doctrin Christ his Apostles taught and that the Catholique Church by her constant treading this way has still held the same true doctrin which she first received and consequently has never changed her doctrin nor brought in corruption as the Ministers do caluminate And therefore their pretended Reformation having no other ground but this calumnie is a groundlesse imagination and a destruction of Christs true doctrin But that the truth of this whole matter may yet more fully appear I will shew you briefly that this constant testimony is the only sure infallible way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge possession of our Saviours true doctrin that it is also most easy vniuersal for all sorts of persons that the holy Fathers primitive Church did follow it and that all Errors heresies have been clearly confuted by it We have already show'n that this testimony is a sure infallible means now that it is only sure infallible Aug. cont ep fond c. 5. is shewed For if there were any other it would be the Scripture as Protestants pretend But that cannot be 1. Because we cannot beleeve the Scripture without the testimony of the Church as S. Augustin clearly avoucheth 2. Albeit we could know it without that testimony yet by the Scripture we cannot know the whole doctrin of Christ especially since the Scripture it self saith 2. Thessal 2.15 Hold fast the Tradition Thirdly principally Albeit the Scripture contain'd the whole doctrin of Christ yet how shall I know assuredly by the letter of the Scripture the true sense of it without which I have not the true doctrin of Christ Yea I may corrupt the Scripture or follow those who corrupt it as S. Peter shewes many do vnto their own perdition Here many if not all Protestants are perplexed to show how by the Scripture the true sense of it may be had Some say that the Scripture is clear in all things necessary to Salvation so that every man may easily vnderstand them Others think that the Scripture is not so clear but an Interpreter is necessary But they are divyded in assigning this Interpreter Some say the Scripture in one place expounds it self in another Others assign the private Spirit and last of all some assign for an Interpreter every mans natural reason But all these are false frivolous pretences For first they could never shew what these necessary points are Besides this is an open confession that by the Scripture we cannot know assuredly our Saviours doctrin in these points which they call not necessary Then is not the true belief of the Sacrament necessary for the Church and yet we see what contrary glosses the Lutherans Calvinists make on our Saviours clear words Lastly if there needed no Interpreter for things necessary every one although vnlearned who could but read might pick out what are necessary which troubles the most learned heads among them to find out and these who could not read behoved to pin their implicit faith at at other mens sleeves Now what confusion would this make what vncertainty would there be in this case of our Saviours doctrin And how contrary are these things to truth and experience to Protestants principles practices So it is evident that by the Scripture alone we cannot come to the sure and infallible knowledge of our Saviours doctrin Neither can we attayn to it by the Scripture assisted by any Interpreter which Protestāts assign For it is false that the Scripture expounds it self it being obscure in many places which are not interpreted by others more plaine as may appear besides other reasons by the Protestants dissenssions in many points The conference of places study and the like which some require to be ioyn'd with the Scripture are but humane helps subiect to error and not infallible Then for the private Spirit it can give vs as little assurance of the sense as it can of the letter of the Scripture We see what contrariety is among those who all equally lay claim to it Neither is the last Interpreter to witt every mans reason assigned by M. Chilingworth the last peaceable Refiner of the English Church any white better but rather worse For besids that this opinion makes humane reason not the divine authority the main ground of our faith which is a dangerous errour it is so far from bringing men vnto the sure knowledge of what our Saviour taught that it professeth no more but a moral certainty for the truth of the whole Christian religion and leaves all particular doctrines to be pickt out of the Scriptures according to the diversity of mens particular reasons And so diuerse men according to the diversity of their reasons collect from the Scriptures opposite doctrines For what some think reasonable accept others esteem vnreasonable and reiect as is evident in the Socinians who deny the divinity of Christ principally vpon this ground because it chokes their reason as the Calvinists also chiefly for the same reason deny the reall presence So that this Interpreter brings as great vncertainty to know our Saviours doctrin as any other And therefore it remaines evident that the Scripture even assisted by any Interpreter which Protestants can assigne much more the Scripture alone is not a sure infallible means for this end and consequently the testimony of the Church is the only sure infallible means But here I did enquire of the Catholique If the Scriptures were as cleer every where as S. Augustin affirmes they are concerning the Church where he saith they need no Interpreter might they not then give vs vndoubted assurance of our Saviours doctrin To which he answered That although the Scripture were never so clear and as evident in every sentence as words can be written Yet because these words may be diversly vnderstood taken indifferent senses they cannot be so sure infallible away to certifie vs what was our Saviours doctrin as the living words testimony of the whole Church which received the true doctrin and the sense together with the letter of the Scriptures which she hath constantly transmitted vnto posterity This is evident in a very principal point of the Christian religiō to witt the holy Sacrament What words can be more clear then these of our Saviour This is my body which shall be given for you c And yet vpon these clear words there are reckoned about two hundred diverse interpretations since Protestāts arose How then should a man amōg such variety of senses come vnto the true sense be sure that he has attayn'd vnto it in which only Christs true doctrin consists Therefore it is evident in this case that the written word cannot do it and this only the Church can perform which has conserved both the letter and sense of the Scriptures from corruptions If then the Scriptures although they were written in most cleer words cannot certifie vs fully of the true sense of our Saviours doctrin
Scriptures but also by the nature of God that he who is iust good could not command things impossible 3. That the Commandements of God are heavy to those who want the love of God but they are light to those who haue it Yea the same holy Doctour shewes by the testimony of S. Paul that Christ came into the world and lay'd down his life for this end that he might obtaine grace vnto vs whereby we might be enabled to keep the Commandements of God which were before so hard difficult Rom 8.3.4 Thus speaks S. Paul For that which was impossible to the law in that it was weakened by the flesh God sending his Son in the similitude of the flesh of sin for sin coÌ„demned sin in the flesh That the iustice of the law might be fulfilled in vs who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Aug. lib. de Spi. lit cap. 19. Vpon which words S. Augustin saith The law was given that grace might be sought after and grace was given that the law might be fulfilled for not by any fault of the law the law was not fulfilled but by the wisdom of the flesh which fault was to be shewed by the law but to be cured by grace For that which was impossible for the law c. S. Hierom brings the same place of â— Paul against the Pelagians to prove that man is not able by his own strenth or free will Hieren ad Ctesiphont but only by the grace of Christ to keep the law of God Behold there the Catholique doctrin affirmed by the holy Fathers not of their own heads but proved by the Scriptures And that this was the general beliefe of the holy Fathers of the ancient Church it was made appeare vnto me by the second Arausican Councel celebrated about S. Augustins time Araus Concil 2. c. 25. which makes this profession We believe according to the Catholique faith that by grace received in baptisme all such as are baptized Christ helping cooperating may and ought to fulfill if they will labour faithfully these things that belong to Salvation So it is evident that the holy Fathers ancient Church believed this doctrin to be contain'd in the Scriptures which is sufficient for my purpose This same truth is confirmed by S. Augustin not only by the Scriptures but also by reason Some one may say saith he I can by no means love my enemies To which he answer's thus God saith to thee in all the Scriptures Aug. serm 61. de temp that thou canst Consider now whether thou or God ought to be believed and therefore since truth cannot lie let humane weaknesse forbeare it's vaine excuses For he who is iust could not command any thing that 's impossible and he who is good will never condemne man for that which he could not avoid So that according to S. Augustin the Presbyterians beliefe is not only against all the Scriptures although they pretend to believe nothing beside Scriptures but also against sound reason that is against both the iustice goodnesse of God Hieron epist ad Celant S. Hierome also affirmeth that these who say that God hath commanded any thing impossible pronounce God to be vniust Moreover the same two most renowned holy Fathers do not only teach the Catholique doctrin but also they censure the contrary that is the Presbyterians opinion as blasphemy in the Heretiques of their time We accurse saith S. Augustin Aug. serm 191. de temp execramur eorum blasphemiam c. Hier. in Symbol ep 17. their blasphemy that affirm God commanded any thing impossible to man and that Gods Commandements cannot be kept of any man in particular but of all men taken together The same is repeated by S. Hierome So that these holy Fathers do iudge this errour not only to be an heresy but also a blasphemy And yet these new Reformers which is a thing most admirable deplorable make such blasphemies the principall articles of their faith and they haue also most tyrannically enforced others vnder pretext of giving them only pure Scripture to swear believe such horrible errours and blasphemies for divine truths But I found that some more prudent and conscientious Protestants haue abandoned this wicked Calvinisticall opinion yea and condemned it as the holy Fathers had done for blasphemy Mr Shelford a Minister in England hath written a Treatise expresly on this matter Shelford p. 147. to prove the possibility of the law with the assistance of Gods grace where he censures the contrary opinion by the Scriptures Fathers by the authority of King Iames. For this he speaks King Iames vpon the Lords prayer affirmeth it to be blasphemy to say that any of Christs precepts are impossible because this is to give him the lie who out of his own mouth told vs that his yoke is easy his burden light And his inward disciple S. â—n saith his Commandements are not grievous â—rom whence S. Basil the great averreth Impious it is to say the precepts of Gods Spirit are impossible Thus he Behold Bas hom 3. what the Presbyterians do esteeme a principal article of their faith how a learned Protestant whose booke came forth in the yeare 1635. with great applause in Cambridge and King Iames who was head of the Church of England do condemne as blasphemy impiety a giving the lie to God I heare also that some of the new Independent Congregations in England do no lesse sharply condemn the same Presbyterian opinion But besides all these pressing authorities I found also some convincing reasons against the Presbyterians which I will briefly collect 1. It cannot stand with the goodnesse and justice of a lawgiver such as God is to impose vpon people lawes which are impossible to be kept then to punish them with losse of goods and life for not observing these impossible lawes The greatest Tyrant on earth did never arrive to that hight of impiety cruelty Therefore it is impossible that God who is good iust should commit such cruelty iniustice To this accordeth S. Augustin in his words above cited when he saith Aug. ser 61. de temp God could not command any thing impossible because he is iust neither will he damne a man for that which he could not avoid because he is mercyfull Yea these absurdities of iniustice and cruelty would follow against the goodnesse of God in a high degree in how much the punishment he inflicts is greater then can be inflicted by man although thâ— greatest Tyrant on earth For what is the loâ—â— of temporall goods and life in comparison of the losse of heaven and of the death both of Soule body in the eternal paines of Hell Therefore it 's no wonder that the holy Fathers some Protestants do detest the Presbyterian doctrin as extream blasphemy 2. It doth not only incroach vpon the goodnesse iustice of God but also
by a true conversion to God when the baptism of water is not contemned but rather desired and yet through some necessity men die without it as S. Ambrose testifieth of Valentinian the yonger· I haue lost him Ambr. orat de obitâ—â— Val. ent iunioris Mark 1.4 Luke 3.3 saith he whom I was to regenerate but he hath not lost the grace which he hoped for This true conversion penance is also called baptism in the Scriptures for it is said that S. Iohn preached baptism of penance vnto remission of sins And according to this doctrin the ancients did handsomly distinguish three kinds of baptism which they called Sanguinis flaminis fluminis that is the baptism of blood of the Spirit of water Lastly he said that although baptism were not a necessarie mean ordained by God for Salvation of Infants yet it hath the necessitie of a command to Pastors Mat. 28.19 as is evident by our Saviours words to the Apostles Goe and teach all nations baptizeing them c. Therefore although it were supposed that no hurt come to the children dying without baptism yet they who by their office are obliged to baptize commit a great sin when they wilfully neglect to obey Christs command which the Presbyterian Pastors manifestly do suffering so many children notwithstanding the many teares and cries of their parents to die without baptism And according to this observation King Iames answered well a Minister in Scotland who enquired of him if he thought baptism so necessarie that if it were omitted the child would be damned No said the King but I verily believe if yow being called to baptise a child in danger of death would refuse to do it that you would be damned This answer may be seen in the first dayes conference at Hampton-Court Where it is also shewed that such a neglect of baptisme is not only a damnable sin in the Minister but likwise that it is very daÌ„gerous for the child For who saith the Bishop of London hath any carâ— of religion and would not by all meanes be carefull that his child receive baptism Who would not rather assure his action vpon the promises of Iesus Christ then the omission of it vpon the secret iudgment of God Then whereas the Ministers do alleadge that Christs command extends only to publique and not to private baptism this is a meer fancy without any ground in Scripture where no such distinctioÌ„ is made yea it is against Scripture For do we not read that S. Paul was baptized privatly by Ananias and the Eunuch by S. Philip. Acts. 9.18 Acts. 8.38 But they who teach that Gods commandments are impossible to be kept and make dayly profession to break them may let this passe with the rest These and diverse other inconsequentiall errours of the Presbyterians concerning baptim he did manifest vnto me which for brevities sake I omitt Therefore to conclude this point I cannot believe the Presbyterian doctrin against the necessity ob baptism because iâ— is against our Saviours expresse words against the holy Fathers whole ancient Church because it is an ancient heresy condemned in the Pelagians because it is against the common instinct of Christians and is condemned by diverse famous Protestants so that King Iames the head of a famous Protestant Church iudged it damnable in the Ministers and his Prelats esteem'd it most dangerous to the infants For which dangerous doctrin and the cruel practise flowing from it I can find no other ground but Ministerial tradition from Geneva and that against the Scriptures and all the former authorities Florimond above cited sheweth Flor. Reym de orta haeres lib. 8. c. 11. c. how this tradition descended from Calvin and that Musculus Superintendent of Berne deposed a Minister named Samuel Hueber for having baptized a child in the night when it was in danger of death and Beza did assist to that censure Moreover he sheweth how in a Protestant Synod at Figear it was ordain'd that the Ministers should comfort the parents of children dying without baptism But all in vaine so that the Ministers of Poictou in an aslembly at Chastelrauld in the yeare 1599. were enforced to give way to Ministers to baptize in private houses that they might avoid the cryes of tender hearted mothers I have heard of some pittiful accidents that have fallen forth in our Countrey vpon this same occasion so that some mothers have almost gone out of their witts when the Ministers suffered their children to die without baptism And I knew a Protestant father who for this same reason took great indignation at all Presbyterian Ministers Such a strong impression hath God made of this truth in the hearts of the simple people who in many other things have suffered themselves to be too simply misled to abandon the truth By all which it may be fâ—en how the Presbyterians make void and destroy the Sacrament of baptism CHAP. XXI Of the reall presence of Christs body in the holy Sacrament which is denyed by the Presbyterians AS the Presbyterians by denying both the effect and necâ—ssity of bapism do in effect quite take away that so holy and necessary a Sacrament so I conceived if it be true that Christs body be really present in the Eucharist as the Catholiques beleeve that the Presbyterians who deny the reall presence and do give vs nothing but signes and tokens of Christs body do also destroy this other most excellent Sacrament The Catholiques belief in this point Concil Triden sessio 13 c. 1. is clearly set down by the Councel of Trent where it is said The holy Synod doth openly and simply professe that in the holâ— Sacrament of the Eucharist after the consecration of bread wine our Lord Iesus Christ true od true man is truly really suhstantially contain'd c. Our first Scott sh Confession speaks not so clearly For after some ambiguity of words by which it would seem to graunt the reall presence it acknowledged that hrists body is only in the heavens For it saith that the holy Ghost by true faith 1. Scottish confes art 21. carrieth vs above all things that are visible c and maketh vs to feed vpon the body blood of Christ Iesus which is in the heavens And yet notwithstanding the far distance of place which is betwixt his body now grorifyed in the heavens and vs now mortall in this earth yet we assuredly beleeve c. The late Gonfession of Westminster albeit it vseth also some ambiguous expressions yet it affirmeth that Christs body is not corporally or carnally in with or vnder the bread wine Confess Vvest chap. 29. n. 7. And it s knowen also that the Presbyterians do zealously maintaine that Christs body is only in the heavens and that it is impossible even to the omnipotency of God to make a body to be present in two places at once And therefore according to them Christs body cannot be
after it began how furiously it ran what great noise it made how it carried down almost all with it Now you see it runs more calmly it is almost run out and the great noise of it is past Again the true Church is like the Sun ever shining in all generations according to that of the Psalmist He hath put his tabernacle in the Sun Psal 18.6 which S. Augustin expounds thus He hath placed his Church in manifestation And such has been the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome always visible and ever shining since the time of Christ But all heresies are like Comets which arise at certain times being made vp of terrestrial vapours make a great blaze so long as their grosse matter lasts but so soō as that failes they quickly evanish So indeed are heresies made vp for the most part of tēporary interests which make thē for a short time give a great glister but so soon as the grosse matter of these interests failes as it cannot laste long then they begin to shine dimnly then they languish in end evanish How great a light was the Covenant esteem'd What a great lustre did it make in great Britain so long as the interests concurred But these soon failing new lights have risen which have discocovered the former to be meerly humane have made it to languish and in a word have shown it to be a Comet Moreover the Church of Christ is frequently compared by the holy Fathers to a ship strongly built and wisely governed by Christ which ever since his time hath sailed through the seas of this world and notwithstanding the many tempests which the Divel and wicked men have raisd against her yet she riding out them all hath carried in her all these who have been saved vnto the port of Salvation She has been many wayes tossed but could never be overwhelmed For Ambros lib. de Salomone c. 4. as S. Ambrose saith excellently She cannot suffer ship shipwrak because Christ is exalted on the mast that is on the Crosse the Father sits pilot in the sterne and the holy Ghost preserves the fore-Castle Such is the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome as we have seen But heretical Churches are like little boats neither made nor governed by Christ but by new Sect-Masters who foolishly abandoned the ship of the Church Who promise a safe and more easy passage to heaven whereby many are rashly drawn to entrust their soules to them But within a short space the stormes arising these new vnskifull Pilots being of contrary iudgments fall into horrible dissensions and their passingers into bloody factions to the destruction of one another So that in end these boats which came but lately vpon the sea of this world which intended fondly to sink the Church are das't against rocks split in pieces and all these miserable soules which remain'd in them are overwhelm'd with waters Hieron epist ad Damaum For whosoever saith S. Hierom is not in the ark of Noah shall perish by the raging deluge And thus all false Churches after a little time have perished Lastly the Church is compared by Christ vnto a house built by himself as by a wise Master-builder vpon ◠rock which must stand for ever And such is the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome which hath stood vnto this day But heresies are new houses built by foolish sect◠masters not founded vpon a rock but vpon the sand which are soon shaken overthrown Wherefore to conclude I hope now through Gods goodnesse that you having seen such evidence for the truth of the Roman Catholique Church will make your self a domestique of this heavenly house which can never be shaken that you will enter into this ship which can suffer no shipwrack that you will walk in this light that can never be eclipsed and that you will runn this channel wherein all the Saints have pas't vnto paradise To this purpose spake the Catholique After I had considered diligently all these things which were given me thereafter in writing and had seen that this reason was so well grounded in the Scriptures and was vsed by the holy Fathers as a most clear and convincing way to prove the true Church I was much satisfyed therewith But yet I desired the Catholique if he would fully satisfie me to shew that the Roman Catholique Church had never changed her doctrin and had still kept that same which she had received from the Apostles For I doubt not said I but you know that the Ministers accuse her to have fallen from the Apostolique doctrin in many points and to have brought in many corruptions Wherevnto he answered that by proving the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome and her alone to have had a continued succession he had proved clearly her to be the true Church and so consequently to haue stil retained the same doctrin which was taught by Christ and the Apostles for change of doctrin changeth the Church and so the doctrin being changed the Church had not continued But said he for your more full satisfaction to take away all doubts and to dispell the mists of these calumnies I will prove the same truth by another special way CHAP. XXXI That the Church in communion with the sea of Rome holds now and has still held the same doctrin which was taught first by Christ his Apostles ALBEIT this truth hath been sufficiently proved by the continued succession of the Church yet now it shall be demonstrated by the special manner whereby this Church has received and still conveighed all her doctrin and for more clearnesse I frame my reason thus That Church which in all ages believed nothing as the doctrin of Christ his Apostles but what she received from her immediat Ancestors as their doctrin holds and hath still held the true doctrin of Christ his Apostles But the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome she alone hath in all ages received all her doctrin after that manner Therefore she alone holds and hath still held the true doctrin which was first taught by Christ his Apostles and consequently she has never changed the doctrin which she first received The Maior is proved after this manner That Church which in all ages believes the same doctrin which Christ and his Apostles taught in the first age hath ever held the true doctrin of Christ his Apostles But that Church which believes nothing as Christs doctrin but what she received as such from her immediat Ancestors believes in all ages the same doctrin which Christ his Apostles taught in the first age Therefore that Church which receives so her doctrin has ever held the same doctrin which was taught at first by Christ his Apostles The reason of this vniformity of doctrin in all ages is because that principle of receiving no doctrin as the doctrin of Christ his Apostles but what was delivered immediatly
by the Christians of the preceeding age makes the doctrin of every following age the same with the doctrin of the preceeding age and so makes the doctrin of all after ages the same with the doctrin of the first age For suppose that the Church now in this age relies vpon that principle to believe nothing as Christs doctrin but what her predecessors of the 15. age taught her to be his doctrin it is evident that the doctrin of these two ages will be the same And the Church of the 15. age relying vpon the same principle must hold the same doctrin which the Church of the 14. age held and so vpward the doctrin of the third age will be the same with that of the second and the doctrin of the second will be the same with that of the first and so if this principle has been carefully observed in all ages the doctrin of all ages will be the same with the doctrin of the first age which is the doctrin of Christ and of his Apostles The Maior then is evident The Minor is proved thus The Church now in Communion with the Roman sea holds in this age that principle For she professeth to believe nothing contrary to the doctrin of her immediat Ancestors and presumes to add nothing as Christs doctrin vnto the doctrin of her Ancestors Therefore she professeth to believe nothing as Christs doctrin but what she received as such from her immediat Ancestors If the Church of the present age professeth so as it is evident she doth then the Church of the fifteenth age behoved to make the like profession or else the Church of this age could not make it For so many persons as are now in Communion with the Roman Church cannot concurre to make so notorious sensible a lye as to say they professe nothing but what was profes't and taught by their immediat Ancestors if these of the 15. age had not made truly such a profession of the same doctrines And for the same reason these of the 15. age could not make that profession and teach it vnto this age vnlesse the 14. age had done the same and so you may ascend vpward even vnto the first age Therefore the Church professing to observe this principle now in this age hath profes't it alwayes If she has profes't it alwayes she has also observ'd it alwayes for the same reason because so many Nations as are in Commmunion of the Roman Church cannnot make so notorious a lye as to say they believe nothing but what they received from their immediat Ancestors if they believed any thing else as Christs doctrin which they had not received Therefore seing they affirm in all ages even vnto the first that they received all their doctrin from their Ancestors it must be true that they did receive it all and it must be also true that with the other doctrine they received and observed this principle To believe nothing but what has been delivered by their immediat Ancestors For this is as it were the rule ground of all particular doctrines So that by proving that the present Church in Communion with the sea of Rome professeth to observe this principle it 's proved she profes't it alwayes and by proving that she profest it alwayes it is shown she has observ'd it alwayes and this principle been alwayes profes't and observed it has been ever delivered with the rest of the doctrin as the main ground whereon the Church hath relyed by which men may come vnto the sure knowledge possession of the true doctrin which was taught by Christ his Apostles So that if the whole Church hath not made a notorious sensible lye in one age to damn themselves and their whole posterity she hath ever received all her doctrin from her immediat Ancestors and so it will be true that the doctrin of all ages is the same with the doctrin of the first age which is the true doctrin of Christ his Apostles Now it rests to be shown that this Church alone observes the former principle which is easily done For if there had been any other society of Christians which had constantly kept that principle it had also kep't the same doctrin which the Roman Church keeps as is evident by what hath been said Secondly No other Churches and especially the Protestant can so much as pretend to keep this principle For they are so far from professing to receive all their doctrines from their immediat Ancestors that at their first rising they accuse their Ancestors and the Church in their time of Errors whereof they professe themselves to be Reformers and that not by doctrin which they had received immediatly from others but what they had received or pick't out from the Scriptures by their private collections which has been the ordinary custom of all heretiques And this is evident in Protestants who do acknowledge that they have their doctrin not by the testimony of the age immediatly preceeding Luther but from him who opposed the whole Church in his time and for many ages before him which he pretended to reform by the Scriptures The whole strength of this proof is grounded vpon this manifest truth that a full report from whole worlds of fathers to whole worlds of Sons of such things as they heard and saw is altogether infallible since sensible evidence in a world of eye witnesses vnanimously concurring is altogether infallible And such is the test mony of the whole Church in every age for her doctrin that it is the very same which was delivered by Christ and his Apostles and therefore it was truly delivered by them For neither can the Church be mistaken in this testimonie since whole Nations cannot be deceived in what is told them not once or twice but what is dayly beaten into their ears what they are bred with and what they see dayly with their eyes or else we may say the whole world erres in iudging white from black Neither can all the Christians in the world dispersed through so many Nations malitiously conspire to make so notorious a lie as to say they heard this taught and saw it practised if they had not seen and heard it For that were to testify a lie in a matter subiect to sense against their greatest interest to witt the Salvation of themselvs of their posterity If it be impossible that all the persons of a great Citie and much more of a whole Nation should think affirm that they saw and heard such things which truly they neither saw nor heard How much more is it impossible that all Christians Cities Nations should think and affirm they were instructed in such doctrines saw such practices if it were not really true that they had received these doctrines seen these practices Hence it remaines evident that this continued testimony of so many Christian in every generation is a most sure infallible way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge of what
how much lesse can they as they are now being in many places hard and obscure These Protestants who reiect all but Scripture would make Christ to have been the most imprudent Lawgiver that ever was in ths world to have left vs only a written law or a book in many things very obscure and expose it to every man to scance vpon without assigning an Interpreter who could give vs full assurance of the true sense of it That way would never bring men to the sure knowledge of Christs doctrine and the true sense of his law but would make all things vncertain and bring in a confusion more worthy of Babel then of the house of God But his divine wisdom hath otherwise provyded We haue seen then said the Catholique that the testimony of all Christians in every generation is the only sure infallible way Now we shall see that it is the most easy vniversal way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge of what Christ his Apostles taught For what is more easy then to hear a continued testimony of Pastors people who constantly depose that this is the doctrin which they have receiued from their Forefathers what can be more easy then to open our eys and see the practise of all Christians No man of sense will deny if the true doctrin can be surely known hereby but it is a much mor easy way then by the Scriptures which are so hard and obscure or by any written word although never so cleer And it is also evident that it is more vniversal for the Scriptures are only for those who can read and vnderstand them but this serues for all sortes of persons learned or vnlearned these who can read or cannot and even for the meanest capacities This was certainly the meaning of God when he promised vnder the Gospel a direct way so that fooles cannot erre by it Therefore this being so sure Esay 35.8 so easy so vniversal a way the wisdom goodnesse of God who disposeth all things wisely and sweetely has made vse of it This may be yet further illustrated and confirmed by the manner how the Christian religion was planted First the Apostles stayd long in one place that they might diligently inculcate the Christian doctrin as S. Paul said to the Ephesians Acts 20 27.31 I haue not spared to declare vnto you all the Counsell of God c. For three years night day I ceased not with teares to warn every one c. Secondly the Apostles earnestly exhorted their disciples to keep carefully what they had received 2. Timoth 2.2 Galat. 1.9 to entrust it vnto faithfull witnesses and not to admit any doctrin contrary to that which they had received not although an Angel from heauen should preach otherwise Thirdly The mysteries of the Christian religion were not only sensibly taught to the eare but they were rendred visible to the sight by the â—ractise devotion of the Christian people Fourthly The Christian religion was planted at once in many diverse nations Therefore it was easy for the primitive Christians to know what was the Apostles doctrin which they had heard so often beaten into their eares which they saw practised with their eys and which was profest through out the whole word and great reason had they not to receive any doctrin contrary to it It was also easy for them to discern hold out all new false doctrins For although some would pretend never so much the Scriptures against the publique doctrin of the Church yet the ancient Christians knowing certainly that the Scriptures are not contrary to the doctrin which the Apostles had clearly delivered by lively voice and publickly establish'd in the Church they vnderstood the Scriptures according to the clear rule of faith left by the Apostles They did not vpon pretext of contrariety between the doctrin of the Church the Scriptures abandon the Apostles clear lively doctrin vniversally establisht and follow a new glosse of their writings contrary to it which had been indeed grosse follie and directly against the Apostles command in the Scriptures as has been shown And as this was an easy way in the first ages to know the truth and to discern error so it has been in the succeeding ages For the rule of faith ought to be immoveable as the faith it self is God himself promiseth the continuance of this easy way when he said by Esay Esay 59.21 My Spirit which is in thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed for ever And again Vpon thy walls ô Ierusalem Esay 62.6 I haue appointed watchmen all the day all the night c. The Scripture directs vs to this way Deuter. 32.7 Remember the dayes of old saith Moyses Consider euery Generation ask thy Father and he will show thee thy Elders they will tell thee God himself saith in Ieremy Ieremie 6.16 stand you in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and you shall find Rest to your soules Because many leave this old good way we see they change many wayes and can find no rest and never will vntill they return again to the old good way which they foolishly abandoned Christ directs vs to this way Math. 18.17 when he saith Tell the Church and who heares you heares me c. The holy Fathers followed this way S. Augustin shewes that this is the way to put an end to all doubts to attayn vnto the truth to be at rest which he knew by his own experience Aug. de vtilitate cred cap. 8. If thou seeme to thy self saith he to have been already sufficiently tossed and would make an end of these labours paines Follow the way of the Catholique Disciplin which has proceeded from Christ by his Apostles even vnto vs and from hence shall descend and be conveighed vnto posterity Tertullian affirmes there is no other way to know the Apostles doctrin Tertull. de praescrip c. 21. What the Apostles taught saith he I will prescribe ought no otherwise to be proued then by these Churches which the Apostles founded And that we must begin with the testimony of the Church in the time wherein we live to ascend by every generation vnto the ancient Church and so to the very mouth of Christ his Apostles the same Tertullian shewes who makes this ladder of belief Tert. de praes c. 21. What I believe I receiued from the present Church the present Church from the Primitive the Primitive from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ c. According to this tradition the holy Fathers did vnderstand the Scriptures Vincent Lyr. cont heres c. 1. S. Vincentius Lyrinensis shewes the necessity of this rule to avoid the turnings and windings of diverse errors where he cites and commends the following words of
S. Ambrose Let vs therefore keep the precepts of our Elders and not with temerity of rude presumption violate those seals descending to vs by inheritance To the same purpose Origen writeth In our vnderstanding saith he of the Scriptures Orig. tract 27. 〈◊〉 we must not depart from the first Ecclesiasticall Tradition nor believe otherwise but as the Church of God has by succession delivered vnto vs. By this way also all heresies have been clearly discovered condemned Theodoret l. 1. hist c. 8. Theodoret expresly witnesseth that the heresy of Arius was condemned by the doctrin not written which had been always profest in the Church For there was no end by Scripture the Arians pretending that as well as the Catholiques Tertullian saith There is no good got by disputing out of the texts of Scripture But either to make a man sick or mad And the reason is because albeit you would bring never so clear Scriptures the heretiques will expound all according to their pleasures and they never faile also to bring Scriptures for themselvs so that the victory is vncertain or not so evident but by the constant belief of the Church all heretiques are clearly confounded S. Athanasius by this means confounds the Arians Behold saith he we have proved the succession of our doctrin delivered from hand to hand from father to son But as for yov ô new Iewes and Sons of Caiphas Athanas lib. 1. de decret Niceni CoÌ„ what progenitors can you name for your selvs By this means also the Error of rebaptizing those who had been baptized by heretiques was refuted and the custom of the Church to the contrary prevailed over all S. Cyprians reasons and many authorities collected from the Scriptures Aug. lib. 2 de bapt c. 9. As yet saith S. Augustin there had been no General Councell assembled in that behalf but the world was held in by the strength of Custom which was opposed to those who would bring in that novelty S. Stephen Pope and Martyr wrote to S. Cyprian in these words Nihil innovetur nisi quod traditum est Let nothing be changed nothing received but what has been delivered Herevpon I proposed this difficulty that some things were believed after the definition of a General Councel which were not believed before Therefore it would seem that the Church has not always relied on that principle to believe nothing but what was delivered by the constant testimony of their immediat Ancestors To which the Catholique answered that the clearing of this difficulty would manifest the strength evidence of the former proof First said he it is evident that the principal if not all the points maintain'd by Catholiques and now questioned by Protestants did ever appear externally in the profession practise of the whole Church and were not defined by anterior Councils Therefore according to S. Augustins rule they are Apostolical Aug. lib. 4. de baptis c. 24. For that saith he which the vniversal Church doth hold and was not instituted by Councels but has been still retayn'd in the Church is most iustly believed to have descended from no other authority than from the Apostles Therefore this obiection makes nothing for the benefit of Protestants who condemn many things which were publickly vniversally profest and practised in the Church before they were by any Councils authorized Secondly These points of faith which were determined by General Councels were not defin'd as new doctrines For either they were generally constantly believed by the whole Church till some heretiques began violently to oppose them or there were some points not so generally believed practised throughout the whole Church but some Catholiques did with submission to the iudgmeÌ„t of the Church doubt of them Now it is evident that the Church in the points of the first kind believed the same thing after the definition of a General Council which she believed before as we haue seen out of S. Athanasius concerning the Divinity of Christ which was believed as well before the great Councell of Nice as after it Neither were these other points of which some Catholiques doubted defin'd as new doctrines but the whole Church assembled in a General Council after due examination having found these points to have descended by sufficient approued testimony or tradition and being assisted by Christ the head of his body which is the Church the holy Ghost the Guide of it according to our Sauiours promise special necessary providence over his Church proposeth them to be vniversally believed without any more doubt And whosoever after this definition of the vniversal Church of her supreme authority call these things any more in question become heretiques are cast out of the Church But all good Christians who had any doubt before for want of the Churches proposeall having now got that do acquiesce and are put out of all doubt for to oppose the whole Church Aug. epist 118. ad â—anuar as S. Augustin observes would be most insolent madnesse This whole matter is clear in the question of rebaptization For it was decided by a General Council according to the custom or Tradition which was opposed before the Council to S. Cyprian Therefore the same thing was a matter of faith was believed before the Council although some did not know it to be such till the Church did interpose her supreme authority declare it to be so S. Augustin shewes how much himself relies on this iudgment and that S. Cyprian would have yielded to it if in his time it had been interposed Aug lib. â— de bapt c. 4. Neither durst we saith he affirm any such thing if we were not well grounded vpon the most vniforme authority of the vniversal Church vnto which vndoubtedly S. Cyprian also would have yielded if in his time the truth of the question had been cleared declared by a General Council established Vpon the other part these who after the determination of the Council maintaynd the same error of rebaptization were esteemed Heretiques Vincent cont he es c. 9. which made S. Vincentius cry out thus O admirable change the Authors of one self opinion are called Catholiques and the followers of it Heretiques And the reason of the difference is because as S. Augustin observes An erring disputer may be suffered in other questions not diligently tried not as yet strengthned by the full authority of the Church Aug. serm 14 de verbis Apostol in these matters an error may be suffered But after the iudgment of the Vniversal Church which is the highest authority on earth has past and condemned any error then it is no more to be suffered then these who will not hear the Church are by our Sauiours command to be esteem'd as Heathens Publicans By which the difficulty proposed is clearly answered the proof stands good That the Church has alwayes believed that which from father to son has been delivered
