to do according to the doctrine of the Prelates of the Catholike Church yea although it should happen that their liues were not laudable but bad For although our Sauiour in this place doth only in expresse wordes make mention of the chaire of Moses in which the Priests of the old Law did sit yet he is to be vnderstood to speake also of the chaire of S. Peter his owne Vicegerent in which the Priestes of the new Law doe succeed And this à fâ—rtiori because we haue greater reason to thinke that our Sauiour inteÌ„ded in his doctrine to giue rules to the Priests and people of his new Law which was presently to begin and to continue till the worldes end then only to giue documents to those of the old Law considering he knew that it should so shortly cease Wherefore the ancient fathers do vnderstand that place to bee meant of the Priestes of the new Law and namely S. Augustine who saith thus In illum ordinem Episcoporum qui ducitur ab ipso petro ad Anastasium qui nunc in eadem Cathedra sedet etiamsi quisquam traditor per illatempora subrepsâ—sset nihil praeiudicaret Ecclesie innocentibus Christianis quibus prouidens Dominus ait de praepositis malis quae dicunt facite quae faciunt facere nolite Into that order of Bishoppes which is deriued from S. Peter himself vnto Anastasius who now sitteth vpoÌ„ the same chair although some traytor had crept in in those times he should nothing hurt the Church and the innocent Christians for whome our Lord prouiding saith of euill Prelates what they say do what they do do not The threates we may gather First out of S. Luke when our Sauiour faith Qui vos spernit me spernit Hee that despiseth you despiseth me Signifying that look what sinne it were not to heare but to despise our Sauiour Christ himselfe that wee should account it the same to despise not to giue eare and credit to the Catholike Church Insinuating therby that the like punishment is to be expected for the saide contempte Secondly in S. Mathew the same our Sauiour expressely saith Si Ecclesiam non audierit sit tibi sicut Ethnicus publicanus If he wil not heare the Church let him be to thee like an Ethnicke and a Publican Finally in S. Marke after hee had giuen charge coÌ„mission to preach the Gospell to euery creature hee pronounceth this threate to those that will not beleeue saying Qui non crediderit condemnabitur hee that will not beleeue shall be condemned Thus you see our Sauiour Christ hath promised to his Church the continuall presence of himselfe and of his holy Spirit to teach that coÌ„pany all truth Wherof followeth that it is infallibly taught al truth Moreouer hee hath giuen charge and commission to that Church to teach vs and hath warranted and commanded vs in all pointes to heare and do according to the saying of this Church which proueth that it appertaineth to this Church to instruct vs in all pointes of faith and that we ought to learne of it in all matters of religion what is the fallible truth consequently that the doctrine of this Church is the rule of faith Worthily therefore doth S. Paule call this Church columnam firmamentum veritatis The pillar and ground of truth Worthily also saith S Austen Scripturarum à nobis tenetur veritas cum id facimus quod vniuersae placet Ecclesiae quam earundem scripturarum commendat authoritas vt quoniam scriptura sancta fallere non potest quisquis falli â—etuit huius obscuritate questionis ecclesiam de illa consulat quam sine vlla ambiguitate scriptura sancta demonstrat The truth of the Scriptures is holden of vs when wee doe that which pleaseth the vniuersall or whole Church the which is commended by the authority of the Scriptures themselues that because the holy Scripture cannot deceiue whosoeuer feareth to bee deceiued with the obscurity of this question let him require the iudgement of the church which without any ambiguity the holy Scripture doth demonstrate by which wordes hee sheweth plainely that the sentence of the Church is of infallible and vndoubted truth that the way not to bee deceiued in an obscure question is to aske and follow the iudgement of the Church Wherefore worthily also do we all say Credo Ecclesiam CatholicaÌ„ I beleeue the Catholike Church worthily also may I conclude that neither Scripture alone nor naturall witte and learning nor priuate spirit nor any other thing but onely the teaching