fault as meriteth the losse therof much more the church of Rome being the most honorable congregation of Christendome ought to hold her due estimation and credit and enioy all her priviledges vntill it bee lawfully proved that it hath iustlie deserved to bee deprived of them for in dubijs mel or est conditio possidentis In all doubtfull causes shee that is and hath been fifteen hundreth yeres in possession is to keepe it still I grant that when S. Austin either defended the honour of the church of Rome or magnified the society and communion with it did thervnto ioyne some other church But the mention of them not being to our present purpose what reason had I to recite that which was needlesse when as every man knowes that aswell as then so now whosoever shall recōcile himself to the church of Rome hee shall therby reenter into communion with all other Catholike churches throughout the whole world And wheras M. Abbot would haue his credulous reader suppose that S. Austin made no more reckoning of the church of Rome then hee did of any others That is flat contrary to that which S. Austin setteth downe in the very same place who to prevent that Cavill doth enterlace this Parenthesis in the honour of the church of Rome where alwaies florished the primacie of the Apostolicall chaire And in his Epistle 165. being to giue an instāce of the perpetuall successiō of pastors in the church maketh choice of the church of Rome as of the better assured and more safe and sound there doth intimate that the Bishops of Rome though they might liue amisse yet should never faile to instruct aright all that seeke vnto them for resolutions of their doubts in matter of faith wherfore M. Abbot if hee will giue credit vnto that most holy and learned Doctor whom aswell protestants as wee do esteeme for one of the soundest recorders of antiquity hee must needs yeeld vnto the church of Rome both that it is the principall of all the rest and that it shall for ever continue the most assured Oracle of the holy Catholike faith which if hee refuse to do hee leaueth apparent proofe vnto all the world that hee had rather with the Donatists raile at her and revile her then with S. Augustine and other holy prelats extoll and magnify the primacy of that Apostolicall chaire and defend the ever durable succession of her pastors as wel in truth of doctrine as in order of persons of which I haue more largly spoken in the 2. Section of the first chapter n. 29. VVHETHER EVERY CHRISTIAN MAIE BEE Saued in his owne religion albeit therein bee some errors in matter of faith BECAVSE M. Abbot in the precedent chapter granteth that the Roman church and the church of our forefathers in England were true members of the Catholike church and consequently in the state of Salvation albeit hee esteemeth them infected with sundrie grosse Errors And for that I otherwise know that verie many remarkable persons in our countrie do greatlie desire to heare this question more exactly discussed I thought it more convenient to let the ensuing chapters of M. Abbors trifling booke to rest for a season and presently to fall in hand with this matter which is no lesse longed after then it is necessarie to bee knowen For the more particular explication of this weightie difficulty whether everie one maie bee saued in his owne religion or no I leaving a full treatise therof vnto them that haue better leisure thinke good to touch these three points I. First whether hee that beleeueth aright in the one living and eternall God and liueth honestly may bee saued without expresse beliefe in Iesus Christ our Saviour II. Secondly whether beleeving aright both in God almightie Creator of heaven and earth and in Iesus Christ our redeemer with all other fundamentall points of the Christian religion hee may bee saued that doth therewith beleeve amisse in some other articles of the Christian faith III. Thirdly I will adde a word or two about the publike profession of the same Christian faith because besides an honest life and a true belief that also is necessary to salvation I tooke it not amisse to handle briefly the first point although there bee few Christians that make any doubt of it because I my self haue heard some good soules verie vertuously given but not sufficiently instructed to bee of opinion that it made no great matter what religion they professed so they feared God and led an honest life amōg their neighbors Their opinion seemed to issue out of Good nature and a great loue of honest life and vpright dealing which they saw to bee wonderfully decaied and almost perished in our miserable coūtrie The best reason that I can frame in favour of their error is this Almightie God is most mercifull full of goodnes and compassion towards all his owne creatures hee knowes our inbred ignorance and weaknes and therfore is not likely to bee highly offended against them that do their endevour to serue him accordīg to their knowledge and capacitie how slender soeuer it be Now manie there bee in the wide world brought vp among Turkes infidells that never heard of or at the least never had sufficiently declared vnto them that Iesus Christ is the Saviour of the world wherfore it seemes that such may bee saued without faith in him And among vs Christians some bee so dull of capacitie and blockish or haue been so extreame ignorantly or evilly brought vp that they haue not been well taught to beleeve in the Saviour of the world Christ Iesus may not their grosse ignorance beg their pardon att our most mercifull Lord his hands Besides S. Paul declaring what is necessarie for him to beleeve that will approach vnto God seemeth to require but two things The one that hee beleeue that God is the other that hee is a rewarder of all them that seeke vnto him Hebr. 11.6 Hee that cometh to God must beleeve that hee is and is a rewarder to them that seeke him But wee maie well beleeue that God is to wit a spirit of infinite goodnes wisdome power the Creator conserver and soveraigne ruler of heaven and earth and of all things in them also that as hee hath created all things of his inestimable goodnes and preserveth and governeth all with incomprehensible wisdome and equitie So hee will in the end as high Iudge of the quicke the dead call all reasonable creatures to an account of their dutifull behauiour towards their so good and high maker preserver ruler and out of his immense bountie most aboundantlie reward all them that haue in this life sought vnto him and diligentlie serued him And on thother side severely punish them that haue neglected their dutie towards him and transgressed his holie commaundements All this I say and much mor◠one maie beleeue without the knowledg of Christ therfore it seemes possible that some men maie obtaine saluation
libertie of beleeuing what they like Moreouer all men seeke after the true Catholike church that they maie find out the true doctrine of the Christian faith and enioy the right vse and administration of the holie Sacraments This is so cleere and agreable vnto the Protestants markes of the true church that it cannot bee denied but if in the same church there may be errors maintained in matters of faith and the Sacraments maie bee corruptlie administred men should in vaine take so great paines to find out the true church and obey it because in the way of that opinion it is needles to salvation to bee free from error in faith or to haue the Sacraments sincerelie administred for one may bee saued say they in that religion where there bee errors in faith defended and the Sacraments vnpurelie handled This argument maie bee thus enlarged and inforced They that with the true beleefe of the fundamentall points of faith do mingle some errors in other articles for those their errors to what Maister do they belong Not to God who is the Author only of truth and light and in whom as Saint Iohn witnesseth there is no darknes Deus lux est 1. Ioh. 1.5 tenebrae in eo non sunt vllae He must needs therfore bee one of the devils retayners Ioh. 8.44 who is father of all liars and maister of them that do imbrace errors to say that hee is Gods for the truth which hee holds will not availe for God will not part stakes with the Devill but either hee will haue vs wholie his to wit if wee will loue him with all our harts and wholy beleeue in him or els he will wholy reiect vs if wee thinke to haue any other maister with him or beleeue in any other contrary to him God is so Soveraigne and Iealous a Lord that hee will not dwell in the same house with Dagon 1. Reâ— â—â— either wee must cast out Dagon or hee will cast vs of wee must not halt as the zealous prophet Elias warneth vs Betweene God and Baal but either wholie follow God 3. Reg 18 22. or els assure our selues that hee will wholy reiect vs. For as the Apostle argueth what societie is there betweene light and darknes â— Cor. 6 1â— what agreement betweene Christ and Belial none at all For our Saviour himself hath defined Math. 12 3â— Hee that is not with mee is against mee Luke warme fellowes that bee part of the one and part of the other hee will vomit out of his mouth as raw and vndigested humors that his stomacke cannot abide Because saith he thou art Lukewarme Apocal. 3.16 and neither hote nor cold I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth The foundation of this is drawne out of this maxime of morall philosophie and divinity recorded by S. Dennis the Areopagite c 4. diuinâ— 1. 2. 18 4. and seconded by S. Thomas of Aquine Bonum ex integra causa Malum ex quolibet defectu This is the difference betweene good and evill that to make a thing good there must concurre all things requisite both for substance and necessary circumstance but if one thing requisite bee wanting it maketh the whole action evill One bad hearbe marreth a whole pot of pottage and one spoonefull of gall a butt of Maulmesey even so if there bee one known error in matter of faith it corrupteth the whole substance of faith as if there raigne one sinnfull vice in a man it destroieth the whole frame of vertue and doth absolutely make him vicious and casteth him cleane out of Gods favour so long as hee continueth therin according to this sentence of the kingly prophet Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem Psal 5. pordes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium Thou O god hatest all and euerie one without exception that worke iniquity and wilt destroy all them that speake lies mark attentiuely how our soueraigne lord doth hate and will destroy as all them that worke wickedly so all them that defend lyes which all they doe who vphold any falshood in matter of faith against Gods truth finally this positioÌ„ that euery Christian may bee saued in his owne religion is very pernitious and damnable were it for nothing els then for the manifold mischieuous sequeles therof for it cannot but breed in men a wretched carlesnes of what religion they be of which draweth after it a nuÌ„ber of sins and is the verie roote of Atheisme For if a man maie bee saued in any religion it maketh no matter of what religion hee bee wherof it will ensue that most men following the bad inclination of our corrupt nature will prefer before all other the worste loosest religioÌ„ that may be because that hath most ease libertie and carnall pleasure in it which wicked persuasion hauing once seised the hart farewell all painfull endevour to performe vertuous actions and welcome slouth case and fleshly libertie which cannot but in short space engender a lothsomnes and contempt of all religion and paue a faire broad high way vnto Atheisme wherefore this opinion is vtterlie misliked euen of many of the more discreet and better minded Protestants And in verie truth if wee would but lift vp our minds a little towards heauen and consider attentiuely either the infinite maiestie of Almightie God or his inestimable bounty towards vs how can a Christian let any such sinnefull thought sinke into our hart as though wee need not greatlie care how wee serue God whether wee beleeue in him fully yea or no O very evill aduised and base minded creature yea vnworthie the name of any of Gods Creatures that sets so little by so soueraigne a Lord and Creator Haue wee not at his bountifull hands receiued freely our soules and bodies our health wealth or whatsoeuer els in this world wee either haue or bee And is there any hope without his fauour and grace to attaine eternall blisse and all that our hart can desire in the kingdome of heauen yet so vnkind and vngratefull vnto such a diuine benefactor bee too too many so dull and senseles in matter of their own eternall either weale or woe that they seeme to stand at habberdupoise whether they should serue God or no or at most they wil bee sure not to ouershoote themselues in his seruice but to hold backe and afford him as litle as possible may bee Bee not these animales homines earthly minded men degenerated from the noble condition of reasonable creatures and made like vnto pecora campi cattle of the field who perswade themselues that it doth not belong to men of their calling to conuerse with spirituall persons or to spend much time in reading of spirituall bookes and learning their dutie to the Almightie but leaving those melancholy meditations to monkes do esteeme men of their quality rather borne and bred some to keepe dogs and to follow hawkes and hounds others to grase beasts and to
