Protestants And then I make account that in the third place it will follow euen of it selfe that both Catholicks and Protestants are not saueable in both their seueral Religiōs without repentance thereof And consequently that no one of vs is to be blamed if conceauing his owne to be the only true Religion he declare the dangerous estate wherein he takes any other man to be who communicates and agrees not with him but rather that he is obliged to let him know it And now I will briefely put my selfe to proue the first assertion concerning the unity of the Church by some texts testimonies of holy Scripture and first of the old Testament In the time of Moyses when it pleased Almighty God to draws a visible people to himselfe and to give them an expresse law and to ordaine varietie of visible sacrifices by the oblation whereof they were to doe him homage and appease his wrath and to institute visible ceremonies for the more deuout and exact performance of the same it was also pleasing to his diuine Maiesty to appoint that howsoeuer the Iewes were to exercise their Religiō in some kinds in their seueral Synagogues yet that sacrifice was not to be offered to him by them but in the only Tēple of Ierusalem He also cōmaunded that in such cases of difficulty as might occure his whole people should be subiect to the determination and decision of the high Priest for the time being and this Deut. cap. 17. vpon no lesse then the paine of death from which sentence there was to be no appeale Let the place at large be well considered and it will easily appeare by the great authority and power which was cast vpon the indiuidual person of one Iudge that there could neither be any other Church nor any other Religion which might pretend to be true if it would presume to disagree dissent from this The same truth is also made euident by the feareful iudgment which fell vpō Core Dathan and Abiron Nū 16. for theire act of disobedience against Moyses and Aaron in so much as that the ground opened it selfe and swallowed them vp aliue with all their goods into the profound pit of hell in the sight of the whole paople for but offering to make a schisme from that one Church wherein he had ordained himselfe to be serued According to this practise vnder the written lawe Almighty God speaking to the Prophet Ezechiel of the times which were to succeede vnder the Messias made a promise that he would giue true Christians a heart which should be most truly one Ezech. 11. Et dabo eis cor vnum And the kingly Prophet Dauid describes the excellency and Maiestie of Almightie God by declaring howe he raignes in his holy place and makes them who inhabite that house to be all after one manner and to be indued with the same affections and dictamēs concerning his seruices Psal 67. Deus in loco sancto suo qui inhabitare facit vnius moris in domo Those words also of the Canticles Vna est columba mea Cant. 6. perfecta mea c. were spokē by the holy Ghost in the person of God the Father with intention to designe delineate the vnity of the Church for so it is interpreted by S. Cyprian De vnit Ecles and he expresses himselfe further thus vpon that occasion will any man thinke that he holds fast his faith if he hold not faste this vnity of the Church Now the same also is deliuered at least as certainely in the new Testamēt and so much more euidently and aboundantly as the Church of God vnder the lawe of grace was to be farre more diffused ouer the whole world and both for the honour of Christ our Lord the safety of his seruants who were so dearely bought by himselfe to be preserued in no lesse perfect vnity thē euer it had enioyed in former times We see therfore that Christ our Lord made it one of his last suits to his eternall father when he stood as it were euen vpon the very brim of death that he would preserue the disciples whom he had giuen him he would make thē al Io. 37. as truly one in affection and will touching things with might concerne his seruice as euen the Father Son were one And it may be noted here with all that in this case he speakes to his eternall Father for our increase of comfort with a compellation of extraordinary tendernes saying Io. 17. Pater sancte serua eos c. Keep them holy Father c. to shew how much his hearte was set vpon this suite When also he was vpō the point of his Ascension vp to heauen he commaunded his disciples to teach all nations to obserue all those things whatsoeuer which he hadū commaded them Matt. 18 v. 9. 20. and he pronounced indefinitely that whosoeuer would not belieue shouldbe condēned which doth clearely relate not only to this or that particular Article but to the whole sūme of Christian doctrine in generall and thus it may be seene that he intended to ordaine an exacte vnity in his Church Marc. 16 v. 26. that whosoeuer should fayle of beleeuing any one point of Christian doctrine should be as sure of condemnation as if he had beleeued but any one or none The Apostles planted this one faith and watered it with all so well that our Lord gaue great encrease to it the holy Ghost declared in the acts of the Apostles Act. 4 That the whole multitude of belieuers had but one heart and one soule And that vessell of the holy Ghost S. Paule considering how very much this point of vnity did import sendes his aduise to the Ephesians Cap. 4. that they should be carefull to preserue the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace and the word whereby he expresses himselfe implyes no ordinary kinde of care but a most particular solicitude of minde I should neuer make an ende if I would presse all those places of the new Testamēt which declare the intention of our Lord to haue his Church one and only one The very names whereby it is described as for exāple that of the Arcke of Noe of one Kingdome one Cittie one Spouse one vineyard one fielde one barne one ship one net one body many others of like nature which I omit shewe expresly that the Church of Christ our Lord was to be but One. And especially this point was setled by our Lord when he made his owne Church to be the only supreame Iudge euen in all spirituall offences and scandalls and much more in Controuersies of Religion amongst Christians requiring that whosoeuer would not hearken to and obey that Church should be held a very Pagan and Publican Matt. 18.17 without allowing him soe much as any appeale at all euen to the holy Scripture it selfe By which only words of our blessed Lord it is most clearly
humane and fallible motiue whatsoeuer it is cleare that I could haue no supernaturall faith at all euen concerning that one single article of Catholicke doctrine And the same is to be said of the rest whether they be many or few great or smalle And the vndoubted reason hereof is because I giue not my firme assent to it vpon the only true infallible motiue which is the reuelatioÌ„ of God the propositioÌ„ of his Church For whatsoeuer is lesse then this cannot erect and qualifie an act of supernaturall faith with must be absolutely vndoubted and certaine and otherwise it is noe true faith at all but opinion and persuasion or humane beliefe He therfore with belieues not euery particular Article of Catholicke Doctrine which is reuealed and propounded by Almightie God and his Church doth no assent eueÌ„ to any one of them which he belieues vpon the sayd only true and infallible motiue For if he did he would as certainely or rather indeede could not choose but as willingly belieue all the rest since they all come recomended to him by the same Authority And now if there be truth in this which indeed cannot be called into any question the Catholikes and Protestants are farre inough from being of one faith and Church since it is demonstrated that besides the maine differeÌ„ces which runne betweene vs either they or we haue not really any true and supernaturall faith at all of any one doctrine of the Church wherein yet we seeme to consent together For as Turkes and Mores who belieue in God the Father haue yet no true supernaturall faith euen of that one single Article nor the Iewes of any thing contained euen in the old Testament so neither hath any heticke of any thing contained either in the old or new since they all resemble one another in this that whatsoeuer they belieue it is not done vpon that motiue which only can make an act of true and supernaturall faith And thus it shall suffice me to haue proued according to the maine proiect of this discourse that there is but one true faith which is the foundation of the only one true Religion which is exercised in one only true Church wherewith Christians are bound to communicate and that out of this Church there is no saluation to be found and lastly that both Catholicks and Protestants can by no meanes be accounted for members of one and the same true Church of Christ our Lord. But Protestants Qui nolunt intelligere vt bene agant though their reason tell them that al this is true do yet find their Religion to be so vnsoundly built that they can hardly be drawne to an acknowledgment thereof And therefore they are wont to say that such vnity of faith as this whereof we haue spoken is a kind of impracticable thing in this life that the holy Scripture speaking thereof is not to be vnderstood in such a rigid sense that the Fathers of the primitiue Church were too precise that way that their discourse of this kind was metaphysicall and that saluation is no so hard to be obtained but that there is roome inough in heauen for both Religions And finally they obiect that there is no such exact vnity as I haue her described euen amongst vs Catholickes and that theÌ„selues maintaine a sufficiency of vnity in faith both with the Fathers of the primitiue Church and with their owne fellow brethren the Lutheranes yea some moreouer will be so courteous as to professe that they agree euen with vs moderne Papists in all Fundamentall points of faith But I will consider in the next chapter both how litle reason they haue in what they obiect herein against vs and in what also they alleadge for themselues The auoiding of three obiections which they make against vs to disproue our vnitie in faith amongst our selues and of a fourth allegation whereby they would shew that they hold as much vnity both with the Lutherans and euen with vs Catholickes at this day as they are bouÌ„d to maintaine CHAPTER VII THey first striue to impeach our vnity in faith by obiecting that variety of opinioÌ„s in some points which they find by our books to be amongst vs whereby they would inferre that there is also amongst vs a diuersity of beliefe and faith and there is nothing more vsuall with them then this discourse But the answere is shortly and clerely this That wheresoeuer they find our Doctours to be of a contrary opinioÌ„ they shall also find those points in question not be haue bene defined by the Church but left at liberty to be debated and disputed as men see cause Such are a world of difficultyes betweene the Thomists and Scotists de auxilijs betwene the Dominicans and the Iesuites wherein either side defendes that which they take to be the truth opposing the contrary opinion by all the argumeÌ„ts that occure And both sides the while are resolued ready to submit to the iudgmeÌ„t definitioÌ„ of the Church whensoeuer it shall be declared so captiuating their vnderstanding to the obedieÌ„ce of faith as the Apostle exhorts And in the meane time they preserue the spirit of charitie in the bond of peace If our aduersaries could shâ—w that they erected Altare contra altare or that they were resolued not to obey to the definition of the Church when it were declared they should haue reason on their side but otherwise they are either very ignorant or els full of malice who make this obiection And let them either shew what Iesuite and Dominican breakes communion with on another or els betake theÌ„selues to some better prooffes The next obiection is yet more stupide then the former and I wonder how Caluins rage against the Church could put him so farre out of his wits as that he would euer take it into his mouth For it is he who being pricked by our noting their want of vnity towards their fellow brethren thinkes to reâ—ort it backe vpon vs by saying that we are not in case to obiect any such thing against them forasmuch as that forsooth we haue as many sects amongst vs as we haue seuerall Orders of Religious men and then he rekons vp Benedictans Carmelites Dominicans Franciscans whom els he will Wicked man who well knewe that no one of those holy Orders doth differ in any one point of doctrine from any of the rest are so farre from breaking communion with them as that still they preuent one another in all honour and good respects according to the aduice of the Blessed Apostle and much more do they exhibite all possible reuerence and obedience to the same Church and the Prelates thereof The difference which indeede raignes amongst them is who shal strip themselues soonest of all earthly incombrance and so fly the faster to heauen They haue seuerall Rules indeed which were framed by their seuerall Founders those men of God whereby they might the better direct their course to this iourneyes end according
