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
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
words of Christs institution ought to be litterally vnderstood he concludes in these words Ibidem fol. 90. Horrible therefore and detestable is the malice of the Sacramentaries that this so clear a word they do perversly interprete and change into significations tropes and figures Melanch in lib de verit corp Christi in Sacram Melanchton also saith that these words of Christ This is my body fulmina erunt they shall be thunderbolts against those who deny the beleef of Christ true body in the Sacrament Thus we have seen what iudgment Luther and his followers have of the Zuinglians Calvinists for their negative belief of the real presence Neither is the iudgment of the Zuinglians and Calvinists much better of the others for their beleef of the reall presence by Consubstantiation Zuinglius speaking to this purpose of Luther saith Zuingl tom 2. respons ad Confess Lutheri f. 478. Tigurini tract 3. cont Confes Luth. p. 61. Cal in admonit vlt. ad Vvestphal tom 7. p. 829. Idem cont Hes husium Behold how Satan endeavoures to possesse wholly that man And his Tigurin Schollers speak yet more clearly Luther calleth vs say they a damned execrable sect but let him take heed least he shew himself as an heretique who will not or cannot communicate with these who do professe Christ How clearly doth Luther here shew himself to have a Devil How many filthy things breathing all the Devils of hell doth he belsh forth c. Calvin saith We affirm that they to witt the Lutherans do speak and think more grosly of the corporal presence then the Papists And in another place he saith speaking of the Eucharist I have shewed a long time ago that the Papists are a little more modest and sober in their raveries then they Beza affirmeth that we cannot insist vpon the letter of these words of Christ this is my body but Papistical Transubstantiation is established And again Either transubstantiation is to be established tom 7. p. 844. Beza de Coena Domini cont Vvestph◠p. 215. p. 216 217. or a figure Thus we see how these first Apostles of Protestants like the builders of Babilon are divided in so important an article of the Christian faith The beleef of Zinglius and Calvin in this matter is heresy blasphemy to Luther his Schollers And Luthers faith to Calvin is a meer raverie more insuportable then the Popish transubstantiation If this dissenssion was so great at the beginning how great must it be now in the progresse How can these men be true Apostles who disagreed so manifestly bitterly in such a necessarie princicipal point of the Christian religion Or what assurance can any man have who followeth such vnsure Guides To conclude this point I could hardly desire greater satifaction for the Catholique belief of the real presence then by Gods grace I found to witt expresse Scriptures the holy Fathers vniuersal Church famous miracles the light of reason grounded vpon the goodnesse and wisdome of Christ whereas for the Presbyterian opinion which is an ancient heresie is condemned by the Lutherans as a blasphemie I found we had no Scriptures but were enforced to flie from the clear words of it to tropes figures to some shallow carnal reasons against the Scripture omnipotency of God which reasons I saw clearly answered in the Catholique writers and as a Catholique shew me more strong reasons have been brought by Pagans some heretiques against the mysterie of the Trinitie Incarnation I perceived also that the Presbyterians involved their opinion in such obscurities that by their words one might collect they beleeved both a real presence a real absence and they made vse of either as the time required and that the most part of them did not know and could not tell what they beleeved But at length when the best of them were well sifted all ended in this that Christs body was only in the heavens neither was it possible to be in the Sacrament nor in two places at once And so their pretended real presence proved indeed to be a real absence In a word I found that the Presbyterians by taking away the real body of Christ from this Sacrament and giving vs an emptie figure do really take away the substance of this Sacrament and so destroy it as they had done before to baptism by denying both the vertue and necessitie of it And therefore in effect they have destroied both these Sacraments which they would seem to have left Their doctrin which denyes the Sacraments to conferre grace shewes that they esteem them graclesse and their seldom vseing of them especially of the Eucharist manifests that they think them vselesse or fruiltlesse Both which errours S. Augustin refuteth by these two excellent sentences Aug. qu 84. in Leuit. Idem lib. 19. cont Faust c. 11. Without the grace saith he of invisible Sanctification for what vse serve the visible Sacraments And again The vertue of the Sacraments vnspeakably availeth much and therefore it being contemned makes men sacrilegious For that is impiously contemned without which piety is not perfited CHAP. XXII Some Reflections vpon both the pretended Scottish Reformations HAVING found aboundant satisfaction for the truth of the Catholique doctrin in the points lately tryed I did freely acknowledge to the Catholique by whose advice and assistance I had made this last Trial of our first Reformation that I did not only see the truth to be vpon the Catholiques side but also that I perceived a notable difference between the sublimity of the Catholique doctrin and the lownesse of Presbyterian opinions especially concerning rhe holy Sacraments and particularly the Eucharist Wherevpon he took occasion to shew me that there is indeed such a notable difference between the doctrines of the true Church all heretical opiniōs s that as some of the ancient Fathers cōpare iustly heretiques to the prodigal child who left his Fathers house so they fitly parallel their doctrines to the husks where with he was fed For thus speaketh S. Gregory Nyssen A fugitive from the faith went into a far Countrey and divided his Fathers goods into two halfes Greg Nyss orat in suam ordinat whilst he threw down sublime doctrines to base Swinish opinions and wasted his riches with whoorish heresies For heresy is a harlot which with pleasures as with deceits draweth many vnto her So one who leaves the Catholique Church that rich house of his heavenly father leaves also the heavenly bread of Christs precious body wherewith his children are nourished and feasted and going astray vnto Calvins Congregation finds nothing but an empty drie Calvinistical supper having nothing divine no iuice in it but bare signes figures which contayn lesse then Manna or the shew bread of the ancient table He leaves also the other sublime doctrines concerning the Sacraments as how they conferre sanctifying grace purge the soule from sin
how much lesse can they as they are now being in many places hard and obscure These Protestants who reiect all but Scripture would make Christ to have been the most imprudent Lawgiver that ever was in ths world to have left vs only a written law or a book in many things very obscure and expose it to every man to scance vpon without assigning an Interpreter who could give vs full assurance of the true sense of it That way would never bring men to the sure knowledge of Christs doctrine and the true sense of his law but would make all things vncertain and bring in a confusion more worthy of Babel then of the house of God But his divine wisdom hath otherwise provyded We haue seen then said the Catholique that the testimony of all Christians in every generation is the only sure infallible way Now we shall see that it is the most easy vniversal way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge of what Christ his Apostles taught For what is more easy then to hear a continued testimony of Pastors people who constantly depose that this is the doctrin which they have receiued from their Forefathers what can be more easy then to open our eys and see the practise of all Christians No man of sense will deny if the true doctrin can be surely known hereby but it is a much mor easy way then by the Scriptures which are so hard and obscure or by any written word although never so cleer And it is also evident that it is more vniversal for the Scriptures are only for those who can read and vnderstand them but this serues for all sortes of persons learned or vnlearned these who can read or cannot and even for the meanest capacities This was certainly the meaning of God when he promised vnder the Gospel a direct way so that fooles cannot erre by it Therefore this being so sure Esay 35.8 so easy so vniversal a way the wisdom goodnesse of God who disposeth all things wisely and sweetely has made vse of it This may be yet further illustrated and confirmed by the manner how the Christian religion was planted First the Apostles stayd long in one place that they might diligently inculcate the Christian doctrin as S. Paul said to the Ephesians Acts 20 27.31 I haue not spared to declare vnto you all the Counsell of God c. For three years night day I ceased not with teares to warn every one c. Secondly the Apostles earnestly exhorted their disciples to keep carefully what they had received 2. Timoth 2.2 Galat. 1.9 to entrust it vnto faithfull witnesses and not to admit any doctrin contrary to that which they had received not although an Angel from heauen should preach otherwise Thirdly The mysteries of the Christian religion were not only sensibly taught to the eare but they were rendred visible to the sight by the â—ractise devotion of the Christian people Fourthly The Christian religion was planted at once in many diverse nations Therefore it was easy for the primitive Christians to know what was the Apostles doctrin which they had heard so often beaten into their eares which they saw practised with their eys and which was profest through out the whole word and great reason had they not to receive any doctrin contrary to it It was also easy for them to discern hold out all new false doctrins For although some would pretend never so much the Scriptures against the publique doctrin of the Church yet the ancient Christians knowing certainly that the Scriptures are not contrary to the doctrin which the Apostles had clearly delivered by lively voice and publickly establish'd in the Church they vnderstood the Scriptures according to the clear rule of faith left by the Apostles They did not vpon pretext of contrariety between the doctrin of the Church the Scriptures abandon the Apostles clear lively doctrin vniversally establisht and follow a new glosse of their writings contrary to it which had been indeed grosse follie and directly against the Apostles command in the Scriptures as has been shown And as this was an easy way in the first ages to know the truth and to discern error so it has been in the succeeding ages For the rule of faith ought to be immoveable as the faith it self is God himself promiseth the continuance of this easy way when he said by Esay Esay 59.21 My Spirit which is in thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed for ever And again Vpon thy walls ô Ierusalem Esay 62.6 I haue appointed watchmen all the day all the night c. The Scripture directs vs to this way Deuter. 32.7 Remember the dayes of old saith Moyses Consider euery Generation ask thy Father and he will show thee thy Elders they will tell thee God himself saith in Ieremy Ieremie 6.16 stand you in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and you shall find Rest to your soules Because many leave this old good way we see they change many wayes and can find no rest and never will vntill they return again to the old good way which they foolishly abandoned Christ directs vs to this way Math. 18.17 when he saith Tell the Church and who heares you heares me c. The holy Fathers followed this way S. Augustin shewes that this is the way to put an end to all doubts to attayn vnto the truth to be at rest which he knew by his own experience Aug. de vtilitate cred cap. 8. If thou seeme to thy self saith he to have been already sufficiently tossed and would make an end of these labours paines Follow the way of the Catholique Disciplin which has proceeded from Christ by his Apostles even vnto vs and from hence shall descend and be conveighed vnto posterity Tertullian affirmes there is no other way to know the Apostles doctrin Tertull. de praescrip c. 21. What the Apostles taught saith he I will prescribe ought no otherwise to be proued then by these Churches which the Apostles founded And that we must begin with the testimony of the Church in the time wherein we live to ascend by every generation vnto the ancient Church and so to the very mouth of Christ his Apostles the same Tertullian shewes who makes this ladder of belief Tert. de praes c. 21. What I believe I receiued from the present Church the present Church from the Primitive the Primitive from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ c. According to this tradition the holy Fathers did vnderstand the Scriptures Vincent Lyr. cont heres c. 1. S. Vincentius Lyrinensis shewes the necessity of this rule to avoid the turnings and windings of diverse errors where he cites and commends the following words of
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
against his brother and every one against his neighbour citie against citie and Kingdome against Kingdome S. Augustin saith it is the iust iudgment of God Aug lib. de agone Christi c 29. lib 1. de bapt c 6. that those who seek nothing else but to divide the Church should themselves be miserably divided And so he shewes how the Donatists were cut into small threds S. Chrysostom affirmes that the sin of dividing the Church is so great that nothing doth so provoke the anger of God So that when we have done all other manner of good Chrysâ—st hom 11. in ep ad Ephes we deserve no lesse severe punishment for dividing the Vnity fulnesse of the Church then those who pierced divided Christs own body Salomon saith that there are six things which our Lord hates Proverb 6.16.19 and the seventh is abomination to him which is He who soweth discord among brethren How much then must he hate and abhorre those who sow discord in his Church which is his body and his spouse for which he died and for the Vnity whereof he so ardently prayed And therefore it 's no wonder to see the curse of division fall ever among them And as this division and contrariety ariseth naturally from their principall doctrin the ground of all the rest besides Gods iudgment on them so they have no way to take it away when it doth arise For albeit they pretend the word of God to be their Iugde of Controversies to which they promise all obedience yet this Iudge could never hitherto end any controversy among them and indeed it is not the word but the sword which decides all their Controversies The iust contrary is in the Catholique Church For albeit all heresies and sects do first arise out from her 1. Cor. 11.19 as the Apostle saith There must be heresies and S. Iohn affirmeth They went out from vs but were not of vs yet they do not arise from the nature of the Churches doctrin or from her principles which are constant immoveable all tending to Vnity but from the malice of the Devil And when they arise the Church loseth not her Vnity thereby For if these coyners or followers of new doctrines do not submit themselvs to the iudgment of the Church they are iudicially cutt off from that body from which they first cut themselvs by misbeleef and by this means the rest of the body is preserved entire and at Vnity within it self So that when any question ariseth the Church has a solid way to take away all Controversie and to preserve Vnity But the Protestants principles tend to division and they have no means to take it away as has been shewed Since then it is so evident by the Scripture that the Church of Christ must have Vnity it is no lesse evident that that cannot be the true Church which wants Vnity and is full of Dissensions Divisions as the Protestant Church appeares now evidently to be even to the weakest vnderstandings by her great Schismes and divisions both in doctrin government And therefore he who believes a Church of so great division or confusion to be the true Church cannot be said to follow the Scriptures but rather to controul them and to follow his own fancies Whereas the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome by her admirable Vnity both in doctrin disciplin all the world over even to the least article or point of faith may be easily seen to be the true Church of Christ which was founded by him and he by the same Vnity may be known to be the true Messias who was sent from heaven CHAP. XXXIII The true Church proved by her holynesse THE second mark whereby the true Church is described in the Nicen Creed is Holynesse I beleeve One holy c. Church which property is also assign'd to her in the Apostles Creed I beleeve the holy Catholique Church Besides these authorities the very light of Nature and the Scripture show that the true Church ought to be holy For this being a society of people ordain'd by God for a most holy end to witt to enioy himself who is the Holy of Holies for all eternity must have holynesse of doctrin to direct them and holynesse of life to bring them to so holy an end This the Prophet David sheweth Psal 92 vers vlt saying Holynesse becometh thine house O Lord for ever S. Paul saith that Christ delivered himself fâ—r his Church that he might sanctifie it c. that he might present it to himself Ephes 5.26.27 a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it may be holy and vnspotted It is evident then by the â—reed by the light of Nature and by the Scriptures that the true Church must be Holy And the holynesse of it for our present purpose consists principally in two things to wit in holynesse of doctrine holynesse of life Therefore that Church which teacheth impious doctrin and wherein there is little or no holynesse of life cannot be the true Church Let vs then briefly see to which Church whither to the Protestant or to the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome this mark of Holynesse doth best agree First concerning doctrin I find that the first Apostles of Protestants teach doctrin directly repugnant to the goodnesse of God to the Nature of man to the holynesse of the Christian Sacraments to the observation of Gods commandments besides many other particulars Calvin the great Foundatour of Pressbytery teaches that God is the Author of sin for thus he writeth Cal lib. 1. instit cap. 18 par 3. Now I have clearly enough shewed that God is called the Author of all these things which these Controwlers to witt the Papists will have to fall forth by his idle permission onely And such things which according to Catholiques God willeth not but only permits are sins of which Calvin there speaks as of the blindnesse and tyranny of Achab of the incest of Absalon and the like of which he calls God the Author Again he saith Man by the iust impulsion of God Ibid par 4. doth that which is not lawfull for him to do And of Pharao he saith Deus voluit vtique illum iussui suo non obtemperare immo vt ei repugnaret In Rom. pc 454. ipse in eo effecit God willed him not to obey his Commandment yea he himself wrought that in him that he might disobey it Many more places are collected by Becan in a Treatise which he wrote on this subiect de Authore peccati Where he cites diverse testimonies of Beza and other Protestant Authors to the same purpose Now that this is an impious opinion and against the very clear light of nature is evident For all men conceive by natural instinct that God is not only good in himself but also goodnesse it self the Author and fountain of all goodnesse But
fruitfull in produceing Saints But the Protestant Church teacheth doctrines which tend to prophanesse to the neglect of piety of all good works and she is so barren in produceing Saints that she professeth to bring forth none but those who continually or dayly break mortally Gods Commandments The true Church according to the Scriptures must be Catholique or Vniversal and must convert all Nations from infidelity to Christianity But the Protestant Church is only in parts pettie corners of the earth and has never as yet converted any Nation of Infidels but according to the nature of heresy has only perverted some ill Catholiques The true Church must ever have true Pastors lawfully called and ordained deriving their Succession by an vninterrupted line from the holy Apostles But the Protestant Churches first Pastors succeeded to none and without any lawfull Vocation ordination did intrude themselves by Vsurpation into the Pastoral office as all their successors have done The true Church adheres so closly to the truth that she is called in the Scriptures The pillar ground of truth 1. Timoth 3.15 But the Protestant Church is so inconstant passing from one falshood into another that she may be called the Pillar ground of Error The true Church according to Christs promise is ever directed by the Spirit of truth into all truth But the Protestant Church is misgoverned by the Spirit of giddinesse as is known by fresh experience These considerations besides others make me see the great darknesse wherein I lay and have made me to admire of my former blindnesse that I reading so frequently the Scriptures did not see the monstrous difference which is between the Church of Christ there so clearly described and the Protestant Church to which not one propertie of the true Church contain'd in the Scriptures doth agree This shew me how necessary it is to read the Scriptures with attention and to implore the Divine Maiesty for spirituall illumination without which darknesse will seem light and light darknesse But in the holy Catholique Church I found not only promise but also perforformance of truth I found her faith to be more pretious then gold which is tried by the fire as S. Peter speaks 1. Pet. 1.7 which after greatest opposition and triall doth ever shine more brightly I found in this Church clearly fulfilled all the Prophesies and that to her do agree all the properties of the true Church described in the Scriptures For this is the Church which alone has endured since the time of the Apostles This is the Church which as a Citie seated on a hill could never be hid but as a Candle set vpon a Candlestick hath enlightned the whole world This is the Church which has been admirable for its Vnity and eminent for its sanctity replenishing the heaven with innumerable Saints who have all lived and died in the bosome of her Communion This is the Church which is Vniversal for time place which has had her gates continually open night and day to receive the strength of the Gentils which she alone has converted from infidelity to Christianity This is the Church which has had a continued succession of Pastors descending without interruption from the holy Apostles This is the Church which adheres so closely to the faith she once received that she would never part from it nor yield in one syllabe or letter neither to Heathnish cruelty nor to heretical impiety and which neither force nor flatterie could ever shake so that she may be iustly called the Pillar ground of Veritie This Church is the chast Virgin Spouse of Christ which has been ever falsly accused as an Adulteresse by all Heretical Strumpets and has been even overloaden with their Calumnies but she has alwayes adhered vnto her heavenly spouse who in his own time has manifested her innocencie and brought confusion on her Enemies And in a word this is the Church which is admirable for its order and government for its supreme authority and invincible strength for its heavenly doctrin and great holynesse and lastly for her power of working miracles What then can I do more fitly then after so great darknesse to embrace so clear a light after so many dangerous errors and wandrings to put my self in the direct way of Salvation and incorporat my self without delay into this one holy Catholique Apostolique Church wherein all the holy Fathers all the Saints have liv'd and dyed What can I vse more properly then the words of S. Augustin who saith to this purpose since we see so great help of God Aug. dt vâ—il credendi c. 17. so great profit and fruite shall we make any doubt at all to retire vnto the bosome of that Church which from the Apostolique Sea by succession of Bishops has obtaind the Soveraign authority heretiques in vain barking round about it c. To which not to yield the Primacy is either a matter of greatest impiety or of precipitat arrogancy The same Motives which held S. Augustin within the Catholique Church have drawn me vnto it To witt Idem cont epist fund c. 4. the Consent of People and Nations Authority begun by Miracles nourished by Hope enlarged by Charity and Confirmed by Antiquity The Succession of Priests from the Seat of Peter vnto the present Bishoprick And last of all the very name Catholique which not without cause this Church has only obtaind among so many Heresies Iohn 1.41 Iohn 4.29 As then S. Andrew and the Woman of Samaria were glad when they found the Messias foretould by the Prophets because they were sure to find with him all truth So am I no lesse overioyed to have found the true Church foretould and clearly described by the Messias for with her I am sure to find all truth since she is the Pillar and ground of Truth and Christ has promised to her the Spirit of truth to remain with her for ever to lead her into all truth As the Apostles believed Christ for the voice of God the Father who said Mark 9.7 Luke 10.16 This is my beloved Son heare him so I believe the Church for the voice of God the Son who said Who heares you heares me and who despiseth yow despiseth me Math. 18.19 and who will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen a Publican And as the holy Apostles did believe Christ in all things because he received all from his father so I believe the Catholique Church in all points because she has received all her doctrines from Christ his Apostles and has faithfully retaind them This Catholique Church is she alone which Lactan. lib. 4. divinar Instit c. vlt. as an auncient Father writeth retaines the true worship This is the fountain of truth and House of Faith This is the Temple of God into which if one do not enter or from which if one go astray he is a stranger from the hope of life