and amongst all doctrines which have been delivered there is none descended more clearly then the irrefragable testimony of the Catholique Church either as she is dilated throughout the whole world or as she is assembled in a General Council whereof the continual practice of the Church from the beginning is a superabvndant evidence From this truth we will briefly deduce some Corollaries 1. Since we neither ought nor can arrive vnto the certain knowledge of our Saviours and his Apostles doctrin but by the testimony of the Catholique Church this Testimony is not only necessary for the knowledge of the doctrines not written but also of these which are written because the true sense of these cannot be infallibly known but by this lively rule of faith 2. The doctrines not written which have been still believed and profest in the Church are truly Apostolical divine as well as these doctrines which are contain'd in Scripture because we have the same infallible assurance for them that we have for these 3. Since the Testimony and authority of the Vniversal Church is the only means by which we can be fully assured what was the doctrin of Christ and therefore is the formal motive of our belief it followes that what ever the Church testifieth to be revealed by God has been truly revealed and ought to be beleeued whither the matters themselvs be great or small And hereby the Protestants distinction of points fundamental not fundamental is quite overturned and shewed to be impertinent Because neither of these points are beleeved for themselv's but for the divine authority revealing them and this cannot be known but by the testimony of the Church by her authority proposing them Therefor the formal motive being the same for all points they are all alike to be beleeved when they are by the same authority of the Church sufficiently proposed and in that case to deny any thing albeit never so small for the matter is a fundamental error and clearly opposite to the formal motive of our faith for which all the points of faith are beleeved and whosoever disbeleeves any thing at all so proposed denies faith to God reiects his authority 4. He who contemnes or neglects the testimony of the Catholique Church in the time wherein he lives which is a testimony beyond all exception most worthie of credit can never come to the full certain knowledge of our Saviours doctrin For that is as it were the first step of the ladder vpon which if one set not first his foote he cannot arrive vnto the top that is vnto the first age wherein Christ his Apostles lived 5. From this principle flow all the notes of the Church As first her Vnity in all points of faith For if she has alway's beleeved nothing but what was received from hand to hand from father to son by the testimony of the Christian world and all persons within her submit to the same supreme authority of one chief Pastor of General Councels the Church cannot but have Vnity in all points of faith Secondly the holynesse of the Church flowes also from the foresaid principle For if the doctrin of the Church was holy at the beginning as all Christians must confesse and the doctrin by this continual testimony remaines ever the same as hath been proved Then the Church is still holy in all her doctrines which all tend to holynesse Thirdly the Church is also Catholique For it is by the testimony of Christians in all Nations that the doctrin of Christ is infallibly conueighed vnto vs. Lastly the Church is Apostolique For it is by her continued testimony that the doctrin of Christ is known in all generations and therefore she must have a continued succession from the Apostles Wherefore to conclude I hope that I have proved now sufficiently the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome by receiving all her doctrines in all ages from her forefathers has ever kept the same doctrin which she first received from Christ his Apostles never changed it and therefore as she was so she still is the spouse of Christ being a fruitefull Mother yet a chast Virgin never parting from Christ for she could never be drawn from the doctrin which she once received from him neither by the bloody persecutions of the Pagans nor by the deceitfull pretexts and allurements of heretiques yea she never did dissemble the least Error in her deerest children Iude v. 3. but as S. Iude exhorts has ever contended earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints She has indeed been ever falsly accused as an Adulteresse by all heresies which are themselvs as we have seen before harlots and strumpets But she remaines pure chast Adulterari non potest Cypr. in tract de simplicitate Prelator Osee 2.19 saith S. Cyprian Sponsa Christi c. The Spouse of Christ cannot become an adulteresse she is chast incorrupt What she once knew of Christ she still holds and never at all parts from him as he never parts from his Church to which he said I will espouse thee to my self for ever S. Paul speaking of the great love of Christ to his Church saith that he delivered himself for it Ephes 5.25 c. that he might sanctifie it and present it vnto himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing c. And of the indissolvible coniunction between Christ and his Church he saith This is a great Sacrament Ibid. v. 32. but I say in Christ his Church As the Iewes did loaden our Saviour with lies calumnies so all heretiques strive to defame oppresse his Spouse by the same means but all in Vain For as the innocency of Christ did appear and the whole earth was filled with his praises whereas his enemies were cloathed with shame confusion were scattered through the earth had their Temple destroyed and their Nation ruined So within a short time the vnspotted innocency purity of his spouse is manifested to the shame confusion of all heresies which being accursed by the Church with all their lies calumnies are ever at length destroyed from the face of the earth for as the Wiseman has observed Ecclesiastic c. 3. v. 11 the Mothers curse rooteth vp the foundation If it was a great sin in the Iewes that they not only refused to hear and obey Christ but also falsly accused him and many wayes lyed and blasphemed against him It cannot be a small sin in heretiques that they do not only refuse to hear the Church for which crime alone they are by Christs command to be holden as Heathens Publicans but also they falsly accuse his Spouse which he loves so deerly for an Adulteresse and charge her with Idolatry Superstition all sorts of abomination These calumnies if not blasphemies are the ground of all their new doctrines pretended Reformations By which we may know the rare fabrick
fruitfull in produceing Saints But the Protestant Church teacheth doctrines which tend to prophanesse to the neglect of piety of all good works and she is so barren in produceing Saints that she professeth to bring forth none but those who continually or dayly break mortally Gods Commandments The true Church according to the Scriptures must be Catholique or Vniversal and must convert all Nations from infidelity to Christianity But the Protestant Church is only in parts pettie corners of the earth and has never as yet converted any Nation of Infidels but according to the nature of heresy has only perverted some ill Catholiques The true Church must ever have true Pastors lawfully called and ordained deriving their Succession by an vninterrupted line from the holy Apostles But the Protestant Churches first Pastors succeeded to none and without any lawfull Vocation ordination did intrude themselves by Vsurpation into the Pastoral office as all their successors have done The true Church adheres so closly to the truth that she is called in the Scriptures The pillar ground of truth 1. Timoth 3.15 But the Protestant Church is so inconstant passing from one falshood into another that she may be called the Pillar ground of Error The true Church according to Christs promise is ever directed by the Spirit of truth into all truth But the Protestant Church is misgoverned by the Spirit of giddinesse as is known by fresh experience These considerations besides others make me see the great darknesse wherein I lay and have made me to admire of my former blindnesse that I reading so frequently the Scriptures did not see the monstrous difference which is between the Church of Christ there so clearly described and the Protestant Church to which not one propertie of the true Church contain'd in the Scriptures doth agree This shew me how necessary it is to read the Scriptures with attention and to implore the Divine Maiesty for spirituall illumination without which darknesse will seem light and light darknesse But in the holy Catholique Church I found not only promise but also perforformance of truth I found her faith to be more pretious then gold which is tried by the fire as S. Peter speaks 1. Pet. 1.7 which after greatest opposition and triall doth ever shine more brightly I found in this Church clearly fulfilled all the Prophesies and that to her do agree all the properties of the true Church described in the Scriptures For this is the Church which alone has endured since the time of the Apostles This is the Church which as a Citie seated on a hill could never be hid but as a Candle set vpon a Candlestick hath enlightned the whole world This is the Church which has been admirable for its Vnity and eminent for its sanctity replenishing the heaven with innumerable Saints who have all lived and died in the bosome of her Communion This is the Church which is Vniversal for time place which has had her gates continually open night and day to receive the strength of the Gentils which she alone has converted from infidelity to Christianity This is the Church which has had a continued succession of Pastors descending without interruption from the holy Apostles This is the Church which adheres so closely to the faith she once received that she would never part from it nor yield in one syllabe or letter neither to Heathnish cruelty nor to heretical impiety and which neither force nor flatterie could ever shake so that she may be iustly called the Pillar ground of Veritie This Church is the chast Virgin Spouse of Christ which has been ever falsly accused as an Adulteresse by all Heretical Strumpets and has been even overloaden with their Calumnies but she has alwayes adhered vnto her heavenly spouse who in his own time has manifested her innocencie and brought confusion on her Enemies And in a word this is the Church which is admirable for its order and government for its supreme authority and invincible strength for its heavenly doctrin and great holynesse and lastly for her power of working miracles What then can I do more fitly then after so great darknesse to embrace so clear a light after so many dangerous errors and wandrings to put my self in the direct way of Salvation and incorporat my self without delay into this one holy Catholique Apostolique Church wherein all the holy Fathers all the Saints have liv'd and dyed What can I vse more properly then the words of S. Augustin who saith to this purpose since we see so great help of God Aug. dt vâ—il credendi c. 17. so great profit and fruite shall we make any doubt at all to retire vnto the bosome of that Church which from the Apostolique Sea by succession of Bishops has obtaind the Soveraign authority heretiques in vain barking round about it c. To which not to yield the Primacy is either a matter of greatest impiety or of precipitat arrogancy The same Motives which held S. Augustin within the Catholique Church have drawn me vnto it To witt Idem cont epist fund c. 4. the Consent of People and Nations Authority begun by Miracles nourished by Hope enlarged by Charity and Confirmed by Antiquity The Succession of Priests from the Seat of Peter vnto the present Bishoprick And last of all the very name Catholique which not without cause this Church has only obtaind among so many Heresies Iohn 1.41 Iohn 4.29 As then S. Andrew and the Woman of Samaria were glad when they found the Messias foretould by the Prophets because they were sure to find with him all truth So am I no lesse overioyed to have found the true Church foretould and clearly described by the Messias for with her I am sure to find all truth since she is the Pillar and ground of Truth and Christ has promised to her the Spirit of truth to remain with her for ever to lead her into all truth As the Apostles believed Christ for the voice of God the Father who said Mark 9.7 Luke 10.16 This is my beloved Son heare him so I believe the Church for the voice of God the Son who said Who heares you heares me and who despiseth yow despiseth me Math. 18.19 and who will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen a Publican And as the holy Apostles did believe Christ in all things because he received all from his father so I believe the Catholique Church in all points because she has received all her doctrines from Christ his Apostles and has faithfully retaind them This Catholique Church is she alone which Lactan. lib. 4. divinar Instit c. vlt. as an auncient Father writeth retaines the true worship This is the fountain of truth and House of Faith This is the Temple of God into which if one do not enter or from which if one go astray he is a stranger from the hope of life
the bond but also the Sacrament of Marriage is commended By which few Testimonies these 5. Sacraments which you reiect are as clearly proved out of the Scripture as these two which you admit Yea although they had not been mentioned in the Scripture yet they are all with reverence to be received seing they are demonstrated by divine Tradition which is of no lesse infallible authority then the Scripture it self as has been proved above and this Tradition is evident both by the consent of the holy Fathers and by the constant beleef practice of the whole Church which has vsed these Sacraments in all ages according to the ends for which they were instituted And thefore the Catholique doctrine concerning the number of the Sacraments which flowes from such pure fountains is pure true not corrupted as you do calumniate Whereas indeed your doctrine and that of your first Reformers in this matter is not only full of corruption but also of confusion For Luthers followers admit three Sacraments to witt Ap. Becan in Man lib. 1. c. 8. Baptism Eucharist Penance as may be seen in their Catechismes Zuinglius receives also three but not all the same for in place of Penance he puts Matrimonie And Calvin reckons also three for to Baptism the Supper Cal. lib. 4. Instit c. 19. par 32. he adds Order So full of confusion even at the beginning were these builders of Babylon following neither Scriptures nor Fathers but their own fancies Wherein you are not behind with them swarving from the doctrin of your Master Calvin and according to your own imaginations admitting only 2. Sacraments which two also in effect you destroy by robbing them of all vertue and efficacy as has been shewed above chap. 21. in fine You accuse next the Catholique Church of corruptions concerning the vse of the Sacraments But it is sufficient against your accusations that these vses of the Sacraments which you most blame as private Baptism private Communion c. are known to have been observed by the holy Primitive Church are in themselvs laudable and tend much to the devotion comfort of the faithfull and are also approved by diverse learned moderate Protestants Whereas your doctrines practises make your Sacraments altogether gracelesse and almost Vselesse and Comfortlesse for which you are blamed by diverse Protestants Moreover you are enemies also to the very Ceremonies with which the Sacraments are administrated in the Catholique Church It is not sufficient for you to have taken away the fruite of Grace from these heavenly Trees planted by God in the Garden of his Church as in a heavenly Paradise vnlesse you pull away also the Ceremonies which serve as leaves and Ornaments to them You detest all Ceremonies not contain'd in the word of God By which you lay down a most false deceitfull principle as if no Ceremonies were to be vsed which were not expresly there For first the Scriptures containes not expresly all doctrines but referres vs to the Church and to Traditions as we have seen above How much lesse then doth it contain all Ceremonies Secondly As our Saviour when he did institute the Sacraments did not prescribe the particular forme by which they should be celebrated but left that to the wisdome of his Apostles so his Apostles did not set down that manner in writing S. Augustin expresly affirmes the first part Aug. ep 118. ad Ianuar. saying Christ did not command in what order thereafter the Sacrament should be taken that he might leave that place to the Apostles by whom hs was to order his Church The second part is also evident For we never read where S. Paul who writing to the Corinthians concerning the holy Eucharist said 1. Cor. 11. ver vlt. The rest I will dispose when I come did expresse that manner or order in the Scripture And the same may be said of the other Apostles Thirdly Some Rites and Ceremonies vsed by Christ himself recorded in Scripture were changed by the holy Apostles according to the instinct of the holy Ghost for the greater honour of the blessed Sacrament and have been from the Apostles times observed throughout the whole Church without Scripture Aug. ep 118. c. 6. This S. Augustin doth testify Neither saith he because Christ gave the Sacrament after meat ought we having dyn'd or sup't assemble to receive that Sacrament or as these whom the Apostle reproves and corrects mingle it with their Tables c. For it seem'd good to the holy Ghost that for the honour of so great a Sacrament our Lords body before all other meat should first enter into the mouth of a Christian and therefore this custom is observed throughout the whole world Fourthly the Church can institute ceremonies for greater decency and Order and for the more honour of God For if Iacob a private man vsed a new Ceremonie by erecting a stone by powring oyle vpon it and giving it the title of Bethel Genes 28. If the Synagogue of the Iewes made a new feast by the advice of Mardocheus Ester 9. why not also shall the Church of Christ have the same authority If such was the power of a private man and of the Handmaid How much more ought the power be of the Free-woman the holy Church the immaculate Spouse of Iesus-Christ Or what can be more ridiculous and profane then to grant that power to these and deny it to this Or to think that the Catholique Church which is governed by the Holy Ghost in all truth according to Christs promise should not have so much wisdom as to ordain aright some few Ceremonies Therefore your former principle is very false for many reasons yea it is so false that yourselves doe not observe it For where have you Scripture for the Godfathers God-Mothers which you require at Baptism Where have you scripture for taking your Communion fasting from the hands of one another not from the hands of your Minister and for many such rites customes besides your stoole of Repentance When did your Ministers observe that ceremony of washing the feet of others which was vsed by Christ Iohn 13.5 before the celebration of the Eucharist When did either they or their Elders anoint the sick according to S. Iames precept Whereby it is evident that you observe some Rites which are not contain'd in the scriptures and others you neglect which are there particularly recommended As then it is clear that the Church of Christ may vse ceremonies which are not expressed in Scripture so these Ceremonies which she observeth are most commendable because they are most auncient and were vsed in the primitive times as Coccius shewes by the testimonies of the holy Fathers they are most observeable because they were instituted by the holy Apostles and Pastors of the Church who had both authority and wisdom to institute those which are most convenient And lastly they have been confirmed by the long
practice of the whole Church against whose custome to dispute as S. Augustin affirmes is most insolent madnesse Therefore without or rather against all reason do you detest the Ceremonies of the Catholique Church No religion can be without Ceremonies and we see in the Scripture that all great mysteries are accompanyed with sublime significative Ceremonies as our Saviours Nativity Baptism Transfiguration Resurrection Ascension the Descent of the holy Ghost c. Our saviour also at all great solemn actions vsed many Ceremonies as at the raising of Lazarus the cureing of the man who was both deaf dumb Mark 7.33 and vpon many other occasions all which Ceremonies serve as Ornaments of religion presenting an external Maiesty to the senses and making the spiritual mysteries to be more clearly vnderstood to be received with greater reverence and to be more deeply imprinted in the hearts of the beholders The same might be easily verifyed of the Catholique Ceremonies Therefore you who vnder pretext of spirituality are profest Enemies to all Ceremonies do not take heed that you take all order decency from the Church service of God that you oppose the practice of Christ his Apostles and of the whole Primitive Church and do render the sublime mysteries of the Christian religion contemptible You renounce also to vse your words the Popes 5. bastard Sacraments But that is only proper to adulteresse Churches to have bastard Sacraments The Catholique Church has none but lawfull Sacraments instituted by her heavenly Spouse Iesus-Christ of admirable vertue grace as we have seen all these 5. to be But indeed you have made even those two which you keep bastard Sacraments by robbing them of all vertue and grace We shall only speak a word of your other Detestations which follow in this Section because some of them have been touched above First vnder the name of the Pope you detest the iudgment of the Catholique Church as cruel against infants dying without Baptism and for the absolute necessity of Baptism But this was also the iudgment of the Primitive Church yea of Christ himself who has said Iohn 3.5 vnlesse one be borne again of water the Spirit he shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven And therefore is not cruel as has been shewed above at more length Whereas your iudgment is both false and cruel against many children dying with Baptism excluding them from heaven Yea not only your Iudgment is cruel but also your practice suffering many children to dye without Baptisme Confer Hampton-Court for which cruelty King Iames affirmed that your Ministers who were guilty of it would be damned You accuse next the Catholique Church of blasphemy for beleeving the Reall Presence or Transubstantiation which you wisely make all one question and for teaching that the wicked receive the body of Christ But they are not blasphemous who do beleeve Christs words expressed by 3. Evangelists and one Apostle and who follow the constant doctrin of the holy Fathers of the auncient Church as the Catholiques do in this matter as has been shewed above And if the wicked did not receive the body of Christ how could they be guilty of it as the Apostles affirmes the vnworthy receivers of it to be But you are rather guilty of blasphemy even in the iudgment of Protestants who will not beleeve Christs clear words and deny thereby his Omnipotency Luther your first Apostles gives this Iudgment of you We censure as heretiques aliens from the Church of God the Zuinglians all Sacramentaries Luth. cont Lovanien Thes 27. who deny the body blood of Christ to be received with the Carnal Mouth in the Eucharist And a famous Doctor of his Church continues the same opinion of you for speaking of this same matter he saith the sect of the Calvinists is grown to such blasphemy and madnesse Conrad Shlussel Theol. Calvin l. 1. c. 3. that they dare call in question Gods omnipotency Then you accuse the Pope Catholique Church for Dispensations in solemn Oaths and Periuries But these are either vain or false allegations For it is certain that the Church may dispense sometimes with the bond of oaths as she may loose from punishments and free men from the bonds of sins according to that power which Christ gave to her saying whatsoever thou shall loose on earth Math. 16 shall be loosed in heaven c. But it must be for a iust cause and without the iust preiudice of others as Becan shewes Becan de ur iustitia quest 88. q. 11 or else the dispensation is not valid Periuries or false oaths need no Dispensations as you mistake or calumniate but must be only taken away by true Repentance as other sins are purged It is strange that you should deny the lawfull power of dispensing to the whole Catholique Church such as S. Paul vsed with the incestuous Corinthian and yet appropriate it to every one of your selves and should obiect that falsly as a crime to others whereof yourselves are so deeply guilty For it is known how many oaths vowes your first Reformers did either break or dispense with at their own hands and if we will beleeve King Iames Basilicon Doron p. 41. you are not behind with any in these enormities You accuse also falsly the Pope Catholique Church for dispensing in degrees of Mariage forbidden by the word of God that is by the Law of Christ vnlesse you will have the Ceremonial Law of the Iewes to be the Law of Christ and to oblige all Christians whence it would follow that if a man died without issue Deuter. 25.5 his brother should marie the Widow which yourselves do not observe but deny that it ought to be done The Church is so far from dispensing in degrees forbidden by the eternal Law of God that she has made Lawes forbidding dissolving Mariages in degrees not prohibited by the Eternal Law of God which serve as out-works to guard the divin Law She dispenseth indeed sometimes vpon good reason in her own lawes but never in the eternal Law of God which she professeth to be altogether indispensable Neither is the Pope and Catholique Church guilty of cruelty against the innocent divorced by forbidding them to marie vnlesse Christ himself and S. Paul be cruel and the Primitive Church which taught the same doctrine Luke 16.8 Our Saviour saith every one that putteth away his wife and marieth another committeth adulterie and he that marieth her committeth adulterie 1. Cor. 7.10 S Paul saith not I give commandment but our Lord that the wife depart not from her husband if she depart to remaine vnmaried or to be reconciled to her husband Whence it is clear that neither of the parties can marie so long as the other lives This was the doctrine of the holy Fathers and of the ancient Church S. Augustin proveth this in his bookes de adulterinis coniugijs
last section is sufficient where the Scots are said to have become praestaÌ„tissimi omniuÌ„ Christiani c. which had filled the Christian world with the fame of their piety and zeal for propagating the eternal Kingdome of Christ To the which Confession and ancient VNIFORM Religion We without any constraint of men but meerly for the love of Truth in Hope of Eternal Reward though with imminent danger of Temporal losses doe most m m As it is evident that these who embrace the Catholique faith in Scotland where it is persecuted doe it willingly so it is manifestly known that many were constrained to take the Covenant and so did not willingly agree to it See above ch 4. p. 26. and sect 1. p. 417. WILLINGLY agree in our whole hearrs as vnto Gods n n The Catholique faith is so vndoubted Truth that it is altogether vnalterable with the Catholiques But ths Protestant Faith cannot be vndoubted Truth seing it is so often altered by Protestants see p. 430. in fine VNALTERABLE Truth grounded only vpon his o o The Catholiques beleeve all Gods reveal'd word whether vnwritten or written according to the expresse command of the written word Hold the Traditions 2. Thess 2.15 But the Presbyterians against the written word reiect all Traditions REVEALED word And therefore we renounce all sects and Heresies contrary vnto it But especially the PRESBYTERIAN sect and all the points thereof as they are now and have been anciently condemned by the p p How the Presbyterian sect albeit it preteÌ„ds the word of God as all Heretiques do ordinarly preteÌ„d is notwithstanding coÌ„demned by the word of God by the holy Catholique Church which is of far greater Authority then the Presbyterian Kirk of â—cotland may be seen almost every where in the former Treatises word of God and by the HOLY CATHOLIQVE CHVRCH But particularly we reiect the VNPARALLELD INSOLENCY of that Calvinistical q q As it has been shewed above sect 4. p. 432. that the Pope is the Vicar of Iesus Christ and therefore not Anti Christ so also all who do not belong to him belong not to Christ but to Anti Christ and therefore are Anti Christian So S. Hierom expresly affirmeth ibid. p. 437. ANTI-CHRISTIAN Sect vpon both the r r Calvin vsurped oveâ— the letter of the Scriptures by making vp a new Canon never known before And he vsurped over the sense of them by reiecting the ancient sense of the holy Fathers and by inventing new senses according to his private fancies So do also his Disciples the Presbyterian Ministers So did likewise Luther most grosly see p. 439. LETTER and SENSE of the holy Scriptures vpon the Å¿ Å¿ Calvin did vsurp over the holy Catholique Church who having no lawfull authority would take vpon him to reforme the Church to iudge and condemn her to prescribe his own fancies as divine Rules vnto her So do also the Presbyterians See p. 440. HOLY CATHOLIQVE CHVRCH vpon their own t t The Presbyterians in Scotland have had but 4. Princes since their religion began and they have vndenyably vsurped highly over them all as may be seen p. 440. and 41. LAWFVLL PRINCES and Superiors and their Tyrannizing over the u u How they Tyrannized over the consciences of their fellow subiects is notoriously known and may be seen chap. 4. p. 26. CONSCIENCES of their fellow-subiects x x These who vnder pretence of Christian liberty disobey iust Lawes such as are the Lawes of the Catholique Church which were also observed in the primitive times as these about lent fasting the single life of Church men c. make their freedome a cloke of malice against S. Peters advice 1. Pet. 2.13 and an occasion to the flesh Gal. 5.13 see above p. 454. 455. All their LICENTIOVS Exemptions from obedience to iust Lawes vnder pretence of Christian libertie to cloke INIQVITIE and give occasioÌ„ to the FLESH Their DESTVCTIVE Doctrin against the necessity of the y y The Presbyterians destroy all Traditions against the expresse Scripture See above p. 445. and 6. VNWRITTEN word expresly commended by the written word z z They teach that it is impossible even with Gods grace to keep his Law in observation whereof all perfection substantially consists and so indeed they destroy the end and perfection of the Law see above ch 13. 14. and sect 5. p. 448. against the FVLFILLING of the Law without which there is no PERFECTION against the Triple a a They destroy the office of Christ as King by spoyling him of the Kingdome of his Church for many ages They destroy his Priestly office by abrogating the dayly sacrifice and his Prophetical by denying the accomplishment of his Prophesies concerning his Churches continuance and Visibility see above p. 449. OFFICE of Christ as he is KING PRIEST and PROPHET which is a manifest corruption of the blessed Evangel Their corrupted Doctrine of b b Calvin teacheth that Original sin still remaines in vs even after Baptism and that it defiles before God what ever works proceed from vs and so makes theÌ„ mortal sins which doctrine the Presbyterians follow as may be seen above with more to this purpose p. 451. 454. ORIGINAL sin which makes their BEST actioÌ„s MORTAL sins Our c c The Presbyterians graunt such a natural inhability that they deny all supernatural ability in man to keep Gods Law even with the assistance of all his Grace which is a most dangerous corrupted doctrine as may be seen above p. 454. more fully ch 13. 14. of Presb. Trial. SVPERNATVRAL ABILITY and dutiefull SVBIECTION to Gods Law Our Iustification by d d They make Iustification by faith only the principal article of their Reformation and deny Iustification by works expresly against the Scripture Iames 2.124 and the holy Fathers See above ch 14. p. 157. WORKS Our e e They make our sanctification so imperfect that we cannot by it think so much as a good thought or do any thing but sin mortally and still disobey Gods Commandments so that such sanctification is rather profanation and such Obedience is Disobedience See above p. 455. PERFECT SanctificatioÌ„ and Obedience through Christs Grace vnto the Law The f f They have corrupted the Nature of the Sacraments by denying that they were ordaind to conferre Grace by making them only signs and Tokens They have corrupted the number by taking away 5. Sacraments and the vse by abrogating both private Baptisme Communion besides both the publique and private vse of others See above p. 458. seq and before ch 18. Presb. Trial. NATVRE NVMBER and VSE of the Holy Sacraments Their two g g By denying the two Sacraments of Baptisme and the Eucharist which they admitt to conferre Grace They make them Gracelesse and so indeed Bastard Sacraments since the Sacraments of the Law of Grace were instituted to conferre Grace Above p. 467. before
p p How the Presbyterian sect albeit it pretēds the word of God as all Heretiques do ordinarly pretēd is notwithstanding cōdemned by the word of God by the holy Catholique Church which is of far greater Authority then the Presbyterian Kirk of cotland may be seen almost every where in the former Treatises word of God AND KIRK OF SCOTLAND But in special we detest and refuse the VSVRPED AVTHORITY of that Roman q q As it has been shewed above sect 4. p. 432. that the Pope is the Vicar of Iesus Christ and therefore not Anti Christ so also all who do not belong to him belong not to Christ but to Anti Christ and therefore are Anti Christian So S. Hierom expresly affirmeth ibid. p. 437. ANTI-CHRIST Vpon the r r Calvin vsurped ove the letter of the Scriptures by making vp a new Canon never known before And he vsurped over the sense of them by reiecting the ancient sense of the holy Fathers and by inventing new senses according to his private fancies So do also his Disciples the Presbyterian Ministers So did likewise Luther most grosly see p. 439. SCRIPTVRES of God the ſ ſ Calvin did vsurp over the holy Catholique Church who having no lawfull authority would take vpon him to reforme the Church to iudge and condemn her to prescribe his own fancies as divine Rules vnto her So do also the Presbyterians See p. 440. KIRK the t t The Presbyterians in Scotland have had but 4. Princes since their religion began and they have vndenyably vsurped highly over them all as may be seen p. 440. and 41. CIVIL MAGISTRATE and u u How they Tyrannized over the consciences of their fellow subiects is notoriously known and may be seen chap. 4. p. 26. CONSCIENAES of men All his x x These who vnder pretence of Christian liberty disobey iust Lawes such as are the Lawes of the Catholique Church which were also observed in the primitive times as these about lent fasting the single life of Church men c. make their freedome a cloke of malice against S. Peters advice 1. Pet. 2.13 and an occasion to the flesh Gal. 5.13 see above p. 454. 455. TYRANNOVS Lawes made vpon indifferent things against our Christian libertie His ERRONEOVS Doctrin against the SVFFICIENCIE of the y y The Presbyterians destroy all Traditions against the expresse Scripture See above p. 445. and 6. VVRITTEN word the PERFECTION of the Law the OFFICE of Christ and his blessed Evangel His corrupted Doctrine concerning b b Calvin teacheth that Original sin still remaines in vs even after Baptism and that it defiles before God what ever works proceed from vs and so makes thē mortal sins which doctrine the Presbyterians follow as may be seen above with more to this purpose p. 451. 454. ORIGINAL sin Our NATVRAL INHABILITY REBELLION to Gods Law Our Iustification by d d They make Iustification by faith only the principal article of their Reformation and deny Iustification by works expresly against the Scripture Iames 2.124 and the holy Fathers See above ch 14. p. 157. FAITH ONLY Our e e They make our sanctification so imperfect that we cannot by it think so much as a good thought or do any thing but sin mortally and still disobey Gods Commandments so that such sanctification is rather profanation and such Obedience is Disobedience See above p. 455. IMPERFECT Sanctification and Obedience to the Law The f f They have corrupted the Nature of the Sacraments by denying that they were ordaind to conferre Grace by making them only signs and Tokens They have corrupted the number by taking away 5. Sacraments and the vse by abrogating both private Baptisme Communion besides both the publique and private vse of others See above p. 458. seq and before ch 18. Presb. Trial. NATVRE NVMBER and VSE of the holy Sacraments His five g g By denying the two Sacraments of Baptisme and the Eucharist which they admitt to conferre Grace They make them Gracelesse and so indeed Bastard Sacraments since the Sacraments of the Law of Grace were instituted to conferre Grace Above p. 467. before that ch 18 Pres. Trial p. 194. BASTARD SACRAMENTS with all his h h They not only not practise the Venerable Rites Ceremonies of the Catholique Church which were vsed in the Primitive times as may be seen in Coccius tom 2. Thesau Cathol but also they condemn them See p. 464. RITES CEREMONIES and false Doctrines added to the Ministration of the true Sacraments without the word of God His CRVELL Iudgement against Infants dying WITHOVT the Sacrament His absolute Necessity of Baptisme His l l The opinion of Calvin and his Disciples is that Christs body is only really in the Heavens and yet it is also really to the soule of the Receivers by faith which he calls iustly a Mysterie vnperceptible as it is indeed a Chimera made vp of contradictions whereas the Catholique beleef of the real presence or Transubstantiation is so firmly grounded in the Scriptures that Beza confesseth if Christs Words be taken literally as it has been proved above they must be Popish Transubstantiation doth necessarly follow See above pag. 240. 41. and 43. BLASPHEMOVS OPINION of TRANSVBSTANTIATION or real PRESENCE of Christs body IN the the Elements and receiving of the same by the WICKED or BODIES of men His m m Their first Reformers brake their Solemn Oaths and Vowes without all Dispensations p. 469. And the Presbyterians have made many to periure themselves by enforceing them to take the Covenant against their Consciences They allow also Marriages in degrees forbidden by the Catholique Church for the people often marries among them in the second third and 4. degree without all Dispensations See also above that it is a false calumnie that the Catholique Church dispenseth in degrees forbidden by the Law of Christ p. 470. DISPENSATIONS with solemn OATHS PERIVRIES and DEGREES of Marriage forbidden in the word His n n They cruelly allow Marriages to the divorced against the doctrine of Christ his Apostles and the holy Fathers which S. Augustin saith are not Marriages but Adulteries see above p. 470. 471. CRVELTIE against the innocent divorced His o o The holy Masse which chaseth away Divels as S. Augustin testifies above p. 475 cannot be Devilish but the abrogation of it is Devilish besides other reasons because Luther confessed that the Devil did instigate him to it See above p. 476. and the whole 8. section DEVILISH MASSE His p p If it be blasphemy to raile against the sacred order of Priesthood of which order Christ himself is the High eternal Priest And against the holy Sacrifice offered vp by that holy order besids other points of the Catholique faith revealed by Christ then our Presbyterian Ministery is deeply guilty of blasphemy See p. 477. 4. See above how S. Augustin calls this a holy
little the Model and Methode of it In the first place are set down the Occasions of that Honorable new Converts doubts concerning the Truth of the Protestant Religion such as are the Ministers Inconstancy in Doctrin Disciplin their great Dissensions and Divisions Their Tyrannizing over mens Consciences Their Contradicting their own Principles c. In which matters some late histories or passages are interlaced without expressing the names of persons therein concerned because that was not necessary since the things here touched are publique late fresh in all mens knowledge and Memories within the Countrey and the persons also well enough known Neither is it the digrace of any mens persons Hier. Apolog. 3. cont Ruffin c. 11. which S. Hierom calls the Machines of Heretiques but the correction of their Errors which is here intended After the occasion of the doubts is shewed in some few chapters then followeth the Triall of the last pretended Presbyterian Reformation in the principal points thereof as its condemning of Episcopacy the abolishing the hymne of Glory to the Father c. the denying the Apostolical authority of the Apostles Creed neglecting to say our Lords Prayer c. In all which points the Presbyterians are found to go against the word of God the Primitive Church the former doctrines practises of many among themselvs against their first Reformers and many learned Protestants So that this last pretended Reformation is shewed to be nothing but a reall Deformation destroying not only the Apostolique office government established by Christ in his Church but also the two chief Pillars or heads of the Christian Religion to witt our Lords Prayer and the Apostles Creed Then followeth the Trial of the first pretended Reformation which is also shewed to have destroyed in effect the other two chief Pillars of Christianity to witt the Divine Commandments and Holy Sacraments and to have brought in a most Erroneous doctrin of Iustification by Faith only expresly against the Scriptures holy Fathers So that these two pretended Reformations are shown to have made vp between them the hideous work of Desolation After this the whole Protestant Church by the vndenyable principle of the perpetuity of Christs Church is proved not to be the true Church of Christ And by the same vndenyable principle the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome and she alone is demonstrated to be the true Catholique Church of Christ and to have in all ages still continued in the same doctrin which she received from Christ his Apostles notwithstanding the calumnies of Heretiques Then lastly the same truth is proved by the Marks whereby the true Church is clearly designed in the Scriptures as by her Vnity Sanctity Vniversality Apostolical Succession by which marks the holy Fathers also did prove the true Church in their times To which is subioyned a brief Examination of the Presbyterian Covenant or Confession of Faith which although it was much Idolatrized of late is shewed to be nothing but a Denyall and Abiuration of the holy Faith with many execrations and blasphemies against it This briefly Courteous Reader is the Scope and Methode of the ensuing Treatises which the Author thereof earnestly wishes may tend to thy profit That if thou be a new Converted Catholique thou mayst be coÌ„firmed thereby in thy holy Faith If one who after many tossings in Errors art seeking the Truth thou mayst be assisted to find it where only it can be found if lastly thou be one who not through malice but through negligence or ignorance adheres vnto Errors thou mayst be stirred vp to try them and to seek diligently the Truth which is a work most worthy of thy paines Neither is it so hard as some do imagin to find the Truth since God Almighty according to his infinit goodnesse wisdom has prepared the way to heaven so much the more certain easy to be known how much more Error and deceit in it brings greater losse with it and therefore he has promised so plain and direct a way vnto Eternal happinesse that fooles may not erre by it Esay 35.5 Whence it is evident if thou seekest this way with diligence and after the right manner thou mayst have great confidence by Gods grace to attayn vnto it But then thou wilt seek it in the right way according to the advice of the glorious Doctor S. Augustin to his friend Honoratus if thou dost vse fervent and frequent prayer Aug de vtilâ— credâ—s 15 16. strivest to have peace and tranquillity of mind if thou wilt hear that Church which God hath established on earth with so great authority and which is called Catholique both by her own by strangers For it is by Authority only whereby men can come vnto the knowledge of Divin Truth and there is no Authority equall vnto this wich began by Miracles and is most famous for Multltudes of peoples and Nations and therefore if thou proceedest orderly at this Authority thou oughtest to begin as the same holy Father affirmes But if thou contemnest so great Authority and only openest thy eares to the Enemies and Calumniators of so famous a Society which has been also calumniated by all the former heretiques as well as by these of this Age thou canst not be excused neither canst thou arrive vnto the possession of solid Truth Therefore if thou be wise follow the former advice of S. Augustin who was so wise so learned a Doctor and who had such great knowledge and experience in this affaire And if thou wouldest take a short and compendious way to come vnto the Truth Try only that one question of the Church according to the marks abovementioned whereby it is clearly designed in Scripture and thou wilt not only soone find that they cannot agree to thy New Inconstant Church but also thou wilt quickly see that they agree to the Catholique Church which has ever endured and against which Hels gates could never prevaile and so with the true Church thou wilt find aâ—l Truth because it is ever governed by the Spirit of Truth and is the Pillar and ground of Truth This is the right manner for thee to attayn vnto the Truth and to true Happâ—nesse To which that God Almighty may direct and bring thee shall be earnestly desired by thy welwisher F. W. S. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS Chap. I. THAT God by the Confusion of Error stirres vp many to seek the Truth p. 1. Ch. II. Of the Ministers Inconstancy and of the Alterations made by the late Presbyterian Reformation p. 8. Ch. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions Divisions p. 15. Ch. IV. Of the Presbyterians Rigour and Tyranny over Protestants p. 26. Ch. V. Of the Presbyterians contradicting their own Principles p. 34. Ch. VI. Of the Presbyterians Disobedience to the Civil Magistrate and of their pretext of Piety p. 46. Ch. VII Of Episcopacy condemned as Anti-Christian by the Presbyterians p. 53. Ch. VIII Of our Lords
