58. Osiand ceÌ„t 13. l. 1. c. 4. pag. 329. condemned by Osiander another Protestant writer for approuing two Authors or Beginners of things one good another euill with the wicked Manichees for denying Baptisme denying matrimony denying the resurrection of the flesh as Antoninus likwise testifyeth with him To whome I adde the censure of Mayster Cooper the once intruded Bishop of winchester who recordeth of them Albigenses were heretikes which beganne by Toâ—â—use in France the yeare of our Lord 1207. which held the heresies of the Albanenses touching the soule Baptisme God and the generall Resurrection wherein they taught as he a little before meÌ„tioneth That the soule of man after his death was put into another body That Baptisme was of none efficacy That there were two Gods Anton. 4. Summ. ti 11. cap. 7. â—â—e good and another euill that of the good proceeded good thinges of the euill God euill things c. That the body should not eft soones rise â—â— the day of Iudgement These heresyes they renewed of the Albanenses They held moreouer sayth Cooper That it was Cooper in his dictionary the worde Albigenses â—â—t lawfull for Christian men to eate flesh 3. The VValdenses or poore men of Lyons were the â—â—me with the former but diuersly tearmed vpon diuers occasions 1. They admitted no Iudicious senteÌ„ce or corpoâ—all punishment of death to be lawfull because it is writâ—â—n Nolite iudicare do ye not iudge and non occides thou shalt At the word Albanenses â—â—â—ediatly before VVho where all one as some thinke with the Albigenses Alfonsus de Castro lib. 11. aduers bar verbo â—ccidâ—re Guido Antoninus de waldensibus â—ot kill 2. They allowed laymen women to consecrate the Sacrament and preach the word of God 3. Permitted Illyr in caâ— testium veritaâ—is pa. 731. 729. 747. 735. 755. Antonin p. 4 tit 1â— cap. 7. Fulke in c. 12. Apoc. sect 2. Luther de 10. praeceptis in explicatione 1. praecepti eodem Tom. in resolutionibus de indulgeÌ„t conclus 25. impres VVittebergaeanno Domini 1582. Mihi inquit-certissimuÌ„ est purgatoriumesse Clergy men to enioy no possessions or proprietyes 4. Condemned oathes Princes and Iudges as Illiricus a zealous Protestant witnesseth of them And lastly they contemned the Apostles Creed as Antoninus testifieth The Picards whome Fulke accouÌ„teth in the number of his faithfull are disclaymed by Luther as infaelices haeretici vnhappy heretiks And because their first Authour denyed Purgatory which Luther imbraced saying It is most certeyne to me that there is a Purgatory he inueigeth agaynst him after this manner Must we therfore belieue an heretike scarce borne 50. yeares ago contending the fayth of so many ages to haue beene false especially when he doth nothing els then that he sayth I belieue not and so proueth all his owne things and disproueth all ours Thus Luther exclaymed agaynst the Protestant Picardus for impugning Purgatory and with the same outcry pursueth him for disallowing many articles as strongly warranted by antiquity as that 3. Petrus Abaylardus banded himselfe as we reade in Saint Bernard with Arius and Nestorius concerning the Trinity and the person of Christ he indeauored by many reasons to proue that christ was not deliuered to death by the will of his Father Constantinus Coproniuus whome Illyricus mentioneth amongst his witnesses of truth agreeeth I confesse with protestants in breaking of images and disauowing their worship But he was otherwise such a damnable heretike and hellish Idolater as he denyed our Lady to be mother of God with the Caytife Nestorius He worshipped Venus and offred humane sacrifices vnto the Diuell as Suidas reporteth Wickliffe also their great Ber. epist 192. 188. M. SimoÌ„s vpon the Reuela pa. 142. giueth instance among o-others of this Abaylardus Illyr in Catal. testium pag. 836. 837. Suidas in lexico Melancton epist ad Frider. Mycon quae praefixa est veterum sententijs à se câ—llect de caena Domini Patron is discarded by Melancthon Luthers scholler because sayth he he foolishly confouÌ„deth the Ghospell with politik affaires He contendeth it vnlawfull for Priests to possesse any thing proper or as their own he will haue no Tithes payd but to Teachers Of which propositions Melancton deliuereth this censure Pernicious and sediditious 〈◊〉 is that VVicklifian superstition which forceth the Ministers of the Church to beggery 4. Secondly besides these heresies which they held anathematized both by Protestants and vs they maynteyned other articles of Faith conformable to our Catholike doctrine and disagreable from Protestants in points fundamentall For this cause Luther reiecteth the VValdenses or poore men of Lions as halting in the article of Luther in resolut ca. de Suerm Iustification the principall ground life and soule of Protestancy They erre quoth he in that they belieue not only â—ayth to iustify without workes but that it must be confirmed with Charity of imputatiue Iustice they know nothing Melancton recordeth of Wickliffe he vnderstood not a whit nor held the Iustice of faith MelanctoÌ„â— loco citat And why so because he belieued with vs Iustification and merit of workes He acknowledged also with vs the adoration of Relikes the worshipping of Images the behoofull patronage and intercession of Saints Which according to Caluin doth race the foundation of religion stoppe all way VVicklif de Euc. c. 9. in decal super primo maÌ„dato ca. 15. Item in ser de assump Mariae he sayth hiâ— videturmihi quodim-possbile est nos praemiari fine Mariae suffragio Cal. l. 1. instit cap. 20. Luther in coll Germ. cap. de Sacram altaris cap. de Antichristo Fox in Apocalip cap. 11. pag. 20â— VVhytaker cont â— q. 5. c. 27. fol. 489 Cal. l. 4. insti cap. â— entry to God Luther abandoneth the Hussites warneth his followers to forsake their communion because they say priuate Masses and because Iohn Husse departed not as he testifieth a fingers beadth from the Papacy Foxe also affirmeth of him that he taughr practised the same with vs the same which iâ— taught at Rome concerning transubstantiation Masse vowes of Chastity free wil predestination informed faith the cause of Iustification and merits of good workes Of Iouinian and Berengarius I might shew the like that they defended many Caâ—holike points of doctrine which ouerthrow the very Tower of Protestancy For if the Church presently falleth according to Whitaker Caluin and all learned Protestants and Catholikes also as soone as she teacheth any fundamentall errour how long hath the Protestants Church laine buryed in her owne ruines which hath imbraced so many and such essentiall blasphemies 5. Thirdly although these false supposed Protestants had all accorded in Protestants profession yet they could not haue beene sufficient to vnderproppe the Although the Waldenses wicklifistes and the rest had agreed in one beliefe yet they could not continue the neuer interrupted succesion of the ProtestaÌ„t fayth walles or vnite
elect reprobat mingled together the inuisible only is composed of the elect iust holy See you not how this very distinction Many absurdities ensue of deuising two churches choaketh it selfe how one member fightetâ— diuers wayes against the other For first separate the elecâ— from the society of the reprobat to frame your inuisible you destroy the visible Church leaue them conioyne with the reprobat to make your visible the inuisiblâ— fayleth Secondly you grant I weene that the elect as thâ—â— liue vpon earth mingled with the reprobat raise the visible as they are seuered by imagination concurre to blinâ— the fabrick of the inuisible church Therefore your inuisible is meerely imaginary fained chimericall tâ—â— visible only the true and reall Church the true misticall body of Christ which is exercised heere in the warfare of this life Thirdly this you crosse againe and say the visible Church is no true Church but only as it contayneth the inuisible that is the sacred number of the elect who make no society and consequently no Church Fourthly the elect by this meanes are in two Churches in the visible and in the inuisible whereas the reprobate only are in the visible yet because their reprobation is as hidden as the others election why should not these make an inuisible assembly as well as they Fiftly when the elect are separated to mak your inuisible who remayneth in the visible but a rable of reprobate a rout of infidels and shall they compose your visible Church Shal Christs visible body on earth be wholy compacted of the reproued vessels members of Sathan O intricate confusioÌ„ which confoundeth also me in rehearsing it O monstruous paradoxes which implyeth so many contradictions â—â—â—any absurdityes against which if I should cite the â—â—thorityes of the Fathers I should neuer make an end They all iointly praise magnify and extoll one visible and Catholike Church one and the same whose prerogatiue we belieue and fellowship must imbrace the same by whose preaching we must be born by whose spirit we liue S. Cyprian the glorious Bishop and Martyr Cypr. de vnit Eccl. sayth One Mother there is by the fecundity of her issue copious and fertile by her increase we are borne with her milke we are nourithed we are animated with her spirit The spouse of Christ cannot play the aduoutresse she is immuculate and vndefiled she knoweth one house she keepeth with chast bashfulnes the sanctity of one bed This Church preserueth vs in God this aduanceth to the kingdome the children she hath brought forth whosoeuer diuided from the Church cleaueth to the aduoutresse is separated from the promises of the Church 7. S. Augustine also often auerreth That the true Catholique Church conteyneth in it good and bad reprobate elect That the kingdom of Christ is but one one great citty one mountain comprehending the whole world The authority sayth he of the Catholike Church c. iâ— establiâ—hed vntill this day by the line of Bishops succeeding one another Aug. cont Faust l. 11. c. 2. and by the consent of so many people By which succession consent and power of miracles he testifieth that he is held in Catholica Ecclesia in the Catholik Church Then that the whole multitude of belieuers gathered togeather by miracles is the Catholike August cont epist Funda c. 3. 4. Aug. de vtil credendi c. 16. Church Therefore the Catholike Church is the same whose succession is visible propagation visible consent visible miracles visible multitude visible and which it selfe is also visible the same is the Catholike Church which we belieue and visible multitude to which we ought to linke in fellowship communion which appeareth so cleare in M. Fields sight howsoeuer those his former Coronels VVhitaker and Fulke were blinded with the contrary as he writeth thus VVe say that all they are of Field in his first booke of the Church c. 2. fol. 23. the Church that outwardly hold the fayth of Christ and that that society wherein the sincere outward profession of the truth of God is preserued is that true Church of God whose communion we must imbrace that happy mother in whose womb we are conceaued with whose milke we are nourished and to whose censures we must submit our selues After assigning diuers considerations of the Church some different conditions of her members he addeth Notwithstanding all which differences for that they all concurre in the same holy profession and vse of the same happy meanes of saluation they make one holy Catholike Church in which only the light of heauenly truth is to be sought So he flying the noueltye of his first Reformers and varying from them in a Field dissentethfroÌ„ Whitaker in apoint fundamental point fundamentall for what more substantiall variance then to differ about the Church we ought to belieue as an article of fayth About the Catholike Church in which the happy meanes of saluation are only to be found Whether that be visible or inuisible 8. Peraduenture some will excuse M. Whitaker that he meaneth not that the true Church should be wholy inuisible not seene to any but so latent scattered and compounded of so few as they can hardly be discerned amongst them selues much lesse to strangers enemyes VVhitak contr 2 q. 2. c. 1. But this excuse will not couer his fault For VVhitaker auoucheth that indeed but of the visible not of the Catholike Church he flatly protesteth the whole Catholike VVhitak ibidem q. 3. c. 1. fol. 178. Fulke in c. 5. Matth. sect 3. iâ— 2. Thess 2. sect 5. Sparkes in his answer to M. Iohn D. Albins pag. 54. 126. Church to be inuisible both militant triumphant The visible also sayth he may sometyme consist of a fâ—w and they scattered obscure vnknowne who hide themselues in corners Which although M. Field stoutly gainesayth as shal be declared yet because Fulke Sparkes and others vphold the same to vnderproppe the paper walles of their new founded Synagogue it will not be labour lost to conuince the falsity thereof CHAP. III. In which is declared that the true visible Church is apparently knowne and famous to the world against D. Whitaker D. Fulke and D. Sparkes THE first authours and beginners of ProtestaÌ„cy departing from the known band and vnity of Gods people vpon earth and not finding any predecessours or mantayners of their new hatched fictions to whome they should lincke and conioyne themselues in profession not finding any Countrey Prouince Citty Village Temple or Oratory who communicateth with them infayth seruice publique sacraments wretchedly imagined besides their Catholike and wholy inuisible Church another visible assembly of faythfull belieuers who are some so hidden as they are not knowne to D. VVhit contro 2. q. 3. cap. 1. f. 178. 179. VVhitak aduâ— Duâ— p. 274. D. Sparks in his answer to M. Io. d'Albin p 54. 126. Fulke in c. 5. Matt. sect 3. 2. Thess
and mangling with their corruptions the sacred text For as the two Scipios one was called Africanus because he subdewed Hanniball and the people of Africa the other Numantinus for subuerting Numantia so they maybe called Ghospellers because they subuert destroy and vtterly extinguish by their false interpretations the Ghospell of Christ Finally being not able to glory with the natiue property or single name of Catholiques they entitle themselues for others mockingly only and by way of derision giue them that name Christian Catholiques reformed Catholiques How Protestants are no true Catholikâ— by stiling theÌ„selues reformed Catholikes reformed Churches wherein by the very clayme they make they ouerthrow their owne plea and shew both their clayme vnconscionable and title vniust For if they be Christian Catholiques if reformed Catholiques then segregated limited and restrayned by their new reformation by their particuler Catholicisme from the generall illimited and absolute dignity of Catholiques and consequently no Catholiques not such as without some fine tricke or fayned addition are deciphered by that name but such as maske themselues vnder the disguised vizard or counterfeyte veyle of true and faythfull belieuers CHAP. XIX In which the thinge signified by the Name Catholique to wit Vniuersality is shewed to be a marke of the true Church Agaynst Doctour Whitaker and Doctour Abbot YOv haue heard how M. Robert Abbot in the precedent Chapter giuing vs the name Catholike challengeth to his sect the thing signified by the nam howbeit I haue euidently proued that the name and thinge are such indiuiduall and inseparable companions as they cannot be disunited or parted a sunder Now I am to declare what the thinge is how exactly it delineateth the Kingdome of our Church The Aug. con lit Petil. l. 2. c. 38. tract 118. in Euang. Iom l. 3. c. 1. cont Gaudent Aug ep 170. ad Seuer Cyprian li de vnita ec Cyril cate 18. Basilep 72. 75. Pacian ep 3. ad Symp. Opta coÌ„t Par. Iero. aduer Lucifer Beda in com sup Cant. word Catholike sayth Saint Augustine is deriued from the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secundum totum that is according to the whole or vniuetsall Therefore he teacheth that the Church is called in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholike Because it is spread and dispersed throughout all the world which he strengtheneth by the testimony of Saint Cyprian saying the Church adorned with the light of our Lord stretcheth her beames throughout the world With whome Saint Cyrill Saint Basill Saint Aug. de vnit e. in psal 2. 18. â—1 47. 7â— item ep 61 ad Ho. Donat. ps 2. v. 8. ps 18 v. 5. ps 21. v. 28. 29. Isay 54. v. 2. 3. Isay 52. v. 10. Vbi non est frequeÌ„ tia multitudinis Non in aliqua parte terraruÌ„ sed vbique notissima est Aug. devnit ec cap. 25. Aug. toÌ„ 9. de symb l. 4. c. 10. Pacian ep 1. 3. ad symp Opt. l. 2. cont Parmen Iero. cont Lucifer in fine Aug. to 6. cont Fulg. Donat. cap. 18 l. de past â— c. 8. Aug in psal 21. in psal 44. in psal 47. tract 1. in ep Ioan. Pacian Optatus Saint Ierome venerable Bede accord This vniuersality of the Church in all places and Countryes Saint Augustine demonstrateth out of sundry Texts of holy Scripture I will giue the Gentills for thy inheritance for thy possession the endes of the earth Their sound hath gone forth into all the eartâ— and vnto the endes of the round world the wordes of them The endes of the earth shall remember and be conuerted to our Lord and all the families of the Gentills shall adore in his sight Enlarge the place of thy tente and stretch out the skinnes of thy tabernacles c. Thy Redeemer the holy one of Israell shal be called the God of all the earth Our Lord hath prepared his holy army in the sight of all the Gentills and all the endes of the earth shall see the saluation of our God From these and the like sentences Saint Augustine gathereth that the Church is not here or there or in the desert where there is not a frequent multitude but quoth he you haue the Church to be euery where diffused and to increase vntill haruest you haue the Citty of which he that built it sayd A Citty cannot be hid placed vpon a mouÌ„tayne She therefore is that which not in any part of the earth but euery where is most knowne And in another place Euery congregation of what heresy soeuer sitteth in corners she is a concubine and not the matron She is a strumpet which lurketh in priuat places not the Queene or matron which publikely raygneth ouer all the earth By this marke Saint Pacian conuinceth Sympronian Optatus Parmenian Saint Ierome the Luciferians Saint Augustine the Donatistes of schisme heresy Saint Pacian expresly tearmeth the Catholike Church a full and solide body spread ouer all the world and not like the conuentieles of heretikes whome he calleth an insolent portion or swelling bunche separated from the rest of the body Saint Augustine for Optatus and Saint Ieromes wordes I haue cited els where compareth the Church to a fruitfull vine stretching her braunches farre and neere throughout all nations and heretikes to broken boughes cut from the vine he often auerreth that the whole world is Christes possession all the borders of the earth his inheritance His Church a great mountayne which replenisheth the whole face of the earth And thereby he inferreth that the Donatistes faction could not be Christes inheritance because they possessed only Africa or the confines of Mauritania which were but some partes of the world 2. Wherefore if by this marke you seeke to finde out the true Church of Christ amongst so many which falsly beare his name cast abroad your eyes into al forrayn coasts and countryes in euery place shall you find our Roman Church that is such as be of the same beliefe and profession The Roman Church spread ouer all the world and agreing in the same beliefe with vs in all points of fayth acknowledging one and the same heade the Pope of Rome This Church now raygneth in Europe Afrike Asia in Thracia Syria Capadocia Phrigia Mesopotamia in a great part of America Megallanica India Iaponia Brasilia China yea in all the flourishing states knowne Kingdomes of the earth Whereas the Protestants are locked vp in very narrow straites in respect of vs they are restrayned within the mountanies of Germany Ilandes of Britany borders of Denmarke within some Prouinces of the low Countryes and Cantons of France In those corners ProtestaÌ„ts shut vp in narrow corners at perpetuall braÌ„ls in poynts of fayth they find some publique harbour yet there they are at perpetuall strifes amongst themselues and so various in religion as they differ one from the other in substantial articles of fayth So do the Brownistes the Family of loue