they made some vpon indifferent things as to abstaine from things strangled and from blood giving them out in the name of the holy Ghost and commanding them to be kept by the first Christians which Lawes albeit they restrain'd libertie yet they were not against Christian libertie which cōsists principally in three things to witt in freedome from the slavery of sin in freedome from the fear servitude of the Moral Law by receiving the gift of Charity through Christs grace whereby we willingly and ioyfully-fullfill the Law and lastly in freedome from the bondage of the Iewish Ceremonial Law which S. Peter calls a heavie yoak These are the liberties wherewith Christ has made vs free as was shown me at more length and are not as the Covenanters do imagine a libertie to do what every man lists or to be vnder no obedience of Spiritual or Temporal Lawes Against which licentious libertie S. Peter gives warning in these words Be subiect vnto every humane Creature for God 1. Pet. 2.13 c. as free and not as having freedome for a cloke of malice And S. Paul to the Galatians You are called brethren into libertie Gal. 5.13 only make not this libertie an occasion to the flesh c. Now all the Lawes of the Catholique Church against which the Ministers make heaviest complaints as about lentfasting abstinence from flesh on frydayes the single life of Church men and the like may be easily shown to have been observed in the primitive times to be most iust nowayes Tyrannous or against our Christian libertie but that they rather tend vnto Christian perfection which is the greatest libertie of a Christian and that the Ministers who speak so much against these holy Lawes make their libertie as S. Paul speaks an occasion to the flesh or as S. Peter saith a cloke of malice But it would indeed seem very strange if it were not so ordinary among you that yourselves do such things without all authority which you blame in the Catholique Church vnto which Christ has given so great authority For have not you dureing the space of some few years heaped vp more Lawes and decrees in your Assemblies then exceed all the body of the Canon Law And yet you cannot deny but the most part of these Lawes is made vpon indifferent things and some of them in the Iudgment of many Protestants vpon false things as your Lawes for swearing subscribing the Covenant You pretend much Christian libertie which you promised to the people but indeed you kept them in more then Iewish slaverie For to passe by many other instances you would not suffer the people vpon Sundayes after they had been much wearied hearing both your long some Sermons prayers to be seen on the streets or to go and recreat themselves in the fields which truly was greater then a Iudaïcal servitude The Catholiques find the yoak of Christ sweet and the Lawes of his Church their loving Mother not heavie But many Protestants find the yoak of your Presbytery which they esteem a cruel step-mother to be very bitter and think your Lawes not only against their Christian libertie but also insupportable Now we come to your other heavy accusations against the Catholique Church which for brevities sake we must only touch Yow accuse her doctrin as Erroneous against the sufficiency of the written word But without all reason For she teacheth that the written word is sufficient in this sense that it containes immediatly the substance of our faith all the articles necessary necessitate medij for mans Salvation and also it containes mediatly all that we are to beleeve in that it remits vs to the Church which it assureth vs is governed by the holy Ghost in all truth Whence it evidently followeth that we draw that truth out of the scriptures which we draw out of the mouth of the Church for whosoever deputes an other to speak for him speaks mediatly by his mouth So S. Augustin reasoneth Aug. lib. 1. cont Cres c. 33. Albeit saith he we can produce no example of Scripture concerning this matter yet hold we the truth of the same Scripture seing we do that which is conformable to the Vniversal Church which the authority of the same Scripture commends vnto vs. And in this sense the written word is most sufficient But it is not sufficient in the common sense of heretiques who will have the dead letter of the Scripture to be sufficient without having recourse to the Catholique Church for the true sense of it and who will have nothing to be beleeved but what is formally expresly containd in it For that is directly against the Scriptures themselvs which referre vs to the Church and bid vs stand fast and hold the Traditions That is also against the doctrin of the auncient Fathers S. Chrysostome saith Chrys on 2. Thess 2. It is evident that the Apostles did not deliver all things by writing but many things without and those be as worthy credit as the others Epiphanius saith to the same purpose We must vse Traditions Epiph. hares 61. for the Scriptures have not all things That is contrary to the practice of the Covenanters who beleeve somethings without Scripture and diverse points against it as we have seen above And lastly it has furnished weapons to the Socinians and Anabaptists to fight against the Presbyterians who now by experience are become more wise then at the beginning For in their new Confession of faith at Westminster Confess West 6.1 art 6. they say That the whole Counsel of God concerning all things necessary to Salvation is either expresly set down in Scripture or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture So that the Scripture which was before sufficient without Church and Traditions is now not sufficient to Salvation without Logique and Consequences which doctrin makes them fall into another grosse folly to quite the Church the pillar and ground of Truth and have recourse to Philosophie and fallible consequences wherein these new sects are not behind with them but by the same principle do vndermine them You next accuse the Catholique Church of erroneous doctrin against the perfection of the Law the office of Christ and of his Evangel But you do not make good your accusations neither show yow wherein these pretended Errors do consist Yet it may be easily shown that your accusations are false and that your selves are guilty of the same crimes For the Catholique Church teacheth that the Law of Christ is most perfect and that the very substance of perfection consists in keeping it and that none can be perfect without fulfilling it And albeit it be true that she teacheth there be some Evangelical Counsels which make a man more perfect then the precise keeping of the Law yet that doctrin is nothing against the perfection of the Law For this was the doctrin of Christ of S. Paul and of the holy Fathers Our Saviour having said
to the young man in the Gospel If thou wilt enter into life Math. 19 18.21 1 Cor. 7.38 keep the Commandments and receiving answer that he had kept them all adioynd if thou wilt be perfect sell that thou hast and give it to the poore S. Paul also saith Who maries doth well but who maries not doth better S. Augustin vpon our Saviours former words saith Our good Master distinguished the Commandments of the Law Aug. epist 89. ad Hila. from this more excellent perfection For there he said If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments and here if thou wilt be perfect sell all By which it may appeare that the doctrin of the Catholique Church in this matter being the same that Christ his blessed Apostle the holy Fathers taught is not against the perfection of the Law And the same may be made good also by the light of reason For every thing is perfect when it has perfection in its own degre and so the Catholique Church teacheth that the Law of Christ is most perfect in the nature of a Law that no Law can be more perfect and that perfection consists essentially in keeping it Which nowayes hinders but that there may be some works not commanded but Counseled which may be prefer'd in perfection to some works commanded and so some Counsels may be called more perfect then the Commandments which are about the same matter As for example it is more perfect to sell all for the Love of God which is only a Counsel then not to steal which is a precept As it is also more perfect to keep chastity then to marie and not commit adulterie Again there are some Counsels more perfect then any of the Commandments not in regard of the external work but of the internal charity which they presuppose and to which they lead For it presupposeth a greater degree of perfection charity to renounce all riches pleasures which are otherwise lawfull for the Love of God then to equal and prefer nothing to God which is commanded Therefore as the Catholique Church is free of Erroneous doctrin against the perfection of the Law so we may iustly inferre that your doctrin which teacheth the Law is impossible to be kept is most erroneous against the very end and perfection of the Law since it was made for that end to be kept and it robs men also of all perfection which cannot be had without keeping the Law Then for your other accusations about the office of Christ the Evangel albeit you strive by such words to affright the people making them beleeve that the Pope the Catholique Church are sworn Enemies to Christ his Gospel yet it is well enough known that Christ and his Gospel are more honoured in the Catholique Church then among all the sects of the world For it is by her means the Gospel has been preserved and Christs name has been honoured among all Nations all which she alone has converted to the faith But you are enemies to all Christs offices For you would destroy his Kirgly office by making him a king many hundred years without a kingdome and by destroying the spirituel governement thereof bringing in place of it the Anarchy confusion of your Pressbytery You are Enemies also to his Priestly office by abolishing the dayly Sacrifice for the continuance of which he is called a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech You are Enemies likwise to his Prophetical office For whereas he had Prophesied so clearly of the perpetuity of his Church that it cannot be hid that it should be ever governed by the Spirit of truth into all truth You would make him a false Prophet by teaching that the Church had failed had been many hundred years invisible and was fallen into Anti-Christian Errors Lastly albeit you pretend to honour the Gospel and make it the only rule of your faith yet you do iust the contrary because you deny what it affirmes and beleeve the contrary to what it teacheth in expresse tearmes and you make it such a Rule that you frequently oppose your Iudgments to it as has been more then once shown SECTION VI. That the Doctrine of the Catholique Church concerning Original Sin Iustification and sanctification is not corrupted But that the Prebyterian Doctrine is corrupted in all these points Covenant WE detest his corrupted doctrine concerning Original sin our natural inhability and rebellion to Gods Law our Iustification by faith only our imperfect Sanctification obedience to the Law As it is ordinary for all those who are tainted with corrupt Errors to call these Catholiques doctrines corrupted which oppose their corruptions So the Covenanters here call the Catholique doctrine concerning Original sin corrupted which indeed is most pure and opâ—oseth the most poysoned source of almost all their corruptions The Catholique Church teacheth principally three things in this matter against the Errors of the Calvinists First that all Children as well of faithfull as of infidel parents descending from Adam by natural generation do contract Original sin and are borne in it which is against a corrupt doctrin of Calvin who affirmeth that the Children of the faithfull are borne Saints Secondly the Catholiques teach that Original sin is quite taken away and purged in the Sacrament of Baptisme which is against an other corruption of Calvin and his followers who affirme that Original sin still remaineth in vs even after Baptisme Thirdly the Catholique Doctors ordinarly teach that Original sin is nothing else but a privation of original iustice or iustifying grace which was in the Superior part of the soule which is restored to vs by the merits of Christ in the Sacrament of Baptisme which is against a most corrupt Error of all Calvinists who affirme that Original sin is nothing else but concupiscence or a pravitie of Nature by which the Image of God is vtterly defaced in man and by which Adam his posterity became Enemies to God slaves to Sathan servants to sin So do our Scottish Ministers speak in their first Confession article 3. Of the first two points something hath been said above and they are both evidently true by the Scriptures Fathers For the Apostle S. Paul saith that all sin â—â—d in Adam and were borne the children of wrath Ephes 2.3 Aug. lib. 2. de peccator remiss c. 40. Hier. ep 7. ad Latam S. Augustin affirmeth that holy Parents do not beget regenerated Children which is seconded by S. Hierom who saith Christiani non nascuntur sed fiunt We are not borne but made Christians And that Baptism taketh away Original sin has been so clearly above shewed that nothing shall be here repeated except only what S. Augustin said None except an Infidel can deny it The third point also was fully cleared to me by the Catholique who shew that as all sin is evil evil is nothing else but the privation of good so original sin being evil can be nothing
else but the privation of some good and that can be of no other good but of Original Iustice And as Original Iustice albeit it comprehended many supernatural perfections both in the soule body consisted principally properly in that Iustifying grace by which the soule was adorned and Vnited vnto God the Soveraign good so original sin is the privation only of that Iustifying grace in the Superiour part of the soule the want of which makes the soule deformed and averted from God And seing this want is taken away by Baptisme and the whole grace as it beautifyed the soule is entirly restored the whole guilt of original sin is taken away and the whole essence of Original Iustice is recovered again by the merits of Christ Then for Concupiscence which is left after Baptisme it is not truly any sin but a weaknesse imperfection of Nature proceeding from the former Original sin as all sicknesses miseries and death it self are All which are left in vs even after the sin it self is taken away to put vs in mind from what happy Estate we had fallen and to stirre vs vp to labour more diligently and to call more earnestly for the help of Gods grace Neither is the grace which we receive from Christ the smaller or weaker that it doth not take away concupiscence and restore vs to the whole rectitude which Adam enieyed but it is rather more strong since many by it do stand even with all that weaknesse of nature which Adam did not with all the grace he had even in the strength rectitude of his nature All which things were confirmed to me by diverse authorities reasons which were too longsome here to insert It shall be sufficient to bring one testimony of S. Augustin against Calvins opinion and the fundament of it Concupiscence August lib. 1. de nuptijs concupis c. 23. saith he is called sin because it was made by sin whereas now in the regenerate it is not sin c. Yea he sheweth that concupiscence is so far from being sin when it is resisted that it becomes rather the matter of Victory and of a Crown vnto vs. Sometimes saith he Aug de Genesi cont Manich c. 4. Cal. lib. 3. Inst c. 3. par 10. reason doth stoutly resist bridle Concupiscence even when it is stirred vp which when it is performed we fall not into sin but after some wrestlings we are crowned Calvin ingenuously confesseth that his opinion in this matter is against S. Augustin all Antiquity which is sufficient to make it to be suspected if not also reiected As then the Catholique doctrine concerning Original sin is the same holy pure doctrine of the Primitive Church so your doctrine ô Covenanters is full of corruptions For besides that it corrupts the Catholique Faith it corrupts both your soules bodies This your selves do confesse for in your new Confession you say that man by Original sin became wholly defilled Conf. westminst ch 6. in all the faculties parts of Soule body and that this corruption of nature dureing this life doth remain in those who are regenerated and that both it self and the motions of it are truly properly sin Moreover it corrupts all your best thoughts words and actions For so you professe that by it you are vtterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil This also M. Calvin did teach Cal in Antid Con. Trid. sess 6. c. 16. Shels p. 146. saying The vitiousnesse of original sin which remaines in vs defiles before God what ever works proceed from vs. Of which doctrin M. Shelford a Protestant gives his opinion thus These who say so cannot in my Iudgment be excused from extream blasphemie Thirdly it corrupts Grace for it makes the Grace of Christ so weak and imperfect that it cannot free vs from the corruption of Original sin And lastly it is the source of many corrupt errors as of your Iustification by faith only the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments the denyall of all good works of inherent Iustice many more From which it is evident that your doctrine is very much corrupted which is the cause of so many corruptions Hence also may be easily seen that the Catholique doctrin concerning our natural inhability and rebellion to Gods Law is not corrupted because as it teacheth against the Pelagians that we are vnable by the power of nature to keep Gods Law so it affirmeth also against the Presbyterians what is impossible to be done by nature is possible by Gods grace and what we cannot do of our selves we can performe by the strength of him who comforts vs. Which might be easily shown to be S. Pauls doctrine Rom. 8.3.4 Philip. 4.13 and therefore to be free of corruption But your doctrine is very corrupt which so grants a natural inhability that it denys all supernatural ability even with the assistance of Gods grace to keep his Law You professe yourselves to be so naturally rebels to God that all his grace cannot make you good subiects which shewes that both your doctrin your selves are very much corrupted The same may be shewed of Sanctification For the Catholiques teach that no man is so perfectly holy here in this pilgrinage but he may every day advance in holynesse and be renewed dayly in the inward man and that no person even the holyest is free of venial sins imperfections and then only we shall be perfect when this corruption shall put on immortality In this sense they grant that sanctification in this life is imperfect whereas in an other sense they teach that there may be even in this life a certain perfection of holynesse in some degree svitable to the observation of the divine Commandments as has been shewed above chap. 14. p. 145. But your doctrin is very corrupt which maks your sanctification so imperfect that you cannot by it think so much as a good thought or do any thing but sin mortally And your obedience to the Law is so imperfect that you break it at every minut So that such sanctification may be rather called profanation and such imperfect obedience to Gods Law may be iustly tearmed Disobedience Lastly if the Catholique doctrin which affirmeth that man is not iustifyed by faith only be corrupted then the Scripture is corrupted which teacheth the same not only in substance but in expresse words proving it by diverse arguments examples and comparcing those who beleeve the contrary to Devils as we have seen above chap. 15. pag. 157. But your doctrin in this principal article of your faith is very much corrupted which corrupteth the pure fountain of Gods word By all which may be seen not only how falsly you accuse the Catholique doctrin of corruptions in all the former points but also how truly your own doctrin is full of corruptions SECTION VII Of the Holy Sacraments of Ceremonies Divorces and of Dispensations NEXT follow
511. 512. Baptizing of Bells Coniuring of Spirits CROSSING sauing anointing coniuring HALLOVVING of Gods good Creatures with the superstitious opinion ioyned therewith His worldly 22 22 How the Presbytery domineered over all sorts of persons may be seen above ch 4. and 5. of Presb. Triall 23. Their severity cruelty may be seen ibid. MONARCHIE and wicked HIERARCHIE 23 His three Solemn 24 24 Their solemn League Covenant which intended the setling of Presbytery in all the 3. Kingdomes is not such a work of perfection as are the 3. Solemn Vowes of chastity poverty Obedience which they here abiure and which their first Reformers Vowed but did not keep And therefore their Solemn League may be better renounced then the three Solemn Vowes abiured VOVVES with all his SHAVELINGS of Sundry sorts His corrupted and bloudy Decrees made at TRENT with all the Subscribers and Approvers of that cruell and bloudy Band coniured against the Kirk of God And finally we detest all his 25 25 See above pag. 229. 242. how by Trops and figures the clear words of Christs institution of the holy Sacrament are perverted by them against the sense of the holy Fathers and of the auncient Church Vain Allegories Rites Signs and 26 26 Their denying of privat baptism is a Presbyterian Tradition derived from Calvin as may be seen above p. 212. without or rather against the word of God and the practice of the auncient Church The same may be also said of their denying private Communion c. Traditions brought in the Kirk without or against the word of God and Doctrin of this true 27 27 As the Catholique Church is only the true Church of Christ so S. Cyprian has observed that all heretiques like Apes do take vpon them the name and falsly Vindicate to themselves the authority of the Church Cypr. Epist ad Iubaian REFORMED Kirk To the which we ioyn our selves willingly in Doctrin Faith Religion Disciplin and vse of the holy Sacraments as lively members of the same in Christ our Head 29 29 As the Catholique Church remaines constant in her doctrin and government so the Scottish Protestant Church has been very inconstant for it has changed diverse doctrines and very sensibly its disciplin three or foure times since the beginning of their pretended Reformation so that a man cannot wisely swear constant obedience to such an vnconstant Church See above ch 2. and 7. of Presb. Trial. Promising swearing by the Great Name of the Lord our God that we shall continue in the obedience of the Doctrin Disciplin of this Kirk and shall defend the same according to our Vocation power all the dayes of our lives vnder the paines contained in the Law and danger both of Body and soule in the Day of Gods fearfull iudgement 30 30 As it is a malicious calumnie to say that any Catholique is stirred vp by the Pope to deny and abiure the Catholique religion against his conscience vpon hope of the Popes Dispensation So it is a known truth by diverse fresh experiences that many Catholiques have been stirred vp by the Presbyterian Ministers for feare of their Excommunications and the Confiscation of their Estates which followed therevpon to swear and subscribe the Covenant against the light of their Consciences as was well known to the said Ministers which may be seen above p. 414. and 15. And seing many are stirred vp by Sathan and that ROMAN ANTI-CHRIST to promise swear subscribe and for a time vse the holy Sacraments of the Kirk deceitfully against their own Consciences minding thereby first vnder the external cloak of Religion to corrupt subvert secretly Gods true Religion within the Kirk and afterwards when time may serve to become open Enemies and Persecutors of the same vpon VAIN HOPES of the Popes DISPENSATION devised against the word of God to his greater confusion and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Iesus 31 31 All these to whom God has made the light of Truth to shine ought to be thankfull for so great a benefit and never commit so great ingratitude as to abandon it for worldly respects How much more ought they to abhorre from taking the Covenant which makes even some Protestants hearts to stand which containes so many grosse vntruths as we have seen above which is not only a Denial but an Abiuration ioynd with horrible blasphemies of almost all the points of the Catholique faith wee therefore willing to take away all suspicion of Hypocrisy and double dealing with God his Kirk protest and call the Searchers of all hearts forwitnesse that our minds and hearts do fully agree with this our Confession promise Oath Subscription So that we are not moved for any 32 32 See above in the first section this last grosse vntruth of the Covenant p. 416. worldly respect c. FINIS Soli Deo Honor Gloria