Prayer neglected to be said by the Presbyterians p. 71. Ch. IX Of Glory to the Father c. or the Hymn of Glorification taken away by the Presbyterians p. 78. Ch. X. Of the Apostles Creed denyed to be Apostolical by the Presbyterians p. 89. Ch. XI of the Article of Christs Descent to Hell perverted by the Presbyterians p. 102. Ch. XII A Reflection vpon the last and an Entrance into the Triall of the first Supposed Reformation p. 115. Ch. XIII Of the possibility to keep the Divine Commandments with the assistance of Gods grace denyed by the Presbyterians their first Reformers p. 118. Ch. XIV A Consideration of the Presbyterians principall grounds against the possibility of keeping the Divine Commandments p. 136. Ch. XV. of Iustification by Faith only maintaind by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers as the principal article of their Religion p. 153. Ch. XVI Of the Nature of Iustification according to the Catholique doctrine p. 167. Ch. XVII Of the Presbyterians three principall Errours concerning Iustification p. 178. Ch. XVIII Of the Excellency of the Christian Sacraments and particularly how they conferre Grace which is denyed by the Presbyterians p. 194. Ch. XIX That Baptism taketh aâ—ay Original sin which is denyed by the Presbyterians p. 204. Ch. XX. That Bapâ—â—sm is necessary for the Salvation of Infants which is denyed by the Presbyterians p. 211. Ch. XXI Of the reall presence of Christs body in the holy Sacrament which is denyed by the Presbyterians p. 224. Ch. XXII Some Reflections vpon both the pretended Scottish Reformations p. 246. Ch. XXIII That the true Church must be perpetuall and must endure without interruption vnto the end of the world p. 251. Ch. XXIV That the Protestant Church hath not been perpetual yea was not at all before Luther and therefore is not the true Church p. 257. Ch. XXV That the Pâ—otâ—stant Church was not Visible before Luther neither in the Waldenses Albigenses Wiâ—lefists nor Hussits p. 265. Ch. XXVI That the Protestant Church hath not continued Visible in the Grecians Armenians nor Aethiopians p. 272. Ch. XXVII That the Protestant Church was not visible in the primitive Church or in the holy Fathers nor thereafter in the Roman Church p. 276. Ch. XXVIII That the Church of Christ ought to be alwayes Visible and therefore an invisible Church cannot be the true Church p 287. Ch. XXIX That albeit the true Church might be invisible yet the Protestants had no invisible Church before Luther p. 297. Ch. XXX That the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome she alone is the true Church p. 310. Ch. XXXI That the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome holds now and has still held the same doctrin which was taught first by Christ his Apostles 326. Ch. XXXII The true Church proved from the Scripture first by her Vnity p. 352. Ch. XXXIII The true Church proved by her Holynesse p. 361. Ch. XXXIV The true Church demonstrated by her Vniversality for which she is called Catholique p. 376. Ch. XXXV The true Church proved by her continued Succession and the lawfull Vocation of her Pastors for which she is called Apostolique p. 385. Ch. XXXVI The Conclusion p. 399 APPROBATIO EGO infra scriptus in Sacra Theologiae Facultate Parisiensi Magister Testor librum hunc quem diligenter Perlegi cui Titulus est Presbyteries Triall or the Occasion and Motives of Conversion to the Catholique Faith of a Person of quality in Scotland Authore F. W. S. nihil prorsus continere aut Catholicae Fidei aut Moribus Christianis absonum Imino Doctrinam Sanam verè Euangelicam in eo explicat confirmat eruditus eiusdem Author necnon oppositos non-nullos Errores maxime Nationem Scoticam heretica prauitate infestantes non minus clare quam solide refutat refellit Quod Chirographo meo significaui Parisijs 25. Augusti Anno 1656. HEN. HOLDEN APPROBATIO NOS infra scripti in Sacra Facultate Parisiensi Doctores Theologi Perlegimus diligenter Librum cuius inscriptio est Presbyteries Triall or the Occasion and Motives of Conversion to the Catholique Faith of a person of quality in Scotland Authore D. F. W. S. In quo non solum nihil occurrit Fidei Catholicae aut bonis moribus aduersum sed plurima reperimus docte erudite clare proposita quae ad Conuersionem cùm omnium tum praecipue istarum partium Hereticorum conducere possunt vt ad Catholicorum Confirmationem Quare nostro Iudicio dignissimus est qui typis committatur Datum Parisijs die 13. Nouembris Anno Domini 1656. ED. TIREL RI. NVGENT Ego idem sentio Fr. IOANNES PONCIVS Ordinis S. Francisci S. Theologiae Lector Iubilatus PRESBYTERIES TRIALL CHAP. I. That God by the confusion of Errour stirres vp many to seek the Truth SO great and admirable is the goodnesse of God that as S. Augustin hath observed he would not permit sin to be in the world Aug. in Enchirid c. 27. 100. vnlesse he did draw good from it And so infinit is his power ioyn'd with that goodnesse that from the worst and most wicked actions he can and doth extract the greatest goods Ioseph did acknowledge in himself the experience of this truth when he said to his brethren who had vnnaturally sold him you thought euil against me Genes 50. ver 20. but God hath turn'd it vnto good that he might exalt me as you see this day and preserue much people But this truth is more admirably seen in that most horrible crime of the Iewes of crucifying the Lord of glory out of which God did extract the greatest of all goods to wit the Exaltation of Christ and the Redemption of mankind Since then that Heresy is confessed by all Christians not only to be evill but one of the greatest evils as being the corruption of a most excellent good to witt the divine faith Gods goodnesse would never permitt it to arise and for a tyme to continue against the true faith the holy Church vnlesse he cowld and did make it tend to the good of both S. Paul toucheth this matter when he saith to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11.19 Heresies must be that they which are approoved may be made manifest among you That they must be proceeds by the permission of God from the vickednesse and free choise of man and from the malice of the Devill whom our Saviour calls the Enemy Math. 13.26 who sowes tares in the field where he had sowen the good seed That Heresies are turn'd into good proceeds from the goodnesse and special providence of God who of evil worketh good as he doth here making heresies tend to the manifestation of those who are approved and constant in the faith But the providence and goodnesse of God is specially wonderfull in this matter that he doth not only draw good from Heresy but also he makes it against its owne nature intent to serve
for the further manifestation of the truth and he turn's all the plots and cunning design 's of the Authours and Promoovers of falshood to the ruine and confusion both of it and of themselves and to the exaltation of that whereof they intended so eagerly the destruction This was evident of old in the Arrians who vsed all slight and might to obscure and extinguish the great mystery of the holy Trinity But it did never shyne so brightly neither was it so fully discussed clearly vnderstood till the Arrians begun to bark against it as S. Augustin speaks Aug. in psal 54. So that by the many fold grace of our Saviour that which the Enemy intends for hurt destruction God turn's into help and advantage These things for the most part are now by the goodnesse of God become very evident in the Scottish Covenant and Presbytery which prospered so much for a time and yet at leuth are come to nought notwithstanding all the wise deepe plots that were so subtilly deuised for the standing and aduancing of them And notwithstanding the great power of Armies which did raise and vphold them in these Nations And by which they should in a Martial rather then Apostolique manner haue been propagated troughout the world as the Ministers some others fondly imagined but more foolishly bragged The great Covenanters also haue been much disappoynted and come short of their design 's There was nothing wherein they so much gloryed as in their prosperity and in the ruine which fell vpon all their opposers whereby they avowed publiquely and frequently that their cause was clearly owned by Heauen All their discourses and sermons were nothing but Panegyriques of that great ingyring light as they tearm'd it which God had made shyne to them above all other Nations They did bragge not a litle that they were Gods Covenanted people and he their Covenanting God which high priviledge no nation else could claime Their wisdome in their counsels diligence in executions were highly esteem'd and much cry'd vp by many There seem'd nothing in humane prudence fitting for the advancment of their cause but they try'd it And nothing could appeare a crosse and hinderance to their designs but they provyded for it And yet notwithstanding all these pretended priuiledges exploits and diligences the Covenanting Presbyterians haue been brought to confusion their prosperity so much bragged of hath quickly turn'd into adversity and their self conceated wisdome Iob. 5. v. 13. hath now appear'd to all men to be manifest folly For God who takes th2 wise in their own craftinesse and dissipats the counsels of the froward as it is in Iob hath made that witty or crafty course which they took for their own standing tend to their ruine and hath caused their fall to proceed from those whom they least or in no wise suspected that is from their own Covenanting and Leagued Brethren whom they had of purpose raised and vpholden to be a prop to themselues and a ruin to their Enemies And now is verifyed in them that which S. Paul foretold showld befall to all false Teachers and Seducers 1. Thimoth 3.9 They shall not long prevaile for their folly shall be made manifest to all men Yea it hath not only pleased God to bring the Covenant and Presbytery to such a stay and to frustrate the designs of their Promoters but he who drawes good out of evil hath drawen this good from them amidst the many deplorable evils which they haue directly brought vpon this Nation That many who were not sensible of the great errour wherein they were lying haue been awakned as it vere out of a dead sleep by the huge confusion of the Covenant and Presbytery and so seeing their own danger haue been stirred vp to seeing for the truth and to see the day of God as S. Augustin speaks Multi vt diem Dei videant per haereticos é somno excitantur Aug. lib. de vera relig c. 8. Amongst which number his vnspeakable goodnesse hath been pleased to make me one who by all apparance would haue liv'd and dyed in a grosse security of the religion wherein I was bred if the Covenant Presbytery by their confusions changes and violence had not furiously endeavoured to dispossesse me of many points which I formerly beleev'd as I was taught for vndoubted truths and by that means pressed me to make an earnest search to informe my self of the true grounds of these alterations and to find some setled ground whereon I might safely rely for the Salvation of my soule and not be tossed to an fro with every wind of doctrine in the wickednesse of men and circumvention of errour Whilst there was nothing but some little jarres betwixt the Bishops and a few Ministers for conformity to the 5. articles of Perth which concerned kneeling at Communion privat Baptisme Confirmation of children observation of Christmasse and of some few festival dayes I was never moved to doubt of the religion publiquely professed For these dissensions were not as I conceaved in substantial points neither was the manner of them very vehement and rigorous by reason of the Bishops temper who did not vrge these things violently though establish'd both by Ecclesiastical and Civil lawes Besid's the Ministers who oppos'd them were but few and not considerable either for learning or prudence in regard of those who were of a contrary iudgement All this time I liv'd in a deepe security in an implicit faith of the Church of of Scotland and its doctrine imagining that it was the very same which was taught by Christ and his Apostles But so soone as that great storme of the Covenant did arise none got leave to sleep any longer at rest in that barke all were awakned by these unskilfull Mariners to whom we had rashly trusted our soules who fell at such oddes and dissensions amongst themselv's that hardly ever such confusion and noise was heard or seen every one of them contradicting condemning and accursing another and making such factions that they seem'd to thirst after nothing but blood with which they may be sufficiently glutted since they begun This tempest and confusion hath brought such shipwracke vpon the Church to speak nothing of the miseries of the Countrey that many of sound iudgement seing the danger haue been mov'd to abandon that confus'd and sinking vessell and putt themselv's in one more solidly built and govern'd by more sober wise and discreet Pilots This confusion was the occasion of my first doubt which made me begin to examin the particular points of these new dissenssions and to try the ground whereon our religion so easily shaken was weakly founded And finding that all was built vpon the sand I made there after a diligent search to find out that true religion and holy Church which Christ the wise Master builder had promised in the Scriptures to build vpon a Rocke which could not be shaken neither by the deceits of men nor
by the power malice of the Devil Having then after a serious equitable and zealous search of the truth found it by Gods grace to be where the Ministers clamours and my education made me least suspect it was And therefore being to abandon that religion and particular new inconstant confus'd Church wherein I was bred and to incorporat my self into the vniuersal ancient perpetual and invariable Church protected alway's from heaven against the gates of Hell I thought fitting to to recollect the occasion and reasons of my happy change both for the contentment of my own mind that I may briefly see what I have long and diligently sought after and for the satisfaction of others who perhaps may imagine I had done rashly desiring earnestly God may be glorifyed in both The reasons which mov'd me to think strange of our religion were these following all which I saw with my eyes 1. The Ministers Inconstancy in Doctrine 2. Their Dissensions 3. Their contradicting their owne Principales 4. Their Cruelty over mens consciences 5. Disobedience to Civil Magistrats with a shew of Godlinesse without any effect or truth of it CHAP. II. Of the Ministers Inconstancy and of the Alterations made by the late Presbyterian Reformation THERE is hardly any thing that makes people to stumble more at religion then the often changing of it and nothing makes them more apprehensive of their Pastours falshood then their levity and inconstancy in their doctrines and practises For how can people think that religion true and solid which they see is never constant but is alway's changing like the Moone And how can they but suspect their Pastours to be false prophets whom they heare at diverse times teaching them contrary doctrines For it 's evident by the light of reason that such lighsnesse and inconstancy especially when it is accompayn'd with a proper condemnation of their own former doctrines and practises is a reall open confession of their former errours if not of formal deceit's And therefore it shewes them to be either deceitfull or at least blind Guides to neither of which can people either prudently or safely intrust their soules If such wandering and erring Guides after some experience had of them would not be followed nor trusted in earthly voyages How much lesse are these to be followed or trusted in our voyage to heaven which is of greater concernment As lightnesse and inconstancy are farre from the office of true Apostles so they are alwayes proper to false Teachers and Prophets S. Paul writing to the Corinthians freeth himself and other true pastours from such imputations 2. Cor. 1. ch v. 17. seq Did I vse saith he lightnesse or was my preaching It is and it is not for the son of God Iesus Christ who was preached by vs among you by me and Sylvanus and Timothee was not It is and it is not but. It is was in him But vpon the other part the same S. Paul writing to Timothee shewes that all false Teachers are light and incōstant Evil men 2. Thimoth 3. saith he and seducers prosper to the worse erring driving into errour This is the worst most deplorable kinde of inconstancy which proceeds from evil to worse which is too evident in the Presbyterians who haue abrogated condemned and deformed many things which their first Reformers had left vntouched allowed and practised as shall be presently seen For vnder vaine imagination of a new Reformation they haue gone further from the truth and vnder pretext of attayning greater purity they have plung'd themselves more deeply into the puddle of errour First then they changed the governement of the Church by Bishops which had continued a good time and was established both by Civil and Ecclesiastique lawes yea they did not only change and abrogate the governement of Bishops but they condemned also their very office as vnlawfull and Antichristian and forced others to swear and subscribe to their sentence And in place of Episcopacy they brought in a parity of Ministers and a forme of discipline which they call Presbytery Declaring that this was the only governement conforme to the word of God and which Christ had ordain'd for his Church to which sentence also all behoved to sweare And therefore to the two marks of the Church ordinarly assign'd by Protestants the Presbyterians ioyn'd their discipline as the third whereby they declared that all Protestant Churches which wanted this governement were not true or at least pure Churches of Christ So that they made their Presbyterian discipline a substantial point of doctrine the contrary whereof was taught believed and practised in the Bishops time in the Isle of Britaine and in all places where the Lutheran Protestants lives And what ever was the practise of the French Calvinists yet they did not definitiu'ly declare the office of Bishop to be Antichristian but kept society with these Protestant Churches where Episcopal governement was established and wrote most respectiv'ly vnto the Bishops themselves as may be seen in the Survey of the new discipline Secondly After the change and abolition of the old governement of the Church They proceeded next to abolish all sett prayers all the orders and directions which were ordain'd by I Knox the first Fundatour or Reformer of this Church for administration of the Sacraments and of Mariage yea all sett formes of prayer were disallowed and cancelled vpon pretext that they nourished tepidity and smoothered the fervour of the Spirit according to which all persons were ordain'd to pray albeit oftentymes it prov'd the Spirit of giddinesse as appear'd by their frequent Tautologies and bablings But it had not been so much matter for abrogating Mr Knox his prayers if they had not been too bold with the most excellent of all prayers made by our B. Saviour himself and recommended by him to all Christians For although the Ministers were accustomed before to end their imperfect prayers as they spoke in that most perfect forme of prayer made by Christ which was also the practise of their first Reformers Knox chron p. 288. as may be seen in Knox Chronicle at the conclusion of the prayer for a benediction to the Superintendent yet it was left off any more to be said by these new Presbyterian Reformers the rest of the brethren thought it most secure for their own own standing to follow their Leaders Albeit they cashiered all other sett prayers yet they might have excepted this both for the excellenty of it and the dignity of the Authour They indeed spoke nothing publickely and directly against it till one of their prime Apostles did not stick to call the frequent vse of it most irreverently a Papistical charme Thirdly they changed not only the prayers but also the manner of singing psalmes for they tooke away and abolished the hymne of Glory to the Father and to the Son c. with which the Psalme was ordinarly concluded according to the custome which was kept from the beginning of the
Reformation This was not done by any formal act but as a Minister spoke by a desuetude of the principal Covenanters whose example the rest of the Ministers followed But there was one thing which hapned in this matter not vnworthy of remark and is very famous throughout the countrey For whilst the people of a Parish in Anguse were singing at the conclusion of a psalme Glory to the Father and to the Son c. as not knowing of the new alterations they were presently interrupted by their Minister who cry'd aloud No more Glory to the Father No more Glory c. which accident rendred the Presbyterians very ridiculous to the old Protestants Fourthly they proceeded further and strook at the roote of the Christian faith to witt the Apostles Creed denying it to be Apostolicall The contrairy whereof we was taught in our yonger yeares as was believed troughout the whole Christian world And after they had thus denyed the letter and authority of it they proceeded next to corrupt the sense of that Article He descended into hell as we shall see shortly Their inconstancy and changes may be instanced in diverse other points and practises as in their taking the Communion sitting and condemning kneeling as vnlawfull Their deuiding of the bread among themselues wherein they place no small purity of their religion and not taking it out of the Ministers hand as the custome was before Their condemning private Cōmunion and private Baptisme although administrated vpon extream necessity which I found to be pernicious errours especially in so far as concern's Baptisme Their condemning as superstitious the religious observation of Christmasse and of all other festival dayes c. All which are not only contrary to the doctrine of the most famous Protestant Churches abroad but also were contrary to the doctrine lawes practises of this Church at home By which inconstancy of the Ministers and the alterations made by thē the people was not only miserably tossed to and fro and carried about with violent winds of new doctrines but also they knew not what to believe and almost loos'd all belief since they saw that many points which they believ'd before being taught them by their own Pastours were now condemned by the same Pastours who are very like vnto these whom the Apostle S. Iude calls wandering starres Hauing thought seriously vpon these things I made this reflection with my self How can this Scottish Church which changeth like the Moone and is as vnstedfast as the wind be the true Church of Christ which must be firme and stedfast as a rocke How can these Ministers who drawes yea driwes the people into such varieties of faith Ephes 4.11.14 be the true Apostles of Christ seing they were established as S. Paul testifies to conserve the people into the Vnity of Faith They must be false Pastours who do tosse the people to and fro with the inconstant winds of their new doctrines since true Pastours were ordain'd by Christ to keep the people into the constant profession of the old doctrin which was once delivered and generally professed throughout the world and to preserve them from such tossings As the scripture sheweth that inconstancy and lightnesse belongs to false Teachers so I found that the holy Fathers did observe it by experience Iren. l. 1. c. 18. c. 5. S. Ireneus saith They delight to find out every day some new thing Let vs now see their inconstant doctrin c. But 5. Hiero. most pithily describs their humour The feet saith he of those who erre Hier in cap. 16. Ezech. are alway's wavering neither are the footsteps sure which are against the truth but they run here and there and are caried about with euery wind of new doctrin whilst they passe from one falshood into another falshood Therefore seeing the great inconstancy and changes of the Scottish Church I desired to find out a more constant and skifull Guide to rely vpon to lead me vnto the kingdome of heauen CHAP. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions and Divisions AS the Inconstancy of a Church in faith and doctrine gives iust occasion to many of doubting and stumbling at it's religion so Dissensions and Divisions which necessarly flow from such Inconstancy are no lesse but rather more sensible evils and gives greater and more vniuersal scandals For there are many who would take no notice of Inconstancy and yet are awakned by the confusion that ever attends Dissension and Division It 's evident by the light of reason that nothing becomes more the house of God then vnity and order and that confusion and dissension are only fitting for Babel or the house of the Devil and as Vnity tends to preservation so Dissension hastens to destruction Therefore our B. Saviour being to found his Church which was to be a heavenly house vpon earth of admirable order and to stand for ever did pray most earnestly for the Vnity of it S. Thn ch 17. by which he knew it would be both beautifyed and conserved Yea he sheweth that by the admirable Vnity of his Church the world showld know Ibid. ver 21.23 that he was sent from heaven and be made to believe in him Therefore these Churches which haue no Vnity but are torne by Dissensions and Divisions cannot be the true Church of Christ neither can they long laste As Vnity doth designe beautifie and conserve the true Church so Dissension points out deformes and ever at lenth destroies all false Churches Our Saviour saith Luke 11.17 Gal. 5.15 Every kingdome divided against it self shall be made desolate And S. Paul If yow bite and eate one an other take heede you be not consumed one of an other And that this division and destruction befalls to all false Churches Luther himself doth testifie A kingdome saith he divided in it self Luth. tom 3. wit in psal 5. fol. 166. cannot stand neither did Heretiques at any tyme perish by force or art but by their owne mutuall dissensions neither doth Christ our Lord fight against them by other armes then by sending among them the Spirit of giddinesse and dissension Now what miserable dissensions have happened these yeares by past into the Church of Scotland by which it hath been much deformed and a considerable part of it destroyed are knowen far and neare at home and abroad For these dissentious haue been for matter manner and the miserable effects that have flowed from them very remarkable The matter of them concern'd no lesse points then the Governement of the Church established by Christ the authority of the Apostles Creed the vse of the Sacraments of private Baptisme and Communion the vse of our Lords prayer and of Glory to the Father the keeping of holy dayes and the rest of the articles of Perth the Covenant it self the Heade spring of all Dissensions and the authority of the Civil Magistrate c. But the forme and manner of these dissensions hath overcome the matter for it hath been
as their frequent changes and manifest experience do shew Therefore I iudged they did very inconsequentially in exacting so rigorously an vndeniable obedience with oaths to a fallible and perhaps an actually erring Church with which yow must wheele about againe when it wheels and turn with it as a Weather-Cocke with the wind Yow must swear this yeare that to be true which peradventure the next yeare the same Exactours vpon pretence of new lights will have yow swear to be false 7. They inveigh often against implicit faith as Popish and Anti-Christian and yet themselues practise it in a most grosse manner and very inconsequentially That they practise it is manifest For who among the people hath expresse knowledge of all points of the Covenant and of their new Confession And yet they are made to abiure all the points of the one and to believe all the articles of the other Yea it 's knowen by experience that few of the Ministers themselves know all the points abiured in the Covenant as opus operatum Stations and the like and yet all are abiured Therefore they practise in deeds what they renounce in words and they do the same thing which they iudge and condemn in others Yea it is considerable that they do not only goe against their principle but also they abuse implicit faith in such a grosse and irrational manner as cannot be imputed vnto the Roman Catholiques For these beleeving explicity their Church to be infallible and to be continually assisted by the holy Ghost conforme to this principle do most rationally to believe implicitly all points which the same Church teaches and believes iust as a Protestant believing explicity the Scripture to be Gods word although he doth not know expresly all the sentences and verses in it yet with great reason he believeth implicity all to be true and reveal'd by God which is contayn'd in it But the Presbyterian Church being fallible and professing it self to be so requires very irrationally an implicit faith to all her doctrine whereof a man can prudently believe no more then he sees and knowes Moreover the Presbyterians haue fallen into a third more grosse and inconsequentiall errour concerning this implicit faith Fore they haue forced many not only to swear and subscrive such things whereof they were ignorant but also such things which the Presbyterians themselves knew to be against the expresse knowledge and Consciences of the Swearers and Subscrybers which is to force men to sin as is evident out of the 14. to the Romans This is a rare kinde of implicit faith which can consist with explicit beleef of the contrary I heard from a person worthy of Credit that when this inconvenience was proposed to a prime Apostle of the Covenant how many were driwen to periury by swearing against their Consciences he answered That it was all one to him let them looke to it And vpon an other occasion he said to a Roman Catholique who after great trouble offered at lenth to take the Covenant If thou be not sincere I shall make thee damn thy owne soule 8. They appeared also vnto me to goe clearly against an other Principle of theirs to witt That the Scripture is the only Iudge of Controversy And yet the Presbytery did make it self only Iudge And after it pronounced sentence all were obliged yea and forced to give obedience albeit many could not find their Doctrinal Decisions in the Scriptures But I found that the simple truth was they gave the Scripture the only name of a Iudge and keep 't all power of Iudging to themselves iust as they did with the King to whom they gave a bare empty title but keep 't to themselves the reall possession and exercise of all Royall power and authority Lastly they seem'd to overshoote themselves very much when not long before the battel of Dumbar they made their solemn Appeale to God for decyding the iustnesse of either cause by the victory that was to ensue whereof they thought themselves very certaine as indeed they had great probability The English Army notwithstanding many disavantages wherewith they were prest accepts the Appeale and makes also their recourse to God after the same manner And at lenth the question being decyded in favour of the English when the most Eminent person of that Army put the Ministers in mind of their Solemn Appeale and how God had pronounced sentence against them he received this answer You must not Iudge the goodnesse of a cause by the event Which words vere very inconsequentiall to their Appeale and in which absurdity they had not fallen if the victory had be fallen to them Many Ministers since that time have blam'd the rashnesse of that Appeale as being grounded more vpon humane confidence then any Divin assurance By these considerations I discovered clearly the vanity of the Presbyterians many faire pretences and how their deeds contradicted their words how themselves did the same things which they condemned in others and how their Principles were so false that themselves behooved to controull them They pretended great tendernesse of Consciences when they were Servants but shew strong Consciences when they were Masters They cry'd much for compassion in their subiection but would shew none in their Exaltation They condemn'd the Bishops for medling in Civil affaires and yet their Ministers did rule the affaires of State They accused others of pride and Tyranny and yet their owne little fingers have been more heavy then the others loines and they have shewed more pride and contempt of others in one yeare then these whom they accuse had done in forty They professe themselves to be fallible in faith and yet they will be infallibly believed and vndeniably obeyed They renounce implicit faith and yet they practise it and in a most grosse and vnreasonable sense exacts it They pretend the Scripture to be the only Iudge of Controversies and yet they will take all power of Iudging to themselves They will be esteem'd true Prophets when they guesse right and they will not have themselves thought false Prophets when they divin wrong They would have their cause esteem'd good for it's prosperity and they will not have it thought evil when it fall's into adversity In a word their doctrin's and practises were so full of contradictions that I found many of them not only to be humane but also false inventions which may be showen in diverse other particulars but these for our intention are sufficient to shew that I could not prudently believe them much lesse could I hazard my Salvation vpon them CHAP. VI. Of the Presbyterians Disobedience to the Civil Magistrate and of their pretext of Piety GOOD Christians are alway's good Subiects and these who are true to God are ever true to men As they render vnto God what is Gods so they give vnto Caesar what is Caesars Vpon the other part these who are false to men can never be true to God and they who are disobedient to their earthly
occasion of my first doubting that the Presbyterian Church could not be the true Church of Christ For by the Prebyterians changes and inconstancy in doctrin I saw evidently they were not govern'd by the Spirit of truth which Christ promised to his Church but by the Spirit of errour whic is alwaies various By their great Dissensions and Divisions I perceived they had no vnity as becometh the house of God but were a confus'd Chaos as many heads so many different opinions and that it was not truth nor authority that prevail'd in their meetings but the vsurpation of some few Ringleaders who owerawed the rest and made them succumb Yea I saw that inconstancy in doctrin flowes naturally from their principles and that their inconstant Church doth necessarly breed dissensions but hath no means to lay them nor take them away By their cruell severity over mens Conscienâ— and persons c. I saw they had little Christian Love and meeknesse which vertues Christ had recommended so earnestly to his true disciples by which he said the world should know them By their clear contradicting their owne principles I perceived they were not men led by reason but miscaried by passion and inconsiderat zeal which made them fall into inconsequentiall discourses not worthy of men of prudence and by which themselves shew the falshood of their owne principles By doing their duty so ill to man I saw evidenty they perform'd not well their duty to God by their violent disobedience to their Earthly Superiours I knew they could not be humbly obedient to their heavenly Soveraigne By their great pretext of pietie without any substance and by their bragg's of the Spirit without any fruites of the Spirit but rather with the works of the flesh I perceiv'd they were both corrupt in faith and manners And albeit some of the more simple had great zeal and no evill intentions yet others of a higher or be who moved the rest gave no small ground to make many suspect that they were not sincere Christians Although all that hath been already said which are not old nor hidden stories but such things as were done in our owne times and obvious to our senses did shew vnto me sufficiently the vnreasonablenesse of the new Presbyterian Reformation yet for my further satisfaction and least I might be deceived I resolved to try diligently and impartially the grounds of these new changes and alterations and to vse the Apostle S. Iohns counsel to prove the Spirits My deerest saith he believe not every Spirit S Iohn 1. Epist ch 4. v. 1. but prove the Spirits if they be of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world Now the triall which I intended was to trie their doctrin by the pure word of God which these Reformers gave out to be their only ground When the Scripture was expresse and clear then I was resolved to be fully satisfyed but when the Scripture was not evident and the question diâ— not so much concern the scripture as the true sense of it then I intended to follow the interpretation sense of the holy and learned primitive Fathers who have been after the holy Apostles the Pillars and Propagators of Christianity and I resolved to prefer their constant testimonies according to the practice of the primitive Church to the inconstant guesses of new vpstarts according to the practice of their wavering Church who are as far inferiour to the holy Fathers in Holynesse and Learning as they come short of them in Antiquitie and Renowne And with this resolution I began to examin the question of Epicopacy which gave so great occasion to all the broiles and alterations that have ensued CHAP. VII Of Episcopacy condemned as Anti-Christian by the Presbyterians AS I knew the Church of Christ which is often called in the Scripture the kingdome of heaven to be the most excellent Society that ever was vpon earth to tend to a most Spiritual and heavenly end and to be directed by most holy and divine lawes So I iustly conceived that the goodnesse and wisdome of Christ had established a most excellent order and forme for the governement of that heavenly kingdome which he had founded vpon earth and that whosoever would strive to overturne that order and government would be guilty of Spiritual Treason and of Sacrilegious Presumption We have had for many yeares furious contentions in our Nation concerning the governement established by Christ in his Church The Bishops who had governed from our infancy were deposed at the beginning of the troubles and their office was declared to be contrary vnto the purity of our first Reformation to have no warrant in Gods word and to be in it self vnlawfull and Anti-Christian And in place of Episcopacy was brought in a parity of Ministers and the Presbyterian disciplin as the only governement established by Christ in his Church and only conform to his word c. But after due triall I found the Presbyterians in all these matters to come very short of their pretences To begin then with our Reformation I imagined a good space that Episcopal governement was not vsed till many yeares after the Reformation wherein I was deceived by two reasons 1. because it was generally affirmed that King Iames brought first in Bishops at the Assembly of Glasgow anno 1606. 2. Because the Puritanicall Ministers were accustomed to accuse the Church of Scotland for having fallen from her first love and they alwayes pretended that they were to reduce all things vnto the purity of their first Reformation But I found the contrary in their owne Records For M. Knox his Chronicle sheweth that at the beginning of his Reformation which happened in the yeare 1559. the Church newly planted was governed by Super-intendents who had authority over whole Shires could ordaine and depose Ministers had a larger stipend then others and kept their places all their lifetimes It expresseth also the manner of their election and the names of those who were first chosen with the bounds of their power and iurisdiction as may be seen in the said Chronicle pag. 253. 284. and 325. of the London impression And what is this but Episcopal power vnder an other name This governement remain'd vnquestioned the space of 16. yeares till M. Andrew Melvil a man of a firie and Presbyterian Spirit comming from Geneva in the yeaere 1575. began to make factions and by all means laboured to introduce the holy Geneva disciplin which he cry'd vp to the heavens and as far abased the Episcopal function as a meere Anti-Christian corruption The whole matter is largely described Spots woord hist lib 5. p. 275. in the late Bishop of S. Andrewes history where he sheweth that the confusion troubles and tyranny which the Presbyterian governement brought into the Church and the Seditions it raised in the State were so great that K. Iames who had often that sentence in his mouth No Bishop No King was forced to reduce things vnto the
the same the divine word of the Apostle doth teach And after he hath proved from the words of the Apostle above cited that Bishops who have power of Iudgeing Priests are above Priests then he proves also the Bishops Superiority by their power of Ordination How is it possible saith he that a Bishop and a Priest can be equall For that Order begetteth Fathers vnto the Church but the other hath no power to beget Fathers it only begets Children vnto the Church by the lauer of regeneration and not Fathers and Masters And how is it possible that one can ordaine a Priest who hath got no imposition of hands Aug. lib de haeres hare 53. for Ordination S. Augustin also reckons vp this errour of Aerius in his booke of heresies Yea S. Hierom who of all the holy Fathers doth most extoll the order of Priestood and brings it as would seem in some comparison with Episcopacy excepts alwayes the power of Ordination for thus he writes Hier. epist. ad Euagr. What doth a Bishop except Ordination that a Priest doth not also By all which it is manifest that if the Presbyterians had been living above tuelve hundred yeares ago they had been condemned in this point as Heretiques by the holy Fathers and that with more reason then the Aerians who never proceeded to their hight of arrogance to call the Office of Bishop vnlawfull and Anti-Christian Now against all this what brings the Presbyterians for themselves pure Scripture at least they pretend so which is an ordinary custome to all those whose errours are most against Scripture They bring ordinarly two places wherein they have greatest confidence The first is Math. 20.26 where our Saviour saith vnto the Apostles You know that the Princes of the Gentiles overrule them and they that are the greater exercise power against them It shall not be so among you c. The like words are repeated the 22. of S. Luke v. 24. The second place is 1. Tim. 4. v. 14. where the Apostle saith to Timothee Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is given thee by prophecie with imposition of the hands of the Presbyterie or of the Eldership as some of their bibles translates it I considered diligently these places and the rest which they bring and I could not find in any of them either Superiority of Pastours condemned nor Equality approved much lesse a Iudicatorie of 9. or 10. Ministers with a changeable Moderator established to Iudge over their brethren in all matters Ecclesiasticall There needs no more to know the truth here but to open our ey 's and read the places for impudence it self cannot affirme that the Scripture doth there expresly condemn the one or approve the other Therefore it 's a vaine and false pretence of the Presbyterians to alledge their disciplin to be contain'd expresly in the Scripture After expresse Scripture failes them then they run to their owne glosses and Consequences vpon the Scripiure which they will have the people to believe as Scripture wherein they commit a double deceit 1. To promise pure Scripture and then in place of it to give yow their owne glosses or rather guesses which are not to be found in Scriâ—ture 2. To oblige yow to believe these glosses and humane inventions to be Scripture or as Scripture As if one who had promised to give an other a quantity of gold and in place of it would give himonly brasse and then after this deceit would also oblige him to esteem the brasse to be Gold But albeit these glosses and consequences be not in Scripture yet it may be they are cleare of themselves and necessarly deduced from the Scripture as the Presbyterians pretends I found this pretence also to be false For if they were so evident and necessary then men of iudgement would easily see such glosses and make such consequences But the holy Fathers who were not only men of great Iudgement but were also most Eminent for learning and holynesse never made any such interpretations and consequences vpon the Scripture Therefore the Presbyterian glosses c. cannot be clear and evident which such holy and piercing ey 's could not see or if they saw them it was only to condemn them as hath been shewed And albeit this authority be more then sufficient to overthrow the pretended clearnesse of all these new glosses yet when I considered that the most learned of all the Protestants side as all the Lutherans in Germanie Suedland and Denmark who have their Superintendents and the late Protestant Church of England Scotland and Ireland and which is to be much here considered the Scottish Church at its first Reformation never made any such Interpretations vpon these Scriptures but had their Bishops and Superintendents then I esteem'd it a madnesse to imagin that these Presbyterian glosses could be clear and necessary which neither the holy Fathers the whole primitive Church and so many Learned Protestants and all their Churches could not see And albeit the French Protestants do admit of the Consistorial disciplin yet they do not declare Episcopacy to be absolutly Anti-Christian or that their forme is only Christian much lesse do they think it so necessarie as to overturne Kingdomes Commonwealths for setting it vp Of which Beza and du Moulin may be sufficient witnesses Beza cont Errast fol 1. Mons Moulin buck 30. aâ—t sect 12. The first saith Whosoever doth iudge this disciplin not only vnprofitable but hurtfull to their Churches Let them enioy their owne sense And much more to this purpose The other saith In so much as coÌ„cerneth Ecclesiastical disciplin we do not hold that equality of Pastors is absolutely necessary Who esteem not that order a point of faith or a doctrin of Salvation we live thanks be to God in brotherly concord with our neighbouring Churches which follow an other forme where there are Bishops some Superiority In Veron tom 2. contro de Hier. And Mons r Blondel a famous Minister in France hath lately written a booke entitled of the Primacy in the Church where he teacheth that although Superiority of Pastours be not by Divine right yet it is not against Divin right and therefore neither is equality of Pastours by Divine right All which are very far from the doctrines and practises of our Scottish Presbyterians who stands very single and bare of all authority Divine and Humane having all the world against them not only the holy Fathers and whole ancient Church but also all the old Protestants both Lutherans and Calvinists And if we shall add vnto these the Independents and Anabaptists and other new Protestants who admits of an equality among Pastours but condemns Presbyterian power and Tyranny their small authority and number is yet much diminished and the clearnesse of their glosses is much obscured Lastly if we will take away from the Presbyterians number all these who by deceit or force were gain'd vnto it their authority will appeare