the Protestants and Puritans in England of whome M. Ormerod witnesseth Puritans differ from Protestants in thinges fundamentall and substantiall Puritans doe not agree with Protestants in all matters of fayth So the Arminians dissente from the Orme dia. 2. Gomoristes in the law Countryes The Caluinistes of Geneua from the Lutherans of Saxony The Lutherans of Saxony from the Zuinglians of Tygurum They from the Aug. tom 7. de vnit eccl cap. 3. Osiandrines of Prussia the Osiandrines from the Anabaptistes of Westphalia c. as hath beene partly vnfolded in the first note of vnity 3. Therefore as Saint Augustine disputed agaynst diuers heretikes of his age Yf the holy Scriptures designe the Church in Africa only c. the Donatistes alone counteyne the Church Yf in a few Mores of the prouince of Cesarea we must repayre to the Regatistes c. If in the Easterne people only Amongst the Arians Macedonians and Eunonians c. the Church is to be sought After the like manner if the Caluinistes haue the truth to Geneua a few Cantons in France we must all resort Yf the Protestants to England if the Zuinglians to Tigurum if the rigide Lutherans to Saxony if the soft to Wittemberge Lipsia and Magdeburge c. For all these being so opposit cannot enioy the right fayth or if they could they be but parts of the world small tractes of the earth farre lesse then Africa farre lesse then the East to which the Church of God as Saint Augustine discourseth could not be confined For he goeth forward in the alleadged place Aug. lo ci But if the Church of Christ by diuine and most certayne testimonies of canonicall Scriptures be described in all nations whatsoeuer they shall Aug. tom 4. q. euang l. 1. q. 38. bringe or from whencesoeuer they shall write it who say behold here is Christ behold there Let vs listen rather if we be his sheepe to the voyce of our pastour saying doe you not belieeue because his Church quoth he shal manifestly shine like a lightning frō the east to the west that is ouer all the world 4. Now if the Kingdome of the Messias be the greatest and largest amongst all that professe the name of Christ if it be the sole and vniuersall Kingdome of all nations and if this be the thinge signified by the name Catholike not only that title which M. Abbot alloweth vs but the thinge also entitled the thinge betokened thereby the prerogatiue of Vniuersality appertayneth to vs. Fo◠we farre exceede the Protestants and all other sectaries of our dayes in multitude of people in variety of nations in troupes of followers in dignity of patrons in society of Princes who linke themselues to the body of our Church In so much as I may vrge M. Abbot as Saint Pacian did Sympronian Number if you can our Catholike flockes Abbot in his answ to D. Bishops epist to the King pag. 16. and 17. Paciā ep 3. ad Symp. sub finem Count vpon your fingers the swarmes of our people not those now which are dispersed throughout the world aboundant in all countryes but those brother Sympronian which dwell with you in the allied prouinces in the neighbour cittyes Contemplate how many of ours thou alone beholdest with how many of our people thou alone meetest Art thou not swallowed vp by vs as the eue droppings by great fountaynes as by the Ocean little bubles of water are consumed 5. Yf we should now compare Roman Catholikes with Protestants euen in these regions of Europe the same might we auouch of their paucity in respect of vs. Catholiks are in all countryes wher protestants raygne openly knowne But if we should passe out of Europe what townes or villages what Chappell 's or Oratoryes can they reckon vp in Asia Africa America c. how many Indians Ethiophians Iaponians How many of their sect can they name in China in Brasilia in Magellanica Not any one no publike Church haue they or Chappell out of Europe of any other then such as traffike in these parts Notwithstanding as we abound with many of our religion in all those remote Protestāts not hard of in a hundred Kingdomes where Catholikes flourish and forrayne Countries where the name of Protestants is vnknowne So in all the Prouinces in euery corner which sectaryes in habite we want not those who openly defend and professe our fayth We haue them in Germany low Countryes England and the Cantons of France To which purpose Saint Augustine speaking of sundry heresies and of the Church very fitly sayth They in many nations where this is are not found but this which is euery where there where they are is also found Aug. de vn eccles c. 3. 6. The first reason why God would haue his Church so vniuersall was to manifest his loue to all creatures that all people might partake of the riches of his Isay 54. v. 5. mercy That all might receaue the happy tidinges of their redemption and meanes of saluation And that he who was God of Israel might now as I say prophesied be God Prou. 14. vers 28. of all the earth The second reason was for the honour of the Son of God for the glory of his name for the reward of his merits To which effect S. Austine applyeth that saying Iero. dialo aduer Lucifer of Salomon In the multitude of people the dignity of the King and in the fewnes of people the ignominy of the Prince Therefore Saint Ierome accounteth it a great ignominy to Christ to haue the Empires of his Church the trophies of his Crosse Optat. l. ◠cōtra Par. as he tearmeth them restrayned to corners And Optatus blameth Parmenian for the like Yf so at your pleasure you barre vp the Church in a narrow roome if you withdraw all nations where Psal 2. is that which the sonne of God hath merited VVhere is that which his Father willingly bestowed vpon him saying I will giue thee Gentills forthy inheritance endes of the earth thy possession VVhy do you violate such a promise that the latitude of Kingdomes should be shut vp by you as it were in a prison How labour you to resist so great piety what meane you to make warre agaynst the merits of our Sauiour Permit the Sonne to enioy his legacies Permit the Father to fullfill his promises VVhy place you bounds why appoint you limits 7. The third and last reason is for the perswasion and stay of the faythfull For what greater motiue of credibility can we haue then the authority of so many and so learned men the fame celebrity consent of all nations This S. Augustine often proposeth as a weighty Aug vtil credendi c. 14. 17. argument which first induced and after strengthened him in our Catholike fayth Others by the very light of nature esteemed it also as a thinge most worthy of credite Seneca sayd VVe are wont to attribute much
eloquent and learned Bishop sharply rebuked in a publike audience by the venerable and reuerend Spiridion only because he chaunged for elegancy and finenes of speach a word of the sacred writ of no great importance to wit Grabatum into Lectulum and could so many chaunges or prophanations rather as sectaryes conceaue not in words Nicepho l. 8. cap. 42. but in sense and substance in Sacraments sacrifice orders Priesthood worship of God and chiefe articles of fayth be generally made in all Countryes without â—hecke or controllement It is credible It is possible 20. The third Rule is mentioned by Tertullian That if these pointes of doctrine which Protestants condemne in the Roman Church were the inuentions of men they could neuer be so vniformely taught and constantly belieued among such diuersity of nations For Is it likely sayth he so many and so great Churches could combine together all in the same errour Had Churches erred they would haue differed TertulliaÌ„ in prescrip cap. 28. in their errours VVherefore what is one and the same amongst so many was not â—eygned but deliuered So the Pagans or heathenish Idolaters agreed all in acknowledging fealty by outward sacrifice to some high and supreme excellency Aug. ep 49. ad Deogra q. 3. which was God as S. Augustine insinuateth proceeded froÌ„ God yet they infinitely varied in the multiplicity of false Gods to whom diuersity of sacrifices which they offered for those thinges sprung from their own fancies or selfe liking of others But the Roman Church euery The conformity of the RomaÌ„ faith in al articles al ouer the world coÌ„uinceth it to be the true fayth of Christ where accordeth not only in the externall homage of sacrificing to some but in the three persons of Trinity to whome alone our sacrifice is offered In the thinge sacrificed which is bread and wine mingled with water both consecrated into the body bloud of Christ In the forme of wordes which our Sauiour himselfe vsed in offering of it In the circumstance of tyme and place in which he instituted it In all necessary conditions properties or other dispositions required in him that sacrificeth Which constant vniformity must needs flow froÌ„ the soueraygne springe authour of vnity That which I auouch of our sacrifice is verified of Purgatory prayer for the dead inuocation of Saints merit of workes and the rest which Protestants condemne of nouelty and superstition For neyther can these be drawne to any other head or of spring then Christ and his Apostles nor could they be so conformably taught by all sorts of people had they crept into the Church by the errours of men Therfore by al these rules it is manifest that the RomaÌ„ Church neuer altered her fayth or vented any new opinion not generally approued before Which rules M. Field also Field in his 4 booke of the Church chap. 18 fo 224. receaueth as infallible saying VVhatsoeuer the most famous haue constantly and vniformely deliuered as a matter of fayth no man contradicting though many other Ecclesiasticall writers be silent and say nothing of it Like wise that which the most famous in euery age constantly deliuered as matters of fayth and as receaued of them that went before them in such sort that the contradictours and gaynsayers were in their beginning noted for singularity nouelty and diâ—â—on and afterwards in processe of tyme if they persisted in such conâ—radiction All Protestants coÌ„uicted of innouatioÌ„ by Fields testimony Aug. tom 7. l. 1. coÌ„t Iulia. pela cap. 2. Aug. in psal coÌ„tra partem Donati CypriaÌ„ ep 55. Iero. Apo. aduer Ruff. l. 3. c. 4 Cito RomanaÌ„ fideÌ„ non posse mutari Bern. in c. 1â—0 ad Innocen Arbitror ibi potissimuÌ„ resarciri daÌ„na fidei vbi noÌ„possit fides sentire defectum Bilson in 2. part of the true differ c. pag. 386. print in 8. charged with heresy These thinges we admit sayth â—e as comming from those first authors and founders of our Chriâ—â—ian profession See what a verdict M. Field hath giuen in â—o acquite our sacrifice and other articles from superstitiâ—n which haue beene by the most famous in all ages vniformely belieued and to find his owne sectmates guilty of innouation who for gaynsaying of them were in their beginning noted for singularity nouelty and diuision as Aerius Vigilantius and other their forerunners at sundry tymes haue been for the like contradiction and afterwards for their willfull perseuerance arraygned condemned of heresy by the whole Senate of ChristendoÌ„ in the Councell of Trent 21. Finally many auncient Fathers and renowned writers testify not only that the RomaÌ„ sea bath not but that it cannot chaunge or alter her beliefe by reason of Gods special assistance alwayes guarding and protecting it and her supreme Pastour So S. Augustine writeth of Innocentius the Pope VVhat could that holy man answere to the African Councells but that which aunciently the Apostolicall sea the Roman Church held with other Churches And in another place he calleth Peters seate That Rocke which the proude gates of hell â—â—â—quith not S. Cyprian sayth To the chayre of Peter the prinâ—ipall Church c. infidelity or false fayth cannot haue accesse S. Ierome Know you that the Roman Fayth commended by the Apostles â—oyce receaueth no such delusions and that being armed with Paules â—uthority it cannot be chaunged c. S. Bernard writing to the Pope sayth All daungers scandalls of the Kingdome of God esâ—â—cially those which belonge to Fayth ought to be reserred to your Aâ—ostleship For I thinke it meeete that the decayes of fayth be there reâ—ayred where Fayth cannot suffer any detriment For to what other â—ea was it euer sayd I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy Fayth doe â—â—â— fayle M. Bilson obiecteth to himselfe by Philander his aduersary these three last authorityes and although he dippeth of the chiefest part of S. Bernards sentente disgraceth him with the scoffe of poore Bernard and requireth some grauer and eider Father Yet he graunteth that S. Bernard applyeth this priuilege of not erring to the Church of Rome But S. Cyprians saying he pittifully writheth vp and downe forcing it rather to be vnderstood of the people of Rome then of the Pastours of whome S. Cyprian directly speaketh writing to Cornelius the Pope of Felicissimus Cypria ep 55. and other seditious persons sent by Fortunatus the false Bishop out of Africa vnto him His wordes are After all this they dare sayle and carry letters from schismatikes prophane persons to the Chayre of Peter and the principall Church where Priestly vnity had her beginning do not remember those to be Ad quos perfidia non potest habere accessum Romans whose sayth was praysed by the Apostles mouth to whome infidelity or false beliefe cannot haue accesse Therefore to them infidelity could not come in S. Cyprians iudgement to whom Fortunatus sent his legates to them that presided in Peters chayre to
c. he maketh this comment The holy virgin seemeth no lesse spitefully to restraine the power of God then before Zacharias did c. Neither ought wee to labour much to free her froÌ„ all vice I omit how he termeth many other Saintes Goblins or Night-ghostes shaddowes Butchers and beasts The filthines I haue already discouered is more then inough to iustifye our Maiesties prohibition Aegidius Hunnius in libro cui titulus inscribitur Caluinus iudaizans c. Illiricus in defens confess Aug. c. 7. Osian in Enchirid. cont Caluin c. 7. pag. 198. of such diuelish workes and to terrifie all Christians from reading of them which men of his owne sect if Protestantes combine in one secte haue already detested proscribed as full of Iudaisme Arianisme and other most execrable heresies whereof Aegidius Hunnius a Lutheran doctour and professour of diuinity in the vniuersity of Wittenberg hath printed a booke whose title beginneth thus Caluinus Iudaizans c. Caluin Iudaizing or playing the Iewe and Illiricus a prime sectary of their profession giueth testimony that Caluins liturgie is defiled not with one only sacriledge that it hath carried innumerable soules into eternall perdition Luke Osiander another Protestant confuting certaine assertions of the Caluinists calleth them a gulfe whirlepoole or hell of Caluinian doctrine Besides these Lutherans Castalio a Sacramentary Humfred de rat interpret l. 1. pag. 26. much commended by M. Doctour Humfrey so farre abhorreth the opinion of Caluin in feigning God to be the authour of sinne damnation in the reprobate as he distinguisheth that supposed God of Castal in l. ad Calu. de praedestin Caluin from the true God described in the scripture his wordes are these The false God that is the God which Caluin frameth to himself is slowe to mercy See the iudgment of Protestants coÌ„cerning Caluins holding God to be the Authour of sinne and daÌ„nation prone to anger who hath created the grâ—atest parte of the world to destruction and hath predestinate them not only to damnation but also to the cause of damnatioÌ„ Therefore he hath decreed from all eternity and he will haue it so he doth bring it to passe that they necessarily sinne so that neither theftes nor murders nor adulteries are comitted but by his constraint impulsion For he suggesteth vnto men euill dishonest affections not only by permission but effectually that is by drawing them to such affections doth harden them in such sorte that when they perpetrate euill they doe rather the worke of God then their owne he maketh the deuill a lier so that nowe not the deuill but the God of Caluin is the Father of lies But that God which the holy scriptures teach is altogeather contrary to this God of Caluin c. Imediatly after for the true God came to destroy the worke of that Caluinian God these two Gods as they are by nature contrary one to another so they beget and bring forth children of contrary dispositions to wit that God of Caluin children without mercy proud c. Hither to Castalio To whom I add the like censure of Stancarus a ProtestaÌ„t also of no smal fame who writing to Caluin saluteth him thus VVhat diuell Stancarus cont Calu. K. 4. Vide etiam lib. de Tri. K. 8. O Caluin hath seduced thee to speake with Arius against the sonne of God that thou mightst proclaime him to be depriued of his glory now to intreate to haue it giuen him as though he had not alwayes had it That Antichrist of the North whome thou doest impudently adore Melancthon the Grammarian hath done this At length he concludeth with this earnest admonitioÌ„ Beware O Christian Reader especially all you Ministers beware of the books of Caluin and principally in the articles of the Trinity Incarnation Mediatour the sacrament of Baptisme predestination For they containe wicked doctrine Arian blasphemyes In so much as the spirit or soule of burned Seruetus may seem according to the Platonists to haue entred into Caluin So he Whose caueat or serious admonition togeather with the prohibition of our Soueraigne censures of Gods Church will be a warning I hope to my dearest Countrymen to abhorre the writtings of that AriaÌ„ Seruetian Iudaicall Simonian Manichean Sectary whome Heauen and Earth God and Man Cathelikes and Protestants Lutherans and Sacramentaryes iustly condemne of such hatefull impietyes THE PROEME THE most sublime and weighty subiect of this present Discourse is of such importance as it is the principall ground on which dependeth the whole decision of all other debatable controuersies For the Church of God is as Epiphanius writeth the kinges high way by Epiphan haeres 85. which a man is sure to trauaile towardes the truth And Eusebius Emissenus The fayth of the Catholik church useb or Eucherius hom 2. de Symbolo is sayth he the light of our soule the gate of life the ground of euerlasting saluation whosoeuer forsaketh this doth follow his owne head as a most bad guide whosoeuer doth thinke that by his owne wit and vnderstanding he can attaine to the secrets of supernaturall misteryes he Origen ho. 8. in Liuit tract 29. 30. in Matth. hom 6. in Ezech. Iren. l. 3. c. 3 4. Augu. in psal 103. l. 7. cont Crescon c. 33. ep 118. Field in his epist dedicatory before his first booke doth iust like vnto him who without a foundation would build a house or letting passe the doore would enter by the roofe or like vnto him who in a dark night going without a lanterne doth with closed eyes cast himselfe headlong into a deep dungeon Origen Irenaeus S. Augustine inculcate the same In so much as M Field ingenuously auoucheth There is no part of heauenly knowledg more necessary then that which concerneth the Church For seeing the controuersies of Religion in our tyme are growne in number so many and in nature so intricate that few haue tyme and leasure fewer strength of vnderstanding to examine them what remayneth for men desirous of satisfaction in things of such consequence but diligently to search out which among all the societyes of men in the world is that blessed company of holynes that houshould of faith that spouse of Christ Church of the liuing God which is the pillar and ground â—f truth tâ—at so they may imbrace her communion folâ—ow her directions and rest in her iudgments I would to God al Protestants would yield to the aduise of this Protestant writer in seeking and adhering to the true Church which that they may the easier doe I addresse this Treatise vnto them wherein I will first lay open what the Church is and who are of it Then that it is one visible apparant neuer hidden or obscure That it cannot faile or erre That it is the mistresse of fayth or supreme iudge of all our spirituall debates That no saluation can be hoped out of it