little the Model and Methode of it In the first place are set down the Occasions of that Honorable new Converts doubts concerning the Truth of the Protestant Religion such as are the Ministers Inconstancy in Doctrin Disciplin their great Dissensions and Divisions Their Tyrannizing over mens Consciences Their Contradicting their own Principles c. In which matters some late histories or passages are interlaced without expressing the names of persons therein concerned because that was not necessary since the things here touched are publique late fresh in all mens knowledge and Memories within the Countrey and the persons also well enough known Neither is it the digrace of any mens persons Hier. Apolog. 3. cont Ruffin c. 11. which S. Hierom calls the Machines of Heretiques but the correction of their Errors which is here intended After the occasion of the doubts is shewed in some few chapters then followeth the Triall of the last pretended Presbyterian Reformation in the principal points thereof as its condemning of Episcopacy the abolishing the hymne of Glory to the Father c. the denying the Apostolical authority of the Apostles Creed neglecting to say our Lords Prayer c. In all which points the Presbyterians are found to go against the word of God the Primitive Church the former doctrines practises of many among themselvs against their first Reformers and many learned Protestants So that this last pretended Reformation is shewed to be nothing but a reall Deformation destroying not only the Apostolique office government established by Christ in his Church but also the two chief Pillars or heads of the Christian Religion to witt our Lords Prayer and the Apostles Creed Then followeth the Trial of the first pretended Reformation which is also shewed to have destroyed in effect the other two chief Pillars of Christianity to witt the Divine Commandments and Holy Sacraments and to have brought in a most Erroneous doctrin of Iustification by Faith only expresly against the Scriptures holy Fathers So that these two pretended Reformations are shown to have made vp between them the hideous work of Desolation After this the whole Protestant Church by the vndenyable principle of the perpetuity of Christs Church is proved not to be the true Church of Christ And by the same vndenyable principle the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome and she alone is demonstrated to be the true Catholique Church of Christ and to have in all ages still continued in the same doctrin which she received from Christ his Apostles notwithstanding the calumnies of Heretiques Then lastly the same truth is proved by the Marks whereby the true Church is clearly designed in the Scriptures as by her Vnity Sanctity Vniversality Apostolical Succession by which marks the holy Fathers also did prove the true Church in their times To which is subioyned a brief Examination of the Presbyterian Covenant or Confession of Faith which although it was much Idolatrized of late is shewed to be nothing but a Denyall and Abiuration of the holy Faith with many execrations and blasphemies against it This briefly Courteous Reader is the Scope and Methode of the ensuing Treatises which the Author thereof earnestly wishes may tend to thy profit That if thou be a new Converted Catholique thou mayst be coÌ„firmed thereby in thy holy Faith If one who after many tossings in Errors art seeking the Truth thou mayst be assisted to find it where only it can be found if lastly thou be one who not through malice but through negligence or ignorance adheres vnto Errors thou mayst be stirred vp to try them and to seek diligently the Truth which is a work most worthy of thy paines Neither is it so hard as some do imagin to find the Truth since God Almighty according to his infinit goodnesse wisdom has prepared the way to heaven so much the more certain easy to be known how much more Error and deceit in it brings greater losse with it and therefore he has promised so plain and direct a way vnto Eternal happinesse that fooles may not erre by it Esay 35.5 Whence it is evident if thou seekest this way with diligence and after the right manner thou mayst have great confidence by Gods grace to attayn vnto it But then thou wilt seek it in the right way according to the advice of the glorious Doctor S. Augustin to his friend Honoratus if thou dost vse fervent and frequent prayer Aug de vtilâ— credâ—s 15 16. strivest to have peace and tranquillity of mind if thou wilt hear that Church which God hath established on earth with so great authority and which is called Catholique both by her own by strangers For it is by Authority only whereby men can come vnto the knowledge of Divin Truth and there is no Authority equall vnto this wich began by Miracles and is most famous for Multltudes of peoples and Nations and therefore if thou proceedest orderly at this Authority thou oughtest to begin as the same holy Father affirmes But if thou contemnest so great Authority and only openest thy eares to the Enemies and Calumniators of so famous a Society which has been also calumniated by all the former heretiques as well as by these of this Age thou canst not be excused neither canst thou arrive vnto the possession of solid Truth Therefore if thou be wise follow the former advice of S. Augustin who was so wise so learned a Doctor and who had such great knowledge and experience in this affaire And if thou wouldest take a short and compendious way to come vnto the Truth Try only that one question of the Church according to the marks abovementioned whereby it is clearly designed in Scripture and thou wilt not only soone find that they cannot agree to thy New Inconstant Church but also thou wilt quickly see that they agree to the Catholique Church which has ever endured and against which Hels gates could never prevaile and so with the true Church thou wilt find aâ—l Truth because it is ever governed by the Spirit of Truth and is the Pillar and ground of Truth This is the right manner for thee to attayn vnto the Truth and to true Happâ—nesse To which that God Almighty may direct and bring thee shall be earnestly desired by thy welwisher F. W. S. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS Chap. I. THAT God by the Confusion of Error stirres vp many to seek the Truth p. 1. Ch. II. Of the Ministers Inconstancy and of the Alterations made by the late Presbyterian Reformation p. 8. Ch. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions Divisions p. 15. Ch. IV. Of the Presbyterians Rigour and Tyranny over Protestants p. 26. Ch. V. Of the Presbyterians contradicting their own Principles p. 34. Ch. VI. Of the Presbyterians Disobedience to the Civil Magistrate and of their pretext of Piety p. 46. Ch. VII Of Episcopacy condemned as Anti-Christian by the Presbyterians p. 53. Ch. VIII Of our Lords
Reformation This was not done by any formal act but as a Minister spoke by a desuetude of the principal Covenanters whose example the rest of the Ministers followed But there was one thing which hapned in this matter not vnworthy of remark and is very famous throughout the countrey For whilst the people of a Parish in Anguse were singing at the conclusion of a psalme Glory to the Father and to the Son c. as not knowing of the new alterations they were presently interrupted by their Minister who cry'd aloud No more Glory to the Father No more Glory c. which accident rendred the Presbyterians very ridiculous to the old Protestants Fourthly they proceeded further and strook at the roote of the Christian faith to witt the Apostles Creed denying it to be Apostolicall The contrairy whereof we was taught in our yonger yeares as was believed troughout the whole Christian world And after they had thus denyed the letter and authority of it they proceeded next to corrupt the sense of that Article He descended into hell as we shall see shortly Their inconstancy and changes may be instanced in diverse other points and practises as in their taking the Communion sitting and condemning kneeling as vnlawfull Their deuiding of the bread among themselues wherein they place no small purity of their religion and not taking it out of the Ministers hand as the custome was before Their condemning private Cōmunion and private Baptisme although administrated vpon extream necessity which I found to be pernicious errours especially in so far as concern's Baptisme Their condemning as superstitious the religious observation of Christmasse and of all other festival dayes c. All which are not only contrary to the doctrine of the most famous Protestant Churches abroad but also were contrary to the doctrine lawes practises of this Church at home By which inconstancy of the Ministers and the alterations made by thē the people was not only miserably tossed to and fro and carried about with violent winds of new doctrines but also they knew not what to believe and almost loos'd all belief since they saw that many points which they believ'd before being taught them by their own Pastours were now condemned by the same Pastours who are very like vnto these whom the Apostle S. Iude calls wandering starres Hauing thought seriously vpon these things I made this reflection with my self How can this Scottish Church which changeth like the Moone and is as vnstedfast as the wind be the true Church of Christ which must be firme and stedfast as a rocke How can these Ministers who drawes yea driwes the people into such varieties of faith Ephes 4.11.14 be the true Apostles of Christ seing they were established as S. Paul testifies to conserve the people into the Vnity of Faith They must be false Pastours who do tosse the people to and fro with the inconstant winds of their new doctrines since true Pastours were ordain'd by Christ to keep the people into the constant profession of the old doctrin which was once delivered and generally professed throughout the world and to preserve them from such tossings As the scripture sheweth that inconstancy and lightnesse belongs to false Teachers so I found that the holy Fathers did observe it by experience Iren. l. 1. c. 18. c. 5. S. Ireneus saith They delight to find out every day some new thing Let vs now see their inconstant doctrin c. But 5. Hiero. most pithily describs their humour The feet saith he of those who erre Hier in cap. 16. Ezech. are alway's wavering neither are the footsteps sure which are against the truth but they run here and there and are caried about with euery wind of new doctrin whilst they passe from one falshood into another falshood Therefore seeing the great inconstancy and changes of the Scottish Church I desired to find out a more constant and skifull Guide to rely vpon to lead me vnto the kingdome of heauen CHAP. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions and Divisions AS the Inconstancy of a Church in faith and doctrine gives iust occasion to many of doubting and stumbling at it's religion so Dissensions and Divisions which necessarly flow from such Inconstancy are no lesse but rather more sensible evils and gives greater and more vniuersal scandals For there are many who would take no notice of Inconstancy and yet are awakned by the confusion that ever attends Dissension and Division It 's evident by the light of reason that nothing becomes more the house of God then vnity and order and that confusion and dissension are only fitting for Babel or the house of the Devil and as Vnity tends to preservation so Dissension hastens to destruction Therefore our B. Saviour being to found his Church which was to be a heavenly house vpon earth of admirable order and to stand for ever did pray most earnestly for the Vnity of it S. Thn ch 17. by which he knew it would be both beautifyed and conserved Yea he sheweth that by the admirable Vnity of his Church the world showld know Ibid. ver 21.23 that he was sent from heaven and be made to believe in him Therefore these Churches which haue no Vnity but are torne by Dissensions and Divisions cannot be the true Church of Christ neither can they long laste As Vnity doth designe beautifie and conserve the true Church so Dissension points out deformes and ever at lenth destroies all false Churches Our Saviour saith Luke 11.17 Gal. 5.15 Every kingdome divided against it self shall be made desolate And S. Paul If yow bite and eate one an other take heede you be not consumed one of an other And that this division and destruction befalls to all false Churches Luther himself doth testifie A kingdome saith he divided in it self Luth. tom 3. wit in psal 5. fol. 166. cannot stand neither did Heretiques at any tyme perish by force or art but by their owne mutuall dissensions neither doth Christ our Lord fight against them by other armes then by sending among them the Spirit of giddinesse and dissension Now what miserable dissensions have happened these yeares by past into the Church of Scotland by which it hath been much deformed and a considerable part of it destroyed are knowen far and neare at home and abroad For these dissentious haue been for matter manner and the miserable effects that have flowed from them very remarkable The matter of them concern'd no lesse points then the Governement of the Church established by Christ the authority of the Apostles Creed the vse of the Sacraments of private Baptisme and Communion the vse of our Lords prayer and of Glory to the Father the keeping of holy dayes and the rest of the articles of Perth the Covenant it self the Heade spring of all Dissensions and the authority of the Civil Magistrate c. But the forme and manner of these dissensions hath overcome the matter for it hath been
at last betwixt these two Ministers to make them abstaine from their publique and scandalous contradictions yet that concord did not laste long their inward fire did shortly burst forth For one day after Sermon the Independent inviting the people to his Communion which he was to give the next Sunday he was publickly interrupted by the Presbyterian who accused him of Apostasy from the Covenant and Presbytery and straitly charged the people to receive no Communion from him And with this confusion the meeting ended but the Ministers bauling continued a space thereafter The event did shew that the Presbyterian got the better of this conflict for the other did not appeare at the day appoynted to give the Communion as he had promised Yet the fulnesse of the Presbyterians victory was much diminished by reason the others place was supplyed by his Colleague who besids others had both the Presbyterians daughter and son-in-law for two of his Communicants I conceived that all these dissensions and divisions did fall forth by Divin providence to give people sufficient notice that a Church of so great confusion cannot be the true Church of Christ which ought to be a house of great order and Vnity and to shew that these Ministers who are the Rulers or rather M s-rulers of such a confus'd Church and who bragge so much of the Spirit are not led by the Spirit of God which is not contrary to himsef but by the Spirit of errour and giddinesse And although sometymes the Ministers to cover the vgly deformity and great scandals of all their dissensions would pretend that their differences were not in fundamentall points yet at other times their words did varie and their actions contradicted ever their words For they changed their tongue as the diversity of questions did trouble them or the interest of their cause did presse them When they were not vrged with their dissensions then they cry'd vp Presbytery as the only scepter of Christ the only governement of the Church iure divino the only means to vphold Christs Kingdome and to hold out the wild boare of Anti-Christianity It 's well knowen also how necessary and fundamentall a point the Covenant was esteem'd and how the Ministers put it very neare in ballance with the booke of life But their actions did shew more sensibly then their words that they esteem'd their dissensions to be in substantiall and fundamentall matters Or else they have been voyde not only of Christian charity but also of humane discretion For how could they haue embroyl'd all these kingdomes into so great confusion and bloodshed for such matters as themselves esteem'd only circumstantiall and not substantiall How could they with any discretion force these points of their now Reformation which they thought only ceremoniall and not substantiall so furiously and substantially vpon others But whither their differences were in fundamentals or not for the Matter It 's euident that they were substantiall and fundamentall for the manner to the substantiall destruction of one and other and almost to the fundamentall subversion of three kinhdomes Yea I found that the Presbyterians in Queen Elizabeth and King Iames time were more ingenuous and confessed freely that their differences from the English Church were in weighty and substantiall matters For thus they speake in M. Rogers M. Roger praefat Doct. Aug. num â—1 13. The controuersy betwixt them and vs is not as the Bishops and their favourers would deceive the world concerning Corner Capes Surplices c. but of more weighty matters as of the true Ministery the Governement of the Church And againe wee contend with the Formalists whither Iesus Christ ought to raigne In this cause we ought so to oppose Ever the Conformists that if we had as many lives as we have haires we ought rather to loose them all then to leave off our enterprise Vpon the other part the English Church or the old Protestants do acknowledge that they differ Substantially from the Presbyterians Covell iust d f. art 11. p. 67. This Doctour Covel plainly protesteth in all their names Least any man Saith he should thinke our contentions with Puritans were in smaller points and difference not great each side hath charged one the other with heresies if not infidelities yea euen with such as quite owerthrow the Principall foundation of our Christian faith And albeit they would not confesse their differences to be in fundamentalls yet it is evident they are so For what is more fundamentall to a Church then the Gouernement established by Christ what is more fundamentall then the foundation of faith to wit the Apostles Creed what more fundamentall then the Sacraments of the Church and the Lords prayer And in all these they have Tragicall differences besids in many other points no lesse substantiall although not so sensible as in Predestination and Reprobation Vniversall grace whether God absolutly decerns or only permits sin whether the Sacraments confers grace whither Christs body be really present in the Eucharist Whither Christ redeem'd the world by shedding his blood and corporall death or by suffering in his soule the paines of Hell Whither man after the fall hath free will and many more which may be seen collected in the Protestants Apology Apol. Protest tract 2. c. 3. sect 5 sub 2. 3. ad 10 in all which the old Protestants and the Presbyterians do teach ooposite doctrines and accuse others of grosse errours and sometymes of blasphemies Having then diligently considered these things I made this reflection with my self How can this Scottish Church which is like a Babel of confusion be the true Church of Christ which for order and Vnity ought to be like to the heauenly Ierusalem How can that Church which is the vnhappy roote of so much Dissension and Division be the Church of Christ which is no lesse the roote of Vnity then it is the pillar and ground of verity I see that ever one sect begets an other which not only divids but strives also like vipers brood to destroy the former Such confusion and Dissension becomes not the Church of Christ but are more proper for the Synagogue of Anti-Christ If the true Church may be knowen by her Vnity then the false Church is no lesse but more easily discerned by its Dissension Math. 7.16 Our Saviour saith of all false Prophets who appeares at first in sheeps raiment you shall know them by their fruits Aug. in psal 149. and S. Augustin sheweth that their fruits are dissensions We sought saith he among them the fruits of charity and we find the thornes of Dissension If therefore we observe our Saviours rule and iudge the Ministers by their fruites we will soone find them not to be true Prophets and their Church wherein their is such Dissension not to be the true Church of Christ but rather a Babel of confusion Therefore I will endeavour by Gods assistance to seek out a Church which hath not only constancy but
