1. Kinges 18.22 I even I only remaine a Prophet of our Lord. And in the next Chap. v. 10. I even I only am left which again he repeates v. 14. I answer that at lest he is told presently by God v. 18. That there were left in Israël seven thousand men whose knees had not bin bowed before Baal And in the former Chapter it is manifest he knew of an hundred Prophets For v. 13. Abdias told him I hidd of the Prophets of our Lord an hundred men by fifty and fifâ—y in caves Wherefore he knew well that there were many faithfull amongst whom so many Prophets were known to him yea hence it is cleare that he was not the only Prophet left Wherefore those words I only I remaine a Prophet of our Lord are to be understood thus I only I remaine a Prophet standing openly to oppose theyr fury amongst the Apostated Tribes of Israël For Elias knew full well that not all the Children of Israël but only tenne Tribes were faln from God 1. Kinges 12. He knew allso that the still faithfull Tribe of Iuda including Benjamin afforded Roboam an hundred and four seore thousand chosen men to fight against the other revolted tenne Tribes v. 21. which is again repeated 2. Chron. 11. with a notable declaration how much the true Church even then florished in Iuda and Benjamin Roboam himselfe building fifteene cities inclosed with walls And v. 13. the Preestes and Levits that were in all Israël resorted to him out of all theyr coasts And v. 16. Of all the Tribes of Israël whosoever had given theyr heartes to seeke theyr Lord God of Israêl came into Ierusalem to sacrifice and they strengthned the Kingdome of Iuda All this Elias knew very well and also that which follows to witt that Asa reigned over all Iuda in all pietie and peace 2. Chron. 14. And he built other fenced cities in Iuda And v. 8. Asa had of Iuda an army of three hundred thousand and of Benjamin two hundred eighty thousand And he defeated tenn hundred thousand Ethiopians And 2. Chr. 17. Iosaphat who lived in the day 's of Elias was yet greater then Asa his Father both in piety and power For v. 10. The Dread of our Lord came about all the Kingdomes of the Lands that were about Iuda Neither durst they make battell against Iosaphat And he built many strong cities and stupendious was the number of his forces v. 14. of Iudath under Abnath Three hundred thousand and two hundred eighty thousand under Iohanan And two hundred thousand under Amasias And two hundred thousand under Ehada And two hundred eighty thousand under Iosobad All these make Eleven hundred thousand and sixty thousand soldiers And yet the Scripture sayth All these were at the hand of the King besides others whome he had putt in Walled cities in Iuda Behold the Iewish Church even at her lowest ebbe Christ's Church is the Mistris and of higher dignity Wherefore at all times after her beginning you must find me at lest as many visible Professors of her doctrine as the Iewish Church had in her meanest coÌ„ditioÌ„ For the new testameÌ„t is established in far better promisses Heb. 8.6 As also appeares by the texts which here shall be cited All which texts coÌ„vince such a perpetuall coÌ„spicuous and visibly florishing state at all times that no church differing from the RomaÌ„ caÌ„ be shewed to have had any thing like it 3. The other only considerable objection is that perhapes these promises made by God to his Church concerning his allwaise protecting her were made upon this condition that he would do this if she should persever to keep his commandments for so all his promises to David and Salomon are made I answer that it is evideÌ„t that some promises which feeme made to them and their posterity are not to be litterally understood of their posterity according to flesh but as they by grace be sonnes of Christ who was the sonne of David And diverse of these promises are made so absolutly that absolutely they admit of no such condition Take for proof hereof that convincing Text Ps 89.4 I have made a covenant with my chosen I have sworne to David my servant thy seed will I establish for ever and I will build up thy throne to all generations All which is only verified in Christ Who in his Church hath giveÌ„ hâ—m the seate of David his father and he shall reigne in the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end As the Angel sayd Luke 1.32 After this promise of everlasting perpetuity to his Church lest any ony should thinke his promises might be made void by any sins of hers or to be made only upon condition of theyr walking in his commandments he addeth in the same Ps v. 29. And I will putt him the first begotteÌ„ high aboue the kings of the earth I will keepe my mercy unto him for ever and my Testament faithfull unto him I will putt his seede for ever and ever and his throne as the days of heaven But if his Children shall forsake my law this can not be possibly in your doctrine spoken of the Elect and will not walke in my Iudgments If they will prophane my Iustices and not keep my commandments I wil visit theyr iniquities with a Rod and theyr sinnes with stripes But my loving kindness I will not take a way from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break nor the thing which is gone out of my Lips Once I have sworn in my holy if I ly to David his seed shall continue for ever And his throne as the Sun in my sight and as the Moon perfect for ever This Text speakes home to prove what I inteÌ„d to witt that these promises be made upon Christ The son of David the son of Abraham Matth 1.1 and as S. Paul teacheth that only those who believe in Christ be the rue children of Israël and Abraham so they only be the true children of David and concerning them is verified the promise which as is here sayed for no fins of theirs shall ever be frustrated Not as though the word of God had takeÌ„ no effect but they that are the Children of the Promisse are counted for the seed Rom. 9.6 4. And in this sense the Sacred Text speakes 2. Sam. 7.16 And thine house and thy Kingdome shall be established for ever before thee thy throne shall be established for ever According to all these wordes did Nathan speake to David So Psalm 72.5 They shall feare thee as long as the Sun and Moone endure through out all generations He shall have dominion allso from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth In whom can these Texts of Scripture be verified but in Christ ever raigning in his Church diffufed even in a florishing condition over the face of the earth According to what is sayd Luke 1.32 The Lord God shall give
