stranger askes an hereticke where they assemble to communicate in the Catholicke Church none of them dares to shew his Temple or his howse And the reason the title of catholick was not an allurement wherewith heretickes drewe ignorant persons to them but the firme bond by which the true Church drewe to her and retained in her communion all the true faithfull called to the hope of life eternall and amongst other this Eágle of doctors S. AVGVSTINE who saith That I omitt this sincere wisedome which you beleeue not to be in the catholicke church There be manie other reasons which doe most iustlie retaine me in her lappe the consent of people and nations retaines me the authoritie begunn by miracles 〈◊〉 by hope increased by charitie confirmed by antiquitie retaines me the succession of Prelates euen from the Sea of Peter to whom our lord committed his sheepe to be fedd after his resurrection vntill the present Bishop detaines me And finallie the verie name of Catholicke retaines me And a little after these so manie and so great most deare bondes of the Christian name doe iustlie detaine faithfull men in the Catholick Church although for the slownes of our vnderstanding of the defect of meritts in our liues truth doth not yet shew her else with manifest euidence Of the cases wherein the Communion in vow with the Catholick Church may be imputed as actuall CHAP. XV. The continuance of the Kinges answere BVT this notable calamitie is particular to the last times whereto wee are arriued that the Catholick Church which must bee communicated with either reallie and by effect or at the least voluntarily and in vowe is 〈◊〉 illustrious at this daie then antiently she was and lesse exposed to the view of men and more subiect to bee contested THE REPLIE ARISTOTLE that great Philosopher which steeped his pen say the Greekes in sece in steede of inke teacheth vs that the cittie is before the cittizen to witt not in prioritie of time for a cōmon-weale can not be without a cittizen but in prioritie of nature that is to saie that the being of the cittizen dependes from that of the cittie and not the being of the cittie from that of the cittizen from whence it appeares that the forme that giues being in the first place to the cittie and then by participation to the cittizen must reside in the cittie in the most perfect manner that it can reside and not in the most imperfect And soe although it suffice to preserue to a cittizen the being of a cittizē that in default of being able to participate actuallie in the communion of the common wealth as when he is hindred by anie locall obstacle either of beeing in a strange prison or remayning in a strange countrie he commnicate there habituallie and in desire which is an imperfect manner of communicating it sufficeth not that the communion where by the common wealth is framed and preserued in being should be a simple habituall communion and in vowe but it is necessarie that it should be a true and actuall communion For when a Cittizen is hindred by anie locall impossibilitie from communicating actuallie with his Common wealth he leaues not to preserue the being of a cittizen prouided that hee communicate therewith habituallie that is to saie in vowe and in desire and communicate not in a politicke communion with anie contrarie societie But when the communion of the bodie of a common-wealth comes to be dispersed and that there is noe more anie comerce or actuall communion in the estate then the common wealth is extinct and hath noe more being and the communion that is habituall and in desire of the cittizens dispersed and noe more communicating one with an other cannot preserue it Now euen that ought to be said of the Church whereof the Psalmist singes propheticallie Hierusalem which is built as a cittie whose participatiō is in vnitie to witt that although the cōmunion habituall and in vow sussice for a particular person in case of impossibilitie for the actuall to make him imputatiuelie a member of the Church that is to saie to cause this imperfect communion to serue him to saluation in default of the other Neuerthelesse the Church cannot be framed nor preserued in the beeing of a Church by a communion only habituall and in vowe but by a reall and actuall communion The which as soone as it comes wholie to cease and to perishe in the Church the Church perisheth and ceaseth to be And therefore this distinction of actuall communion and communion in vowe serues well to shewe that anie one may be imputatiuelie in the Church without participating actuallie in the visible communion of the Church prouided that this defect come from an imposibilitie of participating therein actualie but not to shew that the bodie of the Church can subsist and preserue the being and true title of a Church without visible and actuall communion For contrariwise that this imperfect manner of being in the Church serues to his saluation that is hindred by anie locall obstacle from being able to be there actually it is because the true and actuall communion which as in the Church is imputed to him by the desire that he hath to participate thereof which could not be imputed to him if it were not reallie some where and besides this desire of participation must be stript from all other impediments sauing that which proceedes from loand corporall imposibilities in such sort as all those which are not withheld by distance of place or other like obstacle ineuitable to them from participating in the actuall communion of the Church cannot be said to communicate there in vow nor to be there imputatiuely For nothing dispenceth with men for communicating with the Catholicke Church onely in vow and in will and not reallie and by effect if it be not the exclusion of time and place and besides in the article of death noe more then anie thing can excuse a man from being baptised onelie in vow and in will and not reallie and by effect but the condition of being excluded by the impossibilitie of time and of place and also in the Article of death from the meanes how to be baptised And because when the obstacle proceedes from externall impediments onely that if there were local or temporall commoditie he that communicates with the Church in vowe would communicate therewith actuallie this desire of communion may be imputed for true communion and called a communion in vow But when the obstacle proceedes from internall impediments from him that pretendes to communicate there in vow as of repugnancie to the beleefe and to the discipline and the lawes vnder the conditions whereof the Catholick Church receiues into her communion those that she receaues thereinto in such sort as all corporall obstacles being taken awaie and hee being in place where hee may assist at the Catholicke Church communicate with her hee will not doe it this conditionall
spouse markes of the place where he dwells she saith Least I be as hidden amougst the flockes of thy competitors that is to saie saith saint AVGVSTINE of those that being in the beginninge with thee would assemble without not thy flocke but theire stocks For what is this but to saie that the Church demaundes marks of her spouse not to be discerned from all kinde of things but to be discerned only from the societie of heretickes which beare by false markes the name of Christ and the title of Churches And secondly it is not necessary that the markes in parte that is to saie those that taken separatlie haue not the entire office of markes may not be found euery one a parte without the thing marked but that the thing may not be found without euery one of them nor they taken iointly and altogether without the thing whose marke they are And therefor the argument of the markes in parte separated is good to argue negatiuely and to saie with sainct Austine against the Donatistes The Church hath this most certaine marke that she cannot be hidden she is then knowne to all nations the sect of Donatus is vnknowne to manie nations then that is not she Or with saint IEROM against the Luciferians Hilarius being dead a deacon he could ordaine no Priest after him now that is noe Church that hath noe Priestes or with the same saint AVGVSTINE against all heresies in generall euerie heresie that sitts in corners is a concubine and no matron But the argument of the markes in part taken iointlie is good to argue both negatiuely and affirmatiuely and to conclude with saint AVGVSTINE Suppose then that I omitt this wisedome that you denie to be in the Catholicke Church there are many other thinges that retaine me most iustlie in her lappe The consent of people and nations retaines me The authoritie begun by miracles nourished by hope increased by charitie confirmed by antiquitie retaines me The Succession of Prelates since the sea of Peter to whom or Lord consigned the feeding of his sheepe after his resurrection to the present Bishops Sea retaines me and finallie the very name of Catholicke retaines me which not without cause this Church alone amongst soe manie and soe great heresies hath so maintained as when a stranger askes where they assemble to comunicate in the Catholicke Church there is no hereticke tha dare shew him his owne temple or his owne howse From what places of the voice of the sheepeheard the markes of the Church ought to be taken CHAPTER VI. The continuance of the Kinges answere The king hath learnt from the reading of the holie Scripture and all the Fathers heretofore none excepted held noe otherwise that the true and essentiall forme of the Church is that the sheepe of Christ doe heare the voice of theire pastor THE REPLIE To heare the voice of the Pastor is the office of the sheepe but not the essentiall forme either of the Church or of the sheepe For the essentiall forme of the Church I meane essentiall forme analogically as that of the supposts constituted by aggregation is vnitie in the meanes of vocation to saluation and the essentiall forme of the flocke is the communion and participation to this vnitie The name of Church saith saint CHRISOSTOM is a name of agreement and vnion And saint AVGVSTINE God is one the Church is vnitie nothing agreeth with this one ' but vnitie But if the essentiall forme of the flocke were to heare the voice of the Pastor doth not he heare the voice of the Pastor that heares her voice of whom the Pastor said by the mouth of Esay Thou shalt iudge euerie tongue that resisteth thee in Iudgement And by his owne mouth The gates of Hell shall not preuaile against her And whosoeuer heares her not shall be held as a heathen and a Publican And by the mouth of saint PAVL He hath placed in the Church Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastors and Doctors c. that we may no more be little children fleeting and wauering with euerie wind of Doctrine And doth not saint AVGVSTINE cry out The truth of Scripture is held by vs when we doe that which pleaseth the vniuersall