or which the Lutherans or such other fellow ghospellers of theirs at this day or indeed euen with vs Catholickes if things as they say may be considered with moderation and all this they take to be secured by distinguishing points of faith into Fundamentall and not Fundamentall and then by saying that they agree both with the Fathers and Lutheranes and sometimes of their curtesie euen with vs in all fundamentall points of faith and that they differ but in points not fūdamentall It is a matter of great momēt that this particular conceit be carefully sifted and discouered and therefore I wil aske leaue that the next Chapter may be spent about it That Protestants haue no reason in alleadging the distinction of fundamentall not fundamētall points or faith as intending to prooue thereby that they are in vnity with the Fathers of the Primitiue Church of their fellow Brethren the Lutherans yea and some times with Catholickes at this day CHAPTER VIII BOth Luther and Caluin their next disciples yea and many Protestants also of these dayes haue familiarly in their sermons and no lesse frequētly in their bookes taken liberty with euery pennefull of incke to dash as it were damnation into our eyes and directly to affirme that they departed frō the Communion of the Church of Rome because forsooth they found it to be the seate of Antichrist the Synagogue of Satan the very Center of superstition and Idolatry and finally that bloody tyrant which exercised all immaginable cruelty against the Saints of God for many ages and which poisoned the world with false prophanes doctrines of extreme dishonour vnto Almighty God And indeede with what collour could certaine single base and filthie men haue presumed to depart frō the visible Catholicke Church of Christ our Lord and to erect their conuenticles as they did if they had not ar least professed that they could not finde saluation there For if they had said that they might haue found it there they could not so much as haue pretended to iustifie their departure from thence But yet neuerthelesse now that many moderne Protestants haue beene taught by time that the straits into which they fall are great by protesting against our saluatiō in that kind they haue been content now and then to desire better quarter at our hands and to affirme that the differences betweene them and vs concerne not the fundamentall points of faith but only such as are not fundamentall that therefore for their parts they hold we may be saued if we leade good liues in our Religion and that they desire the like attestation of vs for them and thas it is but tyranny and cruelty in the Catholicke Romane Church which keepes from allowing it since vpon the matter the Religions of vs both are the same the Churches in effect the same And this is that which lightens as they thinke our chardge of them and still keepes theirs heauy vpon vs as being vncharitable in not allowing them saluation This discourse of theirs and their standing so much vpon fundamentall points of faith in the sense which they vse is a mere Chimera but it is frequented by them through a high kind of craft For though it be most true that some doctrines are in themselues of farre more importance then some others because the knowledge thereof may be necessary for the performance of some duty which is required at our hands or else because they may containe the very heads and first grounds of Christianity more then others doe and therefore do exact a more explicite beliefe at the hands of Christians and consequently may be accounted in some respects more fundamentall yet so on the other side there is no doctrine at all concerning Religiō the beliefe whereof is not fundamentall to my saluation if the Catholicke Church which is the spouse of Christ our Lord propound and commande me to belieue it For there is no errour in faith which may not be made damnable by the manner of holding it when it is done so obstinately as that in defence thereof a man denies the authority of the Catholicke Church This is vnanswereably prooued by the meere Catalogues of heresies which haue been made by seuerall Fathers of the primitiue Church and especially by S. Austin in his treatise ad Quod vult Deū which I haue toucht before and which I earnestly exhort my reader to peruse at large For therein he noteth diuerse which consist but of single erroneous doctrines and they of litle importance in themselues as was declared in a former chapter But yet for as much as they were obstinately imbraced they were there declared to be so fundamentall as that he was noe Christian Catholicke who belieued any one of them yea or who should afterward belieue any other which might chaunce to be condemned by the Catholicke Church Looke backe vpon the example of S. Cyprian in the 6. chapter for there you will find that the selfe same doctrine of Rebaptization which was not fundamētall to him in regard that the Church had not then defined it the same I say was fundamentall afterward to the Donatistes and made them Heretickes because then it was defined and yet still maintained by them Looke backe to see in the same place what the nature of true faith is which is not only that it be absolutely entire in itselfe but that the meanes of propounding the Articles thereof be also both certaine and absolutely infallible or else there will be no faith at all See also in the same Chapter where the forme and spirit of heresie is found to consist in the pride and disobedience wherewith any doctrine or discipline of the Church is disobeyed and then withall cast an eye vpon that which you may find in the fifte Chapter of this discourse about the iudgment which is pronounced there both by Scriptures Fathers about the vnsaueablenes of any soule which is guilty of the least heresie or schisme and separation from the one and only true Church of Christ our Lord. For by this meanes it will appeare most euidently that the distinction of Faith into Fundamentall and not Fundamentall points to the purpose of permitting it in a mans liberty to leaue any one of them vnbelieued wirhout preiudice to saluation is both friuolous dangerous and vtterly false and so I shall be excused frō growing into length by making vnnecessary repetitions which I am most carefull to auoid But in the meane time I should be glad to know of the authours of this distinctiō what points of their faith which are controuerted eitheir betweene them or vs or betweene the Lutherans and them are fundamentall and which are not fundamentall The very nature of the words seeme to shewe that a fundamentall point of faith is such an one as is most necessarily to be belieued and that whosoeuer belieues it not cannot be saued And that so also on the other side a man may take his liberty either to belieue as he
the honour and pleasure of this world carryes noe proportion at all with that of the next any more then idle dreames doe with strong truthes or vaine shadowes with substance which is substance indeede For in this life whatsoeuer delight is felt the minde of man is still too hard for the body and ouer works it doth secretly either giue or take a kind of lye and insatisfaction euen in the topp of all the greatest pleasure which it feeles though dull people vnderstand not or obserue not this But if for any one instaÌ„t a soule could haue any one glimpse of celestiall blisse and be ingulfed with all the facultyes thereof vpon an obiect of such infinite perfection as God is and that this were done without the interposition or interpretation of any creature but that the whole soule might touch and mingle and vnite it selfe for that instant with that soueraigne obiecte O how fully would the soule be satisfied O how base how beastiall would all the delight and glory of this world both appeare and be in respect of that We may see some traces of this truth by a consideration of those supernatural visitations and spirituall illustrations eleuations whereby our Lord hath been pleased to descend into the soules of innumerable seruants and Spouses of his euen in this life that so they might be enabled to take in as it were some little sent and ayre of that eternall blisse which is prepared for them in the next Yea how many haue there beene who formerly being all immersed in the pursuite of terrene honour and delight haue by the meanes of some one celestiall visitation been instantly and for euer estranged and that with extreme contempt from the care of all the carnal ioye and greatnes which this world was able to afford them ane haue been fixed with a perpetuall eye vpon the most ardent loue and most loyall faithfull seruice of our Lord God The storyes of our Saints liues and our owne experience in conuersation with spirituall persons which through the goodnes of God are neuer wanting in his holy Catholicke Church hath made vs not only see this truth but euen as it were to touch it with our fingers ends And yet there can be no doubt but that all the spirituall visitations and consolations and extasies and rapts which euer shall be or haue bene felt and suffered in this life by all the seruants of God and yet in some one of them we know that S. Paule was taken vp into the third heauen and that he was possessed with the vnderstanding and feeling of so high mysteries as it was neither lawfull not possible for man to expresse are most poore and meane thinges in comparison of any one moment of ioy in Heauen And the reason hereof is cleare For whatsoeuer spirituall gift is imparted in this life is but by image and representation but in the next it is in substance and face to face with God himselfe where he is seene as he is indeede If then one instant of celestiall glory be not only so farre exceeding all carnall ioy and pleasure which is but dust and trash being compared with that other but that also euen the highest spirituall gust and ioy which is experimeÌ„ted in this life be not able once to subsist in sight of one moment of that glorious ioye which is felt in heaueÌ„ though it be but for one instant how infinitely must we find our selues obliged to this immortal God of ours who hath vouchsafed not to ty vs to instants of time in the fruition of that glory but to enlarge and extend it I say not to yeares or ages or worlds of time but as farre as perfect eternity it selfe In comparison whereof the time of all this world from Adam to this day and a million of millions as much time as that and as many more millions as all the hearts of all men can comprehend and count are not so much in durance as one minute is being compared with all those millioÌ„s of time And yet all this eternity of such glory as I haue described is vouchsafed to vs by the inexhausted goodnes of our Lord God for hauing produced any one single acte of Faith and Loue which yet we see may be innumerably multiplied with so much case For any one single thought which is directed to the glory of our Lord God doth increase the same grace in our soules and consequently layes vp a distinct degree of that eternall glory wherof we haue spoken So that it is a cleare and constant truth that for euery other good thought which may be conceaued in any one moment of time we shall haue an increase of eternall glory in a distinct degree beyond that which otherwise we should haue had and we shall for euer see more perfectly the immortall Essence of Almighty God and loue it more and enioy it more then we should haue done if we had not produced that one single act of minde which yet as I sayd may be done by any ignorant or silly creature in the world in any one moment of his time And yet withall we are so miserable as not to lameÌ„t that this time should be lost not only vpon toyes and consequently vpon not increasing this stocke of immortall treasure but euen vpon committing of sinnes which doe no thing but horde vp an eternity of immense torments for vs insteede thereof We Catholickes must be thankefull and beg grace withall that we may coÌ„tinue where we are and we must beg it also for such others as are not and will not be so happy yet to the end that contemning all the vaine delights and honours of this world which may intice them and all the disaduantages troubles which may threaten them they may giue themselues vp now at last to be receaued into the bosome of the holy Catholicke Apostolicke Romane Church and so to be embraced by those strong armes of that diuine