conclude this point I found clearly that the Creed hath been alwayes held to be is Apostolique that it is the foundation perfect rule of the Christian faith that it is a worke worthy of the holy Apostles that it is such a strong heavenly fabricke that it cannot be overthrowen by no stormes nor tempests by no force nor violences and that it overcomes all heresies that the ancient custome of saying it publickly at Baptisme and often privatly and dayly is most laudable and profitable to Christian people And vpon the other part I found that the Presbyterians by denying the Cred to be Apostolique haue denyed the foundation clear rule of the Christian faith most vnreasonably haue worne out both the publick private vse of it And that they compleated their new Raformation when they not only reiected the Creed but obtruded the Covenant in place of it And lastly I found that as the Presbyterians new doctrin in this matter is most erroneous and presumptuous so that all their endeavours have proved vaine frivolous For that fortresse of faith which was built by the holy Apostles of lively stones heavenly pearles as Ruffinus speaks hath held out stronger tempests then the Presbyterians weake blasts and therefore it still stands immoveable Whereas the Babel of their Covenant which they were so diligently building and vpon which they could never get the Capstone as they often regrated hath ended in Confusion and in a short space hath come to ruine Now all these things being considered I refer my self to any man voyde of passion if I could reasonably much lesse Christianly exchange the pearles of the Apostles Creed for the drosse of the Presbyterians Covenant CHAP. XI Of the Article of Christs Descent to Hell perverted by the Presbyterians AFTER that the Presbyterians had thus endeavoured to shake the authority of the Apostles Creed least peradventure their small authority might not prevaile against all Christianity what they could not get effectuated by denying the letter they laboured to performe by corrupting the sense and especially of that article Short Cotech Vv st in fine He descended into Hell For in their new Catechismes they interline or put on the margent this glosse with it He descended into Hell that is He continued in the state of the dead and vnder the power of Death till the third day I Observed that although we had and said the words of the Creed before the Covenant began yet we did not know the true sense of it in this and some other articles albeit as S. Augustin shewes it was made plaine short that it might serve the capacity vnderstanding memory of the simple For there was a great quarrelling before these greater troubles among some of the Ministers for the sense of these words He descended into Hell Some publickly taught that they behoved to be literally vnderstood of a real and local descent others of the preciser sort called that a Papistical interpretation against which they did most sharply inveigh and taught according to Calvin that the sense of them was that Christ did suffer in his Soule the horrible torments of a coÌ„demned and forsaken man which glosse was called by the former Ministers a horrible blasphemy To come then to the true sense of this article about which there was such contrariety among the Ministers I had my recourse to the holy Scriptures Fathers and I found that there was scarcely any article of our faith more clearly contain'd in the Scriptures and more vnanimously avowed by the holy Fathers who brand those who do not believe it literally with the name of Infidels And lastly I found that diverse grosse wayes have been devised by the Ministers since their pretended Reformation to pervert and obscure it and when the falshood of one is discovered they alwayes find out an other but will never embrace the true sense of it The light of reason doth shew to every Christien that it is not sufficient for mans Salvatian to hold the words of the Creed but it is necessary also to follow the true sense of it This the holy Fathers do teach who shew likwise that as Heretiques ever endeavoured to pervert the true sense of the Creed so the true Church doth ever retaine maintaine it S. Cyril with the Alexandrin Synod writes to this purpose to Nestorius Who pretended to believe the Nicen Creed yet denyed the blessed Virgin to be the Mother of God Cyril Alex. cum Syn. Alex. epist 10. ad Nestor Aug. tom 3. de fide Symb c. 1 It 's not sufficieÌ„t saith he that you professe with vs the Symbol of faith c. For you do not vnderstand nor expound it rightly but rather perversly although you Confesse the words of it with your tongue S. Augustin also saith to the like purpose Vnder the few words contained in the Symbol many Heretiques haue endeavoured to hide their poisons to whom the Divine mercy hath resisted and doth resist by spirituall men who haue not only merited to believe and receive the Catholique faith in these words but also by the revelation of God to vnderstand know it So the Presbyterians although they have denyed the Creed yet vnder the words of it they endeavour to hide their poisons Although the article of Christs descent to Hell were not in the Creed which is a clear and easy rule of faith that ought to be plainly and literally vnderstood yet it is so clearly in the Scripture that it cannot be denyed without wresting of it S. Peter in his first Sermon doth apply vnto Christ Psal 15. v. 9 10. a prophesie of Dauid in the 15 Psasme which saith My heart hath been glad my tongue hath reioyced my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my Soule in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption â—cts 2.30.31 After S. Peter hath proved that this Prophely cannot be vnderstood of the Prophet Dauid he sheweth that Dauid mean't of Christ in these words Whereas therefore he was a Prophet c. forseeing he spake of the resurrection of Christ For neither was he left in Hell neither did his flesh see corruption There is both the old new Testament fot this truth The Prophet Dauid foretelling and the Apostle S. Peter expounding and shewing the fulfilling of it to witt that Christs soule was not left in hell neither did his flesh see corruption What can be reasonably more required by any Christian Aug. epist ad Exod. 99. But let vs heare S. Augustin so vnderstanding it That our Lord saith he being mortifyed in the flesh did goe into Hell is very certaine For that prophecy which saith Thou wilt not leave my Soule in Hell cannot be contradicted which least any man should presume to vnderstand otherwise the same Peter doth expound it in the Acts of the Apostles c. And then he concludes in these words Quis ergo nisi
confesse with thy mouth our Lord Iesus Rom. 10.9 and in thy hart believe that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved S. Iohn saith also These things are written Iohn 20.31 that ye may believe Iesus Christ is the Son of God and believing ye may have everlasting life Here is not a word of Calvins special faith and yet we see how Abraham others were iustifyed without it by believing these things which God had revealed Rom. 11.33 4. S. Paul esteem'd Predestination one of the most deep secrets of God crying out O the depth of the riches of the wisdome knowledge of God c. And yet every Calvinist will know this secret in relation to himself as if he were one of Gods privy Counsellers or God had particularly reveald it to him S. Augustin saith to the same purpose Aug. lib. de corraept gr c. 13. who of all the campany of the faithfull so long as he lives in this mortality can presume that he is in the number of the predestinate What would S. Augustin have said of the Presbyterians who do not only so presume but make it also the principal article of their faith and the very ground of their Iustification 5. This belief of the assurance of election is against the Scripture which sheweth that man knoweth not whether he be worthy love or hatred Eccles 9.1 Phil p. 2.12 and exhorts vs to work out our Salvation in fear and trembling and advertiseth him who stands to take head least he fall Lastly as this presumptuous belief openeth a wide gate to all sort of vice and banisheth the exercise of vertue true piety which might be easily shewed so the seeking this faith hath made diverse loose all hope and it hath proved pernicious to them both in soule body For experience hath proved that it hath made diverse to be troubled in Spirit and loose their wits and some to fall into despaire by putting violent hands in themselves as it did not long ago to a famous Covenanter in Aberdeen M. T. Mercer who drowned himself when he was esteem'd by the Ministers there to haue been at the very point of getting assurance of his election So that I have heard some of the old Protestant Ministers condemne much this iustifying faith of the Puritans Shel p. 36.38 And M. Shelford doth not stand to call it a private Fancie and a false faith and an enemy to all true vertue piety Therefore by Gods grace I do not intend to believe it much lesse to found my Salvation vpon it All the assurance that we can have here without Gods particular revelation is by hope in the divine goodnesse and mercy which hope is not only fufficient to comfort vs in this life but also it will not confound vs in the next if we strive here to do our dutie and have the love of God powred forth in our hearts Therefore it belongs to the vertue of hope and not to faith to apply the divine promises as the same M. Shelford doth acknowledge Besids all these authorities reasons a Catholique shew me that this doctrin of Iustification by faith only destroyeth it self For if we cannot be iustifyed by any works then we could not be iustifyed by faith since faith it self is a work according to these words of our Saviour This is the work of God that you beleeve in him whom he hath sent Therefore said he since we are iustifyed by faith which is not against the divine grace nor our free iustification because faith it self is a work of grace so we may be also Iustifyed by love hope and other works of grace without any derogation from the diuine grace He did further vrge and said either the faith by which the Calvinists say that men are iustifyed is a mortal sin or not If it be a deadly sin then they are iustifyed by sin which is impious to say If it be not a mortal sin then all our actions are not sins as Luther Calvin falsly teach The same Catholique shew me that to shun these inconveniences to which the doctrin of the Calvinists drives them they affirm that faith albeit it be a work yet it doth not iustify as a work of vertue but only as an Instrument to apprehend the iustice of Christ Calvin saith that Faith Cal. ib. 3. Instit. cap. 11. sect 7. Mel. in locis tit de bon oper although it be of no dignity nor price iustifyes vs bringing Christ as a pot filled with money enricheth a man Melanchton saith that iustifying faith is like a poore mans hand which he stretcheth forth to receive almes from a rich man And so at length this iustifying faith which the Presbyterians so much cry vp by the confession of Calvin is of no price nor dignity so that by him it is compared to a pot and by another great light to a scabbed mans ' hand and by both ther principles it is a sinfull instrument by which they will have all men to be iustifyed Whereby said the Catholique it may appeare that these men are no lesse enemies to faith then to works and that they destroy the goodnesse vertue of both Whereas the Catholiques do esteem faith to be an excellent vertue and the very roote foundation of our Iustification There was an other difficulty arising clearly from the Presbyterian doctrin with which the same Catholique did much presse me and some other Protestants who were present Either said he the Presbyterians who pretend to be assured of their electiō are purged cleansed from the filthines of their sins befor they can enter into heauen or they are not purged at all from them If they be not purged from them Then they cannot enter into that heavenly citie For S. Iohn saith There shall not enter into it any polluted thing That citie is described to be of pure gold and the foundations of it to be adorned with every precious stone Therefore the Citizens of it must also be pure and without spot And consequently if the Presbyterians be not purged from the filthinesse and sores of their sins which must not be only covered but really taken away cured and cleansed they cannot enter into heaven If they say that they must be purged from their sins and all filthinesse and blots taken from them before they can enter into heaven then they are either purged from their sins in this life or in the life to come Not in this because they teach that their sins are not taken away in this life but are only covered and the filthinesse of them remaines and as they live so they di◠in sins Not after this life for then they behoved to acknowledge a Purgatory which is against a principal article of their negative faith If they say their sins are taken away by death in the very instant of it Then since death is common to all men if death had that power
his meer mercy by his preveening and helping grace doth excite and call a sinner without any of his preceeding merits as it were out of the sleep of sin that he may convert himself vnto God 2. A sinner being thus awakned and assisted by the Divine grace conceiving faith by hearing doth believe all things to be true which are revealed promised by God particularly that a sinner is iustifyed by the free mercy of God through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus 3. This faith representing God to be a severe punisher of sins there ariseth in a sinner thus disposed by faith a fear of Gods iudgments with which the Soule is profitably shaken terrifyed Prou. â— 7 For as Salomon saith the feare of our Lord is the beginning of wisdome 4. The soule of a sinner being thus terrifyed it is raised vp againe to hope by the same faith which represents God to be most bountifull mercyfull in forgiveing sins For which cause he sent his son into the world to deliver vs from sin by his death 5. Vpon this hope confidence in the divine mercy there ariseth the love of God who is so bountifull and mercyfull and likwise a hatred and detestation of sin which God hateth a sorrow and grief for what is past and a firm resolution of a better life in time to come a purpose of observing the divine Commandments of receiving the holy Sacraments Now all these dispositions of fa th fear love hope and the rest being placed in the soule of man by Gods preveening grace Iustification or the infusion of iustifying grace doth follow as we shall see shortly That these preparations difpositions are necessary before iustification the Scripture shewes Our Saviour shew the necessity of preveening grace when he said Iohn 6.44 Heb. 11.6 Eccles 1.28 ibid v. 17. No man can come vnto me vnlesse my Father draw him Of faith S. Paul saith that without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of those who seek him Of fear beside the former testimony of Salomon it is said that who is without fear cannot be iustifyed And again the fear of our Lord chaseth away sin S. Paul saith of hope that we are saved by it Rom. 8.24 Luke 7.47 Of love our Saviour saith Many sins are forgiven her for she loved much And that repentance is also necessary there is nothing more clear in the Scriptures By all which testimonies it remaines evident that although faith be the first disposition of the soule to iustification yet the others above-mentioned are also requisite Neither can there be any difficulty in this matter since it is as clear as the Sun that no man of a sinner can become the friend of God vnlesse he haue not only faith but also the fear love of God with hope in his mercy and repentance for sins To this purpose S. Augustin saith Aug de predest sanct cap. 7 Idem serm 22. de Verb. Dom fides prima datur ex qua caetera impetrantur That is faith is first given by which the rest are obtain'd And again the house of God is founded by Faith raised vp hy hope and perfected by Charity And as in this sense it is truly said that faith doth iustify to wit as a fundamentall radicall disposition to Iustification so it is no lesse true that fear hope love repentance do also iustify to witt as secondary dispositions proceeding from faith because these likwise dispose the soule fitly to receive the forme of iustice and to become the friend of God and the Scripture ascribes forgivenesse of sins Salvation or Iustification to them as it doth vnto faith For as our Saviour told S. Mary Magdalen that her faith had saved her Luke 7. Rom. 8. Iam. 2. so he said that many sins were forgiven her because she loved much and S. Paul saith we are saved by hope and S. Iames expresly that we are iustifyed by works not by faith only By which consideration it may be easily vnderstood what works S. Paul excludes from Iustification when he saith that a man is iustifyed by faith without the works of the law For he doth not exclude the works of grace but only the works of the law which are done by the strength of nature without the grace of God and do not proceed from faith but go before it Now it is certaine that such works as not proceeding from faith do not properly dispose and prepare the soule vnto Salvation Concil T r d sess 6. câ—p 8. For as the Councel of Trent teacheth faith is the foundation roote and beginning of all Salvation Iustification and is the first effect of Gods free grace in the Soule of man But the Apostle doth not exclude from iustification the works of grace which follow faith for they do iustify that is dispose the Soule vnto Iustification as faith it self doth and they proce d also from grace as faith proceeds from it and therefore are not the works of the law but the works of grace After this manner doth that great Doctour S. Augustin clearly reconcile these two places of S. Paul S. Iames. Aug. lib. 83. quaest 76. The sentences saith he of S. Paul S. Iames be not contrary one to another whâ—n one affirmeth that a man is iustifyed by faith without works the other saith that faith is vaine without works for S. Paul speaketh of works that go before faith and S. Iames of works that do follow faith These preparations disposiâ—ions being placed in the soule Iustification it self doth follow which is not only remission of sins but also sanctification and renovation of the inward man by the voluntary reception of the divine grace gifts But albeit Iustification followeth these dispositions of faith love repentance the rest yet it is altogether free proceeding from the mercy bounty of God without the desert of man For the Catholique Church professeth openly notwitstanding the Ministers strong calumnies to the contrary that no man by any faith or works can merit the grace of Iustification Concil Trid. sess 6. cap. 8. as the Councel of Trent teacheth in these words We are said to be freely iustifyed because none of those things which preceed Iustification whether faith or works doth merit the grace of Iustification Now this grace consisteth in two thing s to witt in Remission of sins and inward sanctification by the first the soule is changed purged from sin which is the filthinesse of the Soule and by the second it is adorned and beautifyed with grace which is the beauty of it and made to die vnto sin live vnto iustice But it must be diligently observed that the Catholiques do teach according to the Scriptures that in Iustification our sins are not so forgiven that they remaine in the Soule but they are
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