Church whom the authoritie of the same scriptures recommends And againe There are manie thinges that the vniuersall Church obserueth and which therefore are lawfullie belieued to haue bene deliuered by tradition of the Apostles although we finde them not written And then againe to heare the voice of the Pastor is it not to heare it according to true vnderstanding for doth not TERTVLLIAN pronounce An adulterate glosse doth as much outrage to the truth as a false penne And doth not Saint Hilarie saie The heresie is in the vnderstanding and not in the Scripture the sense and not the word becomes the crime And doth not saint Ierome write The Ghospell is not in the words but in the sense And doth not saint AVGVSTINE cty out All the heretickes which receiue the scriptures thincke to follow them when they follow theire owne errors And in an other place Heretickes were no heretickes but that misvnderstanding the Scripture they defend obstinately theire owne false opinions against the truth thereof And againe Manie things are spoken by Christ in the Scriptures in such a manner as the impions Spirits of heretickes who will needs teach before they are taught are thereby lead into error And vpon saint Iohn The heresies and peruerse doctrines which intangle Soules and cast them headlong into hell haue theire birth no where but from good Scriptures euilly vnderstood And so is not the question still to whom it belongs to iudge infalliblie of the true sense of the Scripture Moreouer the first voice of the shepheard that the Fathers summond the sheepe to heare is it not that whereby he designes the markes of his Sheepefolde that is of his Church I haue said saint AVGVSTINE the most manifest voice of my pastor who recommends and expresses to me his Church without anie ambigiutie I must blame myself if for the wordes of men I straie from his floke which is the Church since principallie he admonishes me saying My sheepe heare my voyce Now which is this voice of the pastor wherein Saint AVGVSTINE will haue vs seeke for the markes of the Church but that wich expresses not the doctrine contested betweene him and his aduersaries which was that of the truth of the baptisme giuen by hereticks but the prerogatiues of eminencie perpetuitie vniuersalitie and other externall and sensible markes and conditions promised to the Church If the holie Scriptures saith saint AVGVSTINE haue designed the 〈◊〉 only in Africa and in a little medly of men dwelling in the rockes and Mountaines neere Rome and in the howse and territorie of a spanish Ladie though whatsoeuer other pamphlets may be produced there are none but the Donatists that haue the Church if the
Catholicke Church Saint AVGVST and the other Bishops of Africa answered them that the separation intended by that passage was the morall separation of faith and breach of Communion It was saith S. AVGVST represented what ought to be the separation of the good from the bad in this world that they might not communicate in theire sinnes to witt separation of hart by dissimilitude of life and manners and that otherwise ought not to be vnderstood that which is written goe out from the middle of them and withdrawe from them and touch not theire vncle annesse that is to saie be distinguished in liuing in an other sorte and consent not to theire vncleannesse But the excellent kinge saith that there are other places of scripture whereby is proued that which he pretendes to gather from the allegoricall wordes of the reuelation to witt that the visible Church should become soe corrupt as the faithfull should be obliged to leaue her communion Now the obiections that his Maiestie reserues for vs in this regard are either taken from this interrogatory of our Lord In your opinion the sonne of man when he comes shall he finde faith vpon the earth or from these wordes the moone shall not giue vs her light Which S. AVGVST interpretes of the Church or from this prophecie of Saint Paule the Sonne of perdition shall be seated in the temple of God Or out of these words of the same booke of the reuelation two winges of a great Eagle were giuen to the woeman that she might flye into the wildernesse Or from the examples of the pretended ecclipses and sincopes of the Iewish Church And therefore settinge aside the obiection of the symptomes of the Iewish Church which we remitt to treate of heereafter it is fitt that we solue all the rest presently To the first obiection then which is to the interrogatory that our Lord made to his disciples when he asketh them In your opinion when the Sonne of man comes shall he finde faith on the earth Wee saie saint IEROM and S. AVG. haue answered it longe agoe the one against the Luciferians and the other against the Donatists And haue shewed that this passage is intended not of confessed and doctrinall faith but of iustifiynge faith workinge by charitie and yet not of the extinction but of the diminution of this iustifiynge faith The Donatists saith saint AVG. alleadge that this that our Lord asketh in your opinion the Sonne of man vhen he comes shall he finde faith vpon the earth is to be expounded of the reuolte of all the earth which we vnderstand to be said either in regarde of the perfection of faith which is soe oifficult to men that in the very Saintes who where to be admired as in Moses there was found some thinge wherein they haue staggered or might stagger or for the aboundance of the wicked and the smalle number of the good And saint IEROM speakinge of the Luciferians If they flatter themselues said hee with this sentence written in the Ghospell in your opinion when the Sonne of man comes shall he finde faith vpon the earth let them know that the faith there mentioned is that whereof the same Lord said Thy faith hath saued thee And agaiue of the Centurion I haue not found so great faith in Israell And a little after it is this faith that our Lord hath foretoulde shall be rarelie found it is this faith that euen in those that belieue well is hardlie found perfect Let it be done to thee said hee accordinge to thy faith I would not haue that word pronounced to me for if it be done to me accordinge to my faith I shall perish and yet I belieue in God the father I belieue in God the Sonne and I belieue in God the holy Ghost To the second obiection which is that sainct AVGVSTINE interpretes allegorically these other wordes of the Ghospell then the moone shall 〈◊〉 more giue her light to be meant of the Church which in tyme of persecutions whereof he speakes shall not appeare we answere sainct AVGVSTIN meanes that she should not appeare in her carnall and weake members but not that she shall not appeare in her strong and spirituall Champions that she shall not appeare or lesse appeare in her 〈◊〉 parte in her strawe in her drosse because that parte will yeild to persecutions but not that she shall not appeare in her more excellent parte in her corne in her golde which contrarywise will then shine more then before This appeares by what he writes in his Epistle to 〈◊〉 It is shee said hee that is sometimes obscured and as it were shadowed with 〈◊〉 by the multitude of scandalls that is to saie persecutions when the Sinners 〈◊〉 theire bowe to wound it the obscuritie of the moone the lawes of theire heart but euen then she is eminent in her moste firme champions And a little after It is not in vaine that it was said of the seede of Abraham that is should be as the starrs of heauen and as the sand vpon the Sea-shore that by the starrs of heauen might be meant the faithfull lesse in number more steddie and more cleere and by the sand which is on the Sea-shore the multitude of weake and carnall men who some-times in calme weather appeare free and quiet and sometimes are couered and troubled with the waues of tribulations and temptations And therefore after he hath said she shall not appeare he adds for as much as manie which seemed to shine in grace shall yeilde to persecutions and fall awaie and some faithfull persons verie firme shall be troubled And againe persecution shall so precede as that defection of some shall followe that he might shew that he meanes not to saie that the Church shall not appeare in her whole bodie otherwise how coulde he crye out in an other place she hath this most certaine marke that she cannot be hidden but that she shall not appeare in some of those that had bene her partes Which neuerthelesse in matter of application of allegories where it is permitted to bow the sense of the wordes to accommodate it to the grace of the application and where interpretors content themselues if the thinge signified answere in anie parte to that signifiyinge it sufficeth to make him say to the end to appropriate the 〈◊〉 of the moone to the Church that the Church then shall not appeare that is shall not appeare in some of her partes The third obiection followes which is that saint Paul writes that the daie of the Lord shall not come till the reuolte be first made and till the man of sinne be reuealed and the sonne of perdition who shall oppose and exalte himselfe aboue all that is called God or esteemed an obiect worthie of whorship euen to sitt in the temple of God shewinge himselfe as if he where God Now I will not heere stand to dispute what saint Paul meanes by this reuolte or