protection and coÌ„fort which Christ our Lord her Spouse hath endewed her with for the sauing of those soules for which he died Our Lord God make them so happy as to receaue this blessing and let all his Saints and Angels euer glofiry his holy name for hauing imparted it to vs. FINIS A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1. THAT Catholickes are both improbably and vniustly charged with lacke of Charity for affirming that Protestancy vnrepented destroyes saluation Chapter 2. Of the intention of Catholickes when they say that Protestancy vnrepented destroies saluation how that speech is to be vnderstood Chapter 3. That our saying that Protestancy vnrepented destroies saluation proceedes froÌ„ want of Charity in vs is no lesse vntrue because there is but one true Church then already I haue shewed it to be improbable and first this is proued by holy Scripture Chapter 4. The expresse vnity of the Church is also proued by the authority of the Fathers of the most primitiue times Chapter 5. It is proued both by holy Scriptures Fathers that out of this one true Church of Christ our Lord no saluation is to be found Chapter 6. That both Catholickes ProtestaÌ„ts cannot possibly be accompted to be of one the same Religion Faith and Church Chapter 7. Three obiections ar auoided which they make against vs to disproue our vnity in faith amongst our selues and so also is an allegation about FundameÌ„tal points of faith wherby they would shewe that they hold as much vnity both with the Fathers and with the Lutherans yea and euen with vs Catholickes at this day as they are bound to maintaine Chapter 8. That Protestants haue no reason in alledging the distinction of fundamentall and not fundamentall points of faith as intending to proue thereby that they are in vnity with the Fathers of the Primitiue Church or of their fellow brethren the Lutherans yea and some times with Catholickes at this day Chapter 9. That Protestants neither do nor dare declare what are their fundamentall points of faith wherby yet they would pretend that they liue in the communion of the only one true Church of our Lord. Chapter 10. A recapitulation of the whole discourse wherein followes vpon the confession of both parties that the Catholickes and Protestants be not both of them sauable in their seueral Religions without repentance thereof before they dye and Catholickes must therefore be no longer held vncharitable for saying so but those ProtestaÌ„ts are shewed to be Libertines who say the contrary The Conclusion FAVLTES ESCAPED in the printing Faultes Corrected Pag. 8 l. 1 as man as a man 17 l. 2 we owne we owe 21 l. 29 haduÌ„ commaded had commauÌ„ded 24 l. 26 persisting persisting 30 l. 24 did it much did it with much 32 l. 28 doctrine or doctrine of 36 l. 16 of of eternall of eternall 38 l. 1. who forsake who forsakes 41 l. 2 these Saint elwhere the Saint else where 51 l. 10 to condemned to be condemned 55 l. 28 title of booke title of a booke 68 l. 9 particular studied particularly studied 70 l. 22 or argumt or argument 93 l. 9 execrable of execrable assertioÌ„ of 101 l. 4. of ouâ—â— soules of our soules 110 l 6 and Polycarpe and S. Polycarpe l. 28 scoffe as vs scoffe at vs 117 l. 17 first cleare first cleared 119 l. 28 case chat case that 124 l. 29 And yet meanes of high euen by this And yet euen by this meanes of high
world but yet that light which is cast so far abroad is but one and the same she spreads her brannches ouer the whole earth after a plentifull manner she extendes her flowing streames with greate abundance to a great distance but yet is she one head and one roote and one mother who is fruitfull by such store of issue Lib. 1. Epist 6. The same Saint also speaking of the sin of Core Dathan and Abiron implies that the one Church must not only be entirely belieued but followed also in all her doctrines and directions For he saieth that though Core Dathan and Abiron did belieue and worship one God and liued in the same law and religion with Moyses and Aaron yet because they deuided thēselues from the rest by Schisme resisting their gouernours and Priests they were swallowed vp quick into hell S. Basile puts such a value vpon the absolute integrity of all the whole Christian Doctrine which declares what he belieued concerning the necessity of vnity in the Church as to expresse himselfe after this manner S. Basil apud Theodoret l. 4. hist c. 17. Qui in sacris litteris c. They who are well instructed in holy writ permit not one syllable of diuine doctrine to be betrayed or yeelded vp but are willing to embrace any kind of death for the defence thereof if neede require That man of God had beene solicited by some to relent for a time and to yeeld though it were but to a litle he refused in such sort as you haue seene he did it much disdaine to be attēted in that kind S. Gregory Nanzianzene speaking of Hereticks who doe all breake the vnity of the Church seemes yet to apprehend them to be worste of all who whilest indeed they breake it Greg. Nazian Tract de fide Nihil periculosius c Lib. Apo cont Ruff. Propter vnū c. doe yet seeme to doe it least because so they will hardliest be perceaued And he deliuers himselfe in these words Nothing can be more dangerous then those Heretikes who whē they runne streight through all the rest doe yet with one word as with some drop of poison infect the true and sincere faith of our Lord. S. Hierome shewes that the vnity of the Church and faith thereof must be so perfect as that for some one word or two contrary to the same many heresies haue been caste out of the Church And S. Leo saith that out of the Catholicke Church there is nothing pure according to that of the Apostle whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and els where he saith also If it be not one it is no faith at all Cōcerning this one Church S. Augustine is also most expresse cleere For when the Donatists saith he calumniated the Catholickes In Breui collat collat dici tertiae as affirming that there were two Churches one vpon earth which contained both the good and bad and the other in heauen which contained none but good the Catholicks made them this answere That they did not make two Churches but did only distinguish the two times of the Church saying that the same One only Church was in one state now and was hereafter to be in an other that now it had a mixture of euill men but that hereafter it should haue none iust so as there are not therefore two Christs because once he could dye and now he can dye no more And thus the Catholickes refuted that slaunder which the Donatists had layed vpō thē expresly shewing what they had formerly sayed namely that there was but One and the same holy Catholicke Church And to shewe more ouer by the iudgmēt of S. Augustine In explicatione Psal 54. that the Church in her doctrine was to be truly One he spake thus of the Donatists who called vpon the same God preached the same ghospell sunge the same Psalmes had the same Baptisme obserued the same Easter and the like In those things they were with me yet not wholy with me in Schisme not with me in Heresie not with me in many things with me in a few not with me but in regard they were not with me in a few their being not with me in many could not helpe them Nay S. Ireneus whom I named before implies Lib. 2. cap. 3. not only That it is necessary for a true Christian Catholicke to differ in no one point of the doctrine or faith from other Christans but he must withall not beleeue any thing after a different manner that is to say vpon a different motiue from that for which it is beleeued by other Christians But this point I shall touch hereafter And for the present it may suffice to haue proued the necessitie of most perfect vnity in the Church and that indeede no reasō can be giuē why if there be allowed any more true Churches then One there should not be admitted as well two thousand as two So that now it remaynes for me to shewe also by the iudgment of holy Scriptures and Fathers that out of this One Church there is no saluation It is prooued both by holy scriptures and Fathers that out of One true Church of Christ our Lord no saluation is to be found CHAPTER V. SInce the Church of Christ our Lord is so truely One and but only One it followes easily inough that no saluation can be had out of this Church and that euery heresy or schisme is sufficient to depriue any soule thereof But yet neuerthelesse to the end that men may be wholy left without excuse or rather that they may be the better warned to take heede in time of those miseries which otherwise they are to feele for all eternity I will strengthen also this trueth by the authority of some few Scriptures and Fathers of the primitiue Church For so by degrees it will easily and of it felfe appeare that we Catholickes are not faulty in that wherewith we are so much charged The Prophet Esay thus foretelles the quality and condicion of the then future Church of Christ our Lord and what shall become of them who serue it not Cap. 60. Gens enim regnum quod non seruierit tibi peribit That nation and kingdome which will not serue thee shall perish And now if a whole nation and kingdome shall perish for not seruing what shall become of those priuate miserable people who blaspheme and rent it The same Prophet sayth else where to the same purpose Cap. 54. Omne vas c. Euery vessell or pot which is framed against the shall not succeede or proue well and thou shalt iudge euery tongue resisting thee in iudgment We haue seene already in the new Testament vpon another occasion to prooue the vnity of the Church that whosoeuer obeyes not this One Church is by the order of our blessed Lord himselfe to be held for no other then a Pagan or Publican that is to say for no better then a meere Idolater
in his Religion and for a most infamous and base person in his conuersation And we may see now further that S. Paule that vessell of election that man who had beene rapt to the third heauen add who had in his heart such a flaming fornace of Charity as to desire to be made Anathema for the saluation of his brethren doth most aboundantly declare the wofull state or all heretickes and schismatickes He requires men to auoid an heretick if he reform not himselfe after one or two reproofes and he names Haereticum hominem indefinitely without specifying in particular what his heresie may be more or lesse He sayth also that an Hereticke is condemned euen by his owne iudgment ad Tit. 3 That their speech is like a Cancer whiche creepes and kills That they attend to the spirit of errour and the Doctrine of diuells That they are hyppocrites and lyers couetous arrogant and blasphemous That they take the apparance of piety vpon them but yet renounce the vertue and substance hereof That they are euer learning but without attayning to the knowledge of truth That as Iannes and Mambres resisted Moyses so doe these also resist the truth being corrupt in minde and reprobates concerning the faith but that they shall not preuaile but their folly shal be made manifest to al as that of Iannes and Mambres was That they haue itching eares which they turne away from hearing the truth S. Iude. And S. Iude saith they ar dūbe Beasts vnfruitful trees twise dead rooted vp cloudes without water waues of a tempestuous sea which beate themselues into the some of their owne confusion for whom the storme of of eternall darknes is reserued and that they are men who walke the way of Cain and Baalam and who perish in the contradiction of Core By all which kind of language a man may easily perceaue how farre both the Apostle S. Paule S. Iude also accounted them to be from saluation whoe haue deuided themselues from the Catholicke Church by heresie or schisme And S. Paule sayth in cleere termes That the workes of the flesh are manifest Galat. cap. 5. which whosoeuer cōmits shall not possesse the kingdome of God Amongst which he reckons expresly contentions emnities dissentions and Sects c. which word Sects in Latin is Heresie in Greeke Now if any one heresie be damnable what shall they be when they come in clusters And if their soules be to be lost who fall into emnity and contentions without repenting themselues hereof what shall become of those miserble creatures who violate maligne and wound the whole mystical body of Christ our Lord which is his Church As for the Fathers De praes aduersus haeret they are as bright as day in this point Tertullian saith that if they be heretikes they cannot be accounted Christians S. Cyprian is expresse and large in this argument and sayth thus Lib. 4. Epist 2. de vnit Eccles Adulterari non potest Sponsa Christi c. The Spouse of Christ cannot be adulterated she is incorrup and chaste she knowes one house purely consernes the Chastity of one bed-chamber