of the true Church of Christ is that ordinarie meanes which Almighty God hath prouided whereby all men may learne that one infallible entire faith which I proued to be necessary to saluation CHAP. XI That the Church whose doctrine must bee to vs the rule of faith must alwaies continue without interruption from Christ his time till the worldes end COnsidering what had bene proued in the former Chapter about the infallible authorite of the doctrine of the true Church I hope no Christian will denie but that so longe as this Church doth continew we haue of it a sure pillar and a firme foundation whereupon we may safely build our beleefe For either a maÌ„ must denie that euer our Sauior did make any such promise gaue such charge and commission left any such warrant sett forth such a commaundement or thundred out any such threates as before is rehearsed which were to denie the scriptures which scriptures are generally receiued by all Christians no otherwise theÌ„ as they are the vndoubted worde of God or els he must wrest the interpretation thereof both from that which the wordes of themselues naturally yeeld also from the common sense and vnderstanding either of al or the most learned and almost of the vnlearned also of the whole Christian world or els he shal be forced to confesse that which not I but S. Paule hath saied ecclesia est columna firmamentum veritatis the Church is the pillar and ground of trueth Onely it may perchaunce seeme to some of those that doe at this day oppose themselues against the authoritie of the Church that this was true for S. Paules time and perhaps for some 3.4.5 or 6. hundred yeares after but not to be presumed vpon in latter times and namely when Luther began his reformation as they tearme it or now a dayes Against these men I set downe this assertion The true Church of Christ which the forenamed testimonies of Scripture do commend was and is to continew without interruption till the worldes end This I proue First out of the very wordes of those promises which I cited out of S. Mathew S. Iohn For how can Christ our Sauiour or his holy Spirit be with his Church in such sort as there is promised to witt till the worldes end and for euer and especially as is saied in S. Matthew omnibus diebus
thinke that you are vnwise who pretending to trauaile toward the happy kingdome of heauen and to goe to that glorious citty the heauenly Ierusalem will leaue the beaten street in which al those haue walked that euer heretofore weÌ„t thither who by miracles sometimes as it were by letters sent from thence haue giuen testimony to vs that remaine behinde that they are safelie arriued there You I say are vnwise that will leaue this way and will aduenture the liues not onely of your bodies but of your soules in a path found out of late by your selues neuer â—racked before in which whosoeuer haue yet gone God knoweth what is become of them sith we neuer had letter of miracle or any other euident token or euer heard any word froÌ„ theÌ„ to assure vs that they safely passed that way me thinkes I may account you most vnwise men that will aduenture such a pretious Iewell as your soule is to bee transported by such an vncertaine and dangerous waie I must needes thinke that sith there is but one right waie and that the way of the Catholique Church is a sure and approued safe waie you are very vnaduised who with the aduenture of the irreparable losse of your dearest and peerlesse treasure your soule will leaue this safe and secure way to seeke out a new vncertaine and perillous waie I must needes thinke sith the Catholique Româ—ne Church is as I haue proued the light of the world the rule of faith the pillar and sure ground of truth that you leauing it leaue the light and therefore walke in darkenesse forsaking it forsake the direct path of true faith and therefore are misse-led in the myst of incredulitie into the wildernes of misbeleefe finally that you hauing thus lost the sure ground of truth doe fall into the mierie ditcâ—â—e of many absurdities and must needes be drowned in the pitt of innumerable errours and erring thus from the waie the veritie and the life which iâ— Christ Iesus residing according to his promise in the Catholique Church must needes vnles you will which I hartely wishe returne to the vnitie of the same Church incurre your owne perdition death and damnatioÌ„ of body and soule from which sweet Iesus deliuer you and vs all to the honour and perpetuall praise of his holy name AMEN Laus Deo Heb 11. Ser. 38. de Tempore (a) Ro. 2. Galat. 