his pleasure by graunting him a Plenary Indulgence But if our doctrine be truly understood we all require more for gaining pardon even of the least part of the paine still due to our very least sins then Protestants require to the full forgivenes of all the greatest sins that are or can be takē all togeather with all the paine which can be due unto them which is a point exceedingly to be noted it being apparently true 2. For the first thing which we require to gain any part even of the least Indulgence is to have true faith producing true repentance for our sin This alone with Protestants suffices to remit the guilt of all sins whatsoever and all paines due to all sins of which any man can be guilty Doth it do so with us No it is farre from it We say that after this first he must make a true entire Confession Secondly He must moreover stand obliged to make perfect restitution of any thing to which hs is bound Thirdly he stands obliged to performe the Pennance enjoyned him Fourthly if this pennance fall short of satisfying the divine Iustice for the paines yet due to the sins forgiven the sinner stands still obliged to satisfie the divine Iustice by other penall works Now all that we say is that this paine may be pardoned him by Indulgences though not by Indulgences graunted meerly at the Popes pleasure but by Indulgences graunted by him upon sufficient causes which causes he must carefully examine And after the graunt of Indulgences upon due causes you must not thinke any thing is done untill we on our parts have done what is required What is that It is that after such humble Repentance and after such an entire Confession and restitution as I sayd we performe the things expressed in the Graunt of the Indulgence And when all is done the most that we obtaine is to have pardon due to such sins the guilt of which is allready forgiven by our repentance and Confession But the Protestants teach that Faith alone quite frees men for ever of all theyr sins and of all the paine that was due for theyr sins though never so many or so great for after this faith God imputes theyr sins no longer to them 3. Before I prove that the Pope hath power by Indulgences graunted upon just cause to pardon such as duely performe what is enjoyned I further note that the Blood of Christ was of that infinite value that the shedding of one droppe thereof was able to satisfie divine Iustice for all the sins of the world yea of a million of worlds and able to satisfie also for all the paine that could be due for all those sins Wherefore seeing Christ did not shed his blood for us by dropps but by showers hence it followeth evidently that the satisfactions of Christ alone be in a most high degree superaboundant Tell me now is the most precious treasure of all this superaboundancy of satisfactions in order to cancell the paine due to our sins so wholy lost that even the liveing members of Christs body can receive no benefit by this superaboundancy God forbid They be not treasures wrapped up in a napkin Wherefore there must be a power on earth to dispense this rich treasure but yet to dispense it so as becoms a prudent dispenser of the mysteries of God Now who is the highest and chiefest in this dignity of dispensing but he whome we have proved to be the head and chief Pastour of Christs Church to whome it was sayd To thee I will give the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven Matth. 16. v. 19. Feede my sheepe Io 21. v 15. See the seventh Point 4. That such Indulgences as here described may be graunted I prove first because to give thus the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven to S. Peter and to his successours as is there proved is to give power of removing any barr that may shutt us out of heaven whether this barr be the sin it selfe which excludes us eternally if not removed or whether it be the guilt of paine for our sins forgiven which excludeth us onely untill such time as due satisfaction is made for that paine Satisfaction may be made for this paine either by our selves performing sufficiently for this effect such satisfactory workes as we spake of Point 9. and 24. Or which may be performed for us by others For as I may pay my debts by my selfe so I may pay them by a friend 5. And the proofe of this is a second proofe of Indulgences out of Col. 1.24 I Paul who now rejoyce in suffering for you and doe accomplish those things which want of the Passion of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Of which Text see what I sayd Point 24. n. 6. whence appeares that notwithstanding the fullnes and superabondance of Christs Passion in it selfe yet in order to our being made compleatly partakers of severall fruits thereof something may be and often is wanting on our part What is this It is the adjoyning of those satisfactory workes which in that Point we have at large shewed Christ to expect at our hands And untill such workes be performed either by us in person or for us in the person of some other we still stand lyable to the paine due to our sins forgiven Now that an other may offer such workes for us is made evident by the text we cited out of S. Paul affirming that he rejoyced in doeing this deed of charity which consisted in suffering that is in doeing a worke most satisfactory for them and by it to make up or to accomplish in his flesh that which was yet behind or as yet wanted of the Passion of Christ that is what was wanting not on Christs part but on the part o his body which is the Church Now as S. Paul as then confirmed in grace had few sins and many sufferings which he could well spare and give away to pay his brothers debt so had S. Iohn Baptist so had our Lady so the Apostles so the Holy Martyrs and many others But above all Christs sufferings alone had an inexhaustable superaboundance which sufferings although Christ by his ordinary course of providence doth not applie to the full cleansing of our sins and of the paine due to our sins unlesse we doe what is required on our part yet he hath left power to his Vicar on earth upon just causes and with due circumspection to impart by way of speciall favour or Indulgence those superabundant satisfactions of Christ and his Saints unto us that by this superabondancy our wants may be supplied if we duely dispose our selves by his grace to be partakers of that great favour 6. A third proofe of Indulgences out of Scripture is to shew S. Paul exercising in the person of Christ this speciall favour or Indulgence towards the incestous Corinthian Whome in his first Epistle to the Corinthians he had given over to Satan by Excommunication But afterwards