It is she who keeps vs for God she sets them forth for his kingdome whome she hath begotten Whosoeuer is separated from the Church and is ioyned to an adultres is separated also from those promises which belonge to the Church nor shall he arriue to the rewards of Christ who forsake the Church of Christ He is an alien he is a prophane person and he is an enemy He can no longer haue God for his Father who hath not the Church for his Mother If a man might haue escapte drowning without being in the Arck of Noe he shall also be able to escape who is out of the Church Ibid. He also saith thus afterwards They cannot remaine with God because they would not continue of one minde in the Church of God Though their bodies should be deliuered to be burnt in the fier or that they should be deuoured by wild beasts such a death would not be a Crown of faith but a punishment of perfidiousnes in them nor would it be a glorious end of their vertue but a destructiō following vpon despaire Such a man may be killed but cannot be crowned Iust so doth he professe himselfe to be a Christian as the diuell doth often falsely affirme himselfe to be Christ according to what our Lord him selfe did forewarme and tell vs thus Many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and they shall deceaue many But as he is not Christ though he shall deceaue many vnder the colour of that name so neither can that man be accompted a Christian who remaines not in his doctrine and faith And in another place he also saith Quisquis 〈◊〉 est lib. 4. Epist 2. whosoeuer he be and what kinde of man soeuer he be he is no Christian who is not in the Church of Christ The like or rather the very same words are vsed by S. Augustine Serm. 181. de tēp else where also he saith thus to certaine heretickes How can you brag Symb. ad Catecum c. 10. Quomodo vos cam c. Lib. 2. contra Gaudon cap. 12. that you hold fast the Faith which our Lord left to his Apostles would you haue men so blind and deafe as not to heare or read the ghospell where they may know what faith our Lord left to his Apostles concerning his Church from which since you are deuided and separated you doe no other thing then rebell against the words both of the body and of the head and yet the while you bragge that you endure persecution for the Sonne of man and for the faith which he recōmended to his Apostles And thē doth the Saint put himselfe to shew our of Scripture That this is that Church of Christ which is spread ouer the whole world De vnit Eccl. Ad ipsam c. The same holy Father saith also No man cōmeth to saluation or life euerlasting who hath not Christ for his head and no man can haue Christ for his head who is not in his bodie which is the Church And els where hee discourseth thus Epi. 152. quisquis ab hac c. whosoeuer is separated from the Catholicke Church how laudably soeuer he may conceaue himselfe to liue yet he shall not haue life but the wrath of God remainesh vpon him for this only crime of being seuered from the Society of Christ And to conclude for asmuch as concernes S. Augustines authority touching this point let this following speech of his be well pondered whereby it will appeare that Cardinall Petron said well when he taught that the name Catholicke was not only a name of beliefe and faith but of Charity also and Communion which whosoeuer should want would also want saluation though he were not wanting in points of faith let vs hearken to S. Augustine who deliuers himselfe thus Et
seriously censure the Zuinglians and all the Sacramentaries for hereticks and as alienated from the Church of God And I protest before God and the world that I agree not with them nor euer will but will haue my haÌ„d cleare from the blood of those sheepe which these hereticks driue from Christ deceaue and kill And againe in the same place Cursed be the Charity and concord of Sacramentaries for euer and euer to all eternity And a litle before his death he protesteth saying I hauing now one of my feete in the graue will carry this testimony and glory to the tribunall of God That I will with all my heart condemne and eschew Carolostadius Zuinglius Oecolampadius their disciples nor will haue familiarity with any of them neither by letter writing words nor deedes accordingly as the Lord hath commaunded Thus he sayth with very much more to the same effect And to make this yet more euident by the like testimonyes of the Zuinglians Caluinists the Tigurine Diuines say thus Nos condemnatam execrabilem vocat sectam c. Luther calls vs a damnable and execrable sect but let him looke that he declare not himselfe an Archheretick since he will not nor cannot haue any society with those that confesse Christ. But how marueilously doth Luther here bewray himselfe with his diuells what filthy words doth he vses such as are replenished with all the diuells in helle For he sayth that the diuell dwelleth both now and euer in the Zuinglians and that they haue a blasphemous brest insathanized persathanized and supersathanized and that they haue besides a most vaine mouth ouer which Sathan beareth rule being infused perfused and transfused into the same Did euer man heare such speeches passe froÌ„ a furious diuell himselfe In so much as Zuinglius sayth of him Behould how SathaÌ„ doth endeauour wholly to possesse this man And Oecolampadius also forewarnes Luther least being puffed vp by arrogaÌ„cy pride he be seduced by SathaÌ„ Wherunto might be added suÌ„dry other like testimonies This contention betweene Luther and his followers on the one party and the Zuinglians or Caluinists on the other is yet further testified not only by the almost infinite writings of on against an other yet dayly encreasing but also by the knowne mutuall proscription or banishment of ech other from their seuerall territories or dominions So farre were they from reputing one another for members of one and the same Church Thus farre goe the words of the sayd Apoligie where you shall finde the places both of Luther and Zuinglius and Oecolampadius and the Tigurine diuines exactly cited Heare also further what Nicolaus Gallus saith who was an eminent Minister at Ratisbone of the difference amongst the Protestants themselues Non sunt leues c In The sib Hypothes The dissentions which are amongst vs be not light nor coÌ„cerning light matters but about the greatest Articles of of Christian Doctrine of the law and the ghospell of iustification and good workes of the Sacraments and vse of ceremonies Heare also what Conradus Schlussenburgus another famous Lutheran Protestant sayth in the very Title of his booke against the Caluinists Theologiae Caluinisticae libri tres c. Three bookes concerning CaluiniaÌ„ diuinity wherein it is shewed as in a Table to the eye out of two hundred thre and twenty publicke writers of the Sacramentaries with particular setting downe the pages the words the names of the authours that the said Sacramentaries haue no true belief of almost any Article of Christian Faith This booke was printed at Franckford in the yeare 1594. Reade also but the very Title of two of Grauerus his bookes who was a famous professour of Lutheranisme the one is this Absurda absurdoruÌ„ absurdissima Caluinistica absurda The absourd most absourd doctrines Caluin c. and the other Bellum Ioannis Caluini Iesu Christi printed 1598. The warre of Iohn Caluin against Iesus Christ. And lastly doe but read this Title of book writteÌ„ by Aegidius Hunnius who was a most famous Lutheran and succeeded next to Luther himselfe in possessing his Chaire at Wittenberge The Title is this Aegidij Hunnij Caluinus Iudai â—ans id est c. Caluin playing the Iew that is to say A discouery made by Aegidius Hunnius of the Iewish Interpretations and corruptions whereby Iohn Caluin â—ath not bene afrayde to corrupt after a detestable maÌ„ner most illustrious places and testimonies of holy Scripture concerning the glorious Trinity the Deity of Christ of the holy Ghost and especially of predictioÌ„s of the Prophets touching the coming of the Messias his Natiuity Passion Resurrection Ascension sitting at the right haÌ„d of God Printed at Wittenberge in the yeare 1592. I forbeare both to presse this euideÌ„ce I will no further seeke to prooue by way of Authority that both Catholicks and Protestants are not sauable as not being to be accounted to be of one and the same Church and Religion no not yet euen the Lutherans and Caluinists For in a word that reason strikes euen at the roote which is drawen from the nature propriety of faith it selfe And euen that alone if it be well considered will vnanswerably conuince not only that they are of differeÌ„t faith Church who differ in so many Articles of so great moment as these wherein we professe one selues to disagree but that they also who differ in any one single point which is propounded and commanded by the Catholicke Church yea and more ouer that they who differ not in any points at all if yet they assent not vpon the only true infallible ground which is as hath bene said the reuelation of Almighty God and the Proposition and Direction of the said Catholicke Churh not only haue the selfe same faith with that Church but that they haue no supernaturall and true faith at all euen of those other doctrines which they most earnestly thinke themselues to imbrace and coÌ„sequently that it is wholly impossible for them to be saued if they dye impenitent The reason whereof is excellently deliuered by S. Thomas and many other diuines who vnaunswerably prooue that whosoeuer belieues not the whole corps of Christian Doctrine hath no true supernaturall faith at all and doth not righly belieue any one Article thereof He may haue a kinde of materiall fayth concerning those articles to which he giues assent but not a certaine and true and supernaturall faith vnles he belieue them vpon the right grounde thereof which is The speech or reuelation of Almighty God propounded and commaunded to belieued by the Catholicke Church For example if I should belieue that Christ our Lord dyed for the sins of the world either because I had only read it in some learned booke or in regard that I had ben told so by some friend whom I much esteemed and loued or else because I thought it likely in respect of some coÌ„gruity thereof to other things or finally vpoÌ„ any other
to those seuerall spirits which our Lord imparts to seueral persons For though any man may be good in any lawfull state of life but especially in some holy Order of Religion yet because men are not only of seuerall constitutions in body but of as seuerall dispositions also in minde and that some are apter for contemplation others for a more actiue life some for corporall austerities others for mentall reflections and mortifications some for catechising preaching and coÌ„fessing others for silence and recollectioÌ„ Vt omnis spiritus laudent Dominum it was most agreable to the sweete prouidence of Almighty God to inspire his emineÌ„t seruants with seuerall spirits who might erect seuerall Orders at seuerall times which seuerall natures might affect and so apply themselues to God both more cheerfully more fruitfully therein especially if they conserue that spirit with which the Order was first indued And as wel wisely might Caluin haue coÌ„fest a differeÌ„ce of Religion amongst theÌ„selues because some men weare gownes others cloakes as to haue argued a disunioÌ„ amongst our Religious men because of their differeÌ„ce in habit or diet either froÌ„ other Orders or else from secular people I heare them also make a third obiectioÌ„ against our vnity in points of faith in regard of the difference betweene our learned and vnlearned men for in consequence thereof they say that some one of vs belieues incomparably more then an other For the clearing of this point I will open a certaine distinction the subiect whereof they are wont to lay to our chardge as a crime but if they lend me a litle patience the same will serue them for a light to let them see that theÌ„selues are out of the way This distinction is of Explicite and Implicite faith A man is sayd to haue Explicite faith of any Article or doctrine when he hath heard it particularly propounded to him and hath some particular knowledge thereof and giues particular assent thereunto But as for Implicite faith of any Article or doctrine a man is then sayd to haue it when he belieues that concerning it which the Church teaches them explicitly who are capable thereof although for his owne part he haue not perhaps so much as heard of it in particular or if he did he hath forgot it or if he remember it he hath not capacity inough to apprehend or vnderstand it But howsoeuer as I sayd he is resolued to belieue both of that and all things else as the Church teaches wil giue an Explicite consent to it wheÌ„ he shal be