3. Ephes. 2. (b) CoÌ„c Milea Can. 4. Concil Trid. sess 6. c. 7.8 Iren. l. 5. cap. 29. Chrysost. Hom. 32. in Ioan. Sermone de Fide Char. Cirill Alex. in Ioan. lib. 4. 1. Cor. 14 Ephes. 4. Ser. 4. in Natiu Dom. In cap. 4. ad Eph. Lib. 1. c. 3 Rom. 10. Ser. de Fidei confessione Hom. 12. in epist ad Hebraeos Hom. 83. in Matth. (a) Luc. 10. (b) 1. Thes. 2. Mar. c. 16. Math. 28. Ioan. 3. In the Greeke text aires es Gal. 5. Athanas. in Simb Teste theodoreto lib. 4. eccles histor c. 1â— Gregor Nazianz. tract de Fide 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tim. 4. 2. Pet. 3. Aug. lib. de Sp. lib. c. 33. Prosper lit 2. de vocat gent. cap. 23.25.28 D. Ambros Ser. 8. in Psal. 118. Iren. l. 4. cap. 71. Lib. de vtil credendi 1. Cor. 2. Lib. de vtilitate credendi cap. 4. Ibidem Aug. l. 5. de bapt donat cap. 23. Basil. lib. de Sp. cap. 29. Epiph. haer 61. Rom. 3. 1. Cor. 2. Ibidem Ibidem Gal. 1. 2. Cor. 11 2. Iohn 4. 2. Cor. 2. 1. Iohn 4. Collat. 61. c. 11. Rom. 10. Mal. 5. Matth. 7 Iacobi 4. Lib. 3. de bapt donatist cap. 19. Ep. 222. Tract 18. in Ioanes Matth. 4. Lib. 12. Confess cap. 25. Mat. c. 28 Ioan. 14. Ioan. 14. Ioan. 16. Math. 28 Mar. 16. Luc. 10. Math. 23. Epist. 165. Luc. 10. Math. 18. Mar. 16. 1. Tim. 3. Lib. 1. Crescon cap. 33. 1. Tim. 3. Matth. cap. 28. Math. 16 Psal. 47. Dan. 2. Luc. 1. In Psalm 101. Conc. 2. Ibidem Isâ— â— 61 Luc. 4. Isa. 61. Math. 5. â— Tim. 2. Math. 10. Luc. 9. Rom. 10. Math. 18. Oratione de moderat in disput habenda Matth. 7. Isa. 60. Math. 20. Math. 3. Math. 23. Math. 13. Math. 25. â— Cor. 5. Hom. 30. in math Lib. de Vnitate Ecclesiae Lib. 4. in cap. 6. Isa. Lib. 3. ep parm cap. 4. Tract 2. in epist. Ioan. Lib. ep parm cap. 7. Lib. de prescript Taller bigger Tall. Tall. Lib. 3. de bapt donat cap. 19. Lib. 3. Faust. cap. 13. Isa. c. 35. 1. Cor. 2. Rom. 10. In Ps. 53. Lib. Ep. Fund cap. 5. 1. Ioh. 4. Eph. 4 Isa. c. 61. Lib. Ep. Fund cap 4. The first marke Vna proued out of Scripture Cant c. 6 Cypr. l. de vnitate Ecclesiae Aug. l. 6. in Ioan. Ioh. c. 1â— Rom 12. 1. Cor. 10 Ioh. 17. Lib. de Prescript Ibidem The second marke Sancta 1. Cor. 3. 1. Cor. 5. Hebr. 10. Mat. 18. 1. Pet. 2. Luc. 10. Iac. 4. The third marke Catholica Isa. c. 59. Psal. 21. Psal. 71. Ibidem Aug in Psal. 71. Luc. 24. Aug. 1. de Vtilitate Ecclesiae Act. c. 1. Collos. 1. Mat. 13. Mat. 24. Act. 20. Ibidem 2. Tim. 3. Aug. in Psal. 57. 2. Tim. 3. Aug. l. de Vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 3. Mat. 24. Aug. l. 4. de Simb cap. 10. Aug. l. de Vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 3. Ephes. 2. Act. 1. Act. 2. Aug. l. de Pastor cap. 8. Lib. de prescript Lib. de prescript Lib. 2. Iouin S. Hier. in cap. 4 ad Ephes. Math. 16. Luc. 22. Chrysost. lib. 2. de Sacerdotio S. Leo Ser. 2. de anniuers assumpt suae ad Pontif. Ioan. 21. (a) Luke 10. Mat. 23. Mat. 16. Ioh. 16. Cypr. lib. 4. Epist. 9 Lib. 1. Epist. 3. In postilla super Euang dom primae aduentus Conc. 4. super cap. 21. Luc. Mat. 7. Cant. 1. â— Cor. 13 â— Tim. 1. Eccles. â— Prou. â—â— See Staphil in absoluâ— respons Cochlae in actis Lutheri Aâ— 152â— Bolseâ— iâ— vita Caluin c. 13 Luther lib. de capt Bab. Philip in Apol. art 5 27. 1. Ioh. 5. Mat. 11. Philip. cap. 2. See the History of Saint Bede lib. 1. cap. 23. Rom. 1. In ration redditis acadaem â—a 7. Hollinshead in the description of Britany fol. 11. Gall. 1. Lib. de Prescript Ioh. 14. Ioh. 16. Epist. ad Argent an Dom. 1525. Lib. parm Lib. 3. c. 3 Et Epist. Fundamenti c. 4. Athanas. orat 2. Arrian Ephes. 4. Ibidem Orat. de moderatione in disput habendo Ioh. 2â— Aug. in Psa. cont partem Donati Irenaeus lib. 3. c. 3. Lib. de Prescript See Prateolus verbo Lutherani In Ps. 53. Rom. 10. Heb. c. 5. â— Paral. cap. 26. Ioh. 10. Ibidem 1. Tim. 4. Ioh. 10. Ioh. 10. Ioh. â—5 Mat. 23. Gal. 1. 2. contra Iulian. Epist. 2. In Praef. Li. de abrog Missae priuaâ—â—â— ad fratâ—es Aug. Ordin in caenoo Wittenberg
