the holy Church But a man is not saide properly to beleeue that which hee seeth For beleefe is of thinges not seene but of such thinges as God hath promised though they bee not seene with the bodilie eye Nowe of visibilitie I say that as Christ Iesus our Lorde beeing in the worlde to worke the worke of our saluation was visible in the glorie and maiestie of the true Messiah so is his true Church visible in the worlde Iohn 17. For as hee was in the world so are they which are his that is his true Church in the worlde so seene and visible that the children of God the verie elect of God are both illuminate to see it to ioyn themselues to it as Simeon Anna Zacharie and other did see and ioyne themselues to the person of Messiah So did that blinde man which was cured as we doe reade in the gospell Iohn 9. Iohn 4. Likewise did the simple woman whō Christ Iesus did vouchsafe to teach in the same Gospell see more of the glorie and maiestie of the true Messiah in the person of Iesus than did al the bishops priests Scribes and Pharisees which caryed the countenance and credit of the Church among mē And as Obadiah did see 1. Reg. 18. and ioyne himselfe to the true Church of God in the darke dayes of Achab It is also so visible that satan is suffred to espie it and by his members to persecute it euen as hee did the person of our Lorde Iesus who is the heade of his true Church If men wil not content themselues with this sight but will haue their sight satisfied after their fansie with a visible worldly glorie of a church in this worlde more visible than Christ himselfe was whose Church in this worlde shall haue and bee in the same condition that himselfe had in it let these men take heede that they doe not fall into the lappe of the whoore of Babylon and take her for the church of Christ For the whore of Babylon hath her glorious visibilitie in the worlde shee is visible that in great worldly pompe glorie Now thē some will say to what companie or church thē shal I ioyn my self how shal I know finde that church in which I may heare receiue the doctrine of saluation yea if the church be inuisible so that we cannot see it we cānot heare the doctrin therof we shal not come to the true knowledge of GOD to worship him nor yet of our dutie to our king nor our rulers nor yet how we are bownde to obeye them I answere that though the church be invisible in that respect that I haue spoken off yet when it commeth in question to what company or church we shuld ioyn our selues we haue certein sure markes to directe vs rightly in this doubt These markes are The open Markes and true preaching of the worde of God and The sounde administration of the holy Sacramentes which markes are playne and apparant Wheresoeuer these marks are without doubt we are bounde to beleeue that there the true Church is and that companie wee ought to esteeme to bee the faithfull Church which doth professe the religion of the Lord our God as it is taught in his holy word Thus the Apostle doth call the companie dwelling in Corinth and the Galathians faithfull and Sainctes and giueth vnto them the name of the Church in generall although there were amonge them great faultes aswell in ignorance of doctrine as corruption of life Which thing also he taught 1. Cor. 3. when hee saide that all they which did holde the foundation did not alwayes builde vpon it golde or siluer or precious stones but also stubble and hay Thus wee speake of the Church in sounde and substantiall trueth We doe not make of it a fantasticall thing conceiued onely by imagination neither are we carried away in the fonde conceites of the Donatistes or Catharians nor in the furious frensies of the Anabaptistes Let mee therefore nowe speake somewhat of the marks witnesses of the Church which ought well to bee knowne marked because by them we may be directed rightly to that Church in which saluation is to be had Neither is there any one thing by which Sathan our olde enemie doeth labour more to deceiue men then by the title wrong opinion of the Church There are two marks as I said most certaine and infallible by which the true Church is knowne and discerned from all other conuenticles and assemblies of men The first is the pure preaching of the worde of God The second is the sincere administration of the holy Sacramentes To these some haue ioyned the true discipline and the fruite of obedience to the gospell preached And in truth there ought to be such a christian policie for the gouernement of the church as the lorde of the church Christ Iesus hath ordeined such obedience shewed to the gospell as it commaundeth But because the abounding force of our sinnes are such that often times these two last things do not so fully apeare in their maiestie and excellencie as they ought to doe therefore we doe rest our selues vpon the two first named markes The preaching of the word is a most sure and certeine marke token of the true church of Christ And therefore the preaching of the gospell is compared to the seede sowen Matt. 13. and by the preaching of the gospell it is sayd 