called into question by vntowardlie and degenerous Children that either wilfullie run out of her house to follow their owne pleasure and fancies or are for pure feare falne away from her and forsaken her ordinances M. Abbot admitting as it were that other churches should according to S. Irenaeus rule conforme themselues in matter of doctrine to the church of Rome yet to giue vs a tast of the subtility of his shifting witt addeth that ther is in that place of Irenaeus nothing for her superiority in goverment well that being once granted that all other churches should for matter of doctrine accord with the church of Rome it would theron necessarily follow that the church of England and consequently his maiestie ought to do the same which was all that I sued for yet over and besides Irenaeus words being well weighed do import also a superiority in goverment to be resident in that church which I proue bicause he saies that other churches must of necessity accord with the church of Rome for her more poteÌ„t principality Now if the church of Rome haue power and principality over other churches And do impose a necessitie vpon them of according vnto it it must needes haue superiority in goverment over them or els the other could not be bound of necessitie to follow it M. Abbot doth grammatically descant first vpon this word principalitie and saies that it may signâ—fie eminencie in estimation though not superioritie in goverment And that it maie bee potent also to move by example and perswasion only not by commaundement Be it so that these words maie be wrested into some such signification as what words be there that may not be diuerslie construed yet everie reasonable man will soone see that power and principalitie do properly import a commaunding superiority And will as easily graunt that the fathers words are rather to be fairly taken according to the more vsuall signification then in anie such forced sense and construction Againe seing that power and superioritie did even as S. Irenaeus expresseth impose a necessitie vpon others of conforming themselues to the church of Rome it could not bee that imagined superioritie of M. Abbots which imposeth no such necessitie wherfore it remaines evident that M. Abbot is driuen to flie from the vsuall signification true meaning of S. Irenaeus words In like manner M. Abbot to cast some better colour vpon his new devised principalitie or rather to shift over into another matter that seemes more plausible writeth thus 20 That M. Bishop may vnderstand I do not answere him by a deuise of mine Cypr. l. 1. Epist 3. but according to the truth hee shall find that Ciprian calleth the chuâ—ch of Rome the princ pall church and yet in the same place he denieth the authority of the Bishops in Africa to be inferiour vnto the Bishops of Rome M. Abbot and other Protestants cannot choose but stand in bodily feare so often as they appeale vnto the ancient fathers for support of their novelties for you shall scarse find any one of them that doth not in the verie place alledged by the Protestants giue them such a bob that everie beholder maie plainly see they do not favour their cause nor are content to be called in for their witnesses Let S. Cyprian now cited by M. Abbot serve for an example This is the sentence out of which M. Abbot picked the former words Cypr. l. 1. Epist 3. iuxta pamel Epist 55. Post ista adhuc insuper pseudo-Episcopo sibi ab haereticis constituto nauigare audent ad Petri cathedram atque ad EcclesiaÌ„ principalem vnde vnitas sacerdotalis â—rta est a schismaticis profanis litteras ferre nec cogitare eos esse Romanos quorum fides Apostolo praedicante laudata est ad quos perfidia habere non posset accessum After those things and more also after a false Bishop appointed them by Heretiks they dare saile to the chaire of Peter and vnto the principall church whence priestlie vnity hath its beginning and carrie letters from schismatikes and prophane fellowes not remembring that such are the Romanes whose faith is praised by the Apostles voice vnto whom perfidie can haue no accesse I set downe the whole passage because by and by we must treate of the later part therof as well as now of the former where is sufficientlie declared that S. Ciprian tooke the church of Rome to be principall not onlie in estimation but in order of goverment which I proue First because hee affirmes the church of Rome to be S. Peters chaire and consequently to be endued with like authoritie that S. Peter enioyed vpon whom as S. Ciprian in twentie places avoucheth the church of Christ was builded Secondly he describes it to be that principall church which is the fountaine of priestly and ecclesiasticall vnitie which could not be vnles it had power and authoritie to compell all other churches to stand to her order and therby to hold all in vnitie of faith and vniformity of religioÌ„ For as all the world now seeth there neither is nor can bee in mans iudgment any vnitie in faith or religious rites among Protestants bicause there is no one soveraigne coÌ„mauÌ„der over them all indued with authoritie to coÌ„pell the rest to agree in one And in the self same Epistle S. Cip. coÌ„firmeth this verie poiÌ„t in these memorable words Heresies haue not risen Cyprian ibidem Neque enim aliunde haereses orta sunt aut nata sunt schismata quam inde quod sacerdoti dei non obtemperatur nec vnus in ecclesia ad tempus sacerdos ad tempus iudex vico Christi cogitatur nor schismes sprong from any other roote then for that obedience is not yeelded to one priest and for that one priest for the time and one Iugde is not accepted of in Christs steed Do you see by S. Cyprians sentence that the only way to root out heresies and to accord schismes is to acknowledg one priest for soveraigne Iudge in ecclesiasticall cases and to obey him as Christs vicegerent on earth Such a soveraigne Iudge is hee that sits in S. Peters chaire and that principall church of Rome by S. Ciprians owne assertion in the former period or els Ecclesiasticall Discipline could not draw its originall vnitie thence Thus much here to prove that the principall church in that place of S. Ciprian is to be taken for the principall in authoritie and goverment Now to the other part S. CipriaÌ„ denieth not the Bishops in Africa to be inferior vnto the Bishop of Rome but blameth such troublesome fellowes that would not rest quiet and content with their owne Bishops iudgment but flie abroad to molest others with their brawles as though their owne Bishops had not sufficient authority or witt to compose and end their quarrells at home S. Ciprian supposeth that their churches in Afrike had no less authority then others churches to order such matters but neither names the
not condeÌ„ne anie man for not beleeuing that which hee neuer heard of wherfore if in any coast of the world the Doctrine of Christ bee not sufficientlie published no man there shal bee condeÌ„ned for not beleeuing in him but for other mortall grieuous offeÌ„ces which they haue in their life time comitted against the light of reason law of nature If any amogst those infidels haue beeÌ„ so happie as not to haue committed any such mortall sinne Act. 10. which caÌ„not bee without the speciall aide of Gods grace if there bee any such I saie like the good Italian Captaine Cornelius meÌ„tioned in the acts of the Apostles hee shall find the like extraordinarie succour froÌ„ heaueÌ„ as to haue an Angell to teach him or at least to direct him to some Peter that maie throughly instruct him in the Christian faith Among Christians there can hardly bee found anie one I think so vngratiously bred that neuer heard of Christ because that is contained in the Creede that all Christians are taught even from their infancie and are bound to know so farr fourth as their capacitie and wit will giue them leaue which if they should neglect to learne after they come to yeares of discretion they are worthie to bee depriued of all benefits issuing and growing by Christ because they contemned somuch as to know him To that text of S. Paul that hee who cometh to God must know that hee is and that hee is a rewarder c. I answere first that the Apostle saith verie well that hee must know those two points but hee doth noth saie there that hee needs to know no more And elswhere in all his Epistles doth teach that ouer and besides that the faith in Iesus Christ is necessarie for all men wherfore this point must bee added to the rest I answere secondly that one cannot know particulary how God is a rewarder vnles hee know the incarnation of Iesus Christ because God will reward no man with life euerlasting but through the merits of Iesus Christ and for that hee is a member of Christ and for such good works which a man without faith in Christ and without aide of his grace caÌ„not performe Thus much of the first point Now to the second which is the principall question whether holding the right faith in Christ Iesus and beleeuing the other fundamentall articles which are conteyned in the Apostles creed one may bee condemned for not beleeuing any other article of the Christian faith For the plainer explication of the state of this question it is to bee vnderstood that many of the vnlearned and simpler sort maie bee ignorant of many matters appertaining to faith without daunger of damnation because by reason of their lacke of capacitie or for other necessarie occupatioÌ„s about getting of their poore livings they are not bound to know expresly much more then is deliuered in the Apostles Creed and what doth concerne the right vse of the sacraments which they themselues are obliged to receiue Nevertheles euerie Christian man and woman may verie well bee bound not to defend the misbeliefe of anie one article of faith after hee shal bee given to vnderstand that the Catholike church hath declared the same to be so There is a great difference betweene the dispositions of two such parties for it is one thing to bee ignorant what the church teacheth in such a case and another not to bee willing to beleeue it abeit hee knew well enough that the church commaundeth him so to beleeue In the former there is a ready good will to obey the truth assoone as due information shal bee given him and meere ignorance in the meane season hindreth his consent But in the other partie there is a loose libertie of believing what him listeth and an obstinate resolution not to beleeue and obey the church any further then they themselues shall thinke good These men I say albeit they beleeue aright in Iesus Christ touching his owne person and mediation and do not deny anie article of the Apostles Creede at least as they vnderstand it yet do they dwell in the state of damnation and shall not bee saued vnles they repent This proposition I know will seeme ouer rigorous and terrible vnto many but being a matter of eternall saluation or damnation at least as I take it they must giue mee leaue that preferre the honour of Gods truth before the phansies of men and the care of their salvation before currying of false favour with them to aduertise them of it whiles they haue time to take heed to it requesting them to consider well of the reasons that I shall now deliuer vnto them in proofe of the same and then I trust in God they will also come to bee of my opinion therin The first may bee thus propounded If it were sufficient to saluation to beleeue in Christ and in the other articles of the Creede as they take them this great absurdity would ensue therof that all heretikes anciently condemned were vniustlie condemned might well notwithstanding their heresies and condemnation haue liued and died in the state of saluation which to imagine were to condemne all the Orthodox churches and ancient fathers of great impiety and extreame want of Christian Charity I will proue that absurd sequele by the enumeration of the most notorious Heretikes The Arrians for example did professe to beleeue in Christ so farre forth as is deliuered in the said Creede To wit that hee was the only sonne of his father borne of the virgin Mary and our Lord. They did indeed denie him to bee consubstantiall that is of the same substance with his father and coeternall but thervpon discoursed much like as some Protestants do now about Transubstantiation who professe Christs bodie to bee really present in the blessed SacrameÌ„t because Christs words do teach that plainly but they will not admitt of Transubstantiation in any case for that they find not that word set downe in the scriptures So thes Arrians did professe to beleeue Christ to bee the Saviour of the world to bee also the sonne of God trulie and really yet because there was no meÌ„tioÌ„ of Consubstantiall in the scriptures therfore they were content to beleeue so much as was in the scriptures but their tender coÌ„sciences forsooth would not suffer theÌ„ to adueÌ„ture one pace beyoÌ„d the express word of God Notwithstanding their faire pretence they were roundly condemned by the church in the first generall councell for most damnable Heretikes if vnder that pretext they refused to bâ—leeue that Christ Iesus was consubstantiall vnto his father and coeternall The Nestorians beleeued all that the Orthodox church taught of our saviour Christ Iesus and of all the other articles of faith saving that they held him to haue two distinct persoÌ„s aswell as hee had two differeÌ„t natures To wit the nature of man to haue had his owne person of man euen as the nature of God had the person of God The
Math 25 21. well fare thy hart good and faithfull seruant because thou hast been faithfull to mee in tyme of triall temptatioÌ„ I will be as faithfull to keepe promise with thee in this day of iust retribution Thou was put to shame and confusion before men thou shalt now haue honour and glory in the presence of Angels thou was content for my sake to leese the good countenance of thy Prince but therby thou hast purchased the favour of my father king of heauen Earth they for thy noble confessioÌ„ haue thrust thee out of thy lands and liuings enter therfore into possession of the most Ample rich and glorious kingdome of heauen supra multa te constituam I will place thee ouer manie things and giue the a recompence that shall a hundreth fold surmoÌ„t thy losses for the short and light paines that thou didst then suffer for mee receiue from this time forth for evermore no lesse then the very self same ioy though not in the same degree of thy said Souereigne Lord and Maister Intra in gaudium domini tui Enter into the ioye of thy Lord. which are so great so delitious so pretious and perpetuall that neither eye hath seen nor care heard nor hart of man is able to conceiue whâ—t good Christian had not leifer to incurr the danger of an open confession of his faith here on earth then to forgoe so high and inestimable a recompence therof here after specially if he lay ther vnto the other part of our Saviours sentence Math. 10.33 Luc 9.20 He that shall denie mee before men I will deny him before my father which is in heauen Or as S. Luke relateth He that shal be ashamed of mee or of my words him the sonne of man shal be ashamed of when he shall come in his maiesty Observe that it is all one to be ashamed of Christs word that is of his faith and religion as to be ashamed of his owne person and that he who shall not for feare of the world make open confession of them in time and place Christ at the last daie when he comes to iudg the quicke and the dead wil be ashamed of that person that is look heauely vpon him reiect him and condemne him for euer and euer This is so evident and playne out of Christs owne mouth that it requireth not anie confirmation or testimony of man And if need were I could shew that it was in the primitiue church holden for an accursed heresie and condemned in the name of the Helcesaites to thinke it lawfull for them that in hart beleeue in Christ to deny him with their mouthes when they stand in danger of losing their goods therfore See Eusebius in the 31. chapter of the 6. booke of his Ecclesiasticall history To close vp this chapter euerie good Christian must take for most assured that it is not sufficient to saluation to beleeue in Christ and to hold the fundamentall points onlie of our Christian Religion but rest perswaded that the wilfull refusall of beleeuing any one Article of faith declared by the Catholike church to bee such and to vs well notified wil be at the last daie euidence enough to cast anie Christian otherwise manie of the old reproued heretikes were in the state of saluation and very vniustlie by the most holie and