counsel And againe Let vs believe saith he the Symbol of the Apostles which the Roman Church doth ever preserve and keep 's inviolate And if we will ascend higher S. Iren. lib. 1. c. 2. lib. 3. c. 4. S. Clement epist 1. ad frat Domini Basil de de Sp. S c. 27. S Ireneus Bishop of Lions and disciple of S. Polycarpus sheweth that diverse Nations believed without Scriptures by tradition which certainly was of the Apostles Creed S. Clement the disciple of S. Peter Coadiutor of S. Paul doth testify the same Diverse other Fathers may be seen cited in Cardinal Bellarmin tom 1. de verbo Dei non scripto lib. 4. cap. 4. S. Basil doth reckon the Apostles Creed as a principal Apostolique tradition And in a word I found that all Christian Nations and Ages have borne testimony of this truth Moreover I found that in the primitive times this Symbol was holden in so great reverence that in General Councels it vsed to be first recited Baron vbi su pra Aug. de Symb. and lay'd downe as the ground of the whole Ecclesiastique building as Baronius doth shew To this purpose S. Augustin calls it The foundation of the Catholique faith vpon which the edifice of the Church built by the hands of the Prophets and Apostles did rise ad Cat. lib. 3. c. 1. Leo ad Pul. Aug. ep 96. And S. Leo saith that this short and perfect Confession of the Catholique Symbol which is sealed by 12. sentences of the Apostles is so furnished with heavenly armour that by this sword alone all opinious of Heretiques may be cut of As I found such greet testimonies to prove the Apostolique authority of the creed so I did find that the holy Fathers did highly praise the excellency of it as of a worke worthy of such diuine Architects S. Augustin calls it Aug. ser 42. de trad Symb. The comprehension perfection of our faith It 's simple saith he short full That it's simplicity might serve the rudnesse it 's shortnesse the memory its fulnesse the instruction of the hearers Elswhere he calls it the Compend of the Scriptures lib. 1. ad Catech. Id. m ser in Vigil Pentecost And againe he saith This is a Symbol briefe in words but large in mysteries For whatsoever is prefigured in the Patriarchs whatsoever is declared in the Scriptures or foretold by the Prophets c. is contain'd and briefly confessed in it And in his Sermon above cited de Traditione Symboli speaking of the Creed he saith These are not humane words but heavenly mysteries of our Lord. But most notable and efficacious are the words of Rufinus to this purpose The Apostles Rufin in praef de expos Symb. saith he being to part from one an other to preach they lay'd downe this marke of their faith and agreement Not as the children of Noe being to part from each other rearing vp a tower of bricke and slime whose top should reach vnto the heauens but building the fortresses of faith of liuely stones and heavenly pearles which should stand stedfast against the face of the enemy which neither the winds should shake nor floodes subvert nor boysterous stormes or tempests move They therefore being to separate building the tower of Pride were deservedly punished with the Confusion of tongues that not one could vnderstand the speech of his neighbour but these who built the tower of Faith were endued with the skill and knowledge of all languages to the end that the one might be the marke of Sin and the other the monument of Faith Thus Ruffinus Lastly the same holy Fathers do shew the frequent laudable vse of the Apostles Creed in the primitive Church It was first taught and delivered vnto those who desired Baptisme and it was required to be publickly said by them immediatly before their baptisme This custome as Ruffinus sheweth was carefully observed in the Roman Church Ruffin ibid vt supra S. Augustin also doth witnesse how the God-fathers did say it in name of the Infants whom they presented to Baptisme and therefor he earnestly exhorts every Christian when he comes to the yeares of discretion to say frequently the Apostolique Creed which he professed by the mouths of those who presented him to Baptisme and call's it the Mirrour of a Christiā Render saith he your Symbol render it vnto the Lord Aug. homil 42. be not weary to rehearse it the repetition of it is good least forgetfulnesse creep on thee Do not say I said it yesternight I said it to day I say it every day I haue it well Remember thy faith behold thy self Let thy Creed be a Mirrour vnto thee there see thy self if thou believe all that thou confesses thy self to believe and reioyce dayly in thy faith Let it be thy riches the dayly Apparell of thy Soule Do you not cloath your self when you rise So by remembering thy Creed cloath thy Soule least peradventure forgetfulnesse make it naked S. Ambrose calls it the Seale of our heart which we ought dayly to review and the Watch-word of a Cristian Amb. lib. 3. de Virginib tom 4. which should be in readinesse in all dangers By all which irrefragable testimonies the sacred authority great excellency and frequent laudable vse both in publick and private of the Apostles Creed did appeare sufficiently vnto me So that I found for it the consent of peoples and Nations the testimonies of the holy Fathers the Martyrs Saints and Christians of all ages that is of the Vniuersal Church the piller ground of truth which are the greatest assurances that can be had vpon earth And therefore I rested fully satisfyed with them But I was much more confirmed in this resolution when I vnderstood by a serious conference with a friend that there was the same certainty for the Creed that there is for the Scriptures to witt the Tradition or testimony of the Church S. Augustin delivers clearly this truth concerning the Scriptures Aug. cont epist fund c. 5. I would not haue believed saith he the Euangel unlesse the authority of the Catholique Church had moved me c. and that authority being once weakned neither can I believe the Euangel This testimony authority of the Catholique Church was proved to me to be the most easy manifest and infallible ordinary way that can be had on earth to come vnto the certaine knowledge of what books are Scriptures yea it was clearly proved to be the only way so that if once this testimony be weakened there is nothing left but guessings wanderings after the manner of blind men as experience doth shew in the difference between the Lutheranists the Calvinists who agree in all their supposed wayes of knowing the Scripture and yet can never agree in the same Canon of the Scriptures But of this matter we shall haue occasion to speake more fitly hereafter in the question of the Church If then the
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
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
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
As a man who was rich and had mispent his estate cannot be iustly commanded by any new law to pay as much tribute as when he had his estate nor be punished for not paying it thereafter for such a law would be both vniust ridiculous commanding impossibilities and so would be no law and the makers of it would be both vnreasonable cruel So man after the fall of Adam could not by any new law be iustly commanded by God to do that which was impossible vnto him vnlesse we would make that new law vniust and ridiculous God him self vnreasonable Tyrannous Therefore since God made and promulgated his law long after the fall of man vsed exhortations propounded rewards and threatned punishments to induce men to keep it and all his actions are iust and wise they presuppose necessarly the possibility of keeping that law with the assistance of his grace or else such things would not be only against Gods goodnesse iustice but also against ordinary prudence Moreover the same Catholique shew me that the Presbyterians who accuse the Catholiques falsy for taking away the second commandment as they call it of which matter we shall haue occasion to speak more fitly hereafter may be iustly accused for taking away in reality not one but alle the commandments For their errour of the impossibility of them destroyes the end for which they and all iust lawes are made to wi t that they may be kept and so they destroy the Whole divine commandments and make them of no effect yea this errour destroies also the end of Christs Incarnation Passion if we will believe S. Augustin For having brougt many passages of Scripture to this purpose he subioyns Quibus appaparet D. Iesum Christum nullam aliam ob causam in carnem venisse c. Aug. lib 1 de pecc mer rem c. 26. where he sheweth very largely that Christ for no other cause came vnto the world and became obedient vnto the death of the Crosse but that he might reconcile sinners to God destroy the power of sin obtaine grace from God to make vs walk in newnesse of life and in obedience of his holy commandments Whereby it may be seen what a dangerous fundamental errour this is which is against such principal fundamental points of the Christian religion Therefore the Presbyteriās would de well to make vse of the same holy Fathers sound advice when he saith Let him to whom the commandments are heavie know Aug. lib. de perfect institue c. 10. that he hath not got the gift to witt of the love of God by which they are made not heavie but yet though he find them heavie let him not be broke with despaire but let him be enforced and stirred vp to seek to beg and to knock But the Presbyterians who hereby may know that they want the love of God cannot make immediat vse of this wholsome counsel to seek and beg that love of God by which his commandments are made easy till they first correct or rather quite their erroneous faith whereof they make this a chiefe article that it 's impossible to love God or keep his commandments Therefore they must first beg true faith that they may believe Gods commandments to be possible with help of his grace and then they may beg and obtaine the second to witt the love of God by which they may find grace to fulfill them This article of the Presbyterians faith gave occasion to a Catholique Gentleman of my acquentance to say to the Presbyterians who were much pressing him to subscrib the Covenant that he would never be of their religion who professed they did not love God yea and made it an article of their faith that they could not love him Thus he Having therefore diligently considered all these grounds I could no longer believe the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments even with the help of his grace as an article of my faith reveald in Scripture which I found to be against Scripture and against the goodnesse iustice and wisdome of God Which the holy Fathers some Protestants do call extream blasphemy which destroyes the vertue and power of Gods grace which puts the blame of our negligence sluggishnesse from our selves and layes all vpon God which is against the end of Christs Incarnation merit of his Passsion which hinders the growth of piety and opens a gate to all wickednesse and makes all the divine commandments of no effect But vpon the contrary I resolved by Gods grace to embrace and believe the ancient Catholique doctrin concerning the possibility of keeping the commandments with the help of Gods grace Which I found to be so clearly expressed in Scriptures so strongly maintaind by the holy Fathers so consonant to right reason iustice piety and which did make so much for the glory of Gods grace the merits of Christs death and passion CHAP. XV. Of Iustification by Faith onely maintain'd by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers as the principal article of their Religion AFTER the triall of our doctrine concerning the Commandments I considered in the next place our doctrine of Iustification not only because this hath connexion with the former but also for the importāce of the matter For I haue read and heard this article of Iustification by faith onely called by many Protestants the soule and life of their religion and of all articles the principal and greatest on the contrary they call Iustification by works the life of Popery so that M. Fox saith that Luther Fox Acts. Man p. 402. by opening a certaine veine which lay long hid to witt our Iustification by faith only did overturne the foundation of Popery Moreover I haue heard it affirmed that Iustification by faith only was so certaine a truth and so evidently contain'd in the Scriptures that some of the learned Papists after they had much oppposed it were at lenth overcome by the strenth of it and made to acknowledge it and there was no point of Popery esteem'd to be more absurd nor more against the Scriptures then Iustification by works in so much that M Knox in his first sermon at S. Andrewes did make instance principally in it Knox Chron. pag. 76. 77. for thus speaks his history of him He plainly proved the Papists doctrine lawes to repugne directly to the lawes of God the Father and of Christ Iesus his Son This he proved by conferring the doctrine of Iustification expressed in the Scriptures which teach that man is iustifyed by faith only c. and the doctrine of the Papists which attributes iustification to the works of the law And vpon severall occasions I haue heard the Ministers pretend great advantage in this point which they ordinarly vrge very much Having then no small expectation to find such expresse and convincing Scripture for this point of Iustification by faith only that any impudent front cowld hardly deny it I begun
to consider these passages which they do ordinarly bring and cote on the margent of their Confession and I found that not one of them containes in expresse words the Presbyterian article contradictory to the Papists as may appeare to any man who will read the words These passages are three and the first is in S. Iohn who saith As many as received him he gave them power to become the Sons of God who believe in his name The two others are in S. Paul Iohn ch 1. v. 12. Rom. 3.28 Rom. 5.1 who saith We conclude or as it is in the Catholique translation We account a man to be iustifyed by faith without the workes of the law And againe being iustifyed therefore by faith let vs haue peace toward God Now in none of these places can I find it written that man is iustifyed by faith only or as it is in their new Confessiō faith is the alone instrument of Iustification I find indeed that the Scripture saith there that man is iustifyed by faith but I can not find where it saith by faith only that word only or alone which is the maine point in this matter cannot be found in the Scripture albeit M. Knox in his foresaid sermon falsly pretends that it is expressed in Scripture I admired to see both our first and last Reformers after such huge pretences to want expresse Scripture for this maine article of their religion but I admired much more when I found the Catholique article which is flatly contradictory to the Protestants to be expresly in the Scriptures S. Iames saith Iames 2.21 24. Abraham our father was he not iustifyed by works offering Isaac his Son vpon the altar And again Do you see that by works a man is iustifyed and not by faith only Where S. Iames directly contradicts the doctrine of the Protestants for they say A man is not iustifyed by works but by faith only and S. Iames saith a man is iustifyed by works and not by faith only I wondered how we could brag so much that we had always the Scripture for vs against the Papists and yet when I tryed the matter I found ever hitherto the contrary as may be found by any man who will not renounce his senses of hearing and seeing But to find this in other points I did not think it so strange as in the present which is called the principal point of the Protestant religion and wherein we did so much glory against the Papists who haue much the better of vs if we will acknowledge the expresse words of Scripture and stand to them But the Presbyterians pretend that although their article be not word by word in Scripture yet the equivalent is there when S. Paul saith a man is iustifyed by faith without the works of the law which they say is all one as if he had said by faith only I found many weighty reasons against this Ministeriall glosse 1. At the beginning of their Reformation they promised vs the pure word of God and now they give vs for it their gesses or the word of man which is a weak ground of faith 2. which is yet worse Their words interpretations are in expresse termes against the word of God in another place to witt in S. Iames as we have seen 3. They affirm that all points necessary to Salvation are clearly contain'd in Scripture How comes it then that this most necessary substantial point which they call the life of Christianity is not there yea how comes it to passe that not only it is not in Scripture but the quite contrary is word by word in Scripture and that not simply affirmed but proved by many reasons examples and these who affirm the contrary are compared to Devils 4. The holy Fathers primitive Church did never vnderstand the Scriptures in that sense but in the contrary How then could I in sense considering these things make the Ministers words and interpretation which are not Scripture yea which are against Scripture and against the holy Fathers the beliefe of the primitive Church to be the principal article of my faith S. Augustin shewes that some men in the Apostles own time did misinterpret the same words of S. Paul as the Presbyterians do now and made it the ground of the same errour Aug. de gr lib. arb cap. 7. But men saith he not vnderstanding what the Apostle saith we account a man iustifyed by faith without works thought that he said faith would suffice a man albeit he live ill and have no good works Which God forbid that the vessel of election should think c. Secondly the same holy Father shewes that to roote out the errour of those who by misconstruing S. Pauls words did gather from them iustification by faith only the other Apostles did principally direct the intentions of their Epistles S. Peter saith he Aug. lib. de fide oper c. 14. knowing that some wicked men took occasion from some obscure sentences of S. Paul as being secure of their salvation which is in faith had no care to live well gave advertisment that there were some things in his epistle hard to be vnderstood which men perverted as they do the other Scriptures to their own perdition See vpon what a dangerous ground the principal article of our Reformation is founded and how dangerous also it self is But S. Iames Aug. ibid. saith S. Augustin is so highly offended with these men who think that faith without works can availe vnto salvation that he compares them even to Devils And then hauings brought these words of the Apostle Thou believest that there is one God thou dost well the Devils also beleeve tremble he subioyns Quid verius brevius vehementius dici potuit what could be said more truely more briefly efficaciously Thus S. Augustin And that he alone did not condemne this errour maintained the Catholique doctrin opposite to it Cent. Mag. cent 23. 4. 5. cap. 4. Aug haeres 54. is manifest by the Confession of the Centurists who for this cause taxe the most ancient fathers as S. Clement Origen S. Cyprian S. Hierome S. Ambrose Augustin Chrysostome many more Moreover the same S. Augustin shewes that this errour of iustification by faith only was the ancient heresy of Eunomius Iren. cont haeres c. 20. and S. Ireneus ascribes it also to Simon Magus And yet this ancient heresy against the Scripture the holy Fathers is obtruded vpon vs as the principal article of our faith by our Reformers who yet pretend to believe nothing but pure Scripture Therefore I resolued by Gods grace not to believe any longer such a wicked opinion as the principal article of my religion but vpon the contrary I intended to embrace follow the Catholique doctrin opposite to it which I found to be in expresse termes in the Scriptures which were so vnderstood and beleeved by the holy Fathers I vas much