more outwardly when wee worship Saints or adore God Wherfore to prove what I have undertaken you see I need go no further then Genesis but I thought fitt to adde one very fitt passage of 1. Chron. 29. v. 20. All the assemble bowed themselves downe and worshiped the Lord and the King Exteriously the bowing was both alike to thc ground but the inward act made this bowing as done to the King to be civil honour only and the like bowing as done to God to be devine honour or worship and true adoratiō in the most rigorous sēse It is very strāge to observe how cunningly your Bibles still avoid the word Adore evē when it is applyed to God which seemes so often omitted by them because the same word signifying to adore is so often applyed to creatures you cannot then blame us if when wee reverence Saints or pray to them wee bow kneel or prostrate our selves to the ground even seaven times For if civil worship for this word the last Text hath may passe so farre without robbing God of his honour why may not an inferiour Religious worship do the like 5. But of this adoring for Religious worship wee have cleer Scripture Iosue c. 5. being told by an Angel that this Angel was but a Captain of the Hosts of our Lord Ioshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship v. 14. Behold before wee had worship given by the people to the King here wee have worship done to an Angel known to be an Angel By and by in the Apocalips wee shall see this very word of worship to signify the Reverence which is to be given to God Now I go on and I observe that the Angel was not only willing to admitt of this honour but commanded him allso to shew reverence to the very place made Holy by his presence Loose sayth he thy shoes from thy feet for the place wherin thou doest stand is Holy If any reply that wee may with Religious worship adore Angels as Iosue did but not Saints behold the Scripture sheweth this Religious worship or adoration due to spirituall excellency to be laudably given even to those who excell in sanctity even in this world So 1. Kings 18.7 Abdias governour of the house of Achab King of Israël meeting with poore Elias the Prophet when he knew him fell on his facë and sayd My Lord art not thou Elias And 2. Kings 2. v. 15. The Children of Prophets seing Elizeus sayd the spirit of Elias hath rested upon him and coming to meet him adored him flat to the ground or as you read They bowed themselves to the ground before him See you not here that it was not for any worldly excellency but meerly in regard of his spirituall excellency that they thus bowed thēselves to the groūd before him This spirituall excellency is incomparably more eminent in those who are now made Coheires to Christ himselfe in the partciipation of all heavenly gifts and glory To them therfore Religious bowing or worship is farre more due and wee are commāded by S. Paul Rom. 13.6.7 To render to all theyr due to whom honour honour Owe to no man any thing which you do not pay him This I staid upō because our Adversaries often aske for a precept commanding us to honour Saints Behold I have given you one which is a precept grounded in the very Law of nature and equity cammaunding us to render to teach one what is due to him 6. Again Apoc. 3.9 Behold I will make them come and worship hefore thy feet words spoaken to the Angel of Philadelphia If by this Angel you say the Bishop of Philadelphia is understood then we prove first that a fortiore wee may worship before the feet of the chiefe Bishop of the Church Secondly wee much more a fortiore inferre that wee may worship before the feet of those who have a farre greater excellency in vertue grace glory as Saints have above all men on earth For Matth. 11.11 Hee that is the least in the Kingdome of heaven is greater then he that is is greater then the great S. Iohn Baptist was upon earth though of him Christ himselfe sayd There had not risen a greater among the sons of weomen S. Iohn the Evangelist then knowing it to be true which he himselfe had written that Christ would make men come and worship before the feet of the Angel of Philadelphia thought it is duty to adore before the feet of any Angel and hence he sayth of himselfe Apoc. 19. v. 10. And I fell at this feet to worship him the Angel and again c. 22. v. 8. I fell down to worship before the feet of the Angel which shewed me those things 7. Our adversaries object that at each of these adorations the Angel checked S. Iohn for them saying at each time See thou do not I am thy fellow servant worship God Our answer is that if the first adoration used by S. Iohn had been of its own nature Idolatrous and sinfull which is incredible it proceeding from so great a Prophet and so sublime a Scripture writer yet at lest being told so and instructed by the Angel to the contrary as you say he was he would never the second time have done that Idolatrous and damnable sinfull act both wittingly and willingly and this so very soō after he had beē warned not to do it It was not thē by reason of any unlawfulnes in this action that the Angel willed him not to adore or worship But the Angel refused at both times this honour upon some other consideration to witt out of singular respect unto him whom he knew to have been at the last supper admitted to ly on Christs breast and so he would not permitt him to ly now prostrate at his feete whom he allso knew to be so highly favored by God with so many admirable heavenly visions Moreover to be a Virgin to be a Priest an Apostle and to be that very Disciple whom Iesus so singularly loved to be allso a Prophet and an Evangelist Therefore he would not admitt of such profound respect at his hands but humbly saying unto him I pray do it not for I am thy fellow servant and thou either now art greater in Gods sight then I am or soon mayest come to be farre greater Worship and adore God who hath so magnifyed thee Yet S. Iohns humility working still upon him more by seeing an Angel so humble and producing in him a mean conceipt of himselfe by still reflecting on what he was as of himselfe and knowing what his maister sayd that even the lesser in the Kingdome of heaven was greater then the great S. Iohn Baptist to witt according to the present state he therefore did the second time shew the Angel the honour he knew due to him See above how Iosue worshiped an Angel which honour notwithstanding was allso refused by the Angel in this place both for the former reasons and for that he knew full