learned Prelates of Gods church excommunicated and condemned which once to imagine cannot be but great impietie And if anie subiect how great and noble so euer he be for one fact of treason or felonie doth iustly deserue death by the censure of all lawmakers and a man making the law of Moises frustrate Hebr. 10.28 without anie mercie died as the Apostle witnesseth how much more worthie is he to die the death that shal be convinced not to beleeue the fountaine of all truth Almighty God himself in some thing not to giue perfect credit to his chosen messengers and infallible witnesses and to disobey them whom he hath appointed to be our spirituall pastors and gouernors And when our blessed Saviour who loued the eternall saluation of our soules so deerelie that to make a full purchase therof for vs was content to giue his most pretious bloud when he I say to whoÌ„ we are so exceedingly much beholding and bound hath out of his incomprehensible wisdome prouided the best and most assured meanes that may be to hold all Christians in vnitie of faith and religion by tying them to beleeue and obey his one holie Catholike church those libertines will not hold themselues to his assigned ordinance but out of their owne presumption beleeue whom and what they list and so by litle and litle grow at lenght to beleeue nothing at all wherfore to auoid all these most dangerous inconveniences and to escape Gods iust indignation let vs submit our vnderstanding wholie vnto his diuine reuelations and be most vigilant and carefull to learne out what his blessed will and pleasure is that we should beleeue and be as forward and readie to beleeue it without anie resistance or staggering for the soueraigne Lord of heauen and earth is a iealous God and will not part stakes with anie or be serued to the halues His high and inviolable decree is that we both loue him with all our heart and also beleeue in him fully and wholie yea ouer and besides when we be called to it he will haue vs not be abashed to coÌ„fesse his holie name but to stand valiantlie to the publike profession of his sacred faith and religion whatsoeuer it cost vs. and then will he without all doubt in time most conuenient call vs to the possession of his heaueÌ„ly and euerlasting kingdome to liue for euer and euer in all ioy honour and glorie with his most holie Angels and all blessed Saints To which most hâ—ppy resting place Almighty God of his infinite mercy through the inestimable merits of our most glorious Redeemer bring vs all in the end AMEN I desire thee courteous reader to beare with the faultes in printing which be very many through the composers ignorance in our language the grosser are to be amended thus For page read wo 10. who Pselues 31. themsel Ther est 64. the rest wr 69. warning wr ibid writ boo 70. book desirer 75. desire wn 76. own thee 77. the. Gods ir 76. good sir 851. 78. 85. donasti 88. donatist chook 92. choking construct 118. consumat de 119. fide 51. 123. 1. hom 1. ibid. 9. disco 132. dioscorus And 138. to be put out mise 144. 155. ipse cap 99. 158. 9. flock 164. flock Alhi ibid. Alchimist tost and 172. to stand courto 171. court lest 172. lost ditous 173. ditious others 180 other dipro ibid. dispr boh ibid. both these ibid. the. Innocentin 16. tius iustly 189. iustly nous ibid. house or 214. of ane ony 226. any one no 250. yea yea ibid. no. by th 241. both popes the 273. the popes both in 284. in both in 287. l. 2. to be put out ferneut ibid. feruent suto 288. into biet his ibid. bie this word 300. world seetes 301. sectes haue 307. hanc qui 328. to be put out qua ibid. quae do 336. doth do 342. do not church a 350. a church wholy 367. whot ofo 308. of dat 320. orat cem 225. catum ibidem in his successors tobe put out
It is long sithence it pleased God of his great goodnes to grant vs in forren nations some colledges and seminaries to breed and bring vp vertuous learned priestes And within these few yeeres since the persecution at home waxed hotter diuers houses both for religious men and womeÌ„ haue bin erected for our countrimen abroad and manie worthie persons inspired by God haue retired themselues into the same Behold then the foundation laid by the prouidence and mercie of God for the erecting and building vp of Christs Catholike church amongest vs againe Now I am well assured that no man dare saie that God is to be likened to that foolish builder repreheÌ„ded in the Gospell who having laid the foundation of a tower could not bring it to perfectioÌ„ and was therfore worthily mocked of the beholders saying Luc. 14. hic homo coepit aedificare non potuit consummare this man began ro build but could not bring his worke to an end Our saviour then having alreadie as we be verily perswaded planted the foundation of that most holie Edifice he will not faile in short time to bring it to perfection Manie goodlie great stones and faire tall timber trees with other necessary furniture to build vp the walles of Ierusalem are already prepared now to rough hew square and smooth them persecution is permitted And much blood of Martirs hath bin plentifully powred out to temper the lyme and sand that must vnite and ioyne fast togither all the parts of that spirituall building It may bee that some principall peeces or workmen do yet want whom when it shall please the great maister of the worke to convert assemble with ther est what let will there bee euen in maÌ„s iudgement for the accomplishement of this heauenlie worke wherfore with comfortable confidence let vs ride out the storme and with patient longanimitie persever faith full vnto the end with earnest devoute praiers craving the aide of our most mercifull father in heaven with humble obedient behauior towards our prince and his Magistrates seeke to asswage their wrath kindled as we knowe without cause so vehementlie against vs in earth then shall we both fulfill towards others and finallie by the grace of God shall see fulfilled towards vs that which the famous ancient Doctor Origen hath recorded of the best Christians in the primitiue Church in these memorable words with which I will conclude this Chapter Orig l 2. contracâ—â— summ responsione ad 2. Cal. Christians taught not to fight against their persecutors haue by obseruing dulie the mild temperate law of their sounder Christ Iesus more preuailed then if they had receiued commission from him to haue waged warr against their enimies God almightie defending them and fighting for them and at seasonable times restrayning the persecutors of the Christian name Some noble champions of his hee suffered for their greater approbation and glorie to bee put to death that the beholders of their constant valour and sweet mildnes in that bloodie agonie might therby bee the sooner induced to embrace their religion yet God so mitigated the matter that he permitted not all that holie kind of people to be cut downe for his diuine purpose was that they should grow and that all nations should bee replenished with their godlie and saving doctrine And sometimes he gaue calmes that the weaker sort and wearied might haue respite to breath to repaire their losses and to gather new forces vntill at length it pleased his diuine Maiestie of his infinite mercie and compassion towards his faithfull seruants so to defeate all their aduersaries plotts and deuises against them that neither the king nor the presidents and Iudges nor anie other Magistrates no not the common people could bee exasperated and stirred vp to persecute them anie longer which wonderfull grace the omnipotent that hath set boundes vnto the billoes of the roaring seas saying hitherto ye shall passe but go no further out of his most tender mercies grant vnto his much afflicted yet very faithfull servants in our poore countrie Amen AN ANSVVERE TO M. ABBOTS PREface to the Reader MR Abbot to make his reader vnderstand the manner of his proceding in this booke of his relateth what he had done before in this manner First saith hee I haue challenged the name Catholike from the popish vse and proued that the papists could no more take that title to them but by meere vsurpation Afterward I entred into a comparison consisting of three partes wherof the first was to declare that neither S. Pauls nor S. Peters Epistles conteine anie defence of the doctrine now taught at Rome the second that sundrie definitions of the ancient Roman faith were wholie agreeable to that which the protestants teach and is impugned by the church of Rome that now is the third and last was to proue that sundrie heresies condemned of old by the Roman church be now defended by the same church of Rome which pointes being as euerie man seeth all and euerie one of marvellous great moment yet M. Abbot doth here confesse and acknowledge that in his answere vnto my Epistle to his Maiestie he handled them onelie positiuelie that is to saie brieflie and superficiallie the occasion then as here he saies requiring no more purposing afterwards when oportunitie should serue a longer treatise therof in the meane time saith hee Doctor Bishop published a reproofe of my defence of the reformed Catholike setting vnder this title a Gorgons head to affright all men concerning mee as having abused Gods sacredword mangled misapplied and falsified the ancient fathers sentences so that whosoeuer hath anie care of his owne salvation can never hereafter credit mee in matter of faith religion Concerning which hideous out-cry of my falsifications I refer thee to the aduertisment which I haue added to the third part of that defence where I haue scourged him accordingly this is the effect of M. Abbots entrie into this his worke W. B. THIS being but a preparatioÌ„ to make waie to that which followeth I neede not stand long vpon it that vaine and vntrue vant of his that the hath woone the name and title of Catholike from vs I passe ouer here as a vanitie because it is elswhere to be handled more at large but I maie not omit to put the Reader in mind how contrarie M. Abbot is to himself in his owne iudgment about his owne worke here he saith as you haue heard that he did sett downe in his answere to my Epistle those three branches of comparison betweene the ancient and moderne church of Rome onlie positiuely yeelding also the reason bicause the occasion then required no more yet whosoeuer pleaseth to reade his preface of the same a defense of the reformed Catholike worke to the reader shall find him there to speake in an other keie I haue saith hee there had care to giue the reader satisfaction in the questions heere discussed of which these comparisons were a great part
and to bee handled after another manner for I doe in one chapter ioyne Issue with M. Abbot therin and doubt not to make it good against anie protestant that the Catholike Roman faith is much more sutable even vnto the verie true text of tke Bible then the Protestants and that by conference of our doctrine word by word and sentence by sentence with the verie words and sentences of holy writt But to prove our faith to bee Catholike wee take another course and do demonstrate that the chief prelates and Doctors of the Catholike church who have florished in most Christian countries since the Apostles time have taught the verie same doctrine which wee teach and maintained the same faith and served God with the same Religion that we do which M. Abbot must performe for their faith and religion if hee will haue any wise men beleeue them to bee Catholiks even by his owne explication of the name Catholike in his answer to my Epistle and by his owne confession heere when hee faith that wee cannot find out the Catholike faith before wee have found out the Catholike church of which the faith is named Catholike Now no man can find out the Catholike church but by tracing out that companie of the faithfull who have peopled all Christian nations which M. Abbot not being able to do for the protestaÌ„tes faith doth returne the same questioÌ„ to mee and would haue mee to do the same for our doctrine and namely for that point of the popes power to depose Princes which as hee saies Cardinal Bellarmine doth hold to be one of the chief points of our faith Bell. Epistola ad Aâ—b apud â—ath Toâ—um and the verie foundation of Catholike religion Albeit M. Abbot would not at my request do that honor to his own religion and right to himself as to satisfie my iust demaund hee having before also vndertaken it yet I will not refuse at his instance to demonstrate that article of faith which Cardinall Bellarmin there mentioneth to have been beleeved taught and practised in most christian countries in the most florishing time of the Catholike church And that by the testimonie of the best renowmed fathers of the verie same age I will bring him in more authentik evidence for this issue then would be the hands and seales of the moderne churches of Grecia Armenia Ethiopia Russia and such like schismaticall and erring congregations which M. Abbot here demaundeth as the reader shall see in the next paragraffe or division where that question of the supremacy shal be treated of But honest sir why do you by the way so wound your credit in misalleadging that most learned Cardinals wordes doth he in the place by you quoted saie that the supremacly of the pope for the deposing of kings is one of the chief points of the Catholike faith will no warning serve the turne to make you cite your authors sincerely if this bee the shuffling wherin your best skill consisteth the reader in deed hath great need to looke well to your fingers Card. Bellarmine both there and elswhere doth teach that the popes supremacy is one of the principalle heads of our religion But hee doth not affirme there that the popes power to depose princes is any chief article of our faith though hee taught that to bee a most probable opinion and in some sort to appertaine to the supremacie as a dependant thervpon Now to that which followeth out of an other place of Card. Bellarmin hee you saie shall free vs from need to travell for this proofe to wit that our English faith hath been spred all the world over who saith that though one only province did retaine the true faith yet the same might properly bee called the Catholike church and therfore their faith the Catholike faith so long as it could bee cleerly shewed that the same is one and the same with that which at anie time was spred over the whole world whervpon M. Abbot infers that to prove their faith to bee the Catholike faith it wil bee sufficient to prove that is was that which once was spred over all the world Now with the proofe therof M. Bishop saith hee is chooked already Behold the babling of this vaine man first the Cardinall doth not ease him anie whitt at all from proving their faith to have been spred over all the world but only saith vpon supposition Si sola vna provincia retineret veram fidem if one onlie province kept the true faith that then it might bee called Catholike yet so that it could bee cleerlie shewed to haue been spred in times past over all the world where you see that hee requires of necessitie that it must bee cleerly shewed that the same faith which wil bee accounted Catholike hath been before at lest spredd over all the world so that M. Abbot is as farr to seeke as hee was before and that hee must needes come to this stake how vnwilling soever hee bee and either shew that their faith hath been receiued all Christendome over or els confesse that it cannot bee called Catholike Come of then gentle Sir flie not from the point seek not to hide your head in a corner but performe that peece of service bravely and then hardlie talke of chooking M. Bishop but to avouch that M. Bishop is chooked already long before anie proof thereof be brought with onlie hearing you to speake of it is too too childish and full of doting vanitie I found fault with M. Abbot for shuffling and flitting from the faith and religion of the Romanes vnto the particular persons that inhabit the cittie of Rome bicause their faith maie bee Catholike and spredd over all the world albeit their persons bee confined within the bounds of one countrie or cittie hee answereth that hee hath shuffled amisse for vs for that hee hath shuffled vs from bâ—ing Catholikes and the Roman church from being the Catholike church which is not to the purpose And how true it is shal bee tried in the next chapter In the meane season it must needs bee taken for a foule fault in arguing to change the tearmes and to flitt from one thing to another and for the faith of the Romans to take the persons that inhabit Rome there being no lesse difference betweene the person of a man and his faith then there is between a fox and a fearnebrake finally M. Abbot saieth that his shuffling will yeeld vs but a bad game if I cut not wisely And if wee haue no better Cards saieth hee wee shall sâ—rely leâ—se all well gentle sir seing you confesse your selfe to bee such a cunning shuffler and giue mee so faire warning of it before hand I wil take the paine to shuffle your Cards after you or els will cutt them in such sort that your skill in packing shall stand you in litle steed If there bee no remedy but that you will needs haue about with the church of Rome bee it by