that it brought in confusion in the Church and Tyranny over mens consciences that it was condemned as an ancient heresy by the holy Fathers and that as an evil tree it had lately produced much evil fruite Therefore I could not abandon all these divine and humane authorities these manifest reasons and experiences which I found in confirmation of Episcopacy and in condemnation of Presbytery for the strong cry's of some few passionat Ministers who as they are destitute of all divine and humane authority so they scarcely professe to satisfy men in reason They will haue their bare words accompanyed with a sigh or a grone to be sufficient to oblige all men to swear and believe all that they say or can invent albeit you find never so great authotity yea and reason it self to the contrary It 's knowen how a great Apostle of the Covenant cry'd out against some Ministers who shortly after the beginning of these troubles came to reason for Episcopacy or to demand reason for the abolishing it and setting vp of Presbytery Away Away said he with your reason you must quite all reason and help poore Christ a lift Which he said truly in a part For any man who would believe them must quite reason and more too I found at lenth this matter concerning Episcopacy or the governement of the Church to be of greater consequence then many thinks or I was at first aware of For what can be more fundamental to the Church then the Order and governement which Christ hath established in it What can be a more dangerous fundamental errour then to overthrow yea and accurse that order and governement which Christ had setled in it If it be Treason in any Kingdome or Commonwealth for any private faction to overthrow the fuÌ„damental Governement which is established in them by law What high treason is it against Christ to abrogate and accurse that order and Governement which he with so great wisdome had setled in his heavenly Kingdome Therefore if Episcopacy be ordain'd by Christ and so be iure diuino as it appear'd sufficiently to me for the reasons lately touched In Antidot by S. N. 3. part p. 134. Then as the Puritan Authour of the tuelue general arguments reasoneth well and acknowledgeth ingenuosly The Churches of Scotland France Low Countries and other places cannot be a true Church but the Synagogue of Satan contradicting therein both Christ his Gospel Moreover if there can be no true Church without lawfull Pastours and no lawfull Pastours can be without lawfull ordination and none hath power of ordination except Bishops alone as the doctrin and practise of the ancient Church do shew Then the destruction of Episcopacy brings aloÌ„g with it the destructioÌ„ of all lawfull Pastours and so consequently of a true Church and Sacraments which is a most desperat errour as it was a most cruel Tyranny to enforce others to swear and believe it against their Consciences CHAP. VIII Of our Lords Prayer neglected to be said by the Presbyterians AFTER I had tried the Presbyterians abrogation of the Apostolique governement which Christ had established in his Church I proceeded next to consider brieflly their innovation concerning the most excellent of all prayers which himself had made and recommended to his Church We were taught from our infancy to â—ay our Lords prayer and the Ministers themselves did ordinarly conclude their prayers with it Christ made it and the Scriptures containe it So that we had not only the dignity of the Authour the authority of the Scriptures but also the practise of the Ministers and of the whole people to render the vse of this divine prayer laudable and profitable But after the Presbyterians tooke vpon them to be Reformers they abolished all set prayers and this also was worne out of vse as well as the rest Yea as they all neglected any more to say it so there were some who thought not that sufficient vnlesse they spoke also too boldly against the vse of it I could never see any probable pretence for this Presbyterian innovation which as I am informed seem's so strange and incredible to strangers that they can hardly believe it Therefore this alteration being so vnreasonable I did quickly discover the absurdity of it 1. I found it to be against the practise of our first Reformers 2. Against the Scriptures 3. Against the ancient Church and holy Fathers 4. That the Presbyterians by forbearing to say this prayer did rob themselves of the benefite of the most excellent and efficacious of all prayers 5. That they did not bring so good prayers in the place of it Because the Presbyterians pretended alwayes to reduce all things to the purity of our first Reformation I informed my self of the practise of our Reformers and I found they made publique vse of this prayer as may be seen in M. Knoxes Chronicle pag 288. where at the conclusion of the prayer for election of the Super-Intendents it is said We crave the encrease of thy grace as by thee our Lord King and only Bishop we are taughs to pray Our Father c. So that this Presbyterian innovation is clearly against the purity of the first reformation 2. It is also manifestly against the Scripture for after our Saviour had reproved the hypocritical prayers of the Pharisees and much speaking of the Heathen Math. 6.9 he saith vnto his disciples Be not you therefore like to them c. Thus therefore shall you pray Our Father c. And because some do very phantastically pretend that our Saviour did not prescribe this prayer to be said but only did shew it as a forme or model of prayer to be followed they are clearly convinced out of the 11. chap. of S. Luke where our Saviour said to his disciples when you pray say Luke 11.2 Father hallowed he thy name c. Our Saviour here saith not say thus or after this manner but say Our Fathers c. â— This Presbyterian innovation is also much against the practise of the holy Fathers and primitive Christians who vsed this divine prayer frequently and dayly S. Augustin beareth witnes of this when he saith Aug. in Enchir. c. 71. The dayly prayer of the faithfull doth satisfy for our dayly light offences for it s theirs to say our Father which art in heaven Where the holy Father call's this prayer for the dayly vse of it the dayly prayer of the faithfull And albeit Aug. l. de Magistro c. 1. in epist 121. ad Probam as the same S. Augustin testifyeth elswhere there be not an absolute necessity of saying the same words but to pray in the same or the like sense yet the Church of Christ in all ages did ever give such respect vnto this heavenly prayer that she hath continually vsed not only the sense and meaning but also the very words of Christ And although also she made vse of other prayers yet she never omitted this but vsed
Scriptures cannot be certainly knowen but by the testimony authority of the Church and are to be believed for the samâ— as S. Augustin doth affirme the Creed also may be knowen and ought to be believed to be Apostolical for the same very reason since the same testimony authority are for both Yea the Tradition Testimony of the Church for the Apostles Creed hath in a certaine manner some preeminence above that which is for the Scripture For it is more ancieÌ„t more vniuersal more manifest More ancient because the holy Fathers and the whole Church do constantly affirme that the Symbol was composed by the Apostles before any part of the new Testament was written It was more vniversal because it was received every where at the very first plantation of Christianity whereas diverse parts of the Scripture being directed only to some particular Churches could not be communicated but after some space to the whole Church It was also more manifest because there were some bookes of the Scripture doubted of by some of the ancient Fathers till the Vniversal Church did determin the Canon of the Sciptures but there was never any ancient Christian who doubted of or denyed the Apostles Creed there was such a clear and Vniversal tradition for it And besides the Creed in it self is very clear as being a short rule of faith ordain'd for the capacity of the most simple according to which the Scriptures that are more obscure ought to be vnderstood Seing then the whole Church in the primitive times and in all ages hath professed that the Apostles made taught the Creed it remaines most certaine that the Apostles did teach it for greater certainty then this cannot be had If the Apostles taught and delivered it vnto the first Christians then they being so taught were obliged to receive it with the sâ—me reverence wherewith they did receive the Scriptures which were delivered or directed vnto them by the same Apostles And if the first ChristiaÌ„s were so obliged why not also their children their childreÌ„s children so downeward froÌ„ age to age vntill the end of the world shall haue the same obligation If this obligation held in the first age why not also in the second and in every succeeding age Or when should this obligation cease Or why more at one time then at an other since the same assurance remaines at all times Or why should it cease more for the Creed then for the Scripture since the same testimony is for both and if there be any preeminence in this matter the Creed hath it as has been shewed Wherefore as I was by these considerations fully satisfyed of the Apostolique authority laudable vse of the Creed in the primitive Church so I could in no wise approve the Presbyterians innovations against it but rather did much admire of their presumption For by their denying the Creed to be Apostolique I saw they denyed the clear rule and endeavoured to subvert the very foundation of the Christian faith By their taking away both the publick and private vse of it they would haue robbed Christians of the heavenly apparell and spiritual armour of their soules as the holy Fathers above call it And all this they do relying vpon no other grounds but their owne gesses which they oppose and would haue to be preferred to the constant testimony and irrefragable authority of the whole Christian world The Iewes brought at least Aug. in psal 63. v. 7. sleeping witnesses against the resurrection of Christ for which folly S. Augustin mocks theÌ„ and saith that they theÌ„selves were sleeping and failed in their search But the Presbyterians bring neither sleeping nor waking witnesses and yet they will blindly iudge in a matter done above 16. hundred yeares ago and boldly pronounce sentence against an ancient fundamental truth which had been received professed by the Christians of all ages But albeit the Presbyterians do reiect the authority testimony of the Church yet I saw if they followed their owne principles they might as easily discern the Creed to be Apostolique as they pretend they can know the Scriptures For the Maiesty of the style the harmony of the parts the purity of the doctrin and the like do concurre in the Creed in an eminent degree as we haue seen above out of the holy Fathers who do so highly praise it for its perfections as a worke Worthy of such heavenly Architects And the matter being considered in it self the Creed in all these qualities is equal if not Superiour by outward apparance vnto the Scriptures For in them there are many seeming contradictions hard to be explained but none in this Many things in Scripture not so full of Maiesty as about S. Pauls cloke c. 2. Tim. 4.13 but the creed is totally replenished with most sublime divine mysteries Therefore if the Presbyterians could by these marks discern the Scriptures they might as easily discern the Creed to haue been made by the Apostles Albeit I admired much how the Presbyterians could vpon so weake grounds deny the Apostles Creed against such invincible authorities yet I was much more stricken with admiration when I considered what they brought in place of it For in place of the Apostles Creed we got the Presbyterians Covenant As that was denyed to be Apostolical so this was cry'd vp to be Divine for it was called Gods Covenant the Confession of faith c. As parents were accustomed at the Baptisme of their children to say the Apostles Creed in which they promised to bring them vp so now they were made promise to breede them in the Covenant which was too long to haue by heart or to be repeated This was truly a rare exchange to deny the Creed to be Apostolique to cry vp the Covenant to be Divine To rob vs of a most ancient clear briefe positive Sacred Confession of faith made by the holy Apostles famous in all ages vniversally received troughout the whole world full of great mysteries divine expressions And to give vs in place of it a new long obscure negative Confession or rather Confossion of faith full of terrible oaths execrations combinations devised by some few discontented heads by cunning and force obtruded vpon this Nation much suspected at the beginning to be nothing but a meer pretence of religion as it was notoriously knowen to be a humane invention and as it 's now at lenth after all its disguises manifested for such vnto the world It 's good fame hath not lasted long neither at home nor abroad It got some footing in England by cunning and worldly interest but these soone failing it was quickly detected and reiected The Christlan Moderator saith to this purpose Christ Mod. p. 2. That the last Reformation setled with so solemn a Covenant and caried on with so furious a zeal is already by better lights discovered to be meerly humane therefore deservedly lay'd aside Therefore to
no Scripture for them in this point but in expresse words against them should I give credit to those who to maintaine their errour did first manifestly corrupt the words of Scripture with false translations and thereafter did pervert the sense of them with blasphemous interpretations should I believe those who although they quitted their first sense of blasphemy did invent another full of Tautology not so impious but very ridiculous And who last of all to compleate the worke did deny their Creed Or should I believe the old and new Testament the Prophets foretelling and the holy Apostles expounding the holy Fathers so vnderstanding the whole primitive Church assisted by the Spirit of truth so believing and professing And last of all should I believe my Creed which the whole Christian world did receive as a most perfect plaine rule of faith composed by the holy Apostles for the capacity of all men I must professe that after such a Triall I could not put these authorityes in the ballance together much lesse could I prefer the Presbyterians inconstant new opinion to the ancient constant beliefe of the whole world vnlesse I would haue renounced both Reason Conscience CHAP. XII A Reflection on the last and an Entrance into the Triall of the first supposed Reformation HAVING by the Divine grace by the former considerations discovered as well the falshood of the forsaid Presbyterian Innovaons as the ancient truth of the Catholique doctrine I was advised and much encouraged to make the like triall of the principal points of our first Reformation as concerning the Commandements our iustification the nature effect of the SacrameÌ„ts For iâ—t was represented vnto me that there was no lesse pretext of pure Scripture and a like lowd cryes of a great engyring light for the last then was for the first Reformation And seing by the former triall I had discovered these last pretences to be false Why may not I haue some confidence to do the like with the first if I would vse the l ke diligence And if the last Reformers haue been mistaken and misled by passion why might not also their Predecessours over see themselves too Or what assurance can any man haue of their infallibility more then of the others The Alterations that haue been lately made by the Presbyterians do shew even in their Iudgment that their first Reformers were not infallibly assisted 2. I was put in mind that I had found lately some of the most eminent among them to be Corrupters or as S. Paul speakes Adulterers both of the letter and sense of the Scriptures and therefore they are not to be altogether trusted without trial In a word great promises and assurances were made to me that I would by this triall find out the falshood of the first as I had done of the last Reformation by that means I might attaine vnto the possession of solid truth whereon I might safely rely for the good of my soule As truth can endure iust trial and desires nothing more by which it is more manifested so falshood cannot abide triall but alwayes shuns it because thereby it's deceits are detected Catoch Rom. q. 12. Sa pientisfime Maiores nostri c. Lastly it was showen vnto me that the ancient Pastours of the Church did most wisely reduce the whole substance of the Christian doctrin which is of it self so large and plenteous into these 4. heads to witt the Apostles Creed the Sacraments the Divine Commandements and our Lords prayer for all things which belong either vnto the knowledge of God the creation and governement of the world or the Redemption of mankind the rewards of the good or the punishments of the wicked are contain'd in the Apostolique Creed The signes and instruments which God hath instituted for attaining grace are the holy Sacraments The divine Commandements shew what we ought to do and our Lords prayer doth containe all what we can wish or desire And therefore these are as it were the foure great Pillars wheron the whole fabricke of Christianity relyes Now it was told me how I had found by the former triall that this last pretended Reformation had overturned two of these Pillars to witt the Apostles Creed the Lords prayer besides the fundamental governement established by Christ in his Church If then I should find also that the first Reformation had overturned the other two Pillars to witt the Divine Commandements the holy Sacraments Then I might Conclude that the end and intent of these Reformations what ever was the intention of the Reformers hath been vnder the pretence of Reformation totall Deformation and the destruction of the Christian religion and that betwixt them they haue compleated that hydeous worke of Desolation For if the first refomation tooke away two as the next hath taken away other two Then they both together have subverted so far as they could the 4. great Pillars of Christianity and the last Presbyterian Reformation hath compleated what the first had begun and had not perfected I begun then the trial of our first Reformation with it's doctrin concerning the divine Commandements and specially of the impossibility to keepe them which was taught by our first and is yet maintain'd by our last Reformers For it was showen to me if the Commandements of God were possible to be keept as all wise and iust lawes are ordain'd for that end that they may be observed Then we by teaching they were impossible to be keep 't destroyed the very end for which the Commandements were made and so destroyed the Commadements themselues CHAP. XIII Of the possibility to keepe the Divine Commandements with the assistance of Gods grace denyed by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers I had for some space a preiudicate opinion in this matter against the Catholique doctrin which affirmed as the Ministers taught that it was possible for any man to keep all the divine Commandements yea and to do more then God had commanded I conceived that to be false For since no man to my knowlege or their owne confession had kep't them all or doth keep them I thought it not possible they could keep them For it would seeme if a thing were possible some one among so many thousands would put it in act Vpon the other part I was not well satisfyed with our owne doctrine which teacheth that it is altogether impossible to keep the Commandements of God by reason of a dangerous consequence which a Catholique made me see to follow thervpon to witt That so many thousands should be damned for not doing that which was vtterly impossible for them to do I wondered how that could stand with the goodnesse iustice of God For greater Tyranny iniustice cannot be imagined then to punish one with eternal misery and grievous paines for not doing that which was altogether impossible for him to do The light of Nature would not permit me to impute such cruelty to God whose goodnesse
lesse are they impossible Yea I found it was the love of God that made the Commandements which seeme so hard and difficult to others to be easy vnto the Saints David saith Psal 119. that the Commandements of God were more sweete then the honey or the honey comb and againe I did run in the way of thy Commandements when thou didst enlarge my hart Moreover all the children of God love Christ and they who love him as himself testifyeth keep his words Iohn 14.23 and S. Iohn saith This is the of love God that we keep his Commandements Therefore hauing diligently considered these testimonies of the Scripture I found that the Scripture was clearly for the possibility of keeping Gods Commandements with the assistance of his grace as the Catholiques teach and against the impossibility of observing them as the Prerbyterians almost all Protestants hold Wherevpon I tooke occasion to admire at two things First how it was possible that all the points of our religion are expressly in Scripture and that the contrary points maintain'd by the Papists are not in Scripture but condemned by it since vpon serious triall I found the Scripture to be in this matter so clearly against vs. 2. I did no lesse admire that I reading frequently the Scriptures before this search did not till now observe our doctrin to be contrary vnto it But a Catholique to whom I imparted my thoughts some space thereafter did quickly free me of these admirations by shewing me the reasons of both The first said he is not to be much admired For if the first Reformers had not pretended that all their new doctrines were expressly in the Scriptures they had got no followers and if the Ministers did not continue to make the same pretence there would be few or none so foolish as to abide with them This same pretence of Scripture all Heretiques have ever made although their errours were clearly against Scripture And this pretence they must all make if they intend to find any Credit The reason also of the second said he is no lesse evident For it 's no wonder that till of late yow did not find your doctrin to be contrary vnto the Scriptures because you did reade them before very superficially without solid reflexion attention as the most part of Protestants do and many also reade them with preiudicate opinions framing their faith vnto the Scripture but wresting the Scripture vnto their errours That is not to search the Scriptures to which our Saviour did exhort the Iewes who contented themselves with the like superficiall reading of them and therefore could find nothing of Christ in them But he shew if they would search that is reade diligently consideratly they would find that the Scriptures bare testimony of him The like may be said truly of the Catholique Church Religion that if the Protestants would search the Scriptures they would find therein sufficient and clear testimonies of them Thus spake the Catholique But although the above cited testimonies of the Scripture appeared sufficiently clear vnto me yet least relying vpon my own iudgment I might be deceived I had my next recours after the Scriptures to the exposition of the holy Fathers to the beliefe of the holy Primitive Church From which the old Episcopal Ministers did affirm that the Papists were altogether degenerated and we were made by them to believe that as our doctrin was conform to the Scriptures so it was also conforme to the holy Fathers who were all said to be of our religion true Protestants But to speak mildly whithout any exaggeration I found that to be a grosse vntruth and that the Puritans who either not claime the holy Fathers or yeeld them vnto the Papists are much more ingenuous in this matter then the old Protestants as shall be seen God willing in the progresse of this Triall Concerning the possibility of keeping the divine Commandements I found three things to be clearly contayned in the holy Fathers 1. They affirm that the Catholique doctrin is expressed in the Scriptures which they did so vnderstand and expound 2. They prove it by the light of reason drawen from the nature iustice goodnessâ— of God They not only condemn the contrary that is Presbyterian doctrin as an heresy but they accurse it as a blasphemy against God In proose of the first S. Crysostom brings these words of our Saviour above cited My yoke is easy and my burden is light Chrys lib. de compunct cordis and saith Christ hâ—m self hath truely affirmed of his CoÌ„mandements that there is nothing laborious nothing troublesome in them saying my yoke is easy my burden is light And we on the contrary make them heavy which he hath made light and what he hath made sweete we make bitter by sinning If there were any thing laborious in the Commandements deservedly and decently labour should accompany vertue for rewards are propounded after labours c. And elswhere he explaines the same words daintily thus Idem hâ—mil 6. Hearing my precepts to be a yoke be not affray'd for it is replenished with rare delight Neither feare ye that I name it a burden in Math for it is light How then said he before the gate to be narrow and the way to be straight through tribulation O that is when thou art drowsie or a dastard but when with courage thou doest that work then the burden shall be light c. S. Augustin proves by these words of S. Iohn And his Commandements are not heavy that the Commandements are not only possible but also easy and he shewes that it is the Love of God which makes them light the want of that love that makes them seem heavy The precepts of God saith he Aug. lib. de nat gra c. 69. are good if we vse them lawfully For in so much as it is believ'd most firmely that God who is iust good cannot command impossible things therevpon we are admonished what we are to do in easy matters and in difficult what to request pray for For all are made easy to charity to which alone the burden of Christ is light or it is the burden it self which is light according to that which is said And his Commendements are not heavy And let him to whom theâ— be heavy consider that it could not haue been said in holy Scripture they are not heavy vnlesse there could be such a disposition of heart to which they are not heavy and let him pray for that which is commanded And a little after How can that be heavy which is the Commandement of charity For either a man doth not love and then the command is heavy or else he doth love and then it cannot be heavy In which words divers notable things are contayn'd I took notice principally of these 1. That he saith the possibility of keeping the Commandements is most firmely believed 2. he doth not only prove it by
vpon his wisdome For as it 's certaine that God made these lawes so it 's no lesse evident in the Scriptures that God vseth admonitions exhortations propounds rewards and threatens punishements to induce men to observe his lawes Now what Magistrate would be esteemed to be in his right wits who would not only make lawes impossible to be kept but also spend time in making exhortations propounding rewards to perswade men to do impossibilities But the Presbyterian doctrine makes God who is not only wise but wisdome it self subiect to both these follies which are most grosse absurdities And therefore since his lawes admonitions exhortations cannot be but prudent reasonable they do ever suppose the possibility of that which they enioyne and wherevnto they exhorte 3. The Presbyterian doctrine is not only iniurious to God but also it is very preiudiciall to man for it would rob him of the most excel-cellent of all vertues to witt the love of God For none can love another vnlesse he be good iust or at least appeare to be so But how can God appeare to be so who is described by the Presbyterians as if he were the most cruel Tyrant in the world to command impossibilities then to punish man eternally for not doing them Therefore if the Prerbyterian doctrine were true no man could love God as good gratious but rather would hate him as vniust Tyrannous 4. The Presbyterian opinion is a great enemy to piety vertue For if the Commandements be impossible none will strive to keep them and by this meanes a wide gate is opened to all impiety This is acknowledged by the forementioned Minister M. Shelford who saith Were the law impossible to be kept then all the exhortations threatnings in Gods word should be idle then all mens labours would wax lazie then good life which is after the rule would be exiled for that no man will strive against the stream Wherefore great enemies are they to Christian growth reward in the way of Godlinesse who are against this doctrine to witt of the possibility to keep the Commandements Lastly if the law were impossible then all men would be freed from subiection obedience to it for who can be reasonably tyed to things meerly impossible And this was the vse that Islebius one of Luthers Schollers made of his doctrine wherevpon he began the sect of the Anti-nomians as Sleidan doth testify in the 12. book of his history Having therefore found such clear testimonies of Scriptures Fathers such weight of right reason for the ancient Catholique doctrine I could not either in reason or conscience reiect all these and follow the Presbyterians groundlesse fancies which are against the very ground of faith to witt the holy Scriptures For the Presbyterians do teach that the commandements are impossible even with Gods grace And the Scripture saith they are easy light not heavy which is more then if it had affirmed that they were meerly possible Againe the Presbyterians by affirming the commandements are impossible do averre that never any did keep them doth or shall keep them The Scripture shewes in expresse termes that Abraham Zachary Elizabeth and others did keep them and that God hath promised many should keep them S. Iohn affirmeth that he who saith he knoweth God keepeth not his commandements is a liar the truth is not in him The Presbyterians do professe that they know God and that they neither do nor can keep his commandments and yet they will not be esteemed liars but rather true Professours For my part I am not able to reconcile such manifest contradictions as are in this matter betwixt the Scriptures the Presbyterians And therefore seing I cannot adhere to both I choosed rather to abandon the Presbyterians in thiâ— matter then to forsake the Scriptures I was much confirmed in this resolution when I saw the Catholique doctrine and sense of the Scriptures to be so clearly in the holy Fathers that by no shifts their testimonies can be shunned But I will add to these testimonies already brought one or two more which seem'd to me very clear efficacious How I pray you saith Sainct Augustin is it impossible vnto man to love Aug. ser 47. de Sanc to love I say a bountifull Creator a most loving father and then also to love his own flesh in his brethren but he who loves has fulfilled the law as the Apostle teacheth Wherefore the same holy Father admiring the great goodnesse bounty of God Rom. 3. who requires nothing of vs but to love him who is so good in himself and so gracious to vs he speaks thus vnto him What is man that thou wilt haue thy self to be beloved by him Aug. lib. 1. Confes c. 5. and if he do not love thee thou threatens him with great punisments But is not this punishment great enough if I do not love thee S. Chrysostome to the like purpose saith God commanded nothing impossible in so much Chry. hom 19. in Heb. hom 18. de Poenit. that many go beyond the very commandments And then he sheweth who these were to witt S. Paul S. Peter even all the quire of Saints Lastly the holy Fathers do not only prove the Catholique doctrine by the Scriptures and most solid reason founded vpon the goodnesse iustice of God but they condemne also the contrary opinion as a flat blasphemy against God Which censure is approved likewise by some Protestants Truly I cannot resist these reasons authorities and follow the Presbyterians to make a doctrine which is against the Scriptures and is condemned as blasphemy by the holy Fathers by some Protestants a principal article of my faith CHAP. XIV A Consideration of the Presbyterians principall grounds against the Possibility of keeping the Divine Commandements HAVING received aboundant satifaction in this matter concerning the Catholique doctrin I will briefly run through the Presbyterians principal grounds against it which in this search I did not leave vnconsidered 1. I found they acknowledged the Novelty of their doctrine 2. They brought no pure Scripture to prove it notwithstanding they pretend to believe nothing but Scripture 3. The Scriptures they bring are privatly expounded by them against the holy Fathers ancient Church against the Scriptures themselves in other places 4. They lay down some false Maximes and weak reasons whereon they build their imaginary faith or rather most dangerous errour Calvin acknowledges the novelty singularity of his doctrine Cal. lib. 2. Instit cap. 7 sect 5. in these words That we said the observation of the law to be impossible is briefly to be explained confirmed for it was wont commonly to be esteemed a most absurd opinion in so much as Hierome did not doubt to denounce a curse to it but I care nothing what Hierome thought Cent. 2. â— cap. 4. The Centuriators also of Magdeburg do acknowledge
that themselves do acknowledge in end the necessity of good works But to know how they are necessary either as causes or conditions is not a necessary curiosity wherof few are capable and without which many have gone to heaven And so now I proceed to the Trial of our doctrin concerning the Sacraments CHAP. XVIII Of the Excellency of the Christian Sacraments and particularly how they conferre Grace which is denyed by the Presbyterians AS I knew the Christian religion to be the most excellent of all true religions that ever have been whether we consider that which was vnder the law of nature or the other which was vnder the law of Moyses so I iustly conceived that it was most agreeable to Gods goodnesse and wisdome to adorne and enrich it with most excellent Sacraments For since no religion whether true or false can be without some sensible signes Aug. lib. 19. cont Faust cap. 22. as S. Augustin hath observed the Christian religion which is not only the true but also the most perfect religion to which the former two served as preparations must also have the most perfect and efficacious Sacraments And so I found the same S. Augustin extolling the perfection of the Christian Sacraments above these of the ancient law Aug. lib. 3. de doct Christ c. 19. Aug. cont Faust lib. 19. c. 13. Our Lord saith he and the Apostolical disciplin haue delivered some few Sacraments for many and these most easy to be done most magnificent for signification and most pure to be observed And elswhere he saith the Sacramenss are changed they are made easier fewer holsommer happier Now the principal perfection of the Christian Sacraments was generally believed to consist in this that God by them did conferre grace vnto our soules Which truth is so engrafted in the hearts of Christians that I knew diverse Protestants could not be at first perswaded that Luther or Calvin or that their Church taught the contrary and. when that was sufficiently manifested to them they were much scandalized at it In so much that some of them did say If the Sacraments do not confer grace and baptisme doth not take away original sin for what vse serve the Sacraments for what end were they ordain'd Wherefore being thus stirred vp to try this question I found in end that the Catholique doctrine which taught that the Sacraments of the new Law do confer grace is conformable to the divine Scriptures that it was expresly believed by the holy Fathers and doth duly exalt the perfection of the Christian Sacraments Whereas the Presbyterians doctrin which denyeth the Sacraments to confer grace is not only false against the Scriptures but was also condemned as an ancient heresy by the holy Fathers that it vndervalues the vertue of the Christian Sacraments and is so absurd that diverse famous Protestants haue abandoned that opinion albeit it was taught both by Luther Calvin and in this point do agree with the Catholiques All which things for brevities sake I will only touch Of Baptisme S. Iohn said to the Iewes 3.11 Math. I indeed baptize yow in water but he who comes after me shall baptize you in the holy Ghost fire Ananias said to S. Paul be baptized wash away thy sins Acts 22.16 Titus 3.5 Eph s 5.26 S. Paul calleth also Baptisme the Lauer of regeneration by which we are saved The same Apostle saith that Christ hath sanctifyed his Church by the lauer of water in the word of life By which testimonies albeit we speak nothing of many others it appear'd sufficiently clear to me since we are said to have our sins washed away by baptisme to be sanctifyed to be born of new again that by it we receive also grace without which these things could not be verified and performed The like is also affirmed of the Eucharist of which our Saviour saith If any man eate of this bread Iohn 6.51.54 he shall live for ever And again He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life Now this everlasting life is no otherwise had here but by receiving Grace which is the seed of Glory and of eternal life happinesse Therefore these two Sacraments which are all that the Presbyterians admit do confer grace by the vertue institution of Christ What was the belief of the holy Fathers and of the whole Church in this point it is so clear that Calvin himself and other chief Protestants do acknowledge it to be the same which is now believed by the Catholiques against their doctrin Cal. lib. 4. Instit cap. 14. sect 14. 26. For. Calvin confesseth that with great consent it was taught and believed for many ages That the Sacraments of the new Law do confer grace if they were not hindered by mortal sin which albeit he calleth a pernicious and pestilentious opinion and alleadgeth that it drawes men from God to rest in the sight of corporall things and not in God himself yet he confesseth also that it was taught by S. Augustin the holy Fathers whom he striveth to excuse by saying that in their immoderat praises of the Sacraments Cent. 2. c. 4. cent 3. c 4. Muscul in loc com p. 299. they vsed hyperbolical speeches The Lutheran Centurists do ascribe the same doctrin as an errour to the most ancient Fathers as to S. Clement Iustin Cyprian and others Musculus saith plainly that Augustin did rashly affirm that the Sacraments of the new law conferred grace These open confessions shall save our paines of citing the Fathers testimonies And that this doctrin of the Catholiques doth manifest the perfection of the Christian Sacraments it is so clear of it self that it needeth no illustration Vpon this consideratiō S. Augustin Aug. tract 80. in Ioan. admiring the wonderfull effects of the Sacraments cry'd out Vnde tanta virtus aquae vt corpus tangat cor abluat Whence comes saith he so great vertue to the water that it toucheth the body and cleanseth the soule Where he ascribes this wonderful effect to the goodnesse omnipotency of God which sheweth also that his speeches are not hyperbolicall as Calvin falsly pretends Thus much briefly to shew that I found the Catholique doctrin to be conforme to the Scriptures holy Fathers and to manifest the perfection of the Christian Sacraments And therfore Calvins opinion which is iust contrary must needs be against all these He himself confesseth that it is against the holy Fathers and consequently it cannot be conforme to the Scriptures whereon they founded their faith and not vpon humane imaginations That it taketh away a great perfection from the Sacraments denying them to conferre grace is so evident that it needs no proofe Calvin saw this so clearly that he pretended the Farhers vsed immoderate praises of the Sacraments and that this vertue which the Catholiques do ascribe to the Sacraments makes people to trust more in creatures them in God himself But as I found
instruments doth not depend either vpon the the holynes of the Minister or vpon worthinesse of the receiver but vpon the work wrought that is on the Sacramental action which is instituted by Christ for that end As for example the Sacrament of baptisme confers the grace of Sanctification to infants washing away their original sin and making them the children of God and this effect it vndoubtedly produceth in infants in whom no dispositions are required so that if they die before they commit any actual sin all of them would infallibly go to heaven Here it is evident that baptisme confers grace by the work wrought or by the Sacramental action and institution of Christ and not for any worthinesse of the infants Again although the dispositions of faith love repentance and the rest be required in these persons who being come to age are to be baptized yet baptisme doth produce their Sanctification not by vertue or for the merit of these dispositions although without them iustifying grace would not be produced but for the institution of Christ to whom and not to the merit of the receaver all the grace is attributed Thus he shew me how the Catholique Doctours did explaine the matter and that it never entered into any of their heads that the Sacraments would produce grace in those who were ill disposed or received thē without due preparation since the Scripture sheweth that these 1. Cor. 11. v. 9. who receeive the Eucharist vnworthily receive vnto themselves damnation Vpon these considerations I thought it no wonder that the Presbyterians who esteem their Sacraments to be of so little value haue also made them to be of so little vse For they haue abrogated and condemned all private baptisme and Communion so that these two Sacraments which are all they have cannot be any more vsed in private although vpon never so great necessity And for their Communion as they never give it in private for the comfort of the sick so they give it very seldom in publick for the devotion of the whole for in some remarkable Townes and other parts of the Countrey it hath not been once administrated these 8. or 9. yeares By all which I saw clearly enough that the doctrines and practises of the Presbyterians were not only against the excellency but also against the necessity of the Christian Sacraments which were thereby rendred altogether gracelesse and almost vselesse Therefore I intended Godwilling to follow no longer such wicked opinions and practises which destroy the nature end and vse of the Christian Sacraments CHAP. XIX That Baptisme taketh away Original sin which is denyed by the Presbyterians VPON the determination of the former question this other was soone decyded For if Baptisme conferres grace as hath been proved generally of all the Christian Sacraments in the former chapter then it also taketh away sin which cannot stay with grace in the same place And so accordingly the Catholiques teach Concil Trid. sess 5 can 5. that Original sin is taken away by Baptisme as the Councel of Trent hath defined in these words If any man shall deny that by grace conserred in the Sacrament of Baptisme the guilt of original sin is taken away or saith also that all that is properly sin is not taken away but only razed and not imputed be he accursed The chieff Protestants Presbyterians hold the contrary as an article of their faith Luther saith to deny sin to be remaining in a child after baptisme Luth. art 1. damnat à Leone X. Cal. lib. 4. Instit cap. 15. sect 10. Confess Vvestmin ch 6. is to tread both Paul and Christ vnder foote Calvin accordeth to him It is false saith he that by baptisme we are loosed and exempted from original sin The Presbyterian confession of Westminster saith that by original sin we are wholly defiled in all the faculties parts of soule body And that this corruption of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated and that it self and all the motions of it are truly properly sin I found the Catholique doctrin to be firmly founded in the Scriptures to have been zealously defended by the holy fathers who account them infidels who deny it and to be agreable to the very instinct of almost all Christians And consequently the Presbyterian belief which is iust opposite must be against all these as also I found it to have been an ancient heresy and that it is so false and absurd that diverse Protestants have been scandalized at it and abandonned it and some have condemned it as blasphemy All which I shall briefly touch That baptisme taketh away original yea and all sin the Scripture sufficiently sheweth Ananias said to S. Paul Acts 22.17 Acts 2.38 Ephes 5.26 Titus 1. v. 5.1 Pet. 3.21 Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins S. Peter gave this advice to the Iewes be every one of you baptized for the remission of your sins S. Paul saith that Christ hath loved his Church and delivered himself for it that he might sanctifie it cleansing it by the lauer of water in the word Again He hath saved vs by the lauer of regeneration S. Peter saith Baptisme saveth you also If then Baptisme washeth away our sins how are they not taken away if we be cleansed from sin how can the filthinesse of sin remain If we be borne of new again in the lauer of regeneration how can the old man or death of sin abide in vs Christ is called in the Scripture the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world But how could he be said to take away the sins of the world if he did not take away Original sin which is the sin of the whole world And how is that sin taken away but by Baptisme These places of Scripture appeare so clear for this truth that without great violence they cannot be wrested to an other sense But now let vs heare the iudgment of the holy Fathers of the primitive Church S. Augustin sheweth the doctrin of the ancient Church against the Pelagians who falsely alleadged that the Catholiques maintaind Baptisme did not take away all sins but did only shave them for which supposed doctrin they branded the Catholiques with the name of Manichees He puts down their calumny in these words Aug. lib. 1. cont duas epist Pelag. c. 13. These Manichees do teach that baptism doth not give remission of sins nor takes away crimes but only shaves them To which calumny S. Augustin answer's thus Who affirmes this against the Pelagians vnlesse he be some infidel For we teach that baptism gives remission of all sins and takes away crimes and not shaveth them Where may be observed not only what was the doctrin of the auncient Church but also that the contrary is a point of the Manichean heresy and that these who maintain it are infidels in S. Augustins iudgment Again the same holy Father sheweth the great vertue of
sin so they belieue that it is not necessary for salvation that children dying without that Sacrament may be saved VpoÌ„ this dangerous doctrin followeth a most dangerous practise Fot they believing baptism not to be necessary suffer many children to die without it and they have also made a law abrogating all private baptism Our first Reformers shew their minde clearly The Scotiâ—h Confession c. of baptism Confess Vvestminst chap. 28. n. 5 Cal. in Antido to Concil ad sess 6. c. 5. lib. 4. instit c. 16. sect 24. 25. cont art Parisiens p. 307. F or Râ—yon de â—ortu progressu haeres lib. 8. c. 11. when they say in their first Confession That baptism isnoto of such necessity that the want of it can be hurtfull to the Salvation of children And they deny also the profitt of it when they subioyn that many have ben baptized and yet were never inwardly purged The same is almost repeated by our new Presbyterian Reformers in their late confession at Westminster where they say that grace and salvation are not so necessarly annexed vnto baptism that no person can be saved or regenerated without it or that all that are baptized are vndoubtedly regenerated These doctrines and practises are dâ—rived from Calvin the first Foundator of Presbytery who taught that the children of the faithfull are holy from their mothers womb are already sanctifyed and have remission of their sins and that they have need of baptism not as of a help necessary but as of seale ordain'd by God to seale in them the grace of adoption And if they die they may be saved without baptism And according to this doctrin he made a law in Geneva that the children to be baptized should expect sermon and he suffered a child to dye without baptisme because it was brought a little late to the Church as Florimond Reymond testifyeth Now I found the opposite doctrin to witt that baptism is necessary for the salvation of infants to be most firmly founded in Gods word to haue been strongly and zealously defended by the holy Fathers and the ancient Church and to be conforme to the general instinct of Christians Therefore the Presbyrian doctrin which is contrary must be against all those And besids I found it to be an auncient heresy and to be so dangerous and pernicious an errour that diverse famous Protestants have abandonned it All which points I shall briefly touch 1. Our Saviour saith clearly in the Scripture vnles a man be borne again of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Iohn v. 5. Which place the holy Fathers and the ancient Church vnderstood of baptism Aug. lib. 1. de pecc mer. remiss c. 30. S. Augustin sheweth that this place was so expresse convincing that it confounded the Pelagians who denyed original sin and made them acknowledge the necessity of baptism although not for the remission of original sin which they denyed yet for the attayning of the kingdom of heaven But yet to maintain their errour they foolishly imagined that children might be saved without baptism although without it Vrb. Reg. 1. parte oper in Caetechismo minori fol. 104. 105. 107. they could not enter into heaven Vrbanus Regius a famous Protestant in Germany saith that the right beleeving Fathers and Christians vnderstood this place of baptism And to beleeve saith he that none either man or child can be saved without baptism both the Scripture and the authority of the auncient Church compelleth vs. For the Fathers we shall bring S. Augustin who writeth thus to S. Hierome Aug. epist. 20. ad Hier. Whosoever saith that such children shall have life in Christ who depart this life without participatien of the Sacrament of baptism that man questionlesse gainsayeth the preaching of the Apostles and condemneth the whole Church where such hast is made to runne with children because it is beleeved without doubt that otherwise they cannot at all be quickned in Christ And in another place he saith most earnestly Aug. lib. 3. de origine anâ—mae cap. Do not beleeve do not say do not tea h that children preveened by death before they receive baptism can attayn remission of their original sin if you desire to be a Catholique And that this was not only the belief of S. Augustin but also of the other holy Fathers as of S. Cyprian Nazianzen S. Hierom Câ—nt 3. c. 4. Cent. 4. c. 4 Aug. epist 90 92. S. Ambrose S. Hilarius c. the Centurists themselves do acknowledge yea the Carthaginian Milevitan Councels as S. Augustin testifieth professed the same and condemned their opinion who think that children can be saved without baptism And that the necessity of baptism is conforme to the generall instinct of Christians may appeare by the former testimony of S. Augustin where he sheweth that Christians make such haste and are so earnest to have their children baptised because they believe that otherwise they cannot be quickned in Christ Therefore the Presbyterian doctrin which denyeth the necessity of baptism gainsayeth the Scriptures Fathers and â—s against the common belief of Christians Moreover it was condemned Aug. lib de haeres c. 69. as an old heresy in the Pelagians For they denyed also that baptism was necessary for the remission of original sin There is indeed this difference between them the Presbyterians that they denying original sin thought it not necessary for the remission of it albeit they esteem'd it necessary for the attayning the kingdom of heaven But the Presbyterians graunting original sin believe that baptism is neither necessary for the remission of it nor for obtaining of heaven and so their errour in this point is greater then that of the Pelagians For they promise the kingdom of heaven to children dying without baptism which the Pelagians presumed not to do it being so clearly against the Scriptures That diverse famous Protestants have abandonned this errour and do hold that Salvation is not promised to the children of the faithfull dying without baptism Breirly sheweth in the Protestants Apology Prot Apol. trac 3. sect 4. n. 11. where he cites for this purpose the Confession of Auxburg Vrbanus Regius Hosmanus Bilson Bishop of Winchester and others King Iames also in the conference at Hampton-Court maintain'd that baptism was necessarie by the necessity of command albeit he did not think it necessarie by the necessitie of means All which considerations were more then sufficient motives to make me abandon the Presbyterian opinion and to embrace the Catholique belief concerning the necessity of haptism for the Salvation of infants But finding that the Presbyterians have principally two exceptions against the ancient Catholique doctrin I proposed them to a Catholique for my greater satisfaction First said I the Presbyterians do alleadge that the necessity of baptism is against the power of God by tying him to the ordinary means 2. They
