoubted Catholike In Germanie 1547. Charles the fifte vvith a small number had a marueilous victoire of the Lutherans which had an armie of more then threescore thowsand men In Fraunce the Catholikes haue alwaies for the most part ouercome the heretikes as at the battell of dreuz of Ierna of Mountcounter and seldome or neuer haue the heretikes in iuste battel ouercome the catholikes neither in Fraunce nor in flaunders nor in Almaine nor els vvhere and vve shal see doubtles vvith the grace of God that those vvhich at this daie put them selues in force to defend the Church God shal croune them vvith honour and glorie and shal heape vnto them goods prosperities and temporal blessings shal cause his vvrath and all maledictions and shames to raigne vpon the persecutors and vpon the secret traitors vvhich doe fauour heresie The twelueth marke is the vnion of the members vvith their soueraine head which is the successor of S. Peter in the gouernement of the vniuersall Church Our Sauiour being desirous to giue vs suer and setteled centre in the sphere of his church from the vvhich all the lines of the doctrine of saluation should be drawen to the circumference of the vvorld did chose the chaire of S. Peter that is to say the place consecrated by the seat and martirdom of S. Peter the vvhich by prerogatiue of honour he did appoint to be head of the vnitie of his Church making him not his successor for it is IESVS CHRIST him self vvhich is alwaies the onlie true head of his Churche remaining vnmouable and immortal and vvhich neuer shal haue successor making it fruitful alwais him self onlie by his holie spirit But making him his depute liftenant and vice gerent in earth in the outward ministerie and soueraine iurisdiction of his Church and after him all his successors in the same sorte So that the soueraine Bishoppes be vicars of IESVS CHRIST and not successors and successors of S. Peter not his vicars who so euer wil take from the church that Monarchie called the vicareige of IESVS Christ he vvold haue a floke vvithout a pastor an armie vvithout a leader a bodie vvithout a head a building vvithout foundation and the starres vvithout their sonne that is to save he would haue the dispersiō of the flocke the discomforture of the Armie the death of the bodie the ouerthrow of the building the darkning of the starres he would haue a confused chaos disordered voyd of all proportion and an Anarchie or gouernemēt more horrible more confused and more disordered than the bottomlesse pit it self he deserueth not to be heard God vvhich is the author of order and not of confusion vvhich hath appointed an order among the Angels wil not that we goe mingle mangle in the societie of this world We know wel as touching the power of the order vvhich concerneth the real bodie of the person of Iesus Christ all priestes be equal to S. Peter and to the soueraine bishoppe in the priesthood But as touching the Iurisdiction vvhich doth concerne the bodie misticall of the church there it is where there are different degrees and where one soueraine head of all priestes is requisit which may hold the principalitie ouer all the Ckurch Who so euer dissembleth to Thirtie tvvo prerogatiues of S Peter see in the text of the gospel the principalitie of S. Peter and of his successors he is a rebel to light and fleeth the truth of set purpose and doth shew that he is stirred by the wickednes of a poisoned hart for these prerogatiues of S. Peter which are witnessed in the gospel are to be considered First that S. Matthew manifestlie and expresselie hath Matth. 10. giuen to S. Peter the title of chief of the Apostles And all the Euangelistes making mention of the holy college of the Apostles doe giue alwaies the first place to S. Peter That S. Peter is only he among the Apostles to whom our sauiour hath chaunged the name and hath giuen him one of his owne names most famous wherbie he is often signified noted or designed in the scriptures that is to saie the rocke for in those two that were surnamed sonnes of thunder the name was not chaunged they had onlie the gyft of vehemencie Now God did neuer put new name but when he made some great new benefite in the vvorld giuing vvith the name the efficacie of the which it doth signifie as naming Abraham he gaue him to be made a father of manie nations euen so naming Peter he gaue him the firmnes of the rocke and of stone for to ground vpon him some great new building Let it be also cōsidered that S. Peter is only he among the Apostles to whom the father euerlasting did reueale that Iesus vvas Christe the sonne of the liuing God For al the other holding their peace suffering the ignorant opinō of the cōmon people to preuaile which had so base an imagination of IESVS Christ that they did esteme him only for either Elias for the zeale of the lawe or Hieremie for the holines of lyfe or Ihon Baptist by reason of his baptizing or some prophet for to reueile the things to come S. Peter only put him self forward not hauing respect to the substance of fleashe and blood but passing on beyond those corporal and humain thinges by reuelation of the soueraigne father he did see with the eies of the minde the sonne of the liuing God and confessed the gloire of his deitie pronouncing with hart mouth theese wordes or rather that sound of the diuinitie and humanitie of IESVS Christ Thow art Christ the sonne of the liuing God as if he had said thow art not Elias which was taken vp into heauen thou art Iesus Christ which art descended from heauen for to lift vp man from the earth thou art not Hieremie or Ihon baptist sanctified in the woumbes of thir mothers But Iesus Christ sanctifying the world thou art not a prophet to whom are reuealed the things to come but Iesus Christ which hast present in thy sight all eternitie Those woordes be verie high but the sense vnderstood by S. Peter is yet much higher And it was necessarie that it should so be that he which ought to hold the chaire of Iesus Christ for to teach all the world the true religion should haue that loftines of faith that greatenes of knowleige that feruour of loue and confesse the same by the which his cōfession as Iesus Christ had made him to know God so S. Peter had made Iesus Christ to be knowen Whervpon Iesus Christ hath therfore loued him aboue all the other hath therfore declared him verie happie and hath giuen him that greate participarion of his name rocke And to the end that that name should not be void and idle he promised him rhat vpon that stone he would build his Church and
