giuen to nature which belongeth to grace that cannot be without eminent danger But whatsoeuer we haue done in the point this I am sure of that our aduersaries are gone too farre euen by their owne confession There haue not bene wanting Diuines in our times d 22. p. 390. saith Dom. Bannes who haue giuen too much to freewill and the power of nature and while they thought to eschue the error of Lutherans they fell into the proud heresie of Pelagians And * Et 393. to make men free they haue made them proud filled them with sacriledge This is the truth For freewill hath of it selfe either some strength though small or none at all If any then Christ said not true without me ye can do nothing If none then where is freewill and the cooperation thereof with Gods grace I will end the point with Saints Austins complaint e De verb. Apost Ser. 2. Vnthankfull men to ascribe so much to weake wounded nature true it is that man when he was made had great strength of freewill but by sinne he lost it But f Sixt. Senens praefat l. 5. Staplet de Iustif l. 2. c. vlt. our aduersaries thinke Saint Austin went too farre in this question attributing too little to mans will § 41. In the Romane Church I confesse there be some bad and sinfull folke For the Church is called nigra formosa blacke and faire Cant. 1. because in it are mixed good and bad as out of diuerse parables of our Sauiour I proued before but there are two differences betwixt the sinfull which are in the Romane Church and among the sectaries And first of those that are among the sectaries there are none truly Holy of which as of the better or more worthie part their Church may be denominated and termed Holy as the Romane Church may be It may perhaps be that diuers of them abstaine from grosser sinnes as swearing backbiting stealing c. and that they do sometimes many workes morally good as giue almes erect hospitals liue at least in outward shew in modest and moderate sort but alas these be not sufficient or certaine signes of sanctitie all this and perhaps much more we may find in the heathen Philosophers These outward actions may proceed from naturall and sometimes from vicious and sinfull motiues and consequently may be verie farre from true holinesse which must proceede of true charitie without which charitie to distribute all that one hath to feed the poore or to giue ones bodie to burne doth nothing profite 1. Cor. 13. The which charitie must proceed de corde puro conscientia bona fide non ficta 1. Tim. 1. The which things being most inward and consequently hidden and secret cannot sufficiently be shewed to be present by those outward actions Nay they cannot be infallibly knowne of the partie himselfe for Nemo scit vtrum amore an odio dignus sit quis potest dicere mundum est cor meum Pro. 20. but are reserued to him onely qui scrutatur corda to wit almightie God and it cannot be perfectly knowne of vs who haue them truly and consequently who be truly Saints vnlesse it please him to reueale it by miracle or some other certaine way vnto vs. The Answer 1 To proue we are not the holy Church of God the Iesuite obiected our sinfull liues as if we had bene of worse conuersation then the professors of the true faith could be But forsomuch as he wisely foresaw that if we fell to comparing the liues of one another his owne Church would receiue as much disgrace thereby as ours and his argument bent against vs in the discharge would recoile vpon himselfe and roll in the fall vpon the heads of his owne people because they are as bad and sinfull as their fellowes therefore now he answereth that difficultie by assigning a difference betweene the people of his Church and the people of ours in this point and the difference he saith is this that although in his Romane Church there be some bad and sinfull yet all are not so whereas with vs there are none good but all are wicked A proud and ridiculous bragge but yet I answer it True holinesse consisteth in the concourse of the righteousnesse of iustification and sanctification The former of iustification is wheresouer Christ with all his merits is imputed and apprehended by faith for the pardon of our sinnes and accepting of vs againe to eternall life a Rom. 4.11 3.24 This is called the righteousnes of faith and they which haue it are truly holy thereby and our Church teacheth it against the Church of Rome that hath renounced it and so depriued her children of all true holinesse The second of sanctification is when we bring forth fruites worthy of amendment of life not walking after the flesh but after the spirit And we affirme that in our Church this also is ioyned with the former though we all confesse it be in great weaknesse and farre from that perfection which we desire and such as walke in it b 1. Ioh. 3.7 Mat. 7.16 12.33 Rom. 8.9 Gal. 5.22 Eph. 5.9 2. Pet. 1.5 are proued thereby to be truly holy 2 Against this externall righteousnes of our sanctification the Iesuite obiecteth that though we abstaine from grosser sinnes and do many good morall works c. yet this is no certaine signe we are holy for this and much more may proceed from sinfull motions and be found among the very Gentiles Whereto I answer that this were a good argument against vs if we had no righteousnesse among vs but such as he hath herein described For this morall holinesse is no holinesse indeed neither do we thereby declare the holinesse of our Church but say the good workes done among vs proceed from faith and loue and are directed to the glory of God according to the rules of sanctification and so are sufficient to testifie for vs. And we grant as the Iesuit requireth that many great and plausible workes of moralitie may proceed from naturall yea sinful motiues and that therefore there is no true holinesse vnlesse it proceed from charitie grounded on a pure heart and a good conscience and faith vnfained but we adde withall that the workes of our Church proceed from this charitie and thence receiue their condition of holinesse 3 And how doth the Iesuite know the contrary because he saith so confidently the holinesse found among vs ariseth not from charitie What is the ground whereupon he saith so He answereth true charitie a good conscience and faith be things inward and secret and therefore cannot by our outward actions be shewed to be present nay he saith the partie himself without reuelation or miracle cannot be sure he hath them The which if it be true I desire him to answer plainly how he knoweth his owne good workes proceed from faith and charitie and by what meanes he will demonstrate it to me that
doubt it for reuelation and miracle I am sure he can shew none because the miracles of his Legend which is all he can pleade concerne not him that neuer had them and yet he thinketh his holinesse and the holinesse of his people is a good marke of the Catholicke Church It is false therefore that he saith No man by his outward workes without miracle can be certaine he hath faith or charitie For c 1. Ioh. 3.7 Saint Iohn saith He that doth righteousnesse is righteous as God is righteous And Saint Iames d Iac. 2.18 Shew me thy faith by thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works And our blessed Sauiour e Mat. 7.16 By their fruites ye shal know them f Luc. 6 43. It is not a good tree that bringeth forth euill fruite nor an euill tree that bringeth forth good fruite For men gather not figs of thornes nor grapes of thistles A good man out of the good treasury of his heart bringeth forth good things and an euill man out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill And if charitie cannot be proued to be present by our workes because it is a thing hidden secretly within vs then no cause can be proued or knowne by the effects and no physitian can know the inward state of the bodie by the outward signes which were absurd And the word of God calling vpō vs g Mat. 5.16 to let our light so shine afore mē that they may see our good workes and h 2. Pet. 1.10 bidding vs thereby to make our election sure and promising an abundant entrance into Christs kingdome to all that follow vertue temperance patience c. should deceiue vs if when we had taken paines in so doing we could not be assured that our workes arise from faith without which faith no worke were good nor could minister any argument of our saluation to vs. 4 Our workes therefore being not founded on mens traditions as popish workes are nor directed to a false end but done according to the direction of the word and for the glory of God in the faith of Iesus Christ without any opinion of perfection either to iustifie vs or to merit or satisfie thereby are good workes and infallibly secure the doers that they haue true charitie and are the true Saints of God though they haue no miracles nor other reuelation then this of Gods spirit renewing them For of such workes our aduersaries themselues say i Tho. lect 4. in Gal. 3. They are the execution and