fruites of Christs Passion are inclosed in it and the meanes of saluation and to escape eternall damnation are only found in it The Church therefore is visible at all times For at all times that Prophesie of Isaias must be true wherin our Lord speaketh thus to the Church Aperientur portae tuae iugiter die ac nocte non claudentur vt afferatur ad te fortitudo gentium reges earum adducantur Gens enim regnum quod non seruierit tibi peribit Thy gates shal be continually opened day and night they shall not be shut that the strength of nations and the kings therof may be brought vnto thee for the nation and kingdome which shall not serue thee shall perish Sixtly the only reason and ground by which heretiques hold the Church to be inuisible is because they imagine the Church to consist onely of the elect or onely of the good But this is a false ground as appeareth by the name of Church in Greeke Ecclesia which euen by the etymology of the word doth signifie the company of men called now sure it is that moe are called then elected as our Sauiour saith multi vocati pauci electi Againe this ground is shewed to be false by those parables in which the Church is compared to a floare wherein wheate and chaffe are mixed And to a mariage to which came good and bad And to a net wherin are gathered al sorts of fishes good and bad And to ten Virgins wherof fiue were foolish and excluded from the celestial marriage This ground is also shewed to be false out of S. Paule who commandeth the Corinthians to expell an incestuous person out of the Church Ergo before this expulsion there was such a person in the Church and therefore the Church doth not consist only of those that be good Lastly the ancient Fathers did teach that the Church is visible Origen saith Ecclesia plena est fulgore ab oriente vsque ad occidentem The Church is full of brightness from the East to the West Ecclesia saith S. Cyprian Domini luce perfusa radios suos per orbem spargit The Church being bright with the light of our Lord doth spreade her beames throughout the world Facilius est saith S. Chrysostome solem extingui quà m ecclesiam obscurari It is more easy that the Sunne should be extinguished then that the Church should be obscured that is to say darkened and quite without light S. Augustine also alluding to or rather expounding those words of our Sauiour Non potest ciuitas abscondi supra montem posita Saith Ecclesia supra montem constituta abscondi nō potest The Church being built vpon a mountaine cannot be hid And againe in another place he saith Quid amplius dicturus sum quà m caecos qui tam magnū montem non vident qui contra lucernam in cādelabro positam oculos claudunt What shall I say more but that they are blind who doe not see so great a mountaine who shut their eyes at the candle sette vpon the candle-sticke CHAP. XIII How we should discerne and know which is the true visible Church of Christ. HITHERTO I haue shewed that the rule of faith which all men ought to seeke that by it they may learne true faith is the doctrine of the Church of Christ and that this Church doth continue and is alwaies visible that is to say such as may be found out and knowne Now the greatest question is sith there are diuers companies of them that beleeue in Christ euery one of which challenge to themselues the title of the true Church how euery man may come to know assuredly and in particuler which company is indeed the true visible Church of Christ whose doctrine we must in all points beleeue and follow To this question I answere that euery company which hath the name of Christiās or which challeng to thēselues the name of the Church are not alwaies the true Church For of heretiques we may well say as S. Austen doth non quia ecclesia Christi videntur habere nomen idcirco pertinent ad eius consecrationem They doe not therefore pertaine to the consecration of the Church of Christ because they seeme to cary the name of the Church of Christ. For as the same S. Austen saith in another place heretiques are only whited ouer with the name of Christians When indeed Si haeretici sunt as Tertullian saith Christiani esse non possunt If they be heretiques they cannot be true Christians The reason whereof the same Tertullian insinuateth to be because they follow 〈◊〉 that faith which came from Christ to his Apostles and Disciples and which was deliuered by them from hand to hand to our forefathers and so to vs but they follow that faith which they chose to themselues of which election or choise the name of heretike heresie did arise The way therefore to discerne which is the