of the Church vicar of the souerain head essential Iesus Christ and successor of S. Peter in that vicareige to whom al Catholikes which are dispersed throughout the world are ioyned as members to their head Loe here 12. markes of the true church That is to say 1. The possessiō propertie of the name Catholike 2. The succession of the Apostolike priesthood 3. Antiquitie 4. The long cōtinuance without interruptiō 5. The largenes of the kingdome 6. The victorie of the whole world by efficacie of doctrine 7. The conformitie in doctrine with the primitiue Church 8. The holynes of doctrine 9. The holines of life of the possessours 10. The gloire of miracles 11. The Infelicitie of the impugners and prosperitie of the Protectours 12. And the vnion of the members with their head the successour of S. Peter These are comprised in fower woordes of the Creed that is to say in that she is one Holy Catholike and Apostolike I doe not enter here into the groundes of the doctrin of the Catholike Church The principal scope of this present treatise was onely to shew that out of the Catholike Church man can not be saued whatsoeuer thing he doth whereunto I haue added these outeward markes the which without farder disputation may be sufficient to euery Christian mā to resolue him selfe touching all difficulties whatsoeuer for all the controuersies which haue bene are and euer shal be in the faith doe rest therein and are reduced to that onely head to finde the true Church Which being ones found a man is out of all hazard and peril of errour For all agree vpon this principle that there is but one Church and that the same can not erre being as saith S. Paul The piller and seur grounde of truth And therefore whosoeuer shall doubt of any thing as of Sacramentes of the Inuocation of saincts of praying for the dead or of any other point of lerning he must onely marke that which the Church doth teach thereof and then therevpon to resolue him selfe more assuredly then if an Angel of heauen were descended expressely to informe him of the same And euery other cōgregation which shal call it selfe the church teaching the contrary must needes be conuinced of falsehood of being sent from sathan of heresie and of impietie All the markes of the Catholike Church are euidenly found in the Romain Church The respect of the name Romain is not to the town of Rome but the to chaire of S. Peter which hath that highnes of glory to haue bene cheefely and especially priuileged by the prayer and promise of our sauiour who prayed for S. Peter to that ende that his faith might not faile and founding vpon him his Church hath promised vnto him that the proud gates of hel shall neuer preuail against her as in fact we see that sathan hath ouercome the Churches of the other Apostles and ouerthrowen their chaire In Hierusalem in Alexandria in Ephesus and els where But not the chaire wherewith S. Peter hath innobled the citie of Rome This Church is onely inuincible insupplantable immouable frō her foundation It is she that hath born away the victory of the whole world She hath destroyed Paganisme ouerthrowen Idolatrie expelled al heresies tamid kingdomes Empires ouercome the Philosophers driuen away the darkenes of the world hath gained to god all men of good will She hath troden down and always shal tread down the head of sathan She hath ben euer sithēs S. Peter an obiect vnto the world very apparant as a moūtain of vnderstāding A burning light not to be quenched and an infallible Pole starre directing the way of God To her onely in the troublesome and tempestous sea of variable opinions of men we must haue regard She is the quickening plant that God hath planted in earth hauing her Roote in heauen Yt is not possible for men to root her out no more than it is to throw downe God from his heauenlie seat vpon whom she is founded All the heresies of the world haue bent them selues against that Church Titans Hypocrites and euel Christians haue assaulted her but she remaineth victorious ouer all her enemies not by the merits of men but by the efficacie of that prayer which our sauiour made to his father for the faith of S. Peter and to make his promise effectuall The promises of the truth it selfe can not be vaine Iesus Christ sayd of the temple of Hierusalem that there should not one stone remayne vpō an other and so it came to passe The Iewes edeuonred them selues with might and maine to build the same again but fier came from heauen and placed it self in the foundations for to hinder their intreprise He said of his church that it should endure as long as the world shal remain And men doe see that hither to she remaneth as long as the world hath indured heauen and earth shall passe but the woordes of our Sauiour shall not passe Let these wicked Spirites heretikes Schismatikes Hypocrites and deuelishe men lay their embushes conspire make warre and doe all they can against that Church yet shal they get nothing They fight against the prayer and promise of our Sauiour they doe fight against GOD him selfe The deuils haue not gotten the victory in heauen against the Angels neitheir shall they get it in earth against the Church Many Angels did fall many members of the Church doe fall dayly But as the kingdom of Angels was neuer wholly ouerthrowen so the whole Church shall neuer be vanquished Hel may shake the earth but not the heauens The Church is not an earthly building a building of Adam a building of no other foundation then natural It is an heauenly building whollie supernatural and diuine whereof not man but God him selfe is the foundation and founder and the holy Ghost is the Architect which hath gathered together the liuely stones This building is not made of men borne by nature as the children of Adam but of men made heauenlie regenerate by grace as the children of God Faith which is the bond of the bodie of that Church is aboue the heauen the obiect of that faith which is IESVS Christ Author of that regeneration doth appertain more to heauen by his diuine person then to earth by that humain nature Therefore a thowsand hels shal neuer be able to preuaile against that church whosoeuer thou art therfore which hast separated thy self from that Church what so euer thing thou doest thou art not apparteining to IESVS Christ thou art a member of sathan and a pray of euerlasting damnation Goe about the earth and the see trott vp and downe the world and goe where thou wilt searching the truth thou shalt not find the same out of this Church The Church Catholike Apostolike and Romain is the same of whom doth spring rise as from a center all the droctrine of Christianitie the chaire of S. Peter is the chaire of Iesus Christ and of the truth it self al other