pressed as they know not â—hat to say or whither to turne I appeale to the whole â—â—ditory whether this was not the summe of his reply â—â—d whether he did not heereupon abruptly end cease â— proceed any further with much disgust of the standers â— and small satisfaction to his owne fellow Ministers â—ho came to assist him Howbeit seeing both VVhitaker â— Reynolds distinguish in the same manner as Barbon hath â—â—one and often affirme that the Church may slide in to â—â—rours of probation not of damnation curable not inâ—â—rable I will a little further lay open the falsity of that â—istinction And first I would haue theÌ„ tell me what these â—urable errours be Grosse and fundamentall such as canâ—ot stand with the principles of faith or sleight and indifferent such as do not preiudice the integrity thereof â—â— such We need not for the attayning of saluation be cured of them we may without losse of Gods fauour heere or heereafter perseuere vnto death incurably in them In which case your new Ghospell was needles your outcryes slanderous your breach detestable in making so execrable a schisme diuision from vs for slender matters not necessary to saluation Grosse then and fundamental they be of which we shal be certainely healed before we dye therefore M. Whitaker affirmeth the Church may for a tyme erre in some foundations yet be safe or souÌ„d A crabbed saying for fayth must be entiere or els it is no fayth therefore if the beliefe of the Church be fayling in any one foundation it is no way sound but wholy erres in fayth as M. VVhitaker not many lines before directly auoucheth If any fundamentall point of doctrine be remoued the Church presently falleth A true speach howbeit most contrary and repugnant to the former And yet it is impossible for the Church euer to be ruined impossibly to perish or depart from God at any tyme or moment as hath beene disputed in the former Chapter Therfore impossible â—â— her to be ensnared in any substantiall or fundamental eâ—rour 5. Besides if curable errours be fundamentall whâ— be incurable What greater then fundamentall Or hâ—â— can any be counted incurable when there is none â— damnable which may not be cured by the salue of gracâ— When we dayly see that Arianisme Iudaisme Turcisâ—â— Apostacy Infidelity c. often cured with help from â—boue No errour there is which may not be cured by grace Are they incurable out of which the Church caâ— neuer be recouered But of this neuer Heretique as yâ—â— made question The Donatists who contended that thâ— whole Church crred and perished before their dayes saiâ— it reuiued againe and tooke life in them and so do all heretiks or sectaryes whosoeuer challenge a recouery of the decayed Church But what do I striue against meere fancyes All the arguments I haue heere proposed manifestly conclud that the true Church of Christ is neuer obnoxious to any errour at all little or great curable or incurable necessary or not necessary to saluation For she teacheth Why the Church can fall into no errour curable or incurable all truth the spirit and wordes of God are alwayes in her mouth She is a pure virgin and cannot be stayned with any spot of vnchast doctrine she is alwayes directed by the holy Ghost we are commanded by God alwayes to giue care vnto her But as we can be led into no offense smal nor grieuous materiall nor formal culpable nor inculpable into nothing dissonant or repugnant vnto truth by imbracing the direction or following ProtestaÌ„ts are eÌ„trapped in their own affertions holding the true Church may erre and yet themselus certain of truth the commandment of truth it self so we can tumble into no errour little or great curable or incurrable by following the direction or safe conduct of the Church And truely I wonder at this witch craft of Sathan how he should perswade our miserable sectaryes that they alone haue the purity of the Ghospell the certainty of the spirit the true reformed Church and yet to teach them withall that the true Church may erre For how can they be sure themselues do not erre in their fayth and in appeaching vs of so many superstitioÌ„s if their Church may erre How can their followers be sure they are taught â— truth if their teachers themselues confesse they may â— O drunken heresy O malicious blindnes art thou â—ereft of the light of reason and drowned in the pit of â—lful darknes as to produce no better witnesses for the â— of ours and rising of thy Church then such as may â—e such as may lye and beguile the people S. Augustine Aug. in psal 63. v. 7. â— braydeth the Iewes for labouring to disproue our Saâ—ours resurrection with sleeping watchmen And shall â—t I reuile our Lutheran or Caluinian strumpet for inâ—ing vs of sundry falshoodes by the verdict of errable â—inisters deceauable Reformers Who graunt they may â— blinded with curable errours Of such errours we acâ—se them in all points wherein they disagree from vs â—e proue them guilty by the word of God doome of anâ—â—quity and vniuersall Senate of all the faithfull who â—â—nnot erre Let them by the like Iury acquit themselues â—â—fense their doctrine with the like authority or els in â—â—ine do they bragge of verity or exclaime against our â—â—perstitious abuses Will they runne to the authority of Scripture But either they are infallibly assisted by the holy Ghost neuer to mistake or interprete it amisse and then their Church can neuer erre neither curably nor incurably which they deny or they may sometyme swarue from the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost they may fall into the curable errours of which we attach them and so are condemned by their owne mouthes for insufficient witnesses or accusers of vs. To go one Iren. l. 3. c. 4. 40. l. 1. c. 3. Hier. l. 3. adue Ruf. c. 8. in fine Cypr. epist 55. ad Cornel. Aug. de vnit Eccl. c. 28. 6. As the scripturs before mentioned so the ancient Fathers aboundantly testify the inerrable rule of the true Churches beliefe S. Irenaeus sayth The Apostles haue layd vp in the church as in a rich treasure all truth that he that will may from thence draw the water of life Likewise She keepeth with most sincere diligence the Apostles fayth and preaching In her sayth Saint Hierome is the rule or square of truth The Church sayth S. Cyprian neuer departeth from that which she once hath knowne S. Augustine Behould how after the same sort he addeth of the body which is the Church that he may not permit vs to erre neither in the bridegroome nor in the bride In another place he affirmeth Aug. tom 2. ep 166. fol. 290. that our heauenly Maister forewarneth vs to auoyd schismes In so much as he maketh the people secure of euill gouernourâ— least for them the chayer of holesome doctrine should be forsaken â— which euen
the euill are constrayned to deliuer true things for they aâ—â— Fox actes monuments pag. 999. 464. 1401. 1436. 1286. The Puritans in their discouery in a sermon preached 1588. by Bancroft pag. 34. The Protestants Apology tract 3. sect 7. n. 68. not their owne things which they deliuer but Gods who hath placâ—â— the doctrine of verity in the chayer of vnity We want not heerin the suffrages of Protestants of Foxe himselfe and sundry of his Martyrs of M. Bancroft late Bishop of Canterbury the Puritans not forbearing to carpe and reprehend him for it and of others mentioned in the Protestantâ— Apology for the Roman Church which in euery Chapter so victoriously triumpheth ouer our Reformers innouation by the irrefragable testimonyes of Reformers themselues as M. Morton astonished with the euidence brought against him was suddainly beaten backe from his rash attempt which he neuer since had the hart to prosecute or any other presumeth to take pen in hand to answere that excellent and euer vnanswerable worke 7. The reasons which perswade the infallibility of the Church are sundry and they most forcible For what could moue any Infidell or Atheist to forsake his errours and come vnto the Church if that might also beguile him with errour what meanes had we to condemne an Heretike or disproue his errours if the Church might erre Diuers reasons which coÌ„uince the infallibility of the Church in disprouing of them How should we know where to rest whome to consult in doubts of fayth if the highest Iudges might iudge amisse What assurance haue we of our beliefe religion scripture sacraments of Christ himselfe and all other articles of fayth if the Church which teacheth them might erre in teaching The same inconueniences the same confusion would ensue supposing it If the Church could erre fayth it selfe all things els were vncertayne were limited not to erre only in fundamentall points necessary to saluation For then the vnconstant and wauering Christian might still cast as many doubtes whether the thinges defined where fundamentall or not Whether necessary or not necessary to saluation Then the people might call their Pastours doctrine and definition in question they might examine whether the arâ—â—cles deliuered be substantiall and such wherein their â—â—eachers be freed from errour or no Then new schisms â—â—d contentions would dayly breake forth all things â—ill remaine vncertaine 8. To prosecute a little further one of these reasons For â—t were too much to enlarge them all The tradition or â—estimony of our Church in deliuering the whole canon of scripturs vpon whose authority also most Protestants receaue it of what account do you make it If fallible the An argument vnanswerable fayth you gather from thence the Religion you ground thereon must likewise be fallible vncertayne and no way autenticall For the truth gleaned from the scripturs cannot be more sure then the Scriptures themselues from which it is gathered If infallible You grant what we require For the promises of God the assistance of the holy Ghost which warranteth the testimony of our Church to be of inuiolable authority in this point being generall and without restriction must warrant it also in The same promises of God which assure the Churches infallibility in one thing assure it in all all other traditions interpretations doctrines whatsoeuer and so you that forsake her sentence renounce her definitions renounce the Oracles of truth and decrees vndeceiuable or els shew what exception what limitation the holy Ghost hath made where he restrayned her priuiledge of infalibility to that particuler more then to other articles of our beliefe This is a Gordian knot which breake you may vnty you cannot For suppose you should reply as a Protestant once answered me that it appertayned vnto the prouidence of God to keep safe his holy writ and challenge it from corruption I would further inquire of you whether God hath greater care of the letter or sense of the inward kernell or outward rine of the bone or marrow of his word Of the marrow no doubt Then he preserued that more safe in the harts of his faythfull then the other in the rolles of paper and so as you take the barke and outward letter from the tradition of our Church much more ought you to borrow from her the true sense and sap and heauenly iuyce Finally to what end do Protestants striue so much ProtestaÌ„ts according to their owne groundes haue neither any fayth or religion for the Churches erring but only to depriue themselues therby of Church faith religion For wheras neither religion nor Church can staÌ„d without supernatural faith nor supernaturall faith be atteyned without infallible certeinty of the thinges beleeued if their preachers their Ministers their Church be not vndoubtedly fenced from all daunger of errour the articles they beleeue haue not that inerrable warrant which is necessary to faith Faith saith S. Bernard hath nothing ambiguous or doubtfull if it hath any thing ambiguous it cannot be faith Whereupon it is defined Heb. 11. v. 1. Aug. l. 13. de Trinit c. 10. tract 79. in loan Chrysost in bunc locuÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil in explicat psal 115. Chrysost in hunc locuÌ„ Dyonil c. 7. de diuin nom by the Apostle to be the substance c. the argument of thinges not appearing that is a demonstration or conuiction by which our vnderstanding is acerteyned conuineed of the truth or as the greek importeth it is the basis grounde or foundation firme sure stedfast imoueable either of the hoped reuealed verities as S. Basil with S. Iohn Chrysostome indgeth or of them that hope beleeue fastning them in the truth the truth in them according to S. Denis S. Augustine from whence the comon schoole of diuines gather this principle that faith cannot be subiect to falsity no nor to any feare or suspition therof This infallible ground of assurance Protestants haue not beleeuing only vpon the credit of their Church which may beguile them Therefore howsoeuer they bragge of their all-sauing faith not any faith haue they or Church or religion at all August tract 7â— in loan Fidei non potest subesse falsum 9. Heer my aduersaryes cauill with vs that they haue as much fayth as we who rely vpon the definitions of our Popes and Prelates for they are men and euery man is a lyer as the scripture reporteth I answere our supreme Bishops are by nature men by infirmity subiect to lyes deceits yet as they are by faith Christians by inward vnction heyres of heauen so they are by Pastorall authority gouernors of the church officers of God organs of the holy ghost by whose perpetual assistaÌ„ce they caÌ„not erre they cannot in their publique decrees or generall assemblyes deliuer vnto the faithfull what is subiect to vncerteinty because that which they speake Christ speaketh in them that which they deliuer the spirit
ought or should but what they shal infallibly do 4. Likewise wheresoeuer there is question of the law of the coÌ„mandement of ceremonies of Iustifications shew it them I meciatly Paral. 19. v. 10. after there is a distinction made betwene spirituall and ciuill affaires betwene spirituall and temporall authority Ananias the Priest your Bishop shable chief in these things Ioseph l. 2. cont Apion Philo l. 3. de vita Moysis Aelian var. hist l. 14. c. 34. Strabo Geor. l. 17. Cicero l. 2. de leg Euseb in Chron. Casar de bello Galli l. 6. Ioseph antiq lib. 14 c. 16. To the Church belong all the conditions necessary in a Iudge which perteine to God Moreouer Zabadias the sonne of Ismael who is the Prince of the house of Iuda shal be ouer those workes which apperteine to the kinges office And Iosephus witnesseth That the Priestes were appointed by Moyses to be ouerseers of all thinges iudges of controuersies and punishers of the condemned persons whereby it is euident that it belonged to them not only to decide Ciuill of which Philo also maketh mention but much more Ecclesiasticall matters touching the law the commaundement and iustifications neither was this only ordeyned by God amongst his chosen people the Iewes but by ingrafted perswasion of nature agreed vpon amongst all nations For Aelianus writeth that amongst the Aegiptians their priestes were Iudges determiners of all debates and that the most auncient of them had the chiefest voyce Strabo testifieth the like of the Aethiopians Cicero of the Romans of the Persians Eusebius Caesar of the Frenchmen that their Priestes called Druidae had the same authority Iosephus of the Athenians affirming that their Priestes were Iudges the chiefest among them gathered the suffrages of the rest 5. Moreouer all conditions necessarily required in a suprem Iudge confirme vnto the Church her soueraignty of iudgment for the Iudge must be able to heare vnderstand examine the matters in strife giue a cleere resolute sentence whereby he acquite the innocent and condemne the guilty these propertyes appertaine to the Prelates of the Church They and not the Scriptures nor the priuate spirit haue eares to heare skill to knowe She can heare examine determin debates meanes to examine a liuely intelligent voyce to pronounce such a sentence of approbation or condemnation as all may discerne on whose side it is giuen Againe the Iudge ought to be publique openly knowne that all who are desirous may haue accesse vnto him of infallible authority not only in himselfe but also in respect of vs that we may safely rely build the foundation of faith vppon him He ought to be autenticall warranted by God indewed with power that the humble may with awfull reuerence imbrace his decrees and the stubborne by due constraint punishment be forced to submit otherwise his tribunall were vn profitable iudgment She is publique known to all friuolous The Church is so conspicuous patent generally knowne as there are few Iewes or Turkes no Christians who are ignorant of it howbeit many are ignoraÌ„t of the holy scriptures Her sentence is certeine infallible She cannot be inueigled with errour nor She is infallible corrupted with giftes nor seduced with fauour because she is the faithfull spouse of Christ and piller of truth The scriptures although they be certeine in themselues yet in respect of vs they may be adulterated suborned changed misconstrued 6. The Church hath the seale of Gods warrant whereby we are bound to obey it bound to follow and imbrace her finall resolution If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee like the heathen publican yet we are no way tyed She is authenticall and warranted by God Matt. 18. v. 17. 1. Cor. 5. v. 3. 4. 5. to the written word any further then it is deliuered expounded vnto vs. The Church hath power to excomunicate suspend degrade enforce by her censures compell vs by her punishmentes to conformity and obedience as S. Paul did the incestuous Corinthian I indeed absent in body but present in spirit haue already iudged as presente him that hath so done in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ you being gathered together my spirit with the â—ertue of our Lord Iesus 2. Cor. vlt. v. 10. v. 2. Christ to deliuer such a one to Sathan By this and many other places it is plaine that the pastours of the Church haue a coactiue power of constrayning the rebellious to submit themselues vnto her triall definition which the Scriptures haue not 7. Many other proofes may be brought to strengthen this high tribunall of the Church For she is the mother She is the first Mistresse of our fayth which first begetteth vs which sealeth vs in baptisme with the character of Christians She teacheth vs the first elementes of our beliefe the articles of our Creed She spelleth vnto vs the meaning of Christ of Iesus of Sauiour of God the authour of grace of his Sacraments sacrifices faith and gospell which from the written worde without her instruction we could neuer learne To which purpose very true is that sayng of M. Hooker Hooker 2. booke of Eccle. poli fol. 118. The scripture could not teache vs the thinges which are of God vnles we did credit men who haue taught vs that the wordes of scripture doe signifie those thinges Therefore the men of the Church not the scripture are the first maisters of our faith Yea say you but after our first reformers did more copiously partake The Protestants idle euasion reiected the beames of lighte they found the scriptures peruerted not rightly expounded by such as had them before in custodye Is it so Were their expositions false and scriptures true Must we beleeue on their worde the canon of scriptures and learne of you the interpretation of them as though they who canonized them with authority in regard of vs could not open their meaning better then you or he who preserued by them the dead letter vncorrupted did not more diligently preserue the liuely sense and meaning inuiolable Can any guide vs more safely in the way of saluation in the pathe of Christ then such as teache vs there is a Christ meanes of saluation Egregiously S. Augustine reasoneth with the Aug. l. de vtil credeÌ„ c. 14. Manichees as we may now with Protestants VVhy should I not most diligently inquire amongst them what thing Christ commaunded by whose authority perswaded I haue now beleeued that Christ commaunded some thing VVilt thou better tell me what he sayed whome I would not thinke to haue beene at all or to be if I must Aug. com â— cont ep Manich. c. 5. beleeue because thou sâ—â—est is VVhat madnes is this Giue credit iâ— them that Christ is to be beleeued learne of vs what he said In Another place If thou doest holde thy selfe to the ghospell