the same the divine word of the Apostle doth teach And after he hath proved from the words of the Apostle above cited that Bishops who have power of Iudgeing Priests are above Priests then he proves also the Bishops Superiority by their power of Ordination How is it possible saith he that a Bishop and a Priest can be equall For that Order begetteth Fathers vnto the Church but the other hath no power to beget Fathers it only begets Children vnto the Church by the lauer of regeneration and not Fathers and Masters And how is it possible that one can ordaine a Priest who hath got no imposition of hands Aug. lib de haeres hare 53. for Ordination S. Augustin also reckons vp this errour of Aerius in his booke of heresies Yea S. Hierom who of all the holy Fathers doth most extoll the order of Priestood and brings it as would seem in some comparison with Episcopacy excepts alwayes the power of Ordination for thus he writes Hier. epist. ad Euagr. What doth a Bishop except Ordination that a Priest doth not also By all which it is manifest that if the Presbyterians had been living above tuelve hundred yeares ago they had been condemned in this point as Heretiques by the holy Fathers and that with more reason then the Aerians who never proceeded to their hight of arrogance to call the Office of Bishop vnlawfull and Anti-Christian Now against all this what brings the Presbyterians for themselves pure Scripture at least they pretend so which is an ordinary custome to all those whose errours are most against Scripture They bring ordinarly two places wherein they have greatest confidence The first is Math. 20.26 where our Saviour saith vnto the Apostles You know that the Princes of the Gentiles overrule them and they that are the greater exercise power against them It shall not be so among you c. The like words are repeated the 22. of S. Luke v. 24. The second place is 1. Tim. 4. v. 14. where the Apostle saith to Timothee Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is given thee by prophecie with imposition of the hands of the Presbyterie or of the Eldership as some of their bibles translates it I considered diligently these places and the rest which they bring and I could not find in any of them either Superiority of Pastours condemned nor Equality approved much lesse a Iudicatorie of 9. or 10. Ministers with a changeable Moderator established to Iudge over their brethren in all matters Ecclesiasticall There needs no more to know the truth here but to open our ey 's and read the places for impudence it self cannot affirme that the Scripture doth there expresly condemn the one or approve the other Therefore it 's a vaine and false pretence of the Presbyterians to alledge their disciplin to be contain'd expresly in the Scripture After expresse Scripture failes them then they run to their owne glosses and Consequences vpon the Scripiure which they will have the people to believe as Scripture wherein they commit a double deceit 1. To promise pure Scripture and then in place of it to give yow their owne glosses or rather guesses which are not to be found in Scriâ—ture 2. To oblige yow to believe these glosses and humane inventions to be Scripture or as Scripture As if one who had promised to give an other a quantity of gold and in place of it would give himonly brasse and then after this deceit would also oblige him to esteem the brasse to be Gold But albeit these glosses and consequences be not in Scripture yet it may be they are cleare of themselves and necessarly deduced from the Scripture as the Presbyterians pretends I found this pretence also to be false For if they were so evident and necessary then men of iudgement would easily see such glosses and make such consequences But the holy Fathers who were not only men of great Iudgement but were also most Eminent for learning and holynesse never made any such interpretations and consequences vpon the Scripture Therefore the Presbyterian glosses c. cannot be clear and evident which such holy and piercing ey 's could not see or if they saw them it was only to condemn them as hath been shewed And albeit this authority be more then sufficient to overthrow the pretended clearnesse of all these new glosses yet when I considered that the most learned of all the Protestants side as all the Lutherans in Germanie Suedland and Denmark who have their Superintendents and the late Protestant Church of England Scotland and Ireland and which is to be much here considered the Scottish Church at its first Reformation never made any such Interpretations vpon these Scriptures but had their Bishops and Superintendents then I esteem'd it a madnesse to imagin that these Presbyterian glosses could be clear and necessary which neither the holy Fathers the whole primitive Church and so many Learned Protestants and all their Churches could not see And albeit the French Protestants do admit of the Consistorial disciplin yet they do not declare Episcopacy to be absolutly Anti-Christian or that their forme is only Christian much lesse do they think it so necessarie as to overturne Kingdomes Commonwealths for setting it vp Of which Beza and du Moulin may be sufficient witnesses Beza cont Errast fol 1. Mons Moulin buck 30. aâ—t sect 12. The first saith Whosoever doth iudge this disciplin not only vnprofitable but hurtfull to their Churches Let them enioy their owne sense And much more to this purpose The other saith In so much as coÌ„cerneth Ecclesiastical disciplin we do not hold that equality of Pastors is absolutely necessary Who esteem not that order a point of faith or a doctrin of Salvation we live thanks be to God in brotherly concord with our neighbouring Churches which follow an other forme where there are Bishops some Superiority In Veron tom 2. contro de Hier. And Mons r Blondel a famous Minister in France hath lately written a booke entitled of the Primacy in the Church where he teacheth that although Superiority of Pastours be not by Divine right yet it is not against Divin right and therefore neither is equality of Pastours by Divine right All which are very far from the doctrines and practises of our Scottish Presbyterians who stands very single and bare of all authority Divine and Humane having all the world against them not only the holy Fathers and whole ancient Church but also all the old Protestants both Lutherans and Calvinists And if we shall add vnto these the Independents and Anabaptists and other new Protestants who admits of an equality among Pastours but condemns Presbyterian power and Tyranny their small authority and number is yet much diminished and the clearnesse of their glosses is much obscured Lastly if we will take away from the Presbyterians number all these who by deceit or force were gain'd vnto it their authority will appeare
to abolish the hymne of Glory which was ordinarly sung in praise of the holy Trinity This Innovation seem'd very strange and gaue great scandal to many For besids that it had been vsed from our infancy and was sung publickly in all Churches at the conclusion of of the Psalmes it contain'd not the least apparance of evil but rather did appear to tend much to the honour of God to whom all praise glory principally belongs And albeit it be not word by word in one place of the holy Scripture as our Lords prayer is yet the sense and the like words if not the same are to be found in it For what is more expresly contain'd in the new Testament then the Father Son and holy Ghost in whose name we are all baptized and which all true Christians do acknowledge to be one true God And what is more cleare in Scripture then that Glory is due vnto God S Paul saith to the King of the worlds immortal 1. Tim. 1.17 Pet 2. epist 3. ch ver 18. Iude ver 25. invisible only God be honour and glory for ever Amen S. Peter also speaking of Christ saith to him be Glory both now and to the day of eternity Amen And S. Iude to the only God our Saviour by Iesus Christ our Lord be Glory magnificence empire and power before all worlds and now for all worlds evermore Amen There is nothing more frequēt in the Revelatiō then redoubling of this Glory to God S. Iohn saith that he heard every Creature in heaven and vpon earth saying Apocal. 5.13 to him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe benediction honour glory power for ever and ever Therefore since the giving of Glory to God is the principal exercise of the Saints in heaven why may it not or rather why ought it not to be the exercise also of the Saints on earth S. Iohn saith he heard a voice come out from the throne saying Apoc. 19.5 Say praise to our God all you his Servants and you that feare him little and great Why then should the Presbyterians hinder both little great to sing this hymne of praise Glory vnto the holy Trinity Why should they goe against their owne former practise and that custome which was observed by their first Reformers and which is yet keep 't in all the more ancient Protestant Churches How could one of their Ministers interrupt the people when they were singing that hymne by crying out no lesse ridiculously then scandalously No more Glory to the Father No more Glory Indeed if the Presbyterians denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity as the Arians did they might vpon that false ground had some pretence of reason for this innovation but acknowledging the truth of that Divine mystery they appear'd very vnreasonable for abolishing that hymne which was ordinarly said in praise of it and which hath so good ground in the holy Scriptures Being therefore desirous to know this matter from the source I had my next recourse according to my accustomed methode vnto the primitive Church the holy Fathers And there I found that this hymne was most ancient an Apostolical tradition that it was highly esteem'd and much vsed by the Catholique Church in the primitive times that as some heretiques did much endeavour to pervert it so the Catholiques did labour as diligently to preserve it in the same purity as it had descended vnto them by continual practise and tradition And lastly I found that God did approve the laudable vse of this hymne by some notable miracles All which we shall briefly shew Basil ad Amphiloch de sp 5. How the hymne of Glorification was vsed from the very tyme of the Apostles S. Basil the Great doth largely shew For when the Sacrament of Baptisme was administrated by them in name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost the faithfull answered Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost Which custome of glorifying God the same holy father doth affirme to be an Apostolical tradition which had been every where observed throughout the whole Church Of this matter Cardinal Baronius treateth amply in his third tome anno 325. Where he also sheweth that this hymne was of so great authority and esteeme in the ancient Church that when the holy Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople were to establish a rule of faith against some Heretiques who denyed the Divinity of the holy Ghost they would haue inserted in that Symbol a testimony from this hymne of Glory for the Divinity of the holy Ghost in these words Who with the Father and the Son Baron tom 3. anno 323. n. 174. is adored and Con-glorifyed And albeit this hymne was much vsed in the Church from the beginning yet it was sung more frequently in honour of the blessed Trinity after the Arians began to corrupt it How the Arians did strive to change and pervert this hymne the same Card. Baronius sheweth out of Sozomen Baron ibid. n. 173. for as they had changed the forme of Baptisme by saying I baptise thee in the name of the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost so also they corrupted the hymne of Glorification by singing Glory be to the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost Which diversity bre◠a dissension in Antioch between the Catholiques and the Arians whilst they would keep the ancient custome and the others would bring in their corrupt innovation Therefore the great Councel of Nice Baron ibid. n. 176. which had condem-the Arian heresy for the more confusion of it gave order to continue these hymnes in the Church which were in vse to be sung formerly in praise of the holy Trinity and especially the hymne of Glorification which the Arians had changed and endeavoured to pervert as they had impiously denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity in whose honour it was said And from this time that hymne began to be more frequently vsed so that the Countrey people would sing it whilst they were busied about their ordinary labours For how much the Arians did strive to suppresse and pervert it so much the Catholiques did labour to preserve and celebrat it For which cause S. Ambrose did conclude all the new hymnes which he made to be sung by the people during the time of the persecution which he suffered of the Arians with the hymne of Glorification as S. Augustin testifieth Ang. lib. 9. Confes◠c. 6.7 Ambros in Auxent And therefore being accused by the Arians for hauing deceived the people with the verses of his new hymnes he answered I do not deny that c. What is more powerfull then the Confession of the Trinity which is celebrated every day by the mouths of the people They labour all earnestly to confesse the faith they know to praise in verse the Father Son holy Ghost and they are all become Teachers who scarcely
Scriptures cannot be certainly knowen but by the testimony authority of the Church and are to be believed for the samâ— as S. Augustin doth affirme the Creed also may be knowen and ought to be believed to be Apostolical for the same very reason since the same testimony authority are for both Yea the Tradition Testimony of the Church for the Apostles Creed hath in a certaine manner some preeminence above that which is for the Scripture For it is more ancieÌ„t more vniuersal more manifest More ancient because the holy Fathers and the whole Church do constantly affirme that the Symbol was composed by the Apostles before any part of the new Testament was written It was more vniversal because it was received every where at the very first plantation of Christianity whereas diverse parts of the Scripture being directed only to some particular Churches could not be communicated but after some space to the whole Church It was also more manifest because there were some bookes of the Scripture doubted of by some of the ancient Fathers till the Vniversal Church did determin the Canon of the Sciptures but there was never any ancient Christian who doubted of or denyed the Apostles Creed there was such a clear and Vniversal tradition for it And besides the Creed in it self is very clear as being a short rule of faith ordain'd for the capacity of the most simple according to which the Scriptures that are more obscure ought to be vnderstood Seing then the whole Church in the primitive times and in all ages hath professed that the Apostles made taught the Creed it remaines most certaine that the Apostles did teach it for greater certainty then this cannot be had If the Apostles taught and delivered it vnto the first Christians then they being so taught were obliged to receive it with the sâ—me reverence wherewith they did receive the Scriptures which were delivered or directed vnto them by the same Apostles And if the first ChristiaÌ„s were so obliged why not also their children their childreÌ„s children so downeward froÌ„ age to age vntill the end of the world shall haue the same obligation If this obligation held in the first age why not also in the second and in every succeeding age Or when should this obligation cease Or why more at one time then at an other since the same assurance remaines at all times Or why should it cease more for the Creed then for the Scripture since the same testimony is for both and if there be any preeminence in this matter the Creed hath it as has been shewed Wherefore as I was by these considerations fully satisfyed of the Apostolique authority laudable vse of the Creed in the primitive Church so I could in no wise approve the Presbyterians innovations against it but rather did much admire of their presumption For by their denying the Creed to be Apostolique I saw they denyed the clear rule and endeavoured to subvert the very foundation of the Christian faith By their taking away both the publick and private vse of it they would haue robbed Christians of the heavenly apparell and spiritual armour of their soules as the holy Fathers above call it And all this they do relying vpon no other grounds but their owne gesses which they oppose and would haue to be preferred to the constant testimony and irrefragable authority of the whole Christian world The Iewes brought at least Aug. in psal 63. v. 7. sleeping witnesses against the resurrection of Christ for which folly S. Augustin mocks theÌ„ and saith that they theÌ„selves were sleeping and failed in their search But the Presbyterians bring neither sleeping nor waking witnesses and yet they will blindly iudge in a matter done above 16. hundred yeares ago and boldly pronounce sentence against an ancient fundamental truth which had been received professed by the Christians of all ages But albeit the Presbyterians do reiect the authority testimony of the Church yet I saw if they followed their owne principles they might as easily discern the Creed to be Apostolique as they pretend they can know the Scriptures For the Maiesty of the style the harmony of the parts the purity of the doctrin and the like do concurre in the Creed in an eminent degree as we haue seen above out of the holy Fathers who do so highly praise it for its perfections as a worke Worthy of such heavenly Architects And the matter being considered in it self the Creed in all these qualities is equal if not Superiour by outward apparance vnto the Scriptures For in them there are many seeming contradictions hard to be explained but none in this Many things in Scripture not so full of Maiesty as about S. Pauls cloke c. 2. Tim. 4.13 but the creed is totally replenished with most sublime divine mysteries Therefore if the Presbyterians could by these marks discern the Scriptures they might as easily discern the Creed to haue been made by the Apostles Albeit I admired much how the Presbyterians could vpon so weake grounds deny the Apostles Creed against such invincible authorities yet I was much more stricken with admiration when I considered what they brought in place of it For in place of the Apostles Creed we got the Presbyterians Covenant As that was denyed to be Apostolical so this was cry'd vp to be Divine for it was called Gods Covenant the Confession of faith c. As parents were accustomed at the Baptisme of their children to say the Apostles Creed in which they promised to bring them vp so now they were made promise to breede them in the Covenant which was too long to haue by heart or to be repeated This was truly a rare exchange to deny the Creed to be Apostolique to cry vp the Covenant to be Divine To rob vs of a most ancient clear briefe positive Sacred Confession of faith made by the holy Apostles famous in all ages vniversally received troughout the whole world full of great mysteries divine expressions And to give vs in place of it a new long obscure negative Confession or rather Confossion of faith full of terrible oaths execrations combinations devised by some few discontented heads by cunning and force obtruded vpon this Nation much suspected at the beginning to be nothing but a meer pretence of religion as it was notoriously knowen to be a humane invention and as it 's now at lenth after all its disguises manifested for such vnto the world It 's good fame hath not lasted long neither at home nor abroad It got some footing in England by cunning and worldly interest but these soone failing it was quickly detected and reiected The Christlan Moderator saith to this purpose Christ Mod. p. 2. That the last Reformation setled with so solemn a Covenant and caried on with so furious a zeal is already by better lights discovered to be meerly humane therefore deservedly lay'd aside Therefore to
no Scripture for them in this point but in expresse words against them should I give credit to those who to maintaine their errour did first manifestly corrupt the words of Scripture with false translations and thereafter did pervert the sense of them with blasphemous interpretations should I believe those who although they quitted their first sense of blasphemy did invent another full of Tautology not so impious but very ridiculous And who last of all to compleate the worke did deny their Creed Or should I believe the old and new Testament the Prophets foretelling and the holy Apostles expounding the holy Fathers so vnderstanding the whole primitive Church assisted by the Spirit of truth so believing and professing And last of all should I believe my Creed which the whole Christian world did receive as a most perfect plaine rule of faith composed by the holy Apostles for the capacity of all men I must professe that after such a Triall I could not put these authorityes in the ballance together much lesse could I prefer the Presbyterians inconstant new opinion to the ancient constant beliefe of the whole world vnlesse I would haue renounced both Reason Conscience CHAP. XII A Reflection on the last and an Entrance into the Triall of the first supposed Reformation HAVING by the Divine grace by the former considerations discovered as well the falshood of the forsaid Presbyterian Innovaons as the ancient truth of the Catholique doctrine I was advised and much encouraged to make the like triall of the principal points of our first Reformation as concerning the Commandements our iustification the nature effect of the SacrameÌ„ts For iâ—t was represented vnto me that there was no lesse pretext of pure Scripture and a like lowd cryes of a great engyring light for the last then was for the first Reformation And seing by the former triall I had discovered these last pretences to be false Why may not I haue some confidence to do the like with the first if I would vse the l ke diligence And if the last Reformers haue been mistaken and misled by passion why might not also their Predecessours over see themselves too Or what assurance can any man haue of their infallibility more then of the others The Alterations that haue been lately made by the Presbyterians do shew even in their Iudgment that their first Reformers were not infallibly assisted 2. I was put in mind that I had found lately some of the most eminent among them to be Corrupters or as S. Paul speakes Adulterers both of the letter and sense of the Scriptures and therefore they are not to be altogether trusted without trial In a word great promises and assurances were made to me that I would by this triall find out the falshood of the first as I had done of the last Reformation by that means I might attaine vnto the possession of solid truth whereon I might safely rely for the good of my soule As truth can endure iust trial and desires nothing more by which it is more manifested so falshood cannot abide triall but alwayes shuns it because thereby it's deceits are detected Catoch Rom. q. 12. Sa pientisfime Maiores nostri c. Lastly it was showen vnto me that the ancient Pastours of the Church did most wisely reduce the whole substance of the Christian doctrin which is of it self so large and plenteous into these 4. heads to witt the Apostles Creed the Sacraments the Divine Commandements and our Lords prayer for all things which belong either vnto the knowledge of God the creation and governement of the world or the Redemption of mankind the rewards of the good or the punishments of the wicked are contain'd in the Apostolique Creed The signes and instruments which God hath instituted for attaining grace are the holy Sacraments The divine Commandements shew what we ought to do and our Lords prayer doth containe all what we can wish or desire And therefore these are as it were the foure great Pillars wheron the whole fabricke of Christianity relyes Now it was told me how I had found by the former triall that this last pretended Reformation had overturned two of these Pillars to witt the Apostles Creed the Lords prayer besides the fundamental governement established by Christ in his Church If then I should find also that the first Reformation had overturned the other two Pillars to witt the Divine Commandements the holy Sacraments Then I might Conclude that the end and intent of these Reformations what ever was the intention of the Reformers hath been vnder the pretence of Reformation totall Deformation and the destruction of the Christian religion and that betwixt them they haue compleated that hydeous worke of Desolation For if the first refomation tooke away two as the next hath taken away other two Then they both together have subverted so far as they could the 4. great Pillars of Christianity and the last Presbyterian Reformation hath compleated what the first had begun and had not perfected I begun then the trial of our first Reformation with it's doctrin concerning the divine Commandements and specially of the impossibility to keepe them which was taught by our first and is yet maintain'd by our last Reformers For it was showen to me if the Commandements of God were possible to be keept as all wise and iust lawes are ordain'd for that end that they may be observed Then we by teaching they were impossible to be keep 't destroyed the very end for which the Commandements were made and so destroyed the Commadements themselues CHAP. XIII Of the possibility to keepe the Divine Commandements with the assistance of Gods grace denyed by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers I had for some space a preiudicate opinion in this matter against the Catholique doctrin which affirmed as the Ministers taught that it was possible for any man to keep all the divine Commandements yea and to do more then God had commanded I conceived that to be false For since no man to my knowlege or their owne confession had kep't them all or doth keep them I thought it not possible they could keep them For it would seeme if a thing were possible some one among so many thousands would put it in act Vpon the other part I was not well satisfyed with our owne doctrine which teacheth that it is altogether impossible to keep the Commandements of God by reason of a dangerous consequence which a Catholique made me see to follow thervpon to witt That so many thousands should be damned for not doing that which was vtterly impossible for them to do I wondered how that could stand with the goodnesse iustice of God For greater Tyranny iniustice cannot be imagined then to punish one with eternal misery and grievous paines for not doing that which was altogether impossible for him to do The light of Nature would not permit me to impute such cruelty to God whose goodnesse
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
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
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
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
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