church vpon him when he said to him Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my church these wordes would haue marred M. Abbots market therefore he did wisely to ouerskip them now that which followeth may serve rather to confirme our opinion then make anie whit for theirs for thus it may bee vnderstood Saint Peter for that his confession of faith received power and vertue from Christ to confirme others in the faith thereby to establish them to life And so by that confession of faith made by Saint Peter the faithfull are established to life Againe Saint Ambrose who elswhere often and in that verie place teacheth S. Peter to bee that rocke vpon which the church was built might make a secondarie good morall construction of those wordes teaching every man to believe as Saint Peter did and to make the like confession of their faith that they might be setled in the right way to life everlasting which moralization of Christs words doth not crosse but suppose the true litterall sence to bee as before you haue heard out of Saint Ambrose with the vniforme consent of other fathers To that which followeth in the same Author these words of the Apostle in him all the building is coopled together c. are the sense and meaning of that which our lord said vpon this rocke I will build my church I answer there is a cunning tricke vsed in cutting of the Apostles wordes in the middest with an c and making that to be the exposition of the first part of the sentence which Sainct Ambrose makes the interpretation of the last as may appeare vnto him that will see the place for his reason is fideles enim sunt superficies templi dei c. for the faithfull of holy conversation bee the walls or over parts of that temple of God which suteth well with the latter end of Saint Pauls sentence which is in whom you also are built togither into an habitation of God in the holy Ghost in brief S. Ambrose meaning in that place is no other then that the Apostle vsed the same Metaphore of building which our Saviour did when he said Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will build my Church Of which spirituall building the faithfull are the over partes the Apostles the foundations amoÌ„g whom S. Peter is the rocke and Christ the head corner stone that closeth all togeather and beareth vp both peoples aswell those that went afore as those that came after his incarnation M. Abbots fourth obiection Epla Iuuenalis â—t Epist pal in Apendice Concil Cholced the whole number of the Bishops of Palaestina in the councell of Chalcedon vnderstood Christs words so vpon this confession the church of God is confirmed and strengthened ANSWERE THat whole number I find to bee but two or three and they not in the councell neither nor during the time of that councell but after they came home from the councel and their meaning is plaine for vs. They having been att the councell of Chalcedon and there heard and saw how Discorus patriarch of Alexandria was for his heresie and obstinacie censured and condemned by the sentence of Leo the great Bishop of Rome did certifie all them that were vnder their charge that the church of God was confirmed and strengthned by the confession and declaration of the Bishop of Rome S. Peters successor and how in him was verified that sentence of our Saviour vpon this rocke I will build my church and that other also Thou being conuerted confirme and strengthen thy brethren which is all as direct for vs as can bee besides what other pregnant proofe there is in that generall councell for S. Peters supremacy and that the Bishop of Rome is his successor in the same supreme authoritie shal bee heerafter declared more at large Out of these former arguments M. Abbot maketh this inference that by the exposition of the ancient fathers it maie appeare that Christ eueÌ„ the true faith of Christ for Christ is nothing to vâ— but by faith is the true rocke whervpon the church is builded to which S. Iohn accordeth This is the victorie that over cometh the world even our faith for who is hee that overcometh the world but hee that believeth that Iesus is the sonne of God what is this good Sir to the preseÌ„t purpose of the popes supremacie though faith in some good sense may bee called a rocke bicause it is the foundation and ground worke of all other Christian vertues yet how doth it follow therof that S. Peter is not that rocke vpon which it pleased Christ to build his church what because ther is an order in the frame of a vertuous life must it needes ther vpon ensue that there is no order in the government of Christs Church is not this a very strange inference For the clearer explication of this doubt â—â—t this distinction bee observed the building of Christs church as it is like to a kingdome differeth much from the building of a spirituall temple vnto the holie Ghost in our soules to the first kind of building beloÌ„g subiects and magistrates Bishops Archbishops and so forth the highest wherof vnder Christ was S. Peter To the other inward building concurre all such divine graces and qualities that serue for the reformation of our soule as faith hope Charitie humilitie and such like among which vertues faith in Christ Iesus is at it were the fundamentall stone to the argument then this is the answere that albeit faith in Christ be as it were the rocke and foundation of all Christian vertues yet that is no let but that in the order of Christian magistrates S. Peter may be the rock and haue the chief commaunding power giuen to him and to his successors the Bishops of Rome purity of faith boldnes of confession fervour of Charitie rare gifts of God bestowed on S. Peter were the principall dispositions in him to that other high dignitie and authoritie but the authoritie it self of government was not bestowed on those vertues but vpon the person of Saint Peter though in regard of the same divine qualities After these arguments M. Abbot inferreth that if Christ bee the rocke properly and truly Saint Peter cannot bee the rocke but accidently and vnproperly in respect of his doctrine and example of saith vttered in his confession As Abraham is the rocke from whâ—nce wee are hewed so is Peter the rock wheron wee are built not that either of them conferreth any thing to vs but only for that they staÌ„d before vs for patterns of imitation I answer that he should rather haue made this inference bicause Christ is the rocke of the Church most properly therfore S. Peter is the rocke therof also properly both for that Christ made him the rocke who maketh all things well and properly and also because the properties of a rocke do fitlie agree to S. Peter that is to bee constant and firme in the faith to strengthen and vphold
dutie of our bounden salutations premised wee do earnestly request and pray you that you will not too easilie admitt to your audience them that come from hence And before their letters they sett this title Dilectissimo Domino to their best beloued Lord and most honorable brother Do not these humble words of bounden dutie vnto their Lord notifie what esteeme they made of the Bishop of Rome They saie indeed that they found neither in the Canons of the Nicene councell nor in anie other of their fathers that the Bishop of Rome should send anie legats into their country to heare and determine their causes wherin by the leaue of such worthy personages be it spoken they shew that they had not read or well considered the Canons of the councell holden at Sardica which was both verie generall and most autenticall as I haue proved before for in that councell it is expresly decred that any Bishop of what coast or countrie soever may appeale vnto the Bishop of Rome Concil Sard. ca. 4. 7. And that the said Bishop of Rome maie depute and send others to the place where the Bishops appellants do dwell to heare and determine all such causes And most probable it is that those holy popes Zozimus Bonifacius and Celestinus meant the same canons of the councell of Sardica which they called the Canons of the Nicene councell because that councell of Sardica was both holden by some of the same principall persons that were at the Nicene councell as Hosius Athanasius and such like and did also treat much about the same matters wherfore it is said to be ioyned in the Roman copy with the councell of Nice and reputed as an appendix or parcell of it And therin perhaps was the errour cōmitted that the popes having both these councells compact into one named the canons of both after the more principall and more renowmed councell of Nice calling them the canons of the Nicene councell which in rigour were but the canons of the councell of Sardica yet that councell of Sardica being of the same authoritie and binding power they in alleaging them vnder the name of the Nicene did not offer any wrong vnto those Bishops of Africk exacting onely that that their right might bee preserved entire among them which by the approued canons of the church was due vnto their seat And these reverend prelates of the African church were the more excusable for that they had not seen perhaps any true copie of the approued councell of Sardica at that time the place being verie remote from them and the litle space of time which was betweene the two councels of Sardica and Afrike having been also most troblesome by reason of the Arrians manifold violent persecutions this much in brief of that great busines wherby it appeareth cleerly that although these reuerend prelates of Africk held it much more expediēt that all perticuler cōtroversies about meū tuum concerning misdemeanors and crimes should be handled in the place where the parties and witnesses were knowen where all particulers might bee more narowly sifted and with more speed and less charges tried then a far of in a forrain countrie yet for matter of faith and rites of religion they never denyed the explicatiō or determinatiō therof to appertaine to the Bishop of Rome Appeales to Rome in matters of law haue been in our owne countrie when it was Catholike forbidden without the expresse leaue of the prince and at this daie are in the Christiā countrie of France without any deniall of the popes supreme cōmanding power in cases Ecclesiasticall which is all and more too then the African councell did Conc. Afri c. 92. Item placuit vt presbyteri diaconi vel caeteri inferiores clerici si de iudiciis episcoporū suorum questi fuerint c. for that doth only forbid priests and inferior persons to appeale thither leaving all Bishops art their libertie so that in fine if all were grāted which M. Abbot goeth about to prove yet it is not sufficient to infringe the supremacy of the pope for albeit appeales to Rome in matter of law were prohibited yet recourse thither for matter of faith and religiō being approued stāding good the supremacy is sufficiently maintained 21 Notwitstanding because the fact of the African councell is holdē by the Protestāts who for wāt of greater proofe are faine to make much of a little to be very preiudiciall vnto the supremacy of the sea of Rome I will heere produce some testimonies of the best learned most approued Africā Doctors in favor of the pope church of Romes supreme power over Afrike it self The first shal be S. Ciprian who as in dignitie was primate of Afrike so for his great wisedome and learning was inferior to few and in his glorious martirdome over went the rest This right worthy Archbishope declareth plainly that they were not accustomed to end all their controversies at home Ciprian Epistola 45. ed Pam. Sed cum statuissemus collegae complures qui in vnum conueneramus vt legatis ad vos Episcopis nostris Caldonio fortunato omnia interim integra suspenderentur donec ad nos ijdem collegae a nostri venirent But he himself with the assent of other Bishops did send two Bishops the one called Calidonius the other Fortunatus vnto Cornelius then pope of Rome recomēding their causes vnto him And sheweth how in the meane season whiles their causes were before him the Bishops of Africa would liue in suspence expecting his iudgment Is not this an evidēt demonstration that the Bishops of Africk in S. Ciprians times which was within 200. yeres of Christ held the court of Rome to be ouer and aboue their owne which yet S. Ciprian in the same epistle doth more expresly declare Ibidem Nos etiam singulis nauigantibus ne cum scandalo vllo nauigarent rationem reddentes scimus nos hortatos eos esse vt ecclesiae Catholicae radicem matricem agnoscerent actenerent when he doth exhort and councell the appellants that went to Rome to cary themselues there without scādall and to aknowledg and obserue the church of Rome as the roote or foundation and mother of the Catholike church Ex Epistola Stephani Archiep concil Africae ad Damasum Papam habetur Tomo 1. Concil inter Epistolas damasi Notum vestrae facimus beatitudini quod quidam fratres in confinio nobis positi quosdam fatres nostros venerabiles videlicet Episcopos vobis inconsultis a proprio deijciunt gradu vel deiicere moliuntur cum vestrae sedi Episcoporum iudicia summorum finem ecclesiasticorum negotiorum in honore beatissimi Petri patrum decreta omnium cunctam reseruauere sententiam c. Stephen a reuerend Bishop of Mauritania in Afrike who liued before that African councell thus writeth to pope Damasus wee make knowē vnto your holines that some Bishops our neighbors haue gone about to depose