informed hereof be made abâ—e to vnderstand it hath this firme resolutioÌ„ that he will neuer hold he coÌ„trary either of that or of any other thing which they Church shal require him to belieue This I say is our doctrine concerning Explicite and Implicite faith and I dare confidently affirme that whosoeuer considers the same indifferently and with a resolution to receaue satisfaction if there be cause and not to be still cauilling whether there because or noe will confesse that not only the doctrine of Explicite and Implicite faith doth not only not impeach our vnity in beliefe in regard that some meÌ„ belieue some things more Explicitely â—hen others do but that if it were possible to aboâ—ish this doctrine which indeed it is impossible to do because it is rather deliuered vs by the voice of nature it selfe which hath ordained a different capacity in the mindes of men it would be wholly impossible to maintaine any Church in any vnity of faith at all For example will any man amoÌ„gst them be so absurd as to coÌ„ceaue that any plough man or Trades man or silly Woman doth belieue the same things Explicitely concerning Originall sinne or the relation which runnes betweene free will and grace and a hundred other questions of this nature which may be Explicitly belieued by some principall Doctour of diuinity amoÌ„gst them who haue particular studied these questions And if they confesse they cannot will they be content that we shall inferre thereby that there is no vnity of faith maintained amongst them Infallibly they will not and therefore it is but reason that they measure as they would be measured to and that they acknowledge that if dissension in point of faith could depend vpon the Explicitenesse or Implicitenesse of a mans belieuing seuerall doctrines there would be in effect as many seuerall faithes amongst vnlearned Christians as there are seuerall capacities For as much as we can hardly finde two such men whereof the one belieues iust as much Explicitely and no more then the other doth because the notice and the attention and the capacity and the memory and the profession is euer in effect more or lesse in one then in another and according to the more or lesse of these circumstance will the Articles Explicitely beleiued be either more or lesse The truth concerning this particular holds not only in the Catholicke Church but in all congregations which professe any Religion whatsoeuer consisting of seuerall Articles parts They who are learned and haue eminent endowments of nature and apply themselues with particular industry must euer belieue Explicitely more points of their Religion whatsoeuer it be and those others who are of contraries qualities must belieue Explicitely fewer points And this is also clear that the more points of any Religion which a man belieues Explicitely the fewer doth the leaue himselfe to belieue Implicitely and so on the contrary side the more he belieues Implicitely he reaches so much the fewer with an Explicite faith He may must belieue all the Articles and Doctrines of his Religion with a true entire most certaine and supernatural faith but that he should belieue them all with an Explicite faith is neither necessary nor possible But by belieuing as much as he can with an Explicite faith and what he can not with an Implicite a Cardinal Bellarmine and a Collier nay the simplest Catholicke woman in the whole world and the most glorious Mother of God if she liued still on earth should be absolutely fully of the selfe same Religion faith wiâ—h one another So that the swâ—rd of our aduersaries prooues a buckler to vs and that obiection which they make to disproue our vnity in faith vnder which they would both shelter their weaknes when we iustly obiect their departure from the Church against theÌ„ also authorize their malice when they haue a minde to cast the scandall of affected ignorance vpon vs prooues a foundation to vs of that truth which shewes how our vnity is made perfect These are the three obiections which Protestants are wont to make against our vnity in point of faith And now there remaines an allegation or argumt wherby they procure to defend themselues against our obiectioÌ„ that they want vnity amongst themselues For in vertue hereof they affirme that they ought not to be held in disunion either with the Fathers of the primitiue Church
sees cause or not to belieue any doctrine which is not fundamentall without incuring the sentence of damnation Vpon this it followes that there is nothing in all Christian Religion which according to their groundes it imports a man more exactly to learne then what is fundamentall and what not nor which it more imports the Doctours and guides of the Protestant Church to make knowne to all that people which they pretend to guide in the way of saluation And yet neuerthelesse there is absolutely no one thing which hath beene so frequently importunately desired as that they would giue in some exact list or Catalogue of all and the only fundamentall points of faith and yet is there no one thing wherein we are so litle satisfied and which vpon the matter they doe so absolutely refuse And yet as hath beene here expressed if according to their groundes a man should faile of belieueing any one fundamental point of faith by his not knowing â—hrough their fault that the point which he belieued not was fundamentall he must be sure to perish and that for euer But the Protestants are wise inough in their owne waye and well they know what they do in order to their owne ends both when they frame the distinction of fundamentall and not fundameÌ„tall points of faith and when also they refuse to giue in a Catalogue of which is which For by making first the distinction and then by concealing the particulars contained vnder the branches thereof they saue themselues harmeles amongst ignorant people from being coÌ„uinced to be of a different Communion and Religion both from the Fathers of the primitiue Church on the one side and from their fellow sectaries of this age on the other Whereby they gaine a kind of reputation with their vulgar auditours and readers as if thâ—y maintained a sufficiency of vnity with both Whereas if either they framed not the distinction of fundamentall at all or else would clearly let men know which points alone were fundamentall then this would followe That whensoeuer we should conuince them of any particular doctrine which is denied by them and which yet was belieued by the ancient Fathers they would be obliged to professe that either that point was not fundamentall which would disable them from rayling at vs for belieuing the same or else that the Fathers were of a differeÌ„t Religion in fundamentall points from them and that in their opinion those very Fathers could not be saued which would put them to much preiudice another way And so vpon the same reason they would also either be forced to renounce the coÌ„munion of the LutheraÌ„s if they were found to differ from theÌ„ in fundamentall points of faith or else to avowe expresly that those points which they belieued differently from them were not fundamentall which would be of no lesse daÌ„ger disreputatioÌ„ to theÌ„ But now when we vrge them for example sake with the doctrine of praying to Saints of prayer for the dead or the like out of the ancient Fathers that once we bring them from denying via facti that the Fathers taught that doctrine which yet they will be sure to confesse as cautelously as they can they then tell vs streight that those Fathers were but men and had their errours We aske them then if those errours depriue them of saluation They say noe because those points forsooth were not fundamentall and thus as hath bene said they will seeme to keepe a kinde of quarter with the Fathers In the selfe same manner when we vrge them in the name of Lutherans with the Reall Presence of of the body of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar or with their casting the Epistle of S. Iames and diuerse others out of the Canon of holy Scripture by their forbearing to avowe and declare that these points of Religion are fundamentall they goe inuisible to the eyes of simple people and still make a shift to seeme to be in vnity with the Lutherans when yet the world knowes and we haue seene that Luther himselfe declared them directly to be heretickes Not only doth this distinction of their doctrines into fundamentall and not fundamentall saue their credits amongst weake meÌ„ by making them belieue that they ioyne in vnity of faith both with the Fathers of the primitiue Church and Lutherans but they enable themselues also thereby to affirme with some very litle shewe of colour though it haue no truth at all that they haue had a continuall visible Church in all the ages since Christ our Lord without being so easily detected to the contrary And their way is this When they are prest by vs to shew a continuall visible Church of their Religion which they know well inough that they are not able to produce those aduersaryes of ours who are of any ingenuity at all are wont clearely to confesse that indeede they haue had no continuall visible Church But so also they declare that there is no necessity at all that the Church must haue beene continually visible to the eyes of men The rest who see how absurde this doctrine is say that indeede there must alwayes haue bene a visible Church but then againe they subdiuide themselues in that opinion For some fewe of them affirme when they are vrged by vs to shewe that visible Church of theirs that theirs and ours do make but one true Church and so in shewing the visibity of ours they doe withall as they say shewe their owne to haue beene visible And these men treade in this way because they well know that no other Church but ours can indeed be shewed to haue beene visible through all ages since Christ our Lord. But a third sort of men there is who pretend to shewe a Church distinct from ours which hath continually been visible in the profession and practise of the Protestant Religion Wherein Fox hath shewed the way to the gees who follow him For in fine when they are put to name their particular professours of former ages they doe but muster vp those seuerall single false doctrines which haue been held by other heretickes by retayle during tenne or twelue ages since Christ our Lord many of which Doctrines together themselues doe now professe in grosse For what other men of former times did they euer or can they euer name as men of their Religion but such as belieued some one or two of those hereticall doctrines which now themselues embrace and wherein they are contrary to vs But by that reason our aduersaries might say as well that both they and we yea and all those others also are of one and the same Religion because we all agree together in many points though we differ in many more and though we be excommuâ—iâ—ated by one an other And if their belief may be examined whom our aduersaries cite out of former times as men to whose communion in ReligioÌ„ they now lay claime it will be found as hath aboundantly beene prooued that