a more excellent foode then Manna Iohn 6.33 to witt the bread of life his own flesh But if the Sacrament were meer bread and not Christs body it would not be more excellent then Manna which was called the bread of Angels but much inferiour to it as is evident 4. Christ who is goodnesse and wisdom it self would not for tropes and figures have vsed so many asseverations as are set down in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn Neither would he have suffered so many of his disciples and others to go away from him after so many doubts proposed by them but he would have cleared the matter vnro them Lastly If this liberty be once graunted to expound the Scripture figuratively when we are not forced to it by any other Scripture or article of our faith then nothing will remaine but vncertaine opinions of divine things and so by this means the whole mysteries of the Christian religion may be denyed or overturned For there is no more requisite according to this licentious rule but that some few Novelists think a mystery impossible albeit all the holy Fathers ancient Church did ever esteem it not only possible but also a truth reveal'd by God and an article of their faith And so diverse heretiques have imagined the mysterie of the Incarnation of the holy Trinity and such like principal articles of the Christian religion to be impossible and therefore have expounded all the Scriptures which speak of them figuratively as the Presbyterians do here For these reasons besides the authority of the holy Fathers it appear'd sufficiently evident to me that the words of Christ concerning the holy Sacrament ought to be literally plainly vnderstood and not figuratively This truth also of the reall presence was shewed to me to betestifyed and confirmed from heaven by miracles both auncient and modern which are related by famous and faithfull Authors For either some singular benefites have been obtain'd by the faith of this holy Sacrament as expulsion of Devils deliverance from shipwrack and the like or some punishments have fallen vpon those who either did not beleeve the reall presence or vsed the Sacrament irreverently or some visions and apparitions of Christ in the forme of a child or flesh have been seen to confirm those who were doubtfull of the reall presence Of the first sorte Prosp de promissi Praed Dei c. cap. 6. S. Prosper bringeth an example which fell out at Carthage how a young Arabian maide who by a certaine sin made her self an habitation to the Devil by whom she was so miserably vexed some dayes that her throat being stopped she could receive no meat or drink was at length delivered by the Communion of the sacred body of our Lord. But most famous is that miracle which S. Bernard by the holy Sacrament did at Milan before innumerable people For he cured a woman who had been possessed many yeares by the Devil and was rather a monster then a woman In vita S. Bernardi lib. 2. cap. 3. by holding the holy Sacrament above her head and saying O wicked Spirit here is present thy Iudge Here is the highest power resist now if thou canst Now said he the Prince of this world shall be cast forth This is that body which was taken of the body of the Virgin which was stretched on the tree of the crosse which lay in the sepulchre which in the sight of his disciples ascended vnto heaven I command thee O wicked Spirit in the terrible power of this Maiesty that going out of this hand maid of our Lord thou presume to touch her no more God approved the truth of S. Bernards faith which was alwayes the faith of the Catholique Church by granting his desire Flor. Reym de ortu haeres lib. 2. cap. 12. The like miracle was done in this last age at Laon in Picardie on the person of a young woman named Nicolas Obry as is related with many admirable circumstances by an eye witnesse Florimond Reymond Counsellour of the Parliament of Burdeaux by which miracle he professeth himself to have been drawen out of the gulf of heresie Ambros in Orat. funeb de obitu Satyri S. Ambrose doth also relate how his brother Satyrus by the great faith he had of this holy Sacrament was miraculously delivered from shipwrack How God hath punished those who have abused or blasphem'd this holy Sacrament both auncient and modern histories do shew S. Cyprian relateth many of these miracvlous punishments Ott Mileâ—it cont Parmen lib. 2. For. de ortu haerâ—s lib. 4. c. 10. which fell out in his time so that some were filled with vnclean Spirits others were turned into madnesse S. Optatus doth shew that the Donatists who threw the holy Sacrament of the Catholiques vnto dogges immediatly thereafter felt the divine iudgment for the dogges becoming enraged did set vpon their own Masters and tore them in pieces The above named Florimond doth relate how an Arian woman of Cracovie in the yeare 1579. looking out at her window and seeing the holy Sacrament caried in procession cry'd out Behold the beare which the Papists carie and adore But immediatly she was punished For the Devil seazing on her did so torment her that blaspheming she expired in her husbands armes Moreover Idem lib. 4. cap. 6. the same-Author sheweth that a Iew having made himself Christian did steale out of a Catholique Church three consecrated hosties with which he fled to Hungarie where he sold one of them to a Iew in Presburg and with the other two he went to another town called Nickesburg where he assembled diverse of his companions to shew their outrage against the Sacrament Whence it came to passe that one of the company taking a knife did stob the sacred hostie which was lying on a table saying if thou be the God of the Christians shew it by some miracle The blow was no sooner given but the blood did spring vp by which they were astonished and in the same houre thunder came from heaven which destroyed that house and consumed into ashes that wicked company except only three who half burnt were left to be witnesses of their wickednesse and having escaped the fire of heaven were severly punished by the hand of man as the Author recounts This miracle was so much the more famous that the table and the two hosties of which one was pierced by a knife were found entire among the middest of these ashes and were collected at the sight of innumerable people This miracle fell out in the yeare 1580. I passe by many more which were showen me to this purpose Paul Diac. in vâ—ta S. Greg. Ioann Eiar in vita eiusd Greg. lib. 2. c. 41. Lastly for the comfort of the faithfull or for confirmation of the doubtfull some visions have appeared in the holy Sacrament That which is recounted in the life of S. Grego the great is very remarkable The historie is briefly this
the Church The Catholique Church saith he fighting against all heresies may be opposed but cannot be overcome all heresies have gone out of her as vnprofitable twigges cut off from the vine but she remaines in her roote in her vine in her charitie the gates of hell cannot pervaile against her Christ promised also his perpetu l assistance vnto the Pastors of his Church Math. 28. ver vlt. Behold said he I am with you alway even vnto the consummation of the world Which place both S. Augustin and S. Hierome do bring to prove the same truth The first introduceth the Church speaking thus to Christ Shew vnto me the fewnesse of my dayes ug conc 2. in psal 101. how long shall I be in this world Shew this vnto me for those who say she was but now is not the Church hath made Apostasy and perished from all nations And he declared vnto me Behold I am with you alway even vnto consummation of the world S. Hierome saith that Christ Hier. in cap. vlt. Matth. by these words shews there should be alwayes some faithfull people in this world that he should never separate himself from them I passe by many more places of Scripture which is so evident for the perpetuity of Christs Church that S. Augustin said against the Donatists who denyed it Avg. pref in 2. expos psa 21. and affirmed the Church had perished They mock Christ in a matter which is evident in a matter where no man can say I did not understand This truth is not only evident in Scriptures and Fathers but it is also acknowledged by all Protestants whose minds are best knowne by their Confessions of faith which ought to be of more authority amongst them then the testimonies of their private writers Conf. Augu. c. 7. Saxoni ca c. 12. Helvetic c. 17 The confessions of Ausburg of Saxonie of the Suizers do not only affirm that the Church must still continue vnto the end of the world but they prove it by the expresse Scriptures above cited The Authors of our first Scottish Confession professe that they beleeve as firmely the perpetuity of the Church as they beleeve the mysterie of the Trinity 1. Scottish Conf. article 16. Confes Vvest ch 25. n. 5. for thus they speak As we beleeve in God the Father Son and holy Ghost so we do most earnestly beleeve that from the beginning there hath been now is and to the end of the world shall be a Church The new Confession at Westminster professeth the same truth And so do also Luther Calvin as we shall see presently Now the contrarie doctrin to witt that the Church of Christ did perish or can perish is censured both by Catholiques Protestants as a most damnable errour iniurious to God against the clear Scriptures S. Aug. testimonie shall suffice for the First For against the Donatists who defended the like error and said But that Church which was of all Nations is no more Aug. in ps 101. she hath perished he subioyneth this censure This they say who are not in her O impudent speech And after ward This voice so damnable so detestable so full of presumption falshood which is sustained with no truth enlightned with no wisdome seasoned with no salt vaine rash heady pernitious the holy Ghost foresaw By the great severity of this censure may be knowne the abominable falshood of that opinion Neither is the iudgment of Caluin against that error lesse severe For writing against Servetus who defended it and who was burnt by his order at Geneva he saith I did not touch that long banishment of the Church from the earth Cal. tract Theolin refvtatione errorum Serveti p. 762. which he faineth wherein he plainly accuseth God of a lie And afterward he maketh this profession But we indeed confesse that the Church was put in glorious places otherwise God would have lied who promised that he should alwayes have some people so long as the Sun and Moone shall shine in the firmament We know what the prophets do every where teftifie of the eternall kingdome of Christ The reason of these great censures is very evident For 1. there is nothing so often and so clearly promised in the Scriptures as the perpetuitie of the Church of Christ If then notwithstanding these clear promises the Church might perish then all the other mysteries reveal'd in Scripture might be denyed then it would follow that God were a liar as Calvin reasoneth against Servetus 2. If the Church could perish then that article of the Apostles Creed I believe the holy Catholique Church would be false and therefore none could believe truely that to be which had no being This reason is brought by Luther 3. It would follow that men could not be saved Luth. tom 7. de votis verae Ecclesiae f. 148. Conf. Vvest cap. 25. n. 2. for out of the true Church there is no ordinarie possibility of Salvation as our new Confession of faith acknowledgeth Now what could be more against the goodnesse mercy of God what more iniurious to the merits of Christs passion then to take away the means of Salvation which would be clearly taken away if the Church did perish By all which may be seen that the perpetuity of Christs Church is not only clearly contayn'd in the Scriptures holy Fathers but also that it 's granted by Protestants proved by their reasons and that the contrarie opinion to witt that the Church can perish is censured both by Catholiques Protestants as a most pernicious damnable Error Thus spake the Catholique I was so satisfied of the truth of this principle that I desired no more for the evidence of it and I professed if by it the Protestant Church were proved not to be the true Church that it could not be denyed but Protestants were convinced not only by a clear truth but also by their own principles But to perform this the better the same Catholique shew me that it was necessarie to lay down an other principle to witt the definition or description of a Protestant Church And although said he this be difficult by reason that Protestants are very inconstant and changeable in their doctrin which is the essence of a Church so that the definition which will serve them this yeare may perhaps not fit them the next for which cause some have affirmed that it 's as hard to find out a definition which will alwayes agree to them as to paint Proteus or make a fit coate for the Moone yet notwithstanding these difficulties a general notion may be had of them and the best appear's to be that which is taken from their Confessions of faith So that the Protestant Church of Scotland may be described to be a Society of people beleeving the whole articles of the Scottish Confession And other Protestāt Churches as of Englād France c. may be described after the same manner by
their several Confessions For these Confessions distinguish them from all other Societies and they require no more of any to be esteem'd a Protestant of their respective Churches then to subscrive and swear their Confessions But it is to be observed that these Confessions must be beleeved wholly and intirely and not only a part of them otherwise all heretiques might be esteem'd Protestants For Arius Sabellius and the rest beleeved some of these articles and yet were not Protestants These two grounds being setled he proceeded to his proof CHAP. XXIV That the Protestant Church hath not been perpetual yea was not at all before Luther and therefore is not the true Church FROM the former two principles which I granted and conceive no Protestant can deny this argument was made vnto me The true Church of Christ hath still continued without interruption since the ascension of Christ But the Protestant Church hath only continued since the apostasy of Luther Therefore the Protestant Church is not the true Church of Christ The maior is evident by the first principle of the perpetuity of the Church The Minor is proved by the second principle after this manner The Protestant Church for example of Scotland is a Church beleeving all the articles of the Scottish Confession and the same may be proportionally said of all other Protestant Churches and their Confessions But before Luther there was no Church which beleeved that Confession or any other of the Protestant Confessions Therefore there was no Protestant Church before Luther and consequently it hath only continued since the fall of Luther The Maior is evident by the second principle The Minor to witt that there was no Church before Luther which beleeved any Protestant Confession is proved thus If thâ—re had been any Church before Luther beleeving any Protestant Confession it was either visible or invisible there is no medium But there was no Church either visible or invisible which beleeved any Protestant Confession Therefore there was no Church at all beleeving any Protestant Confession before Luther If you will affirm said he that there was such a Church visible I ask where it was to be seen before Luther appeared Which can never be showen If you say there was a Church beleeving some Protestant Confession but invisible I demand only for the present how the true Church can be invisible How can the true Church be without doctrin Sacraments neither of which can be had in an invisible Church But I shall prove he after that the Scriptures Fathers right reason are as evident for the visibility as they are for the perpetuity of the Church Yea I shall shew that albeit the true Church could be invisible the Protestant Church was not so much as invisible before Luther and therefore was not at all Visibility invisibility are indeed the two starting holes by which your Authors think to escape when they are prest by this argument and therefore they must be both diligently watcht For there is a custom as S. Augustin observes common to foxes heretiques Aug. in psa 80. Cant. 2 As foxes have two entries to their hole to the end they may save themselves by the one when they are pursued by the other so heretiques whom the Scripture ressembles to foxes have a double issue in their answers that they may escape by the one when they find themselves assaulted pres't by the other This custome many Protestants observe well in this same matter For when they are pres't to shew their Church before Luther they say often it was invisible therefore could neither be known nor shown But when it is proved by the Scriptures right reason that the true Church must be visible then they make many shifts to shew it was visible and when all these faile they run back again vnto their hole of invisibility and so think to escape that way Thus he But I esteeming visibility a more honorable natural propertie of the Church of Christ then invisibility since Christ saith Tell the Church which were impossible to be done if the Church were not visible knowing that diverse famous Protestants do affirm that their Church was visible before Luther I willed him if he would gain his point to shew me first that the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther Wherevpon he toul dme that he would prove that very particularly but first he would shew me in general that even these Protestants who pretend their Church to have been visible cannot endure to be ask'd that fatal question where was your Church before Luther For knowing the hardnesse of this question and the insufficiency of their answers they endeavour to shift it calling it an vniust impertinent demand an old but vnnecessarie question a question of historie which would require twentie yeares study But said he if this demand be vniust Tertul. de prescrip c. 31. Optat. l. 1. ad Parmen p. 48. Aug. in collat 3. diei cap. 6. Theologi Heidel praef in Protocoll Frankentalen Beza ep 16. then the Fathers were vniust who made the same demand to the heretiques of their time required them to shew the origine of their Churches and to tell what they were and whence they came Yea if this demand be vniust some chief Protestants are vniust who made the same to diverse sectaries who have gone out from them For the Theologs of Heydelberg speak thus to the Anabaptists If you be the Church of God it followeth that God hath been without people and without a Church c. And the reason which they subioyn is very remarkable for it is directly according to the second principle above setled For if you say they would read over all histories you shall find no people from the beginning of the world that hath made a Confession of faith like yours Beza hath also been vniust who presseth the new Arians with the like question If their doctrin saith he be true we require them to show vs at length in what place their Church hath been These testimonies to passe by many others do shew that this question is neither vniust nor impertinent and that these Protestants who vrge it so hardly against others do know the great strength and evidence of it which they cunningly dissemble or maliciously deny when it 's vrged against themselves But that this question is not vniust may be shewed also by reason For if the Protestant Church hath been visible it must have been in some place visible Since then we cannot see nor heare of it before Luther arose although all histories have been searched all records pervsed which do inform vs of things lesse considerable as sometimes of one single man when and where he arose and opposed the Church and yet not so much as one word can be found of a whole visible continual society of Protestants and besids that they cannot be found in histories they have left no Monuments behind them by which they may be
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
advertised of her maladies and desired to cure them would admit no medicine which the Protestants taking at length in a cup of Reformation did purge themselves of all infirmities and thereby their Church was rendred whole and sound So that there is no more difference between the Roman Protestant Church then between the same man whole sick who by health and sicknesse is not substantially different but remaines still the same man The Protestants who followed this course were famous in their own generations and much cryed vp for learning prudence as Hooker the Bishop of Spalato Feild Bunny Potter Chilingworth and diverse others as may be seen in the B. of Calcedons treatise of fundamental points and in the Protestants Apologie I shall content my self with the testimony of M. Bunny who writes thus Bunny Tract de Pacification sect 18. p. 108. No question ought to be made for our separation from the Church For we make not a distinct Church from them nor they from vs. There was therefore no separation made froÌ„ the Church neither did any of vs go out from them The only question may be which of vs are to be esteemed the more wholsome members of the Church we or they Neither is there any other question approved by vs. Yea he acknowledgeth that vnlesse this answer be made the Papists have great advantage in their old question seing the Protestants cannot shew a Church distinct from the Roman before Luther But this answer of these late Authors is as false and insufficient as any of the former First it directly contradicts the d ctrine practice of their Reformers who are supposed to have been heavenly Apostles For they accused the Roman Church of Idolatrie superstition and diverse grosse fundamental errors which make not a Church to be only sick but also kill and destroy it and as the Presbyterians speak make it of the Church of Christ become the Synagogue of Sathan Anti-Christ Then for separation 〈◊〉 first Reformers were so far from denying it that they invited all persons to separate themselves from the Roman Church which they called spirituâ—l Babylon And according to this doctrin their practice followed Therefore it is evident that the first Reformers did not think the Roman and Protestant Church all one in fundamentals neither did they deny separation from the Roman Church but rather the quite contrarie is most clear and certaine Secondly Diverse other famous Protestants condemne this new opinion as im ious For M. Perkins writes thus Perk. in c. 8. ad Galat. v. 9. Whita cont 2. quaest 6. c. 3. The Politician who is of no religion saith hat we and the Papists differ not in substance And Whiteker saith plainly that the Roman Church hath taken away many fundamental articles of faith and corrupted faith in the principal parts All the oâ—her late Protestants and especially the Presbyterians condemne the same opinion For nothing almost can incense them m re then to say that the Church of Rome is a true Church and that the Protestants made no separation from her Hence it came to passe that M. Hooker was sharply reproved for this device by the Puritans in their Christian letters Thirdly besids all these confusions contradictions among themselves the answer in it self is false insufficient For when we are seeking a Protestant visible Church before Luther these men shew vs the Popish Church and albeit all the world knowes that Papists are not Protestants yet they affirm that the Popish and Protestant Church are all one differ not substantially which is a double deceit first â—o shew one thing very different for another and then to affirm that they are both one But I conceive it can hardly enter into a mans imagination vnlesse it be troubled to think that these Churches are substantially one which differ and are clearly opposite in the principal substantial points of religion as in Sacrifice Sacraments the observation of the divine Commandments iustifying faith good works and many others particulars The one Church approveth External Sacrifice as a most acceptable service and worship due to God and offers vp the Christian sacrifice as the most excellent of all sacrifices and adores it as God The other hath no sacrifice at all but condemnes that as great abomination grosse Idolatrie which the first makes the greatest obiect and exercise of its piety This difference alone albeit we speak of no more is so great that M. Dallie a renown'd Min ster in France doth affirm in his Apologie which he wrote lately for the reformed Churches and is approved by his Colleagues the Ministers of Charenton that it was sufficient to iustifie the Protestants separation from the Roman Church and to hinder their vnion again with it as being a most substantial and fundamental difference By which it 's evident that the ground whereon this answer is founded to witt that there are no fundamental differences between the Catholique Protestant Church is false both in it felt in the iudgment of the first Reformers of many other famous Protestants But whither there be fundamental differences or not the answer is not sufficient For the qâ—estion still remaines where was the Protestant Church before Luther that is a Church believing all the articles of a Protestant Confession whither some of them b called fundamental or not fundamental or if they please of men holding all these articles and esteeming some of them fundamental and some not For we are now seeking a Protestant Church before Luther and according to the definition above setled such a Church is a society beleeving all the articles of their CoÌ„fessioÌ„ Therefore they must shew vs such a ConfessioÌ„ or else they do not shew vs a Protestant Church Yea the points which they call not fundameÌ„tal wherein they disagree froÌ„ the Papists are these which make them properly Protestants If then they confesse as they must do that no society can be had before Luther which believed all these points which they call not fundamental they must also grant that there was no visible Protestant Church before Luther which is directly to succumb faile in that which they vndertook to shew So that albeit this distinction of fundamentals c. were admitted as good true whereas indeed in their sense it 's false and deceitfull as we shall see more clearly hereafter yet in relation to the present question it would serve them to no purpose These reasons are more then sufficient to shew that this new answer is false and insufficient and is nothing but a meer shift devised to elude the question And that it cannot be satisfactorie to any man who is searching for the truth which is condemned by famous Protestants as fâ—lse and impious and which is contrarie to the doctrin practice of the first Reformers This sheweth clearly the great straight necessity wherevnto such learned and prudent men were reduced in answering this hard question which