ordinary discours now a dayes is concerning religion so I heard one at that time For the Minister taking occasion by hearing Cardinal Bellarmin named spake at first much in his praise saying that none of all the Popish Authors did relate so faithfully the Protestant Tenets nor argumented more clearly then he did Yet at length said the Minister after the Cardinal hath shewed the strength of his wit at the issue of the matter being convinced by the force of truth he concludes for the most part with the Protestants Wherevpon one of the Catholiques present said that he admired very much how Bellarmin who had written so much for Popry should be esteem'd a Protestāt merrily subioyn'd that himself was iust a Protestant as Bellarmin was After there had pass'd a little laughter occasioned by these words the other Catholique did gravely desire the Minister to shew wherein Bellarmin was a Protestant Wherevpon the Minister instanced in this same matter of Iustification and said that after Bellarmin had wearied himself by produceing many testimonies of Scriptures and Fathers to prove that we are iustifyed by works and not by faith only he in end yeelds the victory to tthe Proestants for he concludes That it is most safe to rely vpon the merits of Christ And so in one sentence he destroyeth what he had been building a long time To which the Catholique replyed that if Bellarmin was a Protestant for that then all Catholiques were Protestants for they all professed the same Neither was the Catholiques relying on Christ merits any way against iustification by good works more then the Protestants relying on the same merits was against their supposed Iustification by faith only But said he I admire very much how you ordinarly pretend so great advantage in your doctrin of Iustification by faith only which you esteem the principal article of your religion and yet it cannot be found in all the Scripture the only pretended ground of all your faith And how you can crye so much against the Catholiques for believing that we are iustifyed by works not by faith only which is expresly and word by word in the Scripture For doth not S. Iames clearly say Ye see that man is iustifyed by works and not by faith only The Minister finding himself thus engaged pass'd presently from the Scripture enquired of the Catholique whom he knew well enough not to be a profess'd Scholler If he had any Logique Who answered he had not much but he had sufficient for this purpose That there was not much Logique required to see what was contained in Scripture He would trust his owne eyes in that matter It was sufficient for him that he had on his side the expresse Scripture which is better then Logique But the Minister told him that although these words are in Scripture yet they must be vnderstood in a sound sense For works said he although they be necessary to iustification yet they are not the causes of it but in a very improper sense For you must vnderstand that there are diverse kinds of causes there is causa efficiens causa formalis and causa sine qua non which is not a cause properly Now works are not the efficient nor formal cause but only causa sine qua non They are via regni and not causa regnandi And so after this manner he made a long discours involving the matter in great obscurities passing the reach of the hearers if not also overpassing his own vnderstanding But the Catholique holding him still by his grounds told the Minister that his Logique was no Scripture and that the Protestants are brought to a low ebb when they are enforced to acknowlege that this prime article of their faith is not expresly in Scripture as they at first pretended And now when the quite opposite doctrine maintaind by the Catholiques against which the Ministers did so much raile is showē to be expresly in Scripture they are enforced to run from Scripture to their Logique which indeed is to yeeld the cause to the Catholiques and to quite ground For at first they pretended nothing but Scripture and now they flie to Aristotles Logique and that against the expresse words of Scripture making the whole matter end in a Logomachy which is so much the worse on the Protestants side seing they will not vse the very phrase of Scripture which the Catholiques keep And vpon this followes also another evil that the people being made to believe that they are iustifyed by faith only and not by works makes by natural Logique this inference which all the Ministers in the world with all their artificial Logique will not put out of their heads that good works are not necessary and so they altogether neglect them Thus ended that conference the Minister replying something but little to purpose with small satisfaction of some Protestants present who imagined that this prime article of their faith had been better grounded and that this Minister whom they much esteemed could haue said more then to acknowledge that his faith was against the words of Scripture and in end to run to his Philosophical distinctions which were not by them intelligible But albeit I was sufficiently satisfyed by what hath been said of the truth of the Catholique doctrin concerning Iustification yet being desirous that I might be able to discern more fully the deceits and obscurities which the Ministers invent to elude the clear Scriptures a Catholique whose assistance I required shew me that for this end it was necessary I should first know the nature of Iustification according to the doctrin of the Catholique Church For as a Rule said he is a measure to discern both what is right and what is crooked so truth is a manifestation both of it self and of falshood Wherevpon he had several discourses with me on this matter the summe of which I will briefly collect CHAP. XVI Of the Nature of Iustification according to the Catholique doctrine ALBEIT you haue seen evidently said the Catholique vnto me that according to the expresse Scriptures man is iustifyed by works not by faith only yet that you may know how this is done and what works are excluded from iustification according to S. Paul and what these works are by which we are iustifyed according to S. Iames yow must know the nature of Iustification of a sinner which according to the Catholique Church is thus described Iustification of a sinner is the translation of one from the state of sin into the state of grace a changing of one from being an enemy to make him become the friend of God There is the misery from which a sinner is delivered the happinesse to which he is brought Now that he may come from such a miserable condition to such a happy estate there are some preparations and dispositions required to go before in the soule of a sinner that is come to age of which kind only we here speak First God of
iustice of Christ but it must be internal iustice flowing from his merits and iustice that can quicken vs. This raising of one from the death of sin to the life of Iustice is called by the Catholiliques the first Iustification by which one of a sinner is made the friend of God And it is altogether free proceeding meerly from the grace favour of God without all works and merits of man Of this S. Paul speaks to the Romans Aug. de Spir. lit c 4 when he saith We conclude that man is iustifyed by faith without the works of the law Where S. Augustin vnderstands by the works of the law not only the works of the Ceremonial and Iudicial law but also of the Moral law which are done by the force of nature or by the insight of the law without the help of grace in Christ which help is not given except one haue first faith in Christ which is the roote of salvatioÌ„ first effect of the divin grace in our soules Therefore if man could not be iustifyed by these works of the law albeit he did them much lesse can he be iustifyed by these works when he breaketh the law as S. Paul proveth in the same epistle that both Iewes and Gentiles haue sinned and therefore stand in need of the mercy of God and consequently must be iustifyed by the faith grace of Christ Besids this first Iustification there is another which the Catholiques call the second Iustification by which one is not of impious made iust but of iust he is made more iust and of a friend made yet more intimate with God according to that in the Apocalypse Apocal. 22.1 Eccles 18.22 He that is iust let him be iustifyed even vnto death Of this Iustification are vnderstood the words of S. Iames when he saith That a man is iustifyed by works and not by faith only That is by works following after faith flowing from it for such works are not the works of the law that is they are not works done meerly by the force of nature or by the only knowledge of the law but they are the works of grace as faith it self is and by these works we are iustifyed and not by faith only This second Iustification is acquired by doing all works of iustice and piety by which a man being in the state of grace purchaseth a further augmentation of it S. Augustin brings S. Paul Aug lib. de gra lib. aeâ—b c 6. as an example of both these Iustifications For before his conversion he was found with no good merits but rather with many evil merits who was persecuting the Church and yet he obtain'd mercy Therefore he was not iustifyed by his works or by the deeds of the law but by the faith or grace of Christ But after his conversion first Iustification the same Apostle reckons out the good works he had done 2. Timoth 4.6 by which he had advanced in piety iustice I am even now saith he to be sacrificed and the time of my resolution is at hand I have fought a good fight I have consummate my course I have kept the faith Concerning the rest there is laid vp for me a crown of iustice which our Lord will render to me in that day a iust iudge Vpon which S. Augustin saith He reckons out now his good merites that after his good merits he might obtaine the crown who after evil merits did obtaine grace Take heed what followes There remaines to me a crown of iustice c. To whom could the iust iudge render the crown if he had not first as a merciful father given him grace And how had that been a crown of iustice if grace had not gone before which iustifyes the impious How could that haue been rendered as due Aug. ibid vt supra if the first had not been freely bestowed Thus S. Augustin By these reasons many other testimonies which were showen vnto me I was brought to vnderstand the Catholique doctrin concerning the nature of Iustification and therby I was made more sensible of the errous which are against it CHAP. XVII Of the Presbyterians three principall Errours concerning Iustification HAVING thus seen the truth of the ancient and Catholique doctrin I was moved to take special notice of three principall and most grosse errours maintain'd by the Presbyterians against it The first is that they do not only place the whole nature of Iustification in remission of sins but they likwise teach that although our sins be forgiven in Iustification yet they are not taken away but that they really remaine in the person iystified and are only covered and not imputed The second errour is that a man iustified hath no internal nor inherent iustice in him as being altogether defiled inwardly with sin but that he is only iust by the external iustice of Christ with which he is covered and which is imputed vnto him The third and last errour consists in this that they teach this external iustice of Christ is applyed vnto man by faith only and that not by a Christian or Catholique faith wherby one believes the articles of the Creed or such things as God hath revealed in Scripture but by a special faith as they call it wherby every one believes for certaine that his sins are forgiven him and that he is one of the predestinate The first errour to witt that sins remaine and are not taken away from the person iustified maintain'd by Calvin and the Presbyterians I found to be against cripture the vertue of Christs passion the efficacy of Baptisme S. Iohn Baptist calleth Christ the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Iohn 1.29 Heb. 9.28 1 Iohn 1. ch 1. v 7. Acts 22.16 S. Paul saith that Christ was offered vp once to exhaust the sins of many And S. Iohn affirmeth that the blood of Christ cleanseth vs from all sins Ananias said to S. Paul Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins If our sins be taken away as S. Iohn affirmeth how do they remaine as the Presbyterians believe If our sins be washed away and cleansed by the blood of Christ and by baptisme how can the filthinesse and blots of them remaine David saith to God Psalm 31.1 Wash me and I shall be whiter then snow But according to the Presbyterians he behoved to remaine as black as pitch and as filthie as the puddle even with all the washing that God would bestow vpon him Therefore this Presbyterian doctrin is against the Scriptures the vertue of Christs passion and the efficacy of baptisme and it is also clearly against the holy Fathers as we shall see shortly in the Triall of the Sacraments Against these clear authorities the Calvinists bring principally one place of Scripture whereon they found their errour and that is in the 31. Psalme where David saith Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven whose sins are covered I admired
that for this one testimony which saith that our sins are covered they should deny so many which shew that sins are taken away and will not rather confesse with the Scripture that they are both covered and taken away S. Augustin sheweth excellently on this place how God doth both For comparing him to a Surgeon or Physician Aug. â—narr in Ps 31. he saith that God doth so cover the wound with a plaister that he cureth it and taketh it away Calvin his followers make Christ to be a very imperfect Spiritual Physician who can neither heale the sick nor cure the wounded soules but only can cast a cover vpon them Such a Physician of the body who could do nothing but throw his cloake vpon the sick or wounded and neither be able to take away the sicknesse or wounds would be in small esteem and little employed The second grosse errour of Calvin which denyeth inherent iustice is sufficiently above refuted Where it was shewed out of the Scriptures Fathers that we are quickned by Christ and that iustice or grace proceeding from the iustice of Christ the meritorious cause of our iustice is the spiritual life of the Soule which quickens it and therefore must be internal and inherent within vs. For as one cannot live naturally vnlesse he have internal life within him so neither can one live Spiritually by any thing that is without him but he must necessarly have the life of grace or iustice within him This truth is so strong that Calvin did sometime acknowledge it for he saith Cal. lib. de refrom Eccl. p. 316. that we are never reconciled to God but we are also gifted with inherent iustice But at other times he frequently opposeth it affirming that the most holy and iust persons are nothing inwardly but filthy sinners and that all their iustice consists only in the external iustice of Christ which is imputed to them and with which their sins and filthynesse are covered Math. 23.27 So that Calvins iust men are not vnfitly by some compared to whited Sepulchres to which our Saviour compared the Pharisees that outwardly appeare vnto men beautifvll but within are full of dead mens bones all filthinesse So the Presbyterians would appeare beautifull outwardly by the iustice of Christ but inwardly they are full of filthinesse iniquity They are also like Wolves in sheeps clothing who haue an external shew of meeknesse iustice but inwardly are ravenous creatures But as sheeps clothing doth not make a wolfe to become a lamb so neither will the external iustice of Christ that innocent lamb with which a sinner would cloth himself outwardly and yet remaine still in his sins make him a Saint Iohn e ist 1 â—hap 3. v. 7. S. Iohn giveth a serious warning to this purpose Little children saith he let no man seduce you He that doth iustice is iust even as he also that is Christ is iust Therefore they are seduced who think to be iust and yet will do no iustice as Christ did The third errour to witt that faith alone doth iustify is also above refuted For 1. it hath been shewed not to be in Scripture And therefore the Presbytetians make it very vnreasonably against their own principles the principal article of their religion 2. It is not only not to be found in Scripture but it is expresly word by word against Scripture as hath been seen out of S. Iames. Therefore the Presbyterians brags of great advantage in this point are very false and groundlesse 3. It is also against the holy Fathers who condemned it as we haue seen in some ancient heretiques Yea S. Augustin doth affirm that because it had risen in the very time of the Apostles by misinterpreting the words of S. Paul the other Apostles as S. Peter S. Iames S. Iohn did direct the intention of their epistles and wrote most earnestly to roote out that errour from the minds of men And S. Paul also did expresse himself sufficiently against this errour when he said that albeit he had all faith so that he could remove mountains if he had not charity 1. Cor. 13.13 which he calleth greater and more excellent then faith and hope he would be nothing and his faith would profite him nothing Whence S. Augustin saith that it is charity Aug. lib. 15. de Trin. cap. 27. Leo serm de collect Shel p. 108. 108. which makes all vertues profitable and that faith may be present but it cannot profite without charity and S. Leo saith that charity quickens faith it self by which the iust man lives Yea M. Shelford the Protestant Minister above cited saith expresly that Charity is the most precious grace of God and is the greatest mean instrument of our Iustification And that he meaning Calvin who preferreth faith before charity in our Iustification would elude S. Pauls demonstration But there is another part or branch of this third errour much more dangerous then the former For as they teach that faith alone doth iustify and yet they require with it charity other vertues which makes the difference to be more nominal then real so they teach that this iustifying faith is nothing else but a sure persuasion that every one ought to have of the forgivenesse of his sins for the merits of Christ and that he is iust in the sight of God This is the special faith which they say is only given to the elect and these who once have it can never fall from it and they are sure of their election predestination In this matter the Presbyterians differ substantially from the Catholiques who require also faith to Iustification but of a far different nature from this of Calvin which they esteem not to be faith but rather a phanatical fancy and high presumption Against which I found some solid reasons which I will briefly touch 1. No maÌ„ ought to believe any thing as an article of faith but that which God hath revealed But God hath not revealed that every maÌ„s sins are forgiven him Therefore he ought not to believe it much lesse although he believe it is he iustifyed by it 2. There is neither precept nor example in the whole Scripture of such a special iustifying faith Therefore it is not to be admitted 3. It is far different from the faith of Abraham the father of the faithfull by which he was iustifyed which faith the Apostle in the same epistle to the Romans doth highly extoll For he was iustifyed by believing the promise of God which was revealed to him to witt that he should be the Father of many nations and that his seed should be as the starres of the heauen and the sand of the sea This is the faith which the Christians of all ages ever required before Luther Calvin arose to believe what God had revealed to witt the articles of our Creed and the other matters contaynd in Scripture accorording to that of the Apostle If thou