him the throne of his father David And he shall reigne over the house of Iacob for ever by having still the Kingdome of his Church consisting of those true Israëlits of whom S. Paul spoak and of his Kingdom or Church there shall be no end 5. Isaias every where is very full to this purpose Chap. 49. v. 14. And Sion sayd our Lord hath forsaken me and our Lord hath forgotten me Why can a woeman forget her infant that she will not have pitty on the Sonne of her wombe And if she should forgett yet I will not forgett thee Behold I have written thee in my handes And again Ch 54. v. 9. As in the day 's of Noë is this thing to me to whome I swore I would bring in no more the waters of Noë upon the earth so have I sworne not to be angry with thee nor to rebuke thee For the mountaines shall sooner be moved and hills tremble But my mercy shall not depart from thee and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved sayd our Lord thy Miserator Poore litle one shaken with tempest with out all comfort behold I wil lay thy stones in order and will found thee in Saphires and I will put the Iaspar stone for thy munitions Again Ch. 60. v. 15. I will make thee the pride of worlds a Ioy unto generation and generation v. 18. Iniquity shall be no more heard in thy land wast and destruction in thy borders and saluation shall occupy thy walls and prayse thy gates Thow shalt have no more the Sunne by Day neither shall the brightness of the Moon illighten thee these are to meane lightes for thee but the Lord shall be to thee an Everlasting light and thy Lord God for thy glory Thy Sunne shall go down no more and thy Moone shall not be diminished because the Lord shall be unto thee an euerlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended Again Ch. 61.6 You shall eate the strength of Gentils and in theyr glory You shall be proude Everlasting Ioy shall be to theÌ„ I will give theyr worke in truth and make a Perpetuall Covenant with them And they shall know theyr seed in the Gentills Al that shall see them shall know that these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed Again 62.3 Thou shallt be a crowne of glorie in the hand of our Lord and the Diademe of a Kingdome in the hand of thy God Thou shalt no more be called forsaken and thy land shall be called no more Desolate But thou shalt be called my will in her aÌ„d thy laÌ„d inhabited because it hath well pleased our lord in thee and thy land shall be inhabited Thy God shall rejoyce upoÌ„ thee upoÌ„ thy walls IerusaleÌ„ I have placed watchmeÌ„ all the day and all the night for euer they shall not hold theyr peace See here the continuall visibility of the church in her watchmeÌ„ and Pastours of which consequently there must be a perpetuall successioÌ„ And v. 8. Our lord hath sworne by his right hand and by the arme of his strenght if I shall give thy wheate any more to be meate to thy enimies and if the straÌ„ge ChildreÌ„ shall drinke thy wine And he concludeâ—h v. 12. Thou shalt be called a citty sought for and not forsaken That the true Church allso shall have a perpetuall successioÌ„ of Priests and Levites is cleerly expressed in the last chapter of Isaias in wich after the Prophet had named Africa Lidia Italy Greece and the Ilands a farr of he addeth v. 21. And I will take of them to be Priests and Levites sayth our lord for as the new heaveÌ„s and the new earth which I make to stand before me so shall staÌ„d the seed of your name Note that these Levites be now not by birth but by electioÌ„ ordeyned to be such out of severall couÌ„tries Italy Greece and other IlaÌ„ds which names your bible avoids to traÌ„slate 6 S Ieremy is no lesse copious C 30. v. 11. Though I make a full end of al natioÌ„s yet I will not make a full eÌ„d of thee but I will correct thee in measure The church indeed may be chastised for a while but never be brought to consuÌ„matioÌ„ For C. 31.35 Thus sayth our lord that giveth the Sunn for the light of the day the order of the moone and the starrs for the light of the night c. If these laws shall faile before me sayth our lord theÌ„ also the seed of Israël shall faile froÌ„ beeing a natioÌ„ before me for ever If the heaveÌ„s aboue shall be able to be measured and the fuÌ„datioÌ„s of the earth to be searcht out I also will cast a way al the seed of Israël Again C. 32.38 And they shall be my people and I will be theyr God and I will give theÌ„ one heart and one way that they may feare me all days and it may be well with theÌ„ and with theyr childreÌ„ after theÌ„ And I will not cease to doe theÌ„ good And I will make an Everlasting covenaÌ„t with theÌ„ And I will giue my feare in theyr heart that they may not reuolt froÌ„ me Again C. 33.14 Behold the days will come sayth our lord and I will rayse up the good word that I haue spoakeÌ„ to the house of Israël in that time I will make the spring of Iustice to budd forth unto Dauid and he shall doe IudgmeÌ„t and Iustice on the earth This sayth our Lord there shall not fayle of Dauid a man to sitt upon the throne of the house of Israël Christ must successively have his vicar or vicegereÌ„t in al ages aÌ„d of the priests aÌ„d leuites theyr shall not fayle before my face a maÌ„ to offer holocaustes and to burne sacrifices and to kill victimes all days Behold a successioÌ„ of lawful Priests still offering sacrifices expressed by the Priests and sacrifices as were then only known Again it followeth and the word was made to Ierimy saying if my covenaÌ„t with the day caÌ„ be made voide allso my covenant may be made voide with Dauid my seruaÌ„t that there may be not of him a sonne a vicar or vicegereÌ„t to reigne in his throne aÌ„d the leuites aÌ„d priests my ministers yea v. 22. eueÌ„ as the stars in heaueÌ„ caÌ„ not be nuÌ„bred aÌ„d the saÌ„d of the sea be meÌ„sured so will I multiplie the seed of David my servant and the Levites my Ministers Whence it is evident that the number of lawfull Priests by lawfull mission and ordination shall not only never fayle but allso never fayle to be a great number There followeth again in the same Chapter the formeâ— Covenant repeated once more 7. Ezechiel allso speakes very home Ch. 34.22 I will save my flock and it shall be no more into spoyle and will rayse up over them one Pastour who shall Leade them my servent David he shall feed them and he shall be theyr Pastour And I the Lord will be theyr God and my servant David the Prince of them