manifestation of our righteousnes Yea the Diuines of Colen affirme expresly against that which the Iesuite here saith k Antididag Colon. pag 30. that we rely not principally vpon our inherent righteousnesse because it is vnperfect but thereby as by a certaine inward experiment we are certified of the remission of our sins who feele and proue in our selues such a renouation of our spirit and that the perfect iustice of Christ is imputed to vs and that so Christ by faith dwelleth in vs. In which words affirming the experiment and certificat that Gods children haue within them and the feeling of their renouatiō and Christ dwelling in them by faith all which they say ariseth from their workes they make it plaine how false and friuolous it is that the Iesuite assumeth that no man without reuelation or miracles can infallibly know whether he haue true faith and loue or not And I will make it yet plainer in the Digression following Digression 43. Prouing that Gods children without miracles or extraordinary reuelation may be and are infallibly assured that they haue grace and are in the state of saluation 5 For to the place of Eccles 9.1 I answer first the Iesuite hath misalledged it For the Hebrew is thus No man knoweth loue or hatred all things are before him And I care not though his Trent-vulgar-latine be as he alledgeth it for the Hebrew is the onely authenticall text and not the Latin whereof themselues haue a base conceit though the Councell of Trent haue canonized it For Dominicus Bannez l In 1. par The. q. 1. art 8. dub 4 reporteth that since this decree there are not wanting many great men in the Church of Rome that take vpon them to correct and censure it and say the interpreter missed it fouly in many things And himselfe is of the same mind and acknowledgeth that being at last conuinced by his owne experience he iudgeth the Hebrew text vncorrupt What vanitie therefore is it in our aduersaries to alledge a translation which themselues despise as corrupt and vicious Secondly to the words I answer that Salomon doth not say that No man can simply know the loue or hatred of God to him but in a compound sence that No man can know it by the outward euents of this life the which hindereth not but it may be knowne by the testimonie of Gods spirit renewing vs as Catharinus himselfe a Papist expoundeth it and this is it that we say m Rom. 5.5 Gal. 4.6 Gods loue is shed in our hearts and made knowne to vs by the holy Ghost 6 To the place of Prou. 20.9 I say briefly that it proueth euidently against the Iesuit that no man can keepe Gods commandements because he cannot make his heart cleane from sinne but it toucheth not the assurance of grace because grace is and infallibly knowne to be where the heart beginneth to be cleansed though yet as it neuer shal be in this life it be not perfectly cleane For we are not assured that charitie and faith dwell in vs by this that our hearts are perfectly cleane for then the text had bene against vs but by this that they are free from hypocrisie and begin to be cleansed and dayly increase therein 7 The manner how we know we haue grace and shall be saued is by the meanes of the holy Ghost whose worke it is to assure vs the which he doth first by producing in vs the effects of sauing grace and predestination which is the constant reforming of our life within and without Whereupon it followeth that he which giueth himselfe effectually and stedfastly to a godly life may infallibly be secured thereby of his saluatiō because God whose promises are infallible n Rom. 8.13 Heb. 5.9 hath vowed saluation to all such Next by infusing or inspiring into vs the motion of assurance and by inclining our heart to giue consent to the promises of the Gospell The which inspiration is a supernaturall work of God created in vs by the outward meanes of the word and the inward operation of his Spirit consisting in a certaine knowledge and feeling that we haue of Gods good pleasure toward vs when once we truly beleeue And as the eye in seeing hath a certaine propertie annexed that it knoweth it seeth so faith and grace in whom soeuer it is hath this condition that it knoweth it selfe to be such and it not onely
worketh outwardly the things that are good but by a reciprocall aspect it seeth it selfe and yeeldeth assurance to the subiect In which sence Saint Austin o De trinit l. 13 c. 1. saith Euery man if he haue faith seeth it in his heart or seeth it not if he haue none And again p Lib. 8. c. 8. He that loueth his brother knoweth the charitie wherewith he loueth him better then he knoweth his brother whom he loueth 8 This is proued by the saying of Saint Paul q Rom. 8.15 We haue receiued not the spirit of bondage to feare any more but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father and the same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Whereunto it is ridiculous to answer that this testimonie which God giueth vnto vs by his spirit is but coniecturall that is to say such as stirreth vp our vnderstanding onely vpon probable coniectures to beleeue which yet are subiect to error For so Gods spirit should manifestly deceiue vs and the spirit of bondage to feare should remaine still and his spirit should teach vs to cry Father when we are not his children and finally in giuing testimony be subiect to the same fallibilitie that ours is The same Apostle r 2. Cor. 13.5 saith Proue your selues whether you are in the faith examine your selues know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates To what purpose should men examine themselues if they can find no infallible certaintie for they might reply againe we haue tried our selues and find Christ to be in vs by faith and charitie but we are neuer the neare we may be reprobates for all this and thy preaching hath done vs no good for the Papists tell vs our knowledge is but coniecturall and our examination cannot secure vs from feare or error which were absurd Againe he saith Å¿ Eph. 1.13 After ye beleeued the Gospell ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise and Saint Iohn t 1. Ioh. 3.19 We know that we are of the truth and before him we shal make our hearts confident u 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit x 5.13 I haue written vnto you that beleeue that ye may know ye haue eternal life This sealing sheweth that the elect haue the very marke of God vpon them whereby they are infallibly distinguished from the world and the knowledge thereof which is attributed to them declareth that they see the seale and so consequently cannot be deceiued as he that seeth his seale vpon his goods thereby infallibly and not by coniecture onely knoweth them to be his owne But saying we know we haue the truth we dwell in him we haue eternall life we make our hearts confident he sheweth plainly how false it is that faith and loue cannot be knowne to be present without reuelation For all this he saith we know by that which is written and if we knew it but morally and probably without full assurance then we should be confident euen by Gods owne appointment in that which might deceiue vs. Againe Stapleton y De Iustificat l. 9. c. 13. in marg confesseth that Saint Paul pronounceth the same certaintie of other mens saluation that he doth of his owne and therefore we may haue assurance of grace and perseuerance as well as he had for z 1. Cor. 7.40 Rom. 8.38 2. Tim. 4.8 in diuers places he sheweth that he was assured of Gods spirit and grace and eternall life 9 You shall heare what the ancient Fathers say touching this matter a Hom. 17. pag. 248. Macarius saith Although they are not as yet entred into the whole inheritance prepared for them in the world to come yet through the earnest which they now receiue they are as certaine of it as if they were already crowned and raigning Neither do they thinke it strange that they shal thus raigne together with Christ by reason of the abundance and confidence of the spirit And why so Euen because being yet in the flesh they haue the tast of the sweetnes and the efficacie of the power thereof The diuell couered the soule of man with a darke veile but afterward cometh grace and putteth off that veile wholly whereby hereafter the soule is purified and made able with purenesse to behold the glory of true light and the true Sunne of righteousnesse as it were lightening in his heart Saint Austine b In Psal 149. post med saith There is a kind of glorying in the conscience when thou knowest thy faith is sincere thy hope certaine thy loue without dissembling Saint Austine therefore tooke it for granted that these things might be knowne Hierome not the ordinary doctor of that name but a Greeke writer c De baptism pag. 3. saith that as a woman with child feeleth the springing thereof in her wombe within her so the baptized by the ioy and comfort and reioycing which is wrought in the heart know that the spirit of God dwelleth in them the which they receiued