all men would be cleansed from sin and so all would be saved which is false If they say It is not death simply but death ioyn'd with faith that hath this power Why shall not also faith and life have the same power How can the Presbyterians without any ground in Scripture assigne that power to faith and death which they deny against Scripture to faith and the holy Sacraments and to the blood of Christ Death indeed may put an end to sin that one sin no more but it cannot take away sins already done or else death would be more powerfull according to that tenet then the blood of Christ the holy Sacraments which is not only a groundlesse fancy but also a great absurdity Out of which it followeth that either the Presbyterians must grant that they do not go to heaven which is very much against the assurance of their election or that they are purged from their sins after this life since they are not purged in it which is against their negative confession And so these who deny a a Purgatory for venial sins must grant a new and most dangerous Purgatory for mortal sins For my part I could never find a solid answer to this reason and therefore I leave it to the Presbyteries consideration But because this Catholique did trouble vs with this difficulty I thought to have entangled him as much with the words of Bellarmin whereof I had heard some Ministera often boast Did not Bellarmin said I after he had much laboured to prove Iustification by works in end conclude That it was most safe to put all our confidence in the only mercy of God What will become then of all your works and merits which such a great Champion of your Church doth renounce To which he answered that Bellarmins words fully related do clear the whole matter Bellar. lib. 5. de Iustif cap. 7. prop. 3. and shew the vanity of the Ministers pretences For thus he speaks By reason of the vncertainty of our proper Iustice and of the danger of our vaine glory it is most safe to put all our confidence in the only mercy favour of God Where he doth not deny neither good works nor merits but only affirmeth that for two reasons which he there toucheth that it is most safe not to rely vpon them but vpon the alone mercy of God Out of which the Ministers would make this false collection therefore we are not iustifyed by works Which is as ridiculous as if you would say The Protestants teach that it is most safe to rely vpon the mercy of God Therefore they are not iustifyed by faith If then the Protestants relying vpon the mercy of God taketh not away Iustification by faith why should not also the Catholiques relying on the same mercy not take away Iustification by works Bellarmin speaks so clearly in this matter that his meaning cannot be wrested without malice For he sheweth in the same place that David and other Saints had some confidence in their iustice and good works according to that in the 17. Psalme The Lord will render to me according to my iustice because I have kept his wayes The like he sheweth of Nehemias Ezechias and Ester And this they did with great humility But because such cōfidēce is dangerous to many by reason of pride vaine glory that may arise beside there are few who haue such merits or are sure to have them Therefore Bellarmin saith it is most safe to rely on the mercy of God whereof he gives this reason Either a man hath good works or he hath none but evil works If he hath no good but evil works then he is perniciously deceived who trusts in evil works for these are deceitfull riches as S. Bernard calls them If he hath good works he looseth nothing by not looking on them by putting his trust in the mercy of God alone for God lookes on them knowes them well and will not suffer them to passe without their due reward Thus Bellarmin Yea Concil Trid. sess 6. cap. 16. the Councel of Trent makes the like profession when it saith Although much be given to good works in the holy Scriptures c. Yet God forbid that a Christian should trust or glory in himself not in our Lord whose goodnesse is so great that he willeth these things to be our merits which are his own gifts The Ministers may collect out of these words by their Logique that the Councel of Trent yea and that all Papists are Protestants But they will not distinguish between the necessity of good works and confiding in them which are very different At least all moderat Protestants may know by this open profession the falshood of that calumny which is often beaten into their eares to witt that all Papists presume in their merits S. Augustin sheweth that there are two gulfs in this matter one vpon either hand and that the truth is a direct way in the middle Presumption of iustice or good works is the gulf vpon the one hand and negligence of good works is the precipice on the other But the earnest care of good works and piety accompanyed with humility is the safe way in the middle Thus ended the Catholique to the good satisfaction of some Protestants who were present To conclude this matter wherein I have stayed longer by reason of the Ministers specious pretences of great advantage in it I can not believe any more Iustification by faith only as the principal article of my religion because it is not in Sctipture because it is expresly against Scripture against the holy Fathers because it is an ancient heresy condemned in Simon Magus Eunomius because the Presbyteriās iustifying faith is not a true Catholique faith having the divin reveal'd truth for its obiect as these he retiques required but is a private fancy a false faith Shelf aboue as it is acknowledged by some Protestāts having for its obiect humane presumption Because it makes Christ a most imperfect Physician and either debarreth man from the kingdome of heaven into which he cannot enter with the filthinesse of his sins or exposeth him after this life to a most dangerous purgation Because it breeds neglect of all piety and good works and opens a wide gate to all sort of vice In a word albeit the Ministers bragged much of this article yet I found they had never lesse reason if we will stand to the iudgment of the Scriptures Fathers which God willing I ever intend to prefer to their fancies and to their Philosophical distinctions or rather confusions to which they are forced to run that they may lurk in their obscurities when they are beaten out of the Scriptures in which at first they pretended to be impregnably setled It is sufficient for me that the Scripture expresly saith that a man is iustifyed by works and not by faith only Which is the contradiction of the Presbyterians faith and
baptism when he saith Aug. lib 1. de peccat mer. rcmis c. 5. by the begetting flesh original sin is only contracted but by the regenerating Spirit remission is made not only of original but also the of voluntary sins S. Chrysostom doth more largely illustrate this matter shewing that baptism doth not only take away sin but also bringeth many graces privileges to the persons baptized They are Chrys in homil ad Neophitos saith he not only made free but holy not only holy but iust not only iust but children not only children but heires not only heires but brethren of Christ not only brethren of Christ but coheires not only coheires but memhers not only the temple but the members of the Spirit Yow see how many are the privileges of baptism Many indeed think that the heavenly grace consists only in the remissien of sins but we have reckoned ten privileges For this cause we baptize infants c. Idem in homil ad baptizandos Thus S. Chrysostom Again the same holy Father sheweth that albeit a sinner were defiled with all sorte of iniquity and tyed with the bands of all wickednesse yet when he comes vnto this Bath he riseth more pure then the beames of the Sun And as a little spark of fire cast into the deep sea is not leasurely but instantly extinguished by the aboundance of waters forthwith it is shewed to be nothing so all humane malice when it comes to the waters of these heavenly fountaines is more easily put out then the heate of that little spark And least this should be thought to be said out of ambition or exaggeration he proves all from these words of S. Paul 1. Cor. 9.10.11 Do not erre Neither fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers c. shall possesse the kingdome of God And these things indeed you were but you are washed but you are sanctifyed but you are iustifyed Then after an excellent discours on the vertue of baptism he sheweth why it is not called the lauer of remission of sins nor the lauer of purification but the lauer of regenerion because saith he it doth not only forgive our ssns nor simply purify vs who were wrapped vp in wickednesse but it makes vs as if we were borne from heaven More testimonies need not to be added since the Centurists do confesse that the most auncient Fathers as S. Clement Cent. 2. cap. 4. cent 3. c. 4. S. Iustin Cyprian and many others maintain'd the same doctrine Yea they maintain'd this so eagerly that some of them do brand those who believe the contrary with the note of infidelity as we have seen lately out of S. Augustin Greg. lib. 9. regist ep 39. To whom also accordeth S. Gregory the great who saith that nothing can be more vnfaithfull then to teach that sins are only superficially or not fully taken away in baptism Moreover this truth is so engrafted in the hearts of Christians that the most part of Protestants believes it albeit it be against the faith of their Church and albeit it be also true that few of them know so much Hence it came to passe that diverse Presbyterians were scandalized at some words which a great Apostle of the Covenant spake lately against this truth For when one striving to cleare himself before the Presbytery of some imputation wherewith he was charged had said that he was as innocent of that whereof he was accused as he was free of original sin by baptisme the said Apostle presently took him vp sharply told him that he was speaking flat Popery and that neither he nor any man whosoever would be freed from original sin so long as they lived Wherevpon many to whose eares this discourse came took great offence as if this had been the private opinion of that Minister not knowing that it was also the belief of the Presbyterian Church and of their first Reformers Hence it may appeare that this article of the Presbyterian faith is not only against the Scriptures holy Fathers but also against the very instinct of almost all Christians And besids all these absurdities I found it to have been a most auncient heresy defended by the Origenists who thought as S. Epiphanius witnesseth Epiph. haer 64. that sins were not taken away by baptism but only covered and were at length purged by death So that we have for the most part auncient and condemned heresies for the articles of the Presbyterian faith Yea a famous Protestant of Germany condemnes this opinion in the name of his Lutheran brethren as a blasphemie against the holy Scriptures This blasphemie Shlusselburg lib. 1. Theol. art 18 saith he of the Calvinists that baptism doth not purge sins the holy Ghost in in many places refuteth All which besides many other considerations were more then sufficient to hinder me from making such a pernicious errour which indeed makes baptism of no effect an article of my faith I will conclude this matter with the testimonies of two most renowned Fathers who found by experience the wonderfull effects of baptisme Aug. lib 4. Confess cap. 4. S. Augustin doth relate how a dear Camerâ—d of his whom he had infected with the errours and heresies which himself followed before his conversion falling extreamly sick being without vnderstanding or sense was in that condition baptized And how thereafter he coming to his senses S. Augustin began to iest him with the baptism which he had received without vnderstanding But saith the father he found that he had received it and abhorred me as an enemy admonishing me with a wonderfull libertie that I would leave off to speak such things if I would remain a friend Whereat S. Augustin professeth that he much admired to see such a change wrought in the mind by that which was done in the body of him who at that time knew not what they did Cypr. epist 2. ad Donat S. Cyprian also ingenuously confesseth what a vitious man himself was before baptism and how suddenly he was changed and became an other man by the grace which he received in that Sacrament and acknowledging thankfully the many benefites which Christianity conferred vpon him he calleth it truly The death of sins and the life of vertues The like admirable change was also wrought by baptism in the soule of S. Augustin By all which may be knowen that baptism not only purgeth the soule from sin and adorneth it with grace but also it changeth admirably the mind of man The false supposition of the Presbyterians that original sin is nothing else but concupiscence shall be hereafter refuted in the triall of the Covenant CHAP. XX. That Baptism is necessary for the Salvation of Infants which is denyed by the Presbyterians I took notice of aÌ„ other daÌ„gerous errour which was taught by our first Reformers and is yet maintain'd by the Presbyterians against the necessity of baptism For as they teach that baptism taketh not a way original
affirm that it is against his mercy to exclude so many children from the kingdom of heaven And therefore in their Covenant they accuse you who are Catholiques of cruel iudgment against children dying without baptism To which the Catholique answered that these pretences were frivolous For first said he that cannot be against Gods power which is according to his divine will by which his power is in some kind limited Now God whose power is infinit and who might save children by many other means then by baptism hath declared his will th t vnlesse a man be borne again he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven and therefore so much as we know by his reveal'd will he hath appointed no other remedie for original sin but baptism which being determinated by Gods proper will cannot be against his power Neither is God hereby tyed to any ordinary means but to such wherevnto he hath freely determinated himself according to his will Vpon which only will of God and his divin institution and not vpon the fancy speculation of man do depend the remedies which are necessarie for the Salvation of infants Now Gods will and institution cannot be knowen but by the divin revelation and God hath reveal'd no other remedie but baptism Therefore as the Catholiques do well by grounding their faith on the divin revelation and by vseing all diligence to apply the remedie which is appointed by Christ for the Salvation of infants so the Presbyterians do ill by founding their faith in this point not vpon the Scriptures but vpon vncertain coniectures which are also against the Scriptures and they do also ill by neglecting the remedie ordain'd by God to expose the Salvation of infants to meer vncertainties S. Augustin saith excellently to this purpose Let not according to our fancy Aug. lib. de pec mer. remis c. 32. eternal salvation be promised to infants dying without the baptism of Christ which the divin Scriptures preferable to all humane ingines do not promise Secondly the Catholique said that the Presbyterians speak not consequentially when they say that Gods power should not be tyed to the ordinary means For by this phrase they would make people believe that they esteem'd baptism the ordinarie mean of taking away or of pardoninng original sin which indeed they do not For they teach with Calvin that original sin is taken away before baptism which doth not according to them purge or forgive sin but is only a scale of sin already forgiven And therefore the Presbyterians in this matter both contradict themselves and would deceive others Next the same Catholique shew me that the Presbyterians by their other pretence would seem to plead for the mercy of God as they did by the first for his power but with a like bad successe and that they very vnreasonably accuse the Catholiques iudgment For it is no crueltie to conform our iudgments to the iudgment of God which we know by his own revelation Gods iudgments although they be sometimes so secret that we cannot alwayes penetrate into the true causes of them yet it is most certain that they are ever iust and therefore not cruell But as in this matter Gods iudgment is clearly reveal'd so it is very easy to find the cause of it to witt original sin which as it was contracted by generation from Adam so it must be purged and taken away by regeneration in Christ or else he who is truth it self saith that none can enter into the kingdom of heaven Besides the Catholiques iudgment against infants dying without baptism is not so cruel as the Presbyterians iudgment is cruel against many children dying with baptism For the more common sentence of Catholique Divines is that children dying without baptism are not troubled with any sensible paine but that they are only excluded for want of it from the supernaturall happinesse which the baptized enioy in heaven and that otherwise they leade a happie life But the Presbyterians in their new confession teach that all children baptized are not vndoubtedly regenerated to which is consequent that many infants baptised are not saved as not belonging to the Covenant of grace which Bucer did expresse more clearly Bucer in cap. â—3 Math. when he saith that children predestinate are saved without baptism and the not predestinate are damned even with baptism Now I enquire which of these two iudgments is more cruell To say that children dying without baptism do not enter into heaven but yet they suffer no sensible paine or to say that many children dying with baptism are not only excluded from heaven but are also eternally tormented in hell with sensible paines Without all doubt the last which is the iudgment of the Presbyterians is incomparably more cruell Moreover it is more rigorous then the iudgment of these other Catholiques Divines who teach that infants dying without baptism are not only excluded from heaven but are condemned to hell and to some sensible paines therein for the same reason For it is more rigorous without doubt to condemne to hells sensible paines some infants that are baptized and some that are not then to iudge that the only not baptized children are liable to that paine By this it may be seen that the Presbyrians who accuse others falsly of cruell iudgment against children dying without baptism are guilty themselves of more cruell iudgement against children dying with baptism But albeit said he the Catholiques iudgment in this matter were false or cruell as the Presbyterians do alleadge yet there followeth no cruelty nor inconuenience vpon it to children who are thereby with the greater care and commiseration carried in all haste to baptism So that this pretended cruelty in iudgment produceth true mercy compassion in action But if the Presbyterians doctrine be false as it must be if the criptures Fathers Councels be true great evils and cruelties follow vpon it to the children Fot thereby many of them are suffered to die without baptism and so are cruelly deprived of their Salvation These mens pretended mercy in Iudment produceth reall cruelty in their actions Thus he in answer to my doubts Moreover the same Catholique shew me that according to the Catholique Doctours the baptism of infants may be supplyed by Martyrdom which is also called baptism in the Scripture as when our Saviour said to the children of Zebedee Mark 10 38. Can you be baptized with the baptism wherewith I am baptized And so the Church did of old and doth still honour the Innocent children murdered by Herod as Martyrs The same is also verifyed of those who are come to age as S. Augustin testifieth Whosoever also Aug. de civitate Dei lib. 13. c. 7 saith he not having teceived the lawer of regeneration dyeth for the confession of Christ it availeth as much to him for remission of his sins as if they had been washed away in the sacred font of baâ—tism The baptism of water may be supplyed also