but M. Abbot saīth ouer lauishly and as it were dotingly that I do report them falsly for he himself as you shall presently see cannot denie but that I alleage them truly Let vs examin the particulers Ambros in oratione de obitu satyri fratris S. Ambrose say I tooke it to bee all one to saie the Catholike or the Roman church yea he putteth the Romā church as an explication of the Catholike church His good brother satyrus after a shipwrack arrived in Sardinia which was infected with the Luciferiā heresie being carefull not to cōmunicate with any heretikes demāded of that Bishop whom he had sent for to baptise him Aduocauit ad se Episcopum nec vllam veram putauit nisi vera fidei gratiam percontatusque ex eo est vtrumnam cum Episcopis Catholicis hoc est cum Romana Ecclesia conueniret sorte ad id locorum in schismate regionis illius ecclesiae erat whether he did accord with the Catholike Bishops that is with the church of Rome He feared lest the name Catholike was not sufficient to describe true beleevers in an hereticall countrie bicause heretikes do oftentimes call themselues Catholikes and therfore asked whether they were such Catholikes as accorded with the church of Rome that is whether he was a Roman Catholike or no giving vs to vnderstand that they onlie were true Catholikes and onlie to be communicated withall in holie rites who accorded with the church of Rome in faith and religion All this is so true and evident that M. Abbot cannot denie any one word of it Did he not then spitefully over-reach when hee said that I reported my authors falsly He hath no other shift then to saie that in those daies the church of Rome as the most famous and chief church was most fit to bee named in such a case But now the case is altered bicause the church of Rome is fallen from that eminent perfection and is it self now called into question This answere is nothing els then in plaine tearmes petere principium that is to giue that for the solution as a confessed truth which is the maine question is he so destitute of cōmon sence as to thinke that we will or ought to take that for currant coyne and good paiment which we hold for very refuse and drosse All the world knowes that we beleeve the church of Rome not to be changed in any one article of faith wherfore he ought not to returne to vs for a knowen truth that the church of Rome is changed yet the poore mans feeble forces being quite spent he is constrayned to giue the same vnreasonable answere againe againe for he maketh the same answer vnto the like testimony taken out of S. Hierom who demādeth of Ruffinus speaking of his faith which he calleth his faith Hieron Apol. 1. c. Ruff. Fidem suam quam vocat eamne qua Romana pollet Ecclesia an illam quae in Originis voluminibus continetur si Romanam responderit ergo Catholici sumus qui nihil de Originis errore transtulimus either that which the church of Rome professeth or that which is contayned in the books of Origen If he answere the Roman faith then are wee Catholikes c. which doth implie that it was all one with S. Hierom to saie the Roman faith and the true Catholike faith All which M. Abbot confesseth to be true and therby cleereth mee from that imputation of misreporting my authors Afterward he asketh what is here said of the Roman church that might not likewise haue bene said of any other church professing the true faith well let vs admitt that the same might haue been said of any other church vnder that conditiō that they had professed the true faith yet because the ancient Fathers were not so well assured of the perpetuall infallibilitie of any other church as they were of the church of Rome therfore they preferred the communion of the Roman Church before all other and therin ordinarilie made their instances And for that M. Abbot doth euer and anone come in with this answer that the church of Rome was then the true Church but now it is cleane changed and takes this to be as sharpe as the sword at Delphos and as fit to cut all knotts asonder that can not otherwise be loosed I will here set downe some reasons which did induce these holy Doctors and much more ought to persuade vs to beleeue that the church of Rome shall euer continue firme in the faith The ancients made no doubte but that Christes Church should continue to the worlds ende and retaine the same forme of government which he him self had established in it which most Protestants now are also come to confesse but as I haue before prooued the same most learned and blessed fathers both beleeued and taught the Bishops and Church of Rome to be as it were the rock and foundation of Christs church wherfore like as the house must needes fall to the grounde whose foundation faileth so the catholick church could not stand inuiolable to the later day if the Roman church which is the chiefest member support therof should perish It were needelesse to repeate here those sentences of the ancient Doctors once before produced in confirmation of this argument I wil be cōtent with one text of S. Austin that doth both directly crosse M. Abbots supposition and manifestly prooue this my assertion These be his wordes If the Pedegree of Bishops succeding one another be to be considered August epistola 165. Si enim ordo episcoporum sibi inuicem succedentium considerandus est quanto rectius vere salubriterab ipso Petro numeramus cui totius Ecclesiae figuram gerenti Dominus ait super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam how much more rightly and assuredly do we recken frō S. Peter him self vnto whom bearing the figure of the whole church our Lord said vpon this Rock I will build my church To Peter succeeded Linus c. Behold how fully S. Austin had 1200. yeares before hand confuted M. Abbots proposition M. Abbot saith that the fathers might as well haue alleaged their communion with any other church as with the church of Rome Not so saith S. Austin but if the successiō of Bishops be to be regarded as it is very highly to be esteemed and the cōmunion in faith and Religion with thē then that of the Bishops and church of Rome is more right and better assured then any other Obserue also the same reason giuē by that most renowmed Doctor which I before deliuered because vpon S. Peter who was the roote and stock of the Roman Pedegree as vpon a Rock Christ built his church against which the gates of Hell shall not preuaile wherfore in another place he is bold to tell the donatistes that the see or church of Rome is that rock against which the proud gates of hell shall not preuaile Againe doth not our
Sauiour comparing it to a Rock intimate that it should neuer decay Besides had not the gates of Hell mightely preuayled against the church of Christ if it had ouercome the church of Rome therby ouerthrowne as it were the foundation of it finally August ibid. Vt certa sit spes fidelibus qui faciunt ea quae Romani Pontifices cis facienda praecipiunt quae non in homine sed in Domino quidixit qua dicunt facite collocata nūquam tempestate sacrilegi schismatu dissipetur S. Austin in the same place holdeth him self so well assured of the perpetuall stabilitie of the Bishops of Rome in the true faith that he doubteth not euen frō our sauiours owne mouth to assure all them that cleaue fast vnto it and do beleue and do that which the Bishops of Rome teach them that they shall neuer be carried away into any sacrilegious schisme if they shall never fall into schisme that stik fast vnto the Roman church then without all doubt the Roman faith should neuer after be changed The second text of holie scripture out of which it may be prooued that the Bishop and church of Rome shall neuer erre in matter of faith is this I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy fayth faile not and thou being conuerted confirme thy brethren Our blessed Sauiour by the vertue of his holy and effectuall praier obtained that S. Peters faith should not at any tyme faile that he might be alwaies able to confirme all Christians that staggered in any point of faith And because our soueraign Lord did not establish a church that should endure no longer then S. Peter Liued but would haue it continue for euer in like manner he would haue one sure pillar at the least in the same to vphold all in the true faith that should become members of it at any time after This to haue been S. Peters successor the Bishop of Rome I haue before prooued by the consent of the aunciēt holy fathers I will heere repeate one sentence of S. Ciprian because it seemes to bee grounded vpon these very wordes of our Saviour The Romans faith is such Cip. epist 55. that perfidy or misbeliefe can haue no accesse vnto them which is the very same in effect that S. Peter and the Bishops of Rome his successors faith cannot faile for if misbeliefe could seize or take anie hold vpon their faith it should suerly faile because beliefe and misbeliefe cannot dwell together but the Roman faith being by the efficacie of our Sauiours praier warranted from failing it remaineth most assured that misbeliefe can haue no accesse vnto it which could not bee true if M. Abbots exception might take place that forsooth for three or fower hundreth yeares it should not faile but for a 1000. yeeres after it should mightely bee corrupted which if it were admitted it had been truer to haue said that their faith should faile then that it should not faile because for longer time according to their fantasicit had failed then cōtinued without faile wherfore that their new glose being directlie opposite to our blessed Sauiours owne words which are without anie limitatiō of time is to bee abhorred as that which doth corrupt the text and the old doctors most literall interpretation to bee imbraced vnto S. Ciprian I will here onely ioyne the Zealous and most holie Father S. Bernard who writing vnto Pope Innocentius the third doth take for most certen out of this text of holie scripture that the faith of the Romane Bishops had not failed for a thousand yeares after Christs daies nor should euer afterwardes faile These be his words we must referr vnto your Apostleship the dangers and scandales that arise in the kingdome of God but especiallie those that appertaine to the faith Bernardus epist 190. Oportet ad vestrum referri Apostolatum pericula quaeque scandala emergentia in regno Dei ea praesertim quae de fide contingunt Dignum namque arbitror ibi potissimum resarciri damna fides vbi non possit fides sentire defectum Hac quippe huius praerogatiua sedis Cui enim alteri aliquando dictum est Ego pro te rogaui Petre vt non deficiat fides tua Ergo quod sequitur de Petri successore exigitur tu aliquando conuersus confirma fratres tuos Id quidem modo necessarium est Tempus est vt vestrum agnoscatis principatum probetis Zelum Ministerium honoretis in eo plane Petri impletis vicem cuius tenetis sedem si vestra admonitione corda in fide fluctantia confirmetis si vestra auctoritate cōteritis fidei corruptores for I esteeme it fitt that the defect◠of faith should bee there principallie repaired where faith cannot faile which is the prerogatiue of this seate For to what other was it euer said I haue praied for thee Peter that thy faith maie not faile therfore that which followeth is to bee exacted of S. Peters successor And thou once conuerted confirme thy brethren which truly is at this present needfull for it is high time most beloued Father that you acknowledg your principalitie shew your zeale and honor your Ministerie you shall therin rightlie supplie the office of S. Peter in whose seate you sit if you do by our admonition confirme their harts that wauer in the faith and by your authoritie do suppresse the corrupters of the same Cā anie thing be more perspicuous thē that the holie learned religious Abbot S. Bernard whose testimonie the Protestants do often vse did acknowledg that which our Saviour said to S. Peter to belong vnto the Bishops of Rome and that they had and should euer haue by vertue of our said Redeemers praier power and grace to strengthen good Christians in the right faith and to beate downe all enemies of the same If M. Abbot were not an Abbot in name only but had in deed some of that holie Abbots heauenlie light in him he would soone see and confesse the same Albeit those two texts of holie scriptures be more then sufficient to cōfound M. Abbots bare supposition nakedly put downe and verie often repeated without any kind of proofe yet for more complet cōfirmation therof I will cite a third sentence out of S. Paul which rightly vnderstood doth greatly fortifie the same Rom. 16. These be the Apostles words The God of peace crush satan vnder your feet quickly Chris in illum locū Or as it is in the Protestants translation out of the Greeke The God of peace shall bruise Satan vnder your feete shortly These words of the Apostle are as Saint Chrysostom witnesseth both a praier and a prophecie a praier as they stand in our text a prophecy as they are in Greek which Caluin vpon the same text doth graunt the true purport thereof is that God should in short space so bruise and crush Satan in the head and as it were beate him into powder vnder the feate of the