the confession of PETER and the Church was built vpon the person of PETER are both ioyntly true but in different sence for the confession of PETER is the causall foundation of the Church that is to saie it is the cause for which the Church is built vpon the person of PETER rather then vpon that of anie other Apostle for as much as the primacie of this confession not proceeding nor preuented from or by anie humane instruction but proceeding immediatlie frō the pure reuelation of God the other Apostles being silent not knowing what to answere was the cause in fauour whereof Christ chose preferring him before all others saint PETER to constitute him the foundation of his Church And the person of Peter is the formall foundation of the Church that is to saie him vpon whose ministrie by preferring him before all others Christ hath built and edified his Church But the differenc of these two expositions is that the one is immediate and the other mediate the one direct and the other collaterall the one literall and the other morall the one originall and perpetuall and the other accessorie and temporall the one consigned from the beginning and the other introduced by occasion For before the Arrians were risen vp that is to saie before the age of Constantine and of the first Councell of Nicea the interpretation that was current in the Church was that not of the confession of PETER but of the person of PETER As when 〈◊〉 saith in his Booke of Prescriptions against heretikes Was there anie thing cōcealed from Peter who was called the stone of the building of the Church And ORIGEN See what is said to the great foundatiō of the Church and the solid stone vpon which Christ hath built his Church And elsewhere Peter vpon whō the Church of Christ hath bene built against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile And in the comentarie vpon the Epistle to the Romans trāslated by saint HIEROME When the Soueraigne authoritie of feeding the Sheepe was giuen to Peter and that vpon him as vpon a stone the Church was built the confessiō of anie other vertue was not exacted of him but onlie that of Charitie And S. CYPRIAN Peter whom the Lord chose first and vpon whom he built his Church And againe God is one and Christ is one and the Church is one and the Chaire is one built by the voyce of our Lord vpon Peter But after the coming of Constantine when the Arrians had lifted themselues vp against the diuinitie of Christ the Fathers finding no passage in the scripture more expresse to proue vnto them that IESVS CHRIST was the sonn of God not by adoption but by nature then this Confession of sainct PETER Thou art Christ the Sōne of the liuing God in which they held that the word liuing had bene expressely inserted to shew that IESVS CHRIST was the sonn of God by generation for as much as to engender as saie the Philosophers is proper to liuing thinges they tooke care as much as was possible for them to 〈◊〉 the dignitie of this confession And because that in fauour thereof and for it S. PETER had bene constituted foundation of the Church they licensed themselues to call it by Metonimy that is to say by translation of the name from the effect to the cause the foundation of the Church that they might haue the more occasion to declaime against those that destroyed it in reproching thē that they ruined the foundatiō of the Church that is to saie the confession in fauour whereof and for whose cause he that had made it had bene constituted foundation of the Church but neuerthelesse to shew that they intended not in doeing this to exclude the person of PETER from being the formall foundation of the Church that which the same fathers had said in one place of the confession of PETER as causall foundation of the Church they said it in an other yea often times in the same place of the person of PETER as formall foundation of the Church This appeares by saint HILARIE who disputing in his workes of the Trinitie against the Arrians after he had said This faith is the foundation of the Church by this faith the gates of hell are disabled against her this faith hath the keyes of the heauenlie Kingdome Adds immediately after to declare that this should be intended of the saith of sainct PETER causallie and meritoriouslie but of his person formallie that is to saie that this confession hath only bene the meritorious cause for which sainct PETER hath receiued these things but that it is the person of PETER that hath properly and formallie receiued them This is hee that in the silence of all the other Apostles acknowledging beyond the capacitie of human infirmitie the Sonn of God by the Reuelation of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Confession of his blessed faith a supereminent place And a little after Hee hath confessed Christ to be the Sonn of God and for that he is called blessed This is the Reuelation of the Father this is the foundation of the Church this is the assurauce of eternitie from hence he had the keyes of the Kingdome of 〈◊〉 from hence his earthly iudgments become heauenly And a little before After the confession of the Sacrament the blessed Symon is submitted to the edification of the Church receiuing the keyes of the heauenly Kingdome And in his comentaries vpon the verie place of the words of IESVS CHRIST The confession of Peter hath receaued a trulie worthiereward And a little after in the title of a new name blessed foundation of the Church and worthie Stone of her edification that destroyed the lawes of 〈◊〉 and the gates of the deepes and all the prisons of Death O blessed Porter of heauen to whose arbitrement the keyes of the eternall entrie are deliuered whose iudgments on earth haue authoritie to preiudge in heauen And elsewhere Christ had so great a zeale to suffer for the Saluation of human kinde as Peter the first Confessor of the Sonn of God the foundation of the Church the Porter of the heauenly kingdome the iudge of heauen vpon earth disswading him he called him by the name of Satan And soe sainct CHRYSOSTOME interprets it that is to saie sometimes of his faith Upon this stone said hee that is to say vpon the faith of this confession And sometimes of his person Hee promiseth saith he to make a fisherman more solid then anie kinde of stones And vpon the fiftith Psalme heare what he saith to PETER That Pillar that foundation and therefore called Peter as made a Rocke by faith And againe that Pillar of the Church that basis of the faith that be ad of the Apostolick flock And saint CYRILL doth euen the same sometimes of his faith He hath said hee called the immutable faith of Peter his disciple a Rocke and sometimes of his
2. Decemb. 1631 F. Leander de S. Martino sacrae Theologiae Doctor Hebraeae linguae in alma Academia Duacena professor Regius Benedictinorum conuentus S. Gregorij Angliae Prior. THE LETTER OF THE LORD CARDINALL OF PERRON SENT TO MONSIEVR CASAVBON INTO ENGLAND SIR the letter that you deliuered to Monsieur de la Bodery was deliuered to me by him euen as I was vpon my departure for a voyage into Normandy and since my returne from thence I haue bene almost perpetuallie sicke which hindered me from answering with more speede Now that my disease begins to be at some truce with me I will paie the arrerages of this delaie and will first thanke you for the good office that you haue done me in shewing the letter I writt to you to the most excellent king of great Brittaine and in procuring me an interest in his fauour I will striue so to husband it by my humble seruice s and particularlye by celebrating his prayses which is the only fruite that good and vertuons kinges such as hee doe gather from allthe labours and thornie cares that the burden of a kingdome loades them with as his maiestie shall haue noe cause to be sorrie that it be declared to after ages how he hath honord mee with his well wishes ād how I haue had his 〈◊〉 in reuerence and admiration As for the translation of the verses of Virgill whereof you writt to me that he desires a Copie that which I sent you being lost I deferr yet for some daies to acquit myself of that dutie because I haue put it to the presse with the addition of a part of the fowrth which I haue ended expresselie for his maiestie sake to inlarge my presēte to him As soone as those few Copies which are in doing shall be finished I will not faile to addresse one of them to you to offer vp to him on my behalfe The third point of your letter yet remaines which is that his Maiestie was astonisht at those wordes in my letter That excepting the title of Catholicke I knew nothing wanting in him to expresse the figure of a perfect and compleate Prince and that he pretendes that since he beleeues all thinges that the Ancientes haue with an vnanimous consent esteemed necessarie to saluation the title of Catholique cannot bee donied him Now as on the one side I can not but greatlie praise his maiesties pietie and Christian humilitie in not disdayning to submitt his iudgement adorned with so manie lightes naturall ād acquired to that of those cleare beames of antiquitie imitating therein the wisdome of that great Emperor Thodosius who thought there was noebetter meanes to agree the dissentions which disturbed the Church of his time then to exact from either part an answere whither thy beleeued that the Fathers which had flourish'd in the Church before the separation had bene orthodoxall and that being confessed to summon them to submitt themselues to whatsoeuer they should be found to haue beleeued so on the other side there are manie obseruations `to be made vpon this Thesis before wee passe to the hypothesis which since I Cannot represent to his maiestie I shall be gladd to informe you of them for your particular satisfaction The first is that the name of Catholicke is not a name of beleefe simplie but of Communion also else antiquitie would not haue refused that title to those Which were not separated from the beleefe but from the Communion of the Church nor would they haue protested that out of the Catholicke Church the Faith and Sacramentes may be had but not Saluation Out of the Catholicke Church saith S. Augustin in his treatie of Conference with Emeritus a man may haue orders hee maie haue Sacraments he may sing Alleluya he may answere A men he may keepe the Gospell he may haue and preach the faith in the name of the Father of the Sonn and of the holie Ghost but he can no where finde Saluation but in the Catholicke Church And in the Booke De vtilit credendi There is a Church as all men graunt if you cast your eyes ouer the extent of the whole world more full in multitude then all the rest and as those that know themselues to be of it affirme more sincere in the doctrine of truth But of the truth that is an other question that will suffice for this search that there is one Catholicke Church vpon which seuer all heresies impose seuerall names whereas they are all call called euery one by his particular name which they dare not disauow from whence it may appeare to the iudgment of anie arbiter that is not prepossessed by fauour to whom the name of Catholicke where of all are ambitions ought to bee attributed And in the Booke against the fundamentall Epistle Then to omitt this wisdome which you denie to bee in the Catholicke Church there are manie other things which doe most iustlie retaine me in her bosome the consent of people and nations retaine me therein the authoritie begūn by miracles nourished by hope increased by charitie confirmed by antiquitie retaines me therein the succession of Prelates euen from the verie seate of Peter to whom our Lord deliuered his sheepe to be fedd after his Resurrection euen to the present Bishops seate retaines me therein and finallie the verie name of Catholick retaines me therein which not without cause this Church alone amongst so manie heresies hath in such sorte obtained as though all heretickes would be called Catholiques neuerthelesse when a stranger askes where the Catholicke Church doth assemble there is not one 〈◊〉 that dares shew his 〈◊〉 or his howse And in his treatise of Faith and of the Creede Wee beleeue the holie Church and that Catholick for heretickes and schismatickes call their Congregations Churches but hereticks beleeuing of God false thinges violate faith and Schismatickes separate themselues from brotherly charitie by vniust diuisions allthough they beleeue the same things that we beleeue and therefore neither can the hereticke belonge to the Catholicke Church because she loues God nor the schismaticke because she loues her neightour And in the Booke Of the vnitie of the Church All those that beleeue as hath bene said that ouer Lord IESVS is come in the flesh and is risen againe in the same flesh wherein he was borne and hath suffered and that he is the sōne of god god with god ād one with the Father and the onlie immoueable word of the Father by which all things haue bene made but yet dissent so from his bodie which is the Church that theire communion is not with the whole or is spread in deed but yet is in some part found to be separate it is manifest they are not in the Catholick Church And Prosper his scholler Hee saith hee that Communicates with this vniuersall Church is a Christian and a Catholicke but he that communicates not therewith is an hereticke and Antichrist And for this cause wee see that the Fathers denied the title