I would holde my self to those by whose commaundement I beleeued the gospell c. VVhose authority being infringed weakned I could not now There is no raâ—son we should beleeue the authority of the Roman Church in deliuering scripture and Protestants in expounding it contrary to her authority beleeue euen the gospell itself Imediatly before If thou say Beleeue not the Catholiques it is not the right way by the ghospell to driue me to the faith of Manichaens of Protestants because I beleeued the ghospell it self by the preaching of Catholiques 8. Yet if against all sense and reason if against both God and man you should perswade vs to beleeue your new constructions of Sâ—riptuee against theÌ„ who taught you both Christ and Scripture do we not belieue the authority of men the voyce as you account your selues of the faythfull so submit our iudgments to the exposition of the Church 9. Further more the Church is the treasury or store-house of God to which he committeth all his heauenly ministeryes All thinges which I haue heard of my Father I haue made knowne to you It is his mouth or oracle which openeth the same to others his trumpet or cryer which promulgateth The Church is the store-house of truth Ioan. 15. v. â—â— them to the world Go and teach all Nations c. teaching all thinges which I haue commaunded you It is the messenger which reuealeth his will The witnes which giueth testimony of his wordes and sayings The VicegereÌ„t which supplyeth the roome of his beloued You shal be witnesses to me in Hierusalem and in all lury c. As my Father hath sent me so I also do send you But Christ was sente from Matt. vlt. v. 19. Act. 1. v. 8. Ioan. 20. v. â—2 the throne of his Father with most ample power to decide all doubtes in matters of faith Therefore the Church succedeth him in this soueraigne authority she baptizeth now in his person sacrificeth in his person teacheth in his person gouerneth in his person excoÌ„municateth in his person so she determineth with infallible assistance and iudgeth all Controuersies in his person If we be commanded to heare her obey her belieue her be ruled by her If we must open our owne faults complayne of our brethren to her be bound or loosed The Church iudgeth of the writings of the Apostles she coÌ„poseth the Canon of Scripture she iudgeth of the true sense and interpretation of scripture of our sinns by her if she must cleare out doubts examine our causes redresse our scandals quiet our contentions she no doubt is the supreme iudge of all our spiritual affayres When any doubt is made of the writings of the Apostles whether they be theirs or no as whether the Epistle of S. Paul to the Laodiceans be his or not it belongeth to the Church to decide the matter to receaue or reiect it Therfore she iudgeth of the Apostolicall doctrin of the sacred Canon she iudgeth what is consonant to the diuine spirit of God and what is dissonant thereunto When any heresy springeth from the false interpreration of scripture she also censureth she condemneth it Therefore she is the iudge not only of the scriptures but also of the true sense and exposition of them And thus in all tymes and places whensoeuer occasion hath beene offered the Church hath exercised her iudiciall power CHAP. VII Wherein is manifested the conformable practise of the Church other authorityes alleadged the imagined circle obiected against vs auoyded IN the Apostles dayes a controuersy arose concerning the obseruation of the legall Ceremonyes it was diligently argued discussed and iudged by the Church with this diuine and Act. 15. v. 28. infallible resolutioÌ„ It hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs c. Some few yeares after a great debate fell out about the celebratioÌ„ of the feast of Easter whether it should be kept alwayes on the Sunday or on the 14. day of the first moneth the matter was referred examined iudged by the Church with such an vncontrolable sentence as they who resisted were absolutely censured and condemned for heretikes called Quartadecimani Witnes S. Augustine Epiphanius Tertullian others In all succeeding ages some such doubts questions or heresyes haue sprung vp and haue beene Aug. haer â—6 Epiphan haer 50. Tertul. in Praescrip alwayes sifted determined and iudged by the Church From her the Nouatians Arians Nestorians Eutichians Pelagians Monothelites and the rest haue still receaued their finall doome and irreuocable damnation in such iudiciall manner as no appeale no dispute no further examinations of their opinions hath beene after Hooker in the preface to his book of Eccles poli pag. 24. 25. 26. 27. Couel in his defence of M. Hooker permitted as not only M. Hooker and M. Doctour Couell two moderne Protestants but S. Athanasius also testifyeth of the Churches decrees in the Nicen Councell against the Arians Let no man thinke a matter discussed by so many Bishops confirmed with most cleare testimonyes may be called againe in question least if a thing so often iudged be reuised and knowne againe the curiosity of knowing vtterly want all end of knowing And Martian the Emperour He doth wronge to the iudgement of the most reuerend Synod who contendeth to rippe vp or publiquely argue and dispute of such thinges as be once iudged and rightly ordered Theodosius Athan. in decr Nice Syno Martian in rescript ad Pallad Praefect Preto C. desum Trin. l. 5. Cod. l. 1. tit leg damnat also and Valentinian those two Catholike Emperous who held the Imperiall Scepter in the yeare of our Lord 428. haue most catholikely enacted a law allowing the Churches definitiue sentence in sundry CouÌ„cels VVhosoeuer in this holy Citty or other where do follow the prophane peruersity of Eutiches condeÌ„ned in the late Councell gathered at ChalcedoÌ„ do not so beleeue in all points of fayth as the 318. holy Fathers of the Nicene Councell as the 150. venerable Bishops assembled togeather in the Councell of Constantinople or the other two CouÌ„cells following of Ephesus and Chalcedon let them know that they are heretiks But as thâ— Churches tribunall in condemning heresyes so in establishing true doctrine in all doubtfull cases hath beene esteemed infallible Hence that common saying of S. Augustine VVhosoeuer feareth to be ensnared Aug. l. 1. cont Cres c. 33. by the obscurity or hardnes of this question let him consult the Church thereof which the holy Scripture without all ambiguity doth demonstrate 2. Hence S. Paul immediatly instructed from the mouth of God when false seducers sought to caluminate Gal. 2. v. 2. Tertul. l. 4. contra Marc. c. 2. his heauenly doctrine had recourse vnto the Church for approbation of his Ghospell Least perhaps in vaine I should runne or had runne Whereupon Tertullian If he from whom S. Luke receaued his light desired to haue his fayth and preaching authorized by his predecessours how
much more reason haue I to desire the like for the Ghospell of S. Luke seeing the same was so necessary for the Ghospell of his Maister And S. Augustine The Apostle S. Paul Aug. tom 6. cont Faust Manic l. 28. c. 4. Hier. ep 11. called from heauen if he had not found the Apostles with whome by conferring his Ghospell he might appeare to be of the same society the Church would not beleeue him at all S. Hierome hath the like whose authorityes togeather with the president of S. Paul so pinch our aduersaryes as they haue nothing to answere which deserueth confutation Notwithstanding A cauil of the aduersary reproued against the former recited examples of the Church they cauill that she pronounced iudgment in the beginning out of the written word and so made the scripture iudge rather then her selfe of all doubtfull occurrences We grant that the Scriptures were the outward law the The scripture is the outward law and needeth a liuely iudge or interpreter compasse or square which the Church followed in giuing her sentence both then and euer since yet as the law is dumbe and needeth an interpreter the compasse square not able to direct without the guide of the Architect to leuell it aright so the Scriptures can neuer giue a diffinitiue sentence to compose debates vnles they be managed guided and interpreted by the Church The scriptures are the dead and silent the Church the liuely speaking intelligible Iudge more easy then the scriptures more ancient then the scriptures more necessary Iren. l. 3. c. 4. Hilar. de Syno aduer Arian then the scriptures more necessary because many sucking babes who dye after baptisme many ignorāt people as Ireneus and S. Hilary note are saued without scriptures but not without the Church more ancient because the scriptures were penned by the holy Prophets and Apostles The last resolution of fayth is diuersly made by which we auoyd the circle obiected against vs by many Protestāts members of the Church more easy and perspicuous because that which the scriptures in sundry darke hard and general tearmes obscurely contayne the church in open plaine and particuler declarations applyable to the sundry exigentes of speciall occurrents cleerly expresseth Therefore although the scriptures haue a kind of iudgment as the inanimate law can iudge togeather with the Church yet the Church hath the principall primary supreme and most irreprouable voyce in this spirituall consistory or court of religion 3. Howbeit the last resolution of our beliefe is not so referred either to scriptures or to the Church but that the prime verity and other prudent motiues haue also their speciall concurrence whereby we easily auoyd that idle and impertinent circle with which VVhitaker and First it is resolued into the authority of God his fellowes would seeme to disgrace vs of prouing the scriptures by the Church and Church againe by scriptures For when it is demanded why we belieue the scriptures the infallible authority of the Church the mystery of the Trinity or any other article of our beliefe we reply that if you aske the formall reason which winneth the assent of our vnderstanding to belieue we beleeue Secondly into the proposition of the Church them for the diuine authority which is the formall obiect of fayth and of infinit force and ability to perswade immediatly by it selfe without the help of any other formall inducement whatsoeuer if you demand what warranteth or proposeth vnto vs this or that article to be credited by the testimony of God We answere it is the Catholike Church guided by the holy Ghost which cannot propose or deliuer any falshood If you demaund what moueth our will to accept this Church for an infallible witnes in sealing those articles We answere they are arguments of credibility which prudently induce Thirdly into certaine motiues of credibility and stir vs vp to credit her report the argumentes are these glory of miracles consent of Nations perpetuall succession interrupted continuance admirable propagation and increase of the Church force of doctrin conuersion of soules change of manners fortitude of Martyrs vnity sanctity antiquity the like which preuailed so much with our most learned S. Augustine as he recounting those thinges which iustly detayned him in Aug. con◠epist Manich 4. the Catholike Church sayth There holdeth me in her bosome the consent of people and nations there holdeth an authority begotten with miracles nourished with hope increased by charity Aug. de vtil cred c. 14. Populorū atque gentiū confirmatae opinioni ac famae admodum celeberrimae strengthned by antiquity there holdeth from the seate of Peter the Apostle to whome our Lord after his resurrection recommended the feeding of his sheep euen to this present Bishopricke the succession of Priests Lastly there holdeth me the name Catholike c. And in another place he sayth that by no other reasons was he induced to belieue in Christ then by giuing credit to the approued opinion of people Nations and to a most renowned and famous report These then were the motiues of credibility which first perswaded him to imbrace both Christ and his Ghospell 4. Then the mouth which vttered oracle which proposed them was the Church it self I for my part quoth Aug. con ep Fund c. 5. he would not beleeue the gospell vnles the authority of the Catholike Church moued me But the formall ground or chief reason which wonne his assent was the veracity prime verity or testimonye of God who could not with such prudent motiues euident argumentes of credibility testifye any thing either by himselfe or others which was not sealed with infallible truth Thus no round or circulation is made because the same thing is not proued but after a diuers seueral manner Secondly we escap another way The second way of escaping the circle the daunger of circulation if against them who deny the one graunt the other we borrow argumentes from the scriptures for exāple which they graunt to establish the Church which they denie or from the true Church if that be admitted to authorize the scriptures which are wrongfully impugned Thirdly that idle circle is declined The third way auoiding the same when we canonize the scriptures by the testimony of the present Church proue the Church by the interpretation of scriptures not made by the same Church which now is or lately was in the Councell of Trent but so expounded by the ancient Church in former dayes in the Councell of Carthage in the time of S. Augustin S. Ambrose and the rest of those Doctours or so expounded by the primitiue Church so expounded by the Apostles who receaued it from Christ he from his Father What round is heer or circle committed 5. Lastly it is no absurdity or begging of the question in hand if the Church approue the scripture by her owne testimony and by the same also her infallible authority
CHAP. IX In which it is proued that no Sectary can be saued by beleeuing the chief heads of Religion IN the hartes of such as reuolte from truth there breedeth like a canker this cloaked Atheisme that it importeth little of what religion a man be of so he acknowledge one God receaue the Apostles Creed and beleeue to be saued by the merits of Christ An Atheisme I call it because it secretly tendeth to the vtter ouerthrow of all Christian fayth due worship of God The gainsaying of any one article disposeth to a plaine Apostacy denyal of all articles of fayth For as the taking away of a few stones by little and little disposeth to the ruine of a stately building so the remouall or not admittance of some points of fayth most dangerously maketh way to the denyall of all after which manner I shall demonstrate by by how that he which gaynesayth the least article of fayth hath quite lost hiâ— fayth without which it is impossible to please God But first I will begin with some other arguments 2. According to this Atheistical opinion that euery one may be saued in his owne sect the Pelagians Nouatians Donatists Eutichians Monothelites and sundry other plagues of the Church who imbraced the Trinity Incarnation Passion of Christ c. might be put in some hope of future happynes which no Christian I thinke will now confesse Likewise those sectaryes who after the definition of the Church maintayned S. Cyprians and other holy Bishops errour of rebaptization consorted with Catholiks in all other points of beliefe notwithstanding for that alone they were accounted heretikes and so depriued of the benefit of life Of whome Vincen. Lirinensis Vincen. adu prof haeret nouit maketh this exclamation O admirable change of thinges the Authors of one and the same opinion are esteemed Catholiks and their followers are iudged Heretikes Because they without breach of peace before the decree of the Church these after with proud stubbornes presumed to defend it 3. The Quartdecimani who liued about the yeare 186. beleeued all the substantiall heades of faith They beleeued whatsoeuer was publiquely taught receaued in the primitiue Church but only one particuler thing as it should seeme of small importance concerning the celebration of Euseb l. 5. c. 22. Nicep l. 4. cap. 39. the Feast of Easter whether it should be celebrated on the fourteenth Moone then the fast of Lent cease vpon whatsoeuer day it fell or vpon a Sunday according to the generall custome of Christians And yet for this only point they are enrolled in the catalogue of heretikes excluded here from the banquet of the Church supper of the lambe hereafter For S. Austine in his booke of heresyes Aug. haer 29. Epiphan 50. Hier. dial aâ—â—er Lucifer c. 1. Haereticos quoscumque christianos non esse Tit. 3. v. 10. rehearsing them by another name sundry more among whom many beleeued all the forenamed principles of religion he notwithstanding coÌ„cludeth of them the like other heresys besides these may be any one of which whosoeuer shall hold cannot be a Christian catholik S. Ierome presupposeth this as a certeine ground Heretikes whatsoeuer cannot be Christians bargayneth with his colloquutor to speake of an heretique as of a gentile S. Paul chargeth vs to shun the company of euery heretique in what point soeuer he runneth astray saying A man that is an heretique after the first second admonition auoyde knowing that he that is such a one is subuerted sinneth being condemned by his owne iudgment And he casteth all Gal. 5. v. 20. 21. sectaryes with fornicatours murderers and drunkards out of the kingdome of heauen 4. Moreouer the Donatists disagreed from the Catholique Church in a matter not specifyed in the Creed no nor expresly mentioned as S. Augustine auoweth in holy writ This sayth he neither you nor I do read in expresse wordes Aug. l. de vnit Eccl. c. 19. Aug. l. 1. cont Cres c. 33. Lib. 11. de baptis con Donat. c. 4. l. 5. cap. â—4 And in another place Although no example of this matter be found in holy scriptures yet doe we follow in this the truth of the scriptures when we do that which is agreeable to the vniuersall Church commended vnto vs by the authority of the same scripture Likewise The Apostles haue commaunded nothing concerning this matter But the custome which was alleadged against S. Cyprian is to be thought to haue descended from their tradition as diuers other things haue done which the vniuersall Church doth obserue are therefore with great reason beleeued to haue beene commaunded by the Apostles although they be not written So that the Donatistes alteration was about aâ— vnwritten verity They inuocated one God as S. Augustine affirmeth with him they beleeued in the same Christ Augu. in explicatione psal 54. they had the same gospell sung the like psalmes c. they agreed which him in baptisme in keeping the feasts of martyrs in celebrating of Easter In these sayth he they were with me yet not altogether with me in schisme not with me The belief of the Trinity other chiefe articles auayled not the Donatists because they denyed som vnwritten traditioÌ„s in heresy not with me in many thinges with me in a sew not with me these few in which not with me the many could not help them in which they were with me Behold the Donatists could not be holpen they could not receaue any benefit or fruit from God by beleeuing the Trinity the mediatioÌ„ of Christ the Creed the sacramentes the rest because they dissented from the Church in some few traditions not recorded in scripture can our sectaryes looke to enioy the treasures of life denying both vnwritten traditions diuers other articles cleerely expressed in holy writ as I haue proued in the two former partes of this treatise 5. Besides although the beleefe in God in Christ in the articles of the Creed were sufficient to saluation yet this beleefe ought to be one the same in all the faithfull for truth is one vniforme and constant falshood â—arious discordant chaungable But diuers sectes diâ—ersly vnderstand these heades of religion Therefore they â—â—nnot all haue the true vniforme and sauing faith To instance in the dissention of ProtestaÌ„ts from vs. They beleeue that their God doth truly purpose determine and The Protestants beliefe in God is not the same with the true beliefe of Catholikâ— â—o operate vnto sinne yet as a righteous Iudge not as an euill â—â—tâ—ur We beleeue that our true God no way at all with no right intention can concurre thereunto They beleeue a dissembling God with a twofold will one reuealed and detesting the other secret intending sinne We teach that our God hath but one will which wholy disliketh â—â— hateth sinne They beleeue a God so weake or vnmerâ—â—full as there be some sinnes he will
carry to the tribunall seate of Christ And then most agreable to the matter now in hand They beleeue in God the Father and in the Sonne and in the holy Ghost in vaine All these thinges sayd I auayle them nothing for asmuch as they deny this article of the reall presence and attach him of falsity who sayd of the Sacrament this is my body So Luther flatly acknowledgeth that the deniall of that one article the disagreement in the interpretation of that one place in such aâ— accept the other heades of religion is sufficient to plung them into the pit of hell Zanchius and many learned Protestants Zanchius in his epistle before his confession pag. 12 13. are of the same mind agreeing therin with the ancient Fathers with S. Athanasius who hath defined in his Creed that whosoeuer doth not hold the Catholike fayth who and inuiolate he shall perish for euer With S. Hierome who witnesseth that for one word or two contrary to the sayth many heresyes haue been cast out of the Church With S. Gregory Nazianzen saying Nothing can be more dangerous then thâ—se heretikes Hier. l. 3. Apolo cont Ruf. Nazian tract de fide who when as they runne through all thinges vprightly yet with one word as with a drop of poyson corrupt and stayne the true and sincere fayth of our Lord and of Apostolicall tradition With Saint Basil who being solicited by the persecutours to relent a little to the tyme stoutly answered as Theodoret reporteth that such as are instructect in the diuine doctrine do not suffer Theod. l. 4. hist c. 17. any syllable of the diuine decrees to be depraued but for the defence of it if need require willingly imbrace any kind of death 9. And not to stay longer in reciting the testimonies of 〈…〉 when the Sonne of God auouched he 〈…〉 Marc. 1â— v. 16. not shal be condâ—mned Of what beliefe did he speake 〈◊〉 of belieuing the whole Ghospell the whole corpes of Christian doctrine whereof he there sayd preach the Ibid. v. 15. â—hospâ—lâ— to all creatures which Ghospell comprehendeth many other articles besides the Trinity Incarnation Passion of Christ Therefore he that belieueth them not all shal be condemned Likewise when Christ auouched He that despiseth you despiseth me he that heareth not the Church c. Luc. 10. v. 16. Matt. 18. v. 17. he doth not add in this or that point but absolutely in whatsoeuer Let him be to thee as the Heathen and Publican And for this cause the custome of the Church hath beene in her publike definitions and generall Councells to strike with the thunderbolt of Gods heauy curse to threaten with anathema all such as refuse to belieue any one decree or definition of hers concerning any point of fayth whatsoeuer it be which the Church could not do without erroneous faultines in her selfe and wrong to her children if euery Canon she maketh and fenceth with that Anathema were not necessary to be belieued vnder paine of damnation Besides not only the Church but sundry zealous and forward sectaryes of all sorts are ready to yield their liues in behalf of any one article of their beliefe wherein although they erre concerning the particuler obiect yet this generall agreement in such seuerall sectes is an apparant token that Nature it selfe teacheth euery speciall point of true religion and not the principall only to be necessary to saluation wherein the Athenians were so precise as they punished without remission Teste Iosepho cont Appion any little word lesse warily vttered against the receaued opinion of their Gods The Iewes also were seuerely chastised for the transgression of any one of the ceremoniall lawes giuen vnto them by the disposition of Angels And God himselfe threatneth that he shall take Apo. 22. v. 19. â—â—ay his part out of the booke of life who shall diminish any word of S. Iohns reuelation What wonder then though â—e be blotted out of the register of heauen though he be eternally punished who eitheâ— gainesayth altereth or not beleeueth expresly or infoldedly euery point of doctrine the Sonne of God himselfe or the holy Ghost whome he after sent publiquely teacheth or inspireth to his Church 10. The chiefest reason why fayth must be whole entire is the infallible authority or veracity of God vpon One principall reason why fayth must be entire in al points whose testimony we belieue which being once suspected or doubted of in any one point of neuer so small importance the like doubt or suspition may creep into others and shake the whole foundation of Christian Religion Therfore S. Thomas and many other learned Deuines profoundly teach That he hath no supernaturall fayth he beleeueth not any thing moued by diuine authority S. Thomas 2. 