true Church is first to set downe which be the certaine markes by which all men may easily know the Church then to examine to whom these markes do agree The which that I may the better performe in the chapters following here I thinke good first briefely to note what belongeth to the nature of a good and sufficient marke Note therefore that two things are required in euery sufficiēt marke The first is that it be not common to many but proper and only agreeing to the thing whereof it is a marke As for example it is no good marke whereby to know any particuler mā to say he hath two hands or two eares because this is common to many and therefore no sufficient note or marke wherby one may be distinguished or knowne from all other But a marke whereby we may discerne one speciall man from all other must be some one thing or moe which he hath and others haue not As if he were longer larger or fairer thē the rest or if some others were as long and other some as faire yet none were long faire both but only he The second thing required in a good marke is that it be more apparant and easie to be knowne then the thing For example If I were to describe and make knowne a certaine man who were otherwise vnknowne I must not thinke it sufficient to giue the definition of his essence or to assigne the secret disposition of his hart liuer and other inward partes which are commonly harder to be knowne thē the man himselfe But I must declare some apparant thing in his face hands or some outward part of his body or in his voice apparell behauiour or such like which agreeing onely to that man and being easie to be knowne may be a meanes to make vs know the man we seeke for Wherefore when we will assigne some good markes by which all sortes of men may in some sort discerne which particular cōpany of men
Churches afterward did borrow and do daily borrow the ofspring of faith and the seeds of doctrine that they may be made Churches and by this meanes these also shall be accouÌ„ted Apostolique as being the issue of the Apostolicall Churches Contrariwise no conuenticle of heretiques can be Apostolique by reason that heresie being an vpstart nouelty contrary to the former receiued faith of the Church cannot haue any Apostle or Apostolique man for auctor and founder but is forced to acknowledge some other of whom as it receaued the first being so most comonly either the doctrine or the men that follow it or both receiue also their name as of Arrians came Arrianisme and the Arrians of Montanus came the Montanists and Montanisme and there was neuer yet heretique which could deriue the pedegree of his congregation by vninterrupted succession from the Apostles which maketh Tertullian to vrge them so earnestly saying Edant haeretici origines ecclesiarum suarum euoluant ordinem Episcoporum ita per successiones decurrentes vt primus ille Episcopus aliquem ex Apostolicis viâ—is qui tamen cum Apostolis perseuerauerit authorem habuerit antecessorem Let the hetikes shew the beginning of their Churches or as they had rather say of their Congregations let them vnfold the order of their Bishops or superintendents so running downe by successions that the first of them shall haue for his auctor in doctrine and predecessors in place any Apostolique man who did perseuer and did not forsake the Apostles Thus did Tertullian vrge them because he knew well that they could neuer make this proper note of the true Church to agree to their company It appeareth therefore plaine enough that these foure properties One Holy Catholique and Apostolique agree only to the true Church and sith it is no hard matter for any to see or know which company of Christians hath these properties as in the next chapter I shall declare It is also plaine that these foure One Holie Catholique Apostolique being proper to the true Church and apparant enough are good notes or markes by which meÌ„ may discerne which company of those which haue the name of Christians and which professe as euery company professeth themselues to teach the true doctrine of Christ is indeed the true Church which doubtlesse teacheth in all points the true doctrine of Christ. CHAP. XVI That the Romane Church is One Holy Catholique Apostolique and therefore the true Church THVS farre my discourse hath gone along all in generalities in shewing the necessity of true