in their baptisme Gregorie the Bishop of Rome d Dial l. 1. c. 1. saith The minde filled with Gods spirit hath her most euident signes euen vertue and humilitie the which if they perfectly meete in the mind then it is plaine they giue testimony that the holy Ghost is present Bernard e Epist 107. saith Who is iust but he that returneth loue to God who hath loued him The which is done when the spirit by faith reuealeth to a man the eternall purpose of God concerning his future saluation Which reuelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace whereby the deeds of the flesh are mortified and the man prepared to the kingdome of heauen Let these speeches of the ancient be well looked into and it will appeare they contain all that I haue affirmed touching the certainty of grace and saluation 10 And to what purpose do our aduersaries take such paines and deuise such shifts to answer them They say these and such like places proue there is a certaintie on Gods behalfe but not on ours as if God reuealing his certaintie to vs did not thereby create in vs the like as when a man looketh his face in a glasse he imprinteth in the glasse the same forme that is in his face They say we haue an experimentall or morall knowledge but not an infallible certaintie not assurance of faith and such like This they answer and their friends sit down contented with it whereas notwithstanding when they haue wrangled what they can they say the very same that I haue layd downe and if their words shew it not I am content you beleeue me no more For first touching the discerning of our selues whether we be in grace f Altisiod sum l. 3. pag. 165. Alexan. 3. part pag. 254. the eldest and best learned Schoolmen that I
that it should be the Popes right to Lord it thus ouer the Scriptures Fathers Councels Church and all the world What possibility is there that the kingdomes of the world should be subiect to him What likelyhood is there that Images should be worshipped our workes should merit heauen the cup should not be allowed to the people the Seruice should be in a language vnknowne the Body of Christ should be in ten thousand places at once the Priest should haue iudiciall power to forgiue sinnes the Saints in heauen should be made mediators for vs to God He that will indifferently compare these and many points more shall finde them manifestly against the principles of religion and the light of nature What man can thinke it to be the true Church that teacheth to equiuocate to murther the King to pay no debts to BLOW VP THE PARLIAMENT to dispense with murther and whoredome The fift is their intemperate and vnchristian proceeding against vs. For if they were of the truth they would not defend themselues and confute vs with grosse lying vncharitable railing and irreconcileable malice which are the weapons of darkenesse but with grauitie and sinceritie as becometh Christs Gospell Who will beleeue that any can be so impious that holdeth there is a God as to make him the author of sinne and yet n Posseuin bibl select p. 533. they shame not to say we do it Who can thinke that any man is so absurd as to deny the necessitie of good workes and a godly life and yet they say our Church doth it There is very little of our doctrine but maliciously they traduce and misreport it That we haue neede to put them in minde of Philoxenus the Poet o Hesych Illust vit philosoph in Arcesilao who hearing certaine Potters singing his verses vndecently brake their pots For saith he I breake your pots and you marre my verses What truth or sinceritie is it to publish abrode to the world that in England Catholickes so they call themselues vntruly are so cruelly persecuted p Nonnullae de castissimis virginib vestris in Lupanaria aliaque loca inhonesta praeclarissima in hoc Agnetis Luciaeque virginum exempla secutae protrusae sunt Alan consolat pag. 159. That young women which are found to be of that religion are put into the stewes and such like vntruthes mentioned thicke and threefold in their q Concert eccl Cathol writings r Aquiponta de Antichristo p. 110. post Sander visib monarch l. 7. p. 664 That ten thousand Churches and aboue are ouerthrowne more then two hundred Martyrs slaine an infinite multitude of all sorts and sexes imprisoned banished and bereaued of their goods One Cardinall three Archbishops eighteene Bishops one Abbot foure Priours foure whose Couents thirteene Deanes foureteene Archdeacons six hundred Priests seuentie seuen Doctors one Queene eight Earles ten Barons sixe and twentie Knights foure hundred Gentlemen What could they haue said more if Queene Elizabeth had bene as cruell as Queene Marie was against vs in her time Yea their hatred against vs is such that they hold vs to be ſ See Lindan de suga idol possesse◠not simply seduced but euen possessed by the diuell and thereupon when any of vs reuolteth to the Papacie and is reconciled to them they haue an order to exorcize the party t Pontifical Rom. pag. 206. who kneeling vpon his knees the Bishop saith I coniure thee vncleane spirit by the name of God that thou depart out of this seruant of God whō he hath vouchsafed to deliuer frō thy errors and to bring backe to his holy Church he cōmandeth thee thou cursed and damned spirit who suffered for the saluation of man c. Besides their malicious u Staplet promptuar moral aestiu pag. 493. Answer to the libel of Engl. Iust pag. 170. inde threatning of the peace of our Land euen then when it had the happiest time and vnnaturall treasons against vs shew the true sanctification of Gods spirit not to be among them which teacheth meekenesse and forbearance not rankor and impatience and rebellion Saue that hauing said x Id. They were but thriftlesse yonkers vulgar readers common persons that would not be perswaded our countrey and state to be in the greatest and most daungerous termes in the Queenes time that euer it was since or before the conquest and in far worse then any countrey in Christendome it pleased God by the coming of his Maiestie to deride these their Prophecies and in scorne thereof at this day we enjoy the very same peace and libertie that we then had 13 The sixt is the prodigious ignorance whereinto they fall that liue in Papistry For as their Church commendeth it so their people follow it most desperatly euen in the chiefest things touching their saluation I will not speake how vnable they are to render account of the faith to vnderstand the points of the Catechisme to iudge of things lawfull and vnlawfull and such like I will only mention what I saw and learned dwelling among them concerning the saying of their prayers for what man is he whose heart trembleth not to see simple people so farre seduced that they know not how to pronounce or say their daily prayers or so to pray as all that heare them shall be filled with laughter And while superstitiously they refuse to pray in their owne language with vnderstanding they speake that which their leaders may blush to heare These examples I haue obserued from the common people * The maner how the vulgar sort of people addicted to Papistry say their praiers the which I haue obserued by liuing and conuersing with them and set downe for no other purpose but to note the pitiful ignorance and confusion whereinto the Church of Rome plungeth her children Non verenda reteg◠sed inuerecūda resuto vtinam nobis reliquerint moderni Noc vnde à nobis possent aliquaten operiti Bern. ep 42. The Creed Creezum zuum patrum onitentem creatorum eius anicum Dominum nostrum qui cum sops virigini Mariae crixus fixus Ponchi Pilati audubitiers morti by sonday father a fernes sclerest vn iudicarum finis a mortibus Creezum spirituum santum ecli Cathóli remissurum peccaturum communiorum obliutorum hitam turnam again The little Creed Little Creed can I need Kneele before our Ladies knee Candle light candles burne Our Ladie prayed to her deare Sonne That we might all to heauen come Little Creed Amen This that followeth they call the White Pater noster White Pater noster Saint Peters brother What hast i' th t 'one hand white booke leaues What hast i' th t'other hand heauen yate keyes Open heauen yates and * Shut steike hell yates And let euery crysom child creepe to it owne mother White Pater noster Amen Another Prayer I blesse me with God and the rood With his sweet flesh and precious blood With his Crosse and his