2. q. 5. art 3. He that belieueth not euery article of fayth belieueth none at all Tertul. l. de praescri who beleeueth not euery thing little or great fundamentall or not fundamentall proposed vnto him to be credited by the same authority Whereupon they inferre That no sectary who maketh choyce vpon his owne liking or vpon the iudgment of his Ministers to belieue some articles and not the rest doth truly beleeue any one article at all After which manner Tertullian long since disputed against Valentine the heretike saying Some thinges of the law and Prophets he approueth some things he disalloweth that is he disalloweth all whilest he disproueth some In like sort I may argue of our Protestants and other Sectaryes that they make choyce to beleeue some things not to belieue other and so whilest they belieue not all thinges they belieue nothing nothing vpon the authority of God but vpon their owne election as humane motiues incline and perswade them which is humane only not diuine or supernaturall beliefe For fayth being an assent of our vnderstanding to thinges not euidently seene or conuinced by reason but only credited for the testimony of another it cannot be more certaine then he that testifyeth and deliuereth them vnto vs who if he be subiect to errour as all men are in Protestants conceipt they that belieue the reuealed mysteries or interpretation of Scripture either vpon their owne or such mens credit cannot attaine to the certainty of fayth no more then the Turke who although he belieue in God Creatour of heauen and earth yet he belieueth not in him with diuine fayth because he relyeth vpon the authority of his Alcaron or Turkish Muphtyes who as in other things do so might deceaue in Muphty is the name of the chiefe Interpreter of the Tuâ—kish law Cuspin in descript Magistrat Turcici that And whereas without true and diuine fayth it is impossible to please God they cannot hope for his fauour who do not belieue euery article as the inerrable testimony of his true Church proposeth them to be belieued 11. Hence it is that euen as we are bound to obserue and fullfill the whole law of iustice euery
the building of their discorded Babell because the most of them liued at diuers tymes in diuers Countryes without any mutuall Society or lineall descent and with the interruption of many yeares one from the other For VVickliffe was furnished with no authority instruction or consecration to preach or administer Sacraments from the VValdenses nor the VValdenses from Berengarius nor Berengarius from Iouinian nor he from Aerius They all started vp of themselues maynteyned their seueuerall sects in seuerall ages without knowledge or agreements without deriuation of fayth and ecclesiasticall power from those their Predecessours which is necessary to vphould and continue the perpetuall and mediate succession of the Church Nay they were so farre froÌ„ composing an hereditary pedigrece or line of descent amongst themselues as they were all for the most part or Epiphan Prat. l. 1. Elenchi v. AeriaÌ„ Aug. haer â—2 Prat. in Eieae verbo Berengar Fox in his act monuments fol. 628. Stow in his Annalls pag. 464. M. Iacob in his defeÌ„ce of the Churches and Ministery of EnglaÌ„d pag. 13. Georg. Milius in explicatione Conf. August Art 7. pag. 137. 138. their chiefe beginners prime founders of our religion before they brake forth into schisme and heresy So Aerius was a Priest and disciple to Eustachius Bishop of Sebasta in Pontus Iouinian a Monke of the Citty of Rome in Italy Berengarius Archdeacon of Angiers in France VValdo a rich and Catholike Marchant of Lions VVickliffe a sacrifying Priest the Parson of Lutterworth in Leicester shire who sayd Masse if Maister Iacob an earnest Protestant may be credited eâ—eÌ„ to his dying day Therefore they had no Church in which they were borne none froÌ„ whence they were propagated but only ours the Protestants Church had no being wheÌ„ they beganne no being in England when wickliffe in Lyons when VValdo in any other Countrey when the former sectaryes peeped vp neyther of late had it any being in Scotland when Knox in France when Caluin in Suitzerland when Zuinglius in Germany when Luther first preached his ghospell For as Georgius Milius wisely obserueth graunt that Luther had any predecessours and Lutherans reformation wil be altogeather needles 6. Finally if Protestants had any complices or vpholders of their sect in Morauia Bohemia Calabria 〈◊〉 the largest tractes M. Fulke nameth for the openly Fulke in cap. 12. Apoc sect 2. â—nowne continuance of his Church they should haue gone and deriued from them the pedigree of their Pastors their power and commission to preach the gospell They as all other preachers in former tymes haue beene accustomed when their authority hath beene called in question should haue asked of them Litteras formatas dimissory or testimoniall letters to giue testimony of their calling which Our ghospellers had no testimoniall letters froÌ„ any church or Pastour before their dayes Iero. ep 89. we haue so often conuinced to be surreptitions and vsurped For if Saint Paul had not had as Saint Hierome sayth security of preaching the gospell if it had not beene approued by Peters sentence and the rest that were with him who were vndoubtedly imbraced as true Apostles how durst you without â—ny allowance and approbation of your auncestours â—eginne to preach your Ptotestant fayth Was it inough â—ou gathered it by your owne diligent yet deccauable interpretation out of the holy Scriptures And was â—t not inough for him to haue his Gospel by infallible reâ—elation immediatly from God Had he lost his labour runne in vaine without the attestation of the Pastours of the Church And do you thinke to reape any fruite by preaching without any euidence or approbation from Christes vicegerentes vpon earth Yf he who had his doctrine from heauen at least as Reynoldes graunteth to ad Galat. 2. v. 2. Reynoldes in his conference c. 4 diuis 2. fol. 134. Theophil l. 2. de paschat stop the mouthes of false seducers who disgraced him â—s lately crept into the Apostleship did conferre with â—â—ter and the rest of his predecessours why did not you â—â—stly accused by vs as wrongefull intruders as wolfes vsurpers put your doctrine to the like triall conference â—â—d examination of your forerunners Theophilus Bishop oâ— Alexandria anoucheth of Origen that he was possessed with the spirit of pride because he conferred not his faith with his auncestours as Saint Paul did and were you hinâ—ered with the like spirit from putting your doctrine to the approbation of the Church Or was it because you had not indeed any Church in the world any Bishop to impose handes vpon you any Temple Oratory Iudge or Tribunall to haue recourse vnto not any man liuing to approue your fayth or giue testimony of your calling but such as you had first seduced and bewitched with your follyes CHAP. XIII Wherein is ouerthrowne the like Clayme which Protestants make to the Professours of the Roman Church agaynst Doctour Fielde and Mayster White MAISTER Doctour Field and Maister White not finding sufficient stones amongst the forenamed heretikes to rayse the Temple of their Sectaryes not finding any publike assemblies in Morauia Bohemia Calabria c. nor any latent and hidden resortes in the Hyrcinian woods other parts of Europe proper to themselues they lay hold on the chiefest Rocks and pillers of our Church to stay vp thier ruinous sheep-cote And as the harlot before Salomon hauing killed her â— Reg. 3. owne pretended right to anothers child So they in behalfe of their barren and harlotry Conuenticles depriued of true parents and maynteyners of their beliefe entitle themselues to the noble issue of our fruitfull Mother to the right of her ordinary succession and lawfull â—aâ—ours For Field auerres of the Protestant Church that Before Luthers dayes it was the knowne and apparent Church in the Field in 3. booke of of the Church ca. 6. pag. 72. VVhitein his defence of the way to the true Church ca. 44. fol. 424. Fulke in c. 20. Apoc. sect 6 Field ibid. pag. 73. VVhite in his way to the true Church §. 45. fol 338. and. § 50. fol. 372. in his defence of the same way c. 44. fol. 420. VVhitak cont 2 pa. 165. world wherein allour Fathers liued and dyed wherin Luther and the rest were baptized receaued their Christianity ordination power of mynistery Which White acknowledgeth saying For the first 600. hundred we assigne the Church wherein the Fathers liued and for the rest to this day we will assigne no other catalogue then the Church of Rome it selfe Thus the Protestants Church which in the opinion of their greatest Clarkes was latent and inuisible or which continued in desert corners before Luthers appearing is now by their followers made at the same tyme famous and apparent euen the glorious renowned Church of Rome it selfe so ill do the schollers agree with their Maysters the children with their Fathers But when we oppose against theÌ„ that the Church of Rome is that superstitious and Antichristian Church
which peruerted as they falsly auouch the very foundations themselues of Christian religioÌ„ They answere that the stiffe professours and maynteyners of Popery were not the true Church but a daungerous and wicked saction tyrannyzing ouer mens consciences A disease a contagion outwardly cleaning to the Church or breeding as a gangrene within and corrupting the pure doctrine but by a little and little vnder which faction notwithstanding and even in the midest thereof the true Church continued In which manner say they the Church was in the papacy but the papacy was not the Church 2. This is their last most deceiptful mask by which they thinke to duske mens eyes and amaze their wittes with disguised wordes when they cannot satisfy their Aug. l. de bapt cont Donat. ca. 6. 7. consciences with any substantiall answere for although the contagion of the papacy by little and little corrupted the pure doctrine yet it came to be deadly and damnable according to them in diuers points for many yeares ago Whereupon I dispute although not altogeather with the same wordes yet with the same force of reason as Saint Augustine doth agaynst the Donatistes When that contagion or the Roman errours came to be deadly eyther they contaminated the Church or did not contaminate it Choose which of these you will say they contaminated An vnauoydable dilemma coÌ„cluding agaynst Protestants it that is defiled it with such hereticall and blasphemous doctrine as could not stand with the being thereof the Church hath perished as Saint Augustine inferreth Christs promise hath fayled there was no meanes left for you to be propagated or new borne in Christ no meanes of catechizing or instructing you Say they defiled not the Church neyther could they haue defiled you by remayning in it why then did you separate your selues from August in same place it Why erected you an Altar agaynst the Altar of the world Why with the sacriledge of most haynous schisme presumed you to diuide the vnity of the Church How cometh it to passe that whilest by shunning the small faultes Aug. ibid. which your selues do faygne you runne into the sacriledge of schisme more grieuous then all other faultes For is not this sacrilegious and schismaticall diuision to preach new doctrine to minister Field in his third book of the Church ca. 6. 7. fol. 72. 73. 74. 75. new Sacraments and not to participate with your mother Church in fayth and communion 3. Both Mayster Field and White make answere that the errours of the Roman Church defiled not the whole but some part of Christs mystical body as a canker which corrupteth not the whole but some part of mans flesh after which manner they call it a faction a disease VVhite in his way to the true Chu §. 45. § 50. In his defence of the same chap. 44. pag. 420. The Protestants caÌ„not say they communicated with the Papacy which infected the papacy but not the Church and so pretend that they haue separated themselues from the coÌ„tagious faction not from the true Church But they still walke in mystes out of which we must leade them with this second dilemma Eyther the true Church whose Society our Protestants challenge did so continue with the papacy as it participated with it in sacrifice and Sacraments in publike faith and open communion Or did not participate but made a Church by it selfe mynistring Sacraments and preaching the word apart from the Papists If it participated with that preuayling faction they were contaminated with their heresies defiled with their errours and so the papacy was not only a contagion outwardly cleaning to the Church or infecting it in part but inwardly canckering and corrupting the whole all â—ere made partakers of her disease who openly admitted and professed her doctrine 4. Agayne if the Protestant Church communicated with the Papacy and submitted her selfe to the tyranny of her faction at least for feare and in outward shew howsoeuer they belieued aright in their inward harts they were all eyther hypocrites or base dissemblers all open idolaters and deniers of Christ they were all depriued Luc. 9. v. 26. Rom. 10. vers 10. of the meanes of saluation For he that shal be ashamed of me and of my wordes him the Son of man shal be ashamed of when he shall come in his maiesty And with the hart we belieue to iustice with the mouth confession is made to saluation Which as I haue already confirmed by the testimony of Caluin so now I Field l. 1. c. 10 fo 1â— strengthen with the authority of M. Field Seeing sayth he the Church is the multitude of them that shal be saued and no man can be saued vnlesse he make confession vnto saluation for Faith hid in the hart and concealed doth not suffice It cannot be but they that are of the true Church must by the profession of the truth make themselues knowne in such sort that by their profession practise they may be discerned from other men So he 5. Moreouer if the true Church of the elect did communicat with the Papacy in preaching of the word and administration of Sacraments from Saint Gregory the great till Luthers dayes for almost a thousand yeares space eyther the Papacy it selfe was the true Church or Christ had all that while no true Church no spouse vpon earth because the true Church cannot possible be without the true preaching of the word and administration of Sacraments which are euen in our aduersaryes opinion the essentiall markes and properties of the Church and where they cease the Church according to them must perish Whitak in his answere to the third reason of M. Campian and decay VVe ascribe quoth Whitaker those properties to the Church which comprise the true nature of the Church whose presence make a Church and their absence marre or destroy a Church Wherefore sith no other truth was preached in the Papacy then the Roman Catholike fayth eyther that was true or no other true fayth was openly professed vpon earth On the other side if our aduersaryes do answere They caÌ„not answere they communicated not with the papacy that they communicated not in fayth and Sacraments with the Papacy but made a separate Church by themselues distinct from it in which the true word was preached and Sacraments mynistred Then that pure Protestant Church needed not the reformation of ProtestaÌ„ts from that Luther should haue learned his faith to that he and followers should haue ioyned themselues Then if they challenge such a Church they are engaged to name the persons who maynteyned their doctrine the people who imbraced it the tymes and places in which it was ProtestaÌ„ts vrged to shew their temples councels and countryes conuerted by them taught they must shew vs what Temples they built what Councells they gathered what bookes they wrote what heretikes they condemned what Countryes they haue conuerted and instructed in the fayth For it is
impossible their Church should continue so many ages distinct from the Roman Papacy and no monument be left no steppes remayne no notice taken of it at least by the preuayling faction as they terme it of the Romane Church which diligently recorded the names and heresies of euery particuler person who at any tyme stood vp or defended any doctrine contrary to hers Yf the Romane faction tyrannyzed ouer them blotted out their names defaced their Sparke in his answere to M. Iohn d' Albins pag. 53. 54. workes razed their Churches burned their Records as Sparke fayneth some Chronicler or other some frend or enemy some Protestant or Catholike would haue registred those ransackinges or mentioned the vtter abolishments our Gouernours made of them Otherwise what warrant haue Protestants to belieue what euidence to shew they had such professours To belieue without ground in ciull matters is vnaduised lightnes in matters diuine rashnes inexcusable I proceed 6. Two other seeming answeres some of our late Reformers are wont to coyne First That seeing the Papacy Other euasions of our sectaryes reiected preserued the kernell of religion belieued the Trinity the Incarnation and passion of Christ c. their Protestant Church might be saued in it although it separated not it selfe in communion from her But this caÌ„not be For the Pelagians the Donatistes the Circumceâ—â—â—â— held these and many other grounds of true religion yet no maÌ„ could be saued participating with them nor with the Quartadecimani nor with any heretical Congregation although it disseÌ„ted from the true Church but in one heresy alone Therefore although the papacy imbraced the Fulke in c. 1â— A poc sect 2. forenamed principles of fayth yet beccuse it was defiled according to you not with one but sundry heresies which vndermined the castle of heauenly beliefe the maynteyners of Protestancy coulde not be members of the true Church abiding in the false they could not be vnited to God in the house of Belial partake with Christ in the seate of Antichrist as hath beene other where more largely discussed 7. Their second euasion is that ignorance might IgnoraÌ„ce cannot excuse our sectaries auncestors in coÌ„municating with vs if we danably erred free their confederates from the danger of damnation in coÌ„municating with our Church vntill the truth of their Ghospell was reuealed and our errours discouered vnto them But I answere that the plea of ignorance of matters necessary necessitate medij as the only meanes to atteyne saluation in iustification other articles of like tenour on which the summe of religion in Protestants opinion dependeth cannot be admitted in the Court of conscience before the tribunall of heauen For of such ignorance sentence is pronounced by the Apostle Yf any man know not he shall not be knowne And VVhosoeuer haue sinned without the law without the law shall perish Agayne albeit 1. Cor. 14. v. 38. Rom. 2. v. 12. the Church of God may for a tyme be inuincibly ignorant of some truth not necessary to saluation yet neuer of any necessary truth Wherefore if imputatiue iustice if only fayth without merite of workes and many such like protestant articles be necessary to be belieued the ignorance of them must needs cause al their auncestours to forfeit Field in his first booke c. 10. p. 19. eternall blisse especially sith Field therein subscribeth to the Apostle That no man can be saued vnlesse he make confession to saluation c. and by profession of truth make himselfe knowne 8. Besides as the Church cannot be ignorant of a necessary article much lesse can it generally professe any daÌ„nable errour any pernicious falshood as all latent Protestants openly did liuing in the Papacy and publikely professing as they account it our erroneous doctrine This the promise of Christ the assistaÌ„ce of the holy Ghost the protection of God would neuer permit his Church to doe 9. This were to frustrate the comming of Christ the price of the bloud his preaching of his Ghospell For why did he take such paynes to preach the truth if ignorance might excuse vs Why did he suffer death to abolish Matth. 28. Ephes 4. Ioan. 14. 16. all errours if his people haue beene so long ouer whelmed with them How doth he raygne for euer in the Kingdome of his Church if that for these many ages hath been subiect to Sathan Did not he promise that when he should be exalted he would draw all thinges vnto him Did not he promise to cooperat with his Pastours baptizing teaching to the consummation of the world that neither they might erre nor we be carried away with the Tertullia de Praes c. 28. vayne blastes of errour Was not the holy Ghost sent to teach all truth and that for euer Did not God forewarne vs that the preachers of the new Testament should neuer be silent from praysing his name enioying his spirit and deliuering his wordes from generation to generation euerlastingly without interruption Vpon these assurances Tertullian deemed it so great a blasphemy that the whole Church of God should be spotted with errours as he thus Tertul. ib. cap. â—9 prouoketh ValeÌ„tinus the heretik Age nunc c. Go to now haâ—e all Churches erred c. hath the holy Ghost had regarde to no one to leade it vnto truth sent for that end by Christ demaunded for that end of the Father that he might be the Doctour of truth Forsooth the Steward of God the vicar of Christ hath neglected his office permitting the Churches otherwise to vnderstand otherwise to belieue tâ—en he by his Apostle preached A little after he scoffeth at him and others in this sort The truth expected some Marcionistes and Valentinians Lutherans and Caluinistes to be infranchised by them In the meane tyme the Gospell hath beene wrongfully preached wrongfully belieued so many thousand of thousands wrongfully Christned so many workes of faith wrongfully administred so many miracles so many gifts wrongfully imployed so many priesthoods so many offices wrongfully executed in fine so many Martyrdomes wrongfully crowned Yf Tertullian thought â—t a caluÌ„niation so infamous to affirme this of the Church for a little more then a hundred yeares space how monstrous is the report of our Reformers who venture to attach it of superstition ignorance idolatry during the long tract of a thousand yeares 10. Lastly although ignoraÌ„ce may now then excuse the not belieuing of some particuler mysteryes yet the ignorant who otherwise incurre the displeasure of God can neuer gayne his fauour or recouer felicity vnlesse they be pardoned their sinnes and become members of the true Church Out of the Church no pleading for pardon no excuse can be heard to put a sinner in hope of saluation Otherwise the Iewes the Turkes the Pagans al such as haue been misled by heretikes might pleade this excuse But the hiddeÌ„ ProtestaÌ„ts who lurked in the Papacy were not members of the Church They made not the true Church where