Romans that he should neuer afterward be able to lift vp his head against them in any matter of faith wherin S. Hierom seemes to bee so confident that he doubts not to write to Ruffinus that which M. Abbot may take as spoken to himself Notwithstanding know you that the Romane faith by the Apostles mouth praised S. Hieron Apol. 3. con Ruffinum Attamen scito Romanam fidem Apostolico ore laudatam eiusmodi praestigias non recipere Etiam si Angelus aliter annunciet quam semel praedicatum est Pauli auctoritate munitam non posse mâ—tari doth not admit anie such deceites and tromperies yea if an Angel should preach anie other thing besids that which hath been alreadie preached yet that faith being by the Apostles authoritie fortified could neuer bee changed will M. Abbot yet be so shameles as to stand vp and to giue this graue holie doctor the lie as he must needs do if hee will yet sing his old song and saie that the Roman faith notwithstanding all the Apostles praier and prophecie is foulie changed and that in verie manie great points with the forsaid testimonies may be linked for the antiquitie of it this that standeth on record in the third generall councell holden at Ephesus S. Peter the head of the Apostles and pillar of faith c. did receiue from Christ the keies of the kingdome of heauen c. and doth vnto this daie liue in his successors and determine causes And shall alwaies liue Behold S. Peter alwaies liueth in the Bishops of Rome his successors to determin causes and gouerne the church what then shall become of M. Abbots change will he make S. Peter also a changeling This point I will close vp with this memorable sentence of S. Leo. The soundnes of that faith praised in the prince of the Apostles is euerlasting Leo in serm 2. Assumptionis suae ad sumum Pontificem Soliditas enim illius fidei quae in Apostolorum Principe est laudata perpetua est Et sicut permanet quod in Christo Petrus credidit ita permanet quod in Petro Christus instituit c. Manet ergo dispositio veritatis beatus Petrus in accepta fortitudine petra perseuerans suscepta ecclesiae gâ—bernacula non reliquit and like as that which Peter beleeued of Christ continueth for euer so doth that which Christ did institute in Peter c. Therfore the ordinance of the truth standeth fast and blessed Peter perseuering by his successors in that strength of a rocke hath not forsaken the gouernment of the church Seing the faith and fortitude of Saint Peter shall continue for euer in his successors the bishops of Rome that cuckoes song of M. Abbots that the now church of Rome is in matter of faith degenerated from the old must needs be false And what more manifest signe can one demaund therof then that all the wits of the protestants hauing travailed after nothing more for this fiftie yeeres cannot yet find out any one errour in matter in faith wherin the church of Rome hath at any time dissented from her self in former ages I know right well that they avouch boldlie that it hath changed manie articles of faith but let him that will haue credit given to him so saying name the error it self in particuler and the time when it was first receiued and by what pope it was approued which if no learned Protestant be able to performe let them be well assured that repeat it neuer so often over and ouer that the church of Rome is not the same now as it was in S. Austins time they deserue not to be beleeued Neither am I ignorant that some more hardy then their fellowes haue gone about to designe the time when the church of Rome began her Apostacy But therin they agree no better then the false Elders that accused Susanna of adulterie did of the tree vnder which the fained fact was pretended to bee done And therfore be no more worthy of credit then they were 30 M. Abbot goeth on to proue that I racked and wronged my authors and saith that Tertullian whoÌ„ I alleaged as sending to the church of Rome to learne the true doctrine doth send also to other churches as well as to the church of Rome Be it so but if he appealed vnto the church of Rome as well as to others did I him any wrong in saying that he appealed vnto the church of Rome I did not saie that he excluded all or ane ony other Doth not M. Abbot rather rack my words and wrong himself in imposing that vpon mee which I said not Besids M. Abbot doth offer great wrong to Tertullian not so much by racking his words as by chopping them quite of in the middest for where Tertullian saith If thou border on Italy thou hast the church of Rome vnde nobis authoritas presto est whence authority comes to vs. M. Abbot cuts of the latter part of the sentence which imports that men in Africk for that was Tertullians countrie did acknowledg the church of Rome to haue authority ouer them M. Abbot then hauing so cunningly conueyed the matter by cutting of that which made for vs doth afterward aske mee what was there left to serve my turne if his conueiance be no cleanlier then so it were better for him to leaue those trickes ro them that haue more nimbles fingers The Cathalogue of the Bishops of Rome set downe by Epiphanius doth serue to shew that the Bishops of Rome are S. Peters true successors which M. Abbot and the protestants sometimes when they are at a stand do not stick to deny Optatus Bishop of Milevitane S. Austins auncient did proue as M. Abbot cannot deny his part to be Catholike in that it comunicated with the church of Rome yet M. Abbot to detract some what from the see of Rome addeth that Optatus did not proue his part Catholike by communicating simply with the church of Rome but for that communicating with the church of Rome it communicated with the church of the whole world which words of Optatus are so farr of from detracting any thing from the church of Rome that they do much magnifie the comodity of her communion for he saith not that he communicated with the church of Rome and with all other churches making them seuerall parts but that in communicating with the church of Rome he communicated with the churches of the whole world thereby declaring the comunion with the church of Rome to be the meanes of communicating with all others which is the very same that we do now go about to proove His words which containe manie memorable instructions are these spoken vnto Parmenianus a Donatist Thou canst not deny but that thou knowest an Episcopall chaire to haue been placed in the city of Rome Optatus mileuit l. 2. co parmenianum Igitur negare non potes scire te in vrbe Roma Petro primo Cathedram Episcopalem esse
it be not the whole yet may very well denominate the whole And so it hath done by the consent of both friends and foes for as we tearme all of our religion Roman Catholikes so the protestantes do nickname them Papists or Romanistes both taking the name from Rome or the bishop of Rome wherfore it is manifest that that common hackney of the protestants doth not conclude the point that was in question which no man doubteth to be one of the fowlest faults that cā be in arguing I laid in a second exception against the second proposition of that argument which is But the Roman church is a particular church For that the Roman church may bee either taken precisely for the Diocese of Rome or more largly for the faithfull dispersed through the whole world that do imbrace the same faith which they of Rome do professe The Roman church so taken say I is no particular church but extends it self vnto the vtmost bounds of the whole Catholike church to which M. Abbot doth make answere in this section And in the begining confesseth verie strangley that hee is one of those Doctors that do not vnderstand this new found distinction Hee might perhaps haue said truly that hee liked it not but for a Doctor to say that hee could not reach to that which a meanewitted scholler would make no difficultie to conceiue cannot bee but a great disparagement either to his witt or to his will or to both About the first acception of the Roman church there is no manner of doubt And touching the 2. what difficutie is it to vnderstand all those to bee members of the Roman church who take the Bishop of Rome to bee their chief pastor and besides are in all articles of faith and forme of government vnited with the Roman Do not the protestāts themselues in euery countrie by nicknaming vs Romanists and Papists giue all men to vnderstand that they take all such to be members of the Roman church If then both in England France Germany and other countries by the testimonie aswell of protestants as Catholikes all they that in faith and religion agree with the church of Rome bee taken for members of the same church would any man master of his owne wits make any difficultie to grant that all such may be said to bee of the church of Rome And that therfore the church of Rome may bee taken to cōprehend all them of what nation soeuer they bee what warrant I can bring for this out of the ancient writers shal bee shorrly after shewed though this matter be in it self so sensible and almost palpable that hee must needs confesse himself to be little better then a verie blockhead that cannot vnderstand it yea M. Abbot presently after shewes himself to perceiue that well enough for better aduised he admits it for true and disputs against it in this manner Be it so that the church of Rome is vsually taken to signifie other churches submitting themselues to the church of Rome yet it doth not comprehend other churches that do not submit themselues to the same nor acknowledg her chiefty As the protestant churches in Europe and some schismaticall churches in Asia Ah sir you shew cleerly enough that you vnderstood before that distinction of mine why then did you that wrong to your owne reputation as to confesse your self to be one of those Doctors that could not conceiue it You meant then belike to make some simple foole beleeue that I to vphold my part was forced to coyne a new found distinctiō neuer heard of before but the wind being presently changed it is but an ordinary and vsuall distinstion and may bee answered in the manner that you haue endeuored to answere it To which I replie briefly and roundly that those churches which acknowledg not the chiefty of the church of Rome or do obstinatlie denie any other article of the christian faith professed by the same church be no Orthodox nor true churches at all but either hereticall or schismaticall congregations members onlie of the malignant church And therfore though the church of Rome do not comprehend them yet it doth neuertheles comprehend all Orthodox and Catholike churches That all those malignant churches and euerie member of them that either err in matter of faith defined or are by schisme deuided from the church of Rome be no true churches at all To omit diuerse other arguments because this is not a place to handle at large that question let these few testimonies suffice Saint Austin saith He that beleeueth any false thing of God or of anie part of the doctrine that appertains vnto the edification of faith Aug. l. quest in Math. q. 11. Si enim falsa de deo credit vel de aliqua parte doctrinae quae ad fidei pertinet aedificationem ita vt non quaerentis cunctatione tentatus sit sed inconcusse credentis nec omnino scientis opinione atque errore discordans Haereticus est foris est animo quamuis corporaliter intus videatur that not doubtingly with a mind to bee better enstructed but resolutely obstinately hee is an heretike and in soule out of the church though in body hee seeme to liue in it which elswhere he repeats coupling schismatiks and heretiks together and declaring both their congregations to bee no part of the Catholik church in these words we beleeue the holie church that surelie which is Catholike Idem de fide Simbolo ca 10. Credimus sanctam Ecclesiam vtique Catholicam nam haeretici schismatici congregationes suas Ecclesias vocant Sed Haeretici de deo falsa sentiendo ipsam fidem violant schismatici autem discissionibus iniqùis a fraterna Charitate dissiliunt quamuis ea credunt quae credimus Quapropter nec haereticus pertinet ad ecclesiam Catholicam quae diligit deum nec schismatitus quoniam diligit proximum for heretikes and schismatikes do call their congregations churches but heretikes beleeuing false things of God do breake their faith and schismatiks by wilfull diuisions do leape from brotherly charitie wherfore neither doth the heretike belong to the Catholike church bicause shee loues god nor the schismatike for that shee loues heir neighbor which doctrine he might haue drawen out of Saint Ciprian who vnder the name of the Novatians doth teach That heretikes be like vnto Apes who though they bee no men Ciprian epistola 73. ad Iubaianum Nouatianus simiarum more quae cum homines non sint homines tamen imitantur vult ecclesiae Catholicae auctoritatem sibi veritatem vindicare quando ipse in Ecclesia non sit imo c. yet do counterfeit men so heretikes albeit they bee out of the church yet do chalenge to themselues the truth and authority of the church with them accordeth Saint Hierom saying when you shall heare of any Christians that take not their name from Iesus Christ Hieron co lucif in fine
Sicubi audieru eos qui dicuntur Christi non a Iesu Christo sed a quoquam alio nuncupari vtputa Marcionistas valentinianos montenses scito non Ecclesiam Christi sed Antichristi esse synagogam but froÌ„ other men as Marcionists valentinians or such like as are now a daies Lutherans Zuinglians c. be you well assured that they belong not to the church of Christ but to the Sinagogue of Antichrist Out of this sound doctrine of the ancient fathers and approued doctors M. Abbots obiection is easily solued For albeit there be many erring congregations which would gladlie bee called churches and do chaleÌ„ge to theÌ„selues the name and authoritie of the church which the church of Rome doth not comprehend yet those congregations being no more true churches then Apes be men the church of Rome maie bee truly said to compreheÌ„d all the Catholike church though it do not containe any of theÌ„ they being for their ertors in faith and disvnioÌ„ in matter of religion by the verdict of the auncieÌ„t fathers esteemed rather schismatikes parts of sathaÌ„s sinagogue then any members of Christs Catholike church I am not ignoraÌ„t that there be certain good fellowe Libertins who more willing to please men with plausible doctrine then to acquaint them with Gods iust iudgments And to make some shew that theire church hath been alwaies a member of the visible Catholike church do teach that even schismatikes and heretikes so they erre not in some fundamentall points of religion be notwithstanding reall and true members of the Catholike church Against whose error I meane god willing to make a chapter in this booke wherfore I will not here stand to confute it But admitting it here for passable I do not see any reason why in the waie of that opinion the Roman church may not comprehend even those vnpure churches too For albeit they do not acknowledg the chiefty of the Roman church nor agree with it in all articles of faith yet they acknowledging the Roman to hold all those fundamentall articles of faith must needs grant that they do agree with it in all points that are of necessitie to bee beleeued On the other side they cannot deny but that they are all descended out of the same Roman church not being able to shew any other stocke or pedegree out of which their church is issued and sprung why then should they not yeeld that honor vnto the same as to acknowledg themselues members of her from whom they deriue their descent and pedigree and with whom they do agree in all fundameÌ„tall points of doctrine though in some other not necessarie in their opinion to be beleeued they do dissent from her Neither is that example of the Roman Empire well applied by M. Abbot For albeit there were and bee many kingdomes in the world besids the Roman Empire not subiect therto nor any meÌ„bers therof yet there be not nor cannot bee many christian churches wherof the one is not a member of the other For all Christian creeds do teach vs to beleeue that there is but one only church not many Ephes 4. Cant. 6.8 One spouse of Christ one body of Christ vna est columba mea c. which is the common doctrine of