of Christ cannot be saued And that which the Fathers haue done to hinder the breache of peace and of mutuall communion hath passed noe further then either to tolerate some locall and particular customes which brought more burden then profit as the custome some Africans had not to touch the ground with theire naked feete in the Octaues of theire Baptisme or to endure the manners and conuersation of some vitious men without applyinge the iron corrosiue of excommunication for feare of diuidinge the Church insteede of purginge it from wicked persons From whence proceeded that famous sentence of sainct AVGVSTINE They tolerate for the good of vnitie that which they hate for the good of equitie As for that which they haue done for the reestablishmēt of peace it hath beē extēded to the yeeldinge somethinge in the seuerity of discipline For when Arrian or Donatist Bishops came backe to the Church the Church in fauour of the people which followed them receaued them by a forme of generall rehabilitatiō with facultie to exercise theire Episcopall power Now this was against the ordinary rigor of the Canons And therefore sainct AVGVSTINE hath from thence taken occasion to say Thas as the trees that are inoculated receiue a wound in their barke to giue waie to those branches that should be graffed in soe the Church receiues a wound in her discipline to the end to take in and reincorporate hereticall people which were conuerted and returne together with theire Bishops but not that the loue of peace hath euer transported the Fathers so farr as to yield neuer so little in matters of Faith Contrarywise sainct BASILE witnesseth a That they haue alwaies rather chosen to suffer a thousand deathes then to b betraie one sillable thereof And sainct EPIPHANIVS recited by sainct IEROM saith c That for one word or two contrary to faith manie heresies haue bene cast forth of the Church And S. AVGVSTINE That the thinges contrary vnto faith and good manners the Church doth neither approue them conceale them nor doe them Therefore his Maiestie ought not to haue feared to imitate wholy the zeale of the Fathers for the good of peace and to doe for the restoringe the vnitie of the Church all things that the ancient Catholicke church hath approued practised taught Neither ought he to haue added to his offer the exception of that prouerbe euen to the Altars since our of the true Church such as was that of the Fathers to whose only Conditions wee exact his Maiesties communion with ours there are noe true Altars but only Altars agaiust Altars that is to saie prophane and Schismaticall Altars as those of Ieroboam were and the high places in the time of the law Nor finally should he limit the desire he hath to communicate with all the true members of the misticall bodie of Christ within this Condition if it were possible for it is so possible to communicate with all the actuall members of the misticall bodie of Christ that con trariwise it is impossible except in case of error of fact to communicate with anie one of them but you must communicate either immediately or mediatly with all the rest for the Church is that Societie whereof DAVID said Ierusalem which is built as a Cittie whose participation is in vnitie And sainct CYPRIAN The Catholicke Church which is one is not dismembred nor diuided but keepes herselfe vnited and is glewed together by the cement of the Prelates adheringe the one to the other And sainct AVGVSTINE Those whose Communion is not with all or that doe spread themselues but yet find themselues in some parte diuided it is manifest they are not in the Catholicke Church And againe Whosoeuer defendeth one parte separate from the rest let him not vsurpe the title of Catholicke And in an other place It may be will some one saie that there are other 〈◊〉 of God I knowe not where whereof God hath care but I knowe them not But he is too absurd euen in Common sense that imagins such thinges Of the necessitie of communicatinge with the Catholicke Church CHAP. IV. The pursute of the kinges Answere THese thinges beinge soe the kinge neuerthelesse esteemes that he hath very iust cause to dissent from them who without anie distinction and exception 〈◊〉 presse this Communion THE REPLIE THere is saith sainct AVGVSTINE noe iust necessitie to diuide vnitie and there is saith againe the same Doctor noe assurance of vnitie but in the Church which built according to Gods promise vpon the mountaine cannot be hidden For besides that the examination of the Church is soe easie and soe certaine as sainct AVSTIN saith I haue the most manifest voice of my pastor who expresses to me and pointes me out the Church without anie ambiguitie And againe this is noe obscure question wherein they may deceiue you of whom the lord hath foretolde that they shall come and saie heere is Christ And that the particular examination of Faith contrariwise is soe dangerous and difficult as yet most learned haue deceaued themselues in it And as sainct Ierom cryeth out There is great danger in speakinge in the Church for feare least by a wronge interpretation the Ghospell of Christ may be made the Ghospell of a man or which is worse the Ghospell of the diuell There is further this difference which is that he who hath the Church is sure to adhere to the true Faith though he know not distinctly all the articles thereof and that he is in the waie of Saluation where he that hath Faith and is not in the Church hath noe hope of Saluation If I haue all Faith saith Sainct PAVLE and 〈◊〉 not Charity I am nothinge And Sainct AVGVSTIN He that hath Charitie is secure and none can transporte charity out of the Catholique Church And elswhere If Schismatickes had Charitie they would not rend the bodie of Christ which is the Church By meanes whereof as much as Charitie is more excellent then Faith followinge that oracle of the Apostle but the greater of the three is Charitie soe much the instance of the Church is more necessary then that of Faith Aboue all these thinges saith sainct PAVLE holde Charitie which is the bond of perfection and lett the peace of Christ whereby you haue bene called into one bodie holde the principall place in your hartes And againe lett vs not for sake our Congregation as some haue accustomed to doe And sainct Iude Woe be to those that perish in the Contradiction of Core And a while after people that separate themselues sensuall men not hauinge the Spirit And it is a thinge so acknowledged by the Fathers that they affirme that faith it selfe turnes to increase of damnation to those that possesse it out of the Church yea they holde the cryme of Schisme to be worse then that of infidelitie and Idolatrie Those saith Saint AVSTIN whom
presumption aboue their fellowes of whose predestination they haue not the like certaintie and makes them lesse diligent to stand vpon theire guarde and to practise this commaundement of our Lord watch and pray for feare least you enter into temptation And therefore as the prince of the Roman harpe sings God by his wisdome from wans nature frayle The whole successe of future thinges doth vaile The fowrth that S. AVGVST the greatest doctor in the point of predestinatiō that hath bene since the Apostles yea the organ and the voice of the primitiue Church in this questiom teacheth vs that this beliefe is full of presumption and preiudiciall to saluation Although saith he that the iust are assured of thereward os 〈◊〉 perseuerance yet they are incertaine of their perseuerance for who is he 〈◊〉 men that knowes he shall perseuere in the workes and progresse of iustice to the end if he be not made certaine thereof by some reuelation from him who by a iust and secret iudgement instructs not all but deceiues none And in an other place Who is he among the faithfull that will presume during this mortall life to be of the number of the predestinate for it is needefull that that be concealed in this world And a little after Many like things are said for the profit of this secret least peraduenture some might be puft vp and that euen those that runn well might feare while it is vncertaine whither they shall arriue And againe Such presumption is not profitable in this place of temptations where the infirmitie is soe great as assurance might begett pride And thus much is said in regarde of 〈◊〉 It restes nowe to solue the obiections of the places of Scripture that the aduersaryes of the Church alleage against this doctrine They saie thē that Saint Paule writes the spirit of God giues testimonie to our Spirit or accordinge to the greekes helpes our Spirit to testifie to vs that we are the children of God and if children heires It is true but they tell vs not that he addes presently after this conditionall clause if we goe forwarde in our sufferings They saie he writes I am certaine or accordinge to the greeke I am persuaded that neither death nor life etc. can seperate vs from the charitie of Christ. It is true but they tell vs not that he speakes there of all the predestinate in generall into whose number he putts himselfe and those to whome he writes by a figure which the grāmarians call syllepsis and accordinge to the rule not of Faith but of Charitie which wills that in all thinges concealed from vs we should iudge in the better parte They saie he writes The vocation and the guiftes of God are without repentance It is true but there he speakes of the generall calling of the people of the Iewes made in the olde Testament were of he saith God hath not 〈◊〉 because yet one daie he will recall their nation into the bosome of the Church And euen those that stretch this passage by analogy to the callinge of particular persons either explicate it of vocation accordinge to predestination which is as much vnknowne as predestination it selfe or they intend that the guifts and vocation of god are without tepentance on his parte that is to saie that God neuer withdrawes himselfe from vs vnlesse wee withdrawe ourselues from him And therefore as Saint Paule saith the vocation and the guists of god are without repentance