When S. Gregorie was giving the Sacrament to the people he came to a woman who smiled when he said to her the body of our Lord Iesus Christ preserue thy soule wherevpon the Pope did withdraw his hand lay'd the SacrameÌ„t on the altar After the holy solemnities were ended he enquired at the woman why she had laughed in so dreadfull an action She in end confessed that she could not acknowledge that bread which she had made with her own hands to be the body of Christ Then S. Gregorie prayed God earnestly for her and obtain'd that the bread even in external forme should be turned into flesh by which miracle he both reduced the woman vnto the faith and confirmed the people in it The faith of S. Lowis King of France Bosius li 14 de signis Eccles p. 145. ex Villanaeo an 1258. concerning this Sacrament is much celebrated For when he being advertised that a most beavtifull child had appeard in the holy Sacrament was desired to come and see this miracle he refused to goe saying that these miracles were done for these who doubted but for himself he was most certaine that Christ Iesus was truly present in the Eucharist An other such apparition was seen at Doway in the yeare 1254. continueda good time Spond suppl anno 1254. n. 16. so that great numbers of people came from diverse parts to see it and the memory of it is every yeare celebrated in that town with great solemnity By all which considerations I was sufficiently satisfyed of the Catholique belief concerning the reall presence which I found to be containd in the holy Scriptures beleeved by the holy Fathers and by general Councels and to be confirmed by miracles And therefore I could not any longer believe the Presbyterian doctrin which against all these authorities makes the body of Christ to be as far distant from the Sacrament as the heavens are from the earth 1. I perceived that they scarcely pretend to have Scripture for them but are enforced to runne from the clear words of it to their tropes figures Aug. lib. 3. de doct Christ c. 10. which S. Augustin observed long ago to be the custom of erroneous persons So soone saith he as the opinion of any errour hath once prepossessed their minds they esteeme all to be figures which the Scripture saith to the contrarie And therefore albeit the Scripture saith not once but foure times that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Iesus Christ without ever saying in any one place that it is not his body but only a figure of it they beleeve the one which it saith not and not the other which it affirmes Against them S. Iohn Damascen saith efficaciously Damas lib. 4. Orthodo fidei The bread wine is not a figure of the body blood of Christ God forbid it were that but it is the divine body of our Lord he himself saying this is my body 2. They passe from the Scriptures Fathers and found their negative faith vpon their senses and some carnal reasons Chrys homil 60. ad popul Antioch Against which vaine pretences S. Chrysostom saith well Let vs beleeve God every where let vs not oppose him although that which he saith seem absurd to our sense vnderstanding Let his speech overcome our sense and reason which in all things we ought to do cheefly in the mysteries not only looking to that which lieth before vs but also holding fast his words For we cannot be deceived by his words our sense may be easily deceived these cannot be false this is often deceived Because therefore he hath said this is my body let vs not be holden by any doubt but let vs beleeve and comprehend it wiâ—h the ey 's of of our vnderstanding Cyrill Alex. lib. 4. in Ioan c. 13. S. Cyrill speaks no lesse efficaciously against those who pretend this mystery to be against reason and impossible compareing them to incredulous Iewes A malignant minde saith he doth presently reiect as frivolous false what it doth not vnderstand yeelding to none nor thinking any thing to be aboue it self as we shall find the Iewes to have been For when it became them who had seen the divine vertue the miracles of our Saviour to receive his speech willingly and if any thing seemed difficult to have asked the resolution of him they did the quit contrarie and cryed out together against God not without great impietie How can this man give vs his flesh neither did it come into their minde that there is nothing impossible with God for since they were sensual as S. Paul speaks they could not vnderstand spiritual things and so great a mystery seemed to them to be follie But let vs make great profit by other mens sins Let us have a firme faith in these mysteries Let vs neuer speak nor think that word How That 's meerly Iudaical and the cause of great punishment Thus S. Cyrill 3. The Presbyterians do wrest our Saviours words by a figurative interpretation against all reason as hath been shewed Then I found this Presbyterian doctrin Apud Bellar. lib. 1. de Euch. cap. 1. Gualt Chronolog saecul 1. cap. 1. Elien resp ad Apolog. Bellar. c. 1. Casaub ans to Card. Peron 1. instance fol. 32. English to have been an ancient heresie of Simon Magus and Menander and thereafter of Berengarius who at his death did recant of the Albigenses and of diverse others Yea Gualterus brings some testimonies of the holy Fathers to shew that Iudas the traitor denyed the reall presence and did not believe our Saviours words in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn Lastly diverse famous Protestants have abandoned that doctrin of Calvin As Bishop Andrews who writes thus against Bellarmin We agree faith he with yow of the matter all the contention is about the manner a presence I say we believe not lesse reall then yow Casaubon made the like profession in name of King Iames of the whole Church of England And whereas I heard so much cryed out against Transubstantiation as a thing impossible and a noveltie lately introduced into the Church I found both these allegations to be false For the holy Fathers do shew both the possibility and the verity of it out of the Scriptures Cyrill Hieros Catech. 4. Mystag Ambros l. 4. de Sacram c. 4. lib. de mysterijs initiand cap. 9. S. Cyrill saith Christ changed once water into wine which is near vnto blood and is he not worthy to be believed of vs that he hath changed wine into blood S. Ambrose having shewed the power of Christs speech how by it he gave a being to the world which had no being before saith How much more then operative is it that these things which were might have a being and be converted into another Again the same holy Father calls this change a conversion of nature substance bringing examples out of the old
known to have been in the world before Luther although they have left many ruinous Monuments behind them since Luther seing I say after all this diligence we cannot find out this visible Protestant Church and yet these Protestants affirm that it was visible we most iustly require them to help tell vs where their Church was in what kingdome province or citie and if they cannot do this we may iustly conclude that their allegation is a groundlesse imagination invented to deceive men against their sense vnderstanding in a matter of greatest importance But wc do not as yet make any such conclusion we only require them to shew what we cannot see by our selves to point vnto vs where their Church was that we may fix our ey 's towards that place and for satisfaction we are answered that the demand is vniust and we impertinent if we do not beleeve vpon their bare word that their Church was visible albeit neither we can find nor they can tell where it was But all prudent and indifferent men would think it much more iniustice impertinencie both in them to require and in vs to beleeve that their Church was visible before it can be shewed where it was then in vs to require where it was before we beleeve that it was Who giveth credit quickly Ecclesi 19.4 saith the wise man is light of heart Any heretiques albeit never so grosse may pretend the same vpon as good ground and yet no reasonable man can think it vnreasonable to demand where their Church was before we beleeve them Moreover this is not only a iust and pertinent but also a most necessarie and important question For thereby all false Churches are clearly sensibly discovered even to the meanest capacities Because if the Church of Christ must be perpetual as hath been evidently demonstrated and if it must be also perpetually visible as these Protestants of whom we now speak do grant then it followeth when ever a new Church or Congregation ariseth with a new Confession of faith which was not see nor known before that that Church is not the true Church of Christ which ought to be alwayes both perpetual visibie For this cause the holy Fathers did vrge this question so hardly by which they confounded all heretical new vpstart Churches And whereas some Protestants do alleadge du Mou lin in his Nouueauté cont Card. Peron c. 12. that this question is a curiosity of history an old question which would require tventie yeares studie it is such a curiosiry of hystâ—ry that it can be found in none or else the laborious Centurists had not omitted it It is indeed an old question but was never well answered and will yet require a new answere as shall appear by the insufficiency of all the old answers And if it require twentie yeares study they cannot complain who have got now a hundred yeares to find out an answer to it But to speak no more of these shifts I shall shew how diverse Protestants being vrged by that fata question make many essaies to answer it and yet cannot make appear the visibility of their Church before Luther They run almost all the world over to find their Church They begin their iourney in France striveing to prove it in the Waldenses Albigenses 2. From France they go over to England to prove it in the Wicleffists 3. From England they passe to Boheme to find it among the Hussists 4. From Boheme they travaâ—le to Greece and from that to Aethiopia Armenia pretending that thâ—se Nations were Protestants 5. Having thus wearied themselvs all in vain the most learned are glad to come back again to the Papists saying that their Church before Luther was in the very heart of Popery 6. Finding that their new coin'd distinction of fundamental points involves them in great labyrinths and that the Papists will not acknowledge them for their Associats they passe from the later vnto the purer times before S. Gregory alleadging that the primitive Church holy Fathers were Protestants 7. After they have made this monstruous leap of 900. yeares and there find both Pastors people at the sacrifice of the Masse which the Protestants abhorre as Idolatry they run to their last shift which is to get out of the sight of the world and hide themselves in the hole of invisibiliy These many different answers shew that the Protestant Church hath no great certainty of its pedegree I shall briefly shew you the insufficiency of every one of these answers by which it shall be proved that the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther and hereby their first starting hole shall be either so stop't or lay'd that they cannot escape this way CHAP. XXV That the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther neither in the Waldenses Albigenses VViclifists nor Husits THAT the Protestant Church may be continued in the Waldenses and the same is to be observed of the Albigenses and the rest two things are to be proved by Protestants 1. That the Waldenses have ever continued since the time of the Apostles And this is clear by the first vndeniable principle of the perpetuity of the Church 2. That the Waldenses were intirely of that faith which the Protestants do now or did professe that is beleeved any of their Confessions of faith For without this whole agreement the Waldenses could not be a Protestant Church as is evident by the second principle above setled Now it is impossible for them to shew either of these two For first concerning the continuance of the Waldenses all histories do affirm that they began in the twelfth age and that their Author was one Waldo a marchant of Lions about the yeare 1160. whom the Centurists place in the 12. Century How can it be then proved Cent. 12. c. 8. that the Waldenses had continued since the Apostles time seing their Author who was before a Catholique a Laique lived neer 12. hundred yeares after the Apostles supposeing then that Waldo became a Protestant after he had been before a Catholique the question remaines where was the Protestant Church before Waldo The true Church must be perpetuall Secondly as the Waldenses did not continue since the Apostles so neither did they agree intirly with Protestants Luth. in Colloq c de Sacr. Calvin epist 224. in the principal articles of their religion to witt in Iustification by faith only if we beleeve Luthers testimonie And if we will trust Calvin they held also the reall presence in the Popish sense of Transubstantiation Therefore such men could not be Protestants Protest Apol. Tract 2. c. 2. sect 3. sub 3. Thirdly they agreed with the Catholiques in diverse other points as about the number nature of the Sacraments the vow of chastity the necessity of childrens baptism They began a kind of religious order for which they were called the poore men of Lions and sought confirmation of it from Pope Innocent
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
be visible before Luther which we shall shortly run over CHAP. XXVII That the Protestant Church was not visible in the primitive Church or the holy Fathers nor thereafter in the Roman Church IT was very ordinary for the old Protestants of the late English Church to alleadge that the ancient Fathers were of their religion and that their Church was conforme to the primitive Church In which matter M. Iewels appeale to the Fathers of the first 6. hundred yeares is very famous But that pretence is idle in regard of our present question 2. it is false First it 's idle because were it true as we shall see it to be most false that these Fathers of the first 5. or 6. hundred years were Protestants yet could not that suffice to prove them a continued succession of 1600. years For I enquire what became of the Protestant Church after the Fathers to the time of Luther Did it perish or not If it perished then it is not the true Church which must be perpetual according to the first vndeniable principle above setled If the Protestant Church did not perish but remain'd visible for 900. years between the Fathers Luther then the question remaines where was it in what kingdome Province or Citie which-can never be shewed Yea some famous Protestants do acknowledge Peâ—kins expos symbol p. 266. whit that all that time the Protestant Church was not to be seen Therefore although the Fathers were granted to have been Protestants the Protestant Church cannot be continued by them after their time Secondly its most false that the Fathers were Protestants 1. Because the Christians of the sixth age must needs know better what was the religion and tenets of them who lived in the fifth age by whom they were instructed and with whom they conversed th n Protestants can do now But these Christians have protested on their salvation that it was the very same with theirs receiv'd from them by word of mouth Therefore if the Christians of the sixth age were not Protestants neither were the Fathers and Christians of the 5. age Protestants and so you may go vpward even to the Apostles This reason shall be more cleared hereafter 2. It may be known that the Fathers were not Protestants by the points already examined For they did not beleeve Iustification by faith only the impossibility of keeping the Commandments They did not deny the necessity effect of baptism they did not deny the real presence which are principal articles of the Protestant religion but taught the quite contrary as hath been seen Therefore according to the second principle above setled they were not Protestants 3. Not to descend to particular doctrines this same truth may be shewed by the little account Protestants make of the Fathers whom they would highly esteem if they made for them and in a word by the open Confession of the chief Protestants that the Fathers were against them in many things Luther as if he were a little after cups speaks very intemperatly of the Fathers In the writing saith he of Hierome there is not a word of true faith Luth. in colloq c. de patrib or sound religion of Chrysostome I make do accompt Basil is of no worth he is wholly a Monk I weigh him not a haire Cyprian is a weak Divine c. Idom de seruo arbitr cap. 2 And generally he affirmeth that the authority of the Fathers is not to be regarded If the Fathers had been Pâ—otestants Luther had not so vnderva ved them nor disclaim'd their authority Calvin also ingenuously confesseth that the Fathers are against him in many points Cal inst lib. 3. cap 5 sect 10. It was a custom saith he about 1300 years ago to pray for the dead but all of that time I confesse were caried away into error He granteâ—h also that the Fathers taught satisfaction free will merit fasting in Lent c. All which Whitaker confirmes Vvhit cont 2 q. 5 c. 7. li. 6. eâ—nt Durieum P. Mar. de voto It 's true saith he what Calvin the Centurists have written that the ancient Church did erre in many things as touching limbe free will merit of works c. And again he saith The Popish religion is patched vp of the Fathers errors Peter Martyr accords to him So long saith he as we stand to the Councels and Fathers we shall remaine alwayes in the same Errors An other famous Protestant said more clearly If that be true Duditius ap Bezam Epist 1. which the Fathers have professed by mutual consent it is altogether on the Papists side This open Confession of the Protestants chief Reformers and best Schollers sheweth evidently that the holy Fathers were not Protestants And therefore the Presbyterians who disclaime the holy Fathers yeeld them to the Papists are much more sincere ingenuous in this matter then the late English Protestants who laid claime to the Fathers deceitfully made the people beleeve that they were Protestants which they were enforced to deny when they were dealing with Schollers as may appeare by the former testimonies By all which it is more then evident that the holy Fathers and primitive Church were not Protestants and therefore the Protestant Church cannot be shewed to be visible in theÌ„ much lesse can the visibility of it be continued after them Wherefore we must go and seek out this visible Protestant Church els where for here it cannot be seen The last valiant attempt was made by some famous Protestants who after they had seen that all their neighbours and Predecessors had wearied themselves in vaine by travailing all the world over to find out a visible Protestant Church before Luther which could not be found had in end their recourse vnto the Popish Church as vnto a City of refuge in this great straight They taught two things 1. That the Roman Protestant Churches are all one Church as agreing in all fundamental points of faith although they disâ—gree in not fundamentals and by this distinction they think to answer easily that hard question where was your Church before Luther To witt they say it was the ve y same with the Roman which they acknowledge to be a true Church keeping all the fundamental points of religion which are necessary to salvation albeit she had some errors not fundameÌ„tal which do not destroy the nature of the Church but only make it si k and weak And so by this means they think to avoid all the inconveniences into which other Protestants do fall For hereby it is shewed that the Church did not perish nor was invisible nor was only visible for a time but was perpetually visible 2. They deny that the Protestant Church made any real substantial separa ion from the Roman and affirm that all which they did was only to free themselves of some errors which as sicknesses though not in themselves mortal had crep't in vpon the Roman Châ—rch which being often
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