the auncient fathers after S. Ciprian and Saint Austin who haue made whole treatises of the vnitie of the church So that though there be many distinct kingdomes independent one of the other yet there cannot bee many such churches but all and euerie particuler true church is a true member of the one only Catholike church All of them perfectly agreeing togither in society of faith in vnity of sacraments and in forme of government Consequently the head mother church such as before I haue proued the Roman church to bee may convenientlie bee vsed to signifie all the rest No man denies the more proper signification of the church of Rome to bee the city or Diocese of Rome it self in which sense Albertus Pighius doth truly say of it That it is a particular church and not to be taken for the vniuersall church Notwithstanding it is in more large signification often taken for the whole Catholike church not only of moderne writers but also of the most ancient and holy fathers to witnes wherof I take these few following Saint Ciprian sent the copie of Antonianus letter to Cornelius bishop of Rome Cipr. epistola 52. to assure him that the said Antonian did comunicate with him that is with the Catholike church vt scires illum tecum hoc est cum Catholica ecclesia comunicare where that most learned prelate and glorious Martir put as a thing by it self well knowen that to comunicate with the pope of Rome is to communicate with the Catholike church with him accordeth Saint Ambrose Ambros oratione defratic Satyro relating how his brother Satyrus was cast on shore in Sardinia or therabout where Catholiks and heretiks were blended and mixt together and being desirous to bee baptised by a Catholike Bishop when one was presented to him to do that good office he to trie whâ—ther he were Catholike or no demaunded of him Si cum Catholicis hoc est cum Romanis consentiret If he did agree with the Catholikes that is to say with the Romanes Putting as we do now Roman for a certaine marke and as it were an explication of a true Catholike The like doth Saint Hierom when he asked of Ruffinus what faith hee professed Hic oni Apol 〈◊〉 câ—â— Ruffinum whether that that florished in the church of Rome or that which was contayned in the bookes of Origine Si Romanam responderit ergo Catholici sumus If hee answere the Roman faith then bewe Catholiks and free from the errors of Origen where he setteth the Roman faith to signifie the Catholike faith yea sheweth that of the Roman faith Christians are denominated Catholikes The same doth the auncient christian poet Prudentius chaunt in these verses Fugite o miseri execranda Nouati Schismata Catholicis vos reddite populis Prudent in hymno de Hipolito Vnasedes vigeat prisco quae condita seclo est Quam Paulus tenuit quaÌ„que cathedra Petri. O poore soules from Nouatus cursed schisme do you flie And with speede yeeld your selues vnto the Catholike party That only seate florish which in auncient time founded S. Paul vpheld and where the chaire of Peter was grounded This godly and holy man esteemed it all one to yeeld your self to the Catholike partie and to vnite your self to the sea of Rome So did that puissant Christian Emperor Theodosius the younger when hee exhorted the Bishop of Berca and his followers to declare themselues approued priests of the Roman religion imploing the Roman for the Catholike religion which was with all persons so vsuall and current in those better times Concil Ephesin Tom. 1. c. 10. that even the old rotten Arrian heretikes did by the same name of Roman designe all true
beleeuers as may bee gathered by that godly Historiographer Victor Bishop of vtica in Africke who relateth how locundus to diswade the cruell Arrian Theodoricus Victor vti de pers vand l. 1. the kings sonne from putting a Christian to death vsed these words If you put him to the sword the Romans will honor him for a Martir By the word Romans signifying the true Catholikes And another worthy witnes heerof is Gregory that learned and Zealous Bishop of Toures who citing these words of the Arrians Greg de gloria MartyruÌ„ l. 1. c. 25. Quia ingenium est Romanorum doth enterlace this explication Romanos enim vocitant nostrae religionis homines they do coÌ„monly call men of our religion to wit the true Catholiks by the name of Romans These ancient graue and renowmed authors may serue to convince any reasonable man that the name Roman both anciently did and now verie well maie comprehend all the true beleeuers of the vniuersall world what shall we then say to M. Abbot that in all his reading as he confesseth to the reproch of his ignorance could never light vpon any one that by the Roman church did signify the whole Catholike church He must acknowledg either that there remaineth very much in antiquity which hee hath not yet read or that passing ouer much in post was not at leasure to marke that which made against himself Hee found the East and the west the Greeke and Latin churches but hee could neuer find that by the Roman church was signified the vniuersall church Be it so good Sir bicause you will needs haue it to be so that you through the dimnes of your sight could not discerne that which stands on record in Saint Ciprian Saint Ambrose Saint Hierome and diuers others well knowen and approued Authors doth it there vpon follow that no man els could do it or that I vpon the acknowledgment of your want of reading the fathers was presently blanked and had not a word to say Alas seely man haue you neuer heard of this triviall Adage Bernardus non vidit omnia If that enlightned and Eagle eied Abbot did not see all what maruell though a poore purr-blind Abbot ouersee mistake many things Learne gentle sir by this little not to beare your self to confidently vpon your owne reading be you well assured that there bee many worthy things in antiquitie that you haue not read manie also that you do not vnderstand and not a few if I do not greatly mistake that you having both read and vnderstood yet will not acknowledge for feare of hurting your owne cause Out of the premises it followeth most manifestly that the word Roman taken in that larger signification is no tearme of diminution nor abridgeth the whole vnto a part but is of as large extent and hath the same latitude with the whole Catholike and Orthodox church So that whosoeuer is of the Roman church is a true member of the Catholike church And on the other side whosoeuer will bee esteemed a meÌ„ber of the Catholike church must not refuse to be made a member of the Roman church It only seperateth Catholikes from heretikes Epist 73. who like Apes to vse S. Ciprians tearme counterfeit the Catholike would verie fayne bee so saluted but because they will not acknowledge Epist 45. radicem matricem as the said Doctor speaketh elswhere the originall mother church of Rome they cannot bee liuely branches true children of the same Optatus l. 2. co parmen The Donatists as Optatus wisely noteth because they seperated themselues from the coÌ„munion of the church of Rome avouching their particuler sect to bee the whole church were no part of the whole but lay like rotten boughes cut of from the body of the Catholike church In the same tearmes stand protestants all other sectaries of what sort soeuer they be that after the fashion of Donatists diuide themselues from the same church of Rome and make peculier seperations And if the particular church of Rome would and could forsake their Ancestors faith and divide it self from other Catholike churches as protestants do And neuertheles avouch it self alone to be the whole church then in deed it might well incurr that censure of Optatus But because it cannot so do being by the vertue of our Saviours prayer and continuall assistance of the holy Ghost alwaies preserued from all error in matter of faith therfore it cannot bee separated froÌ„ the rest of the Catholike church as the Donatists were but be perpetually so closelie vnited inseparably associated with it that whosoeuer ioyneth himself with the church of Rome doth euen therby enter in to societie of the whole catholike church which the same ancient prelate Optatus doth teach in these most expresse wordes which I haue cited before Siâ—icius that now sitteth S. Peters successâ—r in the chaire of Rome is our coÌ„panion with whoÌ„ the whole world by enter course of formed letters agreeth with vs in one vniforme societie of comunion Behold how by societie with the Bishop and church of Rome the Bishops of Afrike entred into coÌ„munion and kept correspoÌ„deÌ„ce with the vniuersall church dispersed ouerall the whole world 4 M. Abbot would gladly learne seing that in ancieÌ„t time wheÌ„ there were very manie heresies the additioÌ„ of Catholike was taken for sufficieÌ„t to distinguish the Orthodox from all kind of sectaries why it will not now serue the turne but that RomaÌ„ must bee added thervnto The answere is readie because sectaries bee waxen more audacious now theÌ„ they were of old for in S. Austins daies Aug 〈◊〉 til cred c. 7. albeit the heretikes c ueted to be called Catholikes and so did call themselues putting names of reproch vpon the true beleeuers as Protestants vse to do now yet as the same most trustie Doctor witnesseth when any stranger came to demaund of them which was the Catholike congregation Idem de vera rel c. 7. they alwaies directed and sent them to the true Catholike not to their owne well knowing that hee who enquired after the Catholikes meant not their sect neither could they otherwise bee well vnderstood vnles they called the true church by the same name as it was called all the world ouer But the heretikes of our times having put on more brasen faces then their predecessors though there be no vniuersality neither of time place or people in their congregations yet forsooth will needs bee called Catholiks by Antiphrasis or contraries belike vt Lucus dicitur a Lucendo quia minime lucet lucus that is Latin for a wood is deriued of lumen light because in it is litle light so Protestants may be named vniuersalists bicause there is among them litle or no kind of vniuersality To the purpose then to declare what manner of Catholiks we meane wee add Roman to signifie that we vnderstaÌ„d not a counterfeit or corner catholike that lay lurking in obscurity for a thousand yeres
together and whose faith was neuer spred one quarter of the world ouer But such Catholikes as ioyne with the church of Rome whose faith and religion was first coÌ„mended in the Apostles daies and hath continued ever since vnmoveable and besids hath florishedd in all christian nations of the world and therfore is indeed truly Catholike Our coniunction therfore with the Roman church associateth vs with the faithfull not only of all Europe Afrike and Asia but also with the faithfull of the East and west Indies and of all the world besides wherfore M. Abbot was fowly deceiued when he said that the word Roman was a tearme of diminution or that it abridgeth the whole vnto a part wheras the Roman is fully as large and ample and hath the very same and no narrower limits and borders then the Catholike faith and religion excluding none of any nation of the world out of that communion but heretiks only and schismatiks and such like counterfeit Catholikes And let him and his companions that blush not to lay that imputation of sect and schisme vpon the Roman church declare if they can from what church the Roman deuided it self in what popes daies it became schismatike And in what countrie was the vnity of the true church then preserued None of all which if they bee able to declare we must needs take their words for wind if not for passionat and womanish scolding without any colour of reason I maruell where M. Abbot hath read that it is the peculiar badg of Antichrist to chalenge to him his alone to be the whole church of Christ May not Christs lieutenant on earth chalenge that truly which Antichrist by intrusion will presume to do vniustly Or is there no whole church of Christ in the world out of Antichrists tents And may he not rather be thought to rove at random then to speake in his right senses that averreth Antichrist to bee willing to stand for Christ and to professe to fight vnder Christs banner against whom as the holy scripture and ancient fathers most manifestly teach hee will proclayme open warr and do the vttermost of his most wicked endeauor to coÌ„pell all Christians openly to forsake and forsweare Christ too and that not covertly and by consequencies but in plaine and formall tearmes and to acknowledg no other soueraigne lord besids himself wherfore to conclude this section let the indifferent reader duly consider whether I haue deliuered in sufficient premises to proue that the church of Rome may be vsed to signifie any church of the world that in faith and religion doth agree with it My promises are not the practise only of Catholiks but also of Protestants who in all countries giue vs a name taken from the church of Rome as Romanists or Papists to signifie that we all be members of the same church in what countrie soever we dwell And not only men of our dâ—â—es do so commonly speake but in ancient tymes also it is as well recorded of the Orthodox fathers as by heretiks that men of all countries who imbraced the true faith were called Romans as I haue once before proued at large wherfore it is no novelty to avouch the church of Rome to comprehend all the true Christians of the world Against which it maketh nothing that heretiks and schismatiks be no members of the church of Rome for they be no better then rotten boughes cutt of from the vine like scattered sheepe out of Christs fold wherfore no part nor parcell of Christs church THE FOVRTH Paragraffe w. B. NOw to M. Abbots second sophistication The Roman church by your rule is the head and all other churches are members to it but the Catholike comprehendeth all Ergo to say the Roman is the Catholike church is to say the head is the whole body To which I saye first as I said to the former argument that it is missshapen and by the like it maie bee proued that their English church is not the Catholike church which M. Abbot is content to grant Seâ—ondly I say that it is a fault in arguing when a word is vsed Metaphorically to take hold vpon anie other property of the Metaphore besides that wherin the resemblance lieth I gaue for example that our blessed Saviour is called a Lion for his invincible fortitude Now if anie man would out of that metaphore argue that our Saviour had foure feete bicause a Lion hath so he should be not only ridiculous but also blasphemous In like manner though the church of Rome be by vs called the head church bicause of her superiority Yet doth it not follow that anie other properties belonging to a head be of necessity attributed to the same church And to our present purpose though a head cannot be called by the name of the whole it being but one part of the whole called dissimilare that consisteth of diuers parts one vnlike to the other yet might the church of Rome not withstanding that it is the head be called by the name of the whole Catholike church For that the Catholike church is totum similare a whole consisting of parts that bee all a like as the aire is every part wherof is called by the name of the whole as euery part of the aire is called the aire euery part of water is called water so every particular church that is part of the Catholike church may truly be called the Catholike church though it be not the whole Catholike church To which M. Abbot after much idle speech mingled with scornfull scoffing answereth nothing els in effect but that hee had said before these be his wordes R. AB TAke a head in what sence you will it must needs bee a distinct part from the rest of the body and then repeats his goodly argument in these tearmes The church of Rome is by their learning the head of all other churches and all other churches are as the members and body of this head But the Catholike church comprehendeth all both head and body To say then that the Roman church is the Catholike church is all one as if a man should say the head is the whole bodie After which he addeth who can speake more cleerly then I haue done where if you wil be his favorable and fast frind you must applaud him and say that no man is able to do better nor to set it out more cleerly then hee hath done A high conceit of his owne writing vttered with vanity enough Now of mee his poore Antagonist hee saith who can answere more absurdly then he hath done I haue put him to his trumps I warrant him c to omit much such trumpery which followeth without any fortification of reason or temper of modestie W. B. I am so farr of from being troubled with his trumpes which are nothing els indeed then very frumpes besids that one old halting spurgald Iade of an argument so confusedly set downe by him even there where hee crakes most of cleernes