to enlighten the people so blind and ignorant are their minds But that which Andrew said There is a boy here which hath fiue loaues two fishes must be vnderstood of the rank of Saint Peters successors that which is added make the people sit down signifieth that saluation must be offered them by teaching them the seuen sacraments 16 And whereas the Iesuite vrgeth so diligently that somethings are hard to be vnderstood yet this proueth not that the truth therefore cannot be tryed by onely Scripture because one place thereof expoundeth another which if the Iesuite will deny he must be disputed with as he that holdeth the fire hath no heate in it for against such an absurd assertion we vse no reasons but onely bid the man that holdeth it put his finger into the fire and he shall presently see whether his opinion be true or no. So let triall be made and the Iesuite shall soone see whether the Scripture be so obscure that one place thereof cannot interpret another m De Doctrin Christian lib. 2. c. 6. Austin saith There is almost nothing amoÌ„g these obscurities but in other places one may find it most plainly deliuered n Hom. 9. in 2. Cor. Chrysostom saith The Scripture euery where when it speaketh any thing obscurely interpreteth it selfe againe in another place o Comment in Esa c. 19. Hierome saith It is the manner of the Scripture after things obscure to set down things manifest that which they haue first spoken in parables to deliuer afterwards in plaine terms p Regul contract qu. 267. Basil saith The things which are doubtfull and in some places of Scripture seeme to be spoken obscurely are made plaine by those things which are euident in other places And finally q In Gen. ca. 2. Steuchius a Popish Bishop confesseth God was neuer so inhumane as to suffer the world in all ages to be tormented with the ignorance of this matter the sence of the Scripture seeing he hath not suffered one place to be in al the Scripture but if we consider it well we may interpret it For as Theodoret saith the Scripture vseth when it teacheth vs any such high matter to expound it selfe and not suffer vs to run into error Digression 11. Prouing that the Scripture it selfe hath that outward authoritie whereupon our faith is built and not the Church 17 The Canon law r Dist 37. c Relatum saith expresly The diuine Scriptures containe the whole and firme rule of the truth and out of themselues the meaning thereof must be taken So that wel may the Church by her ministery commend the rule to vs and instruct vs how to secure our consciences out of the Scripture but by it authoritie it cannot assure vs. Our faith must resolue it selfe into the authoritie of the Scripture For the authoritie of the Church in respect of vs dependeth on the authoritie of the Scriptures and is examined thereby The Church by her authoritie cannot perswade all men which heare it but the spirit of God in the Scriptures alwayes doth The Scriptures alwaies had their authoritie euen before the Churches came to them the words of the Scripture are Å¿ Luc. 8.11 1. Pet. 1.23 an immortall seed t 1. Cor. 2.4 the demonstration of the spirit and power u Heb. 4.12 that which is liuely and powerfull x Luc. 24.32 making our hearts to burne within vs y Ioh. 5.36.39 it giueth greater testimony to Christ then Iohn Baptist could z 2. Pet. 1.18 19 a voice from heauen is not so sure as it a 1. Ioh. 5.6 it is the spirit that beareth witnesse to the truth thereof b 1. Ioh. 5 9. and if we receiue the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater Finally our Sauiour c Ioh. 5.47 saith They which beleeue not Moses writings will not beleeue him and is the Churches authoritie greater then Christs d Ioh. 5.39 The Scriptures testifie of Christ e Ioh. 20.31 being written that we might beleeue in him f 1. Ioh. 5.10 and he that beleeueth in him hath a witnesse in himselfe g 2. Cor. 1.22 The earnest of the spirit is in his owne heart wherwith God hath sealed him h Ephes 2.20 We are all built vpoÌ„ the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ himselfe being the head corner stone in whom all the building is coupled together by the spirit i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil in psa 1â—5 In all humane arts there be certaine principles which are knowne of themselues and beleeued for themselues without any further demonstration The Scripture containeth the principles of our faith and shall not we beleeue them or cannot we know them infallibly of themselues without we let in the authoritie of the Church 18 Where then is the Iesuites credamus Deo in the captiuating of our iudgement in obsequium Christi Yea the very k Magist 3. dist 23. Scot. 3. dist 23. q vnica Ockâ—â— 3. q. 8. art 3. Gabr 3. d. 23. q 2. lit g. h. schoolemen say that faith is either Acquisita suasa gotten by discourse of reason and testimonie of the Church or Infusa inspirata immediatly put into our hearts by the holy Ghost inforcing the mind without further testimonie to yeeld obedience Now l Deut. 29 4. Mat. 16 17. the faith we haue of the points in Scripture is of the latter kind and so consequently not relying on the testimonie of the Church whose authority is but a created thing distinct from the first veritie m Princip fid doctrin lib. 8. cap. 20. saith D. Stapleton Alexander Hales n Part. 1. q. 1. memb 1. fides suasa inspirata saith Faith perswaded ariseth from the probabilitie of reason and faith inspired beleeueth the first truth for it selfe and this faith is aboue all knowledge * Et ad hanc disponit acceptâ—o doctrinae sacrae and the acceptation of the holy doctrine disposeth vs to it So that our conscience stayeth it selfe o Sed vt verè plenè credat necesse habet soli veritati primae purae nudae penitus inhaerere nullaÌ„ certitudinem extrinsecam requirendo Altisiod Sum. li. 2. pag 71. quem vide latiùs l. 1. praef onely vpon this diuine authoritie being of greater efficacie to perswade and hold vs then either the Church p Gal. 1.8 or an Angell from heauen 19 Let God himselfe q Lib. 5. ep 31. saith Ambrose teach me the mystery of heauen which made it not man who knoweth not himselfe whom may I beleue in the things of God better then God himselfe So also saith Saluianus r De prouid l. 3. All that men say needs reasons and witnesses but Gods word is witnesse to it selfe because it followeth necessarily that whatsoeuer the incorrupt truth speaketh must needs be an incorrupt witnes of it self Finally let these words of Å¿ Confess
whereby all men at all times may come to the true faith must be alway visible to all sorts of men But Christ appointed the Church to be the rule whereby all men at all times may come to the true faith Ergo the Church must be alway visible to all sorts of men This argument is faultie two wayes first in the assumption for the Church is not this rule as l Digr 3. § 14 per totum I haue shewed at large neither hath the Iesuite alreadie proued it but onely said it as here he beggeth it to proue that which before he brought to proue this 5 But yet it is a subordinate meanes for the bringing men to saluation in that God teacheth his elect by the ministerie thereof m Ad ipsam salutem ac aeternam vitam nemo peruenit nisi qui habet caput Christū habere autem caput Christū nemo poterit nisi qui in eius corpore fuerit quod est ecclesia Aug. de vnit eccl c. 16. neither can any man be made the child of God except first he be conceiued in the wombe of the Church But hence it followeth not that the Church is therefore visible or knowne to all sorts of men because visiblenesse and inuisiblenesse are but differences of the Catholicke Churches outward state here vpon earth and the elect may partake her ministery in either of these estates that is to say he may be effectually ioyned to the Catholicke Church though it do not visibly appeare in outward shew by the ditection of Gods word and spirit and by the teaching of a few faithful Christians that lie hid in the world as wheate doth in his chaffe and so consequently Gods elect neuer want necessary meanes of knowledge saluation because some part of the Church or other first or last though hidden from the world is manifested to them 6 As for the reprobate I grant that many times the Church is neither knowne to them nor yeeldeth them any meanes whereby the faith may be knowne And I adde further that this is Gods very ordinance whereby he vseth to punish their obstinacie For as sometime n Esa 6.9 Ioh. 12.40 he taketh away their heart and sometime o 2. Thess 2.11 giueth them ouer to strong delusions to beleeue lies so sometime he sends p Amos 8.12 a famine of the word of God that they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North to the East they shall runne to and fro to seeke the word of the Lord and shall not find it and sometime q Apoca. 