both those former were expresse heretickes euen in the Protestants owne opinion as wel as ours for their misbeliefe of other things and that those doctrines wherein those former heretickes agreed with vs and dissented from the Protestants are now most vniustly condemned by them in our persons howsoeuer for the hideing of their owne misery they are content to winke at the selfe same opinions in them who were their predecessours in heresie But all this while it must still be noted that they make themselues able to daunce also in this Net by the distinctioÌ„ which they haue framed of fundamentall and not fundamentall For if this had not beene deuised but that it might haue beene declared that the obstinate beliefe of any one single heresie depriues a man of saluation and therefore that there is no meanes to make any one maÌ„ to be of the same Religion with any other but by being wholy of the same Religion so farre forth at the least as that he must not obstinately deny any one doctrine thereof whether it be important more or lesse when once as hath been sayed it is lawfully and sufficiently propounded and comaunded to be belieued by the true Church it would instaÌ„tly haue been made as patent and cleare as it is true certaine that neither when Luther rebelled from the Church of Christ our Lord nor in any age before his time there was in the whole world any one kingdome or country or citty or towne or family of men or pastour or flocke yea or any one single person so much as of Luthers owne and much lesse of the now Protestant Religion which is now forsoothe so farre refined beyond his To conclude the making of this distinction betweene fundameÌ„tal not fundamentall points of faith and the resoluing not to declare which is which doth saue them with a great part of the ignorant world from the imputation of Rigour in their proceeding with vs. For how could they persecute as they doe without extreame note of cruelty yea or euen how could they dissent without apparent impiety from our beliefe and practise of those doctrines wherein we haue had and still haue prescription of so many ages if the contrary thereof should be confessed by themselues not to be fundamentall We must not therefore wonder if that they sticke so fast as they do to this distinction for hereby it appeers that they haue wit inough to keep themselues warme which they could not do so wel without this cloake vpon their backs It is also more them probable that one reason why they are so vnwilling to giue in any Catalogue of the fundamentall points is because they know soe well how ridiculous they would make themselues by the infinite variety of their Catalogues For if it be so familiar with them to be of different mindes coÌ„cerning particular doctrines how much more would they be so in this which is a roote of many branches or rather a monster of many heads And so there can be no doubt but that some of them would not be more resolute in restraining the fundamentall points into a narrow compasse then others would be in enlarging them to a broader I will consider what is sayd by most of theÌ„ to this purpose because this chapter is growne into length you shall expect that which followes in the next That Protestants neither do nor dare declare what are their fundamentall points of faith whereby yet they would pretend that they liue in the Communion of the one true Church of Christ our Lord. CHAPTER IX IT is vsuall with many to affirme that the Apostles Creede containes all the Fundamentall points of Faith but these men when they are pressed grow soone ashamed of that opinion when they are tould that in the Creede there is no mentioÌ„ made at al either of the CanoÌ„ in holy Scripture or of the nuÌ„ber or nature yea or so much as of the name of Sacraments Besides that there are so great differences betweene them and vs about the vnderstanding of the Article of the desceâ—t of Christ our Lord into Hell and that other of the holy Catholike Church and that also of the communion of Saints which we belieue and they deny to inuolue both prayers for the dead prayers to Saints as that we should not be much the better either for our knowing or confessing that the Creede containes all the Fundamentall points of Faith vnles with all there were some certaine way how to vnderstand them right and especially vnles vnder the Article which concernes the holy Catholicke Church they would vnderstand it to be indued with so perfect infallibility and great authority as that it might teach vs all the rest For indeed according to that sense not only the whole Creede but euen that single Article of the holy Catholicke Church might be said to containe the reason of all our Faith so Fundamentally as that we should neede noe other guide then that But if we vnderstand it otherwise the Scripture it selfe speakes of particular errours which are daÌ„nable in them by whome they are embraced and yet they are not at all against any expresse doctrine of the Creede As namely where S. Paule calls it a doctrine of diuells to forbid marriage and meats which by the way is not to be vnderstood of the chastity and fasts of the Catholicke Church as Protestants do most peruersely affirme which knowes that those things are lawfull but that yet it is most gratefull to God when his seruants for his loue depriue themselues of those delights but of the heresie of the Mâ—niâ—hees as S. Austen doth expresly declare who forbad both marriage and meats as being abominable and impure through the institution thereof which they said was deriued from a certaine second ill coÌ„dicioned God of their owne making In like manner S. Peter saith that S. Paule in his Epistles had written certaine thinges which were hard to be vnderstood and which the vnlearned and vnstable did peruert to their owne destruction S. Austen declares vpon this place that the places misunderstood concerned the doctrine of Iustification which some misconceaued to be by faith alone by occasion of what S. Paule had written to the Romanes And of purpose to countermine that errour he saith that S. Iames wrote his Epistle and prooued therein that good works were absolutely necessary to the acte of Iustification Here vpon we may obserue two things the one that an errour in this point alone is by the iudgment of S. Peter to worke their destruction who embrace it and the other that the Apostles Creede which speakes no one word thereof is no good rule to let vs knowe all the fundamentall point of faith Others say that the booke of the 39. Articles declares all the fundamentall points of Faith according to the Doctrine of the Church of England but that also is most absurdly affirmed For as it is true that they declare in some coÌ„fused manner which yet indeed is
extreamely confused what the Church of England in most things belieues so is it as true that they are very carefull that they be not too clearely vnderstood And therefore in many coÌ„trouersies whereof that booke speakes it comes not at all to the maine difficulty of the question betweene them and vs and especially in those of the Church and Free will For whereas there are two maine Controuersies concerning the Church namely whether the Catholicke Church of our Lord must not euer be visible to the eyes of men though at some times more gloriously then at others and whether the said Church be infallible in the definitioÌ„s of Faith in both which points we hold the affirmatiue and they the negatiue they dare not declare in this publique manner what they hold therein And so also in that of Free Wil Art 10. they only affirme thereof in haec verba The condition of maÌ„ after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turne prepare himselfe by his owne naturall strength good workes to faith calling vpoÌ„ God wherfore we haue no power to do good workes pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God preuenting vs that we may haue a good will and working with vs wheÌ„ we haue that goodwil Now this is true Catholick Doctrine which we belieue better them they But they declare not the while whether or no a man haue freedome of will to do a good worke or not to do it when first he is inspired and moued to it by God Almighties grace which we affirme they deny which is the only knott of our question the point vpoÌ„ which so many other Catholicke Doctrines depend Soe also do they play at fast and â—oose when in the sixt Article of holy Scripture they enumerate al those books of the old Testament which they allow to be Canonicall wherein by the way they are rather Iewes then Christians for not admitting the bookes of Iudith the Machabees diuers others into the Canon And they trifle also when they tell vs that they vnderstand those only bookes both of the old and newe Testament to be Canonicall of whose authority there was neuer any doubt in the Church For they know as well as we that the Apocalips the Epistle of S. Iames S. Iude and one of S. Peters were not acknowledged till prooffes were made during the space of three or fower hundred yeares after Christ our Lord. And yet these meÌ„ haue beene pleased out of their great grace to admit them though the Machabees must be reiected because they speake of prayer for the dead But obserue in the meane time what this booke of Articles sayeth concerning the Canonicall bookes of the new Testament It saith only this All the bookes of new Testament as they are commonly receaued we doe receaue and account them for Canonicall But why doe they not particularly enumerate all the bookes which they acknowledge to be of the new Testament as they had done them of the old but only because they must so haue named those bookes of S. Iames and others for Canonicall which the Lutherans haue cast out of their Canon A mad peece of vnity God wot when these reformers of the Church according forsooth to Scripture if you will take their word cannot so much as agree about the very Canon it selfe of the Scripture But abstracting from all these insincerities wherewith that booke of Articles is full fraught they doe not so much as say that the Articles of Doctrine which they deliuer are fundamentall either all or halfe or any one thereof or that they are necessarily to be belieued by them or the contrary damnable if it be belieued by vs but they are glad to walke in a cloude for the reasons which haue beene already toucht Maister Rogers indeede in the Analysis which he makes of those nyne and thirty Articles speakes lowd inough by way of taxing the doctrine of the Church of Rome as being contrary to that of the Church of England and he giues it as many ill names as his impure spirit can deuise affirmes amongst other things that many Papists and namely the Franciscans blush not to affirme that S. Francis is the holy Ghost Fol. 23. And that Christ is the Sauiour of men but one Mother Iane is the Sauiour of woemen a most execrable of Postellus the Iesuit Fol. 14. with a great deale of such base trash as this And yet his booke is declared to haue beene pervsed and by the lawfull authority of the Church of England permitted to be publicke But yet euen Maister Rogers himselfe is not so valiant as to tell vs in particular which point of their Doctrine is fundamentall to saluation and which is not Much lesse is there any apparance that euer the Church of England should doe it since euen now we haue seene that it dares not in diuerse points soe much as declare in publicke manner that it professes the expresse contrary of what we held Nay we are not likely to see the fuÌ„damental points of Faith whereof they talke so lowd to be auowed by so much as either of the Vniuersities yea or yet by any one Colledge or society of learned men amongst them And the reason of their reseruation in this kind is playne For if when they write ioyntly and in a body they should be conuinced of any absurdity or errour by the testimony either of the ancient Fathers on the one side or the Lutherans on the other their maine cause would receaue a mortall wounde because so their Church oâ— Vniuersities or Colledges would plainly appeare to be controlled and confuted eitheir by the Fathers or their fellow ghospellers whereas now when they speake or write but in the name or persons of particular men one of them will not thinke that himselfe or his cause is much preiudiced if any other of them be found guylty of errour and in such cases it is vsuall for them to say what care I if Doctour Morton say this or Doctour White say that and the like For this reason it is that I haue heard some Catholickes affirme and that to my thinking with great reason that they would hold it to be no ill worke for them if the pretended Colledge of Chelsy or any other were founded by Protestants expresly for writing bookes of controuersie by common consent But I belieue I shall not see them halt vpon that leg for feare least they should be found to be lame of both On the otherside at times they make eager inuectiues against vs for declaring so many yea and all the Doctrines of our Church to be Fundamentall so far forth as that whosoeuer refuses obstinatly to belieue any one of them doth forfette the saluation of his soule And in the strength of this zeale of theirs Doctour Dunne in a sermon made before his Maiesty at his first happy coming to this Crowne doth bitterly exclame against the Catholicke Romane Church as