was no more feare of persecution which was the only reason why these men did not professe their religion And therefore that being taken away if there had been any such invisible Protestants they would have showen themselvs visible acknowledged their brethren run and ioyn'd hands with them and said Behold this is the faith which we alway's beleeved although we did not or durst not professe it But no such persons did appeare when they might safely and ought in all duty to have appeared Therefore there was no lurking Protestant Church before Luther and consequently the Protestants had no Church at all before him neither visible nor invisible This may be yet further illustrated confirmed For there may be conceived two kinds of invisible Protestant Churches The first is a Church which believed in their hearts the Protestant faith and yet made profession of the contrary religion to witt of Popery The second is a company of people beleeving also internally the same faith but making no profession of a contrary religion And between these two extreames there is no medium But the Protestants had neither of these two invisible Churches before Luther Therefore they had none at all Not the first which although they had could not have been the true Church of Christ or a society of faithfull Christians but rather was a miserable crue of dissembled Sycophants for so they behoved to be who beleeved one thing professed the contrary which they thought grosse superstition Idolatry Not the first I say For such a dissembled Church behoved to beleeve the Protestants faith in their heart and professe the contrary against their consciences But there were none before Luther who beleeved the Protestant faith in their hearts c. because Luther himself beleeved the Roman Catholique faith in his heart and of this there can be no greater evidence then his own testimony against himself For he professeth that he honoured the Pope for conscience sake and thought that he would have been severed from God if he had been separated from the Pope and much more to this purpose Therefore Luther was not a dissembled Protestant but rather a sincere Papist before he began to oppose the Pope Neither were there any other before him who believed the Protestant faith professed the contrary because his followers were ignorant of the Protestant religion till Luther taught it and shew them the light This is witnessed by prime Protestants who say It 's ridiculous to think Cont. Shlus in Theol. Cal. l. 2. f. 131. that any man before Luther did attayn vnto the true doctrin or that he receiv'd it from others and not others from him That all the world was overwhelmed with more then Cimmerian darknesse that Luther was sent to dispell it and to restore the light of true doctrin Besids that chief article of Iustification by faith only was altogether vnknown before Luther Fox Acts. p. 402. so that M. Fox affirmeth that Luther by opening that veine which lay a long time hid overturned the foundation of Popery M. Wotton averres that Luther may truly glory that he was the first who taught Christ especially concerning that principal Euangelâ—cal doctrin of Iustification by faith alone VVotson in Exam. tit Rom. Therefore saith he It was a great honour to Luther to have been a Son withovt a Father and a Disciple without a Master All which testimonies do evince that there was not so much as a dissembled Protestant Church before Luther Neither as I conceive will any iudicious Protestant plead much for such a Church which although it had been could not be the Church of Christ but rather the Synaguogue of Sathan and so not the true Church which we are now searching after Neither had the Protestants that other kind of invisible Church before Luther which beleeved the Protestant faith in their hearts and made no profession of the contrary For first Luther his followers did not beleeve it till he opposed the Pope as hath been presently proved Secondly they professed themselves both by words actions to be Roman Catholiques and so made profession of a religion contrary to the Protestant Therefore in both these conditions this invisible Protestant Church is visibly deficient and consequently there was no kind of an invisible Church before Luther neither a sincere nor a dissembled Church if we will iudge of it by the persons who mâ—de it visible Neither were there any other lurking Protâ—stants for they would have shown themsâ—lves when there was no more danger for them as hath been said which they dâ—d not or if they were lurking they are still lurking and will ever lurk vnto the day of Ivdgment For there is no more reason that they shall appeare at any time hereafter then now or in the time of Luther Therefore this invisible Protestant Church is a meer Chimeâ—a fiction without all ground and against sense experience The Independents who arosâ— within these twelve years or thereabout and who before had been for the most part violent Presbyterians may pretend vpon the same groundlesse fancy that their Church had alway's endured invisibly The same might also pretend the Quakers who are more lately sprung vp But if any of these Congregations were so vnreasonable as to make that pretext which they may as lawfully do as any other Protestâ—nts who would be so vnreasonable as to beleeve them or who could be so simple as to be decived by them the beginning and progresse of those Congregations being so well known so late and fresh in all mens memories In the Presbyterian sense any person although never so great a liar might take vpon him to be a Prophet For albeit he foretold things never so false which never came to passe yea that fell out quite contrary he might say with the Presbyterians they were all fulfilled but invisibly Now what is more foolish then this device What would be more ridiculous in the iudgmâ—nt of Iewes and Pagans and more iniurious to the truth of the Christian religion For if they would demand how are the prophesies concerning the perpetuity of Christs Church fulfil'd How are his clear promises to his Church kep't And if it were an swered as the Presbyterians do that they were all fulfilled and kept but invisibly What could more confirm these men in their infidelity then this answer What could make the Christian religion appeare to them to be more false and ridiculous S. Augustin did far otherwise vnderstaâ—d the proâ—hesies of the Scripture concerning the Church For writing against the Donatists on this same subiect of the Church he saith Let vs heare some few things out of the Psalms so long ago sung and foretold and let vs now with ioy see them fulfil'd Again Aug Vnit Eccl. Heare this out of the Divine booke how it was foretold and see now in the world how it is at complish'd Therefore as there is no other way to make a prophesy true but
by fulfilling it so there is no other way to know it to be fulfilled but by visible and sensible performance of it By what is said may be easily seen that the complaint of Elias which is alway's in the Puritans mouth makes nothing for their invisible Church before Luther For first Elias was only speaking of Israel as a famous Protestant confesseth Enoch Cleopham in Antidot Schism p. 17. in these words Our vnskilfull Reformers say that the Church was invisible in the time of Elias but the holy Spirit testifyeth that he spake this of Israel and not of Iuda for he knew that good Iosaphat was reigning in Iuda and that the Church was not only visible there but also floorishing in great piety Wherefore it is an evil parity to say the Iewish Synagogue was invisible a short time in one province albeit it was visible at the same time in another Therefore the Christian Church may be or was invisible throughout the whole world for a thowsand years above 2. These who were lurking in the time of Elias bowed not their knees to Baal which if they had done they had not belong'd to the invisible Church of God But all the suppos'd invisible Protestants as Luther and his followers bowed their knees to the Masse which they esteem Idolatry as hath been shewed Therefore they could not be the invisible Church of God 3. Although these good Israelits were invisible to Elias at such a distance when he fled yet he knew many of them to be visible both to others 3. Kings 18.13 and among themselves For Abdias told him a little before that he had hid 100. Prophets of the Lord in two Caves where he fed them But all Protestants before Luther were invisible both to others and themselves For not so much as one person knew himself to be a Protestant before Luther taught that religion as hath been proved 4. Although the whole Iewish Synagogue had been invisible which is most false yet it followes not the whole Christian Church may be or was so too For this as S. Paul testifyeth is founded vpon better promises 5. Heb. 8.6 Salvation was not altogether tyed before Christ to the Iewish Synagogue for there were some faithfull Gentils as Melchisedeck Iob c. But the Presbyterians by making the whole Christian Church to be invisible for many ages take away all the ordinary means of salvation which only can be had in the visible Church Lastly Albeit all the faithfull both Iewes and Gentils had been invisible in the time of Elias yet this would make nothing for Protestants vnlesse they had been also invisible before Luther But de facto there were no lurking Protestants before him as hath been clearly proved Therefore although the Church could be invisible yet the Protestants had no invisible Church before Luther And besides the reasons brought above against this invisible Church it may seem truly strange that for so many ages not so much as one person of it was heard of or known never so much as one false brother could be found among them to reveale them And which is most strange when this invisible Church became visible not so much as one person did appeare who had been a lurking member of it Such groundlesse conceipts require strong imaginations to fancy them but much more credulous hearts to beleeve them Wherefore Elias complaint for many reasons makes nothing for Protestants but is cleary against them So is also their other refuge to the Church of the predestinate which they say was invisible before Luther For 1. there is no such Church because Christs Church is a Congregation of all true beleevers as well reprobate as predestinate Math. ch 3. ch 13. There is in his floore both wheat and chaffe and in his field both corne tares 2. The Predestinate are as visible as the reprobate S. Peter was as visible as Iudas 3. Although it were granted there had been some invisible Predestinate before Luther yet none of them could be Protestants because none believed the Protestant faith till Luther taught it as hath been proved 4. Either these supposed Protestants before Luther professed their faith or not If they professed it then they were not invisible Rom. 10.10 If they profess'd it not then they were not predestinate For with our heart saith S. Paul we beleeve vnto iustice and with our mouth Confession is made to salvation 5. It is at least requisite that the predestinate should not deny their faith if they will not confesse it or else they cannot be predestinate But all the supposed invisible Protestants before Luther denyed their faith by professing Popery as hath been shewed 1. Cor. 11.19 Therefore they could not be predestinate Lastly heresies and persecution make the predestinate more conspicuous Heresies saith S. Paul must be that these who are approved be made manifest among you Who are more approved before God then the predestinate Who are made more manifest before men then they especially when heresy persecution do arise For then by their close adhereing to the true faith and their profession of it whereas others either through error or feare fall from it they are rendred more conspicuous as the Scripture shewes and therefore they are not made hid invisible as the Puritans do alleadge Hence it is that the Church is so far from being invisible in the predestinate more then in others that vpon the contrary when that might happen in others either by error infirmity or feare of persecution then the true Church shall be most manifest in the predestinate Aug. epist 48. ad Vincent and is principally conserved in them For then as S. Augustin speaks In suis firmissimis eminet she shines in her most stedfast members Predestination indeed is invisible and so is reprobation but the predestinate are as visible as the reprobate yea Mel. in locis com cap. de Eccles they are the most eminent members of the visible Church out of which they cannot be found as Melanchton confesseth Let vs not dreame saith he that the elect can be found any where but in the visible Society of the Church But the Protestants had no visible Church before Luther therefore they had no predestinate and so many wayes this Babel is overturned The Apostles and all the ancient Christians who were predestinate were members of the visible Church and professed their faith in the time of the Heathen persecutions which were more cruel vniversal then any that has hapned since They had not Giges ring to make themselves invisible not the black arte of dissembling in religion as the invisible Protestants if there were any behoved to have which are qualities very vnbeseeming the predestinate By all which it remaines sufficiently proved that the Protestant Church cannot be the true Church For to resume briefly the argument The true Church must have still continued since the ascension of Christ to this time But the Protestant
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
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
of them of some excellent privilege For they spoile God of his goodnesse by making him the Author of sin Christ of his merits by denying he dyed for all and the holy Trinity of Glory They spoile the Angels and the Saints of their felicity and of all respect and reverence from men They rob the Church of the continual assistance of the Holy Ghost Man of his free-will the living of the prayers of the Saints and the faithfull departed of the suffrages of the living They rob the Sacraments of Grace and the Commandments of obedience Yea what have they left vntouched in the Church They have taken away many books of the Scriptures almost all the Sacraments all Traditions Priesthood Sacrifice Vowes set Fasts Festival Dayes Altars Reliques Holy Images all Monuments of Piety all the antient Ecclesiastical Lawes all Order and Disciplin all Comlinesse and beauty from the House of God They have abolished the Apostolique Government denyed the Apostles Creed subverted the Divine Commandments and abiured all the Evangelical Counsels and many more points have they destroyed as we shall see in the progresse of the Covenant so that never any heresy deserved more the title of Destroyer never any heretical Confession of Faith deserved so much the Title of the Negation of Faith as the Covenant For never any heresy or negative Confession denyed so many points of the Catholique faith and so overturn'd the Christian Religion both in doctrin disciplin in all the Monuments and helps of Piety As the matter of the Covenant is very large containing so many points of the Catholique Faith which it deny's so the manner how it doth renounce them which is as it were the life and forme of the Covenant is very considerable For it doth not only deny these articles but it detests and abiures them yea and blasphemes them adding a blasphemous Epithet almost to every point For thus it speaks We renounce and detest the Vsurped authority of the Roman Anti-Christ his wicked Hierarchie his Devilish Masse Blasphemous Priesthood Profane Sacrifice Bastard Sacraments Doubtsome Faith Desperat Repentance c. Behold said the Catholique to me what a Rapsodie of lies and calumnies against manifest sense and experience against the ancient faith and true religion was fathered vpon God the Author of truth and was called his Covenant Behold what a blasphemous Negation of the Faith was entitled the Confession of Faith Behold what a monstrous Idol of lies execrations blasphemies the Covenanters did so highly honour reverence as if it had been Gods vndoubted truth and not only did Idolatrize it themselv's but with furious zeal and rigour enforced others to adore it against their Consciences S. Cyptian affirmes that the Devil Cypr. de simâ—l Praelator Hieron in EsaiaÌ„ c. 21. in place of the old Pagan Idols has invented the deceits of Errors Heresies and S. Hierom saith that all Heretiques are Idolaters adoring their own fictions and imaginatio s as divin truths According to this doctrine if the Covenant containe heresies as we shall see it containes not a few the Covenanters have been great idolaters The old Pagans did indeed adore false Gods and the works of their own hands but never any carying the name o Chr stians did more Idolatrize the fancies of their own braines then the Covenanters have done The prosperity of the Covenant for a time did blind many but now the Visitation which God has sent vpon it has opened the ey 's of a great part so that the Covenant which was before the obiect of their greatest reverence respect is now become the subiect of their laughter sport The Prophet Ieremy foretells that these miseries should befalls to all Idols They are vain things Ieremy 10.15 Hieron â—u hunc loâ—um saith he and a work worthy to be laughed at in time of their Visitation they shall perish Which words S. Hierom applies excellently to Heresies Who would not laugh saith he when he considers the Idols of Heretiques c. Heresies prevaile only for a time that these who are chosen may be made manifest and be approved But when the Visitation of God comes and his eys do behold their fooleries then all are quyet and siâ—e it And so now is the Covenant silent and fallen asleep But enough for our intended brevity of the false Titles of the Covenant and of the grosse vntruths in it against sense We shall now run brieflâ— through the Spiritual vntruths of it against Faith SECTION III. Of the Covenantes vain pretext of the word and Spirit of God and of the marks by which they describe their Relâ—gion THAT this matter may proceed more clearly we shall set down in order the words of the Covenant and then subioyn the Observations we made vpon them The Preface then of it goes thus Covenant Wee all and every one of vs vnderwritten protest that after long due examination of our Consciences in matters of true false religion Wee are now throughly resolved of the truth by the word Spirit of God And therefore we beleeve with our hearts confesse with our mouths subscribe with our hands and constantly affirme before God the whole world that this only is the true Christian faith and Religion pleasing God and bringing salvation to man which now is by tho mercy of God revealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed Evangel and received beleeved and defended by many and sundry notable Kirks Realms but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland the Kings Maiesty and the three Estates of this Realm as Gods eternal Truth and only ground of our Salvation as more particularlâ— is confessed in the Confession of our faith established and publickly confirmed by Sundry Acts of Parliament and now of a long time hath been openly professed by the Kings Maiesty and whole body of this Realm both in Burgh and Land To the which Confession and forme of Religion we willingly agree in our Consciences in all points as vnto Gods vndoubted Truth and Verity grounded only vpon his written word To passe by the first sensible vntruth about the long and due examination of their consciences which was lately touched they pretend next that they are fully perswaded of the truth of their Religion by the word and Spirit of God But this is no new song neither is it only peculiar to them All sects although never so monstrous which receiv'd the Scriptures have made and do make the same pretexts And this they must all do or else they would get few followers But that the Covenanters make this pretext as falsly as any other sects is very evident For first they falsly pretend to be perswaded of the truth of their Religion by the word of God seing they beleeve diverse points as principal articles of their religion which are expresly against the word of God Which may be shown by many Instances but we shall be content with two or three The Covenanters beleeve as