2.5 compared with 1.20 taketh away the candlesticke which is the visible Church as I haue touched r § 3. nu 2. before All which notwithstanding it is true that God would haue all men saued and come to the knowledge of the true faith This I say is true not vniuersally in euery sence but as the Apostle meant it whose sence is declared by ſ Enchir. c. 103. cont Iulian. l. 4. c 8. de praedest sanct c. 8. de corrept grat c. 14 Austine thus No man is saued but whom he will saue not that there is no man whom he would not haue saued but that none is saued but whom he willeth and therefore is to be intreated that he would because what he willeth of necessitie must be done And by t De incarnat grat c. 31. Fulgentius thus By all these men whom God would haue come to saluation is meant not altogether all mankind but the vniuersitie of all that shal be saued who therefore are called All men because them all the goodnesse of God saueth out of the number of All and that out of euery nation condition age language and prouince The same exposition is also giuen by u Aug. vbi supra Haymo Anselm in 1. Tim. 2 Mag. 1. d. 46. others and commended by x Alliac c. 1. q. 14. art 1. ad 1. pag. 206. Durand 1. d. 46. qu. 1. ad 2. p. 134. Greg. de Valent. tom 1. p. 325. tom 2 p. 894 Biel. lect 68. lit f. pa. 189. Vocabul theol verbo voluntas Dei anteced Greg. Arimin 1. d. 40. art 2. ad 4. learned Papists But Thomas preferreth it before all others and y Lect. 1. in 2. c. 1. ep ad Timot. saith it agreeth best with the Apostles intent And Emmanuel Sa is of the same mind God saith z Notat in 1. Tim. 2 4 he would all men be saued he would All men that is All kind of men not euery man for if he would absolutely then he would do it Which being so the Iesuite may see there is no such necessitie that God should prouide the meanes of a visible Church to instruct all men vniuersally forasmuch as he neuer willed absolutely that all men vniuersally should be saued but as Saint Austine a Ep. 107. ad Vital post mediū speaketh It is euen by children manifest that many be not saued not because themselues but because God will not confuting the contrary as Pelagianisme And it is no absurditie to say of such that they wanted b Mat. 10.5 Act. 14.16 16.6 17.30 through Gods iudgement many times secret but alway iust c Rom. 1.16 1. Cor. 1.21 Rom. 10.14 Act. 2.47 necessarie meanes whereby they should attaine to faith and saluation God willing the meanes no otherwise then he doth the end that is by no absolute will formally abiding in himselfe but onely conditionally Whereas his will concerning the elect being his absolute purpose to giue them eternall life is alway ioyned with such works as make it not onely possible or conditionall but also certaine to be effected And if nothing else can teach the Iesuite thus much yet he might haue learned it of his owne words For if God will nothing which he knoweth impossible then doth he not will the saluation of such as he knoweth to be d Rom. 9.22 1. Pet. 2.8 Iude vers 4. the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction And if the Iesuite thinke yet to answer and vnfold the matter by applying e Magist 1. d. 46 47. ibi Scolast communiter omnes Damascen l. 2. orthod fid c. 29. the schoole distinction of will antecedent and consequent then let him open his eyes and consider that this Antecedent will taking it as f Voluntas Dei antecedens est qua dat alicui naturalia vel aliqua bona antecedentia quibus potest aliquid consequi Ockā Camerac 1. q. 14. art 1. and so the rest it is described g Quod vult Deus voluntate antecedente solùm non simpliciter vult Dur. 1.46.1.2 neither is any will simply properly and formally as the Apostle saith God willeth in the place alledged neither doth it necessarily include the certaine publishing of the Gospell or reuelation of the Church But h Interna vocatio Gentibus nunquā defuit nam iuxta opinionem Scoti
per opera moraliter bona per influxum naturae communem potuissent gratiam Dei efficacem promereri de congruo Primò habuerunt lumen naturae deinde in illis erat etiam voluntas aliquo modo propensa ad honesta Ad gratiam efficacem prouocantia haec sunt praesidia moraliter opera bona studia conatus honesti studiam legendi audiendi precationes cleemosynae iciunia hisce natuae virtutis ac gratuitorum Dei bonorum adminiculis si vsi fuissent Gentiles absque dubio Deus omnes cum Cornelio ad notitiam fidei gratiam efficacem reliqua dona necessaria ad salutem perduxisset Ioan. Paul Wind. de efficac mortis Christi pag. 173. Syllog Gods will whereby he would all men to be saued which the Papists call his Antecedent will bindeth him to no more then for example he did to the Gentiles But his willing the Gentiles to be saued was such that yet he prouided not the meanes of the visible Church to instruct them Therefore his willing all men to be saued is such that yet it bindeth him not to prouide the meanes of the visible Church to instruct them there may be such a will where these things are not so manifested and consequently God may will their saluation and faith by antecedence though he prouide not that they haue these meanes but know they shal not attaine saluation as we see in the Gentiles who so farre as we know had not the outward calling or meanes of the Church and Gospell § 19. Secondly if the vniuersall Church were inuisible and such as could no way be knowne then the vniuersall Church should faile to professe outwardly that faith which in heart it did beleeue For if it did outwardly professe how should it not by this profession be made visible and knowne But if the vniuersall Church should faile to professe the faith hell gates should mightily preuaile against it contrarie to Christ his promise Matth. 16. Portae inferi non praeualebunt aduersus eam For were it not a mighty preuailing that the whole Church should faile in a thing so necessary to saluation as we know outward profession of the faith to be both by that of our Sauiour Matth. 10. Qui negauerit me coram hominibus ego negabo illum coram Patre meo and by that Qui me erubuerit meos sermones hunc filius hominis erubescet Luc. 9. He that shall be ashamed of me and of my words him the sonne of man will be ashamed of And by that of S. Paul Corde creditur ad iustitiam ore fit confessio ad salutem Rom. 10 Which place learned men interpret to signifie that profession of faith is necessarie to saluation The Answer 1 The Church according to the texts alledged neither faileth to professe outwardly the faith which in heart it beleeueth nor yet is made visible and knowne to all by this profession The reason is because the children of the Church professing among themselues when persecution will not suffer them to do it openly this is outward profession and satisfieth the Scripture alledged which requireth no more at our hand but first that we professe openly to the world as long as the same will suffer vs and be readie to seale the faith thus professed with our bloud when by necessary circumstance of time and place we shall be called thereunto Secondly that when persecution or any other impediment hindereth vs from this yet we professe one to another and maintaine the faith wheresoeuer or how few soeuer we be together Which latter degree of confessing of the beleeuers among themselues first is outward in that it is a sensible exercise of that which the heart beleeueth and so many as liue together know one another thereby Next the Scripture requireth no more for our Sauiour a Mat. 10.23 biddeth when they persecute vs in one citie flie to another and b Apoc. 12.6.14 promiseth to prepare a place in the wildernesse where he will feed the woman which signifieth the Church and keepe her from the presence of the Serpent which cannot be but by leauing the open confession which all men see and flying to that which is priuately outward among themselues And lastly it is not sufficient to make the Church visible to all for there was a Church in Israel of seuen thousand that neuer bowed the knee to Baal c 1. Reg. 19.10.18 Rom. 10.3 yet were they not made knowne by this profession And d 1. Cor. 10.6.11 the things that befell the Israelites are examples to shew what may befall vs. Neither doth the Iesuite and his company discouer themselues by their outward profession in all places where they are restrained would the profession and practise of other matters did not discouer them more But as the Sunne which neuer ceaseth to yeeld forth light but alwayes shineth aboue though some thing coming betweene sometime intercept the light from vs or men be blind and cannot see it or as a house shut vp and restrained that the persons therein cannot come abroade nor the towne see that which the family doeth within so the Church neuer ceasseth to professe and make her faith knowne to some though she do it not to othersome and some haue no eyes to see it § 20. Thirdly if the Church were not visible we could not fulfill the coÌ„mandement of our Sauiour Dic Ecclesiae Matth. 18. For how can we tell the Church anie thing when we cannot tell where to seeke it neither if we meete it by chance could we know which is it The Answer 1 We do not hold as the Iesuite vseth to speake in all this question the vniuersall Church is inuisible such as can no way be knowne we cannot tell where to seeke it neither if we meete it by chance can we know which is it it may ceasse to be these are shadowes of his owne making and confuting them he struggleth with a cloud a Palaeph de fab Scholiast Hom. Il. α. like Ixion and begetteth a monster and committeth b Primum vitiâ—â— sciomachia est quae auras vmbras magno conatu diuerberat Camp rat 9. that fault which the Papists so importunately charge vs withal But let our position be faithfully deliuered as c Digress 17. nu 3. I haue laid it downe that the Church may be hid or become inuisible sometime so that the world cannot see it and the state thereof is not alway so conspicuous that it shall make any open shew in the sight of men 2 Against this there is nothing in the words of Christ Tell the Church For this commandement onely concerneth the children of the Church liuing within any part of the same where Ecclesiasticall discipline is exercised and not the world that hateth it and despiseth Christian gouernement Which sheweth that how visible soeuer it be yet by vertue of these words it is so to no more but to the professors that liue in it because to