soe Saint Peter saith take paines to secure your vocation and election by good workes They saie he writes we haue the pledge of the holie Ghost in our hartes It is true but it is not sufficient for our assurance to obtaine the inheritance of life eternall that we haue this pledge if we be not as well assured not to loose it a thinge that Saint Paul is soe farr from assuringe vs that contrarily he cryes out quenche not the spirit They saie Saint Iohn writes perfect charitie driues awaieseare It is true but besides that Saint Iohn speakes there of perfect Charitie which euery particular man ought to desire but not presume he hath it for feare of loosinge it in loosinge humilitie the feare that saint Iohn pretendes to be excluded by this excellent Charity is as Sanit AVGVSTINE saith 〈◊〉 feare that is the feare of loosinge the grace of God for feare of the paine of eternall fire and not the filiall feare which is the feare of looseinge the grace of God for the loue of God himselfe and for feare of being depriued and seperated from his presence And therefore as S. Iohn saith in the place cited by them perfect charitie castes out feare Soe he saith in an other place Thou hast lost thy first charitie remember from whence 〈◊〉 art salien and doe thy first workes And againe Holde that thou hast least thy 〈◊〉 be taken from thee And from this is nothinge derogatory that which they obiect that the 〈◊〉 of this certaintie makes men despaire of theire saluation For betweene the certaintie of saluation and despaire there is a middle way which is hope that while it lastes as it ought alwaies to laste in a Christian man is incompatible with dispaire and sussizeth to comforte vs and hinder vs if we perseuer in it from being confounded And although it imprint not in vs an infallible certainty of our saluation for then it were theologicall saith and noe more hope yet it causeth in vs morall faith which we call confidence by the meanes of likelyhoodes coniectures that the good motions wherewith god inspires vs giue vs of our predestination Learne in part saith Saint AVGVSTINE condiscite as S. PAVL 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the goodnesse and straightnes of your course that you belonge to the predestination of diuine grace And againe you thē alsoe ought to hope from the father of lightes from whom descendes euerie excellent guift and euerie perfect present the perseuerance to obaie and aske it of him with dailie prayers and doeing so confide not to be excluded from the predestination of his people since it is himselfe that giues vs grace to doe it And a little after Of life eternall saith he which God who is noe lyer hath 〈◊〉 before all times to the Children of promise none can be assured till this life be finished but he will make vs perseuer in him to whom we saie euerie daie leade vs not into temptation that is to saie as it ariseth from the protestation of the preceding period but we ought to hope that he will make vs perseuer in him to whom we saie euerie daie leade vs not into temptation Of the inequalitie of these two phrases to communicate with the Catholicke Church and to communicate with some member of the Church departing from the rule of faith CHAP. XIII The continuance of the Kinges answere BVT the king adds that this very Church
apostasy to wit whether hee meane the reuolte of the people from the Roman Empire or the reuolte of 〈◊〉 Christians from the Religion of Christ to that of Mahomet or the reuolte of the Iewes from vnder all the temporall principalities within whose estates they are dispersed to revnite themselues in a newe monarchie vnder theire pretended Messias that is to saie vnder Antichrist As little will I stand to examine whether this temple of God wherein the sonne of perdition shall sitt be to be vnderstood by the materiall temple of Ierusalem when Antichrist shall haue caused it to be reedified as Sainct IRENEVS cont haeres lib. 5. cap. 30. protestes in these wordes When Antichrist shall haue laied desolate all things heere in this world and shal haue raigned three yeares and a halfe and shall be sett in the temple at Ierusalem then the Lord shall come from Heauen And as it seemes to be gathered from the relation of the speech of Sainct PAVLE to those wordes of DANIEL spoken of the Iewish temple and cited by our Lord vpon the speeche of the locall temple of Ierusalem the abhomination of desolation shall be in the temple from whence it is that auntient writers note that Iulian the Apostata one of the figures of Antichrist would haue attempted to reedifie it Or whether it be to bee vnderstood by the Iewish nation whom God had first chosen for his liuinge temple in which Antichrist shall place his throne followinge this prophecy of our Lord to the Iewes I am come in the name of my father and you haue not receiued me if an other come in his owne name you will receiue him Or whether it be to be vnderstood of nations heeretofore Christian in who temples now turned into mosqueas now there Mahomet the fore-runner of Antichrist sitts and that one daie shall ioyne with the Iewes to receiue Antichrist It is sufficīet that all the fathers are agreed vpon two thinges the one that Antichrist shall be the pretended Christ and Messias of the Iewes Antichrist saith Saint HILLARIE shall be receiued by the Iewes And Saint CYRILL of Ierusalem saith he shall deceiue the Iewes as beinge the Christ expected by them And Saint IEROM Wee know that Antichrist shall be the Christ of the Iewes And S. CHRYSOSTOME Christ argues the imposture of the Iewes by the expectation of Antichrist in that they not receiued him that qualified himselfe as sent from God and him that shall not acknowledge God but glorifie himselfe to be the soueraigne God they will adore And Saint AVGVSTINE Christ by these words if an other come in his owne name you will receiue him signifies that the Iewes shall receiue Antichrist And againe The Iewes shall fall into his nett of whom our Lord hath said I am come in my fathers name and you haue not receiued me an other shall come in his owne name and you shall receiue him And of whom the Apostle writes that the man of sinne and the Sonne of perdition shall be reuealed who shall oppose and exalte himselfe aboue all that shall be called God And S. CYRILL of Alexandria speakinge to the Iewes in the person of our Lord you shall receiue for as God I know all things him that shall come vnder a selfe title And THEODORET The Iewes which haue crucified our Lord because he called himself the Sonne of God shall giue creditt to Antichrist that shall call himselfe h the great God From whence it appeares that neither Antichrist shall take the title of a Christian nor his faction the title of a Church although they possesse many peoples and nations which haue before possessed the name of a Church since all the Fathers agree that he shall be receined by the Iewes The other thinge wherein the Fathers agree is that this apostacie shall bringe noe interruption to the course and visible succession of the Catholicke Church that is to saie it shall not hinder but that there shall be alwaies a Christian Societie illustrious and eminent aboue all false and pretended Churches from whose communion it shall be forbidden to departe as Saint AVGVSTINE declares in these wordes If the Church should not be heere till the end of the world why did Christ saie I ame with you to the end of the world And in an other place speakeinge of the very comeinge of Antichrist whose raigne hee deemed should be but three yeares and a halfe Let none imagine saith he that that little while that the Diuell shall be vnbounde there shall be noe Church vpon the earth And shortly after disputinge whether while that short space of tyme lasted the diuell should be so vnbound as that he should hinder anie from entringe into the Church either Children by baptisme or men by Conuersion but said he We should rather belieue that euen then there will not want people both to goe out of the Church and to come into the Church for certainly both fathers will be soe couragious as to giue baptisme to theire children and those that then beginn first to beleeue will be soe constāt as they will cōquer this stronge one euen although he be vnboūd Whereby he shewes plainely that he speakes not of a Church hidden and vnknowne but of a Church visible and exposed to the eyes and knowledge of men The sowrth obiectiō is that the woeman that had brought forth him that ought to rule the nations fledd into the wildernesse And againe that two winges of a great Eagle were giuen to the woeman to flye into the wildernesse For these two retreates into the wildernesse are but one retreate repeated by two seuerall descriptions betweene the which is inserted the fall of the diuell to shewe the the cause of the reuenge that he would haue exercised vpon the woeman From this retreate then they conclude that the Church shall then be inuisible But besides that the same answeres alreadie propounded against the argumentes which are drawne from the allegoricall expositions of the reuelation are alsoe of force against this allegation what shall hinder vs from interpretinge this passage with Saint AVGV of the blessed virgin who brought forth him that ought to rule the nations and who is described crowned with starrs because she was descended from the race of the twelue Patriarches who in Iosephs dreame were sigured by ste starrs and who is represented enuironed by the Sunne because according to the translation of the seuentie which is that the Apostles haue followed the Psalmist singeth He hath pitched his tabernacle in the Sunn And who shall hinder vs from sayinge the wildernesse wither she flew was heauen into which she was assumed after her death which the Grecians call wildernesse because it is exempt from all generation wherefore Pindarus calleth the heauen a desert or wildernesse in these verses If thou of combates honor mean'st to singe Seeke not when daie on the horizon stayes A