words of Christs institution ought to be litterally vnderstood he concludes in these words Ibidem fol. 90. Horrible therefore and detestable is the malice of the Sacramentaries that this so clear a word they do perversly interprete and change into significations tropes and figures Melanch in lib de verit corp Christi in Sacram Melanchton also saith that these words of Christ This is my body fulmina erunt they shall be thunderbolts against those who deny the beleef of Christ true body in the Sacrament Thus we have seen what iudgment Luther and his followers have of the Zuinglians Calvinists for their negative belief of the real presence Neither is the iudgment of the Zuinglians and Calvinists much better of the others for their beleef of the reall presence by Consubstantiation Zuinglius speaking to this purpose of Luther saith Zuingl tom 2. respons ad Confess Lutheri f. 478. Tigurini tract 3. cont Confes Luth. p. 61. Cal in admonit vlt. ad Vvestphal tom 7. p. 829. Idem cont Hes husium Behold how Satan endeavoures to possesse wholly that man And his Tigurin Schollers speak yet more clearly Luther calleth vs say they a damned execrable sect but let him take heed least he shew himself as an heretique who will not or cannot communicate with these who do professe Christ How clearly doth Luther here shew himself to have a Devil How many filthy things breathing all the Devils of hell doth he belsh forth c. Calvin saith We affirm that they to witt the Lutherans do speak and think more grosly of the corporal presence then the Papists And in another place he saith speaking of the Eucharist I have shewed a long time ago that the Papists are a little more modest and sober in their raveries then they Beza affirmeth that we cannot insist vpon the letter of these words of Christ this is my body but Papistical Transubstantiation is established And again Either transubstantiation is to be established tom 7. p. 844. Beza de Coena Domini cont Vvestph◠p. 215. p. 216 217. or a figure Thus we see how these first Apostles of Protestants like the builders of Babilon are divided in so important an article of the Christian faith The beleef of Zinglius and Calvin in this matter is heresy blasphemy to Luther his Schollers And Luthers faith to Calvin is a meer raverie more insuportable then the Popish transubstantiation If this dissenssion was so great at the beginning how great must it be now in the progresse How can these men be true Apostles who disagreed so manifestly bitterly in such a necessarie princicipal point of the Christian religion Or what assurance can any man have who followeth such vnsure Guides To conclude this point I could hardly desire greater satifaction for the Catholique belief of the real presence then by Gods grace I found to witt expresse Scriptures the holy Fathers vniuersal Church famous miracles the light of reason grounded vpon the goodnesse and wisdome of Christ whereas for the Presbyterian opinion which is an ancient heresie is condemned by the Lutherans as a blasphemie I found we had no Scriptures but were enforced to flie from the clear words of it to tropes figures to some shallow carnal reasons against the Scripture omnipotency of God which reasons I saw clearly answered in the Catholique writers and as a Catholique shew me more strong reasons have been brought by Pagans some heretiques against the mysterie of the Trinitie Incarnation I perceived also that the Presbyterians involved their opinion in such obscurities that by their words one might collect they beleeved both a real presence a real absence and they made vse of either as the time required and that the most part of them did not know and could not tell what they beleeved But at length when the best of them were well sifted all ended in this that Christs body was only in the heavens neither was it possible to be in the Sacrament nor in two places at once And so their pretended real presence proved indeed to be a real absence In a word I found that the Presbyterians by taking away the real body of Christ from this Sacrament and giving vs an emptie figure do really take away the substance of this Sacrament and so destroy it as they had done before to baptism by denying both the vertue and necessitie of it And therefore in effect they have destroied both these Sacraments which they would seem to have left Their doctrin which denyes the Sacraments to conferre grace shewes that they esteem them graclesse and their seldom vseing of them especially of the Eucharist manifests that they think them vselesse or fruiltlesse Both which errours S. Augustin refuteth by these two excellent sentences Aug. qu 84. in Leuit. Idem lib. 19. cont Faust c. 11. Without the grace saith he of invisible Sanctification for what vse serve the visible Sacraments And again The vertue of the Sacraments vnspeakably availeth much and therefore it being contemned makes men sacrilegious For that is impiously contemned without which piety is not perfited CHAP. XXII Some Reflections vpon both the pretended Scottish Reformations HAVING found aboundant satisfaction for the truth of the Catholique doctrin in the points lately tryed I did freely acknowledge to the Catholique by whose advice and assistance I had made this last Trial of our first Reformation that I did not only see the truth to be vpon the Catholiques side but also that I perceived a notable difference between the sublimity of the Catholique doctrin and the lownesse of Presbyterian opinions especially concerning rhe holy Sacraments and particularly the Eucharist Wherevpon he took occasion to shew me that there is indeed such a notable difference between the doctrines of the true Church all heretical opiniōs s that as some of the ancient Fathers cōpare iustly heretiques to the prodigal child who left his Fathers house so they fitly parallel their doctrines to the husks where with he was fed For thus speaketh S. Gregory Nyssen A fugitive from the faith went into a far Countrey and divided his Fathers goods into two halfes Greg Nyss orat in suam ordinat whilst he threw down sublime doctrines to base Swinish opinions and wasted his riches with whoorish heresies For heresy is a harlot which with pleasures as with deceits draweth many vnto her So one who leaves the Catholique Church that rich house of his heavenly father leaves also the heavenly bread of Christs precious body wherewith his children are nourished and feasted and going astray vnto Calvins Congregation finds nothing but an empty drie Calvinistical supper having nothing divine no iuice in it but bare signes figures which contayn lesse then Manna or the shew bread of the ancient table He leaves also the other sublime doctrines concerning the Sacraments as how they conferre sanctifying grace purge the soule from sin
c. and is turned vnto vaine opinions in which nothing is solid nothing stable that can satisfie the minde Therefore he striveth to satiat himself dayly with new opinions and idle inventions but all in vaine for these are nothing but husks which leave the bellie empty There is no remedie for him but to return with the prodigal child vnto his fathers house where he will be received with ioy and feasted with the bread of Angels But said the Catholique to make a general reflection vpon all that hath past vnder this Trial Do you not now clearly see how falsly these Reformers pretend alwayes the Scriptures to be for them when you have found the Scriptures so expresly against them in all these principal points of the Christian religion already examined And which is very considerable have you not seen these Scriptures to be so vnderstood by the holy Fathers in the pure and primitive times as they are now vnderstood by the Roman Catholiques Do y not now perceive how Heresy like a strumpet fardeth her self with the colours of the divin Scriptures by which fain'd and false beauty she allures and deceives many but so soone as she is brought near the fire of Triall how her fardings melt fall away and her own vglinesse appeares Among heretiques saith S. Augustin Aug. cont epist. fuÌ„d c. 1. Ioseph lib. 5 de bello Iudaico c. 5. there is nothing but the promise of truth a meer shew or pretext of it no performance Their doctrines are like the fruites of Sodom and Gomorrha which as Iosephus testifyeth have a specious shew and appear pleasant vnto the eye but so soone as they are touched fall into ashes So truly are all hereticall opinions they are given out for the fruites of pure Scriptures they appeare very specious and pleasant but so soone as they are tryed diligently according to the Scriptures and are touched as it were by the fingers of the holy Fathers they presently evanish and nothing remaines but the flammes of heretical dissentions like the smoak of Sodom Gomorrha as a testimonie of the divin iudgment vpon them Have you not now seen that these two pretended Scottish Reformations have between them compleated the hydious work of desolation and destroyed the 4 principal pillars of the Christian religion and that as the later hath taken away two to witt the Lords prayer and the Apostles Creed so the first hath taken away in effect the other two to witt the divin Commandments and the holy Sacraments and so the Presbyterians haye overturned what their Predecessors left vntouched In a word they may be briefly described thus They have a Creed from the Apostles which they do not beleeve they have a prayer from Christ which they do not say they have Commandments from God which they professe they will not keep and the two Sacraments of the law of grace which they had only left to themselves they have made altogether gracelesse almost vselesse And besids all this they have robbed the holy Trinity of Glory and the Church of the Apostolique governement together with all order decency to speak nothing of their other smaller pranks Therefore I am now confident that you have found what I promised at the beginning to witt that the first pretended Reformation was no better grounded then the last and that the end of both hath been total desolation and the destruction of the chief Pillars af the Christian religion whereas vpon the contrary you have seen the Catholique religion which you had heard so often calumniated with strong and shamelesse cries to be in all these principal points conforme to the Scriptures and holy Fathers and to the primitive Church Thus he As I was so clearly convinced in all these particulars that I behoved to renounce both knowledge conscience if I would deny them so I did ingenuosly confesse to him my satisfaction and withall I promised if I could find the like evidence for the Catholiques in all the other controuersies that I would by Gods grace render my self a Roman Catholique To which he answered that the triall of all the particular doctrines in controversie after the former manner was a long laborious md needlesse way and that God had appointâ—d more easie and shorter meanes to come vnto the knowledge of the truth or else what would become of those who are not capable to make such trials Therefore he would vndertake to prove shortly by a clear vndeniable Principle and granted by all Protestants the Protestant Religion their whole Church to be false and by the same principle to shew clearly the present Catholique Church in Communion with the sea of Rome to be the ancient Catholique Church established by Christ his Apostles and to have continued still in their doctrin without any variation And so with some confidence arising from my former experience I prepared my self to receive this new instruction CHAP. XXIII That the true Church of Christ must be perpetuall and must endure without interruption vnto the end of the world THE principle said my Catholique friend whereby I will demonstrate the Protestant Church not to be the true Church of Christ shall be so evident and convincent that as nothing is more expresly in Scriptures so nothing is more freely granted by Luther Calvin generally by all learned Protestants And this principle is the perpetuity of Christs Church or that Christ must have a Church which hath endured from his ascension vntill this time shall endure from this vntill the end of the world Before I proceed further I will first manifest vnto you the strength of this truth by the Scriptures Fathers by Protestants and their reasons The passages of Scripture for this truth are many but I shall content my selfe with some few which may serve for your satisfaction The first do concern the eternal kingdome of Christ by which all men vnderstand his Church Of this the prophet Daniel saith In the dayes of these Kings Daniel 2.44 the God of heaven shall set vp a kingdome which shall never be destroyed c. It shall break in pieces all these kingdomes and it shall stand for ever The Angel Gabriel speaking of the same kingdom of Christ to the blessed Virgin said And of his kingdome there shall be no end Luke 1.33 Calvin proveth by these places and others which speak of the kingdome of Christ the perpetuity of of his Church against Servetus So doth also Beza and the Confession of Holland If then the kingdome of Christ be perpetual there must alwaies be some to acknowledge him to be their King The second passages of Scripture contayne Christs promises to his Church Math. 16.18 and the Governours of it Vpon this rock saith he will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it By this place S. Augustin proveth both the perpetuity Auge lib. 1. de Symb. ad Catech c. 8 and inuincibility of
the Church The Catholique Church saith he fighting against all heresies may be opposed but cannot be overcome all heresies have gone out of her as vnprofitable twigges cut off from the vine but she remaines in her roote in her vine in her charitie the gates of hell cannot pervaile against her Christ promised also his perpetu l assistance vnto the Pastors of his Church Math. 28. ver vlt. Behold said he I am with you alway even vnto the consummation of the world Which place both S. Augustin and S. Hierome do bring to prove the same truth The first introduceth the Church speaking thus to Christ Shew vnto me the fewnesse of my dayes ug conc 2. in psal 101. how long shall I be in this world Shew this vnto me for those who say she was but now is not the Church hath made Apostasy and perished from all nations And he declared vnto me Behold I am with you alway even vnto consummation of the world S. Hierome saith that Christ Hier. in cap. vlt. Matth. by these words shews there should be alwayes some faithfull people in this world that he should never separate himself from them I passe by many more places of Scripture which is so evident for the perpetuity of Christs Church that S. Augustin said against the Donatists who denyed it Avg. pref in 2. expos psa 21. and affirmed the Church had perished They mock Christ in a matter which is evident in a matter where no man can say I did not understand This truth is not only evident in Scriptures and Fathers but it is also acknowledged by all Protestants whose minds are best knowne by their Confessions of faith which ought to be of more authority amongst them then the testimonies of their private writers Conf. Augu. c. 7. Saxoni ca c. 12. Helvetic c. 17 The confessions of Ausburg of Saxonie of the Suizers do not only affirm that the Church must still continue vnto the end of the world but they prove it by the expresse Scriptures above cited The Authors of our first Scottish Confession professe that they beleeve as firmely the perpetuity of the Church as they beleeve the mysterie of the Trinity 1. Scottish Conf. article 16. Confes Vvest ch 25. n. 5. for thus they speak As we beleeve in God the Father Son and holy Ghost so we do most earnestly beleeve that from the beginning there hath been now is and to the end of the world shall be a Church The new Confession at Westminster professeth the same truth And so do also Luther Calvin as we shall see presently Now the contrarie doctrin to witt that the Church of Christ did perish or can perish is censured both by Catholiques Protestants as a most damnable errour iniurious to God against the clear Scriptures S. Aug. testimonie shall suffice for the First For against the Donatists who defended the like error and said But that Church which was of all Nations is no more Aug. in ps 101. she hath perished he subioyneth this censure This they say who are not in her O impudent speech And after ward This voice so damnable so detestable so full of presumption falshood which is sustained with no truth enlightned with no wisdome seasoned with no salt vaine rash heady pernitious the holy Ghost foresaw By the great severity of this censure may be knowne the abominable falshood of that opinion Neither is the iudgment of Caluin against that error lesse severe For writing against Servetus who defended it and who was burnt by his order at Geneva he saith I did not touch that long banishment of the Church from the earth Cal. tract Theolin refvtatione errorum Serveti p. 762. which he faineth wherein he plainly accuseth God of a lie And afterward he maketh this profession But we indeed confesse that the Church was put in glorious places otherwise God would have lied who promised that he should alwayes have some people so long as the Sun and Moone shall shine in the firmament We know what the prophets do every where teftifie of the eternall kingdome of Christ The reason of these great censures is very evident For 1. there is nothing so often and so clearly promised in the Scriptures as the perpetuitie of the Church of Christ If then notwithstanding these clear promises the Church might perish then all the other mysteries reveal'd in Scripture might be denyed then it would follow that God were a liar as Calvin reasoneth against Servetus 2. If the Church could perish then that article of the Apostles Creed I believe the holy Catholique Church would be false and therefore none could believe truely that to be which had no being This reason is brought by Luther 3. It would follow that men could not be saved Luth. tom 7. de votis verae Ecclesiae f. 148. Conf. Vvest cap. 25. n. 2. for out of the true Church there is no ordinarie possibility of Salvation as our new Confession of faith acknowledgeth Now what could be more against the goodnesse mercy of God what more iniurious to the merits of Christs passion then to take away the means of Salvation which would be clearly taken away if the Church did perish By all which may be seen that the perpetuity of Christs Church is not only clearly contayn'd in the Scriptures holy Fathers but also that it 's granted by Protestants proved by their reasons and that the contrarie opinion to witt that the Church can perish is censured both by Catholiques Protestants as a most pernicious damnable Error Thus spake the Catholique I was so satisfied of the truth of this principle that I desired no more for the evidence of it and I professed if by it the Protestant Church were proved not to be the true Church that it could not be denyed but Protestants were convinced not only by a clear truth but also by their own principles But to perform this the better the same Catholique shew me that it was necessarie to lay down an other principle to witt the definition or description of a Protestant Church And although said he this be difficult by reason that Protestants are very inconstant and changeable in their doctrin which is the essence of a Church so that the definition which will serve them this yeare may perhaps not fit them the next for which cause some have affirmed that it 's as hard to find out a definition which will alwayes agree to them as to paint Proteus or make a fit coate for the Moone yet notwithstanding these difficulties a general notion may be had of them and the best appear's to be that which is taken from their Confessions of faith So that the Protestant Church of Scotland may be described to be a Society of people beleeving the whole articles of the Scottish Confession And other Protestāt Churches as of Englād France c. may be described after the same manner by
their several Confessions For these Confessions distinguish them from all other Societies and they require no more of any to be esteem'd a Protestant of their respective Churches then to subscrive and swear their Confessions But it is to be observed that these Confessions must be beleeved wholly and intirely and not only a part of them otherwise all heretiques might be esteem'd Protestants For Arius Sabellius and the rest beleeved some of these articles and yet were not Protestants These two grounds being setled he proceeded to his proof CHAP. XXIV That the Protestant Church hath not been perpetual yea was not at all before Luther and therefore is not the true Church FROM the former two principles which I granted and conceive no Protestant can deny this argument was made vnto me The true Church of Christ hath still continued without interruption since the ascension of Christ But the Protestant Church hath only continued since the apostasy of Luther Therefore the Protestant Church is not the true Church of Christ The maior is evident by the first principle of the perpetuity of the Church The Minor is proved by the second principle after this manner The Protestant Church for example of Scotland is a Church beleeving all the articles of the Scottish Confession and the same may be proportionally said of all other Protestant Churches and their Confessions But before Luther there was no Church which beleeved that Confession or any other of the Protestant Confessions Therefore there was no Protestant Church before Luther and consequently it hath only continued since the fall of Luther The Maior is evident by the second principle The Minor to witt that there was no Church before Luther which beleeved any Protestant Confession is proved thus If thâ—re had been any Church before Luther beleeving any Protestant Confession it was either visible or invisible there is no medium But there was no Church either visible or invisible which beleeved any Protestant Confession Therefore there was no Church at all beleeving any Protestant Confession before Luther If you will affirm said he that there was such a Church visible I ask where it was to be seen before Luther appeared Which can never be showen If you say there was a Church beleeving some Protestant Confession but invisible I demand only for the present how the true Church can be invisible How can the true Church be without doctrin Sacraments neither of which can be had in an invisible Church But I shall prove he after that the Scriptures Fathers right reason are as evident for the visibility as they are for the perpetuity of the Church Yea I shall shew that albeit the true Church could be invisible the Protestant Church was not so much as invisible before Luther and therefore was not at all Visibility invisibility are indeed the two starting holes by which your Authors think to escape when they are prest by this argument and therefore they must be both diligently watcht For there is a custom as S. Augustin observes common to foxes heretiques Aug. in psa 80. Cant. 2 As foxes have two entries to their hole to the end they may save themselves by the one when they are pursued by the other so heretiques whom the Scripture ressembles to foxes have a double issue in their answers that they may escape by the one when they find themselves assaulted pres't by the other This custome many Protestants observe well in this same matter For when they are pres't to shew their Church before Luther they say often it was invisible therefore could neither be known nor shown But when it is proved by the Scriptures right reason that the true Church must be visible then they make many shifts to shew it was visible and when all these faile they run back again vnto their hole of invisibility and so think to escape that way Thus he But I esteeming visibility a more honorable natural propertie of the Church of Christ then invisibility since Christ saith Tell the Church which were impossible to be done if the Church were not visible knowing that diverse famous Protestants do affirm that their Church was visible before Luther I willed him if he would gain his point to shew me first that the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther Wherevpon he toul dme that he would prove that very particularly but first he would shew me in general that even these Protestants who pretend their Church to have been visible cannot endure to be ask'd that fatal question where was your Church before Luther For knowing the hardnesse of this question and the insufficiency of their answers they endeavour to shift it calling it an vniust impertinent demand an old but vnnecessarie question a question of historie which would require twentie yeares study But said he if this demand be vniust Tertul. de prescrip c. 31. Optat. l. 1. ad Parmen p. 48. Aug. in collat 3. diei cap. 6. Theologi Heidel praef in Protocoll Frankentalen Beza ep 16. then the Fathers were vniust who made the same demand to the heretiques of their time required them to shew the origine of their Churches and to tell what they were and whence they came Yea if this demand be vniust some chief Protestants are vniust who made the same to diverse sectaries who have gone out from them For the Theologs of Heydelberg speak thus to the Anabaptists If you be the Church of God it followeth that God hath been without people and without a Church c. And the reason which they subioyn is very remarkable for it is directly according to the second principle above setled For if you say they would read over all histories you shall find no people from the beginning of the world that hath made a Confession of faith like yours Beza hath also been vniust who presseth the new Arians with the like question If their doctrin saith he be true we require them to show vs at length in what place their Church hath been These testimonies to passe by many others do shew that this question is neither vniust nor impertinent and that these Protestants who vrge it so hardly against others do know the great strength and evidence of it which they cunningly dissemble or maliciously deny when it 's vrged against themselves But that this question is not vniust may be shewed also by reason For if the Protestant Church hath been visible it must have been in some place visible Since then we cannot see nor heare of it before Luther arose although all histories have been searched all records pervsed which do inform vs of things lesse considerable as sometimes of one single man when and where he arose and opposed the Church and yet not so much as one word can be found of a whole visible continual society of Protestants and besids that they cannot be found in histories they have left no Monuments behind them by which they may be
the third but could not obtayn it Lastly they maintaind diverse grosse errours which are condemned both by Catholiques Protestants Ibidem subdivis 4. As 1. that Churchmen by mortal sin lost all spiritual authority 2. That the Civil Magistrats by mortal sin fell also from their dignity 3. That Churchmen should possesse nothing in propertie 4. That it was lawfull to dissemble in religion and their practice was conform to their doctrin for they went to Masse confessed and communicated For which dissimulation the Protestants at the beginnining would not acknowlege them for their brethren These and other grosse errors they maintain'd as may be seen in the Protestants Apology where the Authors are at large cited But as these differences do shew the Waldenses not to be good Protestants so I will bring some few to prove that they were ill Presbyterians Gualte Chron. saeculo 12. c. de Vvalden er 2â— 32. 3. error 38. ibid. 1. They admitted no other forme of prayer except our Lords prayer the Presbyterians admitt many others but not that 2. They allowed only three orders in the Church to witt of Deacons Priests Bishops The Presbyterians have abiured Episcopacy the whole hierarchie of the Church 3. The Waldenses affirmed that all oaths were vnlawfull The Presbyterians have tak n and enforced others to take many vnlawfull oaths in the Covenant 4. The Waldenses maintain'd 4. error 40. ibi that it was not lawfull to put any man to death hy the sentence of a Iudge and therefore they abolished all Iudicatories in the cause of blood The Covenanters have shed much blood vnder pretence of Iustice spareing none of their opposers who came in their reverence 5. error 31. ibid. 5. They consecrated ordinarly their Sacrament vpon that day only whereon our Saviour was betrayed and they kept it thus consecrated all the yeare long to be given to the sick The Presbyterians do not professe to consecrate at all they give their Sacrament very seldom to the whole and they have made an act never to give it to the sick I can find hardly any thing wherein the Waldenses agreed more with the Presbyterians then with other Protestants Error 37. except in this alone that they contemned the Apostles Creed which the Presbyterians have more then probably done by denying it to be Apostolical By all which it is evident that the Waldenses did not continue since the time of the Apostles and from the time they arose they were not Protestants much lesse Presbyterians and so are deficient in both the principles Fox Acts. pag. 41. Illyric in Catalog test p. 730. Therefore M Fox Illyricus and other Protestants have their recourse very groundlesly to the Waldenses to prove the continuall visibility of their Church by them And for this cause we must leave them passe to the Albigenses ALBIGENSES These men had their name from the towne of Albingia in France where the greatest part of them remained They began in the same age with the Waldenses and was a branch of their sect Osiand Cent. 13 l. 1. c. 4. Fulk de success Eccles pa. 332. as Osiander Fulk do confesse Their late riseing sheweth that they had not continued since the time of the Apostles and therefore could not be the true Church as is evident by the first principle and consequently albeit they had been Protestants the Protestant Church could not be shewed continually visible in them They are also deficient in the second principle because they did not beleeve any Protestant Confession For they held the same doctrin with the Waldenses Baron anno 1176. 1. Prateol Sander ap Gualter error 2. 2. error 28. ibid. 3. error 10. apud Gualt except some few things which they added of their own As 1. they maintain'd with the Manichees that there were two beginnings to witt God and the Devil 2. With the Saducees they denyed the resurrection of the body 3. With the Manichees Seleucians and other ancient heretiques they reiected baptism And maintain'd many other errors which are condemned both by Catholiques Protestants and they committed some abominable and prophane villainies in the Church of Tolouse Hence it is that albeit some Protestants do seek to perpetual their Church by them yet others do clearly reiect them Iewell saith plainly Iewel in defenfione Apol. p. 48. non sunt nostri they are not ours And Osiander reiects them more clearly Their doctrin saith he was absurd impious heretical they remained obstinatly in their errors and impiety whence men think that they have been possessed with Anabaptistical furie And yet notwithstanding these grosse errors which they maintain'd and their great differences from Protestants M. Fox reckons the Albigenses in the number of Protestant Martyrs and some other Protestants Spark in respons ad Ioan. de Albins pag. 58. Fulk p. 332. vt supra as M. Spark Fulk do very gtoundlesly pretend to shew the visibility of their Church by them But seing the Protestant Church cannot be continued neither in the Waldenses nor Albigenses in France we must passe next to the Wiclefists in England WICLEFISTS Fox Acts Monum p. 85. Iohn Wicleff an English man was a Roman Priest and a Curate in England He lived in the yeare 1371. as M. Fox testifieth and from him began the Church of the Wiclefists for there was none or that religion before himself All the world saith M. Fox was covered with thick darknesse when Wicleff like the morning flarre did shine out in the midst of a cloude Therefore the Church of the Wiclefists which began so long after the Apostles cannot be the perpetual Church which we are seeking 2. The Wiclefists were not Protestants because they did not beleeve any Protestant Confession of faith yea they did not beleeve the principal point of the Protestant faith to witt Iustification by faith only For Melanchton saith of Wiclef Melanc epist ad Miconium Truly he neither vnderstood nor held the iustice of faith 3. He agreed with the Catholiques in many other points against Protestants as in the intercession of Saints Veneration of Images the rites ceremonies of Masse Extreme Vnction all the 7. Sacraments Protest Apol. Tract 2. c. sect 4. Concil Consta. cap. 8. as Breirly sheweth out of his own works Lastly he maintain'd diverse grosse errors condemned both by Catholiques Protestants as that all things fall out by an absolute and fatal necessity that God ought to obey the Devil as the Councel of Constance doth testifie Vpon which words his disciples made many violent intricate glosses which may be seen examined in D. Stratfords disputation of the Church D. S. Disp of the Church l. 1. c. 1. sect 3. He held also that Church men in mortal sin did not baptize nor conferre orders That Princes Magistrats fell from their dignity power by mortal sin That Churchmen ought not to enioy any temporal things but should
beg many other seditious errors he taught All which shew that Wiclefs Church which raise so lately decayed so quickly is not the true Church of Christ founded by his Apostles which must endure for ever and that neither he nor his Associats for the short time they endured were Protestants Therefore Fox vt sup Huniph in vita Iuelli p. 263. the Protestant Church cannot be continued visible in them albeit M. Fox D. Humphrey and others falsly so pretend HVSSITS From England we must follow some Protestants to Bohemia where they vndertake to prove their Church visible in the Hussits These men had their origine from I. Husse who lived in the yeare 1405. That is some few yeares after Wiclef He was first a Catholique a Priest before he became Author of his sect Therefore the Protestants cannot by this new-vpstart and his Congregation although they were granted to be Protestants continue the visibility of their Church vnto the Apostles 2. Husse held not the Protestant Confession of faith For M. Fox giveth this testimonie of him What did the Popish faith define of Transubstantiation Fox in Apocal. cap. 11. which he did not confirme Who said Masse more religiously then he who kep't more chastly the vowes of Priestly single life Yea he affirmes also that Husse maintain'd also free will iustification by works merits veneration of images and other points of the Roman faith which shew that Husse was no good Protestant Luth. in collo cap de Anti Christo Fox Acts Mon. p. 190. p. 258. Therefore Luther saith that the Papists burnt Husse when he did not go so much as a finger breadth from Popery And last of all he maintaind almost all the same errors with Wiclef which are condemned both by Protestants Catholiques And yet it 's a wonder how M Fox calleth him a most holy Martyr his disciples Defenders of the Gospel CHAP. XXVI That the Protestant Church hath not continued visible in the Grecians Armenians nor Aethiopians ALBEIT the Grecians were granted now to be Protestants yet they were not alwayes so and therefore Protestants cannot continue the visibility of their Church by them For they were at least seven or 8 hundred yeares in the Communion of the Roman Church as witnesse the first eight General Councels all held in Grece and approved by the Popes of Rome The first revolt was made by the Grecians denying the procession of the holy Ghost from the Son They were vnited again diverse times to the Church of Rome and lastly in the Councel of Florence Concil Florent sess vlt. This sheweth that the Grecians have not alwayes remain'd in the same doctrin and therefore they are not the perpetual Church which we are now seeking 2. Since the tim that they began their Schisme they were not Protestants for they have reiected the Protestants Communion and disproved their Co fession Censura Orietal Eccles c. 7.10.12.13 c. as is well known by the Censure which they have published against it where they maintayn Masse Transubstantiation 7. Sacraments invocation of â—aints and diverse other points of the Roman faith Lastly they hold an error condemned both by Catholiques Protestants to witt that the holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father not from the Son Therefore the Protestants cannot continue their visible Church by the Grecians who were for many ages Catholiques who never were nor yet are Protestants and are known to this day for a great part to be Roman Catholiques The like may be said of the Armenians For first supposing they were now Protestants they were not alwayes of that religion for they remaind Catholiques BaroÌ„nius an 685. ever till about the 7. age Therefore the Protestant Church cannot be continued in them 2. They never held the Protestant Confession of faith For they maintayn the real presence the vnbloody sacrifice prayer for the dead invocation of Saints 3. They were vnited to the Roman Church with the Grecians Concil Flor. de instruct A menor in he Councel of Florence And lastly since their falling away they hold errors which are condemned both by Catholiques Protestants For they deny the Procession of the holy Ghost from the Son they confound the two natures in Christ and reiterate baptisme All which do shew that they neither were nor are Protestants From Greece and Armenia we must now at length go to Aethiopia where M. du Moulin affirmes the Protestant Church was Du Moulin Contr Card. Peron e. 12. before Luther But supposing they were now Protestants they were not alwayes so For near the space of 5. hundred yeares they were Catholiques at which time they began to be corrupted with the heresie of Eutiches Therefore the Protestant Church for 5. Hundred yeares was not visible in them 2. since their Schisme they never beleeved intirly any Protestant Confession and never held iustification by faith only Godingus l 1. de reb Abyssi nor 3. They agree with the Catholiques against Protestants in the 7. Sacraments invocation of Saints prayer for the dead Masse Transubstantiation c. as D. Stratford sheweth out of their own Authors They call the Pope head of all Bishops as is evident by the letters of their Emperour to Pope Clement the 7. Whereof a part is recited in the upplement of Spondanâ—s Sponda in Clement 7. â—uno 1524. and they have offered diverse times obedience to the Pope Lastly they held diverse errors which Protestants cannot approve For they deny the procession of the holy Ghost from the Son Godingus lib. 1 â—e rebus Abyssinor c. 18. with the Grecians they acknowledge one only will in Christ with the Mono helities and one only nature in him with the Eutichians and with the Iewes they abstaine from certain meats and observe Circumcision Therefore the Protestants cannot continue their Church by the Aethiopians nor by any of their forâ—er pretences which serve for nothing but to make it visibly appeare that there was no visible Protestant Church in any part of the world for no age or time before Luther how much lesse for the whole time between the Apostles and Luther Yea albeit the Waâ—denses and all the rest above named to whom the Protestants do pretend were granted to have beleeved the Protestant Confession as it 's evident they beleeved it not yet the Protestant Church could not be continued by any or all of them because they did not continue from the Apostles and the most part of them lived at diverse times without any Society or lineal descent hanging often assunder whole ages one from an other and the first being long decayed before the others did appeare For this cause some learned Protestants seeing the impossibility of continuing the visibility of their Church by such broken and vanishing troopes and being ashamed to claime as members of their Church such erronious persons or notorious heretiques have vndertaken by two other wayes to shew their Church to
advertised of her maladies and desired to cure them would admit no medicine which the Protestants taking at length in a cup of Reformation did purge themselves of all infirmities and thereby their Church was rendred whole and sound So that there is no more difference between the Roman Protestant Church then between the same man whole sick who by health and sicknesse is not substantially different but remaines still the same man The Protestants who followed this course were famous in their own generations and much cryed vp for learning prudence as Hooker the Bishop of Spalato Feild Bunny Potter Chilingworth and diverse others as may be seen in the B. of Calcedons treatise of fundamental points and in the Protestants Apologie I shall content my self with the testimony of M. Bunny who writes thus Bunny Tract de Pacification sect 18. p. 108. No question ought to be made for our separation from the Church For we make not a distinct Church from them nor they from vs. There was therefore no separation made froÌ„ the Church neither did any of vs go out from them The only question may be which of vs are to be esteemed the more wholsome members of the Church we or they Neither is there any other question approved by vs. Yea he acknowledgeth that vnlesse this answer be made the Papists have great advantage in their old question seing the Protestants cannot shew a Church distinct from the Roman before Luther But this answer of these late Authors is as false and insufficient as any of the former First it directly contradicts the d ctrine practice of their Reformers who are supposed to have been heavenly Apostles For they accused the Roman Church of Idolatrie superstition and diverse grosse fundamental errors which make not a Church to be only sick but also kill and destroy it and as the Presbyterians speak make it of the Church of Christ become the Synagogue of Sathan Anti-Christ Then for separation 〈◊〉 first Reformers were so far from denying it that they invited all persons to separate themselves from the Roman Church which they called spirituâ—l Babylon And according to this doctrin their practice followed Therefore it is evident that the first Reformers did not think the Roman and Protestant Church all one in fundamentals neither did they deny separation from the Roman Church but rather the quite contrarie is most clear and certaine Secondly Diverse other famous Protestants condemne this new opinion as im ious For M. Perkins writes thus Perk. in c. 8. ad Galat. v. 9. Whita cont 2. quaest 6. c. 3. The Politician who is of no religion saith hat we and the Papists differ not in substance And Whiteker saith plainly that the Roman Church hath taken away many fundamental articles of faith and corrupted faith in the principal parts All the oâ—her late Protestants and especially the Presbyterians condemne the same opinion For nothing almost can incense them m re then to say that the Church of Rome is a true Church and that the Protestants made no separation from her Hence it came to passe that M. Hooker was sharply reproved for this device by the Puritans in their Christian letters Thirdly besids all these confusions contradictions among themselves the answer in it self is false insufficient For when we are seeking a Protestant visible Church before Luther these men shew vs the Popish Church and albeit all the world knowes that Papists are not Protestants yet they affirm that the Popish and Protestant Church are all one differ not substantially which is a double deceit first â—o shew one thing very different for another and then to affirm that they are both one But I conceive it can hardly enter into a mans imagination vnlesse it be troubled to think that these Churches are substantially one which differ and are clearly opposite in the principal substantial points of religion as in Sacrifice Sacraments the observation of the divine Commandments iustifying faith good works and many others particulars The one Church approveth External Sacrifice as a most acceptable service and worship due to God and offers vp the Christian sacrifice as the most excellent of all sacrifices and adores it as God The other hath no sacrifice at all but condemnes that as great abomination grosse Idolatrie which the first makes the greatest obiect and exercise of its piety This difference alone albeit we speak of no more is so great that M. Dallie a renown'd Min ster in France doth affirm in his Apologie which he wrote lately for the reformed Churches and is approved by his Colleagues the Ministers of Charenton that it was sufficient to iustifie the Protestants separation from the Roman Church and to hinder their vnion again with it as being a most substantial and fundamental difference By which it 's evident that the ground whereon this answer is founded to witt that there are no fundamental differences between the Catholique Protestant Church is false both in it felt in the iudgment of the first Reformers of many other famous Protestants But whither there be fundamental differences or not the answer is not sufficient For the qâ—estion still remaines where was the Protestant Church before Luther that is a Church believing all the articles of a Protestant Confession whither some of them b called fundamental or not fundamental or if they please of men holding all these articles and esteeming some of them fundamental and some not For we are now seeking a Protestant Church before Luther and according to the definition above setled such a Church is a society beleeving all the articles of their CoÌ„fessioÌ„ Therefore they must shew vs such a ConfessioÌ„ or else they do not shew vs a Protestant Church Yea the points which they call not fundameÌ„tal wherein they disagree froÌ„ the Papists are these which make them properly Protestants If then they confesse as they must do that no society can be had before Luther which believed all these points which they call not fundamental they must also grant that there was no visible Protestant Church before Luther which is directly to succumb faile in that which they vndertook to shew So that albeit this distinction of fundamentals c. were admitted as good true whereas indeed in their sense it 's false and deceitfull as we shall see more clearly hereafter yet in relation to the present question it would serve them to no purpose These reasons are more then sufficient to shew that this new answer is false and insufficient and is nothing but a meer shift devised to elude the question And that it cannot be satisfactorie to any man who is searching for the truth which is condemned by famous Protestants as fâ—lse and impious and which is contrarie to the doctrin practice of the first Reformers This sheweth clearly the great straight necessity wherevnto such learned and prudent men were reduced in answering this hard question which