1. Cor. 4. that the Corinthians were begotten vnto God For this cause also is the preaching of the gospell called the pasture in which the children of God do feede It is the nurriture with which they are nourished And Christ Iesus sayeth My sheepe do heare my voice Ioan. 10. and that they do not heare the voice of a strāger Yea Christ teacheth vs how by hearing and not hearing the worde of God wee shall know them which are of God For he sayeth Ioan. 8. He that is of God heareth Gods words Ye therefore heare them not because ye are not of God They which are of God doe heare receiue and obey his worde they are his true church They which do not heare nor receiue his worde are not of God are not his true church The second sure tokē of the true church is the sincere administration of the holy sacramēts For it is the good pleasure of God to call feed his flock not onely by the voice of his gospel and worde sounding in their eares but also by mouing their eyes and other senses bodily And therfore he ordeyned that his sacraments should be certein witnesses visible seales of the vnion of his childrē with him selfe of one of them with another And this was one cause why it was sayd to the people of God Gen. 17. that he that was vncircumcised should be rooted out from among the people of god To this end also did all the heads of housholds apere at
chosen So were the Deacons chosen And hereto do those rules serue which S. Paul doth giue in his Epistles writē to Timothie and to Titus touching the admission of church ministers You see nowe what the ordinarie calling is out of which we may easily gather what the extraordinary calling or vocation is which hauing an authoritie from God is lawfull notwithstanding that one or two pointes appertayning to an ordinarie calling bee wanting in it The Lord hath oftentimes vsed the seruice of men called to the ministerie of the word by such an extraordinary calling as appeareth by the holy scriptures Moses had no ordinarie calling by men Iirmiah Ionas had none Daniel Amos and diuerse other of the Prophetes had no ordinarie calling by men and yet the Lord God called these men such like to the ministerie of the word whē they which kept the place of the ordinary calling did abuse the same Thē I say then God vsed to lay to his hand extraordinarily to the worke which they that had their ordinarie calling did not onely neglecte but bring into ruine Thus the Lord god himself did and yet he did not bring any disorder or confusion into his house by this meane But thus did he to correct and reforme that confusiō disorder which was brought into his house by them which vnder the colour of ordinarie succession did ouerthrowe all good order peruerted it This doth the writings of the prophets witnes in which the priests are chiefely reproued If you will say that the men whome the Lorde did thus call extraordinarily had yet some outwarde miraculous testimonie of this their heauenly calling It is so in deed of some but it was not so in all I doe not finde that many of the Prophets did come of the race of Aaron nor that the ordinarie imposition of handes was layde vppon them Nor that they testified their vocation and calling by working straung signes and miracles If you will say that these prophetes teachers which had this extraordinarie calling did content themselues with that part of the church office which is to teach and to reprooue but they did not meddle with the sacrifices This is not altogether true For Samuel who was not of the stock of Aaron 1. Sam. 7. did sacrifice in Mizpah as it is written And Eliah beeing a Galaadite did sacrifice in Carmel 1. Reg. 18. Again it is no maruel if the prophets of that time did not extende their commission of their extraordinary calling to circumcise and sacrifice for that was the charge and priuiledge then expressely committed to the stock of Leui for that time Thus you heare what is the church and what bee the markes thereof and what is to bee thought of the vocation or calling of the Pastors and teachers of the church And thus doe wee at this present approue our christian church the ministers thereof by the rule of Gods word Tom. 4. fol. 160. And in this behalfe doth that make for vs which Augustine writeth in his booke of 65. questions and in the last question where he teacheth that wee shall knowe that he is sent of God who is not chosen by the flatterie of a fewe men but he whō life good manners and the doing of the Apostolike Priests do commend who seeketh not to be aloft but to be profitable to others Of the authoritie of the church Nowe let vs come to the authoritie of the church and speake a little thereof It doth appeare by that which is said before that wee do not take away any thing of those high and glorious titles whiche the holy ghost doeth giue vnto it We say that it is the body of Christ but so that part thereof is yet in pilgrimage looking for the full inioying of the heade Iesus Christ This is the house of God which hee doth dayly builde so that it groweth stil more and more It is gouerned by the spirit of God