And v. 28. And they shall be no more a spoyle to the Gentills Againe Ch. 37. v. 23. Neither shall they be polluted any more in theyr Idolls and I will cleanse them and they shall be my people and I theyr God and my servant David King over them and theyr shall be one Pastour over them all They shall walke in my Iudgments and they shall keepe my commandments and they shall doe them and they shall dwell on the Land which I gave to my servant Iacob themselves and theyr Children and theyr Childrens Children Even for Ever And David my servant Prince for ever And I will make a peace to them an Everlasting Covenant shall be to them and I wâ—ll found them and wil multiply them and will give my sanctification in the middest of them for Ever and the very last verse of the last Chapter The name of the Citty from that Day Our Lord there 8. Clearly allso Daniel Ch. 2. v. 44. In the days of those Kingdomes the God of heaven shall rayse us a Kingdome that shall not be dissipated for ever But still continue in quality of a Kingdome and this Kingdome shall not be delivered to another people and it shall consume all the Idolatrous Kingdomes and it shall stand for ever in quality of a Kingdome There is litle need to passe to the New Testament the old sufficing if any thing will suffice Of Christs Gospell S. Paul says 2. Cor. 4.3 If our Ghospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost Either you must confess your selves lost men or you must say that at no Time Christs Ghospell lay hid so as you could not tell who professed it I insist not in the known places as that the Church Matth. 16.18 Is built upon a Rock that the Gates of Hell shall not provaile against it Again it is evident that she must still be visible in all ages that we may still at any time Tell the Church and heare her Matth. 18.17 and be still fedd by her Doctrine and Sacraments For these be the two essentiall markes of a true Church as Protestants say Hence Ephes Chap. 4 v. 11 He gave some Apostles some Prophets and other some Evangelists and other some Pastors and Doctors c. untill we meete al in the unity of faith which will not be till the worlds end These be the light of the world still sett upon the candlestickes never hidd under a busshel Matth. 5.14 A Cittie upon a hill still to be seen And though the mustard seede was the lest at the beginning yet in the growing it proves a Tree and all fowles repaire to it Matth. 13.32 Yea this must be a Church perpetually continuing in such reverence to our B. Lady that her words must be fullfilled Luc. 1.48 All generations shall call me blessed And v. 33. Her Sonne shall retgne in the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end And so himselfe sayth to his Apostles Matth. 28.20 Behold I am with you all Days even to the consummation of the world His Apostles were not to be in the world even to the end of the world The promise therefore is to be with them in the persons of such as should succed them in teaching and preaching c. Again in the like sense he sayth Iohn 14.16 And he will give another Paraclete that he may abide with you for ever All these Texts demonstrate what we have undertaken to prove And hence it doth unavoidably follow that the Chureh must in all ages have a continuall succession of true Preachers of the word of God and true administration of Sacraments for these two things even according to the 39. Articles of the Church of England are the two essentiall signes or notes of a true Church which must ever accompany her in all ages And if a Church be as S. Cyprian sayth a flock adhering to ther shepherd then as in all ages there is a flock of Christ so there must be a shepherd to whom this flock may and must adhere And therefore a lawfull succession of true Pastors must needs in all ages be found in the Church at lest without any considerable interruption And this is expressed in severall texts here cited Now ponder that this is to be found in no Church but the Roman See more the next Point THE FOVRTH POINT Of the vniversality and vast extent of this perpetuall Church which also must be the converter of Gentiles This no Church differing from the Roman ever was 1. IF the Church were to remaine perpetually in any very small extent or bignesse perhaps we might heare litle newes of her in some ages But te true Perpetuall Church foretold to be in all ages in the Texts now cited is likewise in Scripture no lesse clearly foretold to be in all ages so universally spread aÌ„d so visibly numerous that the very recitall of these Texts is enough to put quite out of countenance any other Church but the Romane especially being that this true Church is so manifestly said to gaine this her vast extent by the multitude of Gentiles which she is to convert to her A thing which evidently must be verified in the true Church and yet is is evideÌ„t that this only is verified in the Roman Church that is no Church but such as was ioyned to her in communion euer converted any one parish of Gentiles 2. The Texts which evidence this vast extent of the true Church are Gen. 13.16 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth And C. 15. v. 5. Looke up to heaveÌ„ and number the stars if thou canst And he sayd to him so shall thy seed be Again Chap. 22.16 By my owne selfe I have sworne sayth the Lord I will blesse tbee and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is by the sea And in thy seed shall be blessed all Nations of the earth Now Saint Paul tells us Romans 9.8 Not they that are the Children of the flesh of Abraham they are the Children of God but they that are the Children of promise are esteemed for the seed And if still you contend that these Texts are only for the Iewish Church you must allso remember that Christs Church is the Mistris she the Handmayd and that as S. Paul sayes The new Testament is established in farre better promises Hebr. 8.6 And must florish farre more then ever the Iewish Synagog did Hence Apoc. 7.5 S. Iohn after twelve thousand of every Tribe of Israël were signed saw a great multitudes which no man could number of all nations Tribes peoples and tongues But let us goe on 3. David Psal 2.8 Aske of me and I will give thee the Gentills for thy inheritance and thy possession to the end of the earth Psal 22.27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and he converted to our Lord. All the Kindreds ef the nations shall adore in his sight Again Psal 72.7