be so abominable the other is no lesse detestable S. Augustin who censured so heavily the opinion of the Donatists who taught that the Church had perished every where except only among themselves as if he had foreseen this Presbyterian shift which pretends the Church had not perrished but was invisible writes thus against it Aug. de pastor c. 16. Some one may say It may be God hath other sheep but I know not where of which he taketh care but I know them not O how absurd is he vnto humane sense who imagines such things We have seen how this opinion is against the Scriptures Fathers and now in S. Augustins iudgment it 's against sense we shall see presently how it is against reason and famous Protestants All men ordinarly agree in this general notion of the Church that it is a society of people instructed in the faith of Christ governed by lawfull Pastors and having Communion together in the Christian Sacraments But if the Church were invisible there could be no instruction no governement no administration of Sacraments And hence will appear that an invisible Church is against all the ends for which God had established a Church vpon earth The first was to instruct and guide the members of the Church vnto the port of Salvation And for this end are necessary instruction in the faith administration of Sacraments which require visibility both in the Pâ—stors and in the people For invisible Pastors cannot instruct nor administrate Sacraments and therefore the Church which consists of Pastors people must be visible For as D. Humphrey saith Whilst the Ministers teach Humph Iesuit part 2 rat 3. others learn they administrate the Sacraments these receive them c. who seeth not these things is more blind then a Mâ—odiwarp But if the Church were invisible there could be no instruction consequently no faith no Sacraments so none could be directed in this invisible Church vnto the port of Salvation This sheweth that the Church must be visible at least to the members of it The second â—nd for which the Church was ordain'd was to receive the Gentils and to afford to all persons who are astray the means of salvation by entering into the Church This the Prophet Esay speaking of the Church foretold Esay 60.11 Thy gates shall be open continually day and night they shall not be shut that the strength of the Gentils may be brought vnto thee But if the Church had been invisible her gates had been worse then shut for they could never have been found to be knokt at and so the Gentils heretiques albeit never so desirous could never have entered which is against the Scriptures and goodnesse of God This reason proveth that the Church must be visible even to strangers The third end was to compose diffâ—rences which might arise among Christians according to that of our Saviour Math. 18.17 Tell the Church But had the Church been invisible she could neither have been told nor found Invisible Iudges cannot compose differences The fourth end was to oppose all errors heresies Ephes 4.11 For which cause God established Pastors in the Church to conserve the people in the true doctrine froÌ„ the circuÌ„vention of error But had the Church been invisible she could not have opposed heresies they had prevailed without coÌ„troul It there had been no Church to oppose heresies before the Protestants peep 't vp what had become of the Christian religion Surely it had been a puddle of errors or a Masse of Confusion So that this invisible Church is against all the cheef ends for which God established a Church vpon earth It is also against famous Protestants who sharply censure it Melanchton whom Luther equaleth to the Fathers Melan. in Concil Theol p. 393.394 calls it Monstruous It is necessary saith he to confesse the Church to be visible Wherevnto tendeth this monstruous speech which denyeth the visible Church It abolisheth all testimonies of Antiquity it causeth an endlesse confusion and induceth a Commonwealth of vnruly Ruffians or Atheists where no one careth for another Humph Ies par 2. rat 3. Enoch Claph in Antid schi p. â—7 D. Humphrey saith It is a manifest Conclusion that the Church ought to be conspicuous Another Protestant saith of the Puritans They affirm against the Scripture that the Church for some ages was not visible This cannot be a sound article of the Protestant religion which such Protestants so sharply censure Now we shall see how it is against Protestants principles yea and destroyes it self For they ordinarly assign two necessary marks of the Church to witt the right preaching of the word administration of the Sacraments To which the Presbyterians add their disciplin as a third mark I inquire then if this Church which some of them make invisible for 900. some for 1000. and others for 12. hundred years had preaching and Sacraments during that time or not If it had then it could not be invisible for invisible people can neither be instructed nor baptized If it had no preaching nor Sacraments then it hath been a miserable Church or rather no Church at all which wanted these two things which are necessary to constitute a Church If a famous Presbyterian Minister took occasion lately whilst he was baptizing a child on a cold winter day to say against the Anabaptists It is cold dipping to day I love not Sommer Sacraments May not any one say more iustly against the Presbyterians In many dayes an invisible Church cannot be found out I love not a Church wherein for a thowsand years above there were neither sommer nor winter Sacraments Moreover either this invisible Church had some government or it had none If it had any it could not be invisible as is evident and if that governement was Presbytâ—rian disciplin that Church had not been only visible to these who obey'd it but also very sensible to those who did not willingjy stoop to it or else it hath been very far different from the nature of our Scottish Presbytery If that invisible Church had no government then it wanted that which no society can want and without which there is no order but confusion Yea this invisible Church is such a rare device that it destroies it self For no Church albeit never so invisible can be imagined without internal faith at least Now faith coms by hearing Rom. 10.17 according to S. Paul and how shall they heare saith the same Apostle without a preacher But in an invisible Church there could be no preaching or instruction and so no faith and no faith no Church Not so much as an invisible one In a word this invisible Church which wanted preaching faith Sacraments and government hath been a miserable or rather a Chimerical Church Lastly this invisible Church doth highly disparage the Christian religion For it makes the Church of Christ of whose glory above the Synagogue of the Iewes so much is
recorded in the Scriptures not equal in glory but more inglorious then the Iewish Synagogue hath been even since the coming of Christ For ever since that time the Iewes have professed their religion and had visible Synagogues in diverse famous nations whereas the Presbyterians make the Church of Christ to be invisible for many ages of that time in which not one could be found who had the courage or devotion to professe the true religion Now what can be more against the Sriptures and the honour of Christ then this wicked device what more opprobrious to all the Christians of these times God speaking of the Church Aggai 2.9 saith by the Prophet Aggai The Glory of this later house shall be greater then of the former But if the Christian Church had been so many ages invisible it had been more inglorious then the Synagogue of the Iewes which was all that time visible Christ is called by S Paul Heb. 8.6 the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established vpon better promises But by the Presbyterians invisible Church he is made Mediator of a worse Covenant and to have failed of his promises S Hierom saith Hieron cont Lucifer cap. 6. Nimium prophani sunt c. They are too prophane who affirm the Iewes had more Synagogues then the Christians had Churches Therefore they may be called most prophane who affirme the Iewes had many Synagogues and deny the Christians to have had so much as one Church throughout the whole world Whence this opinion gives great advantage to the Iewes and infidels against the Christian religion For they may iustly pretend that the Christian Church if it was so many ages invisible could not be the true Church kingdom of the Messias which the Prophets foretould clearly should be eternal conspicuous and glorious and that Christ could not be the true Messias who had failed so palpably of his promises Yea this opinion is very dangerous to Protestants so that it hath made some to stumble at the Christian religion and it hath drawn others into flat Atheism Sebastian Castalio Professor of Basil having cited some clear testimonies of Scripture for the perpetuity of the Church and the conversion of Kings Nations writes very perplexedly vnto Edward the 6. King of England Sebast Cast in praef Biblior lat Truly saith he We must confesse that either these things will be or that they have been or God is to be accused of aâ— lie If any man say they have been I inquire of him when I inquire how the knowledge of God and pietie which was promised to be eternal and more aboundant then the waters of the sea was not altogether perf ct Osiand in epitom cont 16. parte 2. p. 647. and could so soon decay By which words he shewes what stuck in his stomack David George a Protestant of Holand proceeded further vpon this ground of the visible decay of the Church blasphem'd against Christ saying If the doctrin of Christ his Apostles had been true the Church which they planted had endured Idem p. 818. And here vpon he became an impure Apostat from the Christian religion Adam Neuserus the chief Pastor of Heydelberg of a Minister became a Turk and was circumcised at Constantinople Prot. Apolog. tract 2. cap. 1. sect 5. These and some other examples may be seen in the Protestants Apology By all which may be seen how false dangerous pernicious this opinion of the invisible Church is against a most clear truth to witt that the Church cannot be hid Therefore as S. Augustin did conclude against the Donatists Aug. li. 2. cont pâ—til c. 104. in these words The Church hath this most certain mark that she cannot be hid she is then known to all Nations the sect of Donatus is vnknown to all Nations that then cannot be she So we may conclude more forcibly against the Presbyterians The Church of Christ hath this most certain mark that she cannot be hid or invisible She is then known or visible to all Nations The Protestant Church before Luther was invisible and vnknown to all Nations as the Presbyterians do confesse Therefore the Protestant Church cannot be she CHAP. XXIX That albeit the true Church might be invisible yet the Protestants had no invisible Church before Luther IT hath been already proved that albeit the Protestants had had an invisible Church before Luther yet it could not be the true Church which must be alway's visible Now remaines to be shewed the second thing which was vndertaken above to witt that albeit an invisible Church were sufficient yet the Protestants had not so much as one of that nature before Luther and so they succumb as well de facto as they have done de iure and consequently this device of an invisible Church for two reasons will serve them to no purpose Which is shewed thus An invâ—sible Protestant Church is a Church which beleeved the Protestant faith in their heart albeit they made no external profession of it But de facto there was no Church before Luther which beleeved the Protestant confession of faith Therefore there was no visible Protestant Church before Luth r. The Maior is evident because there is this difference between a visible and an invisible Church that the first professeth the faith the other professeth it not but they both agree in this to have inwardly the faith Without which there cannot be any Church Therefore an invisible Protestant Church is a Church which beleeved inwardly the Protestant faith The Minor is proved of the time immediatly preceeding Luthers preaching For either Luther himself before he began to oppose the Pope was a member of this lurking Protestan Church beleeving the Protestâ—nt Confession or these who adhered to him were members of it or some others who did nor ioyne with him and besids these no others can be found or imagined But none of these can be said For Luther is avowedly confessed by himself and all men in ad lat to have been a Roman Catholique a Priest a friar of S. Augustins order and as himself acknowledgeth said Masse devoutly and honored the Pope in his heart Therefore Luther before he opposed the Pope did not beleeve inwardly the Protestant faith and was not a member of the Protâ—stants lurking invisible Church but was a member of the Roman visible Church But so were Melanchton Carolstadius the Saxons and all the rest who followed him Papists or Priests professing the Roman religion knowing nothing of the Protestant till Luther taught them Therefore all these who adhered to Luthers new doctrin were before that time not lurking Protestants but profes't Papists Neither were there any other members of that suppos'd lurking Protestant Church who did not ioyn with Luther For if there had been any they should and would have come out of their lurking holes so soon as Luther began to preach and got the protection of secular Princâ—s For then there
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
hath had her gates continually open day night in all generations to receive the strength of the Gentils and in a word which has made the world Christian This is the Church which alone in allâ—ges has opposed all the heresies which did arise in their diverse ages from the beginning of Christianity and albeit they all have shut out their hornes against this Church and both by slight might have endeavoured to destroy her yet she alone hath fought against them all and gloriously triumphed over them all This is the Church which has held all the General Councels which hath condemned all errors and heresies which has had Pastors and people professing the faith in all ages without interruption and in which all the Saints Martyrs and Doctors have lived These things might be shown by a particular Catalogue of this Churches chief Pastors Councils Nations converted and publique Professors in every age if it were not too longsome and besids it is so clear that it is not here necessary especially seing the Lutheran Centurists who have raked together all they can both for themselves and against the Roman Church yet can shew the succession and continuance of no other but only of this Church And the reason of this is clear because this Church and she alone hath so clearly this succession that no other Churches which carie the name of Christian can so much as pretend to have it in the least degree of probability For it is evidently certain that all other Churches which are separated from this Church were once of her faith Communion and went vndeniably out of her and therefore they cannot be so ancient as she and consequently they have not alwayes had a continued succession from the Apostles and if they pretended it they would be most ridiculous making an evident lie against sense Therefore the Protestants wisely pretend no such thing Yea their whole Reformation is grounded vpon a contrary pretext that the whole Church had fallen into desolation grosse Errors Heresy and Idolatry which is in-indeed to pretend that the succession of the Church had failed and that they were now sent to set her vp again By all which it is seen that the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome and she alone has had a continued succession from Christ his Apostles and that so clearly that no other Church can pretend to have it This same truth was testifyed by the holy Fathers in their time S. Hierom 〈◊〉 said above that he would bring a clear declaration of his mind that that is the true Church that hath still endured to witt the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome which he esteem's so much to be the true Church that he affirmes those who have no Communion with her to belong not to Christ but to Anti-Christ For thus he writes to S. Damasus Bishop of Rome With the successor of the Fisher and with the disciple of the Crosse I speak I Hior epist ad Damas following none chief but Christ hold the fellowship of Communion with thy Holynesse that is with Peters chaire Vpon that rock I know the Church to be built Whosoever shall eate the lambe without that house is a prophane person c. He that gathereth not with thee scattereth that is saith he who is not Christs is Anti-Christs This old doctrin is far different from the Presbyterians new opinions S. Cyprian saith Cyp. tract de simplicitate Prâ—tator who leaves the Chaire of Peter vpon whom the Church was built does he think to be in the Church But let vs hear S. Augustin the most glorious Doctor of the Church shewing this same truth For after he had spoken much of the sincere wisdom great holynesse and fruits of piety of the Church and of the great authority which God hath conferr'd on her he subioyns these remarkable words to his friend Honoratus Aug. de vtilite crede c. 17. Seing therefore we see so great help and assistance from God shall we make any doubt or question at all of retiriing into the bosome of that Church which to the Confession of mankind from the sea Apostolique by the succession of Bishops hath obtain'd the Soveraignity principal authority Heretiques in vain barking round about it being condemned partly by the gravity of Councels partly also by the Maiesty splendour of Miracles vnto which not to grant the chief place is either indeed an extream impiety or a very rash and dangerous arrogancy Thus he Here we see what Church in the time of the holy Fathers had this continued succession and the same is no lesse evident to this day In the Scriptures we read the prophesies and Christs promises of his Church and in this Church alone we see no lesse clearly the performances What the Scripture had foretold Aug. de vnitate Eccl. c. 8. in ps 149. here with ioy as S. Augustin speaks we may see fulfilled The Church before was only read in books and now it is seen in Nations By all which authorities evidences both the Maior and the Minor of the argument proposed are sufficiently proved to be manifest truths to witt That that is only the true Church which has had a continued succession from the Apostles to this time And that the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome and she alone has had a continued succession From which the Conclusion followes clearly Therefore the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome is the only true Church of Christ You see this reason is neither new nor obscure For it was vsed by the holy Fathers as a most clear short and convincing way whereby the true Church may be known If it was so easy strong then it is no lesse but rather more evident forcible now If the succession of the Church for 3. or 4. hundred years and of 30. or 40. Roman Bishops was esteem'd so strong by the Fathers to prove the true Church how much more forcible is the successioÌ„ of the Church for above 1600. yeares above 2. hundred Bishops of the sea Apostolique to prove the same truth Nothing could be said by the AncieÌ„t Fathers in confirmatioÌ„ of this truth which may not as iustly be said now and nothing can be pretended now by the present Enemies of the Roman Church against it which might not have been as iustly preteÌ„ded by her ancient enemies the old heretiques Neither is there any way to shun the force of this Demonstration but either by affirming that the true Church had perished which is detestable blasphemy or by saying she became invisible which we have shown above to be a grosse falshood and desperate folly This whole matter may be further illustrated and confirmed There is nothing more clear in the Scripture then that the Church of Christ must still endure or have a continued succession of people professing the same faith which was taught by the Apostles Now it is no lesse clear it
is granted by all Christians that the Church in Communion with Rome had once this succession and professed the true faith at least for some years after the Apostles Therefore either she holds still the same true faith and so has a continued succession from the Apostles or else if she hath fail'd some other Church hath succeeded and kept the true faith in all generations thereafter But no other Church can be assigned which hath still succeeded Therefore either the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome which was once vndenyably the true Church is still the true Church and hath ever professed the same true faith or else the true Church of Christ which ought to be perpetual and visible hath perished out of the earth for many ages which no Christian can affirm Moreover as the true Church is clearly easily known by her continued succession so all false Churches are evidently discoverd by their new rising S. Irenaeus li. 3. c. 3. The most ancient Father S. Irenaeus having reckon'd out the succession of the Roman Bishops by which he shewes the succession of the true Church from the Apostles saith Haec est plenissima ostensio c. This is a most full demonstration that the same lively faith taugth by the Apostles is still even vnto this day conserved in the Church and truly delivered And by this saith he Confundimus omnes c. We confound all Novelists who cannot shew such a succession S. Hierom saith that any new Church which hath not still endured from the Apostles is not the Church of Christ Hier. dial cont Lucifer vt sup Tertull. de praescrip c. 34. Idem li. advers Hermonem c. 1. but the Synagogue of Anti-Christ For by this same very thing that they are afterwards established they shew themselves to be those whom the Apostle foretold were to arise Tertullian affirmeth that Heretiques are discovered by their age alone Again To cut short all disputes with Heretiques we vse to prescribe them by their posteriority or after rising But it is worth the observation and much illustrates this matter to consider what two contrary things the Scripture foretells of the true Church and of heresies Of the Church it shewes that it hath no later beginning then Christ who founded it and can end no sooner then the consummation of the world Both these truths are contain'd in that one sentence of Christ to speak of no more Math. 16.19 Vpon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Of sects heresies it shewes iust the contrary 1. They are not so ancient as Christ but arise afterwards as S. Paul foretold the Ephesians saying I know Acts 20.29.30 that after my departure there will ravening Wolves enter in among you c. and of your selves shall arise men speaking perverse things 1. Iohn 2.19 S. Iohn saith They went out from vs. 2. As they rise lately so they quickly decay S. Paul saith 2. Tim. 3.9 They shall prosper no further The first two are verifyed clearly in the Catholique Church which being founded by Christ hath continued to this day without interruption and so shall continue vnto the end of the world For this being the work of God cannot be dissolved as Gamaliel wisely or rather divinly foretold The other two are no lesse verifyed of all false Churches For they began of late in several ages after the Apostles and albeit they seem'd sometimes firmly established yet being the works devices of men they were ever at length dissolved The first point to witt late rising is verifyd of the Protestant Churches which were not known before Luther their dissensions changes divisions and subdivisions which every day encrease and for which there is no remedie shew that they cannot endure for ever Is it not then truly admirable that the heresies which have risen against the Church being so many in number for two hundred Heresiarchs are reckoned to have been before Luther some of thē vpheld by great earthly power maintain'd by diverse svbtile and crafty wits covered with the mask of truth and promoved with furious zeal yet never one of them hath endured And vpon the other part the Catholique Church being all alone so ancient so much hated so much calumniated and persecuted by them all hath stood out against them all and endures vnto this day Is it not very considerable that all heretiques having intended by slight and might the destruction of the Catholique Church which some of them have most cruelly persecuted and the building of their own new respective Churches yet they could never get either of these two designs accomplished For the Catholique Church being founded by Christ vpon a rock cannot be shaken Whereas these new Churches albeit sometimes they seem to be brought neer vnto some setling perfection yet before they can get on the Capestone for which the Presbyterians did often in vain cry fall ever into ruin and confusion Who will consider these things may not see the finger of God in protection of his Church the clear performāce of all his promises vnto her And vpon the other part who may not see an evident curse fall vpon all heresies which like Babels can never be perfited being built vpon the sand cannot long stand or being like adulterous plants cannot take deep rootes But that you may discern the better how the true Church is so easily known by her continued succession all false Churches are so clearly discovered by their new rising I pray yow conceive in your mind these following representations which are grounded in the Scriptures holy Fathers 1. Represent vnto your self the true Church as a great River passing from one end of the earth to the other running continually from the time of Christ his Apostles through all generations And such is the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome having succession of Pastors people in all ages like a river ever running in which all the Saints as living waters have flowed vnto paradise But heretical Churches are like little brooks or rainfloods not alway's running but rising at several times after stormes tempests not compassing the earth but overflowing some petty corners of it making for a short space a great noise thereafter running more calmly and in end clean dried vp S. Augustin makes this comparison for on these words of the psalme Aug. in psal 57. They shall come to nothing as water running down he saith Let not my brethren some floods which are called Torrents affright you the water runs down for a time it makes a great noise it shall soon cease they cannot endure long Many heresies are now dead they have run in their streams as much as they could they have run out their waters are dried vp scarcely the memorie of them is to be found c. Thus he You know that the Covenant did not always run and