stil fighting against the fleshe It is purified but so that it is by little and little brought towards that perfection of beauty in which is neither blemish nor I pot It knoweth God truely but yet in part In which kinde of speaches I doe vse the very wordes of the holy scripture Out of this Church is no saluation For life and saluation is no where else but in Christ Iesus alone and onely neither doeth the Lorde Iesus powre foorth his quickning power grace but onely vpon his owne members The vnion and assembling of them together in their head Iesus is called and is the true church of Christ If you aske me whether this church being in this worlde can erre and whether it be in authority aboue the holy scripture or else it be subiecte to the holy word of God Howe the Church may erre To the first I answere that it is out of doubt that the members of the church counting each one by himselfe in particular may erre And that there are of them which do erre in doctrine maners of life For they knowe but in part 1. Cor. 13. as S. Paul saith And Iohn saith 1. Iohn 1. If we do say that we haue no sinne we do deceiue our selues And in this number we may and do recken the olde doctors For many faultes are to be founde in them and therefore they are not to be receiued in al things without exception Thus doe we thinke of the members of the church in particular whose imperfections doe not so prevaile but that of them knitte together in trueth is made a true church For they do by little and little growe and goe forwarde in the knowledge of God and of his trueth and holinesse of life But if wee will consider the partes of the Church more generally as it is diuided into diuerse Diocesses and Prouinces we say playnely that it may erre Card. Lotha It is also confessed by one of the chiefe capitaines standing for the Pope his Lorde that particular churches and prouinciall Synodes may erre and haue oftentimes erred Which thing long experience hath prooued true Let vs then consider the church in the vniuersalitie thereof which is as some say considered in that it is in a generall councell represented There is no cause why we shoulde thinke that all the power and giftes which the holy ghost doeth bestowe vpon the vniuersall church shoulde be restrayned to a certaine number of prelates gathered together in a generall councell which are not alwayes the best learned nor the best men which are in the whole chuch although they doe there represent the whole multitude of them which did sende them thither For it falleth out often times that a simple man shal be founde to haue better vnderstanding than the greatest man in the whole assembly Panormitan Which caused one famous Canonist to write vppon the chapter Significasti tit de Electionibus that sometime more credite is to be giuen to one priuate man beeing a
feeble a slender ground For we shal find the determinations of councells which are called the church representatiue one contrarie to an other as by conference of them together it will appeare Herevnto I will adde this reason Iesus Christe is hee whome all the true Prophetes honoured for as their Lorde he did send thē and yet they are not aboue him but he aboue them notwithstāding he doth approue his doctrin by their testimonies S. Paul suffereth the Bereites to do the like with his doctrin Act. 17. S. Peter prayseth greatly this kinde of doing 2. Pet. 1.19 Therefore they which doe call themselues the Vicars of Iesus Christ the successors of Saint Peter and Paul may not refuse this condition To this purpose serueth that which Hierome writeth We must not sayth he followe the errours of fathers nor of auncestours But wee must follow the authorite of the holy scriptures And Chrysostome writing vppon the 14. Lib. 2. in lir cap. 9. chapter of the gospell of Sainte Mathewe saith That hee which will knowe which is the true Church of Christ when thinges are in confusion through likelihoode hee must knowe it by the scriptures And in the same place vppon these wordes Hom. 49. Let them which are in Iurie flee vnto the mountaines he saith Let them which are in the christianitie retire and drawe them selues to the holy scriptures For when the time is such that heresie doeth possesse the Churches so that one cannot haue by or in the church any sure or certaine tryall to prooue which is true christianitie there can bee no other refuge to such christians as are desirous of the christian faith but only to the scriptures whosoeuer then will not know which is the true church of Christe how shal he know it but only by the holy scriptures saith this ancient father Againe he saith The Lord knowing that great confusion should come in the later dayes doth commaund that the christians which doe desire to take some holde of true faith should haue their refuge to nothing but to the holy scriptures For otherwise if they will haue regard to other thinges they shall be offended and perishe not vnderstāding which is the true church and so shall fall into the abhomination of desolation which wil hold it self in the holy place of the Church An