naturally prooued that this Church is enriched with those very qualities and markes which are auowed by vs her children contested by the aduersaries thereof as namely with a perpetuall visibility or els he had giuen vs a commaunde which it were not possible for vs to obey For how should we at all times find out and consulte our difficulties and manifest our cōplaints to that Church which at all times could not be seene by the eyes of men with a most certaine infallibility For otherwise a man might perish for beleeuing and professing false doctrines through his obedience to the cōmaundant of Christ our Lord in submitting to an erring Church But especially which makes most to our purpose the entire vnity of the Church is prooued here by the exact obedience which we are obliged to exhibite to the same Church For els if there might be two seuerall true Churches dissenting from one another they might holde me for a Publican and Pagan if I did not obey them both which were impossible for me to doe they cōmaunding contrary things And if one of thē dissented from the other I must be tossed betwixt two damnations For if I should obey that true Church erring I should incurre damnation by obeying her and by embracing and persisting in her errours yet if I should not obey her I should incurre damnation by the expresse sētēce of Christ our Lord himselfe who appoints me to be held a Pagan if I obey her not And this shall suffice for this Chapter wherein we may haue seen what holy Scripture saith to this question and in the next we shall find that the Fathers of the Primitiue Church who follow it as their guide will not fayle to vtter the same voice The expresse vnity of the Church is prooued by the authority of the Fathers of the most primitiue times CHAPTER IIII. THe holy Fathers in the most primitiue times who are iustly called Fathers and reuerenced as such by vs were yet withall most obedient and humble children to the holy Catholicke Church of their time and so treading in those very steps which had beene traced out for them by the holy Ghost in holy Scripture they haue shewed many wayes how they beleeued and knewe that there was but one true Church and that the perfect vnity thereof was to be so very carefully maintained as that whosoeuer broke it must euerlastingly perish I say they haue shewed many wayes what their dictamen was herein for some of thē haue writtē whole books expresly and to no other end at all but to prooue the necessity of vnity in the Church of Christ our Lord as namely S. Cyprian and S. Augustine Others haue written framed expresse Catalogues of all the heresyes which had risen in the Church of Christ our Lord from his Ascensiō to heauē til their own time expresly shewing hereby that both the vnity of the Church was directly broken by the obstinate beliefe of any one doctrine which was held in disobedience to the same Church and withall that whosoeuer did so breake it must forfet the saluatiō of his soule thereby And this was doone by S. Epiphanius Bishop of Cyprus by Philastrius Bishop of Brescia both who are cited to this purpose by the incomparable S. Augustine in his treatise de heresibus ad Quod vult Deū Where himself also maks an exact Catalogue of all the heresies which had sprung vntill his time and where by the way I must needs obserue in a word that he recoūts diuers heresies which are held by the Protestāt Church at this day and particularly that of denying prayers and sacrifices for the dead and then he concludes in the end that whosoeuer should hold any one of them were not Christian Catholick Besides this way of proofe concerning the vnity of the Church I will also cite the Fathers who are full of expresse and positiue texts whereby vpon occasion they proue the vnity of the Church and I will begin with S. Ireneus who discourses thus Lib. 1. cap. 3. Hac praedicatione c. The Church hauing receiued this word preached and this faith as was shewed before and hauing spred the same ouer the whole world doth diligently preserue it as inhabiting one house and doth likewise beleeue those thinges which are taught thereby as hauing one soule one heart in the same conformity she preaches and teaches deliuers it as indeed possessing but one mouth For though there be in the world different expressions tongues yet the vertue and power of Tradition is but one and the same And neither those Churches which are found in Germany nor those others in Spaine nor those in France nor they which are in the Easterne parts nor they which are in Egypt nor they which are in Libya nor they which ar setled in the middle parts of the world doe beleeue or make traditiō of doctrine any otherwise in one place thē in another But as that creature of God the Sunne is one and the same in the whole world so is the preaching of the truth a light which shews euery wheare and illuminates all men who will come to the knowledge of the truth And those Prelates of Churches who haue most power and grace of speache will deliuer no other things but these For noe man is aboue his maister neither will such an one as hath meaner talents in speach make this doctrine and Tradition lesse but since Faith is but one and the same neither doth he inlarge it who is able to speake much of it nor that other diminish it whoe speakes lesse De praescrip aduer Haeret Valentinus c. Tertullian shewes plainly that whosoeuer denyes any one doctrine of the Church reiecteth all for thus he sayeth vpon occasion Valentinus approueth some things of the law and the Prophets some things be disavowes that is be disallowes all whilest he approues some And the same Tertullian De praescrip c. 8. Caeterū multos c. doth also elswhere in the same booke inferre the truth of Catholicke doctrine by the exacte vnity thereof whilest he sayth after this manner Quod apud multos c. That which is found to be one amongst soe many is not to be thought to haue crept in by errour but to haue beene recommended by Tradition S. Cirill Patriarche of Ierusalem Catech. 18. assigning reasons why the Church of Christ our Lord is called Catholicke doth excellently giue this one amongst the rest Quia docet Catholicè id est vniuersaliter c Because she teacheth Catholickely that is to say vniuersally and without any defect or difference all those doctrines which ought to be knowne concerning things either visible or inuisible celestiall or terrestriall S. Cyprian in his booke de vnitate Ecclesiae sayeth thus Ecclesia Domini luce perfusa c. of the vnity of the Church The Church being stroken through by the light of our Lord doth sende her beams throughout the whole
haeretici c. De fide Symb cap. 10. both Heretickes Schismatickes are wont to call their congregations by the name of Churches Heretickes violate Fayth by belieuing false things of God and Schismatickes though they belieue the same things with vs doe yet fly from fraternall Charity by their wicked diuisions And therefore neither doth the Hereticke belong to the Catholicke Church because he loueth not God nor the Schismaticke because he loueth not his neighbour For how saith these Sainte elwhere shall the Schismaticke be esteemed to be in Charity with his neighbour who is out of Charity or Communion with the whole body of Christ which is his Church Epist ad Dam. Saint Hierome writing to Pope Damasus saith not only of the Catholicke Church indifinitely but denoting that to be the Romane that that Church is the Arke out of which whosoeuer liueth shal be drowned in the deluge and that that Church is the house out of which whosoeuer should eate the lambe were a prophane person Lactantius also sayth thus Lib. 4. cap. 30. Sola Ecclesia Catholica est c. It is the Catholicke Church alone which preserues the true worship of God this is the fountaine of truth this the house of faith this the Temple of God if any man either enter not into it or depart out of it Ibid. he shall be depriued of the hope of saluation and eternall life No man must flatter himselfe with an obstinate kind of contention for the questions here about saluation and life which if it be not watchfully and diligently prouided for it will be extinct and lost Saint Fulgentius hath this dreadfull saying wherewith I will conclude this point Firmissimè tene c. be most firmely persuaded and haue not doubt at all but that euery Hereticke or Schismaticke baptised in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost if withall he be not a member of the Catholicke Church can by no meanes be saued how great Almes soeuer he shall giue yea and though he should shed his bloode for the name of Christ For so long as the sinne either of Heresie or Schisme which drawes men downe to death shall remaine in any man neither Baptisme nor Almes nor death endured for the name of Christ can be of any benefit towards his saluation who houlds not fast the vnity of the Catholicke Church And now by this we see what the holy Scriptures and what the Fathers of the most primitiue time affirme concerning the vnsaueablenesse of any man who is not a member of that Church which formerly hath beene so cleerely proued to be but One Nor will I so much distrust either the attentiō or discretiō of my reader as to thinke that I neede presse this point any further Soe that now in the next place it will only remaine to be considered and resolued whether or no both the Catholickes the Protestāts cā be truly said to be parts mēbers of this One and the selfe same Church for if they can not the case in question is already iudged and there will be no colour of reason why either of vs should hereafter be charged with want of Charity for affirming that the other is not saueable without repentance of his Religion CHAPTER VI. That both Catholickes and Protestants can not possibly be accounted to be of one and the same Religion Fayth and Church HItherto I haue insisted vpō the former part of this maine discourse wherein I vndertooke to shew and doe conceaue my selfe to haue cōplyed with my word that there is but one true Religion one true Church out of which there is no saluation It will now remaine that I prooue the second part of my vndertaking which is that both the Catholickes Protestāts can by noe meanes account themselues to be professours of that one true Religion and obedient Children to that one true Church whichsoeuer be that true Church by the addresse cōduct wherof men may hope to saue their soules For cleare demonstration whereof it will be fit in the first place to shew what that is which makes a diuersity in Religion and without which men may still be of the same Religlon though there be difference of opinion betweene them The very name of a Christian Religiō whereby Almighty God is to be worshiped implyes a doctrine which must be beleiued Sacraments which must be receaued discipline which must be embraced Prelates or Gouernours which must be obeyed therefore that which make a Religiō to be entire is the beliefe of the same doctrine and the participating of the same Sacraments and obedience to the same discipline and Prelates or Gouernours so farre as men doe not obstinately reiect any part thereof or refuse to submit thereunto Whosoeuer doth this and cōformes his interiour by way of beliefe to the same doctrine and Sacramēts and his exteriour by way of obedience to the sayd Prelates and discipline may iustly be held to be one of the same Religion and whosoeuer refuseth to do this fayles of that But so also on the other side whensoeuer the Church hath not decided propounded and commaunded a doctrine to be belieued by her children and hath not enioyned such a part of discipline to be embraced a man so that he commit no scandall in the manner of it may varie both in the one and in the other from other men and may thinke and do as he sees cause without offending the vnity of Church or incurring thereby the crime either of heresie or schisme as I shall shew more at large afterwards vpon an other occasion It must therefore be considered whether Catholicks and Protestants be of one Church or not or rather it is to be seene for indeed in this case men haue not so much neede of their wits as of their eyes for the resoluing of the question But yet still to the end that euen the weakest stomackes may be made strong inough to digest that morsell which is coming toward it I will shew by seuerall arguments that we are farre from all possibility of passing for professours of the same Religion for members of the same Church so longe as we continue as we are For who perceaues not at the first sight that we resolutely differ from one another in the prime and maine points of Christian Religion We embrace not all the same Scriptures we differ about no fewer then fiue Sacraments of seauen which Catholickes belieue with all reuerence and they reiect withall contēpt Yea and euen concerning those two in the receiuing whereof we both agree namely the Sacrament Baptisme of the Cōmunion there are so many differences and debates amongst vs about the necessity of of the one and the reall presence of our Lord in the other that vpon the matter we can be thought but to agree in words We differ about the authority of all traditiōs vnwrittē which is the very foūdation of our