publick practice and also upon all occasions taught by word of mouth and expressed in written bookes Thus our common law in England though never written by any lawmaker is notwithstanding by dayly practice most faithfully kept and hath been so for so many hundred yeares by the whole Nation diffused And in this manner the Church diffused keepeth in perpetuall practice and delivereth to her children as infallible truth what was first delivered unto her by commission from God either in writing or by word of mouth The other way of making and delivering Laws is to call togeather the represētative body of the Community So here in England our statute laws are made not onely by the King nor onely by the Parlament but by the order both of King and Parlament And what is thus enacted is the decree of the Natiō representative Now as the represētative of our nation is the King and Parlament so the Church Representative is the chiefe Pastour thereof togeather with a Lawfull generall Councill And the definitions and decrees set forth by their authority be called the definitions and the decrees of the Church Representative All such definitions we Romā Catholicks hold infallible Whither the definition of a Councill alone defining without their chiefe Pastour or the definitions of the chiefe Pastour alone defining without a Councill be infallible or no there be severall opinions amongst us in which we do and may varie without any prejudice to our Faith which is not built upon what is yet under opinion but upon that which is delivered as infallible and we all unanimously hold that to be so which the universall Church Representatiue consisting joyntly of the chiefe Pastour of the sayd Church voting in and with a Generall Councell not that this Representatiue made wholy of men is not of its owne nature subject to errour For this we never affirme And so our adversaries say nothing at all to the purpose whilst they labour to proue this Let thē disproue if they can and that out of Scripture alone that which we say to witt that this Church Representatiue is infallible meerly and purely by the speciall assistance of the Divine Provedence always affording to his Church a sufficient measure of the spirit of truth to lead her into all truth And that he is evcr so surely resolved to do this that no sinns of his Church shall ever hinder him from doeing of it as is most expressly delivered by God himselfe Psalm 89. in the words cited by me at large Point 3. n. 3. Which place the Reader shall find most convincing to prove that notwithstanding all the sinns that shall euer happen in his Church the sunne and moone shall sooner faile then God will faile to provide a successour in Christs throne to governe his Church in the profession of truth so as his faithfulnes shall not faile nor none of his words be frustrated which you shall see delivered again and again in the ensueing places of Scripture All which to the number of thirty I gather to fully because the Protestants exclaime againest nothing more then the Churches claime to infallibility which D. Ferne calls The very bane of Christendome though it be the very ground worke of Christianity For all interpretation of Seripture is fallible if the interpretation of the Church be fallible euen then when she hath carefully conferred Scripture with Scripture 2. And to avoide confusion I will divide these thirty Texts into these three severall sorts The first sort shall containe eyther such as command vs absolutly to follow and obey the Church in such a māner as would wholy misbeseeme God to commaund vs if she could thrust errours vpon vs for Divine verities or such Texts as theach vs to relie more vpon the Church then could prudently be done if she could teach errour The second sort shall containe a multitude of such glorious expressions made every where of the Church as would be most emptie and truthlesse if the Church should ever prove a Mistris of errours and presse them on her children for Divine verities The third and last sort shall be such Texts as plainly affirme Truth to be still taught in the Church and to be intailed vpon her promising she shall not revolt from it but stand still a true piller and ground of Truth 3. Of the first sort of Texts we haue these by which eyther God commaundes vs vniversally to follow his Church or speakes that of his Church which could not be delivered as it is if this Church could erre For example how could God glorie in the multitude of such as follow his Church if by so doeing they should be led into errour And yet Isaias 2. God seemes to glorie in the multitude of those who confidently resort to the Church as to a Mistris of assured Truth to be instructed by her saying v. 3. Let us goe vp to the mountaine of our Lord and he wil teach us his wayes and we shall walke in his pathes and he shall judge among the natiōs Behold Christ erecting a Court or tribunal in his Church to judge amōg natiōs ād decide all their cōtroversies which must needs suppose obediēce to be yeilded to this judgmēt Yea the same Prophet adds c. 54. v. 17. that No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue resisting thee in judgment thou shalt condemne And the Prophet there from the beginning manifestly speakes of Christs Church Thirdly Isaias Ch. 60.12 The Nation and Kingdome that will not serve thee shall perish Vnder paine of perishing the Church must be obeyed Whence Fourthly Ezech c 44. v. 23. They that is the Priests shall teach the people what is between a holy thing and a thing polluted and the difference between clēane and vncleane They shall shew them and when there shall be controversie they shall stand in judgment and shall judge according to my judgments This being their office the peoples office must needs be not to judge them but obey them 4. Whence Fiftly Christ Matt. 18.17 commands all to obey the Church vnder paine of being held here on earth as Publicās and Heathens and of haveing this sentence ratifyed in heauen Tell the Church sayth he and if he will not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as a Heathen and a Publican Amē I say vnto you whatsoever you shall bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you shall loose vpon earth shall be loosed also in heaven Here you see obedience to be yeilded vnder paine of being held as a Publican or an Heathen and this sentence to be ratified in heaven Now if the Church could erre in theaching for example that Christ is truly present in the Sacrament and hence oblige all to adore him there in as much as they adore him in heauē and could oblige them to this vnder paine of being held as Publicans and Heathens ād held so as well in heaven as vpon earth surely this cānot be an errour