other olde greek writer Basil I do meane in the nienth Summe of his moralls Cap. 22. saith If all that which is not of faith be sinne as the Apostle saith and faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God then all that which is out of the diuine holy scripture is sinne Againe in a Sermon which hee maketh of the confession of faith If God be faithfull in all his purposes and his cōmandementes be sure for euer being done in trueth and right it is manifestly to turne from the faith and a sinne of pride to throwe any thing away of that which is written or to bring in any thing which is not written Thus much in answere to that which our Romish rufflers do bellowe for their church the power and glorie thereof And to shewe what a christian may and ought safely to thinke of the church and how to giue humble credit to the holy scriptures and to giue to them their due authoritie To this Oration made and pronounced in that Colloquie had at Poyssi by that singular instrument and seruant of God Theodore Beza the Papistes and their capitayne the Cardinall did not reply For I thinke they had not the hartes to withstand the trueth Yea they were so far from denying of it that euen then and there their chiefe doctor Despense was in approbation thereof content to saye that hee did allowe that in generall which was sayde in this Oration of the church and saide that hee had alwayes taken this for a wicked blasphemie that some doe say that The church is aboue the holy scriptures But touching that which was in this oration saide of the ordinarie succession of Pastors hee was not yet fully satisfied He added that he did not take the pastors of the Churches reformed by the Gospell to be lawfull ministers because they had not the handes laide on them by the Bishops To this the doctor was aunswered then Impositiō of handes and thus That there are markes of the lawfull calling of Pastors of which some are substantiall and may not bee omitted others may Substantiall things not to bee omitted are these First that the person admitted into the ministerie bee appointed to doe that office wich is enioyned the minister of Christ in his church by the worde of God which is to preach truely the doctrin of Iesus and sincerely to administer the holy sacramentes Agayne that before his admission he bee tryed and examined howe fitt and able hee is to doe this worke of the Lorde and so he must by tryall be founde able in doctrine and of a godly conuersation of life Thirdly that then hee be chosen to the office by forme and order of a lawefull election But as touching imposition of hands it doth concerne but an externe forme and serueth as it were but to put him in possession and vse of the holy ministerie it doth not make him a minister it is not of any such force Hierome writing against the Luciferians saith expressely that the imposition of handes is not of necessitie prescribed by the law but it is a certaine honour done to the priesthoode Eliah and Samuel did both of them sacrifice and yet did not any of the ordinary priestes lay their handes on them It may be further saide in answere that if the romish maisters now wil needs haue vs to receiue impositiō of hands of them or else they will not take vs to be lawfull ministers they muste shew first that them selues are right and lawfull ministers of the gospell of Iesus But that they cannot do For touching their institution it is as strange and vnknowne to the gospell as was the institution of the priestes of Ieroboams calues strange to lawe of God For the Romish priests are instituted to haue authoritie to offer sacrifice to God and to say masse for the quick and the dead as the Popes Pontifical beareth record and that in the name of the lord say they But the Popish Pontificall doeth herein greatly abuse the name of the Lord. For the Lord God doeth not in the whole newe Testament ordeyne any such kinde of sacrifizing or massing Priestes And therefore the order of the Popish priesthood is as farre wide from the gospell as the calues of Ieroboam were from the lawe of God and his priestes frō the Lords priestes Now in the execution of that office which the Priestes in poperie pretende to haue and to exercise they doe likewise depart from the trueth For they preach not the gospell of Iesus but the deuises of men contrarie to the doctrin of Iesus They do not administer his holy sacraments