doctrin Christ his Apostles taught and that the Catholique Church by her constant treading this way has still held the same true doctrin which she first received and consequently has never changed her doctrin nor brought in corruption as the Ministers do caluminate And therefore their pretended Reformation having no other ground but this calumnie is a groundlesse imagination and a destruction of Christs true doctrin But that the truth of this whole matter may yet more fully appear I will shew you briefly that this constant testimony is the only sure infallible way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge possession of our Saviours true doctrin that it is also most easy vniuersal for all sorts of persons that the holy Fathers primitive Church did follow it and that all Errors heresies have been clearly confuted by it We have already show'n that this testimony is a sure infallible means now that it is only sure infallible Aug. cont ep fond c. 5. is shewed For if there were any other it would be the Scripture as Protestants pretend But that cannot be 1. Because we cannot beleeve the Scripture without the testimony of the Church as S. Augustin clearly avoucheth 2. Albeit we could know it without that testimony yet by the Scripture we cannot know the whole doctrin of Christ especially since the Scripture it self saith 2. Thessal 2.15 Hold fast the Tradition Thirdly principally Albeit the Scripture contain'd the whole doctrin of Christ yet how shall I know assuredly by the letter of the Scripture the true sense of it without which I have not the true doctrin of Christ Yea I may corrupt the Scripture or follow those who corrupt it as S. Peter shewes many do vnto their own perdition Here many if not all Protestants are perplexed to show how by the Scripture the true sense of it may be had Some say that the Scripture is clear in all things necessary to Salvation so that every man may easily vnderstand them Others think that the Scripture is not so clear but an Interpreter is necessary But they are divyded in assigning this Interpreter Some say the Scripture in one place expounds it self in another Others assign the private Spirit and last of all some assign for an Interpreter every mans natural reason But all these are false frivolous pretences For first they could never shew what these necessary points are Besides this is an open confession that by the Scripture we cannot know assuredly our Saviours doctrin in these points which they call not necessary Then is not the true belief of the Sacrament necessary for the Church and yet we see what contrary glosses the Lutherans Calvinists make on our Saviours clear words Lastly if there needed no Interpreter for things necessary every one although vnlearned who could but read might pick out what are necessary which troubles the most learned heads among them to find out and these who could not read behoved to pin their implicit faith at at other mens sleeves Now what confusion would this make what vncertainty would there be in this case of our Saviours doctrin And how contrary are these things to truth and experience to Protestants principles practices So it is evident that by the Scripture alone we cannot come to the sure and infallible knowledge of our Saviours doctrin Neither can we attayn to it by the Scripture assisted by any Interpreter which Protestāts assign For it is false that the Scripture expounds it self it being obscure in many places which are not interpreted by others more plaine as may appear besides other reasons by the Protestants dissenssions in many points The conference of places study and the like which some require to be ioyn'd with the Scripture are but humane helps subiect to error and not infallible Then for the private Spirit it can give vs as little assurance of the sense as it can of the letter of the Scripture We see what contrariety is among those who all equally lay claim to it Neither is the last Interpreter to witt every mans reason assigned by M. Chilingworth the last peaceable Refiner of the English Church any white better but rather worse For besids that this opinion makes humane reason not the divine authority the main ground of our faith which is a dangerous errour it is so far from bringing men vnto the sure knowledge of what our Saviour taught that it professeth no more but a moral certainty for the truth of the whole Christian religion and leaves all particular doctrines to be pickt out of the Scriptures according to the diversity of mens particular reasons And so diuerse men according to the diversity of their reasons collect from the Scriptures opposite doctrines For what some think reasonable accept others esteem vnreasonable and reiect as is evident in the Socinians who deny the divinity of Christ principally vpon this ground because it chokes their reason as the Calvinists also chiefly for the same reason deny the reall presence So that this Interpreter brings as great vncertainty to know our Saviours doctrin as any other And therefore it remaines evident that the Scripture even assisted by any Interpreter which Protestants can assigne much more the Scripture alone is not a sure infallible means for this end and consequently the testimony of the Church is the only sure infallible means But here I did enquire of the Catholique If the Scriptures were as cleer every where as S. Augustin affirmes they are concerning the Church where he saith they need no Interpreter might they not then give vs vndoubted assurance of our Saviours doctrin To which he answered That although the Scripture were never so clear and as evident in every sentence as words can be written Yet because these words may be diversly vnderstood taken indifferent senses they cannot be so sure infallible away to certifie vs what was our Saviours doctrin as the living words testimony of the whole Church which received the true doctrin and the sense together with the letter of the Scriptures which she hath constantly transmitted vnto posterity This is evident in a very principal point of the Christian religiō to witt the holy Sacrament What words can be more clear then these of our Saviour This is my body which shall be given for you c And yet vpon these clear words there are reckoned about two hundred diverse interpretations since Protestāts arose How then should a man amōg such variety of senses come vnto the true sense be sure that he has attayn'd vnto it in which only Christs true doctrin consists Therefore it is evident in this case that the written word cannot do it and this only the Church can perform which has conserved both the letter and sense of the Scriptures from corruptions If then the Scriptures although they were written in most cleer words cannot certifie vs fully of the true sense of our Saviours doctrin
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
which is erected vpon it But all these lies calumnies false accusations and railings can prevaile nothing against the Church which may say truly as the Prophet David foretould of her Psal 128.1 seq How often have they impugned me from my youth How often have they impugned me But they have not prevailed against me Sinners have built vpon my back they have prolonged their iniquity Our iust Lord will cut the necks of sinners Let them all be confounded and turned back which hate Sion S. Chrysostom writing on these words of the psalme The Queen stood at thy right hand said truly and excellently of her The Church is opposed Chrysost ver 10. Psal 44. and overcomes being pursued by snaires she gets the vpper hand being provoked with wrongs and reproches she is made more illvstrious She is hurt but yields not to the print of the woūds how ever she be tossed she is not overwhelmed She endures great tempests and yet for all that suffers no shipwrack she wrestles but is not thrown down Thus he Thererefore this cloud of the Ministers calumnie to witt that the Catholique Church had changed the doctrin of Christ brought in corruptions which is the very same which all heretiques have vsed the new Arians vse to this day being dispelled I am confident that by Gods grace you see now the admirable light of the Catholique Church and therefore abandoning the darknesse of all error will walk in this light by which all the Saints have attain'd vnto the light of heaven To this effect with many more words spake the Catholique After I had diligently considered all these things the heads of which were given me in writing I did not only by Gods grace see with my vnderstanding the truth of the Catholique Church but also I was bent with my will to follow embrace it laying aside many worldly difficulties which only stood in my way And having heartily thanked my Catholique friend by whose paines charity I had received so much help I earnestly desired that for the accomplishment of the work he would assist me to consider how the true Church may be known by these 4. notes which are contain'd in the Nicen Creed and which he briefly touched above to which he willingly condescended shewing me that any man who believes the Scripture may find the true Church so manifestly there described by these properties that he may easily find her out or rather clearly see her so that S. Augustin saith Aug. conc 2. in psal 30. de vnite Eccl c. 5. lib. 1. ad Cres c. 33. The Scriptures speake more obscurly of Christ then of the Church that they are so clear for the Church that by no shift of false interpretation they can be avoided that the impudence of any forehead that will stand against such evidence is confounded and that it is prodigious blindnesse not to see which is the true Church I shall collect briefly the summe of our conferences in this matter CHAP. XXXII The true Church proved from the Scriptures first by her Vnity AS the great dissensions of our Ministers furnished to me the first occasions of my doubting that their Church could not be the true Church so the very light of Nature did shew me that the true Church being the work of God must have Vnity For what more belongs to the house of God which ought to be a house of Order then Vnity what more fitting for his Kingdom which must endure for ever then Vnity which tends to preservation what more vnbeseeming them then disorder division which at length produces ruine destruction The Scripture is full of clear testimonies to this purpose as where it is said of the Church My Dove is one my beloved is one Cant. 6. and it 's called by our Saviour one sheepfold Iohn 10 16. S. Paul doth also excellently shew the vnity of the Church in which are diverse functions by the Vnity of mans body in which are diverse members but all animated with one Spirit as the whole Church is quickned by one faith For else where he saith There is one Lord Ephes 4.5 one faith one baptism But of these other passages of Scripture which were brought there was one which had a special influence vpon me and that was our Saviours prayer in the 17. of S. Iohn where after he had prayed most earnestly for the Vnity of his Apostles he prayes also for the Vnity of the whole Church Iohn 17 20. saying Neither pray I for those alone but for them also who shall beleeve in me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be One that the world may beleeve that thou hast sent me I did seriously ponder this reason which our Saviour brings to obtain his desire which was much vrged also by the Catholique who shew me that our Saviour declared thereby the vnity of his Church should be so admirable that the world should be moued thereby to beleeve that he was the Son of God a true Prophet sent from heaven as some Fathers have also obserued Therefore it 's evident by the Scripture that the true Church must have Vnity Apud Maldonat in hunc locum and that that cannot be the true Church of Christ which wants it And if we shall speak of the holy Fathers they are so much for this Vnity of the Church that some of them have written whole Treatises concerning it Now it is no lesse evident both to sense and reason that this Vnity agrees better to the Church in Communiō with the Sea of Rome then to the Protestant Churches or rather it agrees fully to the one and not at all to the other For who may not see by the manifold Schismes Divisions which are now among Protestants all other Sectaries as well in Doctrine as Government which we have touched above and which do dayly augment that the Protestant Churches have no Vnity Shortly after Luthers rising the Protestant Church was divided into three principal sects to witt the Lutherans Calvinists Zuinglians that we may speak nothing of the Anabaptists and Libertins But now their divisions have so multiplyed that they can hardly be numbred And these divisions are not only great for the matter being in some principal points of doctrin but also have been very great for the manner For thereby diverse Protestants have kild and destroy'd one another made bloody warres and overturned kingdome Commonwealths So that if there were no other Christian Church but the Protestant the world could not be moved by the Vnity thereof to beleeve that Christ was sent from heaven or had been a divine Architect who had built such a Babel of Confusion But if laying aside rancour preiudice we will cast our eyes vpon the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome this Vnity appears wonderfully in her For how
Augustin saith God who is good would not permit evil vnlesse he being omnipotent could also do good of evil The Arausican Council saith Concil Arausican c. 25. We do not only not beleeve that some are predestinate vnto evil by the divine power but if there be any who beleeve so great a wickednesse we accurse them with all detestation The same holynesse might be shewed of the Catholique doctrin concerning free-will and the possibility of keeping the commandments with the assistance of Gods grace of Iustification of the Sacraments which all tend to holynesse to the exaltation of Gods goodnesse to the killing of sin to the advancement of piety of all good works as the holy Fathers have shown of all the points of the Catholique Church and particularly S. Augustin who saith truly in the Churches of her Communion Aug. lib. 2. de Civit. Dei c. 8. nothing filthie and wicked is proposed to be seen or followed Where either the Commandments of the true God are explained or his Miracles related or his gifts praised or his benefits desired Besides in the Catholique Church are many holy houses dedicated and consecrated to Gods service holy altars Ornaments holy vessels holy solemn worship service with many holy rites ceremonies manifesting the Maiesty magnificence of God breeding respect reverence in man And in a word this Church Militant here on earth is a true representation of the Church Triumphant in heaven still adoring praising and magnifying God Therefore holynesse of doctrin belongs rather to this Catholique Church than to the Protestant Then for holynesse of life I never knew any Iudicious Protestant but acknowledged that the Catholiques had too much the better of them Luther the first Apostle professeth that whilst he lived among the religious of S. Augustins order he observed chastity Luth. in cap. 1. ad Galat obedience and poverty that he did all things with a single heart for the glory of God fearing the last iudgment c. But after his fall from the Catholique Church he changed not only miserably his faith but also his life For thus he proclaimes his own shame Luth. tom 5. wit ser de Matrim f. 119. Et tom 1. epis fol. 334. Zuingl tom 2. in resp ad confes Lutheri f. 878. As it is not in my power to be no man so it is not in my power to be without a woman I am burned with the great flammes of my vntamed lust c. And to make himself more infamous he having vowed his chastity to God married a profest Nun named Katherin Bore who had made the like vow He is charged also by his fellow Protestants with arrogancy insolency intolerable pride which he exercised against persons of greatest quality as against the Emperour Charles the fifth and Henry the eight King of England His bitter railings his fowle and filthy expressions have bred such a stench in all his writings that they purchased to him the Title of Propheta Stercorarius or the Dunghill Prophet Shlus in Theo. Calvin lib. 2. fol. 72. These qualities are very far different from Saints vertues Concerning Calvin it is affirmed by Conradus shlusselburg a famous Lutheran that he was guilty of Sodomie and other abominable vices for which he was branded on the shoulder by the Magistrate of Noyon with a hote iron That he was striken also a little before his death by the hand of God with Herods desease and that he dyed in despaire cursing and blaspheming No lesse vices also are layd to Beza his charge who did celebrate his own shame and filthy lusts with most lascivious Epigrammes All which are not alleadgeances of Catholiques but testimonies of Protestants against themselvs Neither are these Reformers commonly even by Protestants esteemd Saints As for the common multitude which followed the Reformers Luther himself confesseth that the world is become seven times worse Luth. in postill sup Euang. Domin pae Adventus then it was before in the Papacy yea it is generally observed that Catholiques who become Protestants change their life into worse And albeit the Presbyterians during the late troubles did vsurp to themselvs very ridiculously the name of Saints yet both in the iudgment of other Protestants and in the truth of the matter they were very far from deserving that title For if we will beleeve the old Protestants avarice pride tyranny cruelty impudent railing sedition periurie and many such other vices are the Presbyterians greatest vertues and who are most exorbitant in these enormities are their greatest Saints as they instance in some chief Apostles of the Covenant in whom they affirm these vices to be palpably evident Neither have the Presbyterians any better opinion of the old Protestants whom they call Malignants as appear'd by their Excommunication thundered out against the Bishops at the Assembly of Glasgow for very horrible crimes And albeit the Bishops at least some of them were not guilty of these crimes yet there was no wise man even amongst those who loved them most that thought any of them a Saint or eminent for holynesse Neither can the Presbyterians be Saints even in their own principles vnlesse they would make their lives not only better then their belief but also contrary to it For they teaching that the Commandments are impossible to be kept even with Gods grace how can they pretend to keep them And if they keep them not how can they pretend to be Saints These are poore Saints who break every day Gods Commandments and much more who commit a mortal sin in all their actions as the Presbyterians commonly teach Their actions also which need not to be here recounted and ought to be better beleeved than their words shew that they were not Saints A late Author who had occasion to know well both sorts of Protestants gives this verdict of them Lost sheep p. 192. Amongst the legal Protestants there are many stored with moral goodnesse but the devotion and zeal is amongst the Puritans but it has eaten vp almost all morall honesty among them So the qualities which were too evident and sensible in the Presbyterians even of the greatest estimation shew clearly that they fell so far short of Saints perfections that they had not so much as Moral vertues Neither did God ever testify either the holynesse of any of their lives or of their doctrin by any miracle Vpon the other part I find the lives of Roman Catholiques especially of those who were Converters of Nations and Foundators of religious Orders Calvin Instit c. 10. par 17. to be highly extolled To speak nothing of more ancient Saints S. Bernard whom all the world knowes to have been most addicted to the Pope and Roman faith is called esteemed a Saint by Calvin and by diverse other Protestants The holynesse of S. Dominick Cent. Magd. cent 13. col 11. 79. Hacluite 2. parte 2. volum p 81. Luther cont Anabaptistas Breirly Proâ— S. Francis