pretend Vniversality when you say that your faith is beleeved received and defended by many Notable Kirks and Realmes but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland Next you lay claime to a certain kind of Antiquity when you say that it hath been of a long time openly professed Such is the evidence of Truth that Enemies to it are sometimes enforced to make vse or rather a shew of it But to speak first of the vniversality of your faith where are all these many notable Realmes and Kirks which you affirm do professe your religion In Europe no such Kingdomes can be found For Swedland Denmark are known to be Lutherians who have neither Vnity of faith with you nor Communion in Sacraments and abhorre the very name of Calvin of all Sacramentaries The Realme late Church of England maintaind the Hierarchy of the Church abhorring very much the Anarchy of your Presbytery and now since England became a Commonwealth it hates nothing more then the Soule-Tyranny as it is commonly called there of your Presbytery The other famous Kingdomes of Europe are either totally or for the much greater part Roman Catholiques So that the many Notable Realmes of your religion are as yet invisible vnlesse you would count all those to be of your religion who are not Papists or who go vnder the general name of Protestants But that cannot be done for the Vniversality of a Church requires Vnity in faith Communion in Sacraments which you evidently want with a great part of Protestant Churches And therefore knowing that you want this Vnity you wisely pretend that this faith which you so much praise is chiefly professed by the Kirk of Scotland For every one of you pretends to be chief and will not yeeld to another Then yow come as little speed of your Antiquitie For all the long time that your faith was profest from the beginning of your Reformation to the first making of the Covenant is but about 20. years and as yet to this day it has not past the bounds of one Age. If you had the Vniversality Antiquity of the Catholique Church how would you glory when you make such a stirre with your fewnesse and Novelty For your one Kingdome and your one hundred years in which your religion has been professed we can show you the same Kingdome professing the Catholique religion above 14. hundred years and all the famous Christian Kingdomes and Countries of the world making the same profession even to the first time of their Conversion from Infidelity to Christianity And for your one King mentioned in your Covenant which he took in his younger years disproveing it when he became more ripe as appears in the Conference at Hampton-Court we can show you 80. Kings of the same Nation diverse of which are glorious Saints in heaven who lived and dyed in the Catholique Profession To whom we may add all the famous Christian Kings Emperours that have been in the world But albeit you were more spread then you are you would find no great advantage by it S. Augustin compareing you with good reason to smoake Aug. serm 2. in Psal 36. which doth vanish so much the sooner by how much it is greater more dilated abroad This we have seen verifyed in our time For the late Church of England intending to dilate her self in Scotland did shortly thereafter vanish like smoake in England Again the Scottish Presbytery indeavouring with great zeal to propagate it self in England lost soone much of its fyrie force in Scotland Secondly Antiquity of your religion would tend no lesse to your ruine for as S. Hierom hath observed all heresies please only men for a time and when they grow old they weare out of request as may be known by the many alterations of religion that have happened in Scotland but especially in England since their publique fall from the Catholique religion Then for Acts of Parlament whereby you say your faith is confirmed they cannot be very many seing the religion is so late neither can they give great confirmation to a religion because they are very changeable We see one Protestant Parliament has ransacted the Kings Suâ—remacy which many Protestant Parliaments had enacted and that which was before declared Heresy if not Treason to deny is now iudged both great follie and Treason to affirme The true religion is warranted by a higher authority then by earthly Courts But the Protestant religions are made and vnmade by Protestant Parliaments The last point here proposed containes three vntruths linked together as where you say that you all willingly agree in all points All the Horologes of the world will sooner agree then your wills When coercive power is now taken out of your hands you see how many do willingly freely disagree from you Then you call all the points of your faith Gods vndoubted truth which they cannot be besides other reasons because many Protestants doubt of diverse of them yea they think them vndoubted falshoods and besides yourselves are often changeing them which shewes that many articles of your faith are doubtsome and your faith of them is nothing but meer opinion Lastly it is most false that all your faith is grounded only vpon the written word because you beleeve some things without the word of God as the changeing of the Sabboth into Sunday the baptizing of infants and which is more you beleeve some points against the expresse word of God as your article of Iustification by faith only to speak nothing of diverse others And moreover you lay down a false ground when you professe to beleeve nothing 2. Thes 2.15 but what is containd in the Scriptures whereas they expresly bid you Hold fast the Traditions Thus we have seen all your pretences as about the word Spirit of God the Vniversality Antiquity of your faith by which you would make it more commendable to be false groundlesse Now we shall see how bitterly you renounce accurse the Catholique faith SECTION IV. Of the Popes Supremacy where it is shewed that the Pope is not Anti-Christ nor an Vsurper as the Covenanters do calumniate AFTER the former Preface follow these words of the Covenant And therefore we abhorre and detest all contrary Religion Doctrin but chiefly all kind of Papistry in generall and particular heads even as they are now damned confuted by the word of God and Kirk of Scotland But in special we detest and refuse the Vsurped Authority of the Roman Anti Christ vpon the Scriptures of God vpon the kirk the Civil Magistrate and Consciences of men c. Here you ingenuously confesse your selves to have one quality which all heretiques have ever had to hate and detest most the Catholique religion And your practice sheweth this your Confession to be true For albeit any person become a Socinian Anabaptist or Atheist you take no great notice of him but if you heare of any that is become a Papist he is sure to
get no more rest Next as you falsly pretended your faith to be contain'd in the word of God so now as groundlesly you pretend the Catholique faith to be condemned by the same word which as yet you could never make good in any one point It is true indeed that the Catholique Church is condemned by the Church of Scotland But it is as true that the Church of Scotland is condemned by the Catholique Church which is of far greater authority and which has iudged condemned all former Heresies and Triumphed over them Now followes your dismall song with your abiurations detestations of the Faith Order Disciplin of the Catholique Church and first you strick at the Visible head and Governour of it vnder Christ whom you call Anti-Christ detesting his Authority which you call vsurped The principal reason for which you beleeve this strange article of your faith to witt that the Pope is Anti-Christ is because he claimes Primacy over other Bishops and extends his care over the whole Church which he affirmes to be committed to his charge as vnto S. Peters Successor If your reason were good then S. Peter himself had been the first Anti-Christ For both the Scriptures and Fathers show that he received from Christ the primacy over the other Apostles and that the care of the whole Church was entrusted to him S. Mathew shewes that Peter was the first of the Apostles The names saith he Math. 10 2. of the Apostles are these the first Sâ—mon who is called Peter Now Peter was not first in calling but in preeminence For as S. Ambrose saith in 2. Cor. 12. Andrew first followed our Saviour before Peter and yet the Primacy Andrew received not but Peter The same is showed by the change of his name which Christ promised in the 1. of S. Iohn and thereafter performed Math. 16. in S Mathew where he said Thou art Peter or a Rock and vpon this Rock will I build my Church c. And I will give vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven c. This change of the name of Simon into Peter foretold by Christ and thereafter performed by him is not without great mystery and these excellent privileges which our Saviour promised to him of the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven of binding and loosing do show that he was particularly to grace and advance him above others which he performed after his resurrection when he said to him Feed my sheep feed my Lambs giving him thereby the charge of his whole flock 5. Iohn 21.16 The same Supremacy of S. Peter may be showed by many other preeminences recorded in Scripture as how Christ prayed particularly for him that his faith might not faile and payed Tribut for him but for brevities sake they are omitted Now we shall briefly see how the holy Fathers vnderstood these Scriptures S. Gregory the great saith Greg. lib â— â—pâ—st 7 â— It is manifest to all persons who know the Gospell that from our Lords own mouth the â—â—re of the whole Church was 〈◊〉 to S. Peter the Prince of the Apostles for to For what end saith he did Christ shed his blood Chrysost lib. 2. de Sacerdotio Aug. epist 86. but that he might purchase these sheep the care of which he committed to S. Peter and his successors S. Augustin calls S. Peter the Head of the Apostles the Gate-keeper of heaven and the Foundation of the Church S. Cyprian saith Cypr. epist ad Iulian. We hold Peter the Head and Roote of the Church And in a word all the holy Fathers affirm the same They do likwise acknowledge that the Bishops of Rome are S. Peter successors in that supreame Authority S. Athanasius writing to Pope Liberius saith Athanas epist ad liber Ep. ad Felicem For this cause the Vniversal Church is committed to you by our Lord Iesus that you should labour for all men And again writing to Pope Felix he saith Thou art Peter and vpon thy foundation the Pillars of the Church that is the Bishops are fortified S. Augustin saith Aug. ep 165. in the Romaâ— Church the Principality of the Apostolique Chair did ever flourish And elswhere Number the Priests from the Sea of Peter Aug. in psal cont part Donati and in that order of Fathers see who succeeded to another This is the Rock which the proud gates of hell do not overcome To which we shall only add the testimony of S. Bernard who writes thus to Eugenius Thou art he to whom the keies of heaven are delivered â—ern l. 2. de consid c. 8. and to whom the sheep are committed there be other Porters of heaven other Pastor of flocks but thou â—â—st â—â—â—erited in more glorious and different sort For they have every 〈◊〉 their particular sâ—ock but to thee all Vniver-â—â—◠〈…〉 of all the Pastors themselvs But thou wilt ask me how I prove that even by our Lords word For to whom of all I say not only Bishops but Apostles were the sheep so absolutely and without limitation committed If thou lovest me Peter feed my sheep He saith not the people of this kingdome or that Citie but my sheep without all distinction So S. Bernard By which Authorities Testimonies both of the Scriptures and Fathers you see what solid ground the Popes authority hath that it was confer'd by Christ on S. Peter and that it has been acknowledged by the holy Fathers Christian world in the Bishops of Rome his Successors Therefore you very rashly have reiected this authority which has been established confirmed by Christs special providence vnto this day but more wickedly do you call it an vsurped Tyranny and beleeve the Pope for vindicating and exercising the same authority to be the great Anti-Christ whereas you ought to acknowledge him to be the Vicar of Christ These who honour reverence the Authority of the Bishops of Rome of the Apostolique Sea follow the example of all the holy Fathers and auncient good Christians but these who now a dayes endeavour to dishonour and revile them have the Heretiques for their Predecessors who never caried good-will to them S. Augustin shewes that the Donatists called the Apostolique Sea the Chair of Pestilence but that is nothing to the Epithets of the Covenanting Ministers Who exâ—eed in railings and blasphemies all that ever spoke when they fall vpon this point making thereby the simple people beleeve that Anti-Christian article of their faith that the Pope is Anti-Christ But the holy Fathers tooke it for an vndoubted mark that these who did not acknowledge the Popes authority and were not of his Communion belonged not to Christ but to Anti-Christ S. Hierom writing to S Damasus saith who gathereth not with thee scattereth that is who it not Christs is Anti-Christs Having now seen that the Pope whom the Covenanters call malitiously Anti-Christ is the Vicar of Christ it remaines evident that his Authority is lawfull
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
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
it as the same Bellarmin affirmes against Calvins calumnies Secondly it is falsly called vncertain For albeit the Catholiques teach that no man without divine revelation can know the truth of his own repentance by the certainty of divine faith yet he mâ—y know it by a moral certainty ariseing from hope in the divine goodnesse according to that of S. Paul Rom. 8.14 we are saved by Hope which is sufficient to put mans mind in peace and tranquillity Then you as falsly detest the Catholique faith as generall and doubtsome For albeit the Catholiques bele ve not only all that God has reveal'd in geneâ—all but also every particular point yet you call their faith general and doubtsome because they will not beleeve that which God never reveal'd to witt your special faith or rather foolish fancie by which every one of you beleeves that your sins are forgiven and that you are of the number of the predestinate and by which you think to be iustifyed But the Catholiques have no reason to beleeve such a special faith because as it has been shewed above it is nothing but meer presumption and is condemned as a false faith a private fancie by a famous Protestant and it is so groundlesse doubtsome that it brings diverse among your selves who follow closely your principles into great perturbation of mind and some into desperation All which as also the truth and certainty of the Catholiques iustifying faith may be seen handled above in the matter of Iustification and particularly in the 17. Chapter page 183. and some few pages following After you have detested Confession and blamed the Catholiques for requireing so much Contrition now you detest Satisfaction and so you renounce all the three parts of the Sacrament of Penance but you do this with as little reason as you have done the rest For by Satisfactions the Catholiques vnderstand some laborious works such as Prayer A mesdeeds fasting which are offered vp to God in Satisfaction for the temporal punishment due to our sins after the guilt and eternal punishment are taken away by the Sacramental absolution which doctrine is most consonant to the Scripâ—ures holy Fathers That temporal punishment remaines due to sin after the eternal is remitted is most clear in the person of King David 2. Kings ch 12. v. 13. who after he had gote remission of his sins from God by the mouth of Nathan the Prophet was notwithstanding punished temporally with the death of his Son Aug. tract 124. in Ioan. This truth S. Augustin doth testifie saying A man is forced to suffer even after his sins are forgiven c. puniâ—hment doth hold a man temporally whom sin holds not guilty vnto eternal damnation That this temporall paine remaining after the guilt of sin is remitted may be redeemed by good works which are therefore called Satisfactions is also evident For Daniel said to the King Let me Counsell thee Daniel 4. ô King redeem thy sins with almes and thy iniquities with the mercies of the poore S. Iohn Baptist saith Doe fruits worthy of Penance S. Augustin vpon these words of the Psalme Luke 3.8 Cleanse me from my sin desires sinners to say with David No my Lord Aug in psal 50. my sin shall not be vnpunished it shall not be vnpunished but therefore I will not that thou punish it because I punish my own sin I passe by more testimonies for brevities sake It is sufficient to note that the Centurists confesse this was the doctrine practice of the auncient Church as may be seen Centurie 3. col 127. Neither is it any wonder that you who deny all good works are so great Enemies to Satisfactions or works of austerity You detest next the Popes Iustification by works but you might as well with your first Apostle Luther renounce the Iustification of S. Iames who teacheth the same in expresse termes saying Do you see that by works Iames 2. ch v. 24. a man is iustifyed and not by faith only But enough of this matter has been said above Then for opus operatum which you abiure it has bred some of your Ministers endlesse work for being often enquired they could never tell truly what it was but brought diverse ridiculous oftentimes contrary glosses or rather gesses on it which would be too tedious here to insert Whereby it is evident Iude v. 10. that they have blasphemed things as S. Iude speaks whereof they are ignorant and have made many thowsands do the same What the Catholique Doctors intend by opus operatum has been above shewed pag. 202. to witt that the Sacraments of the new Law doe conferre grace by the work wrought that is by the power of the Sacramental action instituted by Christ to that effect and not by the merit of the Minister or Receiver of the Sacraments which is a most certain truth as may be seen above explain'd and confirmed at more length This is a better work wrought then the work of your Covenant which has wrought much mischief in great Britain You are not content to renounce all works of duty which are commanded by denying the possibility of keeping the commandments vnlesse you renounce also works of more perfection not commanded but Counselled which the Catholiques call works of Supererogation That there are such works most laudable commendable albeit you detest them is evident by the Scriptures Fathers For Virginity is not a command but a Counsel and is more perfect then Matrimony Of this S. Paul giveth testimony saying As concerning Virgins a commandment of our Lord I have not but Counsel I give as having obtaynd mercy of our Lord to be faithfull 1. Cor. 7.25 where he also sheweth that he who maries doth well but he who maries not doth better ver â—8 The same also our Saviour shewes saying that there are Eunuches who have gelded themselves for the Kingdome of Heaven Again our Saviour shewes another Counsel Math. 19.12 or work of perfection when he said to the yong man in the Gospell If thou wilt be perfect Goe sell the things thou hast and give to the poore thou shall have treasure in Heaven Math. 19.21 To these two works of perfection is adioyn'd voluntary obedience as Christ himself shew by his voluntary subiection to the blessed Virgin and S. Ioseph He himself being the absolute Lord of them all things S. Luke 2.51 The holy Fathers are most clear for this doctrine S. Chrysostom saith Chrys in 1. ad Cor. c. 9. Some things Christ commandeth somethings he leaveth to our own free-will For he said not sell that thou hast but if thou wilt be perfect sell that thou hast c. And in his 18. homily of Penance he saith Multi ipsa superant mandata Aug. de Virginitate c. 30. Many goe beyond the very commandments S. Augustin also sheweth the difference between Commands Evangelical Counsels affirming that for not doing the first men are