successor to Alexander Patriark of Alexandria in whose fauour and vpon whose particular the article had bene sett downe And how could Pope Julius haue reproched the Arrians that they had altered the decrees of the CouÌ„cell of Nicea if himself in restoring S. ATHANASIVS Patriark of Alexandria Paul Bishop of Constantinople Marcellus Primat of Ancyra in Galatia Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina Lucius Bishop of Andrinopolis in Thrace in disannulling the Councells of Tyre Antioch Constantinople which had bene holden against them had violated the canoÌ„ of the councell of Nicea And why did not the Arrians replie to him that it was himself that infringed the decrees of the Councell of Nicea if the intention of the Councell of Nicea had bene to restraine the Popes authoritie to the only limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarks And how had the Councell of Sardica wherein the Councell of Nicea was againe put to the triall which was holden twenty two yeares after the Councell of Nicea to defend the authoritie of the Councell of Nicea by many of the same Fathers that had assisted at the CouÌ„cell of Nicea reduced into a written lawe that Bishops deposed by the Councells of their prouinces might appeale from theÌ„ to the Pope declared that it was a very good fitt thing that froÌ„ all the prouinces the Bishops should referr the affaires to their head that is to saie to the Sea Apostlick of S. PETER if the intentioÌ„ of the CouÌ„cell of Nicea had bene to restraine the Popes authoritie into the onely limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarkes And how had the generall Councell of Ephesus reserued the cause of John Patriark of Antioch to the iudgmeÌ„t of the Pope And how had Flauianus Bishop of Constantinople after he had beeÌ„ deposed by Dioscorus Patriark of Alexandria by the second Councell of Ephesus appealed from them to the Pope and that saith the Emperor Valentinian the third according to the custome of the Councells And how finally had Theodoret one of the Bishops of the Patriarkship of Antioch hauing bene deposed in the same second Councell of Ephesus and hauing thence appealed to the Pope bene receiued into the Councell of Chalcedon because the Pope had restored him to his Bishopricke if the intention of the Councell of Nicea had bene not to propose the authoritie of the Pope in regard of the vniuersall Church for type and patterne of the authoritie of the other Patriarkes in regard of their Patriarkships but to restraine the Popes authority into the onely limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarkes It appeares in the fifth place by the title of vniuersall Patriarke and vniuersall Pope that the Churchmen of the other Patriarkships and particularly those of Alexandria who had more interest in the obseruation of the sixt Canon of the Councell of Nicea then anie other as hauing bene made in fauour of their Church yeilded to the Pope For when the Priests and deacons of the Patriarchall Church of Alexandria presented their requests to the Councell of Chalcedon from which the person of the Pope was as farre distant as it is betweene Rome and Asia they couched them in these termes To the most holie and most blessed vniuersall Patriark of great Rome 〈◊〉 and to the holie and vniuersall Councell And this they did all the Councell seeing and approuing it and ordayning that they should be inserted into the Acts and consequently not holding them for strange new and vnwonted things And when the Religious men of Antioch presented in Constantinople their requests to Pope Agapet they couched them and made them to be inserted into the Actes of the Councell of Constantinople holden against Anthymus and celebrated vnder the Emperor Iustinian in these wordes To our most holie and blessed Lord Agapet Archbishop of the ancient Rome and vniuersall Pairiark And when the great scourge of the Nouatians Eulogius Patriark of Alexandria and heire of the Rights conferred vpon the patriarkship of Alexandria by the Councell of Nicea sett hand to penn he did not onely saie disputing against the Nouaâ—ians that PETER onely had receiued the keys that is to saie originally but also writing to the Pope S. GREGORIE he called him vniuersall Pope Now how is this anie other thing then to protest that what the other Patriarkes were euerie one in the behalfe of his owne Patriarkship the Pope was the same in the behalfe of the world For as for the part that the Bishop of Constantinople challenged in this title afterward it shall be heereafter shewed that it was by vertue of the right of the Bishop of Rome that he pretended it to be communicated to him by the erection of Constantinople into the title of the second Rome And as for the refusall that the Pope S. GREGORIE made of the vse thereof it shall be answered in the same chapter It appeares in the sixth place by the proceeding of Theodosius the second Emperor of the East who resoluing at the instance of Atticus Bishop of Constantinople to make the cittie of Constantinople enioy the title of Patriarkship which he pretended had bene attributed to him in the Councell of Constantinople published a law which hath alwaies as shall heereafter appeare remained without effect by which he alleadged that Constantinople had the priuiledges of the ancient Rome and ordained that she should exercise them not only in all the prouinces of Pontus Asia minor and Thracia but also in all the prouinces of Illiria The one of the heades of this lawe we learne from Socrates who said the Bishop of Cyzica being dead Sisinnius Archbishop of Constantinople ordained Proclus Bishop of Cyzica but the Cyzicenians that is to saie the Bishop of the diuision of Cyzica seeing he went about it preuented him and ordained a religious mancalled Dalmatius and this they executed despising the law which forbad to ordaine Bishops without the sentence of the Bishop of Constantinople alleadging it had bene made onely for the person of 〈◊〉 And the other we learne from the lawe omni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a fragment of that where of Socrates makes mention which forbids that euen in all the prouinces of the Easterne Illyria any thing should 〈◊〉 but with the knowledg of the Bishop of Constantinople 〈◊〉 saith the lawe that all innouation ceasing so speakes the Emperor because 〈◊〉 abusing the simplicitie of his youth had ginen him to vnderstand falsely that the refusall that the Bishops of Illeria made to acknowledg him for Patriarke had begun but since the schisme of Arsacius his 〈◊〉 the antiquitie and the precedent Ecclesiasticall Canons which haue bene obserued hitherto he meanes the Canons of the Councell of Constantinople holden vnder Nectarius which had attributed to the Sea of Constantinople euen in spirituall causes the title of the second Rome and
person he foretold him he should noe more 〈◊〉 calld Symon but 〈◊〉 signifiing most aptlie by that word that vpon him as vpon a 〈◊〉 and a stedfast stone he should build his Church And this may be said of the first point of this Article which is of building of the Church vpon the faith or vpon the person of PETER Let vs passe forward to the secōd which is of that of the other Apostles The Church saith his maiestie is founded vpon the Confessiō of PETER the other Apostles Here it is needefull to distinguish the diuers vses that this word foundation of the Church receaues in the Scripture for it is one thing to be the foundation of the faith of the Church and an other thing to be the foundatiō of the Ministrie of the Church And againe the foundation of the faith of the Church is of two sortes for there is an obiectiue foundation of the faith of the Church and a suggestiue foundation of the faith of the Church I call that an obiectiue foundation of the faith of the Church which is the first obiect that the Church is obliged to knowe and embrace for doctrine of faith and that is Christ of whom S. PAVLE saith None can 〈◊〉 anie other foundation besides that which is alreadie laid that is Chrict For the first thing that enters into the obiect of the Christian faith as it is Christian is Christ God and Man crucified for our Sinns And all the other doctrins of Faith haue noe other place then as superedifications and accessories to that I call that a suggestiue foundation of faith of the Church vpō which the Church grounds and assures the beleefe of those things which she holdes for doctrines of faith and this againe is double the one principall and originall to wit the holy Ghost of whom our Lord saith Hee shall suggest to you all thinges that I haue told you and the other instrumentall and organicall to wit the voice and pen of those that he hath chosen to declare vnto vs the misteries of faith with certaine and infallible authoritie And in this sence not only all the Apostles and Euangelists but also all the prophets are foundations of the faith of the Church according to this Apostolicall sentence Wee are edified vpon the foundation of the Prophets and of the Apostles And in this same sence sainct PAVL said in the second to the Corinthians That he had bene nothing inferior to the most excellently great of the Apostles And in the Epistle to the Galatians That he had not receiued his Ghospell from men but from God And that those that seemed to be something that is to saie those that for the more particular familiaritie that they had with our Lord it seemed they should bee more eminent in the doctrine of Faith and should bee the Pillars of Faith had taught him nothing For to be something according to the stile of those 〈◊〉 the east is a word not of contempt but of great and extraordinarie estimation I call him foundatiō of the ministrie of the Church that hath the supereminēce and superintendencie of the gouernment and ministrie of the Church which I haue distinguisht frō the foūdatiō of the Faith not but that the primitiue and originall Ministrie of the Church comprehends the Office of reuealing the Faith and that the perpetuall and ordinarie ministrie of the Church comprehends the office of preseruiug and propagating the Faith from whence it is that sainct PAVL calleth the Church The pillar and foundation of faith But because the foundation of the Ministrie extends further and manie as sainct LVKE amongst others haue bene foundations of the Faith of the Church who neuerthelesse haue not bene foundations of the Ministrie of the Church Now it is of this kinde of Foundation to witt of the Foundation of the ministrie of the Church that is treated off in these words of our Lord Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church as it appeares by what followes of the keyes and of the power to binde and loose This qualitie then of foundation of the gouernment and ministrie of the Church to dispute whether since it haue bene extended and communicated to the whole Bodie of the Apostles it is an other point For what S. PAVL saith If they be ministers of Christ I am so more then they is to be vnderstood of the excesse in the labour of the Ministrie and not in the authoritie But at the least when our Lord pronounced these wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church It is certaine that in that instant and in those wordes it was conferred to none but to sainct PETER for the wordes are all pronounced in singular termes and excluding pluralitie Blessed art thou Symon Sonn of 〈◊〉 and I saie vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church and I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Which sainct AMBROSE declares who after he had said This man to wit PETER when he had heard but 〈◊〉 what saie yee that I am presently not forgetfull of his place he made the primacie adds to it It is then this Peter that answered before the rest but for the rest and therefore he is