faith and that this faith is to be learned of the true Church and that this Church continueth alwaies and is visible as being a visible company of men professing the true faith of Christ partaking his Sacraments and liuing vnder the gouernement of lawfull Pastors his substitutes that whereas diuers companies of men take vpon them the title of this Church whereby some do stand in doubt which company is the true Church there bee certain marks by which the true Church may be certainely knowen discerned from all other companies or congregations and finally that these markes bee those foure One Holy Catholique Apostolique which are certainely knowne to bee the properties of the true Church both by the Nicene Creed and also by plaine testimonies of Scriptures and Fathers Now it wil be good to see if we can by these generall grounds conclude which particuler company of men is the true Church of Christ. A conclusion of exceeding great consequence as touching all matters in controuersie concerning the doctrine of faith as may appeare by the drifte of all my former discourse For the framing of which conclusion we shal not need to bring in comparison all the companies or sectes of diuers religions that haue bin and are in the world because euery one can easily discerne of themselues and especially by the helpe of that which hath beene saide that neither Turkes nor Iewes nor whatsoeuer other Infidels can be the true Church of Christ because these neither haue the name of Christians neither do they professe to haue the name of Christ. Neither am I now to meddle with heretiques and schismatiques of former ages the which as they haue bin condemned by the generall consent of the Church so in continuance of time they haue beene worne out by the same Church in so much that euen the memory of them God be thanked seemeth to be perished with them My chiefe question and comparison therfore shal be betwixt the Romain Church that is to say that company which comâ—unicateth and agreeth in profession of faith with the Church of Rome liueth vnder the obedience as touching spirituall matters of the Bishop of Rome other Bishops and pastours vnder him and the Protestantes that is to say that companie which from Luther his time hitherward haue opposed themselues against the Romaine Church either all or any one sect of them my question I say or comparison shal bee to which of those two the foure forenamed markes agree and consequentely which of them is the true Church § SECT I. That the Romaine Church onely is one FIrst I finde that the Protestants Church is not perfitely One or vniforme in dogmaticall points of faith but variable according to the varietie of times persons now holding one thing then an other and that the learned men thereof are so much at Iarre among themselues in matters of faith that it is hard to finde three in all pointes of one opinion and which is chiefly to bee pondered as principally appertaining to the marke of Vnitie they haue no meanes to end their controuersies so to returne to vnitie and to continue therein For while as they admitt no rule of faith but onely Scripture which scriptures diuers men expound diuersely according to the diuers humours and affections opinions and phantasies of euery one neuer one admitting any one head or cheef ruler infallibly guided by the holy Ghost in his doctrine to whose censure in matters of faith euery one should of necessitie submit theÌ„selues vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio that as S. Hierome speaketh a head or chiefe ruler being ordained occasion of schisme or diuision may bee taken away Whilst they do thus as they all doe thus al proclaiming to be ruled by only Scripture and yet almost in euery one in one point or other expounding Scripture diuersely and one contrarie to an other according to the diuers seeming of euery ones sense and neuer one admitting any one superiour infallibly guided by the â—oly Ghost to whose definitiue sentence â—e and the rest wil be bound to submitte â—â—eir doctrine expositioÌ„s whilst I say â—hey doe thus it is vnpossible that they â—hould in fidei occurrere vnitatem meete as S. Hierome consaileth in the vnity of faith The which vnitie in profession of faith notwithstanding is one principall thing â—ertaining to the vnitie of the Church and Vnitie of the Church is one