people Iosue in that dignity did succeed him But he had but part of his glory so Num. 27. v. 18. Take Iosue the sone of Nun a man in whome it the spirit and put thy hand upon him who shall stand before Eliazar Priest and thou ô Moyses shalt put some of thine honour upon him Now the one part of Moyses his honour was to be a secular Prince and commander in chiefe In this dignity Iosue did succeed him But in Levit. Ch. 8. God commanded Moyses to inuest Aaron with the other part of his dignity which was to be High Priest But when Aaron now came to dye God sayd to Moyses Num. 20.26 Take Aaron and his sonne with him and when thou hast unvested the father of his vestiture thou shalt revest therewith Eleazar his sonne Moyses did as our Lord commanded him And thus successively God provided his Church of high Priests Neither for the wikedness of any of them did he cease to governe his Church by them even by heavenly and supernaturall assistance As bad as Cayphas was yet because he was the high Priest he did prophesy Io. 11.51 He sayd not this of himselfe but beeing the high Priest of that yeare he prophesyed that Iesus should dye for the Nation 5. The old law beeing now transferred to the new it was necessary that the Priesthood allso should be transferred these two going togather Hebr. 7.12 wherefore the new law beeing the Lady the old the hand maide as S. Paul speakes the new law allso according to him beeing established upon better promisses Hebr. 8.6 we may with all ground in Scripture expect to see Christs church ever provided of such high Priests as shall by his bounty have many advantages above the high Priests of the old law Christ then intending to build his new church he called to him even amongst the first of his Apostles Simon and presently changed his name into Cephas which is interpreted Peter a Rock Io. 1.42 To this Simon Matth. 16.18 he sayth Thou art Peter which in that language which Christ spoke is as much as to say Thou art a Rock and vpon this Rock I will build my Church The wisest of men designes a sure Rock for the everstanding building of his church in the midst of all windes and waves if any one say that Christ himselfe is a Rock so as not to communicate this Rock-like firmity of his allso to S. Peter he flatly contradicts Christs saying Thou art a Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church If any man should take a fayre stone in his hand and say Thou art a fayre goodly solid stone and upon this stone I intend to rayse a Chappel Who would conceive this man in the last part of his speach to point at any other stone thē that which he had in his hand True it is that Christ is the fundation yet with out any dishonour to him nay to the increase of his honour he communicateth that very title of fundation to others So Eph. 2.20 we are sayd Built upon the fundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ beeing the thiefe corner stone Christ then is the chiefe Rock of an everlasting perpetuity and this by his owne vertue S. Peter is a Rock standing firme everlastingly not by his owne vertue but by the vertue of Christ and made thus not for his owne sake but for Christs churches sake Christ intending that this his church should stand for ever as I proved Point 3. Whence Christ adds upon this Rock I will build my Church We willingly grāt that the church was to be built not upon the shoulders of S. Peter but vpon his faith yet his faith must not be taken as separated from his person but it must be taken as the thing chiefly regarded in his person for which to him personally this dignity was given yet given chiefly for the perpetuall good of the church to be built upon him Wherefore lest the building should be shattered at his death this firme perpetuity of a Rock that is this saith of his which Christ prayed should never fayle Luc. 22.32 was to be derived to his lawfull successors as the chaire of Moyses ever had the successors of Moyses sitting in it for no well ordered common wealth is destitute of sufficient meanes still to provide her of her lawfull Heads and Governours appointed her successively And as it is not enough to say Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords therefore the civil commō wealth needs no other King or Lord. So it seems farr greater non-sense to say that because Christ is the chiefe head and Priest of the church therefore we vpon earth need no other head to governe such a common wealth as the Church is conteining so many severall people of so many nations natures customes and dispositions as be foūd frō the rising of the sūne to the going downe of the same though this so farr spread common-wealth were intended from the beginning to last as long as the Sunne and Moone It was then for this his churches sake that some one was ever to be first and Chiefe in it 6. Now sayth S. Matthew numbring the Apostles Princes of the Church The names of the twelve Apostles be these The first Simon who is called Peter Matth. 10.2 And so in all places where the Apostles are counted as Iudas is allwaise the last so S. Peter is counted first and as it was sayd of Eliazar that he was the Prince of Princes of the Levites Num. 3.32 So amongst the spirituall Princes of Christs Church S. Matthew doth not only count him first but plainly says he was the first The first Simon who is called Peter He was neither the first in order of calling to the Apostle shipe nor in age For his Brother Andrew was before him in both these Io. 1. Again to signifie that he was the head and chiefe in ordinary Christ sayd to him Matth. 