called Foundation Which sainct CYPRIAN likewise acknowledges in these wordes Vpon him beinge one he built the Church And it is not to be said that the Condition of Foundation of the Church hauing bene giuen to sainct PETER in fauour and for recompence of his Coafession all the other Apostles that had part in his Confession ought also to haue their part therein For the qualitie of foundation of the Church was not giuen to sainct PETER in fauour of his Confession simplie for then it should be common to all the faithfull but in fauour of the primacie of his Confession wherein the other Apostles had noe actual part but only by consent and non repugnancie for as much as sainct PETER only answered as illuminated immediately from God the others being silent and not knowing what to saie and learning it but my the means of sainct PETERS Answere Hee was saith sainct 〈◊〉 made worthie of first knowing what there was of God in Christ. And 〈◊〉 CYRILL of Hierusalem All the other Apostles being silent for this doctrine was aboue their reach Peter the Prince of the Apostles and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Church not of his owne inuention neither perswaded by human reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his soule by God the Father said to him thou art Christ the Sonn of the liuing God And sainct ATHANASIVS manie yeares before them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father reuealed to Peter those thinges whereof our Lord demaunded him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not doubt but the same Lord who inquired as if he had first reuealed to 〈◊〉 those things that he had knowne from the Father he askes him humanly to 〈◊〉 in inquiring
whose sinns yee forgiue shall be forgiuen Which hath moued saint CYPRIAN to saie that Christ hath instituted saint PETER the originall of vnitie PETER saith he vpon whom Christ hath built his Church and instituted him the originall of vnitie And againe One chaire built vpon Peter by the voyce of our Lord. And for this occasion as although in a tree there be but the stocke and the bodie of the tree only that succeedes and is tied by direct continuance with the roote neuerthelesse the other branches are tied to it by oblique and collaterall succession and continuance Soe though there bee but only the Bishop of Rome that is saint PETERS successor in direct succession neuerthelesse all the Bishops are esteemed in some sort to be sett in saint PETERS Chaire and to be in a manner saint PETERS successors to witt by oblique and indirect succession because of the communication that they haue with the Chaire of S PETER But the Bishops are neuer said neither in their whole bodie nor separately to be successor to anie other particular Apostle but are said either in generall to bee the Apostles successors or in particular successors to S. PETER as to him that for being the head of the Apostleship containes in vertue all the Apostolicke Bodie so as neuer anie one Bishop hath called himself successor to anie other Apostle except those that haue succeded locallie to anie one of the other Apostles as the Bishops of Hierusalem are in title successors to saint IAMES BVT against this exposition the aduersaries to the Primacie forme thriteen oppositions the first that our Lord adds presently after speaking to Peter Got behind me Sathan The seconde that he cries out If anie one amongst you desire to bee greatest he shall be the least The third that S. PETER forbids from domineering ouer the flockes The fourth that the Apostles sent PETER and IOHN into Samaria The fifth that S. IAMES voted last in the Councell of Hierusalem The sixth that S. PAVLE names S. IAMES before S. PETER The seauenth that the same S. PAVL saith that the Ghospell of the Gentiles was committed to him as that of the circumcision to PETER The eighth that he saith S PETER walked not right in the Ghospell The ninth that he saith he resisted him to his face because he was reproueable The tenth that S. CYPRIAN writes that the other Apostles were the same that Peter was The eleauenth that EVSEBIVS reportes out of S. CLEMENT Alexandrinus that PETER IAMES and IOHN contested not amongst themselues for the honor but made IAMES Bishop of the Apostles The twelfth that Sainct CHRISOSTOME writeth that the other Apostles yeelded the Throne to IAMES And the thirteenth That the same S. CHRISOSTOME writes that the Principalitie was committed to IAMES To the first then of these obiections which is that our Lord said a while after to S. PETER Goe behind me Satan Wee answere S. HIEROME hath solued it in these words This blessing beatitude and edification of the Church vpon Peter is promised to Peter in future times and not giuen to him in time present I will build said he my Church vpon thee To the seconde which is that our Lord cryes elsewhere If anie one amongst you desire to be greatest let him be the least Wee answere he doth there forbidd the desire and not the effect of the Primacie the Ambition and not the thing the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 witnes this traine that followes as the Sonn of man is come into the world not to be serued but to serue By which he pro pounds himself to his disciples for an example not of an Anarchy but of Superioritie accompanied with humilitie To the third Which is that S. PETER writes not domineering ouer the flocks Wee answere that the Greeke word signifieth a violent Dominion such as that whereof our Lord said The kings of the nations domineere ouer them And such as S. HIEROME representeth it in these words The Princes of the Churches are wont to oppresse the People with arrogance of whom it is written they haue constituted thee Prince be not puft vp but be amongst them as one of them And not a presidencie and fatherlie direction such as was that of Samuell ouer the people of Israell who after he had exercised the Gouernment of Israell and iudged the people many yeares iustified himself in the end saying I haue conuersed with you from my youth to this 〈◊〉 answere me in the presence of God and of his annoynted if I haue taken anie mans bullock or his Asse or if I haue commaunded by force and oppressed any one of you And such as that whereof sainct PAVL said Obey your prelats and be subiect to them And elsewhere Let him that presides preside in all diligence And our Lord himself which is the wise and faithfull seruant that our Lord hath constituted ouer his familie It is Peter saith sainct AMBROSE chosen by the iudgement of our Lord to feede his flocke who hath merited to heare feede my lambes feede my sheepe To the fourth which is that the historie of the Actes testifies that the Apostles when it was in agitation to forme the Church of Samaria sent thither PETER and IOHN wee answere it was a mission of request as that when the Israelites sent Phinees their high priest and the princes of the tribes and not a mission of authority To the fifth which is that S. IAMES voted last in the Councell of 〈◊〉 Wee answere that in Councells contrary to the order of secular companies those that preside vote first And namely saint HIEROME saith that saint PETER from whose words S. IAMES tooke his Rule was the Prince of this decree To the sixth which is that S. Paule writes that Iames Cephas and Iohn seeing the grace that God had conferred vpon him gaue to him and to Barnabas the right hands of fellowshipp Wee answere that the greeke edition of Complutum and manie seuerall Readings Greeke and Latine haue it Cephas Iames and Iohn Witnesse S. CHRISOSTOME who in his comentarie vpon the Epistle to the Galatians reades Cephas Iames and Iohn and Theodoret who in his comentarie vpon the fifteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans alleadging this passage reports it in these words The Apostle teacheth this manifestly in the Epistle to the Galatians for he saith Peter Iames and Iohn who seeme to be the pillars gaue the right hands of fellowship to me and to Barnabas And saint AVGVSTINE who as well in the text as in the comentarie reades Cephas Iames and Iohn And saint HIEROME who not only both in the text and the comentarie reades Cephas Iames and Iohn but euen in his writings against Heluidius citeth the text of saint PAVLE in these words Cephas Iames and Ishn. And moreouer elswhere speaking of saint PAVLS Ordination to the Apostleship saith Paule was ordained Apostle of
that the Church was then perished for since the excellent King will haue it that the only assured marke to discerne which either of the Church which hee calls English or of ours is the true Church be it that which is the essentiall forme of the Church and that he pretends to be doctrine it is necessary that he suppose that the difference which are betweene the Church that hee calls English and ours be questions which take awaie the essentiall forme of the Church and destroy the being of a Church And by consequence that that of the one or other Societie which errs in these pointes shall bee depriued of the essentiall 〈◊〉 of a Church and destitute from the being of a Church And then if when Luther came into the world there were noe Societie neither visible nor inuisible which held that that the English Church holdes at this daie in the pointes disputed betweene her and vs it followes there was then noe Church Of the authoritie of the worke intituled imperfect CHAP. XVII The Continuance of the Kings Answere AND therefore the excellent King thinkes that he ought with soe much the more Care in so great a floud of different opinions withdrawe himselfe into the mountaines of the holie Scripture THE REPLIE WHEN Nauplius King of the Island of Euboea now called Negrepont would at the returne frō the Seige of Troy cause the fleete of the Greekes to be shipwrackt to reuenge the death of his Sonn Palamides hee sett by night torches in forme of a beacon vpon one of the mountaines of his Island at the foote whereof the Sea was full of bankes cliffes and rockes so to drawe their shipps by the hope of a safe hauen to runn hazard and perish in those shores Soe whenantient heretickes whom saint AVGVSTINE calls mountaines for Shipwracke would cause the Catholickes to make shipwracke in Faith the more their doctrines haue bene pernicious and mortall the more they haue adorned and illustrated them with texts and lampes of the scripture This appeares in the heresie of the Arrians who painted and coloured their error with more then fortie passages of the Bible and by this art attempted to call men backe from the externall and sensible markes of the Church which could not bee pretended by false ensignes by those who had them not to reduce them to the only marke of the scripture the interpretation whereof by their subtletie they made subiect to as manie deceipts as there were wordes But aboue all this is verified in the writer from whom his Maiestie borrowes this language who was one of the most