vnto the end of the world as we have seen above in the perpetuity of the Church For of Christs kingdom Luke 1.33 Mat. 16.19 there shall be no end and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against his Church These places of Scripture are so clear for the Vniversality of the Church that S. Augustin having produced them against the Donatists for the same purpose affirmeth Aug. de Vnitate Eccl. c. 11. no man how blunt so ever he be and slow of heart can say I did not vnderstand them That none but heretiques with head-strong frowardnesse and blind fury can bark against them And that no excuse is left for those who do not beleeve them because they contradict Christs clear words The next thing then that we are to do is to see to what company of Christians whither to Protestants or to those Christians who keep Communion with the Sea of Rome this property of Vniversality by which the true Church is so clearly described doth best agree We need not make great search in this matter For if we will speak of the time before Luther the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome was so much Catholique in regard of Protestants that there was no little company yea nor one person at all of the Protestant religion to be seen or found to contest with her for this glorious title of Catholique Whereas from Luther vpward in every generation she may be proved by the most famous testimonies histories records Monuments in the world to have been alwayes Catholique that is to have been a most ample Society keeping the Communion of Nations and to have been most eminent above all other religions sects and heresies that went out from her which being condemned by this Church were as vnprofitable boughs cut off from the vine and so remaining where they fell in petty corners of the world did soone wither and decay Again if we will make now the comparison between the Church in Communion with the Roman sea and the Protestants Churches since Luther arose we shall find the last come very short of the other for Vniversality and that for the same very reason which S. Augustin brought against the Donatists Aug. de Vnit. Eccl c. 3. These sects saith he are not found in many Nations where this to witt the Catholique Church is and this which is every where is found also even where these sects are So it may be said Protestants are not to be found in many Nations where the Catholique religion is profest and Catholiques may be found where ever Protestants are For all the diverse sorts of Protestants are comprized within Europe and possesse only the Northern parts thereof there being some most famous large kingdomes provinces even within Europe where they are not to be seen or found as in all Spaine Italy Sicily and in others they are but scantly sowen as in France Poland Germanie where they are not a handfull to the Catholiques And in these Northern places which they possesse out of which they banished by force the publick exercice of the Catholique religion and still persecute the professors of it there are not deficient Catholiques who in the midst of the enemies of their religion have alway's profest their faith But in other parts of the world where the Catholique religion doth wonderfully flourish the name of Protestants is not so much as known For the Catholique religion is not only publickly professed in the most famous Kingdomes and Provinces of Europe but also it is to be found in Africk Asia and America And albeit in diverse Countries the publick profession be Heretical Mahometical or Heathnih yet even there the Catholique Roman Church hath Fathers and children professing her faith and what she lost by the falling away of Protestants in Europe she has gained with much encrease by the propagation of the Catholique faith in the East and West Indies now of late in the great Kingdom of China where many thowsands have ēbraced the faith If then the Society of Christians in Communion with the Roman Church remaines still Catholique notwithstanding that the Protestants have falne away from her and albeit they would muster together all their forces against her how much more is she Catholique in regard of Protestants if they be taken a part by their diverse sects scattered troops as in all reason they ought to be For none should be esteem'd of one religion but these who are of one Communion and therefore since Vniversality doth necessarly include Vnity no Protestant Church can be further Vniversal then her Communion is spread which will be found to be so little a way that every one of those Protestant Churches especially being compared with the Roman Catholique will deserve rather the title of particular then of Vniversal Moreover the holy Fathers have observed that as the Church in Communiō with the sea of Rome has ever had the thing signifyed by the word Catholique so she alone has ever possessed the glorious title of Catholique whereof heretiques have been very ambitious but could never obtain it S. Augustin did esteem the title of Catholique so plain an evidence of the true Church Aug. cont epist fund c. 4. that he said In the bosome of the Church the very name of Catholique holds me which not without cause amongst so many heresies that Church alone hath so obtayn'd that although all heretiques would have themselvs called Catholiques yet when a stranger enquires any of them where the Catholiques do assemble no heretique is so bold as to shew him his own meeting place Again he saith Idem lib. de vera relig c. 6. We must hold the Communion of that Church which is called Catholique both by her owne and by strangers This name of Catholique the true Church received from the Apostles to make her be known from all hereticall Congregations which she has ever caried as a badge of truth a title of great honour S. Cyril expounding the Apostles Creed saith Cyril Hierosol Catech. 15. For this end thy faith has given to thee this article the holy Catholique Church that thou mayst avoid the polluted Conventicles of heretiques And a little after When thou commest into a Town enquire not simply where the Temple of our Lord is for heretiques also call their dens Temples Neither ask simply where the Church is but ask where is the Catholique Church For that is the proper Name of this holy Church Vpon the other part as no heresies could ever be Vniversal for time or place for he who has prescribed bounds to the Sea has also ordain'd that no heresie can cover the earth so by the divine Providence they could never obtain the title of Catholique but were ever denominated from their Authors as Arians Pelagians Lutherans Calvinists or from some accident as Protestants for protesting against the Emperours Edicts Hierom. cont Luciferianos which sorts of names S. Hierom affirmes to be
Rom. 3. v. 8. that good may come of it and therefore much lesse is the greatest of evils to be done such as is the renouncing of the Catholique faith and swearing of a contrary Religion against the light of a mans conscience Secondly she condemned the Helchesits in the primitive times Euseb lib 6. cap. 31. as Heretiques for affirming that it was lawfull to Christians to deny Christ externally in the time of torments persecution Thirdly the Popes of whom the Puritans think no sin to lie are so far from stirring vp Catholiques to do the forsaid abominations that they earnestly dehort them from approaching to the least degree of such impiety Which to pâ—sse by other Instances may be known by the Breviat of Pope Paul the fift directed to the English Catholiques in October 1606. Where he saith We have vnderstood that you are compelled by the threatnings of most grievous paines to go vnto the Temples of Heretiques to frequent their Meetings to be present at their Sermons Truly we vndoubtedly beleeve that those who with so great Constancy and courage have suffered most fierce persecutions and almost infinit miseries will never trespasse so as to be defiled with the society of the desertors of the Divine Law Neverthelesse We being stirred vp by the zeal of our Pastoral charge and out of the Fatherly care we have of the Salvation of your soules are forced to admonish and earnestly beseech you that by no means you would go vnto the Temples of Heretiques or heare their Sermons or communicat with them in Rites least you incurre the wrath of God For it is not lawfull for you to do these things without the dammage of the Divin worship and of your own Salvation If the Pope dehorts so earnestly the Catholiques from going to the heretiques Temples how much more doth he dehort them from abiuring the Catholique faith and from receiving the Puritans Sacraments If the Pope only connived at such actions it would be a lie and calumnie great enough to say he stirred vp Catholiques to do them But it is a monstrous lie and calumnie to say he stirres vp men to do such abominations when he stirres them vp to the contrary Neither can the Covenanters ever shew that any Pope did otherwise since ever the Protestant religion began The Catholiques beleeve that God has such a care of his Church that it needs not by periuries dissimulations or any false wayes to be advanced and they know also that all hereticall Churches need not by such vniust means to be by them subverted For by their own divisions they are sufficient to subvert themselvs as long experience hath shewed Lastly it is false that these Catholiques who against their consciences renounce their religion do it vpon hopes of the Popes Dispensation For all Catholiques know that the Pope as he himself professeth cannot dispence in any thing that is intrinsecally evil and against the eternal Law of God as that action is in the highest degree All which may be known to moderate Protestâ—nts even by the Confession of Apostat Catholiques Therefore these being so groundlesse lies and malitious calumnies the Covenant did well to begin them with the Father of lies for thus it speaks And seing many are stirred vp by Satan the Roman Anti-Christ c. But it had been no lie if the Ministers had been yoaked with the Devil in that work For they have concurred oftentimes with him to draw and force diverse Catholiques to renounce their faith against their consciences as has been known by many late experiences since the Covenant began But it is strange to see famous Protestants yea and the very same Accusers guilty of the same Crimes which they falsly lay to the charge of others which may be shewed by their own Monuments Who is esteem'd a more famous Protestant then Queen Elizabeth the Foundresse of the Late English Church And yet she is taxed by M. Knox for faigning her self to have been a Papist for bowing to Idolatry Knox Chron. pag. 226 and going to Masse all the time of her Sister Queen Maries reigne It is known also how shortly after her sisters death she subverted all that in her lay the Catholique religion albeit she sware to maintain it at her Coronation Who gave her Dispensation to vse such dissimulation in religion Surely it was not the Pope but rather she as head of her own Church which is now also subverted did dispence with her self It is yet fresh in all mens memorie how many of the Puritans did swear obedience to their Bishops and conformity to the late English Churches orders and yet when time served they subverted both who gave them Dispensations for such hypocrisies and periuries That is one of their rare privileges that they all and every one of them by more then Papal power can dispence with themselvs as Becan shewes in a special Treatise of their Privileges The third grosse vntruth of the Covenant followeth in these words We therefore willing to take away all suspicion of hypocrisy and of such double dealing with God and his Kirk protest and call the Searcher of all hearts to witnesse that our Minds and hearts do fully agree with this our Confession oath and subscription so that we are not moved for any worldly respect but are perswaded only in our Consciences c. As theÌ„ the foundation was false so is this fabrique which is raised on it For the most rigid Covenanters know that many thowsand Protestants were made to put their hands to the Covenant whose hearts were far from it and when they could shew both their hearts hands against it And they were so far from being moved without worldly respects that for these only they were induced to take the Covenant and so soone as these failed they abandoned it By all which it is evident that this Covenant which containes so many grosse lies and Calumnies against very sense and experience cannot be the Covenant of God who Loves truth and hates lies SECTION II. That the Covenant is not a Confession but a Denyal of the Faith THE Covenant carieth this Title in print The National Covenant or Confession of Faith c. But it appeared very soon to vs not to deserve that Title but rather that it ought to be called a Confossion or Denyal of the faith which it deny's not simply but with many horrible execrations and blasphemies All heresies are of a Malignant Nature consisting in denyal of some points of the Catholique faith But there are some which deny fewer and others more points of it In the primitive times some heresies were cast out of the Church for one word only against the faith But the Covenant and Presbyterian religion deny almost al the points of the Catholique faith For they run through heaven earth the Church Triumphant and Militant they leave neither God nor man the Angels nor the Saints the living nor the dead vntouched but they rob every one
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
these words of the Covenant We detest his corrupted doctrine concerning the nature number and vse of the holy Sacraments His five bastard Sacraments with all his Rites Ceremonies and false doctrines added to the Ministration of the true Sacraments without the word of God His cruel Iudgment against Infants departing without the Sacraments His absolute necessitie of Baptisme His blasphemous opinion of Transubstantiation or real presence of Christs body in the Elements and receiving of the same by the wicked or bodies of men His dispensations of Solemn Oaths periuries and degrees of Mariage forbidden by the word His cruelty against the Innocent divorced As an impudent strumpet said my Catholique friend is accustomed when she contends with a Chast Matrone to obiect such crimes to her whereof herself is notoriously guilty So here the Covenanters do accuse the holy Catholique Church the Immaculate Spouse of Iesus-Christ of Errors corruptions in the nature number vse of the holy Sacraments whereas themselves are miserably corrupted in all these points Which shall be briefly shown First you accuse the Catholique Church of corrupted doctrin concerning the Nature of the Sacraments which must be because she teacheth that the Sacraments of the new law do conferre grace But we have seen above that this is most true doctrin conforme to the Scriptures and holy Fathers and that this is a perfection most suitable to the excellency of the Christian Sacraments Whereas your doctrine which robs the Sacraments of all power to conferre Grace and makes them only simple tokens signs and seals without all efficacie and which equals the Sacraments of the old Law in excellency vnto them corrupts indeed the nature of the Christian Sacraments and abaseth the power of them which cannot be done without perverting and corrupting the Scriptures and holy Fathers which are so clear for the Catholique doctrine that they have moved many famous Protestants to abandon your Calvinistical opinion All which may be seen in the 18. Chapter of the former Treatise Next you accuse the Catholique doctrine of corruption concerning the Number of the Christian Sacraments whereas indeed your doctrine if we will iudge of it by your first Reformers is not only full of corruption but also of confusion in this matter The Catholiques do constantly teach that there be 7. Sacraments of the Law of grace instituted by Iesus-Christ to witt Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Penance Order Extream-Vnction and Matrimony Which precise number hath from the ancient Fathers Primitive Church by continual practice been delivered and received in both Churches Greek and Latin as may appeare by the Councel of Florence For all which Sacraments the Catholiques do bring expresse Scriptures Testimonies of the holy Fathers some of which we shal briefly touch To speak then nothing of Baptisme and the Eucharist which are out of question Confirmation is shewed 2. Cor. 1. and 1â— verse where it is said He that Coâ—firmeth vs with you in Christ and hath anointed vs God who also hath fealed vs and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts And Acts 8. verse 14. when Philip the Deacon had converted Samaria Peter and Iohn were sent to confirme them who when they were come saith the Scripture prayed for them that they might receive the holy Ghost c. Then did they impose their hands vpon them and they received the Holy Ghost Of which S. Augustin saith August lib. 2 cont lit Petil. c. 104. The Sacrament of Chrisme in the kind of Visible seales is sacred and holy even as Baptisme it self Penance is shewed Iohn 20. verse 2. where our Saviour said to his Apostles Receive you the Holy Ghost whose sins you forgive they are forgiven and whose sins you retain they are retain'd Of this power which Christ has given to Priests followeth the necessity of Confession For if the sins retaynd on earth be retayn'd and not remitted in heaven and on the other part the Priest cannot remit the sin vnlesse he know it as it is manifest he cannot nor can he know it vnlesse it be told him it followeth necessarly that he who will have his sins remitted must by his own Confession open them to whom God hath given power to remit them Confession was also vsed in the Apostles times Acts 19. v. 18. as appeareth in the Acts where it is said Many of them that beleeved came Confessing and declareing their deeds Of this Sacrament S. Ambrose giveth testimonie Amb. lib. de poenit c. 7. who refelleth thus the Novatians Why do ye baptize if sins cannot be remitted by a Man For in Baptism is the remission of all sins nor is it material whether Priests challenge to themselvs this power by Penance or by Baptisme S. Chrysostom saith Chrys lib. 3. de Sacerdotio That Christ has given that power to Priests which he would not to be given neither to Angels nor Archangels The earthly Princes have also power to bind but the bodies only but the bond of Priests toucheth the very soule it self and reacheth even to the heavens c. what power I beseech you Aug. lib. 50. homiliar can be greater then this S. Augustin also speaketh to the same purpose in his 49. homily and in the second book of Visitation of the sick Of holy Orders the Scripture beareth testimonie S. Paul writing to Timothee saith Impose hands on no man lightly 1. Tim. 5.22 And again Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is given thee by Prophesie with the imposition of the hands of Priesthood Our Saviour said to his Apostles Receive the Holy Ghost c. Iohn 20. S. Augustin calleth Holy Order a Sacrament compareing it with Baptisme Aug lib. 2. cont Parmen c. 13. Let them explicate saith he how the Sacrament of the Baptized cannot be lost and the Sacrament of one Ordained can Extream Vnction is clearly in Scripture Is any man sick among you saith S. Iames Iames 5.13 c. let him bring in the Priests of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with oyle in the name of our Lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man and our Lord will lift him vp and if he be in sins his sins shall be forgiven him Vpon which S. Chrysostom saith Chrys lib. 3. de Sacerdotio The Priests have authority to forgive sins not only when they regenerate vs but afterwards also For is any sick among you saith the Apostle let him bring in the Priests c. Of Matrimony it is said They shall be two in one flesh this is a great Sacrament but I say in Christ and the Church Ephes 5.31.32 Vpon which S. Augustin saith That Aug. tract 9. in Ioan. which in Christ and the Church is a great Sacrament this in all men and wives whatsoever is the least Sacrament but notwithstanding an inseparable Sacrament of coniunction And again lib. de fide operibus c. 7. In the Church not only
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
and eternal Salvation Here in this house of faith is found the the true Catholique invariable faith of which S. Augustin truly saith That no riches Aug. serm 1. de verbis Apost no treasures no honors no substance of this world are comparable vnto it Therefore in end I will offer vp my thanksgiving vnto God in the words of that glorious Doctor for the same benefite Truly O Lord Aug. Soliloq c. 33. thou art my God who hast drawn me out of darknesse and out of the shadow of death and thou hast called me into thy admirable light and behold I see Thanks be given to thee O thou who art the illuminator of my soule I looked back and saw the darknesse wherein I had been and that profound black pitt wherein I had lyen and I was sore affraid and said Wo Wo be to that darknes wherein I lay Wo Wo be to that blindnes wherein I was not able to see the light of Heaven Wo Wo to that former ignorance of mine when I had no knowledge of thee O Lord. But I give thee thanks O my Illuminator and deliverer because thou hast illuminated me and I have knowen thee Yet still am I come too late to thee O thou antient Truth too late am I come to know thee O thou eternal Truth And because I cannot praise thee sufficiently I humbly desire the blessed Virgin all the Angels Saints of heaven to blisse and magnify thy glorious name and to offer vp their holy prayers for me that as by thy grace I have acquired the true faith So I may also attayn vnto sincere piety and so may have the happinesse to praise thee in their holy society for all Eternity Amen FINIS A LITLE TOVCH-STONE OF THE SCOTTISH COVENANT BEING desirous after the Triall of Presbytery to take a serious view of the late famous but now vnfortunat Scottish Covenant Presbyteries principal Chartour I required the accustomed assistance of my above mentioned Catholique friend which he willingly vouchsafed to me Wherevpon we had diverse Conferences and he was also pleased to write some papers on this matter for my contentment out of which I will make a brief Collection of some principall observations whereby as by a little Touch-stone the Covenant which glistered so much for a time and which was sold for the pure gold of divine truth may be seen to be nothing but base Counterfeit Mettall SECTION I. Of the great esteem and high Titles of the Covenant and that it was vniustly called Gods Covenant THE respect which the Covenanters gave to the Covenant was so great that perhaps it may seem incredible vnto posterity For they esteemd it as much as if God had sent it from heaven or had given expresse order for making it They were not content to esteem it so much themselvs but they would have all persons within their power to do the same They were not satisfyed with mens simple profession to beleeve it but they enforced all persons to swear and subscribe it yea and to take their Sacrament vpon it and were resolved by furious zeal to propagate it by force throughout the world They gave it also high Titles calling it ordinarily Gods Covenant or the Covenant between God and the Kirk of Scotland The Confession of faith The holy Covenant c. All which shew their great esteem of it At the very first serious view and once reading over of the Covenant we presently saw that it did not deserve these high Titles and especially of Gods Covenant because it containd some most grosse and palpable lies of which we observed three most obvious The first is containd in the very first words of the Covenant which begin thus We all and every one of vs vnderwritten protest that after long and due examination of our own Consciences in matters of true false religion c. where they professe to have vsed long due examination of their Consciences before they swore and subscribed the Covenant Now this is a falshood so manifest that men need not to examine their consciensces but only to recollect their senses and consider what their eys saw done to discover it For when the Covenant was subscrived at the beginning of the Troubles anno 1638. in the Grayfriers Church of Edinburgh all the long examination then vsed was to heare it once read over accompanied with a Panegyrick made by the Lord Lowdon and a prayer by M. Henderson and immediatly thereafter all almost who were present ran contentiously to it Throughout the rest of the Countrey the Ministers commendation of it was made to serve for all the peoples long due examination and presently followed their subscription with an implicit faith vpon the Ministers bare word which is no sure ground to relie vpon The Puritans ran to it every where with little knowledge and furious Zeal that they might pull down the Bishops and the old Protestants being awakned by their false Alarmes did swear and subscribe it inconfideratly that they might oppose the entrance of Popery which they were made beleeve to be at the doore So that it is evident even to sense that few of the Covenanters vsed any diligence most of them vsed none at all and none of them vsed long and due examination of their Consciences but their Subscriptions and oaths went before their knowledge and their knowledge before due Trial and diligence Whereof this is an evident sign that as yet after 19. years agitation few of their chief heads know all the points abiured in the Covenant as opus operatum works of Supererogation Stations and the like Therefore the first words of the Covenant are manifestly false The second grosse vntruth is a little after the Middle of the Covenant in these words And seing many are stirred vp by Satan and the Roman Anti-Christ to promise swear subscribe and for a time vse the holy Sacraments of the Kirk deceitfully against their own Consciences minding thereby first under the external Cloak ef religion to corrupt and subvert secretly Gods true religion within the Kirk and afterward when time may serve to become open Enemies and Persecutors of the same vnder Vain hopes of the Popes dispensation devised against Gods word to his greater Confusion and to their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Iesus c. Here said the Catholique are linked together diverse lies and not only lies but calumnies and both so evidently false impudent that the Father of lies if he had any shame might be ashamed of them For what can be more false and malitious then to say that the Pope stirres vp Catholiques to swear and subscrybe the Protestant to abiure the Catholique Religion against their Consciences That he stirres them vp to vse the Protestants Sacraments and that of purpose to subvert their religion vnder hope of his dispensation First the Catholique Church hath ever constantly taught with S. Paul that no evil is to be done