was the whole company of Gods elest c. which is hidden and inuisible Now it is the visible society wherein the syncere outward profession of the truth of God is preserued Then all workes of man performed in grace were so stayned with sinne as they could not deserue any reward at the handes of God Now a distinctioÌ„ is found of two Courtes The one of exact triall the other of new obedience in which God sitting giueth commaundement of workes of righteousnes and duly rewardeth them When we are iustified sayth Field God requireth of vs a new obedience iudgeth vs according to it crowneth vs for it Diuers other articles I might recount in which our aduersaryes pressed by Catholikes haue slidden out of the path which their predecessours haue trodden But of their variances more hereafter 7. This inconstancy disagreement of theirs proceedeth not from that they come single into the field to encounter with vs wel secoÌ„ded by our friends as a worthy knight of the Protestants religioÌ„ wold once haue excused the matter to me but it ariseth as another writer of their Sir Edwin Sands in his relatioÌ„ own beareth witnes for want of some one Patriarch or more to haue a common superintendance and care of their Church for correspondency and vnity For want of some ordinary way to assemble a generall Councell of their part the only hope remayning euer to asswage their contentions From want of due subordination that the CypriaÌ„ l. 1. Ephes 3. ad Cornel. Priest of God as Saint Cyprian teacheth is not obeyed nor one Priest in the Church for the tyme nor one Iudge in liew of Christ is had in minde From want of one supreme certeyne and infallible rule of deciding debates which fall out amonge them For although the scriptures vpon which they seeme to rely be as Whitaker vrgeth constant sure and inflexiblâ— in themselues yet they imbracing their owne constructions VVhitak cont 1. cont 2 q. 5. cap. 8. pa. 407. and interpretations of them what meruayle though they be shaken with as many winds of contrary doctrins as there be seuerall humours and affections of men Whilst euery one as Tertullian noteth doth forme and fashion that which he receaueth according as of his owne minde he deuised it Whilest nouices haue liberty to controle their superiours scholers sayth Irenaeus may boast and glory to be reformers of their Tertull. in praes adu haer 42. Iren. l. c. 5. 8. maysters For as the forenamed Tertullian pithily discourseth The same is lawfull to the Valentinians which was lawfull to Valentinus to the Marcionists which to Marcion to the Caluinistes which to Caluin of their owne to frame or reforme their fayth Because euery one may challenge the same spirit the same gift of interpreting as his forerunner did This pretense Tertull. in the same place is often alleadged by euery Puritan and Protestant who varieth from the opinion of his first authour or beginner Luther for example and his chiefe disciples are VVhitak coÌ„t Durae pag. 28. VVhitak cont Sand. pag. 92. VVhitgift defens tra c. 7. p. 20. in my opinion ib. pag. 291. cited agaynst Whitaker He answereth VVhat is that to me I care not what they misliked And Whitgift of Caluin sayth I am not so wholy addicted vnto him that I will contemne other mens iudgements c. VVhen as in my opinion they come neerer to the true meaning and sense of Scripture then he doth Others he reiecteth saying They were men and therfore though otherwise very watch full yet such as slept sometyme Thus with shew of modesty if they can if not The spirit of God say they is not tyed to any man but breatheth where he lists and therefore he that imagineth he is carryed with this gale hath sufficient warrant to ruffle in Scripture and expound it as his owne priuate perswasion seemeth to leade him FroÌ„ hence spring such flouds of dissentions as I may verify of Protestants that which a diligent historiographer noted in the Turkes only changing the wordes Touching the law The Alcoran Septeme cast 20 Mahomet himselfe there is that discord and difference amongst them as if a hundred of them be asked what they hold in these pointes not onâ— will answere to the minde of another Examen when you will yâ—ur Mynisters apart or conferre their workes and wriâ—â—ngs one with another you shall not need any further â—â—oofe You shall see no two in the world consorting toâ—â—ather in all essentiall pointes of fayth if I say they be â—el sifted by interrogatories on euery point examined â— part 8. But two thinges are here opposed by our aduersaryes The one agaynst our vnity The other in excuse of their diuisions Against vs Field obiecteth the vnity agreemeÌ„t of the Armenians Aethiopians Christians of Field in his 2. booke c. 7. pag. 54. VVhitak cont 2. q. 5. cap. 8. Muscouia Russia Whitaker the accord coÌ„spiratioÌ„ of â—he wicked in euill of Pirates in Piracy of Rebells in rebellioÌ„ Therfore vnity say they is no signe of truth I answere not any vnity or accord in some one point whatsoeuer maketh this marke for all heretiks agree in rebelling gaynst truth many may accord in some one schisme or heresy as they whome M. Field rehearseth do Likewise a small number of desperate fellowes vpon a set plot in some one or two designements in hope of gayne or preferment may as Whitaker vrgeth for a short time combine togeather But without any such hope league or coÌ„bination for innumerable millions so far dispersed in so darke obscure manifold mysteryes of fayth to the preiudice of their estates losse of their liues so many ages so vniformly to agree notwithstanding such alienations of mynds diuersity of factions by people Prince notwithstanding so many other strifes and debates so many Ioseph Hal in his book intitled the Feace of Rome Read of this S. Aug. l. â—8 de ciuit Dei ca. 41. Field in his 3. booke c. 4â— â—nd in app 1. part fol. 23. 24. VVhite in his way to the Church §. 33. VVhitak cont 2. q. 5. chaunges alterations reuolutions of common wealths notwithstanding such alteration variety of opinions which M. Ioseph Hall heapeth togeather in matters indifferent or then not defined for in all the great and idle muster he maketh not one essentiall variance doth he meÌ„tion that euer was amongst the Professors of our Church This I say is an euident and irreprouable token of some diuine and heauenly spirit in breathing guiding vniting the harts of Roman Catholikes 9. In excuse of their diuisions Field White Whitaker reply that they are likewise but verball vpon mistaking not materiall or essential not in substantiall or fundamental points And Field most hypocritically addeth I dare confidently pronounâ—â— that after ful and due examination of each others meaning there shaâ—â— no difference found touching the matter of the
vnto death in this deadly schisme and vnreconciliable hatred the one agaynst the other To leaue forraine contentions and speake of domesticall VVhitak contro 2. quaest 6. c. 3. Fulke in cap. 11. Matt. sect 5. Hooker it s in his Eccl. poli lib. 2. pa 101. Co. in his def c. art 7. pag. 54. Perkins in his refor Catholikp 55. Abbot in his def c. c. 3. se 8. 9. 10 Sparke in his answer to M. Iohn d'Albins f. 281. 28â— 283. VVhitak vbi supra Field l. 3. cap. 22. fo 118. 119. Ouerall in the confer pa 41. 42. Fulke in c. 3. IoaÌ„ sect 2. in 2â— Actorum sect 10. VVhitakâ—r contro 1. quaest 6. c. 3. VVhit ibid. 57. Bils in his true difference c. p. 4. p. 586. 587 Casaub in his answere to Card. Per. p. 20. in eng M. Iacob in his def p. 88. Harm p. 80. 81. 82. VVhite in his way to the true Church §. 33. fol. 138. of our gospellers amongst themselues in such pointes of sayth as they confesse to be substantiall 4. Whitaker and Folke peremptorily define the coÌ„maundements of God impossible to be kept and the former of â—hem â—egâ—â—â—eth this as a fundamentall point M. Hooker and Doctour Concil eagerly gayne lay it and sincerely hold they may be kept Mayâ—â—er Perkins Doctour Abbot and Doctour Sparke maynteine that the faythfull once instifyed cannot fallout of the state of grace with whome Mayster Whitaker agreeth and setteth it downe as a fundamentall point And Sparke sayth the contrary is a most dangerous errour Doctour Field notwithstanding Doctour Oueral now Bishop of Couentry and Lichfield defend they may by grieuous sinns fall from grace into the present state of wrath and damnation whose opinion his Maiesty approued with his royall assent in the conference at Hampton Court Fulke sucketh from Caluin and Whitaker engrosseth it as a point fundamentall That the Sacramentes are not necessary to saluation That they signify only but they cause no grace And of Baptisme by name Whitaker sayth Our safety dependeth not of the outward lotion but on the meritts of Christ on the meere election and promise of God Mayster Hooker and Mayster Bilson contrary wise affirme the Sacraments necessary to saluation and that they do cause grace and that our safety so much dependeth on the outward lotion as infants quoth Bilson cannot enter the Kingdome of heauen nor be heyres with Christ before they be engrassed into Christ by Baptisme A little after The Church absolutely and slatly may not assure saluation to children vnbaptized Which Casaubon also in his Maiesties name alloweth as most true Mayster Iacob with the harmony of confessions which Mayster white honoureth as the touchstone of his beleefe approueth a disparity of sinns â—ome to be veniall not all to deserue eternall death Fuâ—â—â— â—ulke 〈…〉 Matth. sect 6. 〈…〉 in c. Rom. sect 11. VVhitak vbi su fol. 58. 58â— VVillet in his Synop. printed anno Domini 1600. contro 20. VVhitak in his ans to M. CaÌ„pians 8. reason l. 8. aduer Duraeum â— Bilson in his serm Of the full redemptioÌ„ c. Hugh Sanford l. 3. de desc Domini nostri ad inferoâ— sâ—â— 91. 92. 93. 94. c. Reynolds in his secoÌ„d conclusion annexed to his confer VVhitak cont 2. qu. â— cap. 3. f. 274. VVhite §. 14. fol. 79. Bancroft in his sermon preea had the 8. of â—â—br 1588. VVillet in finop p. 48 Field in his first book of the Church c. 20. Hook l. â— sect 8. p. 141. l. 2. p. 103. 12â— Couell in his defence art 8. p. 49. 50. 51. 52. Reyn. in his fift conclu VVill. in his medit vpon the 122. psalm Hook l. 5. p. 140. VVill. in sinop anno Domino 160. p. 789. 788. Bils in his suruey of Christ sufferings and of his des to hell Perkins in his treatise of that mattter San. l. 3. de des Domini nos â—nd Whitaker so bitterly inâ—eigh agaynst that Popish assertiâ—â— as Whitaker protesteth it doth not only ouerthrowe the true â—â—t establish a false foundation Willet and Whitaker blasphemously deny the full sufficâ—ency of our Redemption by Christs corâ—â—rall death without his feeling of eternall damnaation M. Bilson confuteth that diuâ—◠〈◊〉 errour and truly teacheth as we do out of the Scriptures Fathers That he fully redeemed vs with his death on the Crosse and neuer felt noâ—â—o much as dreaded any death of foule or â—orrour of damnation how beit Master Sanford laboureth to answere all his arguments raking the former heresy out of hell defendeth it with such impiety as I wonder so detestable a work is permitted in a Christian common wealth 5. It were an infinit labour to recount all their infinit differences For touching the Church Reynoldes Whitaker and White affirme the whole militant Church vpon earth may erre in manners in doctrine in points of fayth Mayster Bancroft holdeth it cannot erre in matters of fayth Willet sayth it is sometymes inuisible Field it is alwayes visible Touching Euangelicall Councells That a man may doe more then he is bound vnder precept is auouched by Mayster Hooker and Doctour Couell reiected by Doctour Reynolds and Mayster Willet as impious and presumptuous Concerning Christ Hooker defendeth he died for all Willet he died not for al but only for the elect Bilson sayth he descended into hell M. Perkins and Mayster Sanford he descended not into the locall place of hell but only into his graue or scpulcher Touching their Mission some wil haue it ordinary some â—xtraordinary one from the people another from the Prince or house of Parlament A third from the Catholike Clergy which they account false and Antichristian Field l. 3. c. 3â— fo 156. 158. c. Barlow in his Sermon preached September 21. 1606. In which kind Field auerreth endeauoureth to proue That Presbiters to wit Priests and not Bishops may in case of necessity ordeyne Presbiters and Deacons and he graunteth many of the reformed Churches namely those of France and others to haue had no other ordination But William Barlow late Bishop of Rochester in his Sermon concerning the antiquity and superiority of Bishops preached before the King at Hampton Court affirmeth and proueth That Neyther the Apostles nor Church of Christ succeeding would admit any other but Bishops to that busines as not iustifiable for Presbiters eyther by reason example or Scriptur Againe he addeth If any of the inferiour rancks vnder Bishops presumed to do it his act was reuersed by the Church for vnlawfull Lastly concerning the Regiment of their Church the consistory of Geneua in the confession of their fayth approued by Caluin and Beza detest the Papisticall hierarchy of the Church of England as vsurped and diabolicall All English Puritans abhorre the same accounting the Protestant Doctour VVhitgift against Cart. Hooker in his book of â—â—polâ—â—y Mason in his 4. bookes 1. King Iam. in his premonitioÌ„ pag. 44. The Auth. of the 12. Arguments
not perceaue to what mischief and dissolution these assertions make way 5. To be briefe your assurance of pardon and A heap of other impietyes which necessarily ensue on the doctrine of ProtestaÌ„ts forgiuenes of sinns frustrateth that petition of our Lords prayer Your inherence of sinne in the soules of the regenerate lesseneth the price and dishonoureth the ransom of Christes precious bloud Your meere imputatiue and outward righteousnesse wrongeth the true righteousnes and iustice of God Your euacuating the merite worthines of workes blasteth the buddes of all vertuous endeauours Your anulling of satisfactions killeth the fruits of wholesome pennance Your deniall of sacrifice prayer for the dead choketh the remembrance and diminisheth the hope of future resurrection your certeinty of saluation rocketh men a sleep in careles security The bondage in which you enthrall the reprobate that they How the same taketh away the very Bulwarkâ— of piety bringeth in a dissolutioÌ„ of all good life neyther will nor can belieue throweth them headlonge into the pit of despayre These be the lessons of impurity dishonesty heathenish impiety taught in your schools To which I might score vp sundry moe tending to the like hauocke and corruption of al good manners For you abolish Confession the bridle of vice you neglect restitution the locke of Iustice you renounce prescript fastes watchings haire clots and such lik chastisements of their bodyes the death and extirpation of many vntamed passions Catholik exhortations coÌ„ferred with ProtestaÌ„t You contemne religious vowes of Pouerty Chastity and obedience You admit no tye in conscience of ecclesiasticall and temporall lawes the sinewes of religion the stayes of piety and chiefest rampiers of all well ordered discipline 6. Therefore as we for the establishment of the Psal 35. v. 12. former bulwarkes or fortresses of good life alleage such places of Scripture as exhort hereunto They on the other side produce and misapply diuers passages which seeme 1. Pet. 2. vers 13. Ioel. 2. v. 12. to patronage their libertine gospell We vrge for example Vow you and render your vowes to your Lord God Be subiect to euery humane creature for God whether it be to King as excelling or to rulers as sent by him c. Returne to me in all your harts in fasting and in Coloss 3. v. 5. 1. Corin. 9. weeping and in mourning Mortify your members which are vpon the earth I chastise my body and bring it into seruitude Yf thou wilt be perfect goe sell the thinges that thou hast and giue to the poore and come and follow me There are eunuches which haue gelded themselues for Matth. 19. v. 11. Ibid. v. 12. the Kingdome of heauen The Kingdome of heauen suffereth violence the violent beare it away Thus we 7. They in their priuate conferences publike Sermons inculcate other textes which make shew to the August de virgin cap. 24. interpreteth this gelding of them that vow chastity for the loue of heauen Matth. 11. vers 12. vnlearned of a more pleasant law As VVe are not the children of the bond woman but of the free by the freedome wherewith Christ hath made vs free All thinges are lawfull for me but I wil be brought vnder the power of none Increase and multiply Mariage is honourable in all Let no man iudge you in meate or in drinke or in part of a festiuall day Eate such thinges as are set before you All that is sold in the shambles eate Not that which entreth the mouth defileth a man No man euer hateth his owne flesh but he nourisheth and cherisheth it Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes He by his death passion hath discharged vs from pennance satisfaction or other corporall afflictions as eyther necessary to saluation or pleasing to God So they 8. Yf we goe forward and compare the effects of Gala. 4. v. 31. 1. Cor. 6. vers 12. Gen. 1. v. 821. Hebr. 13. v. 4. Col. 2. v. 16. Luc. 10. v. 8. 1. Cor. 10. v. 25. Matth. 15. v. 11. Ephes 5. vers 29. 1. Ioan. 2 vers 2. these exhortations with the fruites of ours you shall see our soueraygne counsayles moue the inward hartes and The good fruites of Catholike doctrine confroÌ„ted with theÌ„ il weedes of Protestancy mindes of sinners perswade some to admirable conuersions promote others to extraordinary sanctimony to such sorrow for their offences loue of their neighbours peace of minde tranquility of conscience vnion with God contemplation of heauen neglect of earth earthly comforts as they striue to imitate as neere as they can that blessed Apostle who was crucified to the world the world to him Some you shal see before they repaire to vs miserably tormeÌ„ted with the fits of remors with a hel of disquiet after they haue beene instructed in our schooles of perfection Galat. 6. v. 14. alwayes enioy the paradise of rest before tossed with the waues of ambition and after sayling with the calme tide of humility before surfeting with the draffe of vncleanesse and after delighted with the cleere brooks of chastity with the waters of purity Reade these things most eloquently expressed and dilated by Lactantius that Christian or diuine Oratour How much the precepts of God preuayle in the mindes of men dayly experience beareth witnes Giue me a man that is angry a backbiter an vntamed or sauage person and with a few wordes of God I will make him as milde as a lambe Giue Lact. l. 3. de falsa sap c. 26. me a sparing couetous or niggardly fellow and I will restore him vnto thee liberall and distributing his money with a bountifull hand Giue me one fearefull of death thrinking at payne and he shall presently contemne both crosses fires and all danger c. Giue me a leacherous wanton an adulterer a Russian and by and by thou shalt see him sober chast continent Giue me a cruell miscreant a sucker of bloud â—nd his sury shal be turned within a while into vnfaygned clemency Hitherto he Cast your eyes abroad and you shall see â—his sentence of Lactantius verifyed in many viciâ—us liuers recouered from their naughty courses In maâ—y reâ—chles sinners become vnmatcheable Saints In diâ—ers others who without any note of former infamy â—aue arriued to the height of such eminent sanctity as â—hey haue beene eyther enobled by God with extraordiâ—y miracles or canonized by the Church with solemne â—riumphes for their singuler vertue 9. Looke backe vpon the bande of Protestants 〈…〉 â—eedes which spring froÌ„ the fayth of Protestants no such men can you single forth some they haue I will not deny who liue among them moral good liues as many Pelagian heretikes and heathenish Philosophers haue done heretofore yet none haue euer deserued any speciall renowne not any Plebeian or Superintendent of theirs whose life for sanctity hath beene worthy the printe Calu. l. de scanda qui habetur inter eius