making euery toy to be Fūdamentall Where by the way he takes his pleasure vpon vs sayes that we Papists will not let Protestants be saued though they belieue the same Creede and the same faith with vs vnles withall they will belieue the same Mathematicks and gouerne thēselues by the same Kalēders which to omit other poornesses of his was soe weake and meane a iest so misbecoming of that Audience and of the place he helde as being fitter indeed for some Ordinary thē for a Chappel or Church and withall so very vntrue if he were in earnest that vnles the pride of his owne conceit had raised vp a dust to put out his eyes he could not but haue seene the senselesnes of what he said euen whilest he was speaking since we the Romane Catholickes in this kingdome do rather gouerne our selues at this day by the lesse perfect Kalender which now is vsed in this place then by the other which is both the better euen by the iudgment of learned Protestants is authorized by the Catholicke Church abroade Letting he world see thereby how willingly we can accommodate to them in all things which belong not meerely to Religion But Maister Doctour forgot himselfe worse shortly after For hauing grauely admonished mē before not to account things arbitrary to be necessary nor to call superstructions foundations nor to esteeme that euery little thing in Religion should be able to depriue a man of saluation he takes the paynes to wipe out with a wet finger the whole substance and drifte of all his owne discourse by saying to his effect That differēce in beliefe in points which are not very important is not to preiudice a mans saluation vnles by not belieuing them he commit a disobedience with all for saith he Obedience indeede is of the Essence of Religion Which vpon the whole matter is the very thing we say and the very thing whereby he crosses the whole scope of his owne sermon For if a mans disobediēce to the proposition and direction of the Church concerning an inferiour point of Doctrine do impugne the very essense of Religion it will follow that their distinctiō of points Fundamentall or not Fundamentall wherby they would inferre that a man can not loose his saluation but for misbelief in some few mayne points of Religion and not in the rest is absurd and vaine and detractiue both of Doctour Dunnes Doctrine last mentioned and of their owne obiection of vncharitablenes against vs for saying that men dying in different Religions cannot be saued And withall that this distinction will not secure them from committing the crime of separation from the Church of Christ our Lord and in swaruing from the directions thereof in which case all the Doctrines of the Church are found to be Fundamentall towards saluation And this shall serue for a dischardge both of what they obiect against our vnitie in faith and of what they alleadge in the behalfe of theirs And in the meane time I conceaue that I haue also sufficiently secured and settled those two mayne groundes vpon which this whole discourse is turned Namely first that there is but one true faith and one true Religion and Church out of which there is no saluation and secondly that both Catholickes and Protestants can not possible be accounted to be of that one Religion Church Faith And now for the finall proofe of this last point according euen to their practise as well as ours let my Reader but looke vpon the body of their lawes made against vs and especially vpon the Preambles thereof wherein they plentifully shew how hatefull an opinion they haue of our Church Let him looke vpon the seuerall Acts of State which haue issued from my Lords of the Counsell Let him looke vpō the proclamatiōs which haue beene made and published from time to time Let him looke vpon the large cōmissions which haue beene granted to Pursiuants whereby that scume of the world hath been and is enabled both to ransome ransacke vs at their pleasure Let him looke vpon those speeches which haue been vttered in both houses of Parliament not only against the professours but euen the profession it selfe of our Religion and how his most excellent Maiesty hath been importuned by their Petitions to add more weight to our miseries for thus it will easily be seene how false how rotten how superstitions how Idolatrous how detestable how damnable and euen destructiue of all truth and goodnes they professe themselues to esteeme our Religiō and in fine that we carry such a marke of the Beast in our foreheads as must needs in their opinion shut vp the gates of Heauen against vs and set open the iawes of Hell to deuoure and swallowe vs vp So that certainely we are no more of one Church with them in their opinion then they are of one with vs in ours And now there will remaine noe more but a short Recapitulation of what hath been deliuered more at large for the finishing of this discourse to which I will now betake my selfe A recapitulatiō of the whole discourse wherin it followes vpon the confession of both parties that the Catholickes and the Protestants are not both of them saueable in their seuerall Religions without repentance thereof before they dy and that Catholickes must therefore be no longer held vncharitable for saying so but those Protestants are shewed to be Libertines who say the contrary CHAPTER X. SInce the Faith Religion Church hath beene prooued both by Scriptures and Fathers as also by vnanswearable reasons which haue beene drawne both from the very groundes of true Faith and from the nature and spirit of Heresy and Schisme and finally by the Confession of both parties to be but only one and that out of that one there is noe saluation to be obtayned Since the difference concerning the Doctrine of faith betweene Catholickes Protestants are so many so important and so resolutely maintained cōcerning both the Canon of Scriptures the number nature of Sacraments the authority of traditions the supreme Iudge of Cōtrouersies the visible heade of the Church the iustification of ouer soules the valewe of our good workes the liberty of our will the possibility of keeping the Commandements the relations which runne betweene the men of this life on the one side and both the soules in Purgatory and the Saints in Heauen on the other Since besides our differences in points of Doctrine we swarue also from one an other in points of discipline and haue separated our selues haue mutually excōmunicated one another Since we hold them to liue in heresie and schisme and they vs in affected ignorance grosse superstition and Idolatry and are dayly making Sermons and bookes and edicts and lawes against one another it is certaine that either both they and we must not be saued if we dy vnrepētant of our seuerall Religions or else that the whole world hath beene in a dreame of three thousand yeares old euer
Charity in cōmaunding that mē should be held for no better then Pagans Matt. 16. and Publicans if in any thing of scandall and much more of doctrine concerning faith they disobeyed the Church for his precept of obedience was indefinite and therefore our obedience must not be limited only to this or that That God the Father himselfe wanted Charity who sent Chore Dathan and Abiron aliue Numb 16. and headlong into hell for a meer act of schisme and commanded that whosoeuer would not obey the sentence of the Priest for the time being should without any other remedy be put to death And lastly that Luther himselfe and his most learned Disciples wanted Charity not only for defaming the Church of Rome as the seate of Antichrist the whore of Babylon and the Beast of the Apocalips which printes the marke of damnation vpon the foreheads of her Children but for condemning also all Caluinists for their heresie concerning the blessed Sacrament besides many others which are both imputed and prooued vpon them by the Lutherans As for Luther and his Disciples it costs me little to lay them a side as not importing much what they say saue that their authority is argumentum ad hominē against al such Protestāt Libertins of this nation as so vniustly chardge vs with want of Charity towards them for saying that if they dye in Protestancy they cannot be saued But that which I haue shewed à parte rei namely that the Fathers of the Primitiue Church that the blessed Apostle S. Paule nay that God the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost haue both practised and imposed vpon all Christians and especially vpon the Church and Church-men to declare the danger wherein sinners are to loose their soules by cōtinuing in sinne must needes suffice to exempt vs in the iudgment of any indifferent morall man from offending against Charity for doing the like It is not therefore want of Charity in vs to affirme the danger of their state who are in errour out of a most Christian desire to see them deliuered from the same but it is too euident that their mislike of vs vpon this occasion proceedes in them out of Libertinisme and their too great good fellowship in matters of the soule and out of the meane conceit which they haue framed in their mindes of the vnity of Faith and of Cōmunion both in Doctrine and discipline with the Catholicke Church and of the entirenes of the infallible truth and the vnspotted seruice of Almighty God And what indeed doe they but shew by their whole course that they desire and resolue to belieue and professe according to the occasion and to comply with the superiour powers of this world and to obay the motions of appetite and sense without being euer so much as tould if they can choose that they must loose heauen for their labour Whereby it may be seene that the children are in this as like their Mother as they can looke For who perceaues not that the Protestant Church doth rather carry a respect to outward Conformity then to reall vnity in matter of Religion that indeed they are but as in iest when there is speech of sauing soules in any one Church rather then in another It is true that they make both lawes and Canons whereby they oblidge me vnder a world of penalties to frequent their Churches and to receaue their Sacraments but without caring greately whether men belieue their Doctrine to be true or no. For I put this case If a mā who were knowne to be wholly affected in his heart to the Catholicke Faith should yet for the sauing of his lands or goods resolue to comply with their lawes by going to their Churches and by receauing their Communion yea and withall should declare in company the day before that he was resolued to do so the day after for the only sauing of his estate and for the shewing of his obedience to the Kings lawes though yet withall he were persuaded that their Sacraments were vnlawfull and their Church impure would that Minister refuse to let him goe to his Seruice and or to communicate with the rest Infallibly he would not and we see dayly that they doe not in like occasions For that Church as I sayd aspires not to Vnity but Vniformity But the proceeding of the Catholicke Church is very different and hath that diuine truth which was committed by our Lord to her care in so high account that if she haue but iust cause to suspect that any man belieues not in his hart as she teaches she is so farre from obliging him vnder pecuniary mulcts to repaier to her seruice and Sacraments that she will by no meanes admit him thereunto till he haue first cleare himselfe of that suspicion and sufficienly shewed himselfe free from any such want of beliefe Thus doth the Catholicke Church of this age proceed and thus also did the same Church proceede in the most Primitiue times In so much as that then there were and now there ar certaine mē deputed belōging to particular Churches who were called Ostiarij Whose duty was and is to attend within at the Church doores of purpose to hinder their being present at the celebrating of diuine Mysteries whom they may know to be obstinately auerst either from belieuing any part of the Doctrine or from liuing vnder the discipline of the Catholicke Church This Church which is enriched and endowed with the holy Ghost and consequently with spirituall Fortitude which is one of the seauen prime gifts thereof proceeds like a body which knowes it selfe to belong to an omnipotent head and feares not to avowe both what it saith and what it doth And as on the one side she expresses all the suauity which can be conceaued and is most ready to wrap vp the most enormous sinners of the world and the most mortall enemyes which she hath in the very bowells of her compassion if they will come to God in the way of pennance so yet withall on the other side if men will presume to be soe vastly proud as to preferre their owne fancies before her wisedome which was sent downe from Heauen for the direction of the world and if notwithstāding her most charitable endeauours to reduce them they will yet add contempt and obstinacy to their other sinnes she threatens them with the danger wherein they are and she goes on so farre if she finde cause as to separate them in the quality of heretickes from her Cōmunion and proceeds not against them as against Traitours to Princes or states according to that poore shifte of Protestāts whose guylty Consciences make them not dare though their hearts be well bent that way to punish our Priests capitally as for a corrupt Religion but they set vpon them impudent and false pretext of Treason For as the Catholicke Church is most perfectly charitable so withall she thinkes she cannot expresse that vertue better then by clearely distinguishing betweene truth and