16.19 And to thee will I give the Keyes of the Kingdome of heavē For though the power of loosing and binding was afterward given to the other Apostles Iohn 20.23 yet the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven are never in Scripture sayd to be given to any but to S. Peter The giving of the Keyes is wel knowne to signifie naturally the supreme Rule in a citty or familie Hēce the Keyes of the citty are offered to the chiefe Governours at theyr entrance So allso the Keye of the house of David is given to Christ being to reigne in the house of David for ever Here Christ giveth the Keyes to S. Peter as to his successor in the house of God which is the Church of the living God 1. Tim. 3.15 By these Keyes is signified the plenitude of highest power 7. Again Iohn 21.15 Simon of Iohn lovest thou me more then these Feed my lambes And yet again v. 17. Feed my sheepe Note that he would not have required greater love in Peter rather then in any of the rest nor
still defileth us if wee eat what the same Church still forbids to be eaten at the times forbidden 4. Secondly you object 1. Cor. 10. v. 25. All that is sould in shambles eat asking no questien for Conscience I answer that the Apostle there only tells them that though to eat in the Temple of Idols that which there is offered up to the Idol be unlawfull v. 28. yet wee must not have a Scruple of eating what we see sould in the shambles by asking questions out of an over timerous conscience whether that ox or Calf or sheep sould there were not before it was brought to the markett immolated to some Idol Now what is this to our purpose 5. Thirdly it is objected Col. 2 16. Let no man judge you in meat nor drink or in respect of a Holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabboth I answer by what is here added of a new Moon it is manifest this Text only speaks of fasts according to Iudaicall distinction between meat clean and unclean all meats beeing now clean to Christians still as above excepting bloud and strangled meat though sold in the shambles for this is not contrary to that S. Paul sayd All that is sold in the sambles eat 6. Fourthly and chiefly they object 1. Tim. 4.3 The doctrine of devils forbidding to marrie and commanding to abstaine from meates which God created to receive with thanks giving For every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused which is received with thanksgiving For as much as concernes our doctrine of abstaining from marriage we have all ready answered this Text in Point 20. n. 8. We must see now in what sense it is Devils doctrine to abstaine from meats which God created It can not be in that sense in which the Nazarites and Recabites abstained from wine and S. Iohn Baptist from wine and strong drink and from all meats allmost but Locustes and wild hony coming neither eating nor drinking Or in which S. Timothy allso abstained from wine or in which all Christians as then abstained from bloud and what was strangled or offered to Idols The abstinence of the Manichees was Devils doctrine for they taught to abstaine from meats which God created Because they sayd that the Devil and not God created some meates Against such men S. Paul of all meates without exception sayth God created them To attribute such meates to the devils creation and therefore to abstaine from them is to teach the doctrine of the devils This doctrine of the Manichees was held by divers more ancient Heretiks as the Rhemish Testament sheweth in this place Again the doctrine of some Iewes was the Doctrine of Devils who taught that still we must make a distinction between meates clean and unclean and abstaine from these because the Law was given by Angels and they sayd that the Angels had revealed that therefore this law was still to be keept even by Christians But these Angels were Angels of darknes and this was truly the doctrine of Devils though disguised in the shape of Angels of light This is the Interpretation of the most learned Tertullian as I allso shewed Point 36. n. 9. The Conclusion to the Protestant Reader SVpposing these fourtie five Points have been with attention read by thee it only remains that I should presse thee to answer mee sincerely to this one question Whether in thy Conscience and in the sight of Allmighty God thou canst remeyn perswaded that wee Roman Catholikes have so much as in any one of these Points hield or forthield any doctrine opposit to clear Scripture Name that Point and read over again what wee here have sayd of it and see if thy conscience doth not tell thee that wee have rather clearer Scripture for it then you for the contrary Why then are wee who did build in a manner all the Churches in England and who taught no other doctrine in them then what had been delivered us at our first beeing made Christians a doctrine found so conformable to Scripture even in these uery points in which we stand accused by you to most contradict Scripture why I say should wee not so much as have one Church left us in one shire or County with free liberty to teach and practise that faith which hath been taught and practiced by all our forefathers in this Kingdome and established by all the Lawes thereof ever since wee professed Christianity untill this last Age gave birth to so many new Religions And this shall be the Conclusion of our Plea FINIS ERRATA Page 3. lin 2. move read more P. 3. l. 13. Host r. Ghost P. 4. l. 27. determed r. determined P. 6. l. 18. 59. r. 5.9 P. 14. l. 1. whrre r. were P. 14. l. 17. offerings not r. not offering P. 17. l. 1. last r. lest P. 17. l. 18. what was r. which was P. 17. l. 25. prayse to r. prayse you P. 18. l. 10. title r. litle P. 25. l. 27. the rue r. the true P. 36. l. 26. Payse r. Prayse P. 42. l. 28. Vniversitie r. Vniversality P. 46. l. 12. nor r. or P. 51. l. 10. to r. so P. 51. l. 13. same r. some P. 57. l. 23. thy r. they P. 60. l. 3. see r. seed P. 62. l. 27. the r. he P. 75. l. 14. adversay r. adversary P. 76. l. 20. began r. begins P. 83. l. 29. clade r. clay P. 91. fine not be r. not but be P. 94. l. 26. dele had l. 27. be r. been P. 96. l. 3. besser r. lesser P. 99. l. 18. ir r. is P. 102. l. 14. they r. thy P. 106. l. 18. life r. live P. 110. l. 2. is r. his so allso in the last line P. 127. Heare 's r. 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