appeare at the Assizes and Sessions in England professe your selfe a Catholike Will they not all iudge you a Roman Catholike And are they not also often forced for distinction sake to stile vs by that name Aug. de vera relig cap. 7. Aug. con ep fund c. 4. because they could not otherwise be vnderstood as S. Austine saith especially when they discourse with straungers who are vnaquainted with the nicknames they impose vpon vs and therefore the same Saint Augustine noteth it in another place as a secret and hidden iudgement of God That whereas all heretikes would haue themselues called Catholikes yet to Sleidan lib. 7. fo 96. Fox Acts and monu pag. 613. Iacob inhis reasons p. 5. 24. Fulke in act â—1 sect 4. Humf. in vita Iuelli pag. 102. a straunger demaunding where a man might repayre to the Catholike assembly none of the heretikes dare shew their owne conuenticles or meeting place Trauaile through the free state of Germany where our Religion and Protestants are publikly permitted propound this question to the Lutherans Zuinglians or Caluinists there aske where the Catholikes meete at seruice And they will point you to our Churches And not only in priuate talke but in publike writings discourses some of our sectaryes attribute vnto vs the priuiledge of this name as Sleidan M. Fox and M. Iacob often doe Doctour Fulke termeth it a vayne sound Doctour Humfery scornfully disgraceth it Others vtterly renouÌ„ce discard it as certayn Lutherans did at the Synode holden In col Altemberg in resp ad accus corr fol. 154. at Altemberge who wheÌ„ their aduersaries obiected a saying of Luther agaynst them in which the word Catholike was found they reiected it as counterfeit saying These wordes Catholikely vnderstood sauournot of Luthers stile 7. And M. Abbot now supposed Bishop of Sarisbury The name of Catholike was an honourable name and the Abbot in his answer to Doctour Bishopsep to the King fol. 16. and 17. peculiar title of the children of the Church but now by their abuse who haue vniustly taken that name vnto themselues it is become a name of course and shame with the people of God and the proper badge of Apostatas heretikes c. Then he denyeth it sectmates and attributeth vnto vs that literall name saying Let them haue the shell so that we haue the kernell Let them vaunt themselues of the empty letter so long as we haue the true vertue and signification of the name But of the signification hereafter in the insewing Chapter Here it appeareth by his renuntiation and flat deposition That we of the Roman profession and only we are commonly designed by the name Catholike We only enioy the liuely badge and are inuested with the liuery of the true professours of Christ Neyther can M. Abbot or M. Whitaker dismantle vs of that royalty by VVhitak contr â— q. 5. ca. 2 fol. 295. Abbot loco citato saying Names may be falsly imposed to things or vniustly vsurped For this name is not imposed by man not vsurped by abuse but imparted by God inspired by the holy Ghost as I haue proued aboue who cannot apparell vs with any faygned attire nor can the diuell take from Gods people their cognizance or nobilitate his vassalls with the colours of Christ But such hath beene the diuine prouidence in preseruing the honour of this title to his Beloued spouse as there was neuer any schismaticall or hereticall assembly commonly called or stiled Catholike neuer any people generally of all parties knowne by that name who were not indeed the true flocke of Christ Heretikes quoth Fulke could neuer obtayne to be so called by true Fulk in lo. citato Christians Wherefore seeing Protestants for the most part and all others Christians yea Iewes and infidells discerne vs by this marke we are the true followers beleeuers in Christ 8. Fulke Field and Whitaker obiect agayne that Fulke ibid. Field l. 2. c. 9. VVhitak contr 2. q. 5. cap. 2. Field ibid. folio 58. we are also called by seuerall names Some Benedictins Franciscans Dominicans c. some Thomists Scotists and the like I answere these names import not any difference in matters of fayth as Field testifyeth with me but in order of life in courses as he saith of monasticall profession or in questionable matters not defined by the Church in controuersies of religion to vse his wordes not yet determined by the consent of the whole vniuersall Church Yf the spirit of modesty if the spirit of truth guided his pen to answere this in our behalfe imagine with your selues what spirit of giddines what spirit of contradiction incensed his hart to controule his owne speach and calumniate vs without a cause For as in the old law some were called Rechabites Iare 35. 2. 5. 6. Num. 6. 2. 5. 13. some Nazarites so now we may haue diuers names as long as they argue not the least chaunge or innouation in any necessary point of beliefe which none of the former doe related by M. Field nor any other by which he and his associates scornfully miscall vs. For the name Papist designeth not any particuler man or new manner of beliefe but only our submission and adhereÌ„ce to the Pope our head The name Romanist so rife in the pen of M. Field declareth the chiefe Citty or seate of his residence and our communion with it Both which haue euer beene speciall tokens of faythfull Christians Whereupon Saint Augustine sayd of Cecilian that he needed Aug. ep 162. not seare the conspiring multitude of African Bishops as longe as he communicated with Melchiades the Pope And Optatus to omit Optatus l. 2. contra Parme. Saint Ierome whose wordes I recited in another place maynteyning league with Siricius the Pope with whom the whole world as he sayth was vnited cassiereth the Donatistes out of the number of Catholikes because they communicated not with the Roman Church Why our sectaries are called ProtestaÌ„ts 9. But as the very nicknames our enemyes deuise to disgrace vs plainly bewray both the equity of our cause and truth of our religion So all the titles we giue vnto them and such as they arrogate to themselues burne them in the forhead with the print of heresy For some we call Sacramentaryes for denying the truth of Christes presence in the Sacrament Others Caluinistes After what manner they may be fitly tearmed Ghopellers others Lutherans of the innouation and chaunge which Luther and Caluin first inuented in matters of fayth Protestants and Gospellers they all tearme themselues because they ioyned togeather to make open protestation agaynst the whole body of Christendome in the Councell of Trent Gospellers because they pretend though falsly as other heretikes are wont to follow the gospell and pure word of God Yet in a contrary sense they may enioy the outward splendour of that empty name in that they offer violence to the gospell in writhing it to their phansies
to the presumption Seneca ep 118. or opinion of all men and it is with vs a great argument of truth that it hath beene liked of all Pliny likewise in his panegyticall oration to Traian hath recorded this notable sentence Better are all belieued then each particular all Plinius in pa. ad Traianump 125. Melius oÌ„nibus quaÌ„ singulis creditur singuli oÌ„nes decipere decipi possuÌ„t nemo omnes â—eminem oÌ„nes fefellerunt Aug. lib. l. 22. de ciui Dei cap. 8. magnum est ipse prodigium qui mundo credente non credit Great rashnes in Protestants to belieue one man agaynst al men Luther Pres l. de abrog missa priuata And the like he hath tom 4 annot breuis Item tom 5. in Gala. particular men may deceaue and be deceaued No man hath deceaued all men all men haue not deceaued any man Whereupon S. Augustine despiseth him as a strange and monstruous wonder who the world belieuing belieueth not Strange people then not to speake more hardly of them strange people are the Protestants of our age who will not belieue the articles of our fayth which all the Christian world excepting their little handfull constantly beleeueth and for this thousand yeares by their owne confession haue vnuariably perseuered in the same beliefe 8. Yf all men neuer beguiled any and yet if each particular maÌ„ may beguile be beguiled how can Protestants belieue aright who credited one Luther for there was not any other of his Religion when he first beganne agaynst all the world One man that might deceaue them agaynst al men that could not deceaue them With this opposition of al men Luther at the first was so much troubled as he testifyeth of himselfe How often did my treÌ„bling hart pant within me and reprehending me obiect against me that most stronge argument Art thou only wise Doe so many worldes erre VVere so many agesignorant VVhat if you thou errest Fulke in c. 5 Math. sect 3. 2. ad Thessa 2. sect 4. 5. VVhitak contro 2. q. 2. ca. 2. 3. cap. 3. q. 5. cap. 3. Field in his 2. book c. 8. and drawest so many into errour to be damned with thee euerlastingly So Luther with the same singularity of themselues generall contradictioÌ„ of others his followers were much daunted at the beginning But since hauing somewhat increased their number they eyther answere that truth doth not consist in multitude and largenes of extent or that they haue many others besides themselues of their fayth and religion dispersed throughout the world who although they be hidden from the eyes of men are notwithstanding well known to God or to the Fathers who often inculcat the large dominion of Christs flock they reply that the Church did perspicuously flourish Aug l. de vtil cred con Ep. Fund l. 1. contra lul l. 3. con Crescon c. 66. l. item 4. cap. 53. euery where was visibly spread thoughout all nations in Saint Augustines Saint Ierome and Optatus dayes but afterward it fayled at least froÌ„ being manifest publikely known These are the common shiftes of M. Fulke M. Whitaker and M. Field our moderne Protestants and these were the trickes of auncient heretikes including the former arguments 9. To the first therefore I answere that not euery multitude but an holy learned famous Matth. 8. longe continued and vnited multitude of all nations in supernaturall pointes of fayth this is an euident Apoca. 7. token of the true Church as Saint Augustine vrgeth Aug. loco citato l. 2. cont aduers leg Prophet c. vltimo agaynst the Donatistes Manichees and other heretikes VVho pretended that truth was often among a few and that it was the fault of many to erre This was the obiection of Cresconius the Grammarian agaynst whome he proueth by the many who shall come from the east and west and repose with Abraham in the Kingdome of heauen By that great and innumerable multitude which Saint Iohn describeth of all nations tribes people and tongues standing before the throne that multitude is no hinderance to truth and yet he often affirmeth That to vaunt and glory in paucity of followers is the the property of heretikes and a signe of falshood 10. Their second euasion that they haue many hidden ghospellers in all Countryes knowne to God is Augustine libro de ouibus cap. 10. ridiculous and absurd as Saint Augustine tearmeth it to humansense For how shall we belieue they haue any such vnlesse they be seene and mentioned by some men Or how should their Vniuersality be a marke of the true Church if they be not knowen nor marked by any Then Saint Augustine declareth that the vniuersall Church of which the Scriptures speake is apparantly seene and knowne to the world Reade his explication vpon that verse of the Psaâ—mist Be exalted aboue the heauens O God and thy glory vpon all the earth O hereticall madnes sayth Psal 56. Aug. tom 8. in ps 56. he that which thou seest not thou belieuest with me that which thou seest thou denâ—est thou belieuest with me Christ exalted aboue all the heauens which we do not see and thou deniest his glory vpon all the earth which we do see Marke these wordes which we do see Therefore the splendour of the Church is visible and Aug. libro vnitate Ec. cap. 8. conspicuous euery where In another place From whence quoth he is his glory vpon all the earth but because his Church is ouer all the earth Immediatly after he presseth his aduersaryes VVVhy do you preach Christ exalted aboue the heauens and doe not communicate with his glory vpon all the earth Whereupon it followeth that if our Ghospellers had any such latent Protestants in other Countryes as they fayne who agreed with them in their beliefe yet that were not inough to make their Church vniuersall vnlesse they had some other communication or society togeather because for want of this alone Saint Augustine excludeth Petilian al other Donatistes froÌ„ being members of the Church First of him he sayth I obiect vnto thee the cryme of schisme Aug. libro 2. contra Fetil c. 16. which thou wilt deny but I will instantly proue it For thou doest not communicate with all nations Then he cassiereth the rest and bindeth Catholikes in the vnity of the Church saying VVe holde the inheritance of Christ they holde it not For they do not communicate with the whole worlde they do not communicate with the vniuersality redeemed by the bloud of our Lord we are secure of his inheritance 11. Their last retrayte vsed by Mayster Field and often iterated by M. Whitker That the Church in Field in his 2. booke of the Church chapter 8. VVhitak contro 2. q. 2 cap 2. Ibidem q. 3. cap. 1. q. 5. cap 4 5 Saint Augustines and the rest of those Fathers dayes was in her growth Now in her declining Then flourishing in all partes
Truth But when God by the Scriptures reuealed it vnto them they both preached it themselues commended it to posterity So that the thinges reuealed vnto them in Scripture was all the Our Ghospellers haue no certayne rule to know their reuelation froÌ„ Scripture to be true warrant they had to preach such Protestant articles as they now maynteyne contrary to the approued doctrin of the Church 25. But I inquire of M. Mason what reuelation it was they had from Scripture Was it the priuate interpretation they made thereof That is fallible and subiect to errour That reuelation euery heretique challengeth and with as much reason maynteyneth it as any Protestant doth his Was it as others pretend the publique voyce of God which spake in Scripture But this In the first part of the Antidote in the first second chapter is a meere collusion of words to beguile the simple For the voyce of God speaking in Scripture is nothing els but the very text of Scripture the wordes and sentences vttered in Scripture as I haue elsewhere often declared Was it their industry labour in conferring reading finding out the true sense of Scripture But this industry was also deceauable as I haue inuincibly demonstrated Our Ghospellers haue not the true Christian fayth concerning any article whatsoeuer in the first controuersy of my Antidote Therefore Protestantes could haue no reuelation from Scripture wherreby they might be infallibly certayn which is necessary to sayth of the truth they deliuered Yea although they should haue lighted vpon the true meaning of some essentiall article of beliefe yet that article so taught and belieued because they so interprete that place of Scripture was not any article of Christian fayth not that diuine fayth which we are commanded to imbrace but a meere humane verity a humane fayth The reason is In the 9. chapter of this third part because the thing belieued causeth not fayth but the infallible motiue for which we belieue it that motiue in Protestants is altogeather fallible as hath been elswhere more largely conuinced Therefore the reuealed truth Luther in expo Ep. ad Galat. cap. 1. folio 215. printed ad VVittemberge by Ioan. Luâ—â— 1954. which they belieue is also fallible 26. Besides Truth reuealed to Protestants in holy Scripture is not sufficient for their Legantine power vnles the legacy also or charge of preaching be coÌ„mitted vnto them It is not inough sayth Luther their chiefe Patriarch for a man to haue the word and purity of doctrine but also he must be assured of his calling not of his calling oÌ„ly to Prieststood by the shell as you tearme it of succession or ceremony of ordination but of his calling and commission giuen to preach and recommend vnto posterity the kernell of Luther ibidem folio 276. doctrine This Mission this vocation he must also haue and that from men or els although thou wert as Luther sayth wiser then Salomon wiser then Daniell if thou be not called more then hell beware thou cast not out a word And many leaues Ierom. 23. v. 21. after he protesteth of himselfe that although he could deliuer soules from errour and damnation by his holesome doctrine yet he ought to commit the matter to God and not to preach Ezech. 13. v. 6. vnlesse he be called by men For such as do otherwise he tearmeth them impostors miscarryed not with a good but a wicked spirit They are those of whome Ieremy and Ezechiell fore warned vs I sent not the Prophets and they ranne I spake not vnto them they prophesied They see vayne thinges and they diuine lyes saying our Lord sayth whereas our Lord sent them not 27. Therefore albeit we should suppose that these new Gospellers had as Mayster Mason insinuateth power from vs to preach truth which notwithstanding is most false yet when they beganne to preach other doctrine then was deliuered vnto them other then was put into their mouthes by their predecessours therein they lost their calling ranne of themselues preached of themselues not sent from God with extraordinary miracles nor yet from men with ordinary commission to publish that fayth For as he who hath authority Aâ— Ambassadourâ— who alter the legacy of their Prince are not therein to be tearmed his Ambassadours no more can ProtestaÌ„ts be sayd to be sent to alter the coÌ„mission of those that sent them Optatus l. 2. contra Parmen from his Kinge to deliuer an Embassage if he alter or change the Massage of his Prince he cannot therein be truly sayd to be his legate or Ambassadour especially if the King recall or countermaunde whatsoeuer he proposeth contrary to his minde No more can Protestant Ministers though rightly ordered and lawfully called maynteyne their calling or vocation to preach any other truth then such as was commended vnto them much lesse if our Bishops reuerse their commission contradict their doctrine labour by al meanes vtterly to suppresse it For who doubteth but that such as haue power to communicate haue power also to reuoke moderate and restreyne the authority which they giue And whosoeuer persisteth after the reuocation or whosoeuer altereth the tenour of his commission he runneth not sent he prophesieth that which our Lord neuer sayd nor any of his seruants deliuered vnto him he is therein as Optatus wittily iesteth at Victor the Donaeist A sonne without a Father a Nouice without an instructour disciple without a mayster follower without a predecessour prodigiously borne a preacher of himselfe teaching a lesson which he neuer learned of any before For to go backe and say with M. Mason that God by Scriptures reuealed it vnto him is no authenticall or sufficient calling because generally all heretiques boast of the like reuelation all pretend their Mission and calling by Scripture That the Donatistes the Circumcellians the Arians arrogated and had as good warrant God leaueth not Scripture to euery ones priuat exposition but to the interpretation only of his Church for the true meaning of Scripture as any Protestant hath for his exposition Wherefore to auoyd the confusion occasions of errour which might ensue of leauing the Scripture to the particuler interpretations of priuat men it pleaseth God to vnfold the true sense meaning of his will to the publike Pastours preachers of his Church to them he infallibly deliuereth the inheritance of truth of them only we must seeke it to them we are bound to repayre to haue it opened vnto vs from them alone we can haue our vocation to preach it Otherwise euery mad and fanaticall spirit might fondly deuise as Protestants doe what constructions what reuelations he list 28. This reason Iohn Caluin the chiefe Architect of M. Masons religion assigneth why God teacheth not eyther by himselfe or by Angells but by the voyce and Caluin in c. 59. Isa speach of men This order quoth he God hath setled in his Church that they may vaunt themselues in