passionate Champions of the Arrians For though he cites these wordes without naming the Father neuerthelesse both the termes wherein they are couched and the tracke of those who haue alleadged them before him to witt Caluin in some of the prefaces to his institution the author of the Booke of the Eucharist in the preface to his worke cannot suffer vs to doubt but that they were taken from the author of the worke intituled Imperfect falselie attributed to Sainct CHRYSOSTOME Now that this Author was not onelie an open Arrian but one of the most eager and violent Champions of the Arrians it appeares by this that he calls the Trinitie triangular impietie and the doctrine of the homousians that is to saie of those that held the Consubstantialitie of the Father and the sonne Heresie Not but that I knew well that he is sometimes alleadged euen by Catholickes with the title of saint CHRISOSTOME vnder whose name he had bene first printed at Basle But because it is one thinge to alleadge him in places where hee disputes not against the Church wherein he is excellent and aboue all in the discourse of manners and an other to alleadge him in the places where hee combates with deliberate purpose against the doctrine of the Catholicke Church of his age as he doth in that from whence the words are taken which his maiestie produceth For behold the expresse termes of the passage When you shall see the impious heresie which is the armie of Antichrist sett in the holie places of the Church then let them which are in Iudea flie into the Mountaines that is to saie let them that are in the christian Societie haue recourse to the scriptures And a little after The Lord then knowinge that so great a confusion of things should arriue in the last daies for this cause commaunds that the Christians who are in the Christian Societie being willing to receaue the stedfastnes of the true faith should haue recourse to noe other thing but to the Scriptures otherwise if they cast their eyes elsewhere they shall be scandalized and perish not discerning which is the true Church Now that by this impious heresie and by this Armie of Antichrist he intends the Catholicke Church and the communion of them which beleeue the equalitie of the Father and the sonne he plainelie shewes when he saith in the same Homilie that the great spirituall euills which haue come vpon the Church haue happened in the time of Constantine and Theodosius and that the armie of Antichrist is the heresie and the abhomination of desolation which hath since them possest the holie places of the Church that is to saie the Basilickes that Theodosius cōmaunded to be deliuered vp to the Catholickes And whē he saith in the former Homilie that the heresie of the Homousians that is to saie of those that hold Christ to be consubstantiall which his Father Fights not only against the Church of Christ but euen against the other heresies which hold not the like And in the nineteneth Homilie when hee calls the worshippers the Trinitie Those that honor the triangular impietie Whereby it appeares that this passage if so farre from giuing fauour to his Maiesties intention as contrariwise it manifestes how dangerous a thing it is to seeke to reduce the markes of the Church to the onelie doctrine drawne from the scripture by the interpretation of euerie particular person since the Arrians in the point which of all others should be most expresse in the scriptures for the catholickes to witt in the point of the diuinitie of Christ for if there be anie thing cleree in a Testament it should be the qualitie of the testator refused all the other markes of the Church and all the other waies of disputation and burnt with desire to fight by the onely texts of the Scripture disarmed from the traditions of the Church Of the vnderstanding of these words of S. Augustine to seeke the Church in the words of Christ. CHAP. XVIII The continuance of the Kings answere AND to seeke according to the Councell that S AVGVSTINE heretofore gaue to the Deuatists the Church in the Words of Christ. THE REPLIE WHEN S. AVGVSTINE said in the booke of the vnitie of the Church there is a question betweene the Donatists and vs where the Church is what shall wee thē doe shall wee seeke her
the world But who sees not that this was in the time wherein 〈◊〉 contract was expired and that of the Christian Church did beginne The lawe and the prophetts saith our Sauiour Vntill Iohn And sainct PAVLE Blindnes is partlie fallen vpon Israel that the fullnes of the Gentiles might be introduced Now the lease that God had made of his vine to the Iewish Church hauing bene but for a time what wonder is it that when this lease is come to expire the prerogatiue that she had by vertue of her contract should cease and that the master of the vineyard should lett forth his Vineyard to other 〈◊〉 and this fufficeth for the comparison of the Christian Church with the Iewish For to ascend to the time before the lawe of Moyses and to alleadge the little mention that is made there of the continuance of the Church it is clere that it had bene a thinge superfluous for the Scripture to haue represented particularlie the estate of the Church of those ages the knowledge of the succession of the Church not hauing bene necessarie but after the last institution of the lawe for the seruice whereof she is establisht as to the Iewes after the institution of the lawe of Moyses and to the Christians after the institution of the Euangelicall lawe Although both before and after the floud there are manie monuments of it For both before the floud this that the sonns of God knew the daughters of men shewes that there was an especiall people which boare the title of the children of God which title the interpretors would haue to be taken by the posteritie of Seth to distinguish themselues from the posteritie of Cain when Seth had begotten Enos and that they began saith the Scripture to all chemselues by the name of the Lord And the vniuersall corruption which fell out in the end vpon all the other families descended from Seth except that of Noe was a corruption of manners and for which if wee beleeue saint HIEROME all those that perish with a temporall death in the floud perisht not with an eternall death And after the floud that Noe liued almost to the sixtith yeare of Abraham And Sem the Sonn of Noe whom Luther calls the Pope of his Age till after the death of Iacob And that Melchisedech kinge of Salem was priest of the most high and in his qualitie blest Abraham that Rebecca wife of Isaach wēt to enquire of God vpon the misterie of her childrē shewes that euē thē the true worship visible seruice of God had place both before elsewhere thē in the familie of Abrahā Butto cōclude grant all the hypothesis to be such as the Protestāts pretend that the Church had bene interrupted both before the lawe vnder thelawe what would that make against the christiā church to whō Christ held this language As in the daies of Noe I swore that I would neuer againe bringe the waters of the Floud vpon the Earth soe I haue sworne that I will noe more be angrie against thee Thou shalt noe more be called the forsaken I will noe more doe to this people as in former daies I will contract a new alliance with them not according to the alliance I contracted with their Fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egipt The cittie of the Lord shall noe more be pulled vp nor destroyed The glorie of this second howse shall bee much greater then that of the first The cittie built vpon the mountaine cannot be hidden The gates of Hell shall not preuaile against my Church I am with you to the consummation of ages This Ghospell of the Kingdome must be preached through the whole world and then the end shall come Hee hath placed in his Church the Apostles Prophetts Pastors and Doctors c till wee all shall meete in the vnitie of faith The Church is the firmament of truth and other such like Of the comparison of the Charitie of the antient African Church and the moderne Roman Church CHAP. XXXVII The continuance of the Kinges answere AND surely the antient Church to recall the Donatists that were refractory to her communiō had accustomed by an admirable Charitie to prouide euen for the te mporall commodities of the Bishops that should be conuerted and of others also And the Roman Church to knitt againe the loue and good will betweene her and the English Church hath first employed the thunderboltes of Bulls and afterward of force sometimes openly and sometimes vnder-hand THE REPLIE THE antient Catholicke Church of Africa offered for the good of Charitie and of the Ecclesiasticall communion to yeeld vp the Bishoprickes of Africa not to those Donatist Bishops which still remained on Donatus his partie but to those that would returne to the communion of the Catholicke Church And the Roman Church hath excommunicated by her Bulls not those that will returne from the English diuision to the Catholick communion but those that after many admonitions are obstinate still to remaine in the separation And therefore there is in this no Antithesis betweene the proceedings of the antient Catholicke Church and those of the moderne For as concerning this word the thunderboltes of Bulls by which some thinke to make the Popes censures the more odious his maiestie may remember if 〈◊〉 please that it is an antient phrase of speeche that the Grecians vse who called the condemnations euen of secular iudgementes thunderboltes and to expresse that one was condemned in iudgment they would saie he was Thunder-strucken Of the innocencie of the Church in the matter of conspiracies against his maiestie CHAP. XXXVIII The continuance of the Kings answere TRAYTORS manifestlie culpable of the paricide vndertaken in this prouince she hath receiued into her lapp and still wholie protects them those that haue suffered iudgemēt for the same cause she Inrolles in the Catalogue of martyrs and propugneth from daie to daie their innocencie against all lawes diuine and humane THE REPLIE IF anie of those that were partakers of the abhominable cōspiracie proiected against his maiestie be receiued at Rome it is an error of fact and not of Right founded vpon a false information that is to saie vpon the beleefe that they haue imprinted there that they are not culpable of that attempt as Princes are accustomed to receaue in the qualitie of innocent persons those that haue recourse to them out of other Prouinces if the verball processe of the crime be not sent to them that they may informe themselues of the truth or falshood of the imputation And this lawe is a lawe of resuge and freedome cōmon to the Estates of all Princes But to beleeue that the Pope protects them in the qualitie of being culpable of this conspiracie I know to well how much I haue heard him detest it with his owne mouth For as touching those that haue bene excluded in England that that