be so abominable the other is no lesse detestable S. Augustin who censured so heavily the opinion of the Donatists who taught that the Church had perished every where except only among themselves as if he had foreseen this Presbyterian shift which pretends the Church had not perrished but was invisible writes thus against it Aug. de pastor c. 16. Some one may say It may be God hath other sheep but I know not where of which he taketh care but I know them not O how absurd is he vnto humane sense who imagines such things We have seen how this opinion is against the Scriptures Fathers and now in S. Augustins iudgment it 's against sense we shall see presently how it is against reason and famous Protestants All men ordinarly agree in this general notion of the Church that it is a society of people instructed in the faith of Christ governed by lawfull Pastors and having Communion together in the Christian Sacraments But if the Church were invisible there could be no instruction no governement no administration of Sacraments And hence will appear that an invisible Church is against all the ends for which God had established a Church vpon earth The first was to instruct and guide the members of the Church vnto the port of Salvation And for this end are necessary instruction in the faith administration of Sacraments which require visibility both in the Pâ—stors and in the people For invisible Pastors cannot instruct nor administrate Sacraments and therefore the Church which consists of Pastors people must be visible For as D. Humphrey saith Whilst the Ministers teach Humph Iesuit part 2 rat 3. others learn they administrate the Sacraments these receive them c. who seeth not these things is more blind then a Mâ—odiwarp But if the Church were invisible there could be no instruction consequently no faith no Sacraments so none could be directed in this invisible Church vnto the port of Salvation This sheweth that the Church must be visible at least to the members of it The second â—nd for which the Church was ordain'd was to receive the Gentils and to afford to all persons who are astray the means of salvation by entering into the Church This the Prophet Esay speaking of the Church foretold Esay 60.11 Thy gates shall be open continually day and night they shall not be shut that the strength of the Gentils may be brought vnto thee But if the Church had been invisible her gates had been worse then shut for they could never have been found to be knokt at and so the Gentils heretiques albeit never so desirous could never have entered which is against the Scriptures and goodnesse of God This reason proveth that the Church must be visible even to strangers The third end was to compose diffâ—rences which might arise among Christians according to that of our Saviour Math. 18.17 Tell the Church But had the Church been invisible she could neither have been told nor found Invisible Iudges cannot compose differences The fourth end was to oppose all errors heresies Ephes 4.11 For which cause God established Pastors in the Church to conserve the people in the true doctrine froÌ„ the circuÌ„vention of error But had the Church been invisible she could not have opposed heresies they had prevailed without coÌ„troul It there had been no Church to oppose heresies before the Protestants peep 't vp what had become of the Christian religion Surely it had been a puddle of errors or a Masse of Confusion So that this invisible Church is against all the cheef ends for which God established a Church vpon earth It is also against famous Protestants who sharply censure it Melanchton whom Luther equaleth to the Fathers Melan. in Concil Theol p. 393.394 calls it Monstruous It is necessary saith he to confesse the Church to be visible Wherevnto tendeth this monstruous speech which denyeth the visible Church It abolisheth all testimonies of Antiquity it causeth an endlesse confusion and induceth a Commonwealth of vnruly Ruffians or Atheists where no one careth for another Humph Ies par 2. rat 3. Enoch Claph in Antid schi p. â—7 D. Humphrey saith It is a manifest Conclusion that the Church ought to be conspicuous Another Protestant saith of the Puritans They affirm against the Scripture that the Church for some ages was not visible This cannot be a sound article of the Protestant religion which such Protestants so sharply censure Now we shall see how it is against Protestants principles yea and destroyes it self For they ordinarly assign two necessary marks of the Church to witt the right preaching of the word administration of the Sacraments To which the Presbyterians add their disciplin as a third mark I inquire then if this Church which some of them make invisible for 900. some for 1000. and others for 12. hundred years had preaching and Sacraments during that time or not If it had then it could not be invisible for invisible people can neither be instructed nor baptized If it had no preaching nor Sacraments then it hath been a miserable Church or rather no Church at all which wanted these two things which are necessary to constitute a Church If a famous Presbyterian Minister took occasion lately whilst he was baptizing a child on a cold winter day to say against the Anabaptists It is cold dipping to day I love not Sommer Sacraments May not any one say more iustly against the Presbyterians In many dayes an invisible Church cannot be found out I love not a Church wherein for a thowsand years above there were neither sommer nor winter Sacraments Moreover either this invisible Church had some government or it had none If it had any it could not be invisible as is evident and if that governement was Presbytâ—rian disciplin that Church had not been only visible to these who obey'd it but also very sensible to those who did not willingjy stoop to it or else it hath been very far different from the nature of our Scottish Presbytery If that invisible Church had no government then it wanted that which no society can want and without which there is no order but confusion Yea this invisible Church is such a rare device that it destroies it self For no Church albeit never so invisible can be imagined without internal faith at least Now faith coms by hearing Rom. 10.17 according to S. Paul and how shall they heare saith the same Apostle without a preacher But in an invisible Church there could be no preaching or instruction and so no faith and no faith no Church Not so much as an invisible one In a word this invisible Church which wanted preaching faith Sacraments and government hath been a miserable or rather a Chimerical Church Lastly this invisible Church doth highly disparage the Christian religion For it makes the Church of Christ of whose glory above the Synagogue of the Iewes so much is
recorded in the Scriptures not equal in glory but more inglorious then the Iewish Synagogue hath been even since the coming of Christ For ever since that time the Iewes have professed their religion and had visible Synagogues in diverse famous nations whereas the Presbyterians make the Church of Christ to be invisible for many ages of that time in which not one could be found who had the courage or devotion to professe the true religion Now what can be more against the Sriptures and the honour of Christ then this wicked device what more opprobrious to all the Christians of these times God speaking of the Church Aggai 2.9 saith by the Prophet Aggai The Glory of this later house shall be greater then of the former But if the Christian Church had been so many ages invisible it had been more inglorious then the Synagogue of the Iewes which was all that time visible Christ is called by S Paul Heb. 8.6 the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established vpon better promises But by the Presbyterians invisible Church he is made Mediator of a worse Covenant and to have failed of his promises S Hierom saith Hieron cont Lucifer cap. 6. Nimium prophani sunt c. They are too prophane who affirm the Iewes had more Synagogues then the Christians had Churches Therefore they may be called most prophane who affirme the Iewes had many Synagogues and deny the Christians to have had so much as one Church throughout the whole world Whence this opinion gives great advantage to the Iewes and infidels against the Christian religion For they may iustly pretend that the Christian Church if it was so many ages invisible could not be the true Church kingdom of the Messias which the Prophets foretould clearly should be eternal conspicuous and glorious and that Christ could not be the true Messias who had failed so palpably of his promises Yea this opinion is very dangerous to Protestants so that it hath made some to stumble at the Christian religion and it hath drawn others into flat Atheism Sebastian Castalio Professor of Basil having cited some clear testimonies of Scripture for the perpetuity of the Church and the conversion of Kings Nations writes very perplexedly vnto Edward the 6. King of England Sebast Cast in praef Biblior lat Truly saith he We must confesse that either these things will be or that they have been or God is to be accused of aâ— lie If any man say they have been I inquire of him when I inquire how the knowledge of God and pietie which was promised to be eternal and more aboundant then the waters of the sea was not altogether perf ct Osiand in epitom cont 16. parte 2. p. 647. and could so soon decay By which words he shewes what stuck in his stomack David George a Protestant of Holand proceeded further vpon this ground of the visible decay of the Church blasphem'd against Christ saying If the doctrin of Christ his Apostles had been true the Church which they planted had endured Idem p. 818. And here vpon he became an impure Apostat from the Christian religion Adam Neuserus the chief Pastor of Heydelberg of a Minister became a Turk and was circumcised at Constantinople Prot. Apolog. tract 2. cap. 1. sect 5. These and some other examples may be seen in the Protestants Apology By all which may be seen how false dangerous pernicious this opinion of the invisible Church is against a most clear truth to witt that the Church cannot be hid Therefore as S. Augustin did conclude against the Donatists Aug. li. 2. cont pâ—til c. 104. in these words The Church hath this most certain mark that she cannot be hid she is then known to all Nations the sect of Donatus is vnknown to all Nations that then cannot be she So we may conclude more forcibly against the Presbyterians The Church of Christ hath this most certain mark that she cannot be hid or invisible She is then known or visible to all Nations The Protestant Church before Luther was invisible and vnknown to all Nations as the Presbyterians do confesse Therefore the Protestant Church cannot be she CHAP. XXIX That albeit the true Church might be invisible yet the Protestants had no invisible Church before Luther IT hath been already proved that albeit the Protestants had had an invisible Church before Luther yet it could not be the true Church which must be alway's visible Now remaines to be shewed the second thing which was vndertaken above to witt that albeit an invisible Church were sufficient yet the Protestants had not so much as one of that nature before Luther and so they succumb as well de facto as they have done de iure and consequently this device of an invisible Church for two reasons will serve them to no purpose Which is shewed thus An invâ—sible Protestant Church is a Church which beleeved the Protestant faith in their heart albeit they made no external profession of it But de facto there was no Church before Luther which beleeved the Protestant confession of faith Therefore there was no visible Protestant Church before Luth r. The Maior is evident because there is this difference between a visible and an invisible Church that the first professeth the faith the other professeth it not but they both agree in this to have inwardly the faith Without which there cannot be any Church Therefore an invisible Protestant Church is a Church which beleeved inwardly the Protestant faith The Minor is proved of the time immediatly preceeding Luthers preaching For either Luther himself before he began to oppose the Pope was a member of this lurking Protestan Church beleeving the Protestâ—nt Confession or these who adhered to him were members of it or some others who did nor ioyne with him and besids these no others can be found or imagined But none of these can be said For Luther is avowedly confessed by himself and all men in ad lat to have been a Roman Catholique a Priest a friar of S. Augustins order and as himself acknowledgeth said Masse devoutly and honored the Pope in his heart Therefore Luther before he opposed the Pope did not beleeve inwardly the Protestant faith and was not a member of the Protâ—stants lurking invisible Church but was a member of the Roman visible Church But so were Melanchton Carolstadius the Saxons and all the rest who followed him Papists or Priests professing the Roman religion knowing nothing of the Protestant till Luther taught them Therefore all these who adhered to Luthers new doctrin were before that time not lurking Protestants but profes't Papists Neither were there any other members of that suppos'd lurking Protestant Church who did not ioyn with Luther For if there had been any they should and would have come out of their lurking holes so soon as Luther began to preach and got the protection of secular Princâ—s For then there
hath had her gates continually open day night in all generations to receive the strength of the Gentils and in a word which has made the world Christian This is the Church which alone in allâ—ges has opposed all the heresies which did arise in their diverse ages from the beginning of Christianity and albeit they all have shut out their hornes against this Church and both by slight might have endeavoured to destroy her yet she alone hath fought against them all and gloriously triumphed over them all This is the Church which has held all the General Councels which hath condemned all errors and heresies which has had Pastors and people professing the faith in all ages without interruption and in which all the Saints Martyrs and Doctors have lived These things might be shown by a particular Catalogue of this Churches chief Pastors Councils Nations converted and publique Professors in every age if it were not too longsome and besids it is so clear that it is not here necessary especially seing the Lutheran Centurists who have raked together all they can both for themselves and against the Roman Church yet can shew the succession and continuance of no other but only of this Church And the reason of this is clear because this Church and she alone hath so clearly this succession that no other Churches which carie the name of Christian can so much as pretend to have it in the least degree of probability For it is evidently certain that all other Churches which are separated from this Church were once of her faith Communion and went vndeniably out of her and therefore they cannot be so ancient as she and consequently they have not alwayes had a continued succession from the Apostles and if they pretended it they would be most ridiculous making an evident lie against sense Therefore the Protestants wisely pretend no such thing Yea their whole Reformation is grounded vpon a contrary pretext that the whole Church had fallen into desolation grosse Errors Heresy and Idolatry which is in-indeed to pretend that the succession of the Church had failed and that they were now sent to set her vp again By all which it is seen that the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome and she alone has had a continued succession from Christ his Apostles and that so clearly that no other Church can pretend to have it This same truth was testifyed by the holy Fathers in their time S. Hierom 〈◊〉 said above that he would bring a clear declaration of his mind that that is the true Church that hath still endured to witt the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome which he esteem's so much to be the true Church that he affirmes those who have no Communion with her to belong not to Christ but to Anti-Christ For thus he writes to S. Damasus Bishop of Rome With the successor of the Fisher and with the disciple of the Crosse I speak I Hior epist ad Damas following none chief but Christ hold the fellowship of Communion with thy Holynesse that is with Peters chaire Vpon that rock I know the Church to be built Whosoever shall eate the lambe without that house is a prophane person c. He that gathereth not with thee scattereth that is saith he who is not Christs is Anti-Christs This old doctrin is far different from the Presbyterians new opinions S. Cyprian saith Cyp. tract de simplicitate Prâ—tator who leaves the Chaire of Peter vpon whom the Church was built does he think to be in the Church But let vs hear S. Augustin the most glorious Doctor of the Church shewing this same truth For after he had spoken much of the sincere wisdom great holynesse and fruits of piety of the Church and of the great authority which God hath conferr'd on her he subioyns these remarkable words to his friend Honoratus Aug. de vtilite crede c. 17. Seing therefore we see so great help and assistance from God shall we make any doubt or question at all of retiriing into the bosome of that Church which to the Confession of mankind from the sea Apostolique by the succession of Bishops hath obtain'd the Soveraignity principal authority Heretiques in vain barking round about it being condemned partly by the gravity of Councels partly also by the Maiesty splendour of Miracles vnto which not to grant the chief place is either indeed an extream impiety or a very rash and dangerous arrogancy Thus he Here we see what Church in the time of the holy Fathers had this continued succession and the same is no lesse evident to this day In the Scriptures we read the prophesies and Christs promises of his Church and in this Church alone we see no lesse clearly the performances What the Scripture had foretold Aug. de vnitate Eccl. c. 8. in ps 149. here with ioy as S. Augustin speaks we may see fulfilled The Church before was only read in books and now it is seen in Nations By all which authorities evidences both the Maior and the Minor of the argument proposed are sufficiently proved to be manifest truths to witt That that is only the true Church which has had a continued succession from the Apostles to this time And that the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome and she alone has had a continued succession From which the Conclusion followes clearly Therefore the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome is the only true Church of Christ You see this reason is neither new nor obscure For it was vsed by the holy Fathers as a most clear short and convincing way whereby the true Church may be known If it was so easy strong then it is no lesse but rather more evident forcible now If the succession of the Church for 3. or 4. hundred years and of 30. or 40. Roman Bishops was esteem'd so strong by the Fathers to prove the true Church how much more forcible is the successioÌ„ of the Church for above 1600. yeares above 2. hundred Bishops of the sea Apostolique to prove the same truth Nothing could be said by the AncieÌ„t Fathers in confirmatioÌ„ of this truth which may not as iustly be said now and nothing can be pretended now by the present Enemies of the Roman Church against it which might not have been as iustly preteÌ„ded by her ancient enemies the old heretiques Neither is there any way to shun the force of this Demonstration but either by affirming that the true Church had perished which is detestable blasphemy or by saying she became invisible which we have shown above to be a grosse falshood and desperate folly This whole matter may be further illustrated and confirmed There is nothing more clear in the Scripture then that the Church of Christ must still endure or have a continued succession of people professing the same faith which was taught by the Apostles Now it is no lesse clear it
which is erected vpon it But all these lies calumnies false accusations and railings can prevaile nothing against the Church which may say truly as the Prophet David foretould of her Psal 128.1 seq How often have they impugned me from my youth How often have they impugned me But they have not prevailed against me Sinners have built vpon my back they have prolonged their iniquity Our iust Lord will cut the necks of sinners Let them all be confounded and turned back which hate Sion S. Chrysostom writing on these words of the psalme The Queen stood at thy right hand said truly and excellently of her The Church is opposed Chrysost ver 10. Psal 44. and overcomes being pursued by snaires she gets the vpper hand being provoked with wrongs and reproches she is made more illvstrious She is hurt but yields not to the print of the woūds how ever she be tossed she is not overwhelmed She endures great tempests and yet for all that suffers no shipwrack she wrestles but is not thrown down Thus he Thererefore this cloud of the Ministers calumnie to witt that the Catholique Church had changed the doctrin of Christ brought in corruptions which is the very same which all heretiques have vsed the new Arians vse to this day being dispelled I am confident that by Gods grace you see now the admirable light of the Catholique Church and therefore abandoning the darknesse of all error will walk in this light by which all the Saints have attain'd vnto the light of heaven To this effect with many more words spake the Catholique After I had diligently considered all these things the heads of which were given me in writing I did not only by Gods grace see with my vnderstanding the truth of the Catholique Church but also I was bent with my will to follow embrace it laying aside many worldly difficulties which only stood in my way And having heartily thanked my Catholique friend by whose paines charity I had received so much help I earnestly desired that for the accomplishment of the work he would assist me to consider how the true Church may be known by these 4. notes which are contain'd in the Nicen Creed and which he briefly touched above to which he willingly condescended shewing me that any man who believes the Scripture may find the true Church so manifestly there described by these properties that he may easily find her out or rather clearly see her so that S. Augustin saith Aug. conc 2. in psal 30. de vnite Eccl c. 5. lib. 1. ad Cres c. 33. The Scriptures speake more obscurly of Christ then of the Church that they are so clear for the Church that by no shift of false interpretation they can be avoided that the impudence of any forehead that will stand against such evidence is confounded and that it is prodigious blindnesse not to see which is the true Church I shall collect briefly the summe of our conferences in this matter CHAP. XXXII The true Church proved from the Scriptures first by her Vnity AS the great dissensions of our Ministers furnished to me the first occasions of my doubting that their Church could not be the true Church so the very light of Nature did shew me that the true Church being the work of God must have Vnity For what more belongs to the house of God which ought to be a house of Order then Vnity what more fitting for his Kingdom which must endure for ever then Vnity which tends to preservation what more vnbeseeming them then disorder division which at length produces ruine destruction The Scripture is full of clear testimonies to this purpose as where it is said of the Church My Dove is one my beloved is one Cant. 6. and it 's called by our Saviour one sheepfold Iohn 10 16. S. Paul doth also excellently shew the vnity of the Church in which are diverse functions by the Vnity of mans body in which are diverse members but all animated with one Spirit as the whole Church is quickned by one faith For else where he saith There is one Lord Ephes 4.5 one faith one baptism But of these other passages of Scripture which were brought there was one which had a special influence vpon me and that was our Saviours prayer in the 17. of S. Iohn where after he had prayed most earnestly for the Vnity of his Apostles he prayes also for the Vnity of the whole Church Iohn 17 20. saying Neither pray I for those alone but for them also who shall beleeve in me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be One that the world may beleeve that thou hast sent me I did seriously ponder this reason which our Saviour brings to obtain his desire which was much vrged also by the Catholique who shew me that our Saviour declared thereby the vnity of his Church should be so admirable that the world should be moued thereby to beleeve that he was the Son of God a true Prophet sent from heaven as some Fathers have also obserued Therefore it 's evident by the Scripture that the true Church must have Vnity Apud Maldonat in hunc locum and that that cannot be the true Church of Christ which wants it And if we shall speak of the holy Fathers they are so much for this Vnity of the Church that some of them have written whole Treatises concerning it Now it is no lesse evident both to sense and reason that this Vnity agrees better to the Church in Communiō with the Sea of Rome then to the Protestant Churches or rather it agrees fully to the one and not at all to the other For who may not see by the manifold Schismes Divisions which are now among Protestants all other Sectaries as well in Doctrine as Government which we have touched above and which do dayly augment that the Protestant Churches have no Vnity Shortly after Luthers rising the Protestant Church was divided into three principal sects to witt the Lutherans Calvinists Zuinglians that we may speak nothing of the Anabaptists and Libertins But now their divisions have so multiplyed that they can hardly be numbred And these divisions are not only great for the matter being in some principal points of doctrin but also have been very great for the manner For thereby diverse Protestants have kild and destroy'd one another made bloody warres and overturned kingdome Commonwealths So that if there were no other Christian Church but the Protestant the world could not be moved by the Vnity thereof to beleeve that Christ was sent from heaven or had been a divine Architect who had built such a Babel of Confusion But if laying aside rancour preiudice we will cast our eyes vpon the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome this Vnity appears wonderfully in her For how
can it be but wonderfull to consider that this Church being dilated throughout the world in so many diverse remote Kingdomes Provinces Countreys of different languages Customs worldly interests and some of these being enemies to others in worldly affaires should all agree in the Vnity of the same Catholique faith as if they were one man Whereas all other Churches which go out from this vnder pretext of greater purity although they do not fill the earth but are comprized in small bounds fall into such horrible dissensions and divisions that they never rest till like generations of vipers they destroy one an other and oftentimes the later destroies the former as we have seen in our time The Church in Communion with the sea of Rome may be known to be the true Church by this admirable Vnity for which Christ prayed and Christ by it may be known to have been sent from heaven who had establish't vpon earth so large a Kingdome of such admirable Vnity If the Vnity of the Catholique Church were not a special blissing of God how could it fall out to her alone How could it have continued so long among such great multitudes of people as have been and are of her Communion How comes it to passe that Vnity could never be conserved among heretiques who although but few and new could never shun the curse of Division which ever destruction followes at the heels For my part I cannot resist vnto this clear reason As this Vnity in the Catholique Church proceeds principally from the blissing of God so secondarly it flowes from the ordinary means which his divine wisdome has appointed and whereof all false Churches are destitute As first from this principle that she beleeves nothing but what has descended vnto her by the constant testimony of her forefathers in all ages from the time of Christ his Apostles By which means it has been shown that she cannot but keep Vnity in faith Secondly She receives the Decrees of all General Councils which in all reason ought to be believed to preserve that which was delivered by the Apostles and if any doubt arise about the sense of the Scriptures are more able to interpret them then any other persons To which therefore all the members of the Catholique Church do modestly wisey submit their iudgments they never ransack any matter of faith once defined but it remaines ever inviolable And lastly All Catholiques submit themselves to one Supreme Pastor whom they acknowledge to be establish't by Christ over the whole Church From whom the holy Fathers do affirm that the Vnity of the Church doth much depend This person appoynted by Christ they shew out of the Scriptures to have been S. Peter to whom Christ said Math. 16.19 Iohn 21 16.18 Cypr. in tract de simplicite Praelator I will give thee the keys of the Kingdome of Heaven c. and again Feed my sheep feed my Lambs Vpon which S. Cyprian saith That Christ might shew Vnity he establish't one Chaire and he disposed by his authority the Origin of that Vnity to proceed from One c. The Primacy is given to Peter that one Church of Christ and one Chaire might be shown S. Hierom seeing the necessity of One head Hieron lib. 1. cont Iovinian for keeping Vnity saith excellently One is chosen that a head being appoynted Occasion of schisme might be taken away And that the Bishop of Rome is successor to S. Peter in that same Dignity Primacy and that the Vnity of the Church depends vpon his authority all the holy Fathers do affirm The same S. Hierom writing to S. Damasus Bishop of Rome saith Hier ep ad Damasum With the Successor of the Fisher with the Disciple of the Crosse I speak c. I am ioyn'd in Communion with thy Holynesse that is with the Chaire of Peter vpon that rock I know the Church is built who gathereth not with thee scattereth S. Augustin affirmes Aug. cont epist fundament c. 4. that the Succession of Priests from the seat of Peter to whom our Lord after his resurrection commended his sheep to be fed vntill the present Bishop held him within the lap of the Church There is nothing more ordinary with the Fathers then to reckon out the succession of the Roman Bishops from S. Peter vnto their time Aug. epist 166. Cypr. epist 73. 45. S. Augustin tearmeth the sea of their residence the Chair of Vnity and S. Cyprian calls it the beginning of Vnity the roote of the Catholique Church As by these means the Vnity of the true Church is preserved so for want of them there can be no constant Vnity in false Churches For they all reiecting the infallible testimony authority of the Catholique Church by which we are certified of our Saviours doctrine as has been shewed put their own election and private iudgment in place of it and their iudgments being diverse they make diverse faiths having no Compasse to steer by but the Scriptures which they diversly interpret according to their pleasures Neither do they submit themselv's to the sentence of any Church for they beleeve that all Churches may erre neither is their own Church constant in her sentence for one Assembly ransacks and condemns as heresy and Anti-Christian what another has defined approved as Christian truths Neither have they any supreme Pastor to whom they obey And in a word they have no bond to ty them together except sometimes worldly interest or the hatred of another religion And when these interests faile when by mutual assistance ioyn't forces they have subdued or overturned that Church which they esteem their Common adversarie then they instantly begin to be miserably scattered divided as fresh experience sheweth how after the destructiō of the late English Church the brethren of Scotland and England became hugely divided notwithstanding the solemne League Covenant which had before so straitly tyed them together Yea it is impossible for the wit of man to make it otherwise For besides that it is impossible that many men can a long time adhere to the same falshoods as we suppose all heresies to be the nature of man being so strongly bent vpon truth this confusion division followes from the nature of their principal doctrin which is the ground work of all the rest to witt that every one should have liberty of reading interpreting Scripture and iudging the Preachers doctrin thereby From which ground there must needs arise variety of sects in religion according to the various conceipts and apprehensions of people Moreover God in his iust iudgment sends ever the curse of division among heretiques for according to their sin so are they punished They endeavoured to divide the Church and themselvs are divided and so at length destroied This God promised by the Prophet Esay when he said Esay 19.2 I will set the Aegyptians against the Aegyptians and they shall fight every one
against his brother and every one against his neighbour citie against citie and Kingdome against Kingdome S. Augustin saith it is the iust iudgment of God Aug lib. de agone Christi c 29. lib 1. de bapt c 6. that those who seek nothing else but to divide the Church should themselves be miserably divided And so he shewes how the Donatists were cut into small threds S. Chrysostom affirmes that the sin of dividing the Church is so great that nothing doth so provoke the anger of God So that when we have done all other manner of good Chrysâ—st hom 11. in ep ad Ephes we deserve no lesse severe punishment for dividing the Vnity fulnesse of the Church then those who pierced divided Christs own body Salomon saith that there are six things which our Lord hates Proverb 6.16.19 and the seventh is abomination to him which is He who soweth discord among brethren How much then must he hate and abhorre those who sow discord in his Church which is his body and his spouse for which he died and for the Vnity whereof he so ardently prayed And therefore it 's no wonder to see the curse of division fall ever among them And as this division and contrariety ariseth naturally from their principall doctrin the ground of all the rest besides Gods iudgment on them so they have no way to take it away when it doth arise For albeit they pretend the word of God to be their Iugde of Controversies to which they promise all obedience yet this Iudge could never hitherto end any controversy among them and indeed it is not the word but the sword which decides all their Controversies The iust contrary is in the Catholique Church For albeit all heresies and sects do first arise out from her 1. Cor. 11.19 as the Apostle saith There must be heresies and S. Iohn affirmeth They went out from vs but were not of vs yet they do not arise from the nature of the Churches doctrin or from her principles which are constant immoveable all tending to Vnity but from the malice of the Devil And when they arise the Church loseth not her Vnity thereby For if these coyners or followers of new doctrines do not submit themselvs to the iudgment of the Church they are iudicially cutt off from that body from which they first cut themselvs by misbeleef and by this means the rest of the body is preserved entire and at Vnity within it self So that when any question ariseth the Church has a solid way to take away all Controversie and to preserve Vnity But the Protestants principles tend to division and they have no means to take it away as has been shewed Since then it is so evident by the Scripture that the Church of Christ must have Vnity it is no lesse evident that that cannot be the true Church which wants Vnity and is full of Dissensions Divisions as the Protestant Church appeares now evidently to be even to the weakest vnderstandings by her great Schismes and divisions both in doctrin government And therefore he who believes a Church of so great division or confusion to be the true Church cannot be said to follow the Scriptures but rather to controul them and to follow his own fancies Whereas the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome by her admirable Vnity both in doctrin disciplin all the world over even to the least article or point of faith may be easily seen to be the true Church of Christ which was founded by him and he by the same Vnity may be known to be the true Messias who was sent from heaven CHAP. XXXIII The true Church proved by her holynesse THE second mark whereby the true Church is described in the Nicen Creed is Holynesse I beleeve One holy c. Church which property is also assign'd to her in the Apostles Creed I beleeve the holy Catholique Church Besides these authorities the very light of Nature and the Scripture show that the true Church ought to be holy For this being a society of people ordain'd by God for a most holy end to witt to enioy himself who is the Holy of Holies for all eternity must have holynesse of doctrin to direct them and holynesse of life to bring them to so holy an end This the Prophet David sheweth Psal 92 vers vlt saying Holynesse becometh thine house O Lord for ever S. Paul saith that Christ delivered himself fâ—r his Church that he might sanctifie it c. that he might present it to himself Ephes 5.26.27 a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it may be holy and vnspotted It is evident then by the â—reed by the light of Nature and by the Scriptures that the true Church must be Holy And the holynesse of it for our present purpose consists principally in two things to wit in holynesse of doctrine holynesse of life Therefore that Church which teacheth impious doctrin and wherein there is little or no holynesse of life cannot be the true Church Let vs then briefly see to which Church whither to the Protestant or to the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome this mark of Holynesse doth best agree First concerning doctrin I find that the first Apostles of Protestants teach doctrin directly repugnant to the goodnesse of God to the Nature of man to the holynesse of the Christian Sacraments to the observation of Gods commandments besides many other particulars Calvin the great Foundatour of Pressbytery teaches that God is the Author of sin for thus he writeth Cal lib. 1. instit cap. 18 par 3. Now I have clearly enough shewed that God is called the Author of all these things which these Controwlers to witt the Papists will have to fall forth by his idle permission onely And such things which according to Catholiques God willeth not but only permits are sins of which Calvin there speaks as of the blindnesse and tyranny of Achab of the incest of Absalon and the like of which he calls God the Author Again he saith Man by the iust impulsion of God Ibid par 4. doth that which is not lawfull for him to do And of Pharao he saith Deus voluit vtique illum iussui suo non obtemperare immo vt ei repugnaret In Rom. pc 454. ipse in eo effecit God willed him not to obey his Commandment yea he himself wrought that in him that he might disobey it Many more places are collected by Becan in a Treatise which he wrote on this subiect de Authore peccati Where he cites diverse testimonies of Beza and other Protestant Authors to the same purpose Now that this is an impious opinion and against the very clear light of nature is evident For all men conceive by natural instinct that God is not only good in himself but also goodnesse it self the Author and fountain of all goodnesse But
how can he be goodnesse itself and the Author of goodnesse if he be the Author of wickednesse A holy Father saith Basil quod Deus noe sit auctor malor It 's the same madnesse to deny God and to say he is the Author of sin For if he be the Author of sin he is not good if he be not good he is not God The Manicheans taught the same impiety but with this difference that they made not the good but the evil God the Author of evil Moreover it 's evident that God cannot be the Author of that whereof he is the punisher But he is the punisher of sin Therefore he cannot be the Author of it I know some Protestants strive to make a faire face vpon this doctrin of Calvin but all in vain for it is so black and vgly of it self in the tearmes which he vseth that as it is in the proverb these who would blanch it vndertake to wash a black-Moore The text is so bad that it can admit no good Commentarie Feuardentius lib. 2. Theomachiae Calvinisticae cap. 12. So that the Lutherans in Germanie have condemned it as contumelious against God pernicious to mankind and the Zuinglians of Berne caused Calvins books wherein these black errors were contain'd to be burnt publickly by the common Executioner He teacheth also some doctrin no lesse pernicious in the iudgment of many concerning predestination as that God by his only will has ordaind many without any consideration of their merits to damnation Cal. lib. 3. Inst c. 22. par 2. His words are these By his only will and without any consideration of their merits they are predestinated to eternal death Such doctrin which transformes God into the Devil and represents him as the greatest Tyrant imaginable cannot be holy no more then he who taught it can be heavenly albeit he be much esteem'd by the Presbyterians who keep still this doctrin lying at their hearts though vpon some occasions they are ashamd to profess it Secondly As he robs God of his goodnesse so doth he also spoile man of his free-will which is not only false against common experience and the confession of mankind for as S. Augustin saith no fewnesse of the learned Aug. lib. de vera relig c. 14. no company of the vnlearned do deny it but also in the iudgment of many Protestants it makes all exhortations admonitions and threats which are so frequent in the Scriptures both vselesse and ridiculous it hinders all exercise yea and attempt of vertue holynesse and with the opinion of Gods absolute decree of reprobation it brings men to despaire Thirdly their doctrin of the impossibility to keep the divine commandments even with the assistance of Gods grace we have seen above to be iniurious to the goodnesse wisdom and iustice of God to be a great hindrance of the growth of piety and of the care of a good life from which wicked doctrin flowed the impious sect of the Anti-Nomians To which if we shall add that doctrin which they call the life of their religion to witt their iustification by a special faith only whereby they beleeve that all their sins are forgiven them what a wid gate is opened to all licentious liberty to the neglect of piety and of all good works Their doctrin also concerning the Sacraments is not holy which robs them of all grace and vertue of sanctification In a word if the proper doctrines of the Presbyterians be impartially considered there is almost nothing amongst them which hath appearance of holynesse or any invitation to it For they do not esteem their Churches holy they have no holy ornaments no holy Vessels no holy rites or Ceremonies no holy dayes or festivities no holy forme of publique worship or service of God and nothing that setteth forth the Maiesty magnificence of God or that can breed respect or reverēce in man Yea their principles if they be followed lead to prophanesse or Atheism whereof I will bring some few instances The first is of one named Godefridus a Valle who wrote a book Becan opusc disp An Deus sit Auctor peccati cap. 17. which he entitled Of the art of beleeving nothing In which he said all other things false and one only thing true as Becan relates to witt that he who would become an Atheist should first be a Calvinist as himself had been For from that doctrin of Calvin that God is the Author of sin and that by his absolute decree of Reprobation he had preordain'd the most part of men vnto damnation without any regard of their works but only for his own pleasure he collected that such a God was a most cruel Tyrant Therefore he would rather deny there was a God then acknowledge such a God And therevpon he became a profest Atheist and was burnt publickly in Paris in the yeare 1572. Another instance fell out not long ago in our own Countrey on another subiect For as the Presbyterian Ministers generally teach that the Church is no more holy then any other place nor no more reverence due vnto it except only when the Minister is preaching so a great Apostle of the Covenant taught that doctrin very eagerly in Aberdeen the fruite whereof did shortly thereafter appear For a covenanting souldier of the Saints army was found within few dayes in the Colledge Church of that town in vncivil conversation with a woman and being brought before the same Minister as I was credibly informed who did exaggerate the grievousnesse of the crime from the holynesse of the place he answered that there was neither preaching nor praying in the Church at that time By which he confounded the Minister Now of a long time they keep their Churches shut both night and day except only at such times as the Minister is to preach I knew also a young Lady who took great scandal at a Ministers sermon wherein he vndertook to prove against the Papists the impossibility of living chastly which doctrin she truly said was very dangerous to young people and loosed the reines to all lasciviousnesse So that in many points both concerning God and man the Sacraments the Commandments we see the Presbyterian Church is not holy in doctrin But on the other part the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome teacheth most holy doctrin in all these points For first concerning God she teacheth that in him there are all perfections in an infinit degree that he is not only good in himself but the fountain of all goodnesse and that no evil can proceed from him That he is neither the cause Author or approver of sin That he is so good that he would not permit sin to be vnlesse he could draw good from it That he has predestinate no man to damnation but only for sins which they willingly freely commit This is the doctrin of the Catholique Church and of the holy Fathers Aug. in Enchir. c. 100. S.