designed by the mouth of our Lord from whence it is to beginne and how farre it is to be dilated it is to beginne at Ierusalem and to be dilated into all nations Where he often sayth it shal perseuere Ibidem c. 5. vntill the end of the world This marke is distinct from those which I haue explaned heretofore because I speake not here of the vniuersall being of the Church but of the manner how it came to be in all nations 〈◊〉 of the successiue line of pastorall doctrine but of the order how it also continued for euer 2. After which sort it is to be reduced to the precedent note of Apostolicall succession and such Churches as are thus deriued from those which the Apostles planted Tertull. in praes cont haer may be truly called as Tertullian affirmeth Apostolicall Churches But the Church of Rome only can shew how it beganne at Ierusalem how it grew and spread it selfe into all nations how it still perseuereth whole and entire in all the pointes of fayth she first sucked from the Apostles The Apostolicall fayth is to be knoweÌ„ not by the priuat expositions which now are deuised but by the generall interpretations of Scripture which haue been deliuered froÌ„ tyme to tyme. breastes Therefore she alone is the vndoubted spouse of Iesus Christ For we doe not here intrude our selues to the Apostles tymes and lay clayme as Protestants and other heretikes falsly doe to the Apostolicall faith but to the preaching propagatioÌ„ continuance of that fayth not to the new interpretatioÌ„s which now are made of the written word but to the receaued expositions which from tyme to tyme from country to country from Iury to Rome from Rome to all nations haue beene infallibly gathered and faythfully deliuered out of that sacred word Of this our sectaryes are so destitute as they had not any Priest or Bishop Clark of layman woman or childe in the whole world who preached vnto Luther their first beginner and deliuered vnto him or any other of his consorts their Protestant doctrin Therfore Mayster Mason retire to as you haue heard to the reuelation of Scripture made in England to Cranmer Latimer Ridley and their fellowes others to the like reuelations made to Luther at wittemberge to Caluin at Geneua Mason l. 1. chap. 2. fol. 11. to Oecolampadius at Basil from thence they deriue the propagation or reuiuall of their Gospell which lay dead before for many ages And that which Saint Augustine Aug. l. de vnit Eccl. cap. 17. condemned in the Donatists of no lesse then blasphemy to wit that the good seede of heauenly truth which was sowed by the Apostles and Apostolicall men in all the world and which was there to grow vntill the haruest should haue perished out of those places and be sowed a new out of Africa This I say which he accounted in them a most detestable blasphemy is reuiued again by our late Sectaries who as wretchedly dreame that the same seede was decayed in their dayes or couered at least froÌ„ the view of the world that it had not any publike Pastours to preserue it Doctours to water it preachers to sow it but it must be sowed a new by Cranmer out of England by Luther out of Wittemberge out of Geneua by Caluin whose folly I impugne with Saint Augustines wordes For as his enemyes furnish our Sectaryes with obiections so he armeth vs with irresistable answeres Let them sayth he search the Scriptures and agaynst so many testimonyes which proclayme the Church of Christ to be spread ouer all the world let them Aug. de vnit eccl c. 4. bring but one as certayne and manifest as those by which they demonstrate the Church of Christ to haue perished out of other nations and only to haue remayned in Africa as though it should haue another beginning not from Ierusaelem but from Carthage where first they set vp a Bishop agaynst a Bishop Or as we may apply it to our purpose VVhitak cont 2. q. 5. cap. 1. The Apology of the English Church pa. 4. chap. 4. Caluin libro 4. instit 1. c. 7. §. 24. Fox acts and mon. pag. 400. and pag. 402. Oecolampadius vpon his tomb at Basill is called Euangelicae doctrinae Author primus Buâ—er â—â— An. 36. ad Episco Hereford calleth Luther primum Apostolum purioris â—uangelij Ioachim Camera fratrum orthodoxae Eccles pag. 161. calleth â—uther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from England from Wittemberge from Geneua where by Bishops of Priestes lately sprunge vp are scattered abroad new seedes of beliefe contrary to the sowinges of all other Bishops and Priestes In so much as their owne followers attribute vnto them The Restauration The Bringing to light The first Beginning or Rebudding of the Gospell The Reedification of the desolate ruines of Religion The Opening of a veyne longe hid before The Rising of aebeame of truth then vnknowne and vnheard They call them the first Authours first Maysters first restorers first Apostles of their euangelicall strange â—â—d new reformed doctrine For themselues also entitle it new â—â—d strange And another of their fauourites auerreth that â—uther receaued not his fayth eyther froÌ„ Husse or Wickâ—iffe but was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instructed of himselfe by the help no doubt aâ— he imâ—gâ—â—ed of holy Scripture A playne demonstration that the Protestant fayth is not that which beginning first at Ierusalem was diffused ouer the world and from Pastour to Pastour descended by the Apostles prescribed way of preaching vnto them Now let vs see whether this property belonge not to the Roman Church 3. Our aduersaries cannot deny but that the ChristiaÌ„ faith first preached at Rome came from Ierusalem eyther by Saint Peter as the whole clowd of Fathers and greatest torrent of Protestants beare witnes or at least by S. Paul who continued the same preaching and was there vnder Nero crowned with martyrdome Likewise that the same fayth was propagated into all Nations the Apostle also testifieth saying to the Romans Your fayth is renowned Rom. 1. v. 8. in the whole world and Saint Irenaeus calling it the greatest and most auncient Church of Rome knowne to all the world as founded by the two most glorious Apostles Peter and Paul addeth Irenaeus l. 3. c. 3. adu haeres immediatly after that vnto this Church in respect of her more mighty principality it is necessary that all Churches agree and haue accesse that is to say all faythfull people wheresoeuer they liue In which Church the tradition that hath descended from the Apostles VVhitak in his ans to Doctor Sanders 2. demonst Fulke in c. 22. Thessa sect 7. Reynolds in his 5. conclus hath euer beene kept by those that liue in any place of the world Fot this cause our aduersaryes confesse that it was our mother Church a most pure excellent and flourishing Church And so continued for some few ages But since say they it is degenerated into a
he then Constantine the Emperour gaue to the sayd Pope Siluester the towne of Rome and gaue vnto him the triple Crowne to be crowned therewith in token that he made him supreme head ouer all the Churches in Asia Africa and Europe as his gift conteyned in the decrees distin 96. For the like challenge of supremacy Zosimus Leo Gregory and Boniface are accused as the destroyers of the Church and first vsurpers according to Protestants of that vniuersall and Antichristian dominion Howbeit I haue apparantly conuinced in the second booke of my Antidote That the Supremacy was neyther giuen by Emperours eyther by Constantine to Saint Siluester or Phocas the Emperour to Boniface the third nor yet vsurped by Zosimus Leo Gregory or any other but that it was imparted immediatly from God to S. Peter and made hereditary to his Successours Which Constantine the Great plainly coÌ„fesseth in the very deed of gift or Charter of donation which he madâ— when resigning to the Pope the Citty of Rome Italy the westerne Prouinces In ipso Edicto donationis quod habetur Tomo 1. Concil fo 296. apud Binium Quoniam vbi principatus sacerdotum Christianae religionis caput ab Imperatore caelesti iustum non est vt illic Imperator terrenus habeat potestatem he departed to Constantinople Because sayd he Where by the heauenly Emperour the principality of Priests head of Christian Religion is placed it is not meete the earthly Emperour should beare any sway Therefore not the spirituall dignity or supreme headship which Constantine a little before deduceth out of the wordes of our Sauiour spoken to Peter whome he there calleth the Vicar of Christ but the temporall territories landes and reuenues were the endowments of the Roman Sea which he bestowed vpon S. Siluester 7. And the very Centuristes testify that before CoÌ„stantine the great the supremacy of Peter consequently of his successours was acknowledged by Tertullian of whome they write Tertullian doth seeme not without errour to thinke that the keyes of the Church were only giuen to Peter and that the Church was built vpon him They blame also S. Cyprian for affirming that the Roman Church is the Chayre of Peter from which all the vnity of Priesthood proceedeth Likewise Cyprian say they hath diuers other perilous opinions about this matter as for example that he tieth the office of true Pastorship to ordinary succession A little before they accuse him and three other Fathers of his tyme saying Cyprianus Maximus Vrbanus and Salonius doe thinke that one Bishop must be in the Catholike Church to wit one chiefe as head of the rest All these flourished before the dayes of Constantine So did Origen and Hipolitus Matth. 16. versus 18. 19. Martyr who subscribed to the primacy of one supreme Pastour Agayne if S. Siluester were the first Prelate by whome beganne as M. Napper blattereth the horrible detestable Kingdom of Antichrist the first general CouÌ„cel Centur. 3. c. 4. col 84. of Nice authorized in England by Act of Parlament in which he presided by his legats Hosius Vitus Vincentius which he after ratifyed and confirmed did fauour and Ibidem col 84. 85. vphold his Antichristian tyrranny If Zozimus were the man S. Austine was a limne of Antichrist who notwithstanding he was Bishop of Africa obeyed his iniunction Origen ho. 5. in Exod. ho. 7. in Lucam Hiâ—ol in ora deconsum mundi Napper p. 67 Cedrenus in compend histo Photius libro de 7. concilijs Damasus in Pont August Epist 157. of necessity as comming from his superiour The African Bishops likewise ouer whome our aduersaryes accuse him of encroachment for challenging the right Prosper Con. collat cap. 41. of appellations euen they I say were abettours of Antichrist to whose decrees Pope Zozimus as Prosper writeth added the authority or strength of his sentence and to the cutting of the wicked with the sword of Peter armed the right handes of all other Prosper in chronicis Prelates A Councell held at Carthage of 217. Bishops and the whole worlde did partake with Antichrist for that Councell sent vnto Zozimus their synodicall decrees CoÌ„cil CalcedoÌ„ in relation ad Leonem quae habetur Tomo 2. Conci act 16. paâ— 139. apud Binium Leo Sermo 2. in anniassuÌ„p sâ—u which being approued sayth Prosper throughout the whole world the Pelagian heresy was condemned 8. Yf Leo were the first by whome the Church was ruined and throne of Antichrist aduaunced why doe Protestants allow of the Oecumenicall sacred Councell of Chalcedon Which three tymes gaue him the title of holy acknowledged him their head and themselues his members humbly supplicated vnto him to ratify and confirme their Canons How doth Leo write thus of himselfe VVhen our exhortations are sounded forth in the eares of your Sanctity imagine him to wit S. Peter whose person we represent to speake vnto you because with his loue and affection we admonish Libro 1. ep 1. libro 6. ep 19. libro 1. ep 76. l. 4. ep 33. libro 7. iud 2. ep 2. l. 7. ep 32. l. 1. ep 72. 75. l 11. ep 50. 53. l. 7. indic 2. ep 112. libro ep 15. libro 9. indict 4. ep 61 l. 4. ep 15. 50. 55. libro 1. ep 19. l. 4. epist 9. you and we preach no other thing vnto you then that which he taught With what face could he haue deliuered this in such a publike assembly if he had coyned any new Gospell or taught any other doctrin then that which was preached by S. Peter But if S. Gregory as most Protestants accord was the last good and first Antichristian Pope then in his dayes some monstrous innouation was brought not only into the Roman diocesses but into al the Prouinces and Churches of Christendome which communicated with him as appeareth out of his Epistles to the Bishops of all countryes of Sicily Corsira Sardinia Africa Numidia Hispania Gallia Anglia Hibernia Grecia Dalmatia ouer whome he exercised the soueraygnty of his supreme iurisdiction yet he innouated nothing therin nor deliuered any other new doctrine not taught before as I demonstrate 1. By all these and other Bishops of his age who neuer appeached S. Gregory of any vsurpation of right or nouelty in doctrine to which they would either haue opposed themselues or haue complayned of it or would haue mentioned it at least 2. By S. Gregory himselfe who findeth no fault with any of his Roman predecessors for want of challenging their due or for not agreeing with him in all pointes of fayth as Protestants euery where reprehend and taske their auncestours with variance from them in sundry assertions 3. By diuers learned Fathers of the precedent ages out of whose writings I haue already among my Thirty Controuersyes cleerly proued and out of Scriptures also deduced euery article of importance of which our Gospellers attach S. Gregory 4. By the Magdeburgian and other Protestants
who confesse the like pointes of doctrine to haue beene mayntayned in those former centuryes 5. By the communication he held with all nations to which he neyther prescribed any new fayth nor did they obiect any new thinge ordeyned or deliuered by him 6. By his reprehension of Iohn the Patriarch of Constantinople for challenging the title of Vniuersall Bishop which if himselfe had also vsurped he would neuer haue beene so bolde to controule in his competitor Or if he had beene so bolde some or other woulde In 6. synod act 4. haue blamed him for it 7. By the subsequent age in which the sixt generall synode was celebrated whereunto both the casterne and westerne Bishops assembled the legates The wordes of Pope Agatho his Epistle for the integrity of the RomaÌ„ sayth of Pope Agatho the Patriarches of Constantinople Alexandria and Antioch eyther by themselues or by their substitutes who vniformely condemned the new deuised opinion of Macharius concerning the vnity of Christes wills and operations In S. Gregory in the Roman Church no nouelty was reprehended but â—â— Epistle of Pope Agatho was publikely read in the presence of the Emperour the rest of the Bishops wherin he protested of the Roman Church that it hath neuer byn found through the grace of God to haue strayed from the path of Apostolicall tradition And no man neyther of the Greek or Latine Church no not so much as Macharius himselfe excepted agaynst it although it would haue weakned the authority of Pope Agatho and auayled him much if any such ranker of corruption had crept into the Apostolicall sea Nay that very Epistle was after approued by the whole CouÌ„cell Ibidem act 8. which they would neuer haue done if S. Gregory could haue been touched with any superstitious or new broached doctrine 9. The same argument with most of the former coÌ„uince the like in the behalfe of Boniface the third who liued many yeares before Pope Agatho and before this Epistle of his was generally allowed Lastly if S. Gregory or Boniface the third with the rest that followed be as Humfrey Fulke Whitaker all Protestants coÌ„moÌ„ly Humfrey Fulke and VVhitak in the place before cited depose meere Antichrists and such as depended of them Antichristian prelates what doe they thinke of the definitions made and men condemned by Agatho and his adherents in that 6. general synod of 289. Bishops which was celebrated in the age of our Redemption 681. aboue 20. yeares after Boniface his decease agaynst Macharius Sergius and the rest of the Monothelites who faygned one will and operation in Christ What I say doe Protestants thinke first of the men were they heretikes For disobeying the sentence of Antichrist and his impes Then of the contrary doctrine there defined to wit That as Christ hath two seuerall natures so two seuerall wills and operations I aske them whether they imbrace this as the orthodoxall Apostolicall fayth or renouÌ„ce it with the Monothelites as diabolicall and AntichristiaÌ„ doctrine Is it Antichristian Auaunt then and raunge your selues with those Hellish catyffes who by coÌ„founding the wills abolish the natures extinguish the merits destroy the incarnation and frustrate the redemption of the sonne of God Is it the orthodoxall Christian fayth How was it then decreed and maynteyned by the Prelates of Antichrist Euery Kingdome as our Sauiour in like case reasoned agaynst the Iewes deuided agaynst it Luc. 11. vs 17. selfe shal be made desolate and house vpon house shall fall and if Satan also be deuided agaynst himselfe how shall his Kingdome stand So if Antichrist and his whole army fight agaynst themselues if they vphold the truth of Christ and so maynly persecute and extirpate their owne errours how shall they stand How shall they be aduaunced and extolled agaynst God Was this a repugnant reason to shew that our blessed Redeemer did not in Beelsebub the Prince of diuells Ibidem v. 15. 28. cast forth diuells But in the fingar of God whose Kingdome he preached And is it not as forcible to proue that Antichrist by his owne mouth neuer condemned his Antichristian doctrine neuer defined the true Christian faith but that it was the fingar of God the voyce of the holy Ghost which spake in his Church was deliuered by his true Pastours in that sacred holy and diuine assembly What can Protestants answere to this inuincible argument Will they neyther ioyne with the Monothelites nor yet admit that Oecumenicall Councell to be the mysticall body true spouse of Christ They must then finde out some other Church in that age some other preachers besides those of whome both East and West Greekes and Latines the whole Christian world neuer had any inkling before 10. But although they haue nothing heere to reply yet let vs heare what they say to the former interrogatory of the Roman Churches decay when and by whome it fell out Whitaker answereth It belongeth not to vs to count the tymes and moments in what yeare or day that defection VVhitak contro 2. q 3. c. 1. folio 184. Ibidem contro 2. q. 5. c. 3. fo 312. Powell in his consideratioÌ„ of the Papists suplica pa. 43. beganne And then VVe cannot name any certeyne yeare in which their Church beganne to be chaunged Which Mayster Powell also confesseth with him Therefore we may well conclude that it neuer chaunged or altered her beliefe because it could not be that a Church vniuersally spread famously knowne which had the eyes of all men cast vpon her enemyes on euery side to pry into her all sortes of nations consorting with her innumerable authours writing of her should change her fayth her Religion her worship of God which are of all things most remarkeable and no man to perceaue that strange reuolution The tyme is knowne the persons are named the heresies recorded by which all other Patriarch aâ— seas haue beene 〈◊〉 in eleâ—â—be verbo Macedoniani corrupted with errour For example in the yeare of out Lord 359. Macedonius defiled the seâ— of Constantinople with impugning the diuinity of the holy Ghost About the same tyme Georgius Cappadox intruded into the sea of Athanasius prophaned with Arianisme and many Nicepho Calli. hist Eccle. l. 9. other sacrileges the Church of Alexandria In the yeare of our Redemption 273. Paulus Samosetanus stayned the sea of Antioch with the blasphemy of the Ebionites affirming our Sauiour to haue taken his beginning Aug. I 'de haer from the Virgins wombe and not to haue descended at all from heauen with the heresy also of Sabellius as Epiphanius Epiphanius baer 65. Euseb l. 7. c. 22. 24. leron ep 61. ad PaÌ„mach Ier. in chronic writeth Iohn the Patriach of Ierusalem second of that name infected his sea about the yeare of our Lord 386. with the errours of Origen which had been before about the yeare of our RedemptioÌ„ 351. inuaded polluted also by the Arians 11. Besides we