e Bellar. de nâ—â— eccl c. 2. When the question is concerning the Church which it is and the Scripture is admitted on both hands then the Scripture is more apparent and easier to know then the Church So that the Papists do but spend time and mocke the world in obiecting to vs the authoritie and dignitie of their Church they may do it as they list one to another but in their controuersies with vs they may not not onely because we reiect it but principally for as much as the doctrine of the Scripture by their owne verdict is easier and plainer 4 Neither are the Iesuites reasons to the contrary of any value For I grant that to the finding out of the true faith we haue need of learning iudgement and illumination as the meanes Yea the doctrine hereof is so hard to natural men as we are all till God haue regenerate vs f Ioh. 7.17 8.31.43 14 17. 1 Cor. 2.14 2. Cor. 3.14 Mat. 16.17 Iob 32.8 that it goeth beyond the capacity of flesh and bloud But he should haue remembred the ministery of the Church and light of Gods spirit helpeth our infirmities the doctrine it selfe is a light shining through all these incumbrances These meanes are not such but the simple may attaine to a sufficient portion thereof and his Ad haec quis idoneus with that which followeth is denied as an idle conceit and g §. 7. 8. alreadie confuted And let the impediments be what they will yet shall the Iesuite finde them in the way of his owne Church and let him if he can free his owne notes from them For is his Catholicke Romane which so eagerly he putteth to his friend such a Church as needeth neither learning nor iudgement nor the light of heauen to discerne it If it be I am content he enioy it himselfe neither will I euer perswade my friends to communicate with that companie which is so famous that the very wind wil blow a man into it And yet h Staple relect controu 1. q. 3. Greg de ValeÌ„t commen theol tom 3. pag. 145. some of the Iesuites owne side will say sometime that they had need both of wisedome and skill that shall alwayes discerne the Church 5 The text of Esay speaketh of the ministery of the Gospell and it meaneth that it shall infallibly guide the meanest people that liue therein to eternall life which it doth by propounding to them the word of God that thereby they may know it to be the true Church and be drawne to walke in the paths thereof And though the Prophet call it a direct way yet I am sure he meaneth not that any can walke in it till he haue found it or any can finde it i Esa 35.5 till his eyes be opened k Ioh. 12.40 Act. 26.18 2. Cor. 4.4 which is done no way but by the doctrine of the Church Or if he think the way of the Church so easie because the holy Prophet calleth it a direct way that fooles may walke in it let him say vnfainedly if his affection to the Romane Helena haue not blinded h s eyes l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theocr. Bucoliast as louers are blind and besotted his conscience that he cannot see the doctrine of the Scriptures to be as easie seeing it is called m Psal 19.8 Pro. 1.4 a sure law giuing wisedome to the simple and light to the eyes sharpening the wit of the simple and giuing knowledge and discretion to children And Austine saith n Enar. in psa 8. The Scripture is bowed downe to the capacitie of babes and sucklings And Chrysostome affirmeth o Hom. 1. in Mat. They are so easie to vnderstand that the capacitie of euery seruant plow-man widow and boy may reach vnto them p Hom. 3. de Laz. yea the most simple that is of himselfe onely by reading may vnderstand them In which sayings we see as much affirmed of the doctrine of the Scripture as the Iesuite can say is affirmed in the place of Esay concerning the Church and yet possible he will turne him in a narrow roome afore he will yeeld and keepe possession still in his Church-porch against all the pulpits in England that speake for the Scriptures § 27. Secondly I proue the same because when we seeke for the true Church we seeke for it principally for this end that by it as a necessarie and infallible meanes we may heare and learne and perfectly know the true faith in all points which otherwise is in it selfe hidden obscure and vnknowne to vs according to that of S. Paul Animalis homo non percipit ea quae sunt Spiriritus Dei 1. Cor. 2. For as no man by the onely power of nature can attaine this supernaturall knowledge of diuine mysteries which we beleeue by our faith so neither doth the Spirit of God who doth as the principall cause infuse this gift of faith into our soules ordinarily instruct anie man in the knowledge of true faith immediatly by himselfe alone but requireth as a necessary condition the preaching and expounding of matters of faith to be made by the true Church according as S. Paul saith Rom. 10. Quomodo credent ei queÌ„ non audierunt quomodo audient sine praedicante quomodo vero praedicabunt nisi mittantur Therefore the true Church is rather a marke whereby we must know the true faith then contrarie the true faith to know the true Church The Answer 1 This is the second argument and is concluded in this Syllogisme That is no marke or meanes to know the Church by which it self is vnknowne to vs till the Church teach it and is learned by the meanes and ministery of the Church But such is the true faith that we cannot know it til the Church teach it vs and it selfe is learned by the meanes and ministerie of the Church for God instructeth no man immediatly but by the preaching of the Church as Saint Paul saith Rom. 10. Therefore the true faith is not a sufficient marke to finde the Church by For answer to this argument it will easily be granted that the ministery of the Church is the ordinary meanes whereby we learne the faith of Christ and that no man of himselfe can attaine to the knowledge thereof but as the Church teacheth him This I say is granted so it be well vnderstood For the spirit of God in the Scripture is the principall schoolemaster from whom all truth cometh and which openeth the heart to beleeue and the Church is it which by her ministery holdeth this truth before vs and therefore except in some extraordinary cases the preaching thereof is required as a necessary condition as the text of Saint Paul speaketh 2 But hence it followeth not that therefore the Church is rather a marke of the faith then the faith a marke of the Church for these two the true Church and the true faith are like relatiues inseparably vnited together by a
are driuen to yeeld the keyes to all the Apostles as well as to Peter and yet they thinke he alone had the primacie which sheweth clearly that the keyes containe it not Fourthly they which expound the power of the keyes to shew what they containe mention therein no more but as I haue answered The Councell of Colen vnder Hermannus x Bell. de poen l. 1 c. 1. penned by Gropper y Defens of the Cens whom the Papists cal the rare man of our age proceedeth thus z Enchir. concil Colon. de sacr confess But what keyes Christ when he departed hence left the Apostles and their successors in the Church that is to be explicated And truly this is plain that he committed to them his owne keyes and no other euen the keyes of the kingdome of heauen as himselfe said to Peter Whatsoeuer thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on earth shal be loosed in heauen These keyes the Fathers deuided into the key of order and the key of iurisdiction And againe each key into the key of knowledge and of power The key of order is the power of priestly ministery which containeth power to preach the Gospell consecrate the bodie of Christ remit and retaine sinnes and to minister the sacraments The key of iurisdiction is power to restraine the faultie this is that power of excommunicating such as offend openly and absoluing them againe In which explanation of the power mentioned in the keyes we see nothing touched but onely the ministery of the word and Sacraments and the execution of discipline But Marsilius a Defens part 2 c. 6. speaketh more fully that the authoritie of the keyes according to Saint Austin and Hierom is that iudiciarie power that standeth in dispensing the word sacraments and discipline although the