Augustin saith God who is good would not permit evil vnlesse he being omnipotent could also do good of evil The Arausican Council saith Concil Arausican c. 25. We do not only not beleeve that some are predestinate vnto evil by the divine power but if there be any who beleeve so great a wickednesse we accurse them with all detestation The same holynesse might be shewed of the Catholique doctrin concerning free-will and the possibility of keeping the commandments with the assistance of Gods grace of Iustification of the Sacraments which all tend to holynesse to the exaltation of Gods goodnesse to the killing of sin to the advancement of piety of all good works as the holy Fathers have shown of all the points of the Catholique Church and particularly S. Augustin who saith truly in the Churches of her Communion Aug. lib. 2. de Civit. Dei c. 8. nothing filthie and wicked is proposed to be seen or followed Where either the Commandments of the true God are explained or his Miracles related or his gifts praised or his benefits desired Besides in the Catholique Church are many holy houses dedicated and consecrated to Gods service holy altars Ornaments holy vessels holy solemn worship service with many holy rites ceremonies manifesting the Maiesty magnificence of God breeding respect reverence in man And in a word this Church Militant here on earth is a true representation of the Church Triumphant in heaven still adoring praising and magnifying God Therefore holynesse of doctrin belongs rather to this Catholique Church than to the Protestant Then for holynesse of life I never knew any Iudicious Protestant but acknowledged that the Catholiques had too much the better of them Luther the first Apostle professeth that whilst he lived among the religious of S. Augustins order he observed chastity Luth. in cap. 1. ad Galat obedience and poverty that he did all things with a single heart for the glory of God fearing the last iudgment c. But after his fall from the Catholique Church he changed not only miserably his faith but also his life For thus he proclaimes his own shame Luth. tom 5. wit ser de Matrim f. 119. Et tom 1. epis fol. 334. Zuingl tom 2. in resp ad confes Lutheri f. 878. As it is not in my power to be no man so it is not in my power to be without a woman I am burned with the great flammes of my vntamed lust c. And to make himself more infamous he having vowed his chastity to God married a profest Nun named Katherin Bore who had made the like vow He is charged also by his fellow Protestants with arrogancy insolency intolerable pride which he exercised against persons of greatest quality as against the Emperour Charles the fifth and Henry the eight King of England His bitter railings his fowle and filthy expressions have bred such a stench in all his writings that they purchased to him the Title of Propheta Stercorarius or the Dunghill Prophet Shlus in Theo. Calvin lib. 2. fol. 72. These qualities are very far different from Saints vertues Concerning Calvin it is affirmed by Conradus shlusselburg a famous Lutheran that he was guilty of Sodomie and other abominable vices for which he was branded on the shoulder by the Magistrate of Noyon with a hote iron That he was striken also a little before his death by the hand of God with Herods desease and that he dyed in despaire cursing and blaspheming No lesse vices also are layd to Beza his charge who did celebrate his own shame and filthy lusts with most lascivious Epigrammes All which are not alleadgeances of Catholiques but testimonies of Protestants against themselvs Neither are these Reformers commonly even by Protestants esteemd Saints As for the common multitude which followed the Reformers Luther himself confesseth that the world is become seven times worse Luth. in postill sup Euang. Domin pae Adventus then it was before in the Papacy yea it is generally observed that Catholiques who become Protestants change their life into worse And albeit the Presbyterians during the late troubles did vsurp to themselvs very ridiculously the name of Saints yet both in the iudgment of other Protestants and in the truth of the matter they were very far from deserving that title For if we will beleeve the old Protestants avarice pride tyranny cruelty impudent railing sedition periurie and many such other vices are the Presbyterians greatest vertues and who are most exorbitant in these enormities are their greatest Saints as they instance in some chief Apostles of the Covenant in whom they affirm these vices to be palpably evident Neither have the Presbyterians any better opinion of the old Protestants whom they call Malignants as appear'd by their Excommunication thundered out against the Bishops at the Assembly of Glasgow for very horrible crimes And albeit the Bishops at least some of them were not guilty of these crimes yet there was no wise man even amongst those who loved them most that thought any of them a Saint or eminent for holynesse Neither can the Presbyterians be Saints even in their own principles vnlesse they would make their lives not only better then their belief but also contrary to it For they teaching that the Commandments are impossible to be kept even with Gods grace how can they pretend to keep them And if they keep them not how can they pretend to be Saints These are poore Saints who break every day Gods Commandments and much more who commit a mortal sin in all their actions as the Presbyterians commonly teach Their actions also which need not to be here recounted and ought to be better beleeved than their words shew that they were not Saints A late Author who had occasion to know well both sorts of Protestants gives this verdict of them Lost sheep p. 192. Amongst the legal Protestants there are many stored with moral goodnesse but the devotion and zeal is amongst the Puritans but it has eaten vp almost all morall honesty among them So the qualities which were too evident and sensible in the Presbyterians even of the greatest estimation shew clearly that they fell so far short of Saints perfections that they had not so much as Moral vertues Neither did God ever testify either the holynesse of any of their lives or of their doctrin by any miracle Vpon the other part I find the lives of Roman Catholiques especially of those who were Converters of Nations and Foundators of religious Orders Calvin Instit c. 10. par 17. to be highly extolled To speak nothing of more ancient Saints S. Bernard whom all the world knowes to have been most addicted to the Pope and Roman faith is called esteemed a Saint by Calvin and by diverse other Protestants The holynesse of S. Dominick Cent. Magd. cent 13. col 11. 79. Hacluite 2. parte 2. volum p 81. Luther cont Anabaptistas Breirly Proâ— S. Francis
and others is confessed by the Centurists The approved sanctity of S. Francis Xaverius a Iesuite who in the last age converted sundry Nations of the east Indies is testifyed by Hacluite a Minister in his book of Navigations where he doth highly praise him Luther confesseth that in the Papacy is the very kernel of piety Breirly cites the words of diverse Protestants who acknowledge that there are many holy men women in the Roman Church that Protestants are not to be compared vnto them in the least degree and that the Catholique Church hath many excellent orders and holy institutions Apol. tract 2. c. 3. sect 9. subd 1. post F. for curbing of sin and advancing of piety whereof Protestants are destitute This must be a strong truth which extorts confession from Adversaries and this Confession is a most convincent proofe against themselves Moreover amongst many of the Catholique Church there is found not an ordinary but a sublime degree of holynesse For many persons in all ages of the greatest quality honour riches have renounced the world all its pleasures that they might serve and enioy God more freely so that they have not only by Gods grace kept but also gone beyond the commandments as S. Chrysostom speaks S. Augustin describing the manners of the Catholique Church in his time after an excellent apostraphe concerning the holynesse of her doctrin saith vnto her concerning holynesse of life Aug. lib. de morib Eccl Cat. c. 30. Deservedly with thee the divine Commandments are kept far and neer By good right with thee are many given to hospitality many dutifull many mercyfull many learned many chast many holy many so burning with the love of God that in highest abstinence from all worldly pleasures incredible contempt of the world they delight only in the desert And thereafter shewing the diverse degrees of holy persons in the Catholique Church as of the Anachorits who liv'd in the wildernesse of the Monks who liv'd a part by themselvs and of others who were gathered together into Communities of religious women who separating themselvs from the company of men served God chastly diligently and having described their diverse manner of living their divin contemplations fervent prayers frequent fastings and the rest of their holy exercises he saith of the Anachorits not without admiration Aug. ibid. cap. 31. What is it I beseech you that these men who cannot but love man do see and yet can be without the sight of man Truly whatever it be it must be more excellent then all humane things since for the contemplation of it a man can live without man And a little after To whom this excellent hight of holynesse doth not appear of it 's own accord worthy of admiration how can it appear to him by our words Then of them all he professeth himself vnable to praise sufficiently these holy manners these holy orders and institutions and if he would vndertake to do it he would be affrayed lest he seemed to detract from them as if they would not please men by the simple relation of theÌ„ In end as this were an vndeniable truth appealing to the heretiques own iudgment he saith These things O Mâ—nichaeans reprove if you can But if there had been any Presbyterians in his time he had found them not only reproving these most holy things but also renouncing abiuring and accursing them as may by known by their Covenant practice at the beginning of their Reformation In this indeed the Presbyterians go beyond the Manicheans S. Augustin proceeds to the praise of the holynesse of the Clergy the Bishops Priests Deacons whose vertue he saith is so much the more wonderfull how much it 's more hard to keep it in such a kind of troublesome life amongst so great a multitude of persons with whom for their spiritual goods they do converse And yet he saith that he knew many holy persons in all these vocations as also many of the laytie of all ranks qualities living holyly in the world as if they did not vse the world and who would willingly forsake all wordly things before they forsook the love and service of God This Description of the ancient Catholique Church which the Catholique shew vnto me did represent very clearly to my sight how fitly the present Catholique Church doth agree with it in all these holy orders and Institutions and it did no lesse evidently manifest vnto me how monstruously the present Protestant Church is different from it Lastly diverse histories as well of Enemies as of friends have recorded many famous miracles wrought in the Catholique Church for confirmation of her doctrin and for manifestation of the holynesse of some persons who have lived dyed in her Communion The Magdeburgian Centurists although Protestants have recorded many great miracles done by Catholiques in the 13. chapter of every Century for 1300. years together after Christ Therefore since holynesse of life doctrin testifyed by Miracles from heaven hath in all ages from Christ been found eminently in the Roman Catholique Church and in no other we may most iustly conclude That she and no other is the true Church and lawfull spouse of Christ Aug. epist 50. ad Bonifacium S. Augustin saith The Catholique Church alone is the body of Christ c. out of this body the Holy Ghost quickens no man And a little before For as a member if it be cutt off from the body of a living man cannot retain the Spirit of life so a man who is cut off from the body of Christ the Iust cannot retain the Spirit of Iustice CHAP. XXXIV The true Church demonstrated by her Vniversality for which she is called Catholique AS the true Church is designed in the Apostles Creed by her holynesse so is she also by her Vniversality I beleeve the holy Catholique Church She is clearly also described by the same vniversality Genes 12.17 in the Scripture God said to Abraham In thy seed all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed The Prophet Esay foretould the same when he said of the Church All Nations shall flow vnto it Esay 2.2 Psalm 2. God promised this to Christ I will give thee the Gentils for thine inheritance the vtmost bounds of the earth for thy possessions Christ himself declared it Luke 24.47 when he said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name vnto all Nations beginning from Hierusalem S. Paul said to the Colossians Coloss 1.6 that the Gospel was in all the world fructifyed Therefore to forbear from citing more testimonies it 's evident by the Creed by the Law and the Prophets by the Psalmes and the holy Apostles and by Christ himself the most true describer of his own body that his Church must be Catholique or Vniversal for place having the Communion of all Nations She must be also Vniversal for time that is she must endure from the time of Christ
those who went without mission saying I had not sent these Prophets yet they ran Ieremie 23.21 and 27.15 Iohn 10.1 and prophesied falsly in my name Christ saith who entereth not by the doore into the sheeâ—fold but climbeth another way is a theef and a robber Moreover our Saviour has put a strict obligation vpon all people to hear and obey their lawfull Pastors and has forewarned them earnestly to beware of false Prophets Of the first he saith Who heares you heares me Luke 10.16 Math. 10.15 and who contemns you contemns me And whosoever shall not receive you nor heare your words c. Verily I say vnto you it shal be more tolerable for the land of the Sodomits Gomorrhaeans in the day of Iudgment then for that Citie Of false Teachers he saith Beware Math. 24 5. Math 7.15 that no man seduce you for many shall come in my name And again Take great heede of false Prophets S. Paul to the like purpose forewarneth the Ephesians saying Take heede to your selvs I know that after my departure Act. 20.28.30 there will ravening Wolves enter in among yow c. For the which cause be Vigilant Seing then we know evidently by the Scriptures that there must remain always true and Lawfull Pastors in the Church and that false Prophets will also arise That we are obliged vnder paine of damnation to heare the first and vnder no lesse danger to beware of the last It is most certain that the goodnesse of God who promised such a clear way vnder the Gospel that fooles should not erre in it has ordaind an easy sensible way for all men to discern between true false Pastors that they may be preserved from error in so great danger or else noâ— only fooles but also wisemen might be miserably mistaken and misled to their own perdition Now the same Scripture points out this easy and direct way if men would walk in it For it shewes that all true Pastors must have sensible vocation Mission and these who want them cannot be true and Lawful Pastors First it's evident that our Saviour did sensibly call 12. Apostles and sent them with commission to feed govern his Church Secondly the Apostles did also sensibly call and ordain other Pastors as is evident in the election ordination of S. Mathias Thirdly the chief Pastors that is Bishops received also power from the Apostles to choose and ordain others as is evident in what the Scripture records of Titus and Timothee This was so evident and sensible a way that fooles might not erre in it And if this order was always observed that none could be esteem'd lawful Pastors but who were thus called and ordain'd by others who had received that power then it was as easy to know a true Pastor from a false Apostle as it is easy to know who is called to be a Iudge in the State from an vsurper for they are both discernable by easy and sensible signs This is the doore of which our Saviour speaks by which all these who are lawfull Pastors enter into the government of the Church and all these who enter not by this doore and yet vsurp that honour to be Pastors of the Church are theevs who climb vp another way and so may be easily known The auncient Iewes had also an easy way to know their ordinary Priests Pastors from vsurpers For among them none were Priests but these who were descended from Levi by Aaron by natural generation But in the Law of grace it is more easy where none are to be esteem'd Bishops Lawfull Pastors but these who are descended from the holy Apostles by visible ordination personal succession The holy Fathers did vse this succession and Vocation of Pastors as a most evident argument to demonstrat the true Church and by want of these they discovered also as clearly all false Churches For it 's certain the true Church cannot be without lawfull Pastors lawfull Pastors cannot be without lawfull Vocation ordination where there are no true Pastors lawfully called and ordaind there can be no true Church S. Ireneus proves the true Church by the Succession of Pastors Irenaâ—us lib. 3. c. 3 which he calls a clear demonstration by which all heretiques are confounded Tertullian requires the heretiques to bring forth the origine of their Churches to recite the order of their Bishops Tert. lib. de praescrip by succession from the Apostles As it is evident then that vocation succession of Pastors by lawfull ordination is an inseparable propertie of the true Church So We shall now briefly see to which Church it best agrees whither to the Protestant or to the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome I find that the Protestant Pastors are as much perplexed to show the lawfulnesse of their Vocation after Luther as they were vexed to show where their Church was before him For they run from one shift to another and what some say others controule severly censure As there were three principal sorts of Protestants to witt the Lutherans Calvinists these of the late English Church so I find they bring three different answers to the question of their Ministers vocation Some say the Lutherian Ministers have an ordinary vocation because Luther was made a Priest in the Roman Church But this answer is frivolous For first Luther by that Vocation got only commission to preach the doctrin of that Church and not to preach against it Secondly it is monstruously absurd for the Lutherians to derive their Vocation from that Church which their first Apostle esteem'd Anti-Christian Thirdly Although Luthers own vocation were supposed to be good how could he being only a simple Priest ordain others since from the beginning of Christianity it was never known that a Priest could be ordaind by any but by a Bishop Fourthly Luther succeeded to none neither Bishop or Priest who professed his doctrin and therefore the Lutherans are in their first source destitute of succession and in their progresse of lawfull ordination and so neither Luther nor his successors have any lawfull Vocation Calvin most of his Schollers renounce the way of ordinary run to an extraordinary vocation for they are ashamed to derive their vocation from the Roman Church which they imagine to be Anti-Christian neither can they do it because Calvin was never ordain'd a Priest By the tyrannyâ— saith he of the Pope Cal. lib. 4. Instit c. 3. par 4. the true line of ordination was interrupted now there is need of a new supplâ—e And truly this was an extraordinary charge which the Lord imposed on vs. To him accords his Scholler Beza who saith that at the beginning of their Church ordinary vocation appear'd no where And Beza in epist ad Alemannum in the Conference at Poysie being enquired of his Vocation he said it was extraordinary Against this pretext of extraordinary vocation which is followed
length described So by this means M. Knox gote his Vocation to be a Minister from the call of that holy Congregation which was guiltie of murder and robbery and was then in actual rebellion by the mouth of their Preacher who could have no lawfull vocation himself but being an vnlettered man had taken vp by all appearance that calling at his own hand as many others did For it is said of him in the 74. page Albeit he was not the most learned yet was his doctrin without corruption c. I was much astonished when this historie of our first Reformer his Vocation was first shown me in his own book by a Catholique who did not faile to manifest the ridiculousnesse of it by all the circumstances Now these are all the different Vocations of the Protestant Ministers and all and every one of them are so vnsufficient that they are disproved not only by Catholiques but also by most famous Protestants who are brought to such confusion in this matter that they hardly know what to say For they can neither pretend ordinary nor extraordinary Vocation not the first because they evidently want succession as also ordination both which are requisite to an ordinary calling Not the second because they want the power of working miracles and have no extraordinary holynesse which are qualities very requisite and vsual for all Gods extraordinary Ambassadours And albeit neither of these qualities were required yet these who pretend this extraordinary Vocation do fall into such contradictions that they are evidently known thereby not to be Gods extraordinary Ambassadours whom he never vseth to send with contrary Commissions So that to the Protestant Ministers or Bishops agree well the words of S. Cyprian Cypr. de simplicit Praâ—lator These are men saith he who without any divin disposition preferre themselvs among rash people who make themselvs Prelats without any lawfull ordination who none giving to them a Bishops office take the name of Bishops vpon them Therefore the Protestant Pastors wanting clearly succession from the Apostles are not Apostolique and so are not true Pastors but Vsurpers and consequently the Protestant Church is not the true Church for that cannot be the true Church which hath no lawfull Pastors Vpon the other part this succession of Bishops from the Apostles has been ever so evidently in the Church of the Roman Communion that the holy Fathers did bring it as a most evident argument to show the true Church and therefore they reckon out ordinarly the succession of the Roman Bishops Aug. cont epist fund c. 4. S. Augustin saith The Succession of Priests from the Seat of Peter the Apostle vnto the present Bishoprique holds me in the Church And elswhere shewing the continuance of the same succession he saith The continuance of the true Church by most certain succession of Bishops Aug. lib. conâ— advers leg prophet c. 20. doth persevere from the Apostles time vnto ours and to the times after vs again And this succession doth to this day continue in the Roman Church as evidently as it did in the time of the holy Fathers neither can any thing be said now against it which might not have been said as iustly by the auncient heretiques Therefore as the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome has been shewed to be one holy and Catholique Church so it is no lesse evident that it is Apostolique having lawfull Pastors as it has ever had deriving their Vocation from the holy Apostles by lawfull ordination personal succession and consequently this is the true Church lawfull spouse of Iesus Christ This matter of Vocation is of great importance because doctrin depends vpon it and because it is easily discerned so that it is compared by our Saviour Iohn 10.1 to a Gate As then it is more easy to hold a theef at the gate then to thrust him out being once let in so all heretiques are more easily confounded for lack of Vocation which is to hold them at the doore of the Church then by the falshood of their doctrin which is to expell them after they are once admitted For if they cannot bring evident testimonies of their Vocation ordination from a known Pastor of the Church they are presently known to be Wolves who run when they were not sent who enter not by the doore but climb vp another way Therefore it is great deceit in some Ministers to vndertake to prove the lawfulnesse of their Vocation by the truth of their doctrin which is a preposterous and ridiculous way Numer 16. Core and his complices taught no other doctrin but that which was taught by Moyses and yet because they vsurped the Priests office we know how fearfully they were punished What would be more ridiculous then if one would vsurp the Office of a Iudge in the state and then would prove himself to be a lawfull Iudge by the iustice of his decisions This question then of Vocation being so important and easy a Catholique gave me this advice which I resolve God willing to follow never to admit a Minister to dispute of religion till he first shew the lawfulnesse of his Vocation and to make ever that the first question Wherefore having now seen such evidence for the truth of the Roman Catholique Church to which alone the marks and properties of the true Church recorded in Scripture do so clearly agree I will draw to an end by this subsequent Conclusion CHAP. XXXVI The Conclusion AS light is more pleasant after darknesse so is the invention of truth more delightfull after errors I have now by Gods grace and by the former Triall seen both our pretended Reformations which were called such great engyring Lights to be nothing but thick Aegyptian darknesse obscuring the chief and most clear truths of the Christian Religion both in doctrin disciplin I have now found amongst the Protestants what S. Augustin observed amongst the Manichees Aug. cont epist fund c. 4. that they have nothing but a meer promise of truth a pretext of following only the Scriptures wheÌ„ indeed they follow their own Errors That their doctrin is nothing but counterfeit Mettall which cannot endure the fire of Triall Yea I have clearly seen that their Church which is the ground work of all has not the least resemblance of the Church of Christ as she is without ambiguity described in the Scriptures For according to them the Church of Christ must endure for ever But the Protestant Church has only endured since the time of Luther According to the Scriptures the Church cannot be hid but must ever shine like a light set vpon a Candlestick But the Protestant Church has lyen many hundred years hid and invisible vnder a bushell The Church of Christ must have Vnity as becomes the house of God But the Protestant Church is full of division confusion both in doctrin disciplin The true Church must be holy in all her doctrin and
not vsurped For he who is a iust Possessor is no Vsurper Yea he has been so far from vsurping over the Scriptures the Church c. that he has chiefly preserved them from the Vsurpations and corruptions of Heretiques And first it is shewed that he doth not vsurp over the Scriptures as the Covenanters do calumniate For he neither Vsurps over the letter nor the sense of them Not the first For both the Pope whole Catholique Church professe that they only declare that to be Scripture which they received for such from the holy Apostles and it 's by their care diligence that the letter of the Scripture has descended pure free from corruptions vnto our hands whereas it might have been altogether corrupted or totally perished for Protestants Neither do the Pope or Catholique Church vsurp over the sense of the Scriptures but they preserve that sense which is conforme to the Vanimous consent of the auncient fathers of the Primitive Church Secondly the Pope doth not vsurp over the Church because the care and charge of it was committed by Christ to S. Peter and to his Successors as we have seen and he preserves the Church from the Vsurpation of Heretiques Thirdly He doth not vsurp over the Civil Magistrate The experience of many ages in all Christians Kingdomes Common-wealths is more then sufficient to make this good to manifest the impudent falshood of the Presbyterian calumnie to the contrary Fourthly The Pope doth not vsurp over the Consciences of men but as chief Governor of the Church has lawfull authority to make Ecclesiastical Lawes which bind in Conscience as also all the iust Lawes of Kings other Civil Magistrats do bind in Conscience to which their subiects ought to obey according to that of S. Paul Be subiect not only for wrath but also for Conscience sake Rom. 13.5 And the contrary doctrin of Protestants which affirmeth that neither the Lawes of Church Kings or other Magistrates do bind in conscience is much detested by the Catholique Church and opens a broad way to all disobedience But now it will not be amisse to show how yow are destitute of all lawfull authority and deeply guilty of the same Vsurpations which yow falsly impose on others First all heretiques who go out of the Church and having no lawfull calling or authority take vpon them to be Pastors and impose their new doctrines Lawes vpon the Church are truly Vsurpers and are called Theeves by our Saviour who enter not by the doore but climb vp another way So S. Optatus speaks to the Donatists How comes it to passe Opt. lib. 2. cont Parmen saith he that you who are fighting against the Chair of Peter by your presumptions and Sacrilegious boldnesse contend to Vsurp the keies of the Kingdome to your selves Thus Luther Calvin the two chief Apostles of Protestants were Vsurpers who being private men without any lawfull calling or authority would bring in new doctrines and prescribe lawes to the whole Catholique Church And in this the Covenanting Ministers do imitate them Secondly they vsurped in particular over both the letter and sense of the Scriptures For Luther added the word Only to them in the matter of Iustification and tooke the whole Epistle of S. Iames and the Apocalypse from them Calvin also by his private Spirit made vp a new Canon not known before his time expunging many bookes avnciently received out of the Scriptures which new Rule the Covenanters follow Then for the sense they transgressed the bounds set by the Fathers reiecting the auncient sense preserved by the Catholique Church and invented new senses of their own imaginations which they enforced vpon others as divine Truths In this also you Covenanting Ministers have followed closely their footsteps For you have been no lesse fertile in inventing such new senses then active in enforceing them vpon others Thirdly your pretended Reformers were Vsurpers over the Church who having no lawfull calling nor authority tooke vpon them to be Reformers of the Church who would impose their own fancies as lawes divine Oracles on the Church who insolently would take vpon them to iudge and condemn the whole Catholique Church and who vnder pretext of Reformation have destroyed almost all that is sacred in the Church barbarously destroying many excellent Churches and Sacrilegiously vsurping and plundering the riches Ornaments of them This Luther and Calvin did at the beginning and this you have compleated in a great measure above all their progenie Fourthly you are also very guilty of Vsurpation over the Civil Magistrate The late riseing of your religion cannot furnish vs old histories but for your short time you have been prettie bussie and afford vs a good store For in our Countrey there have been only 3. or 4. Princes since your religion Began and none of them has been exempt from your Vsurpation First The Queen Regent was deposed by you from her Regency and died shortly thereafter for grief Secondly How you vsed her daughter Queen Mary Stewart it is notoriously known to the world For after you had imprisonned her enforced her to renounce her Crowne you never desisted till by persecuting of her vnto death you made her purchase a more glorious Crown and yet by your calumnies after her death augment her glory in heaven Thirdly Basili con Doron How you Vsurped over King Iames her Son he himself hath registred to your no small infamy And albeit you did not prevaile against him yet you have payed home that deficiency with Vsury to his Son the late King Charles By this may be seen whither the Pope or yow do Vsurp more over the Civil Magistrate Lastly you have been great Vsurpers over mens Consciences as may be known to passe by all other instances by your furious vrgeing this same Covenant vpon many Protestants against their Consciences for which they give you the Title of Soule-Tyrants By all which may be seen that you are very guilty of the same Vsurpations which you falsly obiect to others SECTION V. That the Lawes of the Catholique Church are not Tyrannous nor her doctrin concerning the Scriptures and office of Christ erroneous AFTER you have renounced the Popes authority as vnlawfull then yow renounce his Lawes as Tyrannous and the doctrin of the Catholique Church concerning the Scriptures the office of Christ as Erroneous For thus you speak in your Covenant We detest all his Tyrannous Lawes made vpon indifferent things against our Christian libertie His Erroneous doctrin against the sufficiency of the written word the perfection of the Law the office of Christ and his blessed Evangel If you renounce all lawes made vpon indifferent things pretending that they are against your Christian libertie then you renounce the most part of all Lawes both Civil and Ecclesiastical which are ordinarly vpon such matters and in a certain manner restrain libertie Then you may renounce also the Lawes of the Apostles Acts 15. for
they made some vpon indifferent things as to abstaine from things strangled and from blood giving them out in the name of the holy Ghost and commanding them to be kept by the first Christians which Lawes albeit they restrain'd libertie yet they were not against Christian libertie which cōsists principally in three things to witt in freedome from the slavery of sin in freedome from the fear servitude of the Moral Law by receiving the gift of Charity through Christs grace whereby we willingly and ioyfully-fullfill the Law and lastly in freedome from the bondage of the Iewish Ceremonial Law which S. Peter calls a heavie yoak These are the liberties wherewith Christ has made vs free as was shown me at more length and are not as the Covenanters do imagine a libertie to do what every man lists or to be vnder no obedience of Spiritual or Temporal Lawes Against which licentious libertie S. Peter gives warning in these words Be subiect vnto every humane Creature for God 1. Pet. 2.13 c. as free and not as having freedome for a cloke of malice And S. Paul to the Galatians You are called brethren into libertie Gal. 5.13 only make not this libertie an occasion to the flesh c. Now all the Lawes of the Catholique Church against which the Ministers make heaviest complaints as about lentfasting abstinence from flesh on frydayes the single life of Church men and the like may be easily shown to have been observed in the primitive times to be most iust nowayes Tyrannous or against our Christian libertie but that they rather tend vnto Christian perfection which is the greatest libertie of a Christian and that the Ministers who speak so much against these holy Lawes make their libertie as S. Paul speaks an occasion to the flesh or as S. Peter saith a cloke of malice But it would indeed seem very strange if it were not so ordinary among you that yourselves do such things without all authority which you blame in the Catholique Church vnto which Christ has given so great authority For have not you dureing the space of some few years heaped vp more Lawes and decrees in your Assemblies then exceed all the body of the Canon Law And yet you cannot deny but the most part of these Lawes is made vpon indifferent things and some of them in the Iudgment of many Protestants vpon false things as your Lawes for swearing subscribing the Covenant You pretend much Christian libertie which you promised to the people but indeed you kept them in more then Iewish slaverie For to passe by many other instances you would not suffer the people vpon Sundayes after they had been much wearied hearing both your long some Sermons prayers to be seen on the streets or to go and recreat themselves in the fields which truly was greater then a Iudaïcal servitude The Catholiques find the yoak of Christ sweet and the Lawes of his Church their loving Mother not heavie But many Protestants find the yoak of your Presbytery which they esteem a cruel step-mother to be very bitter and think your Lawes not only against their Christian libertie but also insupportable Now we come to your other heavy accusations against the Catholique Church which for brevities sake we must only touch Yow accuse her doctrin as Erroneous against the sufficiency of the written word But without all reason For she teacheth that the written word is sufficient in this sense that it containes immediatly the substance of our faith all the articles necessary necessitate medij for mans Salvation and also it containes mediatly all that we are to beleeve in that it remits vs to the Church which it assureth vs is governed by the holy Ghost in all truth Whence it evidently followeth that we draw that truth out of the scriptures which we draw out of the mouth of the Church for whosoever deputes an other to speak for him speaks mediatly by his mouth So S. Augustin reasoneth Aug. lib. 1. cont Cres c. 33. Albeit saith he we can produce no example of Scripture concerning this matter yet hold we the truth of the same Scripture seing we do that which is conformable to the Vniversal Church which the authority of the same Scripture commends vnto vs. And in this sense the written word is most sufficient But it is not sufficient in the common sense of heretiques who will have the dead letter of the Scripture to be sufficient without having recourse to the Catholique Church for the true sense of it and who will have nothing to be beleeved but what is formally expresly containd in it For that is directly against the Scriptures themselvs which referre vs to the Church and bid vs stand fast and hold the Traditions That is also against the doctrin of the auncient Fathers S. Chrysostome saith Chrys on 2. Thess 2. It is evident that the Apostles did not deliver all things by writing but many things without and those be as worthy credit as the others Epiphanius saith to the same purpose We must vse Traditions Epiph. hares 61. for the Scriptures have not all things That is contrary to the practice of the Covenanters who beleeve somethings without Scripture and diverse points against it as we have seen above And lastly it has furnished weapons to the Socinians and Anabaptists to fight against the Presbyterians who now by experience are become more wise then at the beginning For in their new Confession of faith at Westminster Confess West 6.1 art 6. they say That the whole Counsel of God concerning all things necessary to Salvation is either expresly set down in Scripture or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture So that the Scripture which was before sufficient without Church and Traditions is now not sufficient to Salvation without Logique and Consequences which doctrin makes them fall into another grosse folly to quite the Church the pillar and ground of Truth and have recourse to Philosophie and fallible consequences wherein these new sects are not behind with them but by the same principle do vndermine them You next accuse the Catholique Church of erroneous doctrin against the perfection of the Law the office of Christ and of his Evangel But you do not make good your accusations neither show yow wherein these pretended Errors do consist Yet it may be easily shown that your accusations are false and that your selves are guilty of the same crimes For the Catholique Church teacheth that the Law of Christ is most perfect and that the very substance of perfection consists in keeping it and that none can be perfect without fulfilling it And albeit it be true that she teacheth there be some Evangelical Counsels which make a man more perfect then the precise keeping of the Law yet that doctrin is nothing against the perfection of the Law For this was the doctrin of Christ of S. Paul and of the holy Fathers Our Saviour having said
to the young man in the Gospel If thou wilt enter into life Math. 19 18.21 1 Cor. 7.38 keep the Commandments and receiving answer that he had kept them all adioynd if thou wilt be perfect sell that thou hast and give it to the poore S. Paul also saith Who maries doth well but who maries not doth better S. Augustin vpon our Saviours former words saith Our good Master distinguished the Commandments of the Law Aug. epist 89. ad Hila. from this more excellent perfection For there he said If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments and here if thou wilt be perfect sell all By which it may appeare that the doctrin of the Catholique Church in this matter being the same that Christ his blessed Apostle the holy Fathers taught is not against the perfection of the Law And the same may be made good also by the light of reason For every thing is perfect when it has perfection in its own degre and so the Catholique Church teacheth that the Law of Christ is most perfect in the nature of a Law that no Law can be more perfect and that perfection consists essentially in keeping it Which nowayes hinders but that there may be some works not commanded but Counseled which may be prefer'd in perfection to some works commanded and so some Counsels may be called more perfect then the Commandments which are about the same matter As for example it is more perfect to sell all for the Love of God which is only a Counsel then not to steal which is a precept As it is also more perfect to keep chastity then to marie and not commit adulterie Again there are some Counsels more perfect then any of the Commandments not in regard of the external work but of the internal charity which they presuppose and to which they lead For it presupposeth a greater degree of perfection charity to renounce all riches pleasures which are otherwise lawfull for the Love of God then to equal and prefer nothing to God which is commanded Therefore as the Catholique Church is free of Erroneous doctrin against the perfection of the Law so we may iustly inferre that your doctrin which teacheth the Law is impossible to be kept is most erroneous against the very end and perfection of the Law since it was made for that end to be kept and it robs men also of all perfection which cannot be had without keeping the Law Then for your other accusations about the office of Christ the Evangel albeit you strive by such words to affright the people making them beleeve that the Pope the Catholique Church are sworn Enemies to Christ his Gospel yet it is well enough known that Christ and his Gospel are more honoured in the Catholique Church then among all the sects of the world For it is by her means the Gospel has been preserved and Christs name has been honoured among all Nations all which she alone has converted to the faith But you are enemies to all Christs offices For you would destroy his Kirgly office by making him a king many hundred years without a kingdome and by destroying the spirituel governement thereof bringing in place of it the Anarchy confusion of your Pressbytery You are Enemies also to his Priestly office by abolishing the dayly Sacrifice for the continuance of which he is called a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech You are Enemies likwise to his Prophetical office For whereas he had Prophesied so clearly of the perpetuity of his Church that it cannot be hid that it should be ever governed by the Spirit of truth into all truth You would make him a false Prophet by teaching that the Church had failed had been many hundred years invisible and was fallen into Anti-Christian Errors Lastly albeit you pretend to honour the Gospel and make it the only rule of your faith yet you do iust the contrary because you deny what it affirmes and beleeve the contrary to what it teacheth in expresse tearmes and you make it such a Rule that you frequently oppose your Iudgments to it as has been more then once shown SECTION VI. That the Doctrine of the Catholique Church concerning Original Sin Iustification and sanctification is not corrupted But that the Prebyterian Doctrine is corrupted in all these points Covenant WE detest his corrupted doctrine concerning Original sin our natural inhability and rebellion to Gods Law our Iustification by faith only our imperfect Sanctification obedience to the Law As it is ordinary for all those who are tainted with corrupt Errors to call these Catholiques doctrines corrupted which oppose their corruptions So the Covenanters here call the Catholique doctrine concerning Original sin corrupted which indeed is most pure and opâ—oseth the most poysoned source of almost all their corruptions The Catholique Church teacheth principally three things in this matter against the Errors of the Calvinists First that all Children as well of faithfull as of infidel parents descending from Adam by natural generation do contract Original sin and are borne in it which is against a corrupt doctrin of Calvin who affirmeth that the Children of the faithfull are borne Saints Secondly the Catholiques teach that Original sin is quite taken away and purged in the Sacrament of Baptisme which is against an other corruption of Calvin and his followers who affirme that Original sin still remaineth in vs even after Baptisme Thirdly the Catholique Doctors ordinarly teach that Original sin is nothing else but a privation of original iustice or iustifying grace which was in the Superior part of the soule which is restored to vs by the merits of Christ in the Sacrament of Baptisme which is against a most corrupt Error of all Calvinists who affirme that Original sin is nothing else but concupiscence or a pravitie of Nature by which the Image of God is vtterly defaced in man and by which Adam his posterity became Enemies to God slaves to Sathan servants to sin So do our Scottish Ministers speak in their first Confession article 3. Of the first two points something hath been said above and they are both evidently true by the Scriptures Fathers For the Apostle S. Paul saith that all sin â—â—d in Adam and were borne the children of wrath Ephes 2.3 Aug. lib. 2. de peccator remiss c. 40. Hier. ep 7. ad Latam S. Augustin affirmeth that holy Parents do not beget regenerated Children which is seconded by S. Hierom who saith Christiani non nascuntur sed fiunt We are not borne but made Christians And that Baptism taketh away Original sin has been so clearly above shewed that nothing shall be here repeated except only what S. Augustin said None except an Infidel can deny it The third point also was fully cleared to me by the Catholique who shew that as all sin is evil evil is nothing else but the privation of good so original sin being evil can be nothing