according to Christes holy ordinance but they do forasmuch as in thē lieth corrupt the sacrament of baptisme the administratiō thereof with their manifold very grosse ceremonies thogh they leaue the substāce of it vnchāged And they do take vpon them boldly to change as they say both the substance of the other sacrament that is of the bodie and bloode of Christ our Sauiour and also the ende why it was ordeined so that they doe not leaue vs of this holy sacrament neither the doctrine in truth nor the substance of it nor the ende and vse of it as their deuises of the Transubstantiation and sacrifice of their masse do declare to all the worlde Therefore the imposition of the handes of Popishe Bishoppes beeing them selues straungers to the gospel is vtterly vnmeete for them which are called to do the office of a minister of the gospell The olde true Priestes in the old Testament did not receiue imposition of handes of any of the Priestes of Baal or other Idolatrous priests In the Ecclesiasticall historie we do read of diuerse godly fathers and Pastors which woulde not receiue the imposition of handes of such Bishops as were heretikes Neither truely ought the ministers of the gospell of Iesus seeke to haue anye imposition of handes of the popish priestes or bastardly Bishops of Poperie which are both Idolaters heretikes Surely this is not necessarie neither were it comely The ministers and preachers of the gospell they haue this good testimonie of their vocation First that they are called to preache the gospell Then they haue ben examined tryed by those to whome the gouernement of the church is in those matters committed Thirdly they are found meete for the vocation and chosen to it Last of all they are with solemne prayers admitted into the charge and put in possession of it admitted and accepted of the people And this is of force sufficient in trueth to proue the lawfulnes of their ministerie and sufficiencie of their calling They need not oyle no not the consecrated oyle to which the Popish Bishops doe attribute a maruellous vertue of consecrating and blessing They neede not the blind blessing of any of the popish Bishops no more than they neede the shearing or shauing of their crownes which toyes are the cognisance of the sworne soldiers of those Bishops which are the tryed peticaptaines of the Pope the very priestes of Baal Those two horned beasts do among them of Rome take on them onely the authoritie to lay on handes Let them if they wil lay their hands on them in their popish priesthood which are like to them selues On the ministers of the gospell which haue nothing like to them in the ministerie of it their handes are not to be layde Esr 4.2 The restorers of Hierusalem woulde not receiue the offered helpe of their neighbours which were mockers of their labours and enemies to it And shall wee then seeke your helpe ô you Papistes or receiue your profered seruice to helpe vs forwarde in the worke of the Lorde committed to vs No no ye are deadly enimies to the worke of the Lorde and mockers of it Therefore wee will not admit your handes to be layde on vs. If the Lorde of his mercy shall turne the hearts of any of the popish clergie and giue them grace to loath their order and giue them a desire to serue the Lorde Iesus in the ministerie of his holy gospell and the church shall neede their seruice let them come to vs to be tryed and examined of vs and if they be founde meete and the church haue neede of their seruice they shall receiue of vs imposition of handes And where is that commission giuen whereby the popish Bishops alone do claime the authoritie to lay on their vnholy hands vpon the hoministers of the gospell Truely neither can wee finde it in the olde nor in the newe Testament And in his time Hierome did write to one Euagrius that the imposition of hands by the Bishop as it was then vsed was no ordinance of God but onely a custome Let the tryall of a true minister then not rest vpon custom or encroching vnder the couer of ceremonies but let it rest in the true substance of the ministerie which is in doctrine and doing the office of an Euangelicall minister The Romish rulers wil driue vs to proue our calling either by doctrine or by miracle Touching doctrine the word of God approueth our ministerie sufficiently We neede not to auow the working of miracles For the beleeuers of the doctrine which is preached by vs do proue it for vs in that their vnfeigned conuersion to God is miraculously wrought in thē by the power of his worde This doeth shewe forth the lawfull faithfull and fruitefull labour to which we are called by the grace and blessing of God This is no strange matter if you consider that which Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians that they by his preaching of the Gospell and his ministerie in it beeing called and conuerted from idolatrie to knowe and worship the lord God in trueth from wickednesse to holinesse of life were as he sayth the seales of his Apostleship in the Lord. 1. Cor. 9. And by what authoritie can they of Rome who are most of all men out of rule lay this lawe vppon the Lord our God that he cannot or shall not extraordinarily call at his pleasure any meet man to the ministerie of his holye worde vnlesse the same man do first passe vnder their bastardly handes be approued of them who are moste meete to be reproued of all other as both by their institution and execution it is proued Therefore amend your selues ô you hollowe hypocrites of Rome and leaue your vniust carping of vs. Turne your wallet and pull out the beame that sticketh in your owne eyes The Lorde amende you if it be his holy will prosper the preaching of his holy gospel by the ministerie of the ministers of the gospell for euer Amen FINIS