opinion and title of the fulnesse of power which the Bishop of Rome ascribeth to himselfe tooke his beginning from these words Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted and whatsoeuer you shall bind vpon earth shall be bound in heauen 20 The second text alledged is Luk. 22.32 where Christ saith to Peter I haue praid for thee that thy faith faile not and thou being conuerted strengthen thy brethrē which the Iesuit expoundeth as if our Sauiour had specially prayed for S. Peter and the Pope that their faith should not faile at least so farre as to teach the Church a false faith to the intent they might alway be able to confirme their brethren if at any time they should faile in the doctrine of faith which all Catholicke men knowing do confesse the Popes definitiue sentence to be always an infallible truth and thereupon submit themselues thereunto and so liue in vnitie But this exposition is soone confuted for first here is no mention of the Pope but of Peter onely whereby it is plaine that no certaintie can be concluded out of the words for any but for the Apostles onely or if they reach to any besides Peter then according to the opinion of the most iudicious Papists the Church is it and not the Pope So saith b Qu. Vesper d. 3. art 3. prob 1. lit G. Cameracensis That which in Scripture is promised to the whole must not be attributed to any part but alway to hold the true faith and neuer to erre against it is promised by Christ to the whole company of beleeuers alone It is plaine therefore that Christ promised Peter his faith should not faile vnderstanding it not of his personall faith but of the generall faith of Gods Church committed to his regiment And Frier Walden c Doctr. fid l. ◠c. 19. saith Peter bare the type of the Church not of the particular Romane Church but of the vniuersall Church not gathered together in a generall Councell but dispersed through the world from Christ to our times Of the same mind are d Concord l. ◠c. 11. Cusanus and e Defen part 2. c. 28. Marsilius So that in the iudgement of foure of the learnedst among our aduersaries the purpose of Christ was not by this text to indow Peter or the Pope but the whole Catholick Church and so accordingly the right of gouernment and freedome from erring should remaine not in the Pope but in the vniuersall Church cleane cōtrary to that which the Iesuit here supposeth 21 Secondly the direct and immediate purpose of Christ in these words is to forewarne Peter of the sinne whereinto he fell afterward by denying him and the meaning is that though Satan desired thereby to destroy him yet he had prayed that his faith might not by the temptation be vtterly extinguished admonishing him that as by his fall he would weaken his brethren the members of the Church so by the example of his true conuersion he should strengthen them againe vnderstanding this faith for which he prayed not of Peters teaching or directing the Church in doctrine but of the habit of faith abiding in his heart whereby he beleeued in Christ and confessed his name and f Confirmandi vocabulo authoritatem in docendo significari saith Greg. de Valen. to 3. pag 197. e. by strengthening his brethren not that he should be supreame head ouer his fellow Apostles but that g Esto a his poenitentiae exemplar ne desperent Theophyl Infirmiores fiatres exemplo tuae poenitentiae comforta ne de venia desperēt Gloss by the exāple of his repentance experience of Gods mercy to him in his infirmitie he should encourage all people against temptation This exposition is proued to be true because first there is no word in the text importing either all infalliblenesse of faith or any authoritie ouer the other Apostles See h Comment in Luc. 22. saith Caietan how Christ biddeth Peter account the Apostles not his subiects but his brethren see how he putteth him in office not to rule ouer them but to confirme them in faith hope and charitie Secondly the words going immediatly before forbid all absolute power of one ouer another The Kings of the nations beare rule and exercise authoritie ouer them but it shall not be so among you Thirdly Bellarmine acknowledgeth i Ex quibus priuilegiis primsi fortasse non manauit ad posteros De Rom. Pont. l. 4. c. 3. § Alterum priuilegium Quoad prima non agit Petri successorē Boz de sign eccl tom 2. l. 18. c. vlt. pag. 594. that to persist alway in the faith without falling from it is a prerogatiue that possible is not deriued from Peter to the Pope which being so it followeth that the Iesuites exposition is false and no Papist can be certain that by vertue of this text the Pope can teach no error any more then he is assored he cannot erre himselfe but it is cleare he may erre himselfe and all Papists yeeld it therefore it is also vncertaine whether he be enabled to teach the Church so that in teaching he
the Iesuite holdeth you occupied with an argument that himselfe knoweth is nothing worth D. Harding g Confut. apol part 6. pag. 291. saith You know it is no good argument à moribus ad doctrinam who would not hisse and trample you out of schooles if ye make this argument The Papists liues be faultie ergo their teaching is false The Iesuite therefore must be hist at by Hardings censure Staphylus h Apolo part 1. saith Our faith must not be pinned to the life of the Clergie or preachers c. Bellarmine i De grat lib. arbit l. 5. c. 10. §. Hoc posito saith It is certaine the doctrine which men teach vs cannot be knowne by their works because their inward workes are not seene and their outward workes are common to both sides k Annal. tom 7. 2 n. 526. n. 58. Baronius calleth them an ignorant companie that measure Catholicke faith not by the sacred Scriptures which they know not but by the example of life Thus we see the Papists are vnwilling we should iudge of their faith by their liues and yet how peremptorie they are with vs about ours and how busie in smattering of our faults that will admit no disaduantage by their owne Besides they haue a position among them l Bellar. de Eccles mil. l. 3. c. 2. that no inward vertue is required to make one a part of the true Church but only the external profession of faith The which being so then what necessitie is there of holinesse either inward or outward to proue that a people are the true Church for they may be so without it if they do but professe it which a wicked person can do Digression 31. Containing many complaints made by the Papists themselues against their owne Church and people whereby it appeareth their liues are worse then can be said of the Protestants 4 But because they are m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Callistrat diuis in stat Narcissi Narcissus like so besotted with their owne beautie and the Iesuite will needs haue it tryed whether Papists or Protestants be of better life I am content it be a match and the comparison be made vpon condition that what I produce be alway remembred to be their owne confession not my report and therefore remaine with the Reader for a cooling card to still the Pharisee next time he cometh into the temple with n Luc. 18.11 God I thanke thee I am not like other men and ruffleth among his poore brethren o Esa 65.5 with stand apart come not nie me for I am holier then thou And out of question vpon what part of their Church soeuer we looke there is no cause why they should boast themselues against vs. Of their Popes and what Saints they haue bene I shall haue fiâ—ter occasion to speake p Digr 54. below Touching their Monkes and religious persons I referre my selfe likewise to q Digr 45. another place Concerning the people Ferus r In 1. Ioh. c. 2. saith that in their Church abuses of all sorts haue preuailed with diuers superstitions and euill manners euen to the highest degree And saith he the God of this world Mammon and Ambition hath so blinded our eyes that we cannot so much as see so great euils in our Church Not denying as the Iesuite doth the same vnholinesse to be among themselues that we are charged with but lamenting that such as he is haue no eyes to see it Niemensis a man in his time attending on the Pope Å¿ Per vim stulta parens quasi vipera deperis omnes Tu portentorum locus es conformis eorum Cum Nilo pottenta pari nutris crocodilos Iam cum portentis reor exterminia sentis Si quid in his possem facereÌ„ sterilescere matreÌ„ Theod. à Niem de schismat l. 3. c. 41. saith Rome was a place of monsters yea like Nilus breeding monsters and nourishing Crocodiles that it were to be wished it were more barren in yeelding such fruite of Vipers And because the Iesuite alledged somewhat against vs out of Luthers sermons I will quit him againe with another sermon for Cornelius Mus the Bishop of Bitonto thus preached some threescore yeares since in Saint Laurence Church in Rome t Concio euaÌ„g de Domin fest tom 1. fer 4 cinerum part 3. pag. 242. O my best beloued Rome if euer it stood any citie in hand to hasten her conuersion