the one shal bee the great Doctor of the church S. Augustin who as I haue once before shewed doth teach in formall tearmes that person to bee no member of the Catholike church who doth beleeue obstinatly anie falshood in matter of faith knowing it to bee such And the second shal bee Martin Luther whom albeit wee take for an Apostate Augustine frier yet the protestants esteeme him as a great man of God Hee for want of one article of beliefe condemneth all the Sacramentaries to the pitt of hell these bee his words It shall nothing profit the Sacramentaries to speake of spirituall eating nor to beleeue in the father the sonne Luther lib. quod verba Christi Stent and the holy Ghost so long as with blasphemous mouth they denie this article of faith which Christ hath proposed to vs by his owne holy mouth This is my bodie that shal bee giuen for you Behold no saluation to be possible if you deny but that one article of faith Among manie other causes why such misbeleeuers are esteemed worthy of so grievous punishments there bee two principall the first is that they will not beleeue God himself revealing his diuine misteries vnto vs The second because they will not giue credit to the church proposing vnto them the same truth All Divines hold that there is no matter of faith which is not reuealed vnto vs by God himself whether the same veritie had need to bee put downe in writing as the protestantes seeme to require or that it sufficeth to bee deliuered by word of mouth as we hold is a question betweene vs But wee all consent that what soeuer is propounded vnto vs to bee beleeued must needs bee first reuealed by God whence it followeth evidentlie that hee who denieth to beleeue any one article of faith is conuinced not to beleeue God himselfe in that point for hee it is principally that tendreth it vnto vs to bee beleeued wherfore he that refuseth to beleeue it is forced to this exigent that hee must needes confesse himself to bee perswaded either that God teacheth not the truth alwaies or els that wee are not bound to beleeue him in all things either of which is most irreligious and a very blasphemous crime For as S. Iames disputeth Hee that hath kept the whole law besides and doth offend but in one point therof is made guiltie of the whole Euen so hee that beleeueth God in all other articles yet in some one refuseth to beleeue him is made guiltie of the whole That is as S. Iames expoundeth it offendeth against the Maiesty and veritie of the law giuer not reputing him worthy of credit in all matters what soeuer But to thinke God not worthie to bee credited in anie one word or title that shall proceed out of his diuine mouth is in truth to make him no God at all For hee is no God that either will or can bee vntrue of his word Here the poore Christian trembling at this consequeÌ„ce will crye out that hee doth beleeue God in all things and God forbid that hee should once imagine him not worthy to bee credited in whatsoeuer it shall please his diuine maiesty to reueale But hee will say that hee knowes not that God hath reuealed this vnto him or at least is not well assured that he would haue him to beleeue it This I grant is the lesser faut of the two yet not in any sort tollerable For if it hath pleased his diuine bounty to reueale vnto vs for his owne honor and our instructioÌ„ such heauenly verities and misteries how can hee take it well at our hands that wee either will not vouchsafe to take notice of them or which is worse will not beleeue them to bee true They that will not beleeue are in the holie scriptures worthely called rebells because they band themselues against Gods truth according to that of Iob Rebelles fuerunt Lumini Iob. 24. v 13. they were rebells against the Light and therfore as Rebels and traitors must looke to bee punished The others that will not take the paines to learne according vnto the small measure of their capacity all such matters as appertaine to their owne estate calling must needs acknowledg their extreme vndutifull carelesnes in the highest matter that can bee and that which doth also most concerne them to wit in the onely necessary busines of their owne euerlasting either saluation or damnation And withall confesse that they are vnworthy to bee knowne of God their Soueraigne Lord and maker at the latter daie for that they neglected to know their dutie towards him whiles they liued here on earth Of them the Apostle hâ—th alreadie pronounced this sentence 1. Cor. 14 38 If any man know not to wit the things belonging to his dutie towards God hee shall not bee knowne of God but shal bee shut out of the gate of heauen And if they stand knocking there thinking to get in by their ouerlate importunity they shal bee answered as the foolish virgins were Math. 25 12. with a Nesciovos I know you not the force of this discourse in brief is whosoeuer refuseth to beleeue God in any one article by him reuealed shall not be saued but they that think to be saued in any religion refuse to beleeue some articles of faith reuealed by God ergo they caÌ„not be saued The secoÌ„d cause why wilfull refusers to beleeue any one arttcle of faith do incurre that heauie iudgment is for that they do offer great wrong vnto the true church of God his deerly beloued spouse and our spirituall mistresse and mother It is agreed on by men of all sides that the holie Catholike church is the temple of the holie Ghost the mysticall bodie of Christ and the piller fortresse of truth wherfore to offer her that affront and disgrace as not to giue credit to her testimony speaking specially vnto vs in the behalf of Christ 2. Cor. 5.20 pro Christo legatione fungimur for Christ wee are legates and in the name of the holy Ghost visum spiritui sancto nobis It hath seemed good to the holie Ghost and vs it not onlie to contemne her Actor 15. but to despise Iesus Christ also that hath ordained her to bee our instructer and directer to set naught by the holie ghost that speaketh vnto vs by her wee caÌ„not bee ignoraÌ„t what our Saviour hath said of the governors principall rulers of the church you shal bee witnesses to mee in IerusaleÌ„ in all Iury Samaria Act 1.8 vnto the vttermost coasts of the earth If Christ hath made choice of theÌ„ as of substaÌ„tiall honest meÌ„ sit to bee his witnesses do not wee offer him a great indignity if wee refuse to beleeue them namelie when wee know him to haue said of them Luc. 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent mee Yea
without exception against any one of them for if I do beleeue her in one and not in another I am become such a chooser as the Latines following the Grecians call hereticus an heretike and do indeed shew that I do not assuredlie beleeue the church as Gods interpreter that cānot erre but onlie so farre forth as I thinke good And then it may bee asked mee why I do beleeue her at all if she do but now and then tell the truth for it may bee that then shee doth not say true when I do beleeue her To put vs out of all these doubts and difficulties the selected gouernours of the church the maisters of the world Christes hoy Apostles before they did depart to preach the Gospell to all nations set downe this for a most assured principle of the Christian faith I beleeue the holie Catholike church to teach all Christians that in those supernaturall misteries of the kingdome of heauen wee must not leane to the light of nature or trust to our owne Iudgments or follow the advise of everie one that will take vpon him to bee a maister but hold our selues preciselie to that which the holie Catholike church doth teach vs obeie her fullie and wholie in all things Out of the premises this argument may bee framed directly to our purpose No man can bee saued vnles hee follow the direction of the one holie Catholike church in all matters of faith but they that bee of opinion that euerie man may bee saued in his religion do not follow the direction of the Catholike church which doth teach all men to imbrace and follow one only faith and religion wherfore they that will not imbrace the said one only faith which the Catholike church teacheth cannot bee saued To make this more plaine and probable let vs in a word or two examine the speciall meanes that the protestants vse to attaine vnto the true vnderstanding of Gods word and therby vnto saluation where wee must obserue by the way that wee all agree in this that there is nothing to bee beleeued which is not by God reuealed vnto vs. The Protestants do hold all that to bee written either in the old or new Testament wherin wee dissent from them teaching all revealed verities not to bee written in the Bible but some of them to passe from father to sonne by word of mouth and by tradition Of which difference here I doe not dispute but wee all taking for our ground Gods owne and onely word revealed written or vnwritten do inquire how wee come to the true vnderstanding of it wee say by the explication and declaration of the Catholike church The Protestants approue not that meanes but vnder the colour of mans inuentions reiecting of it do either leane to their owne iudgment learning or follow the authoritie of their chiefe preachers or els runne to the revelation of the Spirit speaking inwardlie to their spirits Now if none of all these bee assured meanes to attaine vnto the true vnderstanding of Gods word then their faith that relieth principally theron cannot bee assured Some of them in great zeale simplicitie will say that they relie only on the word of God but good poore soules they know not well what they saie for the question being about the vnderstanding of the same word of God wee affirming the word to bee for vs they denying that and chalenging it to bee for them who shall iudge whether of our pretentions to the same word bee true they will conferre one texte with another so will wee and consider all circūstances too wee will repaire also to the originals haue respect vnto the Analogie of faith briefly wee will vse all humane diligēce pray also to God to assist vs supernaturally yet whē wee haue all done wee come to no agreemēt who shall thē agree vs If they would come with vs to the Catholike churches determination in some generall councell wee should quickly haue an end but they vpon one vaine pretext or other fly of and will finally follow no other then one of those three guids before named wherof the first which is their owne learning and Iudgment bee it neuer so great yet they maie mistake and fall into error Omnis enim homo mendax Rom. 3. For every man is subiect to bee deceiued specially when they bee in passion and striue to vphold and make good their owne conceites against others for then they do oftentimes run astray verie strangelie Secondly the Protestants that relie vpon the reputation and credit of their preachers how can they set vp their rest vpon them assuredlie for that first their masters being men may bee deceiued aswell as other men maie be and that they are in deed deceiued not only the Catholiks who are the farre greater and founder part of Christians do affirme but those also that they themselues hold for men of God do testify the same For example Martin Luther with his disciples repute Zuinglius Calvin and all the troupe of Sacramentaries to bee deceiuing masters and to erre damnablie in the matter of the blessed Sacrament On thother side the Sacramentarie protestants do all teach that Luther with all his followers erred as in many other points so principally in that matter of the reall presence which of these two to omit diuerse other their contradictions shall a poore protestant beleeue and follow both hee cannot because what the one affirmeth thother denieth and each of them saith that the other is deceiued Hee thē taking them both for true of their words must needs beleeue neither of them for that the one avoucheth the other to bee in error Hee maie leaning to his owne Iudgment and liking rather follow one of them then the other yet hee cannot do that without some feare of being deceiued himself because hee hath so many euen of his owne side to bee against him wherfore he can haue no faith at all in these points For faith is an assured perswasion of that to bee true which you do beleeue without anie doubt or feare of the contrarie Let vs now come to their last refuge and surest hold as some take it of the spirit which is indeed the most wauering and vncertaine guide of all the rest For doth not the Lutherans grosser spirit buzze into their braines that they haue found out the light of the Gospell yes I warrant you saies euery good Lutheran Not so saith the purer and nimblet spirit of the Calvinists it was but the dawning of the daie that appeared to M. Luther the light of the Gospell began then only to peepe vp but the bright beames therof brake not out till M Caluins doctrine glittered The more brisk spirite of the Brownists doth assure thē that the nooneday light of the same Gospell shineth onlie in their Horizon And what shall wee say to the Anabaptists who as they bee the most frantike of all other so they brag most of all of verie familiar