for the space of 14. hundred years did professe the Catholique faith with so great piety and did propagate it abroad with so great glory zeal of which many Monuments are extant in forreign Nations should be now so blinded with Error and miscarried by passion against the truth that for the most part if it were in their power they are no lesse Zealous to extirpate it Baron tom 5. in supplem ad annum 429. The most famous Cardinal Baronius gives this excellent testimonie of the ancient Scottish Christians These saith he who received the Gospel first from Pope Victor and their first Bishop from Pope Celestin by whom they were all made Christians did profitt so much through the grace of Christ that they became the most excellent of all Christians and practising the Christian faith with great diligence by an Apostolical function did propagate it largely and gloriously among forreign remote Nations as we shall see in due place Thus Baronius It may please God in his own time to dispell the clouds of darknesse and Ministerial calumnies and make the light of truth appeare again vnto this Nation and turn their hearts vnto the right way from which they have gone very far astray And that this may be granted all ought to pray especially these whom God has called lately in this Nation vnto the knowledge of the truth With the concurrence of which desire I would make an end if the Renounciation of the Covenant shown by my Catholique friend to me and some other new Converted Catholiques wherein there is an Antithesis almost in every point between the Catholique and Presbyterian doctrine were not thought fitting to be here subioynd with which we shall conclude A RENOVNCIAtion of the Scottish Presbyterian Covenant or Confession of Faith WEE whom it hath pleased God of late to call mercyfully from the darknesse of Heresy vnto the admirable light of the holy Catholique faith doe professe that after a a The Catholiques long diligeÌ„t search may appeare by the former Trial whereas the Covenanters vsed neither long nor due examination of their consciences as may be seen above pag. 411. LONG and serious search for the Truth we are now b b Catholiques who relie vpon the immoveable Pillar and ground of Truth to Witt the holy Catholique Church which never changes are fully satisfyed and assured of the Truth But Heretiques who quite this solid ground and follow the Private Spirit which is very inconstant let them pretend what they please can never have full assurance which evidently appeares by their continual changes new pretended lights See above pa. 425. FVLLY satisfyed thereof by the c c Christ promised that the Spirit of Truth should remaine in his Church for ever teach her all Truth Iohn 14.16 Iohn 16.13 And yet it is strange that every new heretique without Scripture appropriats this Spirit to himself against Scripture Christs clear promise denys the holy Spirit to the whole Church The same may be said also of their vain pretext of the word of God See above pag. 423. 424. WORD and Spirit of God RESIDING constantly in the holy Catholique Church And therefore we beleeve and professe that this only is the true Religion without which it is impossible to please God which was of d d The true faith was revealed of old and from that time can never be hid But the Presbyterian faith has two contraâ—y qualities to witt it is now revealed and has lyen long hid as may be seen above p. 426. See also Math. 5.16.17 OLD mercyfully revealed by our blissed Saviour Iesus-Christ and by his holy Apostles through the preaching of the blessed Evangel which since that time has never lyeÌ„ HID but has ever shynd like a light set vpon a Candlestick And has been professed through All Ages in e e The true Church must be in all Nations as Esay foretells saying All Nations shall flow vnto it Esay 2.2 and Christ shew that repentance should be preached in his name vnto all Nations beginning at Hierusalem Luke 24.47 For this cause the true Church is called Catholique as being dispersed through All Nations as she is also Catholique for Time endureing in All Ages But Heresys are only in some few Nations or corners of the world and in these also they are not the same but full of diversity and contrariety which is manifestly verifyed of the Presbyterians Protestants See above ch 32. 34. All Christian Nations and particularly in the ancient Kingdome of Scotland as Gods f f As Gods Truth is Eternal so it cannot be hid Esay 62.6 But the Presbyterians pretended Eternal Truth has been too long hid Eternal and MOST KNOWN TRVTH the only ground of our Salvation as may be seen in the Catholique Confession of Faith approved and authorized by the g g The approbations of all General Councels which are governed by the holy Ghost and which do never revoke their determinations by which the Catholique faith is approved and confirmed are a much more solid authority to confirme the Catholique religion then are the earthly courts of changeing Parliaments to establish any sort of the Protestant Religion We know by experience that there are nothing more changeable then Acts of Parliament See pag. 430. Vniversal consent irrevocable Determinations of all the General Councels of the Christian world And has been not for the short space of 20. or hundred but for the h h The Scottish Nation was converted to the faith an Christi 203. Leslaeus de Reb. gestis Scot. l. 1. p. 114. which is above 1400. yeares agoe during which time it remaind coÌ„staÌ„t in the Catholique faith except a little of late This indeed may be called a long time but the Presbyterians long time is only 20 years as may be known by calculation and as yet it is not a hundred LONG time of 14. hundred years and above professed publickly not by one or two but by above i i Since the conversion of King Donald the first Christian King there are reckoned above 80. Catholique Kings of this Nation as may be seen in our Histories whereas the Presbyterians had only one King to witt King Iames the 6. who subscrybed their Covenant in his younger yeares which he also disproved thereafter in the Conference at Hampton-Court 80. KINGS of this Nation diverse of which are k k There were diverse of the Scottish Catholique Kings eminent for holynesse as S. william S. David S. Malcom and many more as may be seen in Camerarius lib. 3. de Scotorum pietate c. 4. where he reckons out also many great Saints of the Royal race as S. Rumoldus S. Fiacre S. Mathildis c. GLORIOVS SAINTS in Heaven and by the whole body of this Kingdome l l For the ancient piety and zeal of the Scottish Nation to propagate the Kingdome of Christ Baronius testimony cited at the latter end of the
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
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 Catholiques are solicitited by Sathan and the PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS To swear subscribe receive their Sacraments against the clear light of their Consciences for IVST FEARES of the Ministerial CONFISCATIONS and lossing of their Estates 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 We solemnly promise by the assistaÌ„ce of Gods grace that we shall never yeeld vnto such temptations nor be so ingrate after God has made the light of his truth to shine vnto vs who were living in the darknesse of Error as to abandon the Truth against our Consciences But rather shall continue constant in the profession of the same though it be with the losse of our Lives and Estates knowing that God Almighty is power full and Hoping that his goodnesse shall be willing to render vnto vs a hundred fold and life everlasting To which God of his infinit mercy bring vs. Amen THE PRESBYterian Covenant or Confession of Faith WEE all and every one of vs vnderwritten protest that after a a The Catholiques long diligeÌ„t search may appeare by the former Trial whereas the Covenanters vsed neither long nor due examination of their consciences as may be seen above pag. 411. LONG due examination of our own Consciences in matters of true false Religion we are now b b Catholiques who relie vpon the immoveable Pillar and ground of Truth to Witt the holy Catholique Church which never changes are fully satisfyed and assured of the Truth But Heretiques who quite this solid ground and follow the Private Spirit which is very inconstant let them pretend what they please can never have full assurance which evidently appeares by their continual changes new pretended lights See above pa. 425. THROVGHLY resolved of the Truth by the c c Christ promised that the Spirit of Truth should remaine in his Church for ever teach her all Truth Iohn 14.16 Iohn 16.13 And yet it is strange that every new heretique without Scripture appropriats this Spirit to himself against Scripture Christs clear promise denys the holy Spirit to the whole Church The same may be said also of their vain pretext of the word of God See above pag. 423. 424. word and Spirit of God And therefore we beleeve with our hearts confesse with our mouths subscribe with our hands and constantly affirme before God and the whole world that this only is the true Christian faith and Religion pleasing God and bringing Salvation to man which d d The true faith was revealed of old and from that time can never be hid But the Presbyterian faith has two contraâ—y qualities to witt it is now revealed and has lyen long hid as may be seen above p. 426. See also Math. 5.16.17 NOVV is by the mercy of God revealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed Evangel and received beleeved and defended by e e The true Church must be in all Nations as Esay foretells saying All Nations shall flow vnto it Esay 2.2 and Christ shew that repentance should be preached in his name vnto all Nations beginning at Hierusalem Luke 24.47 For this cause the true Church is called Catholique as being dispersed through All Nations as she is also Catholique for Time endureing in All Ages But Heresys are only in some few Nations or corners of the world and in these also they are not the same but full of diversity and contrariety which is manifestly verifyed of the Presbyterians Protestants See above ch 32. 34. Many notable Kirks Realmes but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland the Kings Maiesty and the three Estates of this Realme as Gods f f As Gods Truth is Eternal so it cannot be hid Esay 62.6 But the Presbyterians pretended Eternal Truth has been too long hid ETERNAL Truth and only ground of our Salvation As more particularly is confessed in the Confession of our Faith stablished and publickly confirmed by sundry g g The approbations of all General Councels which are governed by the holy Ghost and which do never revoke their determinations by which the Catholique faith is approved and confirmed are a much more solid authority to confirme the Catholique religion then are the earthly courts of changeing Parliaments to establish any sort of the Protestant Religion We know by experience that there are nothing more changeable then Acts of Parliament See pag. 430. Acts of Parliament And now of a h h The Scottish Nation was converted to the faith an Christi 203. Leslaeus de Reb. gestis Scot. l. 1. p. 114. which is above 1400. yeares agoe during which time it remaind coÌ„staÌ„t in the Catholique faith except a little of late This indeed may be called a long time but the Presbyterians long time is only 20 years as may be known by calculation and as yet it is not a hundred LONG time hath been openly professed by the i i Since the conversion of King Donald the first Christian King there are reckoned above 80. Catholique Kings of this Nation as may be seen in our Histories whereas the Presbyterians had only one King to witt King Iames the 6. who subscrybed their Covenant in his younger yeares which he also disproved thereafter in the Conference at Hampton-Court Kings Maiesty and whole body of this Realme both in Burgh and Land To the which Confession and forme of Religion wee 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. VVILLINGLY agree 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 VNDOVBTED Truth and Verity grounded only vpon his VVRITTEN word And therefore we abhorre and detest all contrarie Religion Doctrin But chiefly all kind of PAPISTRY in general and particular heads even as they are now damned and confuted by the
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. BLASPHEMOVS PRIESTHOOD q His PROFANE Sacrifice for the sins of the dead and the quick His r r They detest the Catholique Church for Canonizing of Saints and yet themselvs did Saint Covenanting sinners above p. 479 CANONIZATION of men 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 His CALLING vpon Angels and t t Calvin doth honour S. Catharine and S. Christofer with the name of Monsters lib de vera Refor Ecclesiae S. George and S. Hippolitus with the name of Masques ibâ—d 3. Instit c. 20. par 24. 25. 27. S. Dominike with Hangman lib. de reform Eccles S. Medard and others with Beast ibidem And Luther durst affirm that Moyses his wisdome was hypocrisie and that S. Iames did deate Luth. in Psal 45. in cap. 22. Genes Saints departed WORSHIPING of Images Reliques and Crosses DEDICATING of Kirks Altars Dayes Vowes to CREATVRES 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. His PVRGATORY z z See the charitable custome of praying for the faithfull departed observed by the Primitive Church p. 491. which charity the Presbyterians want PRAYER for 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 or speaking in a STRANGE LANGVAGE with his 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 PROCESSIONS 3 3 They blaspheme the holy Litanies which S Basil calls the Oracles of the holy Spirit as may be seen above p. 494. BLASPHEMOVS Litanies and 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. Multitude of Advocats or Mediators 5 5 Their confusions dissensions are very notorious and may be seen above ch 3. His Manyfold ORDERS 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 AVRICVLAR Confession 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. His DESPERATE and vncertain 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 His GENERALL and doubtsome 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. His SATISFACTIONS of men for their sins 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. His Iustification by WORKS u How all Heretiques Idolatrize their own Errors as S. Hierom affirmes may be seen above p. 420. how the Presbyterians did Idolatrize their Covnant may be also seen there And it is notoriously known how they break abuse Holy Images Crosses and Reliques x The Barbarians or profest Enemies of Christ could hardly have made more havock and destruction then our first Scottish Reformers have made of so many Excellent Churches and religious houses in Scotland which were great Monuments and Ornaments of the Nation And now the poore Churches which they have built are not dedicated vnto the Creator 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. OPVS OPERATVM 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 VVorks of SVPEREROGATION 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. MERITS 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. PARDONS 15 Peregrinations and 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. STATIONS 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. His HOLY Water 18 18 See above how at the beginning of their pretended Reformation they vnhallowed many Bells p.
the principal article of their religion that man is iustifyed by faith only which is clearly against the word of God which saith in expresse tearmes Man is not iustifyed by faith only Iames 2.24 They beleeve that the Commandments are impossible to be kept Which is against the word of God which affirmeth that Gods Commandments are not grievous 1. Iohn 5.3 and that Zachary Elizabeth did keep them They beleeve that the Eucharist is not the body and blood of Iesus Christ Luke 1 6. which is directly against the Scripture which affirmeth It is his body and blood and that with such words as design the true body true blood Therefore it is evident that they cannot be perswaded of the truth of their religion by the Word of God seing the principal articles of their religion are so clearly against the word of God Yea before their religion can be true the most clear truth in all the Scriptures must be false to witt the perpetuity of the Church of Christ For their whole religion is founded vpon that supposition that the whole Church of Christ had become Anti-Christian and had perished for a long time before Luther Then which nothing can be more against the word of God as we have seen above Neither have the Covenanters any other refuge to shun these contradictions between their beleef and the Scriptures but to fly vnto tropes figures and pretend that these places of Scripture must be vnderstood figuratively which is the very fraude that was vsed by the auncient heretiques So soone Aug. lib 3. de doct Christian 6.10 saith S. Augustin as any Error doth prepossesse their mynds they esteem all to be figures which the Scripture saith to the contrary Yea they must bring senses iust contrary vnto the words of the Scriptures as for example the Scripture saith Man is not iustifyed by faith only which according to their beleef must be vnderstood as if the Scripture said Man is iustifyed by faith only which it nowhere saith Therefore if men can be perswaded by the Scripture to beleeve such things as are contrary to the expresse words of Scripture the Covenanters are perswaded by the Scripture of the truth of their religion otherwise they are not but rather perswaded to the contrary Secondly they come as small speed of their pretext of the Spirit of God For first they can bring no more ground for it then all sects do that is their own bare words and therefore they ought not to be beleeved more then others Secondly They cannot be perswaded by the Spirit of God who oppose the Catholique Church which according to Christs promise is ever directed by the Spirit of Truth S. Iohn who adviseth vs wisely not to beleeve every Spirit but to prove the Spirits if they be of God gives this Touch-stone by which they may be tryed He that knoweth God 1. Iohn c. 4. v. 6. saith he knoweth vs and he that is not of God knoweth vs not In this we know the Spirit of Truth and of Error This same Touch-stone has held in all succeding generations For these who would not beleeve the Catholique Church and the Pastors thereof succeeding vnto the Apostles although they bragged never so much of the Spirit of God were instantly seen to be misled by the Spirit of Error and were condemned as heretiques who with insolent folly would appropriat the Spirit of God vnto every one of their own giddie heads and yet deny it to the whole Catholique Church against the clear Scriptures The same holds against Calvin his descendents the Presbyterian Covenanters Thirdly They cannot have the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of Vnity who have mingled among them the Spirit of giddinesse and Contrariety by which their Erroneous Spirit is discovered now even to the most simple among the people Lastly the Covenanters falsly pretend that they are fully perswaded of the truth of their religion For if they had full assurance of it they would not make so many changes in it and besides their Director is very vnconstant for what is more changeable then the privat Spirit Having seen now said the Catholique the Covenanters vain false pretence of the word and Spirit of God we will briefly run through the description of their religion and to spare paines of often repeating their names we will turn our speech to them First you say that your faith religion is the only true faith religion pleasing God and bringing Salvation to man If this were true the world for many ages had been in a pittifull condition For about the space of a thowsand or 12. hundred yeares your faith religion were not known and so all that time there had been no means of salvation By which device you not only controule the clear Scriptures but also show your selvs enemies to the Glory of Christ to the riches of his Grace and to the perpetuity of his Kingdome yea and to the very good of Man And lastly you oppose most famous Protestants who acknowledge Salvation was had in the Roman Church before Luther and may be had now after him in so much that King Iames in his speech to the Parlament 1605. sharply censures you for this cruel opinion We confes saith he that many Papists especially our Ancestors c. may be saved and often are saved detesting in this parte and iudging worthy of fire the cruelty of Puritans who yeeld Salvation to no Papist Secondly you describe your religion further saying that it is now reveald to the world by the preaching of the Evangel But that is rather a mark of the false then of the true religion For the true Christian faith was reveald of old by Christ his holy Apostles and from that time could never be hid But your Presbyterian faith has iust two contrary qualities to witt it is now reveal'd and has lyen long hid S. Vincentius Lyrinensis sheweth the nature of your faith by describing the doctrine of the auncient Heretiques What do they propose saith he Vincent Lyr. cont haeres c. 12. but new and vnheard doctrines For you shall heare some of them say Come ô you vnwise miserable men who are commonly called Catholiques learn the true faith which besides vs none knoweth which has lyen hidd many ages but now is lately revealed and manifested Neither doth it a white availe you that you call your faith the Gospel and the revealing of your faith the preaching of the Gospel For so all heretiques call their greatest Errors the Gospel of Christ S. Hierom saith wisely that the Gospel of God Hieron 1. ad Galat. by a false interpretation becames the Evangel of man or which is woâ—se the Evangel of the Devil So there still remaines a great question about the truth of your preaching which is nothing but your privat interpretation Thirdly to make your faith more commendable you pretend that it is both auncient Vniversal You