else but the privation of some good and that can be of no other good but of Original Iustice And as Original Iustice albeit it comprehended many supernatural perfections both in the soule body consisted principally properly in that Iustifying grace by which the soule was adorned and Vnited vnto God the Soveraign good so original sin is the privation only of that Iustifying grace in the Superiour part of the soule the want of which makes the soule deformed and averted from God And seing this want is taken away by Baptisme and the whole grace as it beautifyed the soule is entirly restored the whole guilt of original sin is taken away and the whole essence of Original Iustice is recovered again by the merits of Christ Then for Concupiscence which is left after Baptisme it is not truly any sin but a weaknesse imperfection of Nature proceeding from the former Original sin as all sicknesses miseries and death it self are All which are left in vs even after the sin it self is taken away to put vs in mind from what happy Estate we had fallen and to stirre vs vp to labour more diligently and to call more earnestly for the help of Gods grace Neither is the grace which we receive from Christ the smaller or weaker that it doth not take away concupiscence and restore vs to the whole rectitude which Adam enieyed but it is rather more strong since many by it do stand even with all that weaknesse of nature which Adam did not with all the grace he had even in the strength rectitude of his nature All which things were confirmed to me by diverse authorities reasons which were too longsome here to insert It shall be sufficient to bring one testimony of S. Augustin against Calvins opinion and the fundament of it Concupiscence August lib. 1. de nuptijs concupis c. 23. saith he is called sin because it was made by sin whereas now in the regenerate it is not sin c. Yea he sheweth that concupiscence is so far from being sin when it is resisted that it becomes rather the matter of Victory and of a Crown vnto vs. Sometimes saith he Aug de Genesi cont Manich c. 4. Cal. lib. 3. Inst c. 3. par 10. reason doth stoutly resist bridle Concupiscence even when it is stirred vp which when it is performed we fall not into sin but after some wrestlings we are crowned Calvin ingenuously confesseth that his opinion in this matter is against S. Augustin all Antiquity which is sufficient to make it to be suspected if not also reiected As then the Catholique doctrine concerning Original sin is the same holy pure doctrine of the Primitive Church so your doctrine ô Covenanters is full of corruptions For besides that it corrupts the Catholique Faith it corrupts both your soules bodies This your selves do confesse for in your new Confession you say that man by Original sin became wholly defilled Conf. westminst ch 6. in all the faculties parts of Soule body and that this corruption of nature dureing this life doth remain in those who are regenerated and that both it self and the motions of it are truly properly sin Moreover it corrupts all your best thoughts words and actions For so you professe that by it you are vtterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil This also M. Calvin did teach Cal in Antid Con. Trid. sess 6. c. 16. Shels p. 146. saying The vitiousnesse of original sin which remaines in vs defiles before God what ever works proceed from vs. Of which doctrin M. Shelford a Protestant gives his opinion thus These who say so cannot in my Iudgment be excused from extream blasphemie Thirdly it corrupts Grace for it makes the Grace of Christ so weak and imperfect that it cannot free vs from the corruption of Original sin And lastly it is the source of many corrupt errors as of your Iustification by faith only the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments the denyall of all good works of inherent Iustice many more From which it is evident that your doctrine is very much corrupted which is the cause of so many corruptions Hence also may be easily seen that the Catholique doctrin concerning our natural inhability and rebellion to Gods Law is not corrupted because as it teacheth against the Pelagians that we are vnable by the power of nature to keep Gods Law so it affirmeth also against the Presbyterians what is impossible to be done by nature is possible by Gods grace and what we cannot do of our selves we can performe by the strength of him who comforts vs. Which might be easily shown to be S. Pauls doctrine Rom. 8.3.4 Philip. 4.13 and therefore to be free of corruption But your doctrine is very corrupt which so grants a natural inhability that it denys all supernatural ability even with the assistance of Gods grace to keep his Law You professe yourselves to be so naturally rebels to God that all his grace cannot make you good subiects which shewes that both your doctrin your selves are very much corrupted The same may be shewed of Sanctification For the Catholiques teach that no man is so perfectly holy here in this pilgrinage but he may every day advance in holynesse and be renewed dayly in the inward man and that no person even the holyest is free of venial sins imperfections and then only we shall be perfect when this corruption shall put on immortality In this sense they grant that sanctification in this life is imperfect whereas in an other sense they teach that there may be even in this life a certain perfection of holynesse in some degree svitable to the observation of the divine Commandments as has been shewed above chap. 14. p. 145. But your doctrin is very corrupt which maks your sanctification so imperfect that you cannot by it think so much as a good thought or do any thing but sin mortally And your obedience to the Law is so imperfect that you break it at every minut So that such sanctification may be rather called profanation and such imperfect obedience to Gods Law may be iustly tearmed Disobedience Lastly if the Catholique doctrin which affirmeth that man is not iustifyed by faith only be corrupted then the Scripture is corrupted which teacheth the same not only in substance but in expresse words proving it by diverse arguments examples and comparcing those who beleeve the contrary to Devils as we have seen above chap. 15. pag. 157. But your doctrin in this principal article of your faith is very much corrupted which corrupteth the pure fountain of Gods word By all which may be seen not only how falsly you accuse the Catholique doctrin of corruptions in all the former points but also how truly your own doctrin is full of corruptions SECTION VII Of the Holy Sacraments of Ceremonies Divorces and of Dispensations NEXT follow
these words of the Covenant We detest his corrupted doctrine concerning the nature number and vse of the holy Sacraments His five bastard Sacraments with all his Rites Ceremonies and false doctrines added to the Ministration of the true Sacraments without the word of God His cruel Iudgment against Infants departing without the Sacraments His absolute necessitie of Baptisme His blasphemous opinion of Transubstantiation or real presence of Christs body in the Elements and receiving of the same by the wicked or bodies of men His dispensations of Solemn Oaths periuries and degrees of Mariage forbidden by the word His cruelty against the Innocent divorced As an impudent strumpet said my Catholique friend is accustomed when she contends with a Chast Matrone to obiect such crimes to her whereof herself is notoriously guilty So here the Covenanters do accuse the holy Catholique Church the Immaculate Spouse of Iesus-Christ of Errors corruptions in the nature number vse of the holy Sacraments whereas themselves are miserably corrupted in all these points Which shall be briefly shown First you accuse the Catholique Church of corrupted doctrin concerning the Nature of the Sacraments which must be because she teacheth that the Sacraments of the new law do conferre grace But we have seen above that this is most true doctrin conforme to the Scriptures and holy Fathers and that this is a perfection most suitable to the excellency of the Christian Sacraments Whereas your doctrine which robs the Sacraments of all power to conferre Grace and makes them only simple tokens signs and seals without all efficacie and which equals the Sacraments of the old Law in excellency vnto them corrupts indeed the nature of the Christian Sacraments and abaseth the power of them which cannot be done without perverting and corrupting the Scriptures and holy Fathers which are so clear for the Catholique doctrine that they have moved many famous Protestants to abandon your Calvinistical opinion All which may be seen in the 18. Chapter of the former Treatise Next you accuse the Catholique doctrine of corruption concerning the Number of the Christian Sacraments whereas indeed your doctrine if we will iudge of it by your first Reformers is not only full of corruption but also of confusion in this matter The Catholiques do constantly teach that there be 7. Sacraments of the Law of grace instituted by Iesus-Christ to witt Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Penance Order Extream-Vnction and Matrimony Which precise number hath from the ancient Fathers Primitive Church by continual practice been delivered and received in both Churches Greek and Latin as may appeare by the Councel of Florence For all which Sacraments the Catholiques do bring expresse Scriptures Testimonies of the holy Fathers some of which we shal briefly touch To speak then nothing of Baptisme and the Eucharist which are out of question Confirmation is shewed 2. Cor. 1. and 1â— verse where it is said He that Coâ—firmeth vs with you in Christ and hath anointed vs God who also hath fealed vs and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts And Acts 8. verse 14. when Philip the Deacon had converted Samaria Peter and Iohn were sent to confirme them who when they were come saith the Scripture prayed for them that they might receive the holy Ghost c. Then did they impose their hands vpon them and they received the Holy Ghost Of which S. Augustin saith August lib. 2 cont lit Petil. c. 104. The Sacrament of Chrisme in the kind of Visible seales is sacred and holy even as Baptisme it self Penance is shewed Iohn 20. verse 2. where our Saviour said to his Apostles Receive you the Holy Ghost whose sins you forgive they are forgiven and whose sins you retain they are retain'd Of this power which Christ has given to Priests followeth the necessity of Confession For if the sins retaynd on earth be retayn'd and not remitted in heaven and on the other part the Priest cannot remit the sin vnlesse he know it as it is manifest he cannot nor can he know it vnlesse it be told him it followeth necessarly that he who will have his sins remitted must by his own Confession open them to whom God hath given power to remit them Confession was also vsed in the Apostles times Acts 19. v. 18. as appeareth in the Acts where it is said Many of them that beleeved came Confessing and declareing their deeds Of this Sacrament S. Ambrose giveth testimonie Amb. lib. de poenit c. 7. who refelleth thus the Novatians Why do ye baptize if sins cannot be remitted by a Man For in Baptism is the remission of all sins nor is it material whether Priests challenge to themselvs this power by Penance or by Baptisme S. Chrysostom saith Chrys lib. 3. de Sacerdotio That Christ has given that power to Priests which he would not to be given neither to Angels nor Archangels The earthly Princes have also power to bind but the bodies only but the bond of Priests toucheth the very soule it self and reacheth even to the heavens c. what power I beseech you Aug. lib. 50. homiliar can be greater then this S. Augustin also speaketh to the same purpose in his 49. homily and in the second book of Visitation of the sick Of holy Orders the Scripture beareth testimonie S. Paul writing to Timothee saith Impose hands on no man lightly 1. Tim. 5.22 And again Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is given thee by Prophesie with the imposition of the hands of Priesthood Our Saviour said to his Apostles Receive the Holy Ghost c. Iohn 20. S. Augustin calleth Holy Order a Sacrament compareing it with Baptisme Aug lib. 2. cont Parmen c. 13. Let them explicate saith he how the Sacrament of the Baptized cannot be lost and the Sacrament of one Ordained can Extream Vnction is clearly in Scripture Is any man sick among you saith S. Iames Iames 5.13 c. let him bring in the Priests of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with oyle in the name of our Lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man and our Lord will lift him vp and if he be in sins his sins shall be forgiven him Vpon which S. Chrysostom saith Chrys lib. 3. de Sacerdotio The Priests have authority to forgive sins not only when they regenerate vs but afterwards also For is any sick among you saith the Apostle let him bring in the Priests c. Of Matrimony it is said They shall be two in one flesh this is a great Sacrament but I say in Christ and the Church Ephes 5.31.32 Vpon which S. Augustin saith That Aug. tract 9. in Ioan. which in Christ and the Church is a great Sacrament this in all men and wives whatsoever is the least Sacrament but notwithstanding an inseparable Sacrament of coniunction And again lib. de fide operibus c. 7. In the Church not only
the punishment of fire that being purged by fire he may be saved and not tormented for ever as the Infidels are with everlasting fire The second place is in S. Mathew ch 12. v. 32. where our Saviour saith He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Vpon which S. Augustin saith Aug lib. 21. de Civit. c. 24. Neither could it be truly said of some That they are neither forgiven in this life nor in the life to come vnlesse there were some who though they are not forgiven in this life yet should be Ber. ser 66. sup Cantic in the life to come S. Bernard brings this same testimony by which alone he thinks to have sufficiently confuted the Petro-brusian heretiques who denyed Purgatory in his time The third place is Math. 5.26.27 where our Saviour saith Amen I say to thee thou shalt not goe out from thence till thou pay the last farthing Vpon which S. Hierom. This is that which he saith Hieron in c. 5. Math. thou shalt not go out of prison till thou shalt pay even thy little sins By all which it is evident that Purgatory was beleeved by the holy Fathers by the Primitive Church and that it has good ground in the Scriptures Yea the same was also beleeved by the ancient Iewes as it is clear out of the 2. book of the Machabees 12. ch and it is also known that the Iewes to this day pray for the dead to speak nothing that the very Heathens of old held and the Mahumetans hold the same Bellar. l. 1. de purg c. 11. as Bellarmin sheweth Therefore it is not only a false but also a shamelesse calumnie which you Covenanting Ministers do make when you say that Purgatory is a late invention of the Popes and they are miserably deceived who give credit to you But indeed you ought not to be so great enemies to Purgatory seing you must either grant a certain Purgatory after this life or else none of you can go to Heaven as has been shewed above out of your own principles For seing according to your doctrine Supra p. 188. the filthinesse of your sins alwayes remaines in you dureing this life it must either be taken away purged after this life and so consequently you must grant a Purgatory or else you will not be admitted into that heavenly City where no vnclean thing can enter Purgatory then being so firmly established by the the Scriptures Fathers Tradition of the whole Church the question of Prayer for the dead which has such affinity with it is soone determined S. Augustins testimony alone shall be sufficient because it shewes the practice of the whole ancient Church Aug. de Verbis Apost ser 34. It is not to be doubted saith he but the dead are eased by the prayers of the holy Church by the wholsome Sacrifice and the almes which are given for the soules departed so that they are more mercyfully dealt with by our Lord then their sins do deserve For this being delivered by the Fathers the whole Church observeth And that this was not a new doctrine or practice Calvin himself confesseth granting that it was a custome to pray for the dead 13. hundred years before his time Cal. l. 3. inst c. 5. par 10. You detest next the custome of the Catholique Church in offering vp her publique prayers in a language not vulgaire But you do this without solid reason For first the Church has introduced no Novelty in that matter but has still retain'd her Liturgies in the same Tongues which she had vsed from the first time of her founding by the holy Apostles Secondly The Church has thought more fitting to retain her Liturgies in these ancient sacred and vnchangeable languages though not commonly now known then to subiect her Liturgies to all the inconveniences that are occasioned by the changes of vulgaire tongues which are in a continual ebbing flowing This custome may be confirmed by the practice of the ancient Iewes who having corrupted their language by the long continuance of the Babylonicall captivity speaking commonly Syraick did not leave of for that to continew their office in the Hebrew tongue for which our Saviour did not reprehend them which certainly he had done if it had been an vnlawfull thing Thirdly The command and practice of the Church ought to be obeyed and followed in matters of disciplin where God has commanded nothing as he has done nothing here concerning the language of the publique Liturgie Lastly there is no necessitie of vseing a vulgaire tongue in the publique prayers of the Church seing they are directed to God who vnderstands all languages for the good of the people who are sufficiently instructed in these matters by continual Catechizing preaching and interpretation in their vulgaire languages And hence it comes to passe that the service of the Church is more venerable being in an ancient vnchangeable language not known to all and by that means also the Communion of the Churches service is more spread it being in a Common language Therefore we may iustly conclude that you vniustly blame the Catholique Church for vseing this ancient venerable custome But you may be iustly blamed who although you pray not in a strange language yet you oftentimes pray ex tempore in a strange sense yea you have committed a greater absurditie For you have put Latin which you call a strange language in your Confession of faith this same very Covenant when you abiure opus operatum as we shall see presently and which is more you do not interpret and explain it which experience sheweth none or few of you can doe If it be amisse as you alleadge to pray vnto God in a strange language albeit he vnderstands all languages it is much more faulty in you to put Latine in your Confession of faith which the people does not vnderstand and yet not only require them to say but also enforce them to swear Amen to it as you have done with your Covenant Vnlesse perhaps you think it a sin to pray vnto God in a strange language but not to swear or curse something in it You are Enemies also to the most laudable Ceremonies and devotions of the Catholique Church as vnto Processions Litanies by which Gods glory is manifested and his Iudgments have been often prevented First concerning Processions we read in the Scripture how acceptable to Christ was the procession of the children people of Ierusalem Math. 21. when he entred into that Citie vpon Palmes-Sunday throwing down their garments before him carrying braunches of Palmes and singing Hosanna in imitation of which the Catholique Church vpon that day makes solemn processions by carrying the holy Sacrament strawing of flowers and bearing of Palmes All which is done to the honour of Christ In the old Testament also we read of the solemn Processions that
were made with the Ark about Iericho Iosue 6. And of diverse others when the Ark was carried from place to place 2. Kings 6.7 and 3. Kings 8. They were vsed also in the Primitive Church as Baronius shewes Baronius tom 1. anno 48. Basil ep 63. and mention is made of them in the Councel of Laodicea c. 17. In these Processions were oftentimes said Litanies or short prayers by which God has been often pacifyed of which S. Basil the great saith Cum Litanias dicimus non humanis verbis sed oraculis Spiritus Deum placamus When we say the Litanies we pacify God not with humane words but by the Oracles of the holy Spirit By these Processions Litanies Spond an 590. n. 4. or publique supplications the City of Rome was miraculously delivered from a furious plague in the time of S. Gregory the great and the City of Vienne in France from horrible earthquakes in the time of S. Mamertus Bishop of that City as may be seen in the Ecclesiastical history Spond an 475. n. 4. Therefore Processions Litanies are most ancient laudable they tend much to the glory of God stirring vp of devotion And the Litanies are so far from being blasphemous as you very rashly call them that they are Oracles of the holy Ghost by which Gods iudgments have been often prevented For the multitude of Mediators Advocats which you renounce the Catholique Church acknowledgeth but one Mediator who has redeemd all mankind by the shedding of his pretious bloud to witt Iesus-Christ And for the Saints she acknowledgeth them to be only Mediators Advocats to pray for her as the faithfull living pray for others which makes nothing against the one Meditation redemption of Iesus-Christ as is evident to any man who has common sense Therefore albeit you renounce the mediation of the Saints to pray for you yet the Catholique Church will not renounce the Prayers of the Saints You detest also the Manyfold Orders of the Catholique Church which are in all reckoned to be 7. to witt the Order of Porter Lector Exorcist Acolite Subdeacon Deacon Priest and which may be seen explained Catech. Rom. parte 2. de Ordine in the Roman Catechisme out of the Scriptures and holy Fathers It is sufficient to know that they were observed in the most holy Primitive times and it may be truly said that these Manyfold Orders of the Catholique Church are much more commendable then the manyfold Confusions of your Presbyterian Kirk Lastly you detest here Auricular Confession But either you detest it as vnlawfull or vnnecessary You cannot detest it as vnlawfull vnlesse you controule both your Masters Luther Calvin Luth. lib. de capt Babyl tit de penit For the first saith Secret Confession which is now kept in the Church doth mervailously please me and is profitable yea necessary neither would I wish it were not yea I reioyce that it is in the Church of Christ since it is a Soveraigne or only remedie to afflicted soules Calvin also speaketh to the same purpose saying Cal. lib. 3. Instit c. 4. When any man is troubled with his sins he may discover them to his Pastor to be comforted c. Yea not only the late English Church did allow it but also your selves do sometimes practice it confessing to your Ministers albeit some of them be not very good Secretaries telling in the pulpit what has been tould them in their care to the ruine and disgrace of some as might be shown by fresh experience If you detest it as vnnecessary then you goe against our Saviours Commission the holy Fathers For Christ having made the Apostles spiritual Iudges and having given them power to bind loose from sins it followes necessarly that the people must confesse their sins to them or else their power had been given them in vain neither could they absolve the people from what they knew not But hear S. Augustin so vnderstanding the Scripture shewing the practice of the Primitive Church Do penance saith he Aug homil 49. ex lib. 50. homil as it is done in the Church c. Let no man say to himself I doe it secretly I doe it with God God who forgives me knowes I doe it from my heart Therefore without cause was it said what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Therefore without cause were the keys given to the Church Doe we make void the Evangel of God Doe we make void the words of Christ If we promise to you that which he denys doe we not deceive you And elswhere he saith There are some Idem lib. 2. de Visitat infirmor who think it sufficient to Salvation to confesse their sins to God alone For they will not or they are ashamed or disdaine to show themselv's to the Priests c. But I will not that thou be deceived by that opinion c. For his iudgment is also to be vndergone whom our Lord doth not disdaine to appoint his Vicar I passe by more testimonies for some have been brought above to this purpose Section 7. By this alone Testimony of S. Augustin you may see that your Ministers who deny the necessity of Confession or the desire of it when a Confessor cannot be had make the power of loosing to be given to the Church without cause make void the Evangel of God the words of Christ and promising you remission of your sins without Confession promise you that which Christ denys and so miserably deceive you The Catholique doctrine of Confession is a truth so engraffed in the hearts of Christians and the practice of it brings so great comfort that even these who are brought vp in a contrary heresy are enforced sometimes to make vse of it for the comfort and ease of their distressed consciences albeit they confesse for the most part to vnlawfull Pastors who have no power to absolve them And your Puritanical opinion against Confession is an old damned heresy of the Novatians Messalians Iacobits SECTION XI Of Repentance Faith Satisfactions Opus Operatum Works of Supererogation Merits Pardons Peregrinations Stations YOV say next in your Covenant We detest his desperate and vncertain Repentance His general and doubtsome faith His Satisfactions of men for their sins His Iustification by works Opus operatum works of Supererogation Merits Pardons Peregrinations and Stations Here in the first place you follow your two Masters Luther Calvin by calling the Repentance of the Catholiques desperate and vncertain Bellar. lib. 1. de penit c. 2. 5. which Cardinal Bellarmin reckons not amongst their doctrines but amongst their deceits calūnies For first it is most false that the Catholiques Repentance is desperate thtough Cōtrition be required to it since there is no more required but that which is iust and which many have had and by Gods grace may be easily had neither have any been drawn to despaire by
condemned but for doing the other they are commended in these things God commandeth a debt in those what you shall supererogate or bestow more he will render at his returne These are the excellent works of perfection to which a great treasure or reward is promised in heaven these are the Heroick acts of Vertue which are only performed in the Catholique Church and show the admirable excellency perfection of the Christian religion against which excellent works you are so great Enemies that you have not so much vertue as to approve them when they are performed by others The truth is so clearly here on the Catholiques side against you that it extorted a Confession from one of your own Coate M. Shelford a Protestant Minister who having spoken a little of the foresaid Evangelical Counsels and of the great rewards that are promised to them concludes in these words These are Gods Counsels Shelf p. 109. which of the Primitive Church were put in practise but in our times meaning of the Protestant Church they are put off with a Non placet You detest next the Catholique doctrine of Merits which you would make the ignorant beleeve to be most absurd and indeed so it will seem to any who lookes vpon it through your Ministerial spectacles representing it vnto them as if the Catholiques taught that good works done by the force of Nature and not by the power of Christs grace were meritorious of Heaven or that they taught that they were to be saved by their own merits and not by the merits of Christ whereas indeed the Catholique doctrine is iust contrary as may be seen in the Councel of Trent sess 6. can 1. 10. 32 33. and in the 8. Chapter of that same Session of which matter something has been touched above pag. 190. 191. and before that p. 171. where some words of the Councel to this purpose are cited The true sense then of the Catholiques concerning Merits is that good works done by a person in the state of grace and performed by the power strength of Christs grace have a reward of eternal life by Christs goodnesse promised vnto them The Scripture is so clear for this truth that it is wonder how any person can doubt of it it Our Saviour saith Be glad and reioyce for great is your reward in heaven Math. 5.12 Again call the workmen and pay them their hire ch 20. 8. S. Paul saith God will render to every one according to his works to them truly that according to patience in good works seek glory incorruption life eternal Rom. 2.6.7 who sowes in the Spirit shall reap in the Spirit life everlasting 1. Cor. 6.8 And of himself he saith I have fought a good fight c. concerning the rest there is laid vp for me a Crowne of Iustice c. 2. Tim. 4.7 And in the Apocalypse it is said of some Saints They shall walk with me in whites because they are worthie Whereby it is as evident as the Sun that life eternal is the reward and hire of good works and therefore they are meritorious for rewards are not given but to merits The holy Fathers are so much for this doctrine that Luther diverse Protestants doe censure them for it Prot. Apol. tract 1. sec 3. sub 6. Aug lib. 50. Homil 4. as may be seen in the Protestants Apology We shall be content to cite one only testimony of S. Augustin who saith He to witt Paul sayes that our Lord a Iust Iudge will render to him a Crowne he therefore owes it and as a Iust Iudge will pay it for the work being regarded the reward cannot be denied But the evidence of this truth is so great that it is acknowledged by other Protestants The forementioned M. Shelford saith Shelf p. 115. The main Tenet of the Scripture is that God will reward every man according to his works And much more to this purpose The Protestant Author of the Christian Moderator confesseth it yet more fully saying Christ Moder p. 67. I professe sincerely I should be so far from enforceing Papists to renounce the Doctrine of Merits that I am resolved to suffer a thowsand deaths rather then abiure so manifest a truth according to the sense wherein they explain themselves or affirm so great manifest an Errour according to the sense wherein we explain our selves Thus he But according to your principles yow have reason to renounce all merits since you deny all good works affirming that your best actions are mortal sins to which indeed not reward but punishment is due and so you will be in a very hard case if you be rewarded according to your works You renounce also Pardons or Indulgences but when these are known according to the Catholiques sense they are not such Boggles as you would make them appeare to children For these are only remissions of the temporal penance or paines which for the most part remain to be suffered for the Satisfaction of sin after the guilt thereof is taken away That the Church has this power is proved by our Saviours words Math. 16. Whatsoever thou shalt loose in earth shall be also loosed in heaven And by the practise of S. Paul who pardoned the incestuous Corinthian of the rest of his penance 2. Cor. 10. where he saith he pardoned him in the person of Christ Neither in this matter rightly vnderstood can there be any difficulty and therefore we will insist no more on it And the Ministers themselves have been known to give such pardons to some faulters freeing them from their stoole of Repentance For Pilgrimages to holy places which you detest we need not also to stand much vpon them seing they were ordained by God himself as may be seen Deuternomie 16. chapt ver 16. where Moyses saith Three times in a yeare shall all thy male appeare in the sight of our Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose The holy parents of Samuel carefully observed this precept 1. Kings 1. as also Christ himself and his blessed Mother Luke 2. Iohn 12. The Gentils likewise came from far Coūtreys to worship in Ierusalem as the Eunuch of Aethiopia Acts. 8.27 And the three wisemen came from the East Iohn 2. to adore Christ at his birth Mat. 2. The devout woemen went to visit our Saviours sepulchre Now what was the practice of the Primitive Church is so clear that it needs no proof Hier. epist 17. ad Marcellam S. Hierom saith it would be longsome to recount through every age from the Ascension of Christ to the present time the number of Bishops Martyrs and eloquent persons who have come to Ierusalem to adore Christ in these holy places c. And again The Iewes of old did worship the Holy of Holyes because there were the Cherubins the propitiatorie and Ark of the Testament Manna the Rod of Aaron the golden Altar But does not the Sepulchre of Christ seem more
that ch 18 Pres. Trial p. 194. GRACELESSE SACRAMENTS administrated without all holy h h They not only not practise the Venerable Rites Ceremonies of the Catholique Church which were vsed in the Primitive times as may be seen in Coccius tom 2. Thesau Cathol but also they condemn them See p. 464. RITES and CEREMONIES Venerable for Antiquity Commanded by lawfull Authority and not contrary to the true Doctrin word of God Their i i They teach that children dying with baptisme if they do not belong to the Covenant of grace are not saved whereby they suppose that all children dying with baptism do not belong vnto it which is a most cruel iudgement See p. 218. 219. And besides they suffer cruelly diverse children to die without Baptism for which cruelty K. Iames affirmed their Ministers would be damned See p. 221. 222. VN-CHRISTIAN Iudgement against many children dying WITH the SacrameÌ„t together with their most CRVEL PRACTICE of suffering many children to die WITHOVT the Sacrament Their k k They make Baptism not to be necessary to the Salvation of Infants against the Scripture and holy Fathers as may be seen above chap. 20. per totum CONDITIONAL necessity or rather INDIFFERENCY of the most NECESSARY Sacrament of Baptism Their more then CHIMERICAL IMAGINATION of the REAL ABSENCE of Christs body FROM the Elements together with the REAL PRESENCE of the same to the soules of their faithfull RECEIVERS Their m m Their first Reformers brake their Solemn Oaths and Vowes without all Dispensations p. 469. And the Presbyterians have made many to periure themselves by enforceing them to take the Covenant against their Consciences They allow also Marriages in degrees forbidden by the Catholique Church for the people often marries among them in the second third and 4. degree without all Dispensations See also above that it is a false calumnie that the Catholique Church dispenseth in degrees forbidden by the Law of Christ p. 470. VIOLATIONS of Solemn Oaths WITHOVT DISPENSATIONS Vrgeing of PERIVRIES vpon men against their CONSCIENCES Their allowing of Marriages in degrees FORBIDDEN by the CHVRCH OF GOD. Their n n They cruelly allow Marriages to the divorced against the doctrine of Christ his Apostles and the holy Fathers which S. Augustin saith are not Marriages but Adulteries see above p. 470. 471. IMPIETY of allowing ADVLTERIES vnder the name of MARRIAGES to the divorced against the word of God Their o o The holy Masse which chaseth away Divels as S. Augustin testifies above p. 475 cannot be Devilish but the abrogation of it is Devilish besides other reasons because Luther confessed that the Devil did instigate him to it See above p. 476. and the whole 8. section DEVILISH ABROGATION of the DIVINE Masse Their p p If it be blasphemy to raile against the sacred order of Priesthood of which order Christ himself is the High eternal Priest And against the holy Sacrifice offered vp by that holy order besids other points of the Catholique faith revealed by Christ then our Presbyterian Ministery is deeply guilty of blasphemy See p. 477. 4. See above how S. Augustin calls this a holy Sacrifice profitable not only for the sins of the living but also of the faithfull departed of which the Presbyterians do rob both the quick and dead p. 447. BLASPHEMING MINISTERIE q Their SACRILEDGE of robbing the HOLY Sacrifice both from the quick the dead Their r r They detest the Catholique Church for Canonizing of Saints and yet themselvs did Saint Covenanting sinners above p. 479 SAINTING of COVENANTING SINNERS Their calling vpon Å¿ Å¿ They think it iustly no sin to call vpon men and desire their prayers and yet against all reason they would make the people beleeve that it is a sin to call vpon Angels and desire their prayers whereby they condemn the practice of Iacob and other Saints recorded in the Scriptures as may be seen p. 479. as also the practice of the holy Fathers and Primitive Church ibidem Where the same is also shewed concerning the Invocation of the Saints of Heaven MEN and not vpon Angels and their MISCALLING of Glorious Saints by opprobrious Titles Their IDOLATRIZING of their own fancies and Errors and PROFANING of Holy Images Reliques and Crosses Their Barbarous DESTROYING of Churches and Altars with their Violating of Holy Dayes and Vowes made and CONSECRATED to the CREATOR y y Seing they commonly teach that their sins are not taken away in this life they must either be taken away in the next life and so they grant a Purgatory or else they cannot enter into Heaven And seing that Purgatory is for mortal sins for they acknowledge no Venial it can never purge them and never have an end See above pag. 491. and more fully p. 188. Their ENDLESSE VNPVRGEING Purgatory z z See the charitable custome of praying for the faithfull departed observed by the Primitive Church p. 491. which charity the Presbyterians want Their mercylesse NOT PITTYING the paines of the dead 1 1 The prayers of the Presbyterians being all Extemporary it is no wonder some of them be void of sense as frequent experience has shewed Praying in a STRANGE SENSE 2 2 How they have fallen backward into grosser Errors then their first Reformers by denying the Apostles Creed neglecting to say our Lords-prayer abolishing Glory to the father c. may be seen above cha 12. These backslidings are the Presbyterian Processions BACKSLIDINGS into grosser Errors 3 3 They blaspheme the holy Litanies which S Basil calls the Oracles of the holy Spirit as may be seen above p. 494. BLASPHEMING the holy Litanies and preferring a multitude of 4 4 They very vnreasonably renounce the Mediation or intercession of Angels and Saints to pray for them and yet give that same charge or office to the multitude of their Ministers p. 945. MINISTERS to the Angels Saints in the OFFICE of Mediators and Advocats 5 5 Their confusions dissensions are very notorious and may be seen above ch 3. Their Manyfold Confusions and DISORDERS 6 6 They abiure Auricular Confession and yet sometimes practise it But the Ministers wanting the strict obligation of secrecy they doe sometimes reveale publiquely without punishment what has been confessed to them privatly Publique REVELATION of private Confessions Their 7 7 Their Repentance if it be according â—o their principles is presumptuous for it is a full assurance of the remission of their sins or conioynd with it and so it is also vain for in vain do they seek remission of their sins which they are assured by faith are already forgiven theÌ„ See p. 499. ch 17. p. 183. PRESVMPTVOVS and vain Repentance 8 8 They beleeve that which God never revealed to witt that every one of themselves is iust predestinate which faith may be seen above to be meer presumption and a groundlesse fancie
ch 17. p. 183. seq Their SPECIAL and groundlesse Faith 9 9 They deny all Satisfaction or works of Penance for sins and so they teach men are not to make any Satisfactions for their sins p. 500. Their doctrine of sinning WITHOVT Satisfactions 10 10 They teach Iustification by faith only against the expresse words of Scripture Iames 2. v. 24. as may be seen above ch 17. p. 182. Iustification by faith ONLY 11 11 Albeit some were great sinners yet so soon as they took the Covenant they were esteemed Saints and all their sins forgiven them though indeed they becam no better This is a greater Opus Operatum which the Presbyterians ascribed to their Covenant then that which the Catholiques assign to the holy Sacraments as may be seen above p. 202. 203. The Opus Operatum of the Covenant which SAINTED without dispositions even the worst Covenanters 12 12 They do not only abiure works of greater perfection not coÌ„manded but counselled but also they neglect works of duty commanded teaching hat the Commandments are impossible to be kept p. 502. 5â—3 Their Omission of works of DVTY tending to EDIFICATION 13 13 They teach that all their works are evil and therefore are demerits which may be iustly renounced p. 504. 505. 4. They often give and sell pardons from their stoole of Repentance or else all the great people must be Saints only the poore must be sinners For it is very rarely seen that any person of condition doth sit vpon their stoole of Repentance See p. 506. Demerits 14 14 They bragged that they should never leave off till they went with their Covenant Covenanting Armie to destroy the walls Citie of Rome p. 507. 508. SELLING of Pardons 15 Their intended WARLIK peregrinations to destroy holy places 16 16 The English Independents did call ordinarly the Presbyterian K rk-SessioÌ„s Bawdy-Courts For by them the fines were imposed vpon the fornicators But now that power is taken from them and given to the Civil Magistrate These Sessions are not so good as the Catholiques Stations above p. 508. Their Kirk SESSIONS 17 17 They do not consecrate their Communion Wine and albeit the Ministers say a long prayer at the beginning by which they would seem in some measure to hallow that which is present which is but a small quantity yet the rest is brought sometimes out of the Tavern and vsed without any benediction See of Holy water above p. 510. 511. VNCONSECRATED wine 18 18 See above how at the beginning of their pretended Reformation they vnhallowed many Bells p. 511. 512. Their VNHALLOWING and selling of Bells Their 19 19 The true Church has only power to cast out Devils Luther tryed once to do this but it succeded ill with him as may be seen above p. 512. WANT of power to coniure Spirits and cast out Devils 20 20 The Presbyterian Ministers do much hate the sign of the Crosse calling it the badge of Anti-Christ as may be seen in Spotswoods historie lib. 6. p. 324. See above p. 513. the Antiquity efficacy of that glorious sign of the Son of man Their CVRSINGS and Detestations of the SIGN of the CROSSE as also 21 21 The holy Apostles vsed Vnctions as may be seen above p. 514. which custome has been ever observed in the Church ibidem As also the Church did ever hallow some Creatures for holy ends as Water burial places Churches Bells c. which the Presbyterians have often made common and turn'd into profanes vses of VNCTIONS of benedictions of Creatures for holy ends together with the PROFANATIONS of these hallowed Creatures Their Domineering Presbyterian 22 22 How the Presbytery domineered over all sorts of persons may be seen above ch 4. and 5. of Presb. Triall 23. Their severity cruelty may be seen ibid. DEMOCRACY and 23 cruel ANARCHY 24 24 Their solemn League Covenant which intended the setling of Presbytery in all the 3. Kingdomes is not such a work of perfection as are the 3. Solemn Vowes of chastity poverty Obedience which they here abiure and which their first Reformers Vowed but did not keep And therefore their Solemn League may be better renounced then the three Solemn Vowes abiured Their Solemn LEAGVE and CovenaÌ„t with all their ROVNDHEADS of Sundry SECTS Their cruel Decrees made at GLASGOW to extirpate the Catholique Religion where their Covenant which has proved a bloudy Band was confirmed against the holy Catholique Church And lastly we reiect all their 25 25 See above pag. 229. 242. how by Trops and figures the clear words of Christs institution of the holy Sacrament are perverted by them against the sense of the holy Fathers and of the auncient Church VAIN TROPES AND FIGVRES perverting the true literal sense of the divin Scriptures against the constant exposition of the holy Fathers together with all their 26 26 Their denying of privat baptism is a Presbyterian Tradition derived from Calvin as may be seen above p. 212. without or rather against the word of God and the practice of the auncient Church The same may be also said of their denying private Communion c. PRESBYTERIAN Traditions brought in without or against the word of God and Doctrin of the 27 27 As the Catholique Church is only the true Church of Christ so S. Cyprian has observed that all heretiques like Apes do take vpon them the name and falsly Vindicate to themselves the authority of the Church Cypr. Epist ad Iubaian holy CATHOLIQVE Church the Pillar ground of Truth To the which holy Catholique Church we MOST WILLINGLY ioyn our selves in Doctrin Disciplin and all holy RITES as members of the same vnder Christ Iesus the Supreme invisible Head and the 28 28 See above section 4. p. 432. where it is shewed that S. Peter was ordain'd by Christ Supreme Pastor of his Church and that the Bishop of Rome succeeds vnto S. Peter in the same charge BISHOP of ROME the Successor of S. Peter Prince of the Apostles the Visible and Subordinate Head or Governour thereof 29 29 As the Catholique Church remaines constant in her doctrin and government so the Scottish Protestant Church has been very inconstant for it has changed diverse doctrines and very sensibly its disciplin three or foure times since the beginning of their pretended Reformation so that a man cannot wisely swear constant obedience to such an vnconstant Church See above ch 2. and 7. of Presb. Trial. Promising by the assistance of Gods Grace to continue in the obedience and Communion of the same Church all the dayes of our lives 30 30 As it is a malicious calumnie to say that any Catholique is stirred vp by the Pope to deny and abiure the Catholique religion against his conscience vpon hope of the Popes Dispensation So it is a known truth by diverse fresh experiences
511. 512. Baptizing of Bells Coniuring of Spirits CROSSING sauing anointing coniuring HALLOVVING of Gods good Creatures with the superstitious opinion ioyned therewith His worldly 22 22 How the Presbytery domineered over all sorts of persons may be seen above ch 4. and 5. of Presb. Triall 23. Their severity cruelty may be seen ibid. MONARCHIE and wicked HIERARCHIE 23 His three Solemn 24 24 Their solemn League Covenant which intended the setling of Presbytery in all the 3. Kingdomes is not such a work of perfection as are the 3. Solemn Vowes of chastity poverty Obedience which they here abiure and which their first Reformers Vowed but did not keep And therefore their Solemn League may be better renounced then the three Solemn Vowes abiured VOVVES with all his SHAVELINGS of Sundry sorts His corrupted and bloudy Decrees made at TRENT with all the Subscribers and Approvers of that cruell and bloudy Band coniured against the Kirk of God And finally we detest all his 25 25 See above pag. 229. 242. how by Trops and figures the clear words of Christs institution of the holy Sacrament are perverted by them against the sense of the holy Fathers and of the auncient Church Vain Allegories Rites Signs and 26 26 Their denying of privat baptism is a Presbyterian Tradition derived from Calvin as may be seen above p. 212. without or rather against the word of God and the practice of the auncient Church The same may be also said of their denying private Communion c. Traditions brought in the Kirk without or against the word of God and Doctrin of this true 27 27 As the Catholique Church is only the true Church of Christ so S. Cyprian has observed that all heretiques like Apes do take vpon them the name and falsly Vindicate to themselves the authority of the Church Cypr. Epist ad Iubaian REFORMED Kirk To the which we ioyn our selves willingly in Doctrin Faith Religion Disciplin and vse of the holy Sacraments as lively members of the same in Christ our Head 29 29 As the Catholique Church remaines constant in her doctrin and government so the Scottish Protestant Church has been very inconstant for it has changed diverse doctrines and very sensibly its disciplin three or foure times since the beginning of their pretended Reformation so that a man cannot wisely swear constant obedience to such an vnconstant Church See above ch 2. and 7. of Presb. Trial. Promising swearing by the Great Name of the Lord our God that we shall continue in the obedience of the Doctrin Disciplin of this Kirk and shall defend the same according to our Vocation power all the dayes of our lives vnder the paines contained in the Law and danger both of Body and soule in the Day of Gods fearfull iudgement 30 30 As it is a malicious calumnie to say that any Catholique is stirred vp by the Pope to deny and abiure the Catholique religion against his conscience vpon hope of the Popes Dispensation So it is a known truth by diverse fresh experiences that many Catholiques have been stirred vp by the Presbyterian Ministers for feare of their Excommunications and the Confiscation of their Estates which followed therevpon to swear and subscribe the Covenant against the light of their Consciences as was well known to the said Ministers which may be seen above p. 414. and 15. And seing many are stirred vp by Sathan and that ROMAN ANTI-CHRIST to promise swear subscribe and for a time vse the holy Sacraments of the Kirk deceitfully against their own Consciences minding thereby first vnder the external cloak of Religion to corrupt subvert secretly Gods true Religion within the Kirk and afterwards when time may serve to become open Enemies and Persecutors of the same vpon VAIN HOPES of the Popes DISPENSATION devised against the word of God to his greater confusion and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Iesus 31 31 All these to whom God has made the light of Truth to shine ought to be thankfull for so great a benefit and never commit so great ingratitude as to abandon it for worldly respects How much more ought they to abhorre from taking the Covenant which makes even some Protestants hearts to stand which containes so many grosse vntruths as we have seen above which is not only a Denial but an Abiuration ioynd with horrible blasphemies of almost all the points of the Catholique faith wee therefore willing to take away all suspicion of Hypocrisy and double dealing with God his Kirk protest and call the Searchers of all hearts forwitnesse that our minds and hearts do fully agree with this our Confession promise Oath Subscription So that we are not moved for any 32 32 See above in the first section this last grosse vntruth of the Covenant p. 416. worldly respect c. FINIS Soli Deo Honor Gloria