to God thou hast need to giue example to all other cities of this conuersion Thou which art wholly turned away ouerthrowne and peruerted Turned away by thine owne negligence ouerthrowne by the deceit of Satan and peruerted by thine old custome of sinning Seest thou not wretched citie how thou art become a stewes of lechery a fornace of couetousnes a hell of all other mortall sins Seest thou not how euery state and degree of men and euery order this feast time of Bacchus is departed from God and made a prey to the diuell They haue striuen among theÌ„selues who of all men shal be the worst in superfluous expences in dishonest attire in filthy words and mischieuous deeds Alas also religious men are become dissolute children are set to schoole to a thousand vices yong men are vnbridled virgins haue cast offshame Priests their gownes and Monkes their cowles wise men are become fooles and old men children To the same effect he also preached u Orat in Conc. Trid. in 3. Dom. Aduent Conci tom 3. at the Councell of Trent With what monsters of filthinesse with what sinks of vncleannesse with what pestiferous contagion is not both Priest and people defiled I make your selues iudges and begin at the sanctuary of God and see if there be any shamefastnesse any chastitie any hope or helpe for honest life if there be not vnbridled lust notorious boldnesse incredible wickednesse Edification is turned into destruction examples into offences custome to corruption regard of lawes to contempt thereof seueritie to slacknesse mercie to impunitie pietie to hypocrisie preaching to contention solemne dayes to filthy marts and that which is most vnhappie the sauour of life to the sauor of death Would God they were not fallen with one consent from religion to superstition from faith to infidelitie from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicurisme saying with a wicked heart and shamelesse face There is no God The sacred name of Iesus Christ is made a iest and fable among the Iewes and Pagans by reason of vs whose wickednes with a shamefull report is bruted ouer all the world Thus we see how easie a matter it is to charge our aduersaries with sinne if we would walke that course and that euery iot of that we say of their peoples brutishnes is confirmed by their owne words 5 And touching their Clergie there is as much to be said to better purpose because being the best part of the Church the holinesse must be in them or no
horses a Bishop of ten yeares old and made Bishops for mony He put out his godfathers eyes cut off his Cardinals members one mans tongue he cut out and maimed two Cardinals more cutting off ones nose and anothers hand t Anton. chro part 2. tit 16. c. 1. § 16. Fascic temp an 944. Baron ann 964. n. 17. in the end as he was committing adultery with a mans wife he was sodainly slaine by the diuell and died without repentance 10 I could giue the like exaÌ„ples of many more but Alexander the sixt that was Pope about one hundred yeares ago shall serue the turne Machiauel u De Principe c. 18. writeth of him that he did nothing but play the deceiuer of mankinde he gaue his mind to nothing but villany and fraud whereby to deceiue men * Onuph vit Alex. vi Guicci hist l. 1. He got the Papacie by Simony buying the consent of the Cardinals that after smarted for it The king of Naples signified to the queene his wife with teares when he heard of his election that there was a Pope created who would be the bane of Italie and of the whole commonweale of Italy y Stultissime PontificeÌ„ creatum exitio tandem cunctis futurum non falsi vates denuntiarunt Onuph the which was also the generall conceit of all men Guicciardin z Lib. 6. saith He was a Serpent that with his poysoned infidelitie and horrible examples of crueltie luxury and monstrous couetousnesse selling without distinction things holy and profane had infected all the world a Lib. 1. His manners and customes were dishonest little sinceritie in his administrations no shame in his face small truth in his words little faith in his heart and lesse religion in his opinions All his actions were defiled with vnsatiable couetousnesse immoderate ambition barbarous crueltie He was not ashamed contrary to the custome of former Popes who to cast some colour ouer their infamy were wont to call theÌ„ their nephews to cal his sons his children and for such to expresse them to the world b Lib. 3. The bruite went that in the loue of his owne daughter Lucretia were concurrent not onely his two sonnes the Duke of Candy and the Cardinall of Valence but himselfe also that was her father who as soone as he was chosen Pope tooke her from her husband and maried her to the Lord of Pesere but not able to suffer her husband to be his corriuall he dissolued that mariage also and tooke her to himselfe by vertue of S. Peters keyes c Lib. 6. Onup It was among other graces his naturall custome to vse poysenings not onely to be reuenged of his enemies but also to despoile the wealthie Cardinals of their riches And this he spared not to do against his dearest friends till at the last hauing a purpose at a banket to poison diuerse Cardinals and for that end appointed his cup-bearer to giue attendance with the wine made readie for the nonce who mistaking his bottle gaue the poisoned cup to him was thus himselfe dispatched by the iust iudgement of God that had purposed to murder his frieÌ„ds that he might be their heire 11 I am afraid I haue bene to bold in medling with these matters For the Church of Rome hath a law within her selfe d D. 40. Non ncs glos §. quiâ— enim that it is sacriledge to reason about the Popes doings whose murders are excused like Sampsons and thefts like the Hebrewes and adulteries like Iacobs e Qualis qualis autem fuerit Sleidanus sacra mentarius haereticus dignus non fuit qui illum reprehenderet Sur. comment an 1547. saith thus of Sleidan because be reported such like matter of Paul the third as Guicciardin doth of Alexander And our aduersaries thinke whatsoeuer their Popes be yet such sacramentarie heretickes as we are be not worthie to reproue them and therefore the good and courteous reader shall be at liberty whether he will expound my narration as a reproofe of the Pope which were dangerous or as a bare report of the conceit which all men euen his best friends haue of his Popes which I make for no other intent but to shew that Luther liued died an honester man then anie Pope of Rome in his dayes For Guicciardine f Lib. 16. saith the goodnesse of the Pope is then commended when it exceeds not the wickednesse of other men that we may know how rare a thing it is for the Bishop of Rome to be good The which when our aduersaries see they should desist from their veine of railing against vs and by holding them close to the argument they should maintaine their cause or else for euer hold their peace § 58. But how shall one preach truly at least in all points nisi mittatur vnlesse he be sent of God But how should we know that Luther or Caluin or anie other that would needs leape out of the Church and leaue that companie wherein was vndoubted lawfull succession and by succession lawful mission or sending from God How should we I say know that these men teaching new and contrarie doctrine were sent of God Nay certainly we may be most sure they were not sent of God For since almightie God hath by his Sonne planted a Churâ—â—â—n earth which euer shall be vntill the worlds end and hath put in his Church a visible succession of ordinarie Pastors which he will alwayes with the assistance of himselfe and of his holy Spirit as hath bene proued so guide that they shall neuer vniuersally faile to teach the true faith and to preserue the people from error we are not now to expect anie sent from God to instruct the people but such onely as came in this ordinarie maner by lawfull succession order and calling as S Paul saith Heb. 5. Nec sibi sumat honorem sed qui vocatur â Deo tanquam Aaron to wit visibly and with peculiar consecration as his was Leuit. 8. to which accordeth that which we reade 2. Paralip 26. vers 18. whereas Azanas said to Ozias the king Non est tui officij Ozia vt adoleas incensum sed sacerdotum hoc est filiorum Aaron qui consecrati sunt ad huiusmodi ministerium Egredere de sanctuario c. Which bidding when Ozias contemned and would not obey he was presently smitten with a leprosie and then being terrified feeling the punishment inflicted by our Lord he hastened away as in the same place is said By which place doth plainly appeare that it doth not belong to anie other to do priestly functions as to offer incense or sacrifice to God or to take vpon them authoritie to preach instruct and teach the people but onely to Priests called visibly consecrated for this peculiar purpose as Aaron and his children were For though the priesthood of the Pastors of the new law be not Aaronicall yet it agreeth with the priesthood of Aaron according to S.